Russell Mckinney's Blog

Straight Talk About God and Life

Contemporary Vs. Traditional

(This article ran in the January, 2010 regional edition of The Blue Ridge Christian News.)

At Disciples Road Church, we feature a balanced blend of music. Unlike churches that offer separate traditional and contemporary services, we just throw everybody together and ask them to sing classic hymns and contemporary worship songs. Since having preferences is a part of being human, our members have theirs. With a few exceptions, the lines fall exactly as you would think: The kids like the contemporary songs best, but the adults like the classics.

The truth is, I can’t blame the kids for favoring the contemporary songs. Have you ever really paid attention to some of the words of the old hymns? The second verse of Holy, Holy, Holy has the line: “Cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee.” That’s a glorious thought, but how many youth know that cherubim and seraphim are two categories of angels? (And, yes, I’ve taught on that subject at the church). The first verse of All Hail The Power of Jesus’ Name reads: “Let angels prostrate fall; Bring forth the royal diadem.” When does a ten-year old hear the word “prostrate” or “diadem” other than in that song? The second verse of Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing begins with: “Here I raise mine Ebenezer; Hither by thy help I come.” That line is a reference to 1 Samuel 7:12, but a teenager sings it and thinks, “What’s an Ebenezer?” I’ve got to admit that even my initial reaction to the word has more to do with the Ebenezer Scrooge of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol than the great prophet Samuel. And I won’t even get into their reactions to “hither” and “thy”.

You say, “Russell, you’re just singing the wrong hymns. You need to quit trying to be ‘high church.’ Just stick to old standbys like At Calvary, What A Friend We Have In Jesus, and Leaning On The Everlasting Arms.” Well, I must report that we even run into some problems with these seemingly simple songs. At Calvary contains words such as “spurned”, “imploring”, and “raptured”. What A Friend We Have In Jesus gives us “laden”, “cumbered”, and “solace”. Leaning On The Everlasting Arms talks about walking in this “pilgrim way” and being safe and secure from all “alarms”. Any child who knows about getting up early for school knows what an alarm is and is left to wonder how God keeps us secure from them.

Do you understand the point I’m making? Oftentimes it takes an elderly theologian to grasp doctrinal truths that are presented in language from the 1700s, 1800s, and 1900s. There’s a reason why Bible-school songs sound so much different from our classic hymns. Yes, the quicker beat helps keep the attention of hyperactive kids, but the unsophisticated words are a major draw too. Children are like adults in that they want to be able to understand what they are singing.

My son Ryan is twelve years old. He is a straight-A student who has been raised in church. He knows Jesus as his Savior and wasn’t baptized by me until I was thoroughly convinced that his salvation was genuine. It has only been over the last three years that he has been introduced to contemporary Christian music. Before that, he only sung such songs during Bible school. Everything else was classic hymnology. What I’m saying is, if any kid should be able to handle the old songs, it’s Ryan.

Nevertheless, a few weeks ago, after our church had sung Victory In Jesus, Ryan asked me something that really opened my eyes. His question was, “Daddy, what’s a ‘wretch’?” You see, if that song had said, “I heard an old, old story, how a Savior came from glory, how he gave his life on Calvary to save a sinner like me,” Ryan would have understood completely. But that word “wretch” confused him, even though he’d also sung it before in the opening words of Amazing Grace. You see, he is a “wretch” who has been saved by God’s amazing grace via Christ’s death on Calvary, but he needs a song that expresses that great truth in words that he can grasp.

A couple of weeks later I had a similar experience with Royce, my nine-year old. For several months now Tonya has been working to get him to remain in the worship service for its entirety, which includes his daddy’s sermon. She’s taken longer to make that transition with him than she did with Ryan because he has matured at a different rate than Ryan. I’ve tried to help by encouraging Royce to really sing out when we sing our songs. I always try to get the kids to participate in the service. It helps them and it helps the service. Since Royce likes singing, he has become one of the loudest voices in our church. (We’ll work at staying on key and in tempo later.)

Well, I don’t remember exactly what we were singing that morning, but I could hear Royce’s loud voice coming in and out of the song. It was obvious what was happening: He was singing loud until he came to a word he didn’t know. If I hadn’t figured that out during the song, Royce certainly let me hear about it at the song’s conclusion. He said, for all the congregation to hear, “Those words are too hard!” Everybody laughed, but I knew the little fellow was simply voicing a frustration that has been felt by thousands of young people at some point during their church lives.

Under this same category, we also find the debate concerning the use of modern translations of the Bible. Just as words such as “wretch”, “prostrate”, “diadem”, “cumbered”, and “solace” are completely foreign to today’s youth, so are K.J.V. words such as:

 “chambering” (Romans 13:13); “sackbut” (Daniel 3:5); “clouted” (Joshua 9:5); “glede“ (Deuteronomy 14:13); “ouches” (Exodus 28:11); “brigandines” (Jeremiah 46:4); “chode“ (Numbers 20:3); “nitre” (Proverbs 25:20); “purtenance” (Exodus 12:9); “choler“ (Daniel 8:7); “scall” (Leviticus 13:30); “amerce” (Deuteronomy 22:19); “tabret” (Genesis 31:27); “neesings” (Job 41:18); “suretiship“ (Proverbs 11:15); “collops” (Job 15:27); “trow” (Luke 17:9); “cieled” (Haggai 1:4); “blains” (Exodus 9:9); “wen” (Leviticus 22:22); “cotes” (2 Chronicles 32:28); “crookbackt” (Leviticus 21:20); “wantonness” (Romans 13:13); “ambassage” (Luke 14:32); “wimples” (Isaiah 3:22); and “habergeon” (Exodus 28:32).

I’ve been preaching for seventeen years, but even I have to work hard to figure out what these words mean. I can only imagine what young people think of the Bible when they run into such words while reading it. Since translation teams devote their lives to putting the Bible into the common languages of indigenous groups around the world, shouldn’t we do the same for our young folks here at home?

Frankly, I don’t claim to have all the answers in the traditional vs. contemporary debate. But what I do know is that if we want our kids to understand the word of God and the great doctrinal truths it conveys, we have to give them translations and spiritual songs that speak the way they do. The critic would call this more of the “dumbing down” of our society, but I just can’t justify holding 21st century kids (or adults for that matter) to the language standards of the 17th, 18th, or 19th centuries.

If I know anything about God, I know that He is alive and vibrant, always pushing ahead and moving on to the next thing. Jesus refused to be trapped by so many of the “traditions” of His day, and He hasn’t changed. Our Lord is in the business of reaching all people with His message, and as such He doesn’t want to be held hostage to archaic language that doesn’t speak in a clear, easily understood way to the people of the day. That is especially true when it comes to highly impressionable young people. I’m not saying that we should abandon the time-honored hymns or the K.J.V. translation. As long as large numbers of people still prefer these, there’s no reason to exclusively embrace the contemporary. But, on the other hand, let’s not drive into the other ditch by automatically labeling anything “new” as “bad.” Our young folks need us to be more discerning than that.

January 15, 2010 Posted by russellmckinney | Bible Study, Children, King James only, Music, Scripture, Worship, balance | , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

God’s Thoughts, Plans, & Love

Jeremiah 29:11 is an often-quoted verse. It says: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says the Lord, “thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (N.K.J.V.) The Hebrew word that is translated as “thoughts” carries with it the idea of planning, plotting, intending, devising, imagining, and purposing. That’s why every translation other than the King James and the New King James translate the word as “plans.” For example, the N.I.V. renders the verse: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” The point is, God doesn’t just think good thoughts; He also devises plans that will bring those good thoughts to pass.

Obviously, this is a beautiful verse that conveys a very pleasant idea. But we must be sure to take the verse’s context into account. This isn’t Paul writing to Christians. This is God speaking through the Jewish prophet Jeremiah to the Old Testament Jews. God is telling them what He is going to do for them once their seventy-year captivity in Babylon has ended. The previous verse, verse 10, makes this clear. It says: For thus says the Lord: “After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform my good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place (Jerusalem).” So, you see, there really isn’t anybody alive on Earth right now who can specifically claim verse 11 as their own.

This doesn’t mean, however, that the general principle of the verse can’t be carried over into our day. We shouldn’t think of God as creation’s mean-spirited policeman. We do Him an injustice when we depict Him as a cosmic killjoy who won’t let us have any fun. The truth is, He would much rather think good thoughts than bad ones toward people. He’d much rather devise plans for good than bad. He’d much rather bless than judge.

God didn’t enjoy allowing the Babylonians to conquer Judah and carry the Jews off to Babylon for seventy years of captivity. He only did that because those Jews needed chastening. For a 490-year period, they had ignored His command to let the land rest every seventh year (Exodus 23:11). This meant that they owed the land seventy individual years of rest. The land got each year of that rest during those seventy years the people were exiled in Babylon (Leviticus 26:27-35; 2 Chronicles 36:15-21).  

Certainly that punishment conveys one side of God’s nature. But it isn’t the only side. As soon as the seventy years of whipping were finished, what was God’s word to those Jews? It was, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Do you see the perfect balance? 

If there were ever any lingering doubts about God loving all people, they were dispelled when Jesus (God the Son) came into this world and became one of us. This was God giving to all humanity the absolute best He had: Himself. He did this even though He knew the gift would be ridiculed, misunderstood, mocked, rejected, arrested, whipped, and nailed to a cross to die. Why would God do such a thing? To save believers from their sins! As John 3:16 says: ”For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (N.I.V.)        

I don’t know how you are feeling right now. But I can tell you with all certainty that God loves you. He loves you so much that Jesus died for you so that God can spend all eternity with you. You’ve got to love someone a whole bunch to want to be around them forever!!! Jesus came to Earth so that you could go to Heaven. He lived and died so that you could die and live. He paid a debt He did not owe because you owed a debt you could not pay. So the next time you to start to doubt that God loves you, look to the cross. There you’ll find the indisputable measure of His love.

November 11, 2009 Posted by russellmckinney | Belief, Christ's Death, Crucifixion, Disobedience, Forgiveness, God's Love, Heaven, balance, salvation | , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Is The K.J.V. Bible God’s “Perfect” Word?

I live in Spruce Pine, North Carolina. That’s about an hour and a half from Canton, North Carolina. Canton’s Amazing Grace Baptist Church, with its pastor Marc Grizzard, has made a little ripple in the national news recently by announcing plans to have a book-burning on Halloween night. ”Burn what books?” you ask. Oh, just some really radical stuff: Bible translations other than the King James translation and books by popular Christian authors that use translations other than the King James. We’re talking about authors such as Billy Graham, Rick Warren, and Chuck Swindoll. You know, some real subversives who’ve never done a thing for the cause of Christ.

If my words are already dripping with sarcasm it’s because I’ve studied this “K.J.V. only” issue for years. I’ve listened to sermons from Jack Hyles, who ruled as pastor of the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana for decades. I’ve spent time online at David Cloud’s website. I’ve read The Sword of the Lord publication, which is edited by Shelton Smith. I’ve even attended two Sword of the Lord conferences in Walkertown, North Carolina. I tell you all of this as evidence that I’ve heard the arguments for the K.J.V. translation being a “perfect” Bible. Here are three of those main arguments.

#1: God has promised to preserve His words. The supposed text for this is Psalm 12:6-7, which says in the K.J.V.: “The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” According to the “K.J.V. only” folks, the K.J.V. is God’s preserved word for the English speaking people. Evidently God doesn’t have a preserved word for the billions who speak languages other than English!

Really, though, if you will sit down and read Psalm 12 as a whole you will find that the word “them” in the line “thou shalt preserve them” refers to the oppressed “poor” and “needy” of verse 5, not the “words of the Lord” of verse 6. The Psalm is about God preserving the godly weak in a world of the ungodly strong. This explains why I’ve read that 95% of Hebrew scholars agree that the word “them” in verse 7 should, in reality, be “us.”

#2: God’s word is settled in heaven. The so-called proof text here is Psalm 119:89: “For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.” I once heard Jack Hyles say in a sermon that the “word” that is settled in heaven is the King James translation. He said that when he got to heaven he would see a King James Bible there. I guess all those people who can’t read English will have to take the time in eternity to learn.

Then again, God might just instantaneously give them that ability. Sure, that makes sense. Of course, Hyles also twisted 1 Peter 1:23 to make the K.J.V. the “incorruptible seed” that was necessary for anyone to experience salvation. Say, perhaps there won’t be anybody in heaven who’ll have to learn to read English after all! 

Would you believe that the most extreme of the “K.J.V. only” group contend that the K.J.V. is even superior to the Old Testament’s original Hebrew and the New Testament’s original Greek? Peter Ruckman goes so far as to teach that the K.J.V. is advanced revelation over the Bible’s original texts!   

#3: The men who served as the translators of the K.J.V. were all godly men who believed they were handling the word of God. With all due respect to the translators of the K.J.V., those men weren’t even “K.J.V. only” themselves. In the original K.J.V. there are eleven pages in the front that serve as the Preface. This Preface is labeled ”The Translators To The Reader.” In that preface, the translators actually argue for the use of other translations by saying, “a variety of translation is profitable for finding out the sense of the Scriptures.”

They also praise translations that came before theirs by saying, “Truly (good Christian reader) we never thought from the beginning, that we should need to make a new Translation, nor yet to make of a bad one a good one…but to make a good one better or out of many good ones, one principal good one.”

Finally, those translators argue that scripture must always be in the most current, up-to-date language so that the common people can easily understand what they are reading. The direct quote is, “But we desire that the Scripture may speak like itself, as in the language, that it may be understood even of the very vulgar.” Ironically, even the meaning of that word “vulgar” has changed since those translators wrote. During their day it meant “common, simple, or uneducated.” Now it typically means “crude, lewd, offensive, or profane.” Does that make the translator’s argument or what?

Furthermore, it’s hard to defend the clear readability of the K.J.V. when it uses such archaic, obsolete words as: “aceldama”; “almug”; “ambassage”; ”amerce”; “blains”; ”brigandines”; “chambering”; “chode”; “churl”; ”cieled”; “clouted”; “collops”; ”cotes”; “crookbackt”; “glede”; “habergeon”; ”neesing”; ”nitre”; “ouches”; ”purtenance”;  ”suretiship”; “sackbut”; “scall”; “tabret”; “trow”; ”wen”; “wimples”; and ”wot.”    

In addition to these outdated words, there are also those various instances where the meanings of certain words have changed. For example, the word ”fetched” in ”fetched a compass” (Joshua 15:3; 2 Kings 3:9; Acts 28:13) doesn’t mean “went and got a compass.” It means “to turn around” or “to go around.” Likewise, the word “without” in “without the camp” means “outside.”   

I certainly mean no disrespect to the K.J.V. translation. I grew up reading it. After I went into the ministry, I preached from it for many years. It has been used in God’s service more than any other translation. But let’s not go off the deep end here. The K.J.V. is not “perfect.” The fact is, it has many demonstrable translation errors. Here are some of them:

-Genesis 49:6: “they digged down a wall” should be “they hamstrung an ox”

-Genesis 42:27; Genesis 43:21; Exodus 4:24: “inn” should be “the lodging place” or “the encampment”

-Exodus 20:13: “kill” should be “murder” (This clears up an apparent contradiction between this verse and passages such as Exodus 21:12-21).

-1 Kings 10:28: “linen yarn” should be the Egyptian town “Keveh”

-Psalm 77:2: “my sore ran in the night” should be “my hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing” 

-Mark 6:20: “observed him” should be “kept him safe” or “protected him.”

-John 20:17: “Touch me not” should be “Do not cling to me”

-Acts 5:30: “and hanged” should be “by hanging”

-Acts 12:4: “Easter” should be “Passover”

-Acts 19:2: “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?” should be “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

-Romans 8:16,26: “Spirit itself” should be “Spirit Himself”  

-1 Corinthians 4:4: “For I know nothing by myself” should be “For I am conscious of nothing against myself”

-1 Thessalonians 5:22: “all appearance of evil” should be “every form of evil” 

-James 3:2: “For in many things we offend all” should be “For we all stumble in many things”

You see, if even one of these errors stands up to scrutiny and proves to be factual, it means that the K.J.V. loses the claim of perfection. You can’t be wrong in even one way and still be “perfect.” Please understand, by in large the K.J.V. is a reliable translation that does an excellent job of translating the Bible’s original Hebrew and Greek into English. We’re talking about just a few problems here and there in the translation’s vast universe of words. But those problems are there. And that’s a big reason why we don’t need to be burning translations that aren’t the K.J.V.

According to Romans 10:2, it’s possible to have a zeal for God that is ”not according to knowledge.” The zeal is sincere, but it is either uninformed or ill-informed. In the case of Marc Grizzard and Amazing Grace Baptist Church, I’d say it is ill-informed. Obviously, they’ve studied the “K.J.V. only” issue in great detail and are “informed” on the subject. But their information is not only severely lacking but also downright wrong. It’s a shame, really, because I’m sure there are some good people in that congregation. I just wish they’d find a more productive and Christ-pleasing way to spend Halloween night.

October 28, 2009 Posted by russellmckinney | Bible Study, King James only, Scripture, The Bible, balance | , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Beer and Boycotts

Our little town of Spruce Pine recently voted to turn “wet” by allowing the sale of beer and wine inside the city limits. Needless to say, this was major news. Many of the churches of the area banded together and put up a real fight. In the end, though, the vote passed by a slim margin. 

One of the primary reasons why it passed was the fact that the entire county hadn’t been “dry” for a long time. For decades, bootleggers prospered in these parts. Then came a couple of restaurants that were located close enough to the Blue Ridge Parkway to get special exemptions to sell spirits. Finally, our local golf course erected a pitiful looking little tennis court that allowed it to claim the coveted title “sports club.” That title carries with it the legal permission to sell beer and wine on the premises. It didn’t take long for a package store to be built in the course’s parking lot and to became one of the region’s top money-makers. Of course, we’re still waiting for someone to actually play a tennis match on that court.

And so Spruce Pine now has beer and wine running out its nose. The Wal-Mart Supercenter stocks the stuff, as does the Ingles grocery store. A vacant building has been chosen as the site for an ABC store, and some of our restaurants have begun offering beer and wine on their menus. This is where our local pastors’ conference comes into the story.

Most Monday mornings I attend the conference. We meet at 10:00 a.m., shoot the bull for a few minutes, take some praise reports and prayer requests, have a time of prayer, and then listen as one of us preaches a sermon. We dismiss after the sermon, choose a place to eat, and meet at that restaurant. We vary where we eat because no one wants to eat the same food over and over again.

A few Mondays back I couldn’t attend the conference, but I found out later that the guys had eaten at the Mexican restaurant in downtown Spruce Pine. We’d gone there plenty of times before, but this time was different. This time the restaurant offered beer and wine on the menu. The fellows didn’t think too much about it, but somehow the word got out that the local pastors didn’t mind patronizing joints that served booze. This is where our local paper comes into the story.

Our paper features a controversial section called “Rants and Raves.” The idea is that any anonymous person can use that section to register a complaint or a compliment. The complaints seem to outnumber the compliments about four to one. I guess if you want to compliment someone you don’t mind leaving your name.

Well, one “Rants and Raves” piece was a rant about the local pastors frequenting a restaurant that offered beer and wine. I don’t know how the person spotted the guys. Did he or she see them going in or out of the restaurant? Did someone else pass along the information? I certainly hope the person wasn’t in the restaurant himself or herself when the pastors were in there. That would be hypocrisy.    

Anyway, this is where one of the pastors comes into the story. An elderly gentleman, one we all genuinely like and respect, was scheduled to preach the following Monday morning. Before he began his sermon, he commented on the rant and, from everything we could tell, agreed with it. I figured he could do so because he hadn’t eaten at the restaurant. (All the pastors don’t always come along for the after-conference meal).

The man quoted from 2nd Corinthians 6:14-18, parts of which say: “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?…’Come out from among them and be separate’, says the Lord. ‘Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.’” He also quoted from 1st John 2:15: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 

To really drive home his point he told us that he no longer shopped at the local Ingles because of the beer and wine on the shelves. He didn’t mention the Wal-Mart Supercenter, but some of us were dying to ask if he still shoped there. No one did, though.

After the conference, we got together to decide where to eat. Even though the elderly pastor didn’t plan to go with us, you can imagine that it didn’t take long for someone to say, “I guess the Mexican place is out!” We ended up eating at a little ”mom and pop” spot where the burgers are great and there is no beer and wine. Over the course of the meal, the conversation naturally turned to the question of whether or not a Christian should frequent a business that sells alcohol.

None of us at the table that day took the position that a Christian should totally boycott such establishments. To us, that was being too extreme. Consider these facts:

#1: While it’s true that we Christians are not to be “of the world,” we are still very much ”in the world” (John 17:14-18). Paul said that the only way to totally get away from sinful people would be to go “out of the world” (1st Corinthians 5:9-10).

#2: Since Jesus frequently ate with and associated with those whom the legalists considered “sinners,” Biblical separation obviously doesn’t mean monk-like isolationism. 

#3: The truth is that many good students of the Bible (including this writer) do not believe that it totally forbids all alcoholic consumption. Drunkenness? Certainly. All partaking of alcohol? No. I could cite several examples here, but I’ll limit myself to one. In 1st Timothy 5:23, Paul says to Timothy, “Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine for your stomach’s sake because of your frequent illnesses.” If the wine was just grape juice, Paul wouldn’t have advised drinking just a ”little.” (By the way, please don’t read into this that I’m glad that our town now has legal beer and wine. I’m simply trying to interpret the Bible as accurately as I can.)     

Here’s something else to consider: the incredibly complex and interwoven nature of America’s companies and corportations. Many years ago, when I was the pastor of a Southern Baptist Convention church, the denomination formally called upon its churches to boycott the Walt Disney company because of Disney’s homosexual CEO and its increasingly troubling products. However, since Disney also owned ABC, ESPN, and movie production companies such as Touchstone, Hollywood, and Miramax, boycotting it meant boycotting a fairly large slice of life.

Our local news is broadcast on channel 13, which is an ABC station. The biggest basketball game in our state is Duke-North Carolina, and ESPN always carries that game. Touchstone Pictures produced the wildly popular kids’ movies ”Pirates of the Caribbean” and “The Santa Claus.” Hollywood Pictures produced one of my all-time favorite movies, “Mr. Holland’s Opus.” Miramax, under its Dimension Films subdivision, produced the “Spy Kids” movies. You see, if you are truly going to boycott Disney, you’re going to have to work at it.

The same applies to a thorough boycotting of alcohol. My two boys love to watch Albert Pujols hit, but I guess they would have to stop watching. Why? Because Pujols plays for the St. Louis Cardinals, who for years were owned by Anheuser Busch. As a matter of fact, the home stadium Pujols plays in still bears the name Busch Stadium. (Along the same lines, the Colorado Rockies play on Coors Field.) Do you enjoy watching NFL games, NBA games, college football games, and Nascar races? I hope not because they are all built around money from beer companies. Any ideal boycott must take all of this into consideration. 

And what about that “mom and pop” burger place where we ate? Do they buy their hamburger buns, soft drinks, napkins, or ketchup from Ingles or Wal-Mart? Even if they buy their buns directly from a bread company such as Sunbeam, Sunbeam sells its bread at Ingles and Wal-Mart. Doesn’t that require what some preachers call “secondary separation”?

You see, we get into a real quagmire when we start boycotting every business that we categorize as “bad.” If I want to go to a movie theater and see an uplifting, Christian movie such as “Flywheel,” “Facing The Giants,” or “Fireproof,” I can’t. Remember, that same theater shows some movies of which I disapprove. If I want to take my son’s baseball team to a minor-league game as a reward for a good season, I can’t. That minor-league park sells beer at the concession stand. Do you understand what I’m getting at? To use an Ernest T. Bass word from the Andy Griffith show, you just can’t hermatize yourself.    

Now let me tell you how this story ends. After the pastors’ conference yesterday, we decided to go to the local Japanese restaurant and enjoy their lunch buffet. I thought, “That’s a good choice. I’ve never seen any beer or wine in there.” As soon as we got in the door, though, I read a sign that offered an inexpensive glass of wine as a part of the lunch special. Then, when the waitress took us to our seats, I noticed a hallway where several empty beer boxes were stacked up next to a wall. Clearly, beer and wine had come to the Japanese restaurant. I guess we’ll just have to wait for the next edition of the paper to find out if we got busted.

Maybe, from now on, my fellow pastors and I just need to eat at McDonalds. I do love Big Macs. Oh, wait, Busch Stadium has a special section of seats called “Big Mac Land.” If a homerun lands there, everyone in the section gets a free Big Mac. To make matters worse, that section got its name from Mark McGwire, the former Cardinals slugger who hit so many balls up there. McGwire is highly suspected of using dangerous steroids to increase his homerun power. 

So, if McDonalds associates itself with an alleged cheater and a stadium named for a beer company, I suppose we shouldn’t let them have one dime of our money. Besides, some of those toys they put in their happy-meal boxes are promotional products for kids movies, and many of those movies are made by Disney. Boy, it all sure does get confusing, doesn’t it? It makes me want to say, “Hey, Ernest, how exactly does one go about hermatizing one’s self?

July 21, 2009 Posted by russellmckinney | Christian Liberty, Holiness, Personal, Personal Holiness, balance, separation | , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Are You Too Busy?

Yesterday afternoon found me on the road having to be at a certain place at a certain time. It also found me in the midst of an absolute sea of traffic. I couldn’t believe what I was experiencing. Cars, trucks, big rigs, dump trucks, and school buses were everywhere. I kept thinking, “Where are all these people going?”

To understand my astonishment, you’ve got to know where I live. I live in little old Mitchell county, way up in the mountains of western North Carolina. Our total population is a little under 16,000. We roll up the sidewalks at night in our two towns. We know our neighbors’ business. When we dial a wrong number, we end up talking to the person for ten minutes.

My afternoon trip had me driving out of Mitchell county and into Yancey county. Yancey county isn’t much more than a twin sister to Mitchell. That’s what made the traffic so amazing. I’ve taken more trips through Mitchell and Yancey counties than I can count. I know what is normal for these roads. Yesterday, I felt like I was in downtown New York city.

I don’t know where you live, but I’m guessing that there are more cars on your roadways these days. It seems that we now average two or three cars per household. Honestly, it’s hard for me to feel sorry for the auto manufacturers. It’s plain to see that they’ve been highly successful at selling their products for a long time now. If they’re having financial troubles, it has to be because of inept management, sinful excess, greed, downright stupidity, or something. They’ve sold enough cars in the past to be monetarily solvent for years to come. Of course, I do feel for all the blue-collar workers who’ve lost their jobs. It’s just that it seems absurd that they had to lose those jobs. I mean, it’s not like people haven’t been buying cars! 

But why am I fixating on cars today? I’m not. What I’m really fixating on is how BUSY we’ve become. Everybody seems to be running around to some place to do something. It makes me think of that Andy Griffith episode where the visiting preacher tells the Mayberry church folk to slow down and enjoy the simpler things of life. That was 1960s Mayberry. If that preacher wanted to preach that same message to today’s church folk, he’d have to leave an hour earlier just to account for the traffic to get to church.

There’s a Bible story that fits in here too. You’ve heard the one about Mary and Martha, haven’t you? They were the two sisters of Lazarus, the man Jesus raised from the dead. Luke 10:38-42 is the record of a visit that Jesus made to their home. While Martha was scurrying around the house, taking care of the serving, doing the work of a hostess, Mary “sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.” Finally, in thinly veiled anger and frustration with the whole scene, Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, don’t You care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me.”

It seemed to be a perfect occasion for a Proverbs style lesson on the value of a work ethic. It seemed to be the right time for a good word about love being shown in service. It seemed to be a clear case of Martha having a legitimate argument. But Jesus didn’t think so. He reversed field and said, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

I can’t help but wonder how those words made Martha feel. They had to hurt her feelings, didn’t they? Did tears well up in her eyes? Did she get even madder? Did her mouth drop open in utter disbelief at Jesus siding with Mary? The Bible doesn’t tell us. The lesson of the story isn’t hard to discern, though: No matter how busy you are, you must make time to “sit at Christ’s feet” and “hear His word.” This can be done through prayer, Bible study, or reading a daily devotion. Many people call it “having a quiet time.” The classic word for it is worship.

You say, “Russell, I understand what you are saying, and I really want to have such times in my life, but I’m just so busy.” Okay, here’s my advice to you: Make this a priority! A friend of mine was fussing at his wife because she didn’t exercise enough. He was running several miles each day, but she wouldn’t even look at the treadmill. She said, “I just don’t have the time.” He replied, “You’ve got to make it a priority.” A few days afterwards, he asked her what was for supper. She said, “I don’t know. I’m not fixing it. I’m doing the treadmill. I’M MAKING IT A PRIORITY.”

I’m not telling you to stop doing any of the dozens of things that are mandatory for your day. Trust me, Jesus knows all about what is mandatory. But I am telling you that you must build times of intimacy with Jesus into your life. Leave the beds unmade if that’s what it takes. The yard doesn’t have to be manicured. Let a few dishes pile up in the sink. Your car will just get dirty again. The clothes don’t have to be yanked out of the dryer the moment it cuts off. Wal-Mart will still be there when you get there. You might have enough bread and milk to delay that trip to the grocery store. You get the idea. Whatever else you get done each day, you must spend some ”Mary” time with Jesus. And if you’re too busy to do that, you need to make some changes in your life. You’re busier than you need to be.

April 3, 2009 Posted by russellmckinney | Bible Study, Business, Church attendance, Personal, Priorities, Work, Worship, balance, prayer | , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Ups & Downs of Life

I am currently helping out a friend by serving as an assistant coach on our local 7th-8th grade baseball team. The friend is the head coach. Actually, it was my eleven-year-old son, Ryan, who got me involved. Being a 6th grader, he volunteered to help out as one of the team’s managers until he can play next year. From there it was just a hop, skip, and a jump to me becoming an assistant coach.

Our last two games have been kind of fascinating to me. We lost the first one 11-2 and set baseball back at least a century with our poor play. But then the very next day we won the second game 10-0. In that game, we hit well, fielded well, and pitched well. It’s hard to believe that the same team could play such vastly different games. What should I expect from here on out? My guess is, more ups and downs. 

Forrest Gump’s mother is famous for saying, “Life is like a box of chocolates.” With all due respect to Sally Field, I might say that it is like a 7th-8th grade baseball team. Some days everything goes your way. You hit what you swing at, catch what comes at you, and throw strike after strike. Other days you look completely overmatched and inept. You strike out, make errors, and fall way behind in the score. I don’t know what the secret is to having all good days. If I did, I’d go around hawking it and become a trillionaire.

In Philippians 4:11, the apostle Paul instructs the Christian on how to handle life’s ups and downs. He says, “For I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.” Those words “whatever state” cover anything and everything that life can throw at you. Winning 10-0, be content. Losing 11-2, be content. (You don’t have to be happy about losing, but you should be content with what a sovereign God has allowed to come your way.)

I’ve always thought the key word in Philippians 4:11 is that word “learned.” Paul says, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.” The point is, living with such contentment doesn’t come naturally to us. Even the great apostle had to learn how to do it. And if he had to learn it, it goes without saying that we have to as well.

But what are we trying to learn? The lesson is two-fold. First, when we are riding one of life’s ups, we mustn’t get greedy and demand more. A “state” of 10-0 is plenty of score cushion. There’s no need to become obsessed with running up the score to 15-0 or 20-0. That’s not the way of a contented person. Second, when we are riding one of life’s downs, we mustn’t get mad at God and start railing against Him. A “state” of 11-2 isn’t fun, but at least we are still able to head out onto the field and play the game. We’re not on the disabled list. Blessings are all around us if we will just acknowledge them. Griping about the bad things isn’t the way of a contented person either.       

Do you know what my friend, the head coach, said to me after today’s landslide victory? He said, “When you win, don’t get too high. And when you lose, don’t get too low.” That’s not only sound advice for a baseball season; it’s sound advice for life. I don’t know what kind of a “state” you are in right now, but strive to be content in it. If you are abased (the word Paul uses in Philippians 4:12), don’t let yourself get too low. God is still on the throne, and He isn’t finished with you yet. On the other hand, if you are abounding (the other word he uses in that verse), don’t let yourself get too high. Nothing will bring you down quicker than pride (Proverbs 16:18). When you start throwing out your chest and saying, “Look at all the great things that are going on in my life,” you are headed for disaster at breakneck speed.

In the end, what you are after is a proper balance, and that balance, as we have seen, involves being content in whatever state you find yourself. You say, “Oh, Russell, I could never learn such contentment. It’s beyond my ability.” Okay, fine, I believe you. But now let me leave you with one more thought that is found in the overall context of the Philippians 4:11 passage. In Philippians 4:13, Paul says confidently, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Does that mean, Christian, that you can learn to be content during life’s highs? Yes, it does. Does it mean that you can learn to be content during life’s lows? Yes, it does. You see, the contented balance that you need is found in Jesus. He is the One who taught it to Paul, and He will teach it to you as well.

March 20, 2009 Posted by russellmckinney | Personal, balance, contentment | Leave a Comment