

Just Keep At It!

Reflections on the Apostle Paul's First Letter to Timothy

Faith That Works Volume Seven

By Dr. Keith L. Posehn

copyright 2013 Keith Posehn

Smashwords Edition

## Introduction

I don't know about you but I'm always looking for something to use as a guide for my daily "Quiet Time". Most of the material out there is either too technical or too syrupy.

When I look for stuff to read for this daily time of prayer and meditation, I'm generally not looking for something I'll need to pull out a dictionary to understand. Nor am I looking for something that requires that I keep tissues handy.

I'm looking for a quick read that offers some insight on a short snippet of scripture from a perspective that might be different from mine or at least not something I'd think of myself. Oh yeah, it would be nice if it left me with a smile on my face most mornings. With these parameters, my search has generally been fruitless. So, being the industrious "type A" person that I am, I wrote one myself.

I don't promise that this little walk through the Apostle Paul's first letter to Timothy will leave you breathless from its theological significance. It will not make you misty eyed and drive you to hug everyone you meet that day. What I do hope is that it makes you think about the wisdom of Paul and do it with a smile on your face.

I think the smile part is important because we have enough things in our day that make us frown. I think our day should start (or end depending on when you have your "quiet time") with prayer, God's word, some reflective thought, and a smile.

I designed my devotional series, "Faith That Works!" specifically for Kindle Apps that run on mobile phones and other mobile devices to help folks take an easy to read devotional with them wherever they go. Stuck in line, waiting for someone late for an appointment, stuck in traffic? Just pull out Good News and Grins To Go and take advantage of a bad situation. (Please don't read and drive, or drive while praying with your eyes closed!)

So enjoy this guide and enjoy your time with God. I think He likes it best that way!

Pressing on toward the goal . . .

Revdrkid

Love, Love, Love

OK, I'll admit it right up front: I am a Beatles fan. But my favorite band growing up was the Beach Boys. I'm old enough to remember listening to both bands on the radio while the Beatles were still together and I've seen the Beach Boys in concert Seven times – Five of them before Dennis and Carl Wilson met early demises. Yes I am a child of the sixties and seventies, which may account for some of the strange musings found herein.

I was, a bit of an anomaly amongst my peers though: They were either strident Beatles fans or faithful Beach Boys fans and both were convinced that "never the twain shall meet". They couldn't understand how I could find myself in both camps. It did cause some minor doubt as to my veracity as a rock-n-roll aficionado. But when it came to an argument about which was the most favorite band, I always found myself arguing the Beach Boys' cause.

I think it had mostly to do with the fact that the Beach Boys were still "together" and that may have had something to do with the fact that they were brothers, a cousin, and the kid who grew up next door. That they have a "50th Anniversary Tour" proves their longevity in spite of the conflicts they have had over the years, though they can hardly be called "Boys" any more.

For me, the fact that the Beatles sang "All You Need Is Love" and then broke up shortly after the vinyl cooled, caused a huge credibility crunch. Yeah, I know that drugs, money, fame, and Yoko were involved, but, come on, "we can work It out"? Seriously?

The apostle Paul wrote a letter to his protégé, Timothy, while he was away and had left the church in Timothy's care. He starts his letter with a greeting appropriate for our musical debate:

I, Paul, am an apostle on special assignment for Christ, our living hope. Under God our Savior's command, I'm writing this to you, Timothy, my son in the faith. All the best from our God and Christ be yours! . . . Apparently some people have been introducing fantasy stories and fanciful family trees that digress into silliness instead of pulling the people back into the center, deepening faith and obedience. The whole point of what we're urging is simply love—love uncontaminated by self-interest and counterfeit faith, a life open to God. Those who fail to keep to this point soon wander off into cul-de-sacs of gossip. They set themselves up as experts on religious issues, but haven't the remotest idea of what they're holding forth with such imposing eloquence. 1 Timothy 1:1-7

You see folks, Paul is right: It is all about Love, specifically God's love for us and our response to it. The Beatles were wrong when they sang, "All You Need is Love", or they were at least incomplete in their verse. All we need is God's love. To leave out the specific origin and quality of the love that we need, leaves one severely wanting.

Perhaps that's why they broke up . . .

Pressing on toward the goal . . .

RevDrKid

Say What?

When you're the pastor dude like me, folks will come in to the office from time to time seeking advice, insight, counsel, and guidance to help them through some of the hairier times in life. And when you've been the pastor dude for as long as I have, you learn that it is important, first, to listen very closely (because sometimes the question they are asking isn't the question they want answered) and then, to consider your answer very carefully.

The listening part can sometimes be the hardest because some folks tell you way more than you want to know, or take way longer to tell it than you have time to listen. But after you've listened real good to all you can stand, then comes the real important part: answering their real question in a way that they can actually hear and understand. This requires that you know your audience – a skill not as easy as it might appear.

The Apostle Paul gave some advice on this very subject to Timothy, a young pup just learning how to do the pastor thing:

It's true that moral guidance and counsel need to be given, but the way you say it and to whom you say it are as important as what you say. It's obvious, isn't it, that the law code isn't primarily for people who live responsibly, but for the irresponsible, who defy all authority, riding roughshod over God, life, sex, truth, whatever! They are contemptuous of this great Message I've been put in charge of by this great God. 1 Timothy 1:8-11

Pretty clear in his message, Paul was. When we live responsibly, we don't have much contact with "The Law". Problem is we don't always live responsibly and most folks make irresponsibility into an art form. It seems that most folks think, and quite erroneously, that somebody will sweep in and clean up all our messes for us. Well, mommy's gone, and if you wait in the line to get the government's help, you'll have eight new problems before you get to the front.

And don't expect God to clean up your messes. I am famous, among the High school kids I worked with, for saying, "God will forgive you from every sin you can commit; He rarely, though, relieves you from the consequences of those sins." And you KNOW I'm right!

So, here's some advice from me and Paul: Try to live responsibly; clean up your own messes because ultimately nobody else will; and be careful what you say and to whom you say it – even the right thing said to the wrong person, or in the wrong way, can be more trouble than being right is worth.

Pressing on toward the goal . . .

RevDrKid

Invective, Witch Hunts and Arrogance

It seems like it gets more difficult every day to take a stand on a moral issue.

Now, I'm not a prude and I don't begrudge anybody for their lifestyle choices. Being a 5th generation Californian, I've got that live and let live "thang" in my blood. I don't stand on street corners with a Bible, or a placard, in my hand shouting at cars as they go by; I don't get involved in political rallies or get in people's faces because of their "Percentile". I stand up for my beliefs when it's necessary, but even then, I'm generally pretty nice about it.

But I do find lately that it seems folks are looking for a fight – especially about issues of morality. Everybody is all fired up and appears to scrutinize everything that anybody says looking for an opportunity to make you into either a fascist or a fundy or some such thing (FYI: I am neither of those).

What I am, though, is an imperfect person who is trying to figure out how I am supposed to relate to God and other folks. I appreciate what Paul said about his pedigree and his current position when he wrote to Timothy:

I'm so grateful to Christ Jesus for making me adequate to do this work. He went out on a limb, you know, in trusting me with this ministry. The only credentials I brought to it were invective and witch hunts and arrogance. But I was treated mercifully because I didn't know what I was doing—didn't know Who I was doing it against! Grace mixed with faith and love poured over me and into me. And all because of Jesus. 1 Timothy 1:12-14

I have only one source of information that I trust about God – the Bible – and I can't take it for granted: Either I respect all of it or I cannot respect any of it. And I know that at my core I am a gigantic ball of invective and witch hunts and arrogance. I pray continually that God is able to overcome that mess and create in me a clean hear and a right spirit, because often times I still don't know what I am doing or whom I'm doing it against.

The problem most of us face more and more lately is that most folks don't recognize, while they shout their side of the argument, that they too are, at their core, a gigantic ball of invective and witch hunts and arrogance. So caught up in the perceived righteousness of their point of view, they have lost the ability to realize that they will not change anyone's mind, and certainly nobody's heart, while screaming.

We would do well to find a way to mix in a little grace, faith and love with our point of view . . .

Pressing on toward the goal . . .

RevDrKid

Public Sinner Number One

It seems that there is either one of two reactions nowadays to bad behavior in public: Shame or a brazen profession that the act is not only acceptable but preferable and to be emulated.

The likelihood of an individual expressing shame seems to be inversely correlated to the level of fame or public notoriety of the individual. The more famous the individual: the less likely they are to express shame. From politicians to rock stars, from CEOs to clergy, the bad behavior is touted, flaunted, even celebrated by some.

I could sound a lot like my grandfather and begin with, "Back when I was young . . ." but the more I think about it, back when I was young, public sins were treated much the same. The major difference is that we didn't have 24 hour news channels and the internet so we didn't hear all that much about it.

Then like today, however, there is a standard for behavior, both public and private. The problem is that none of us can live up to the standard set for us in the Mosaic law. Even one of the greatest evangelist/missionaries in history had to admit he couldn't:

Here's a word you can take to heart and depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. I'm proof—Public Sinner Number One— of someone who could never have made it apart from sheer mercy. And now He shows me off—evidence of His endless patience—to those who are right on the edge of trusting Him forever. 1 Timothy 1:15-16

The apostle Paul is right: Saving sinners is job number one for Jesus and it is a hefty occupation. That one of His most prominent spokesmen realized that he was on the top of the "To Do" list helps me feel a little better about my position on that list. And if the author of most of the books in the New Testament says he "could never have made it apart from sheer mercy," then it appears there is hope for all of us.

It's a good thing God's patience is endless for "those who are right on the edge of trusting Him forever," because some of us seem to take forever to trust him – even those of us who should know better.

So have you figured out yet that you can't make it apart from sheer mercy? Jesus did come to save sinners like the Apostle Paul, and me,

and even you . . .

Pressing on toward the goal . . .

RevDrKid

## Get A Grip

Just when you think you've made it through some really tough times, times get tougher.

Remember when preparing for finals was about the most difficult thing you'd ever done? Remember when surviving the first year of marriage was such a struggle? Remember when it seemed like your newborn would never sleep through the night? Remember when you couldn't wait for them to grow out of being a teenager? Remember trying to survive the threat of divorce? Remember when your parent suffered through a terminal illness? Remember when . . .

The truth is that times never get any easier. Life finds new and ever more complex problems, impediments, limitations, and increasingly obnoxious people to throw at you. And in this process you'll either step up or you'll fold up. Life comes at you hard and fast and you have to keep your guard up or you'll catch one right in the schnoz.

There is help, you know. Even when friends and family become foe and broken relations, we do have our faith to hold fast:

_I'm passing this work on to you, my son Timothy. The prophetic word that was directed to you prepared us for this. All those prayers are coming together now so you will do this well, fearless in your struggle,_ **keeping a firm grip on your faith and on yourself.** **After all, this is a fight we're in** _. There are some, you know, who by_ **relaxing their grip and thinking anything goes** _, have made a thorough mess of their faith. 1 Timothy 1:18-19_

This _is_ a fight we are in. We have to battle all manner of forces – including ourselves. We can't _relax our grip and think anything goes_ because before we know it, _everything_ goes! All those difficulties we've struggled to make it through, combined with our faith, build character and endurance for the even tougher times ahead.

It is a good fight, though. It's the kind of struggle that you can look back on with pride having survived. Like sweating your way to the top of a mountain; or losing that extra 40 pounds; or watching your child graduate; or celebrating a significant anniversary. It's the kind of fight that you both fear and relish because the battle can break you or make you.

And you _can_ take the opportunity to enjoy your triumphs without either losing your grip or making a mess of your faith. All those prayers we prayed during the battle do come together once in a while, and we can see that our strength was not only the joy of God, it was _the work_ of God!

Pressing on toward the goal . . .

RevDrKid

## Pray for President Obama and Congress . . . and everybody else you know!

If you read my "Sort of Daily" blog, you know I rarely, if ever, get political . . . well at least not overtly . . . as far as most folks could tell . . .

Anyway, sometimes the text on which I comment makes it impossible not to get a little political. So, since I must, I will try my best not to upset folks on the left, right, middle, or even the wing-nuts who just like to get upset for the exercise of it. Paul has some important instructions for Timothy at the beginning of chapter two of his first letter that I think we all would do well to heed:

_The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live. 1 Timothy 2:1-3_

If you're a "Newbie Christian", or just one of those who have made your faith a second or third tier concern, and are looking for a way to get started right (or get started at all), _The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know._ Most folks think there is a magic formula to being a successful, faithful Christian, but it really takes just a few basics and the first one is prayer.

And you don't even need an instruction manual! Just talk to God like you would to your buddies (preferably without all the cusswords and gossip). Let Him know how you're doing; share with Him the things you're celebrating; confide in Him what your worried about or fearful of; admit where you've blown it and ask Him to help you be a better person; tell Him about folks your concerned for; reveal to Him your hopes and dreams. Oh, and make sure you thank Him for all the blessings you've received!

And pray for the president and the congress . . . even if you don't like them or you disagree with them. Pray for your state and local leaders too. Pray that they will " _rule well so we can be quietly about our business"._

Pray because prayer works. I know it works and so do you. Even though it is unfathomable to think that we meager beings would dare to think that our words could move the omnipotent One who created the universe, listen to what He says (It's from the Old Testament so you know it's really important!):

_If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 1 Chronicles 7:14_

Yep, strait from the mouth of God! We pray; He listens and acts. Of course we gotta do it with the right attitude – humbly and with purity of motive – but it does work! I dare you to give it a good solid try . . .

Pressing on toward the goal . . .

RevDrKid

## Hide It Under A Bushel

I'm one of those people who would be very easy for a private detective or an international spy to track: I follow the same routine all the time. For example: I drive to work exactly the same way every day and I drive home exactly the reverse course – every day.

Not that you care about my vulnerability to an international spy, but I mention this because after nearly a year of following exactly the same route to work, I discovered something new today: a church I'd never seen before. It's not especially small, ordinary looking, or even a ways off the road; it's just unnoticeable. It has a sign that only an individual with bald-eagle-like eyesight could see – I actually turned around and pulled over so I could read it to make sure it was really a church. Interestingly, the pastor's name was printed larger than the church's name . . .

For the rest of exactly the same drive to work, and for the balance of the day, I've been thinking about this church: Who goes there? Who actually noticed it was there and decided to go? What's up with this pastor who would not only abide her name being printed larger than the church name, but would put up with such a small sign and work in such anonymity? I wonder if the pastor or anyone in the church ever read Paul's encouragement to Timothy?

_[Our Savior God] wants_ **not only us but everyone saved** _, you know, everyone to get to know the truth_ **we've** _learned: that there's one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us—Jesus, who offered himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all free. Eventually the news is going to get out._ **This and this only has been my appointed work: getting this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by simple faith and plain truth.** _1 Timothy 2:4-7_

The tragedy is that there are too many churches like this one: anonymous little faith communities served, not by a pastor, but a chaplain, who is concerned only with nursing along a congregation that is worried only about its own survival. I know this sounds pretty harsh but as an interim pastor I've served a couple of congregations like this. When challenged to follow Paul's example and fulfill their appointed work, they balk and reply that they are working to "create an intimate faith community that expresses the love of Jesus". Seriously?

I'm sure that there is a place in the Kingdom of God for churches like this – I'm just not sure there are _as many_ places in God's Kingdom as there are churches like this. Thinking logically (which gets me into lots of trouble these days), if every church thought this way, the "Church" would be about one generation from extinction – well I guess some of their children might keep things going for a while but they'd have to be nothing like my kids.

I agree with Paul: " _This and this only has been my appointed work: getting this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by simple faith and plain truth."_ And this is not only the work of pastors, every faithful Christian ought to be about helping " _everyone to get to know the truth we've learned"._

I'm going to get right to work on making sure that my church has a better sign . . .

And some other things too!

Pressing toward the goal . . .

RevDrKid

## A Woman's Place . . .

Ok I know that some of you, having read the keenly chosen title of this entry, are already mad at me and the horse on which I rode into town. Well, before you get your guns in firing position, give me a paragraph or two to "splane myself".

You see, I think the Apostle Paul gets a bum rap as being a male chauvinist. I couldn't disagree more. The problem is that most folks don't think about the historical context of Paul's writings, they just put on their own historical and cultural goggles and make their judgments.

Well, let's put things in perspective quickly: In first century Israel and the surrounding Mediterranean area, women were property, no different than a cow or a donkey; they had no rights and were at their Husband's whim or disposal; they could not own property; they were not taught to read or write; their husband was chosen for them. In fact, the early Christian Churches were the first in that region of the world ever to allow women to participate in religious rites, except, of course, for the pagan religions who used temple prostitutes . . .

Now, let's look at the passage below and try to read it from that context:

_Since prayer is at the bottom of [getting the news about Jesus out], what I want mostly is for men to pray—not shaking angry fists at enemies but raising holy hands to God. And I want women to get in there with the men in humility before God, not primping before a mirror or chasing the latest fashions but doing something beautiful for God and becoming beautiful doing it._

_I don't let women take over and tell the men what to do. They should study to be quiet and obedient along with everyone else. Adam was made first, then Eve; woman was deceived first—our pioneer in sin!—with Adam right on her heels. On the other hand, her childbearing brought about salvation, reversing Eve. But this salvation only comes to those who continue in faith, love, and holiness, gathering it all into maturity. You can depend on this. 1 Timothy 2:8-15_

First, that Paul would include women in his plea for prayer at all, that he would confer upon them a valid voice, is absolutely amazing! His characterization of women's concerns for fashion spoke to essentially their only real personal choice in life: Their appearance. Paul, not unlike recent _Dove soap commercials,_ is encouraging women to focus on their inner beauty – hard to see where the National Organization for Women could find fault with that. Besides, he takes a poke at men and their natural tendency to draw up sides too.

Second, That the early church women were even remotely in a position to _"take over and tell the men what to do"_ is revolutionary! That they were allowed to speak at all is earthshattering! Remember, these women were not considered citizens, had no experience in leadership whatsoever, had no formal education before these early churches allowed it, and the fact that they weren't publicly beaten for daring to even suggest a course of action to a man, was scandalous.

Try to understand what Paul was up against: He was leading a movement that, for the first time in that part of the world, made no distinction between male and female, Jew and Greek, slave and free. These are ideas _still_ considered radical in most of the Middle East and West Asia, and this was **nearly two thousand years ago**!

So cut the guy a little slack, will ya?! Think about how difficult cultural change is today and try to imagine what Paul faced.

Yeah, Paul can, at times, sound a little chauvinistic. But put in his cultural context, he's a regular "Women's liber".

Pressing on toward the goal . . .

RevDrKid

## But There Are Preconditions:

It seems like everybody thinks they are _entitled_ these days: Were entitled to healthcare; were entitled to a living wage; were entitled to a comfortable retirement; were entitled to a nice home, car, TV, etc. Not sure where this came from, but I fear that the pursuit of it is a whole 'nother volume of work . . .

Well, I know I sound like my grandfather, "but nobody gave me nuthin' – I earned it!" I earned good enough grades in high school and did well enough on the SAT's to get into a private University, and paid for it myself – all by myself. I graduated from a four-year seminary in three years and earned every job I've secured and every paycheck I've cashed. I bought my own homes, cars, TVs, etc. I was unemployed for two years and sought not a penny from the government. It was hard – and I'm still paying for it – but it was the right thing to do. OK enough of sounding like my grandfather.

There are some things that require we have a certain standard and a certain amount of accomplishment to achieve. We don't just give anyone a driver's license; you must have a certain knowledge base and proficiency (incredibly substandard though they may be) to earn one. You can't be a medical doctor just because you want to; you have to put in years of theoretical and practical study and practice. The higher the honor or responsibility, the higher the requirements, _as it should be_.

Well, the Apostle Paul offers a list of standards for qualification to be a leader in the church:

_If anyone wants to provide leadership in the church, good! But_ **there are preconditions** _: A leader must be well-thought-of, committed to his wife, cool and collected, accessible, and hospitable. He must know what he's talking about, not be overfond of wine, not pushy but gentle, not thin-skinned, not money-hungry. He must handle his own affairs well, attentive to his own children and having their respect._ **For if someone is unable to handle his own affairs, how can he take care of God's church?** _He must not be a new believer, lest the position go to his head and the Devil trip him up. Outsiders must think well of him, or else the Devil will figure out a way to lure him into his trap. 1 Timothy 3:1-7_

Now some folks may not like some, or all, of these standards. They may say that they are too stringent, too limiting, too hard, too mean, too sexist, too . . . too . . . (excuse me while I grab a Kleenex). Well, yes they are most of those things, but Paul has something specific in mind: the growth, success, health, and future of the organization responsible for carrying the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the next generation. No small concern, that.

We can all think of some examples of individuals, either in our own church or those we've seen on TV, who didn't measure up as well as the should have to that lofty list, and we've seen how the mighty fall. It usually brings tragic consequences to the local church and it sometimes deals a black eye to the whole of Christendom.

Church leaders to need to be _well-thought-of, committed, cool and collected, accessible, and hospitable, knowledgeable, strong, generous, sober, gentile, and respected._ And if they are a total flop as a person . . . well, you understand what Paul is talking about.

As it should be, these are difficult standards. But so is being a leader in the church – at least it is if you are doing it right. I continue to fight in my denomination for the highest of Biblical standards for our ordained clergy and elders. I want it to be really hard to follow that narrow path because my concerns are the same as the Apostle Paul's: _the growth, success, health, and future of the organization responsible for carrying the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the next generation._ Again, no small concern, that.

Call me a meanie, a narrow-minded dinosaur, a "you fill in the blanks"; I'll gladly wear the label. I've seen the mighty fall at close range and it isn't pretty. I'd rather have you despise me as I guard over a secure gospel, than love me as I slouch next to an imperiled one.

Like my great grandpa used to say, "You may not like me now, but you'll thank me later."

Pressing on toward the goal . . .

RevDrKid

## First Come First Serve

In 1983 I had the good fortune to be on the TV show "Wheel of Fortune". At least it ended up that way. You see, on the second puzzle, which was the first one I had the opportunity to solve, I had a little trouble. I started off spinning and called the letter "S" and then the letter "T". It was one of those rare moments, or so I thought, when all the clutter gets pushed aside and I saw clearly the answer to the puzzle; "First come first serve". So I called the letter "F" and my assumptions were confirmed. I rolled the dice once more and called the letter "C". I had hit big numbers with the first four spins and the "Bankrupt" was lurking too close for comfort, so I decided to solve the puzzle.

Well, you know what they say happens when you assume. Throw in the bright lights and TV cameras, and in 1983 Vanna was really pretty in person, and I forgot to count the letters. "First come first serve", I said with conviction. Pat Sajak asked me to repeat my answer and after I did he said, "I'm sorry, that's not correct." You see if I'd counted the letters I'd have known that there were six in the last word – serve only has five. The correct answer was "First come first _served_."

Too often, we are caught off guard by the bright lights of life's stages – especially those who see an opportunity for a spotlight in church service. Look at what Paul told Timothy about the qualities of those who would serve the church:

_The same goes for those who want to be servants in the church: serious, not deceitful, not too free with the bottle,_ **not in it for what they can get out of it** _. They must be reverent before the mystery of the faith,_ **not using their position to try to run things** _. Let them prove themselves first. If they show they can do it, take them on. No exceptions are to be made for women—same qualifications: serious, dependable, not sharp-tongued, not overfond of wine. Servants in the church are to be committed to their spouses, attentive to their own children, and diligent in looking after their own affairs. Those who do this servant work_ **will come to be highly respected** _, a real credit to this Jesus-faith. 1 Timothy 3:8-13_

Serving the church is serious business and requires those who would give it a shot to have a certain level of integrity. It's not about the limelight, the brownie points, or the resume. Serving the church, and therefore Jesus, is about just one thing: serving God. There are some standards and, even if a person has the particular qualities required for servanthood, you gotta give it a try and see if you can prove that you can pull it off. The "Highly respected" part comes when one does the servant work humbly and successfully, and only then.

My experience is that those who earn the "Highly Respected" label did not seek it nor will they wear it comfortably if at all. And probably rightly so.

I did recover from my blunder in the third puzzle that day in 1983. The puzzle was "Billy Martin", the famed baseball manager and, though I am not a baseball fan, I had the same clarity as on the second puzzle. I did however count the letters right before I spun one last time . . . and hit the $5000 slot. Needless to say I was the big winner that day.

Yep, my 15 minutes of fame . . .

Pressing on toward the goal . . .

RevDrKid

## Some Things Are Clear Enough

Because I'm a pastor, some folks think that I have all the answers to the mysteries of God; that I had special classes in seminary that taught me the insider stuff; that I know the passwords and the secret handshakes that it takes to gain access to the secrets of the Kingdom . . . and generally I am content to let them think those things . . . ok, well I'd like to have that kind of aura, but those who know me well know that I'm mostly just a regular guy . . . mostly.

The truth is, you see, that they call them mysteries, because _nobody_ knows these things, and those who say they do are either delusional or trying to get into your wallet . . . and I haven't heard of too many who are actually delusional . . .

Even the Apostle Paul had to admit this fact:

_I hope to visit you soon, but just in case I'm delayed, I'm writing this letter so you'll know how things ought to go in God's household, this God-alive church, bastion of truth. This Christian life is a great mystery, far exceeding our understanding, but some things are clear enough: He appeared in a human body, was proved right by the invisible Spirit,was seen by angels. He was proclaimed among all kinds of peoples, believed in all over the world, taken up into heavenly glory._ _1 Timothy 3:14-16_

Even though many things about God are, and will remain a mystery until we take the celestial escalator someday (hopefully going up), there are a few things we can be sure about. Paul makes no bones about it – they are clear enough.

Our problem is that we doubt the things that are clear and are drawn to the mysterious. We want proof of the impossible while we ignore the proven. We want to see God ride across the sky in a chariot of fire but we fail to stoke the fire He started in our hearts. And besides, if He did do the flaming chariot thing, we'd begin to doubt and prevaricate about what we saw before the afterglow of the extravaganza had faded.

So, yeah, maybe I do know the deep mysteries of life and faith:

**Focus on the things that are "clear enough".**

Now give me all your money . . .

Pressing on toward the goal . . .

RevDrKid

## EEEUUUUWW! Don't Eat That!

Living in the Deep South has its advantages: The food here is awesome! I know this not only by the delighted state of my taste buds recently, but also because of the tightening of the waistline on virtually every pair of pants I own. Pensacola's restaurant scene is incredible. There are way more great restaurants in this town than any town deserves.

Eating in the Deep South does, at times however, stretch ones comfort zones – and here I'm not referring to the belt-line. This California boy has eaten things in the last year or so that I never ever dreamed I'd ingest. Oh there are those things you've all heard about that pass as standard southern faire: Collard greens, fried okra, black-eyed peas, sweet potato fries, and grits – all of which I've tried . . . didn't have seconds on the collard greens . . .

But there are some things that I never thought I'd have the opportunity to try: Frog legs, alligator, deep fried crab claws, mullet backbones (it's a fish, not a hair style) and Cajun chicken gizzards. Then there are a couple that I may never be able to do without again: Grits-a-Ya-Ya (yes that's the real name and it's a fabulous dish of smoked gouda cheese grits, Cajun grilled shrimp, and sweet potato fries, all smothered in an incredible sauce and served at the Fish House here in Pensacola), crab stuffed grouper at Peg-Leg Pete's at Pensacola Beach, and the fried potatoes and onions at Lambert's in Foley, Alabama (Home of "throwed Rolls" – yes, they throw the hot rolls to you from way across the dining hall! – dinner and a show).

I've told my Cali buds about these delicacies and I can almost hear the look on their face over the phone, "You actually ate alligator?!" "You include GRITS among your favorite foods?!" Yes I do and I'm still a California boy – if just-a-little-bit-heftier-California boy . . .

Funny how we make judgments about regional foods before we even get the opportunity to try them. The Apostle Paul gave a pretty definitive directive to Timothy on this subject:

The Spirit makes it clear that as time goes on, some are going to give up on the faith and chase after demonic illusions put forth by professional liars. These liars have lied so well and for so long that they've lost their capacity for truth. They will tell you not to get married. They'll tell you not to eat this or that food—perfectly good food God created to be eaten heartily and with thanksgiving by Christians! Everything God created is good, and to be received with thanks. Nothing is to be sneered at and thrown out. God's Word and our prayers make every item in creation holy. 1 Timothy 4:1-5

Not only do we make uninformed judgments about food, we make poor choices of whom to follow. Amazing how we get lazy and just trust any idiot with a robe or a fancy title. I've seen entire churches follow a fool off the deep end (I know this first hand – my second cousin, Larry Layton, was Jim Jones' right hand man and was convicted of Rep. Leo Ryan's murder). Not all these robed imposters are as sinister as Jim Jones – they are usually much more subtle. Often times these jerks mislead folks simply because they themselves are lazy in their scholarship, their work, or in their own faith.

The Good News is that the ultimate choice is up to YOU! God does not require an emissary to act as a conduit between you and your creator. God gave you a brain for a reason – use it! Ask hard questions. Bug your lazy old pastor and make him give you more than just platitudes. Better yet, dust off that Bible and read it for yourself. You may just discover that God wants you to try Grits-A-Ya-Ya!

Pressing on toward the goal . . .

RevDrKid

## Just Keep At It!

I've always been a little unsettled by the wildly successful "Just Do It" marketing campaign that Nike did a little while back. And I think I'm even more unsettled that it's now one of those cultural axioms that are a part of our everyday thinking.

Now don't get me wrong. I admire folks who see a challenge and face it headlong without reservation. And I believe that the marketing folks at Nike were trying to tap into that spirit in the athletes and wannabe-athletes to whom they market their products. It is that spirit that makes sport truly beautiful to both participate in and watch. My problem comes from our migration of this concept from the sports arena into the other venues of our lives.

You see, the super-human athletes who were the stars of the "Just Do It" campaign made it look too easy. In the advertisements, they simply went out and 'just did it'. But we never saw the thousands of hours of training and practice that went on before they 'Just did it', not to mention the blessings of the perfect body type. We never saw the hundreds of times they tried to "Just Do It" and fell flat on their face. We never saw them sitting on the bench or cut from the team, so disillusioned or disappointed that they wanted to give up. If you can get these athletes to answer honestly, they've all been there.

My unsettled feelings come from watching those folks who are not super-human, in whatever endeavor they attempt, having the attitude that if they just do it, they will succeed – first time, every time. If you've lived any kind of life at all, you know that success typically comes after several failures, usually very big ones. And one success does not guarantee any others. Hard work, practice, recovering from failure, and having the courage to face the possibility of failure again, are the prerequisites to "instant success".

The Apostle Paul encourages his young protégé Timothy with words of wisdom we could all stand to incorporate into our lives:

Cultivate these things (honesty, love, faith and integrity – from the previous passage). Immerse yourself in them. The people will all see you mature right before their eyes! Keep a firm grasp on both your character and your teaching. Don't be diverted. Just keep at it. Both you and those who hear you will experience salvation. 1 Timothy 4:15-16

I believe Paul's wisdom has a significant advantage over Nike's: it's a lifelong process. Instead of "Just Do It", Paul encourages Timothy to do three things with the honesty, love, faith and integrity that he challenges him to cultivate and immerse himself in:

1. Keep a firm grasp on both your character and your teaching. Understand that words and actions go hand in hand and if they diverge, you will not only lose the faith and trust of those you love, you will lose faith in yourself.

2. Don't be diverted. Keep your focus on the task at hand. There are too many things in life that can pull our attention from our goals. While they may be attractive, they will ultimately derail us from successfully reaching our goals.

3. Just Keep at it. Understand that it is a process. Nobody wins life's lottery. Hard work is required and there's no way to predict when that hard work will pay off. But without the hard work, there will never be a payoff.

I think a better slogan for our lives is "Just Keep at It!" I think our culture, and the church for that matter, would be better served if "Just Keep at It!" became our mantra. If we replaced Nike's marketing with Paul's wisdom, we'd probably be much more successful. And we'd certainly all be better off . . .

Pressing on toward the goal . . .

RevDrKid

Ouch! That Smarts!

You know, sometimes trying to take a lighter look at a particular verse in the Bible is a big pain!

If you've read my work at all, you know that I tend to walk on the sunny side of the street on most days – It helps that I now live in Florida and spent most of the rest of my life in California. I think being a fifth generation Californian made the "sunny-side-thing" a part of who I am. And being a smiling optimist, I like to spread as much of that sunshine around as I can.

But sometimes there is precious little sunshine in some passages of the Good Book. Take this one for example:

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. Give the people these instructions, too, so that no one may be open to blame. If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 1 Timothy 5:1-8

Now, I think the first part about treating our elders with respect, those younger as family, and respecting widows in need, is good advice, and I could have chosen to stop there. That would have made for a nice moral lesson I could have attached to it a funny anecdote from my past failures and you'd have smiled and paid it forward. But try as I might, I couldn't find a way to disconnect the first part of this passage from the second part (and if you think this one is tough, just wait until the next one – no fair reading ahead!).

The truth is that it is important to use discretion in our gifts of charity. As a pastor in a small church on a main thoroughfare, we get folks stopping by asking for help all the time. We can't help them all and some judgments must be made on my part. Often the tipping point for that judgment focuses on whether our help will ultimately be, in fact, helpful or enabling.

For example, if a person stops by the church saying they are on a long trip home and need money for food and gas (this one is an old standard which rarely contains much truth), I find it hard to feel charitable when they smell so strongly of cigarettes and old beer that it is clear that they have recently had enough to purchase those. If I give them cash, am I not enabling them to either use the money for more beer and smokes? Or even if I give them some food and a prepaid gas card, have I not freed up some of their other resources to purchase more beer and smokes? These are real dilemmas that I face on an almost daily basis.

Paul's position that when (one) is really in need and left all alone (they put their) hope in God and continue night and day to pray and to ask God for help, makes a point: Need is a powerful motivator. The question follows: How much harm are we doing by filling an immediate need and enabling a longer term problem?

Now don't push the metaphor too far! Certainly there are those who are in need through no fault of their own. There are even those in need because of their own actions, but who are, as a result, unable to care for themselves. I believe we must provide for these folks. My dilemma is in dealing with those who, for all intents and purposes, are able-bodied, of sound mind, and appear to at least have figured out how to go from church down my road (and there are a bunch because I live in the south) and acquire enough cash, cards, and food to get by.

I don't know if I'll ever come up with a good formula for making these decisions, or even any answers that soothe me. I do want to help these folks. I'm just not sure that giving them a hand-out is being helpful . . .

Well, at least the sun is out and the squirrel out my window just fell out of his crepe myrtle tree and made me smile . . .

Pressing on toward the goal . . .

RevDrKid

Here Come the Pitchforks . . .

As a preacher, there are times when you read a passage of scripture and think to yourself, "well now, this one's gonna get me into some big trouble!"  After that keen insight, most preachers will move on to see if they can survive the next passage. But because I've made a commitment to go through these books completely (and I've never been too savvy), I'll take this one on. I will, however, split it into two parts because I figure that will give me more opportunities to dodge the incoming artillery . . . or it could mean I'll catch twice the flack. Oh well, here goes . . .

Now, you have to remember that the Apostle Paul is mentoring his young protégé Timothy, who is young and new to this type of ministry leadership, which is difficult for a young man – and did I mention that he was young? The topic of this tutorial is the ministry to widows and touches on who should receive this kind of support from the folks.

(It is important to point out here that widows and orphans were the only group of individuals who were offered organized charitable assistance from the first century church. No welfare assistance was offered men, either by the church or the state. Men and able bodied and unmarried women were expected to pull their own weight. Even disabled individuals were expected to contribute if only through begging. Of note were the leper colonies which had their own economies. Paul famously wrote in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, "Don't you remember the rule we had when we lived with you? 'If you don't work, you don't eat.'")

So, here's the first part of this passage fraught with pitfalls for the preacher:

Sign some widows up for the special ministry of offering assistance. They will in turn receive support from the church. They must be over sixty, married only once, and have a reputation for helping out with children, strangers, tired Christians, the hurt and troubled. 1 Timothy 5:9-10

On the surface, this looks pretty innocuous until you realize that most scholars agree that the average life expectancy in the first century Roman Empire was less than 40 years. Though this includes men who were involved in activities that would skew the average downward (War, dangerous occupations, etc.), first century women also suffered significantly high rated of mortality during childbirth, which would even things out. The requirement, then, to live half again as long as the average, makes this a small group. Throw in all the other qualifiers and you have an awfully exclusive crowd.

And then it just gets worse:

As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to. So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander. Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan. If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she should help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need. 1 Timothy 5:11-16

OK, OK, put the pitchforks down! Let's try to look at this with some perspective and put our third millennium sensitivities on hold.

First of all, Paul is helping Timothy with some basic practicalities that resulted from cultural realities: Men died in battle and in accidents related to work, and left young widows. In many cultures, the remaining men took the young widows as second or third wives to take up the slack, but the early church prohibited polygamy.

Clearly, from Paul's description, the early church experienced problems related to young widows. Initially the church made a pledge to care for widows and orphans in need but ran into some bumps along the way. Apparently, some of the younger widows discovered they could have a free ride and took advantage of the benevolence of the church and created a new set of issues related to their leisure. Paul encourages Timothy to follow his example and counsel the younger widows to start over with a new spouse, a new home, and a responsible life. He also encourages folks to take care of widows in their own families.

I think the most important thing to pull from this passage is not that Paul was a chauvinist, but that charity should be distributed wisely. I think it's pretty clear, with the amount of fraud in the welfare programs in America, that there are those who will and do take advantage. We do not do any favors to those who can live a productive life, by allowing them to slouch through on the good graces and ward work of others.

Help in times of crisis, though, is necessary. I believe, as Christians, we are obligated to help those in acute need. I also believe that we should help those who have chronic need through no fault of their own. We do, however, need to keep a watchful eye out for those who would take advantage. We also have to continually evaluate our charitable endeavors to make sure that we are, in fact, helping and not enabling.

One of the great things about the Bible is that there were no Public relations firms involved in its writing. It's pretty much uncensored. We have to be careful to read it in context, though, or it's pitchforks and torches time . . .

Pressing on toward the goal . . .

RevDrKid

Muzzled Undeserving Oxen

There are few things on which I am uniquely qualified to comment, but that has never stopped me before, and probably won't in the future. There are, though, a couple of things which my expertise and experience in life, along with my chutzpah (good Swedish word) make comment imperative. So strap yourself in . . .

The internet is a tool both wonderful and terrible in many spheres of our postmodern existence. It has created opportunity unmatched in the history of human enterprise. It has also created infinite opportunity for evil – evil that not only finds its way into our homes through our computers, but now we carry it around with us in our pockets. With it, folks with previously limited opportunity have created unfathomable success and wealth. Others have found in it, not only the ability to devastate the lives of others, but also to destroy their own.

My unique perspective is that of a preacher who has not only taken advantage of the infinite opportunity available online, but who has also watched many of my colleagues use this tool to help them slouch into mediocrity, to their own detriment and that of their parishioners. You might automatically assume that I'm referring to the internet pornography that is ubiquitous – and I have plenty of stories there – but that is not my concern today.

What I'm referring to is the growing practice of local pastors using services, both free and subscription, that provide already prepared sermons. OK, I heard your faux gasp of astonishment, but let's consider this carefully.

These "sermons in a box" are touted as help for the busy pastor who is weighed down with the everyday tasks of the church. Because, let's face it: There is always something or someone who needs the pastor's attention. There are always urgent issues, whether financial, practical, or related to pastoral care, that pop up when least expected. Many pastors feel more like firemen than clergy and these services take a difficult task and make it much easier . . . "Ta-Da", problem solved. Isn't that wonderful?

Well, it may be, but there is a cloud to this silver lining.

You see, I believe that the MOST IMPORTANT thing I do as a pastor (as opposed to urgent) is to present a weekly opportunity for folks to experience worship, the center of which is the Word of God. Those of us in the Reformed Tradition of Christianity believe that, in worship, we experience the Word of God in two ways: the written Word of God (scripture) and the spoken Word of God (Preaching).

OK, here comes the part where you need to cinch up that seatbelt . . .

I believe that when I stand up before my congregation, Bible in hand, and open my mouth to expose that day's scripture passage to the folks, I am sharing with them, through the power of the Holy Spirit, the "Spoken Word of God". OK we could have a huge debate about the chutzpa it not only took me to say that, but to believe it. However, let's agree for the moment, that my centuries old Reformed perspective is accurate. If that's the case, then if I use a "Sermon in the Box" I have made a huge blunder, because it is not God's Word for my congregation today, it was God's word to some other congregation, at some other time.

Besides, I think it's just plain lazy. Taking a passage of scripture and prayerfully studying it and spending the time and thought it takes to find meaning for folks today, is HARD WORK . . . especially week after week. Tragically, I'm discovering that it's a task many of my colleagues in ministry increasing relegate to someone they don't even know, and who doesn't know the folks to whom the message is preached. No wonder churches all over are dying . . .

Give a bonus to leaders who do a good job, especially the ones who work hard at preaching and teaching. Scripture tells us, "Don't muzzle a working ox," and, "A worker deserves his pay." Don't listen to a complaint against a leader that isn't backed up by two or three responsible witnesses. If anyone falls into sin, call that person on the carpet. Those who are inclined that way will know right off they can't get by with it. 1 Timothy 5:17-20

If you have the good fortune to attend a church where the Word of God is well preached on a regular basis, and the preacher puts their heart and soul into both the preparation and the delivery of the spoken Word of God, lobby for a bonus for them! God has already given your church and you a bonus. And, if they're preaching the Word well – comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable – then the comfortable are probably working overtime to bring that preacher down, so "don't listen to a complaint against a leader that isn't backed up by two or three responsible witnesses."

If, however, you attend a church where the pastor has put the urgent before the important, and is slouching into the pulpit like a muzzled ox, preaching to some other church's choir, then "call that person on the carpet". If you do, they'll get the message because "those who are inclined that way will know right off they can't get by with it."

Oh, yeah, if you do have one of those workers who deserve their pay, make sure that the pay they get is worth the work they do! Too many pastors are underpaid. Of course that means you may have to belly up to the offering plate to help solve the problem . . .

Pressing on toward the goal . . .

RevDrKid

Everyone's A Critic

You've probably all seen that parody of a want-ad for the local church pastor: Thirty years old with 25 years of experience; Willing to put in 80 hours a week and is a good role model for his wife and two small children . . .

Well it is hilarious until you stand on my side of the pulpit and discover that it's more true than we would wish to admit. People's expectations are high . . . and are rarely expressed to the pastor . . . until it's time for the performance review.

Remember back when I said as a preacher, steeped in the Reformed Tradition, I believe that when I stand before the folks on Sunday morning to preach, my task is to share "through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Spoken Word of God"? Well, a practical problem for the preacher is that some folks think, because this applies to the pulpit on Sunday morning, that all of their expectations of who Jesus was and is are rightly expected from their pastor.

Now, I'm a big boy and I understand that I sit in the Big-Boy-Chair, and that if you want to do the cookin', ya gotta be able to take the heat of the kitchen. That's why I wear my oven-mitts and lotsa deodorant to work.

Sometimes, though, things move beyond expectations unmet, and the attacks become personal. (Check out my previous post "Clergy Killers" here: http://revdrkid.wordpress.com/2010/12/31/clergy-killers/) When this happens, it's helpful to hear what the Apostle Paul had to say to his young protégé Timothy:

Don't appoint people to church leadership positions too hastily. If a person is involved in some serious sins, you don't want to become an unwitting accomplice. In any event, keep a close check on yourself. And don't worry too much about what the critics will say. Go ahead and drink a little wine, for instance; it's good for your digestion, good medicine for what ails you. The sins of some people are blatant and march them right into court. The sins of others don't show up until much later. The same with good deeds. Some you see right off, but none are hidden forever. 1 Timothy 5:22-25

We all face criticism, whether you're a pastor or not. Sometimes criticism is good for us to hear. Some we need to take it to heart. Other times it helps to not 'worry too much about what the critics will say'.

Paul is right when he admonished Timothy to 'keep a close check on yourself'. God gave us this crazy thing called a conscience for a reason, and we ought to listen to it, at least as often as we listen to the critics. God knows our "good deeds" will eventually get a public viewing, even if the show is a little late for the current caterwauling. Besides, what would some folks do if there was nothing to complain about?

So, if folks are getting you down with all the grumbling and groaning (especially if it's behind your back) just follow Paul's advice and have a nice glass of wine; not only is it 'good for your digestion' – and your heart – it will help to plug up your ears a little too!

And I believe a nice Pale Ale will work even better . . .

Pressing on toward the goal . . .

RevDrKid

One Bad Apple Don't Spoil the Whole Bunch, Girl

One of the things I love about the Bible is that it is "gritty". By gritty, I mean that it has not been cleaned and polished up. It wasn't censored or sanitized for your protection. It tells it like it is – or was – and if you can't take it, tough.

While I love this about the Bible, it does, sometimes, make it difficult to defend – especially if you don't know your history, or if you take it out of context. When put in its correct context, and seen in an appropriate historical light, it becomes much easier to understand. The bummer is that putting it in the right context and historical perspective requires tons of work and study and we are, by nature, lazy.

For example, if the following passage from Paul's letter to Timothy is read all by itself, it makes for a difficult defense:

Whoever is a slave must make the best of it, giving respect to his master so that outsiders don't blame God and our teaching for his behavior. 2Slaves with Christian masters all the more so—their masters are really their beloved brothers! These are the things I want you to teach and preach. 1 Timothy 6:1-2

Our initial reaction to this passage, and other passages about slavery in the Bible, is "Oh dude, how do I make that one sound better?!" Well, here's some context and perspective that might help:

First, it's important to understand who slaves were, and how they became slaves, in that part of the world in the first century. In Israel specifically, there were no "Felon Prisons". If you were caught stealing, they cut off your hand; a murderer was stoned to death, immediately. These crimes today result in long prison sentences, but not back then. They were dealt with swiftly and decisively and thus no need for felon prisons.

Secondly, the only prisoners were either political prisoners or debtors. If you were of the wrong persuasion politically, you might be imprisoned if those in power were less than indulgent of your persuasion. If you were unable to repay your debts, you were sent to a different kind of prison altogether – one where you would work until such time as your earnings repaid your debt.

If your debt was so large that it was unforeseeable that your debt could be repaid by your labor alone, your property was sold off, and you and were sold into slavery in order to repay the debt. If that didn't cover it, your wife and children were sold with you, and all of you, as a family, were enlisted in the service of the purchaser until your death. Upon your death, your wife and children's service was no longer required. If your children grew into adulthood during your indenture, they were then released.

Finally, the form of slavery known in America until the Emancipation Proclamation did not exist in the Holy Land in Biblical times. One could not be captured and sold, or born into lifelong slavery.

Now, with that context and perspective in mind, it becomes a bit easier to defend Paul's words. He cautioned those who were both indentured servants and Christians to respect their masters.  Not because the masters necessarily deserved respect, but so as to be a good witness to their faith.  And that if the one to whom you owed your debt was also a Christian, should serve even better because the success of your master would also reinforce the success of the faith.

It's still difficult for us enlightened post-modern folks to completely grasp how the Bible could seemingly embrace slavery. However, in its correct context and historical perspective, it is at least more understandable. It's important to remember that, in first century eastern Mediterranean society, there were no banks, no credit counselors, and heck, there weren't even any toilets! The best advice was to keep your finances in order!

Not bad advice for us today . . .

Pressing on toward the goal . . .

RevDrKid

The Incredible Shrinking Church

Here are some staggering statistics:

  * Though folks aged 25 and under make up 7% of population of the United States, they represent only 2% of worshippers in churches on an average Sunday Morning.

  * Over 1/3 of all the folks who attend worship in mainline churches in the United States are over the age of 65.

  * Only 15% of the population associate themselves with a mainline denomination church. Forty years ago that percentage was close to fifty!

  * Of those who identify themselves as mainline Christians, less than 1/3 believe it's their responsibility to share their faith.

The church had its heyday in America and those days are now in the rearview mirror. Tragically the leadership of the church rested on their laurels and we pastor-types got fat, dumb and happy. And even more tragically, the congregants let us.

In our fat-dumb-happiness, many of us pastor-types lost touch with our calling. We became more concerned with our buildings, our budgets, and our backsides than with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But we need not sink completely into despair – this has happened before:

If you have leaders there who teach otherwise, who refuse the solid words of our Master Jesus and this godly instruction, tag them for what they are: ignorant windbags who infect the air with germs of envy, controversy, bad-mouthing, suspicious rumors. Eventually there's an epidemic of backstabbing, and truth is but a distant memory. They think religion is a way to make a fast buck. 1 Timothy 6:3-5

Well, I must be doing it wrong because I missed out on the "fast-buck" part. Maybe I'm just not adept enough at being fat, dumb, and happy (though I seem to be pretty good at the fat part). I think I'm too concerned about hearing, teaching, and acting on the "Solid words of our Master".

So here's a test for your church and pastor, and a challenge for you:

Is your church a place where the air is full of envy, controversy, bad-mouthing, and suspicious rumors? Is there an epidemic of backstabbing? Do you get the feeling that truth is but a distant memory? Does your pastor resemble a germ infected, ignorant windbag more than a person committed to studying, preaching and living out the Gospel?

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, I challenge you to prayerfully consider whether you have the depth of faith, and the strength of character, to be an agent of change in your own church. If the answer is yes then first get on your knees and pray for guidance and then get involved in the life and leadership of your church and work to make your church a place where the solid words of our Master Jesus and this godly instruction are taught, preached, and lived.

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions (especially if it was to all) and you DO NOT have the depth of faith, and the strength of character, to be an agent of change in your own church, then get the heck out of there and find yourself a good one! I've seen too many good people of faith dragged down by their involvement in a sick church or with a sick pastor. There are plenty of churches in your community, find a good one.

Hint: The pastor won't be a windbag . . .

Pressing on toward the goal . . .

RevDrKid

That's What I Want!

I must admit I've bought a lottery ticket or two in my time. The amazing thing is that I have enough upper division math in my background to not only know that the odds of winning are about a hundred times higher than getting hit by lightning on a sunny day in southern California, but to also be able to construct a three-dimensional graph including the odds for northern and central California as well.

But there is something attractive about the gazillion-dollar jackpots of easy money that makes even the most skeptical, tight-fisted, little-old-Scottish-church-ladies line up and hand over their dusty dollars for a three inch wide piece of paper with computer scan on it. The only thing that dollar buys us is a few hours of fantasizing about what we would do with all that money . . .

Then reality sets in, and our numbers don't come up, and we settle back into our boring life again. We do, though, seem to get a strange sense of enjoyment watching the Discovery Channel documentaries about how winning the lottery destroyed some poor soul's life.

Too bad there's no three inch wide piece of paper we could purchase that would remind us how well we have it. Perhaps I'll print some up and sell them for a buck a piece. Maybe I'll put the following passage from Paul's letter to Timothy on them:

A devout life does bring wealth, but it's the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that's enough. But if it's only money these leaders are after, they'll self-destruct in no time. Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble. Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after. 1 Timothy 6:6-10

Lust, in and of itself, is problematic enough. Attach money to that problem, and you've hit the opposite of the jackpot. It causes the breakup of more relationships than anything else: Husbands and wives divorce; business partners sue each other, Families become forever estranged over grandma's pittance of a savings.

It never ceases to amaze me how little cash it takes to destroy a relationships. It doesn't take billions, or millions, or hundreds of thousands, or even tens of thousands. Folks will take a lifetime of shared experience and memories and sell them all down the sewer for barely enough to buy a used car. Paul could have written that we are born without any friends, and that, if we aren't careful not to let the Lust for money get into the way, we'll die without any as well.

Not to mention the damage it does to our faith in the process. Usually because we end up either questioning God or blaming Him for the mess we've made. Then we drift further away from God because we can't bear to face him after what we've said or done or thought.

Paul is absolutely right, "A devout life does bring wealth, but it's the rich simplicity of being yourself before God."  There is no greater feeling of security, fearlessness, and no greater empowered state of boldness than knowing that the God who created the universe accepts you, yes you, for exactly who you are, for no other reason than because of the simple act of having faith in Him.

So the next time you hear about the gazillion dollars awaiting you for your bazillion to one chance ticket, send your dollar to me instead and I'll remind you how wealthy you really are!

Gee, I wonder what I'll do with all that money . . .

Pressing on toward the goal . . .

RevDrKid

Run For Your Life!

I talk to lots of young folks (a demographic whose parameters have changed as I get older – but generally I mean twenty- and thirty-somethings) about the absence from our churches of their generation. In a lot of ways, they are much like the young folks of decades past in their reasons for avoiding the pew: Sewing wild oats; busy with college and work; don't like the music; don't want to be around my parent's generation; etc. etc. etc. . . .

I am finding, however, that the current crop of "Sort-a-young-uns" are more and more saying something like, "I don't have a problem with God, I just don't like church-folks". OUCH! Not a very flattering commentary on the public's perception of the Church. Not being one easily dissuaded by stinging comments, I usually press them further: "What? Is it the hair? The Clothes? The music? What beef do you have with church-folks?"

Interestingly enough, those whipper-snappers rarely chose one of the afore mentioned flaws. They usually say something like, "No, I just don't like the hypocrisy, the gossiping, judgmental-ism, or the snobbery." YEEEOUCH!!

It's bad enough when a wise old sage like me sees through the complex veil of the church politic, but when it comes out of the mouths of babes, there's something glaringly amiss. Unfortunately, these problems are not new with the current crop of churchies, it's just that the kiddies didn't used to figure it out so much.

Here's proof that this problem is not new and that the church's leaders a-way-back-when were encouraged not to fall into the trap (however unsuccessfully);

But you, Timothy, man of God: Run for your life from all this [envy, bad-mouthing, suspicious rumors, backstabbing, pursuit of wealth]. Pursue a righteous life—a life of wonder, faith, love, steadiness, courtesy. Run hard and fast in the faith. Seize the eternal life, the life you were called to, the life you so fervently embraced in the presence of so many witnesses. I'm charging you before the life-giving God and before Christ, who took His stand before Pontius Pilate and didn't give an inch: Keep this command to the letter, and don't slack off. Our Master, Jesus Christ, is on His way. He'll show up right on time, His arrival guaranteed by the Blessed and Undisputed Ruler, High King, High God. He's the only one death can't touch, His light so bright no one can get close. He's never been seen by human eyes—human eyes can't take Him in! Honor to Him, and eternal rule! Oh, yes. 1 Timothy 6:11-16

It is extremely easy to get so deeply involved in any organization that the politics drag you into its mud. That the church is no different is tragic. No wonder Generation X and the millennials are nowhere to be found. In the "Olden-daze" there wasn't much else besides the church available for social interaction. Now all your "Friends" are right there on your phone, wherever you are.

So, after much study, thought, and commiseration, I've decided that the solution starts with you and me. Only you and me can start the trend towards making our church an envy, bad-mouthing, suspicious rumors, backstabbing, pursuit of wealth-free zone.  Only you and me can stand up and demand that the folks at our church start acting like Christians. Only you and me can call folks on the carpet when we see them involved in the very things that are causing the demise of our church.

We've got to " Pursue a righteous life—a life of wonder, faith, love, steadiness, courtesy". We gotta "Run hard and fast in the faith".

Here's the key to know if you're doing it right: Running hard always involves sweating . . .

Pressing on toward the goal . . .

RevDrKid

Missing the point?

Perhaps I'm as much a culprit of this myself as anyone else. I have lots of excuses though . . . and they're good ones!

You see, I'm a Presbyterian Pastor – you know, one of "God's Frozen Chosen". We Presbyterians like to trumpet the fact that the hallmark of our denomination is that we do all things "Decently and in order". In fact, the United States used the Presbyterian form of representative government as its model. And therein lies the rub: just as the congress moves at glacial speed, so moves my church. And like turning an aircraft carrier when it's going in the wrong direction through narrow and troubled waters, getting things done is painstaking and fraught with danger.

So, I operate in an environment that functions primarily on discussion and debate to set a course for action. This worked really well when information traveled by courier. In an age of instantaneous communication, whenever and wherever you might be . . . not so much. By the time we Presbyterians make a decision, though it may be well thought out and sound in its process and focus, the problem is nearly ready for the history books.

That's my excuse today and I'm sticking to it.

So why rant on about my excuses? Well, I read this little gem today:

Tell those rich in this world's wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage— to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they'll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life. And oh, my dear Timothy, guard the treasure you were given! Guard it with your life. Avoid the talk-show religion and the practiced confusion of the so-called experts. People caught up in a lot of talk can miss the whole point of faith. Overwhelming grace keep you! 1 Timothy 6:17-21

It's so easy to see opportunities to do good – to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous – and yet it's not nearly as easy to make a snap decision in these moments. We get caught up in counting the cost; the what if's; the will this make me look stupid's; the do I really have time for this's. We get distracted by the little debate society between our ears, and too many times the needy are left in the dust as we cruse down life's highway trying to make a decision.

Yeah, you're more Presbyterian than you thought, huh!

Well, let's make a determination today and let's do it without too much debate: Let's avoid the "Practiced Confusion" that lets us motor past those who need our help and be extravagantly generous whenever possible. I'm not just talking about with our wallets – for some of us it's much easier to throw money at a problem than to actually get involved in a solution. Let's use the treasury of life that God gave us and spread the wealth around. Pay it forward a little. Let's just keep at it!

We just might get it right someday . . .

Pressing on toward the goal . . .

RevDrKid

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Bad Things

CAN

Make Good Relationships

An Unconventional Guide to Building Better Relationships

By

Rev. Dr. Keith Layton Posehn

All materials © 2010 Keith Layton Posehn - All Rights Reserved
INTRODUCTION

Relationships. So many trees give their lives in the cause of understanding, improving, dissecting, and building relationships. The lion's share of theses books are about creating positive, helpful environments for reinforcing our relationships. This book is not one of them.

You see my problem lies in the fact that these environments must be created. It is difficult enough just to live in and understand the environments in which we find ourselves let alone endeavor to create new ones. I always read these books and got fired up about the ideas in the book and went about creating the new environment the author suggested so I could improve my relationships. The trouble was that I worked so hard creating the environment that I lost sight of the improvements I sought for my relationships. The method became the goal and it never worked for me the way I'd hoped or the how author said it would.

After years of frustration, I began to wonder how we might better our relationships in the midst of the environment in which we find ourselves. What if we could use our current circumstances and find ways improve our relationships? What if the negative things we all experience in our relationships could somehow be turned into positives? Why can't we use bad things to make good relationships?

There are certain experiences common to the human condition that are almost universally seen as negative forces in relationships: Anger, Unforgiveness, Confrontation, and Discrimination. If there was a way to turn these negatives into positives, it could be revolutionary. Folks could operate within the common circumstances of their interactions and use them to build better relationships. Wouldn't that be wonderful? So, I set off to work.

Being a pastor and convinced that the answers to most every human problem are hidden somewhere in scripture, that's where I started my search. I was amazed at how easily I found references that seemed to support my hypothesis. I found many of these in one of the most famous portions of the New Testament: Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. I found others in equally well-known passages, most were the words of Jesus himself - not initially what I expected in this particular search of scripture.

This book is not a Bible study, nor intended solely for Christians. The Bible, like many sacred writings, is full of common sense. Sometimes we have to search for it and try to understand its original context to get a clear picture of its meaning, but that does not discount its helpfulness. If you are not a believer, I respectfully ask that you "Suspend Your Disbelief" for a while and try to find the nuggets of truth for your own relationships I think I've discovered.

Whether you seek to better your relationship with God or not, I believe these principles will help you use your current relationship circumstances to improve your interactions with your loved ones and even those you don't love so much. So grab a cup of coffee and a blanket if you are somewhere cold or a cool drink and a beach chair if you are somewhere warm and join me in an odyssey we all live daily. Maybe we can make good use of bad situations. Maybe we can use bad things to make good relationships.

Rev. Dr. Keith Layton Posehn
WHEN IT HELPS TO BE ANGRY

Matthew 5:21-22

"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca, ' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.

Ephesians 4:26

"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,

Proverbs 29:11

A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.

Psalm 119:53

Indignation grips me because of the wicked, who have forsaken your law.

James 1:19-20

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. (All Passages NIV)

You're probably saying to yourself, "This guy is completely nuts! How can anger be helpful for a relationship?" You probably know someone who was in a relationship, whether it be a friendship or a marriage, or even in a relationship with their child, where there was a lot of anger. You watched them go at each other time and time again; they screamed and yelled at each other; they threw things and the violence escalated; they may have even physically hurt one another. Over the course of years, because they argued and they fought, eventually they were no longer friends, they were divorced, or they hadn't spoken to their child in 20 years. Maybe this sounds familiar because you fit this description.

For most of us, we experience anger in relationships as a destructive force. It can quickly become the dominant emotion in any relationship and it seems to feed on itself and grow out of control. It seems that the closer the relationship, the more damage inflicted. Many times the anger turns to verbal violence, which leaves deep emotional scars. Occasionally the anger turns to physical violence and the emotional scars compound the visible ones. Marriages end in divorce, Friends become enemies, Children and their parents disown each other; lives are destroyed.

Overcoming Misperceptions About Anger

We now live in a world of 24/7 media and we've learned that often the initial press coverage makes things out to be worse than they really are. In the rush to get the breaking news on the air, they don't tell the whole story. We later find out that there was much more to the story than we initially thought. Tragically, the damage is already done and it can take years for individuals to recover from the half-truth of the 'News Alert'.

The same is true with our experience with anger. It is not a pretty emotion. At times, it can rush out of us before we are able to stop it. It often does damage we do not intend. We often learn later that we expressed our anger before we had all the facts. Anger, however, is a powerful emotion that we all experience. Though we may express it in different ways, it is an integral part of who we are as human beings.

My great grandfather once told me that all things in their natural state are God-given and therefore cannot be bad. He was indeed a wise man and I took his pearls of wisdom to heart. I start with his premise as we consider how anger might be helpful for relationships. So, if my great grandpa is right and even anger in its natural state can't be bad, then there are some misperceptions about anger that we need to overcome.

1. Anger is a Negative.

"Be . . . slow to anger . . ." James 1:19

The first misperception we need to overcome is that anger is a negative force in our relationships. We all experience anger and our gut tells us that those experiences were significantly more negative than positive. Our anger led to harsh words we regretted; it made someone we cared about cry; It caused us to do something of which we were not proud; it may have even led to violence.

Folks tend to avoid those who openly and fearlessly express their anger; this is a learned response. Hurt by the angry, we don't want to put ourselves "In the line of fire" again. We figure that by evading angry individuals, we will avoid getting hurt. This sense of security is hollow, however, because anger is an emotion deeply engrained in the human emotional make-up and it is unlikely that we will be able to avoid it even if we hang around with the nice folks. In my experience, even nice folks get angry and they can be even more dangerous than those who look the meanest!

Anger seems to be a huge threat to relationships. Things said, thought, and done, fester inside and we build walls between us and the ones we care about. Anger meets with and breeds more anger. Things escalate until the anger destroys the relationship.

The problem is that we all get angry. The psychologists tell us that the average American gets angry about six times a week. I don't know about you, but that seems a little low to me! Maybe I'm just not very average.

I heard a story about a father wanted to teach his daughter about the different types of anger we experience. He said, "Melinda, come into the kitchen, I want to show you the difference between frustration and rage." They had one of those telephones with a speakerphone up on the wall. Then dad opened up a phone book and put his finger down on a random number, and he pushed the speakerphone button and punched that number into the phone. The gentleman on the other end of the line said, "Hello." Dad said, "Hello is Melinda there?" The gentleman on the other end of the phone said, "No, I'm sorry, there's no one named Melinda here. You must have the wrong number." Then Dad said, "Oh, I'm sorry," and hung up the phone.

He looked at his young daughter and said, "Now pay very close attention, Melinda," and he pushed the speakerphone button, and he pushed the redial button, and the gentleman on the other end of the phone said, "Hello." Dad said, "Hello is Melinda there? I have a message for her." The gentleman said, "Look, you have the wrong number. I told you there's no Melinda here. Please check the number and don't call me again." Then dad said, "Oh, I'm sorry," and hung up the phone. He said to his daughter, "Melinda that was frustration. Now I want to show you rage." Dad pushed the speakerphone button, and he pushed the redial button, and the gentleman on the other end of the phone growled "Hello!" Dad said, "Hello is Melinda there? I have a message for her." The man on the other end of the line screamed, "No, there's no one here named Melinda, I told you that! You're bothering me! Don't call me here anymore!" and slammed down the phone.

Then dad looked at his daughter and said, "Now, Melinda, I'm going to dial that number again and when the gentleman answers the phone, I want you to say, 'Hello, this is Melinda. Are there any messages for me?'"

In Psalm 119:53, the writer is singing praises to God when he interjects, "Indignation grips me because of the wicked, who have forsaken your law." This righteous indignation is in response to the evil he sees around him in contrast to his experience of God's love. Likewise, injustice moves us to anger and we seek to fight the injustices we see around us. Our anger against injustice is surely not a negative emotion! On the contrary, that anger often prompts us to do God's work to help those who those unable to fight against that injustice. Perhaps this type of anger is the clearest evidence of our creation in the image of God.

We all experience anger, but it's difficult to know how to use it in a positive way. Perhaps the reason is that we don't really understand anger and have never experienced the positive benefits of anger.

2. Anger is A SIN

" In your anger do not sin . . ." Ephesians 4:26

The second misperception about anger is that anger is a sin. For centuries, Christians have largely viewed anger as a sinful emotion. The Catholic Church even included it in their list of The Seven Deadly Sins as wrath. If we can use the results of an emotion as a measure of its sinfulness, then it appears that anger rates high on the "Sin-O-Meter".

Look at what the Apostle James writes in chapter 1 verses 19-20:

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

James doesn't say, "Don't be angry." He says be "slow to become angry." This is not a prohibition against anger; just the rate anger grows within us.

James then warns us that anger makes it difficult to live a life pleasing to God. Though James does not equate the emotion we call anger with the commission of a sin, he warns us that it can be an impediment to a right relationship with God. Clearly, from our own experience, anger makes it difficult enough to live a life that is pleasing to those around us, let alone pleasing to God. Anger just seems to mess things up all the way around.

The Bible, however, is full of instances when God was angry. In the Old Testament, several times it says that God's anger burned against the Israelite children. In the book of Exodus alone, there are at least six mentions of God's anger with the Hebrews as they roamed about in the wilderness. God was so angry at their sins of idolatry and debauchery that he left them in the wilderness for 40 years until all who had experienced life as a slave in Egypt had died. When they made an idol in the image of a golden calf, the ground opened up and swallowed 3000 of them! I don't know about you, but that sounds like God was ticked!

A little closer to home, there are some examples in the New Testament of Jesus expressing anger. We've all heard about when Jesus went into the temple and kicked out the moneychangers, knocked over their tables and let the doves and all the rest of the animals out of their cages. He condemned them for turning the ". . . House of my father into a den of thieves." (Mat. 21:13) In John's Gospel, it even says Jesus used a whip to drive them out of the Temple (2:15). I don't know about you, but that sounds like some big anger to me.

Anger is not just reserved for the first two persons of the Holy Trinity. In 1 Samuel 11:6, the Spirit of God came upon King Saul and he "Burned with Anger." The result of this spirit filled anger was that the "Terror of the Lord fell on the People." It seems the Holy Spirit can cause 'holy terror'.

If anger is a sin, then God, in these examples we have sighted, has sinned. Now, with all deference to the historic Catholic Church and its designation of The Seven Deadly Sins, you don't need to be a theologian in an ivory tower to figure out that an emotion exhibited by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit cannot be a sin in and of itself. It is clear, that the pure emotion we call anger is not inherently sinful. See, my Great Grandpa was right!

The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:26 tells us to "be angry and do not sin." James says, "Be slow to anger." Scripture doesn't say that anger is wrong. It doesn't say anger is a sin. And that Matthew 5:21-22 passage where Jesus says if you are angry with your brother you risk judgment: hang on, we will deal with that one soon enough.

Anger is not always a negative emotion. On the Contrary, we can use anger, in the form of righteous indignation against injustice, as a positive force for change. Clearly, anger in and of itself is not a sin; if it were then God could not be angry and it is evident from scripture and our own experience that at times He is. To paraphrase my Great Grandpa, "anger in its natural state is God-given and cannot be bad." It is my experience that when God gives us something, He does so for a reason. Perhaps we need to learn how to use this 'gift'.

Handling Anger

We tend to think that our anger isn't quite as bad as everybody else's is. "Well, sometimes I get upset, but you know, that's just the way I am. You should see my wife, man, she really has a problem."

Let's play psychologist for a moment and imagine that we want to study people's responses when put in a situation where they might get angry. We could design a study around a busy intersection downtown with a stoplight. Let's say we put a woman in a car have her pull up to the stoplight and stop, and when the light turns green, we'll tell her to ignore it and just sit there, stopped. Then, let's stand out of view and observe and record people's reactions.

So when the woman pulls up to the light, stops and the light turns green, and she just sits there, what do you think will happen? Well, you know that it won't take but three or four seconds before the people behind will honk their horns yell, "Hey, you idiot, it's the long skinny peddle on the right"; giving that great American wave of indignation that from a distance can be confused with another used to mean "We're number one". (Think about it for a second and you'll figure it out.)

Then let's do the experiment again, only let's change one thing. Lets not use a woman in a car; How about a very large gentleman instead. Then, lets have this gentleman wearing a leather jacket with the sleeves ripped off, and make sure he has tattoos and big huge arms, long hair, and a beard, and on the back of his jacket we'll put 'Hell's Angels', and put him on a great big Harley! When this gentleman pulls up to the stoplight and stops, and when the light turns green, and he just sits there; what do you think will happen? The people behind will sit patiently in their cars and say, "Gee, I wonder if that gentleman has something wrong with his motorcycle?"

1. Anger is Circumstantial

"A fool gives full vent to his anger . . ." Proverbs 29:11

You see, anger is circumstantial. We can control how we respond to situations that might make us angry. The problem is that we usually tend to respond a bit more vociferously around those with whom we feel most comfortable. And the ones we feel the most comfortable around are usually our family.

2. What Jesus Said About Anger

". . . But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell." Mat 5:22

To paraphrase a popular bracelet, "What would Jesus say" about anger? At first glance, it appears that Jesus in Matthew 5:22-23 - taken right out of his most prominent treatise in scripture, the Sermon on the Mount - condemns anger and makes it equal to murder, which is bad enough that it made it into the Ten Commandments. If we base our understanding of Jesus position on anger on this cursory examination of this scripture, we could easily conclude that Jesus would condemn anyone who experiences anger "to the fires of hell". I think, however, it is important that we examine this passage more closely.

It is clear that Jesus does not condemn the anger we might have with our brother or sister in and of itself. In his description of the anger that makes us subject to judgment, Jesus includes saying "Raca" or "Your Fool". There is more than just experiencing the emotion; we respond to the emotion by verbally lashing out. Jesus condemns to judgment those who lash out at the individual causing them to be angry. How we handle our anger leads us into the possibility of judgment.

My youngest son Jesse has loved playing basketball since I bought him a little Fisher-Price basketball hoop when he was two. When he was in the third grade he asked if he could play in the local pee-wee league and, being the huge basketball fan that I am I could hardly contain my gushing approval.

Because I had played hoops in high school and had experience coaching my older son's soccer teams, and nobody else was stupid enough to volunteer, the other parents asked to coach the team. I must have been pretty good at it because they asked me to continue as coach over the next few seasons. I was a solo coach until Jesse was in 6th grade and one of the other boys parents volunteered to help me. He had never played the game but had coached football and seemed pretty gung-ho so I welcomed the help.

The season was a great one and we made it to the playoffs with only one loss. The boys made it to the championship game where we again faced the only team we had lost to all season. This team was undefeated and had a professional coach – one I would later be an assistant for – and was stacked with all the best players in the area – except, of course, for my son, who was invited to play for them the next season, along with my invitation to be the assistant coach.

The championship game was intense. My boys, lead by my son, responded to every run made by the opposing team. With just a few seconds left we were down by three points. At my prompting, Jesse shot and hit a three pointer, quite a feat for a sixth grader, at the buzzer to tie the game. Overtime!

The extra session was even more intense. The score went back and forth – they would score and we would respond. With 10 seconds left, Jesse made a jump shot that tied the score and the other coach called a time out. I sat my best five down on the bench and stared at them in silence for an eternity. Then, as the buzzer sounded to call the teams back on the floor, I said only one thing to them, "Don't give up any easy shots and whatever you do don't foul!" All my boys nodded their understanding.

The referee beckoned the boys back to the court and gave the ball to the opposing team. They barely got the ball in bounds and rushed to get the ball down the court. Their point guard passed the ball to the kid that my assistant coach's son, Kyle, was guarding. Kyle, our best post defender, had great defensive position and set himself against the driving move of the opposing player. The kid drove and clearly, in my mind, committed an offensive foul at the buzzer. The referee's whistle blew and to my amazement, he called a blocking foul on Kyle – two shots for the other team.

To my horror, my assistant coach, Kyle's father went ballistic. He was calling the referee names I'm sure most of the sixth grade boys had never heard. When the referee called a technical foul on him, I literally had to restrain him physically and drag him out of the gym while the game came to a screeching halt and all looked on in shock.

When calm was restored, the kid who was fouled missed both free throws; we were still alive. Then the boy chosen by the opposing coach to shoot the technical shots, missed the first but made the second. Game over. I had to pass out not trophies, but second place ribbons to eleven sixth graders, frustrated that they, by no fault of their own, had lost the championship. That was the most difficult losing chalk talk I ever had to give.

Clearly, Jesus warning about facing judgment in Matthew 5:22-23 is about what we do with our anger. Anger in and of itself is not necessarily problematic. The problem comes when we lash out against an individual in anger. Every boy, coach, and parent on my basketball team was angry with the call the referee made at the end of overtime. What my assistant coach did with his anger was a sin and had dire consequences. Those boys learned an invaluable but painful lesson about anger that day. Needless to say, I never invited that man to help me coach again. Sadly, his son who was a pretty good player, to my knowledge, never played basketball again.

In this passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns the reactionary individual that they are flirting with the fire of hell just for calling their brother a fool! Our words can hurt and they do have consequences for our relationships and our basketball games. Jesus does not condemn anger. Jesus condemns those who react to anger by hurting others.

Can Anger be Helpful?

So if anger is not necessarily an negative emotion, it is not a sin, and is an emotion whose expression depends on the circumstances in which we find ourselves, then can we use anger in a way that is helpful for relationships? If so, is it possible for the average guy or gal to accomplish this? Is there a simple way to recognize when our anger is getting to the point of becoming a destructive force in our relationships so that we can back off and turn it into a positive force? The answer to each of these questions is yes and there are clues in scripture to help us through this process so let's look at ways anger can be helpful for our relationships.

First, we need to understand that, though we may express it differently, we all experience anger and it is a powerful emotion. Each of us is susceptible to the ravages that unbridled anger can cause, as both a perpetrator and a victim. With that in mind, we need to approach this emotion sincerely even if we take a humorous perspective.
Three Steps to Making Anger a Helpful emotion

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All Things Work Together

A Layton Guy Novel

By

Dr. Keith L. Posehn

All materials © 2011 Keith L. Posehn

Heaven Help Me! Publishing

All Rights Reserved

MONDAY
Prologue

"Alright, look, if you girls aren't going to give your all, we might as well quit right now! Just because the preseason ranking picks us to win the league, doesn't mean a thing other than every team is going to be gunning for us."

"Come on coach, we been practicing for two hours and now you want us to run lines? Dude, we're tired! And the football guys aren't even practicing with us yet. It just ain't fair"

"Well, dude, the football players have been practicing since August and they're already half way in shape. You potatoes, on the other hand have been playing Madden on your X-Box and that's why you're so whooped. Now quit crying like a bunch of girls and get on the line if you want to make this team . . ."

The exhausted group of skinny but reasonably tall teens dragged their butts toward the end line of the basketball court wondering if it was all worth it. They prepared to continue their battle with lactic acid when the sound they expected to hear did not come. They were expecting to hear the coach's whistle and then his bellowing. What they heard instead was the muffled sound of gunshots from outside the gym. Half of the boys started off the line like sprinters at the starting gun but it didn't take long to register that they hadn't heard a whistle. The initial thought was that someone had set off firecrackers – illegal in California and extremely enticing to mischievous teens. Living in the sheltered upper-middleclass enclave of Folsom, they hadn't experienced the pop of handguns and the echoes off buildings in close proximity. The coach had dragged them back to the court with his screech of "Pay attention!" and they momentarily regained focus and moved back toward the starting line until they heard the scream . . .

  

Marge Gustafson was satisfied with the progress of her team. They had only had a few practices but they looked like a contender and the girls seemed to gel quickly. They had talent, but more than that, they bought into her system and her leadership. She felt like for the first time she had a legitimate chance to achieve what she hadn't as a player – a championship. She reflected on the afternoon's practice session and an aura of satisfaction settled over her. She leaned forward to put her clipboard into her gym bag as she heard the familiar 'pop-pop'. "Those little pranksters aren't gonna get away with it this time!" she shouted to herself in the empty locker room as she bolted for the door.

  

As she looked at herself in the mirror, she didn't know whether to smile with satisfaction at how beautiful she'd become or to cry at her predicament. "How can I be so smart and in such a terrible mess," she thought so intensely that she wasn't sure she hadn't said it out loud. She quickly scanned the shower area to see if anyone had heard her, but like always, she was the last one to leave. Unlike the rest of the girls on the team, she did not go home after practice. Instead, she would make her evening trek to the hospital to do her volunteer work. "It will look great on your college applications," her school counselor told her. Again, to herself in response, "I'm glad I don't have to put this mess on my applications." She wasn't sure how she was going to work past this but she was intelligent, resourceful, and, perhaps more importantly, drop dead gorgeous. Even in the midst of her tumultuous situation, she had a quiet sense that everything would work out. "Besides," she thought to herself, "Romans 8:28 says, 'All things work together for good for those who love the Lord', so everything will be fine."

She finished dressing for her hospital gig and headed out with her gym bag toward her car. "Goodnight coach Gustafson," she chirped in her bubbly voice, which covered her pain as she walked past the coaches' office. The coach seemed distant in thought so she just continued out to her car. As she stepped onto the parking lot, she suddenly got the sensation that not all was square with the universe. She began to look behind her as if someone was stalking her but the trouble was not behind her. She didn't see the gray sedan that was idling in the end parking slot or the muzzle flashes as they leapt out of the passenger window. She didn't even hear the shots or feel the pain of the lead ripping through her flesh. She didn't hear the car speed away. The only thing Stephanie Green experienced in the last moments of her life was disappointment. Her final thought in that last fleeting moment of life on earth, "This can't be how things work out for good . . ."

  

Marge Gustafson was on a mission. She had called the police three times in the last three weeks and swore to herself that she would catch the little jerks. Though she was a tall, sturdy, 40 year old Swede, years of basketball made her quick on her feet and even more years of coaching kept her in shape. Faster than even she expected, she was out of the locker room and out to the parking lot. She could hear a car speeding away. She would get them this time.

To her surprise, she almost tripped over her star point guard. To her horror, she did step in the growing puddle of blood emanating from beneath the twisted body of Stephanie Green. Though Marge was no frail woman, she nearly fainted as she let out a scream that was nearly as gruesome as the scene that had prompted it. Quickly regaining her composure, she changed her screams to cries for help. She remembered that she knew CPR and began the process, checking for a pulse. Her first attempt was thwarted because the carotid artery she reached for was missing.

As she grabbed for Stephanie's wrist, the entire boy's basketball team stumbled out of the gym and gawked at the carnage. "Call 911, quickly!" Marge bawled. Some of the boys ran for their cell phones and a couple ran toward a nearby pay phone but their coach knew that their efforts along with Marge's would do no good. He had seen it before in Iraq . . . Stephanie Green was gone.

Chapter 1

He dreaded the day. For officer Tad Puggle, the thought of spending an entire shift with a preacher in his car was only slightly more desirable than the months of physical therapy he'd been through after the surgery to repair his torn anterior-cruciate ligament. A University of Washington Tight end destroyed it when he blindsided Puggle with a low block in the last game of his junior year at USC. That cheap shot not only ended his lifelong dream of playing at the professional level, it nearly left him a cripple. This time the sergeant had blindsided him with the "Opportunity" to have the chaplain ride along. He'd considered calling in sick but he had already used too many sick days this year and couldn't afford the pay cut or the bad politics.

Officer Puggle resigned himself to the task. He promised himself he wouldn't let the preacher get to him. "I ain't gonna make no confessions or change my language. It's my damn cop car and he can live with it. I don't go to his workplace and bother him. I'm not letting him get to me!" he said out loud to himself as he pulled into the secured property yard of the Folsom Police Department. He muttered his convictions over to himself as he changed into his uniform in the locker room in the basement of the stationhouse. He checked the depth of his conviction as he adjusted his uniform in the mirror. As he walked past the weight room toward roll call, one of the officers who knew how much Puggle dreaded the coming day snickered, "Hey Pudge, " then crossing himself continued, "remember, it's spectacles, testicles, wallet, watch."

Officer Puggle sneered and flipped the jokester off. Puggle was not sure he liked the moniker that his fellow officers gave him. While it showed the boys had accepted him, he did not like its genesis. See, during the rehab of his knee and the realization that his NFL dreams were dashed, Tad had swallowed a lot of anger, and even more French-fries and beer. Though it was apparent from the way he carried himself that he had at one time been an athlete playing at a high level, the beer belly was now prominent, especially with the bulletproof vest over it. Despite the fact that over the last year he had worked a lot of it off, he'd been christened, and it would stick.

Pudge walked into roll call with purpose and, as usual, was the last one there, about 30 seconds before drawing the duty sergeant's ire. As he entered, he saw the coy smirks on the faces of the other officers. He instinctively formed a response with his upper teeth pressed against lower lip and began to force the air out for his retort but as the officers suddenly checked their shoes, Pudge noticed the chaplain sitting off to the right. Pudge choked off the profanity an instant before it came out. The officers and even the chaplain chuckled. Pudge cringed and dropped his head as he chastised himself, "Damn, one second in the holy man's presence and I already knuckled under and changed who I am!" He slinked to a seat he found on the complete opposite side of the room and slumped into the chair.

  

Layton Guy was not what anyone would expect a chaplain to look like. He was young, tall, fit, and handsome in a 'boy next door' way. At 6'3" and a muscular 220 pounds with Hazel eyes and a thick mop of sun bleached dishwater blond hair, he was noticed when he entered a room. He had played a little basketball in his college days and spent more than his share of time on the weight machines at the 24 Hour Fitness Center near the church. Though he might have pursued a scholarship to a big name university, he was a realist and he had a calling. The realist in him admitted he had a critical case of 'white man's disease' and his defensive prowess was a commodity that scouts ignore and coaches only desire deep into the NCAA tournament. His calling was from a league much higher than the PAC 10. He decided that his was to serve his creator. So, his hoop was limited to the occasional pick-up game at the gym and his dreams were of making a difference.

While his looks kept many folks from noticing, Layton was more intelligent than often even he realized. At times, he would surprise himself at the ease with which he figured things out. He could fix just about anything he could take apart and supplemented his income through college and seminary by building and Networking computers. Growing up, school was so easy as to barely keep his attention and he often caused trouble in class because he finished long before his classmates and had nothing to do. His fourth grade teacher, the first male teacher Layton had, recognized the situation and challenged him by giving him projects above and beyond the regular curriculum. There were few discipline problems that year.

Layton, though a seasoned soul in many areas of his existence was a bit naïve when it came to dealing with women. He could never quite figure out the subtleties of their style of communication and rarely picked up on their cues. His looks attracted much attention from the farer sex but he did not fair well with them.

He married while in seminary and it was a miserable failure. He was 22 at the time and his bride was 20. He had rescued her from an abusive home life but never could live up to the 'knight in shining amour' billing. He couldn't see that she needed more of a father than a husband, and she couldn't see that he needed more than hints about her needs. He'd later say that the theme song for his marriage was an old tune by Captain Hook and the Medicine show, "She was too young to fall in love, and I was too young to know."

They divorced soon after Layton started at his first church out of seminary. Over the years, they'd figured out a way to get along, more out of necessity than of choice. See, out of all of the misery that was their relationship came the greatest blessing of Layton's life, his son Nate.

Nate was a carbon copy of his dear ol' dad, a trait not lost on the old man. He looked, acted, thought and even spoke like Layton. Though he shared custody, his world revolved around his son and he spent every available moment with Nate. He'd decided that, since his luck with women was on the wimpy side and the dating process was, for ministers, dangerous at best, his lot in life was to be a single dad. He gathered a sense of peace about the prospect and dove into the role.

Layton's biological father was on the California Highway Patrol and was killed in the line of duty when Layton was only three. Layton had no real memory of his father that he could distinguish from the stories he'd heard told about the man. His mother remarried not long after his father's death and though he considered this man a father, they never really connected. He often wondered if he would have turned out different if his father had lived. This only served to focus his resolve to be the best dad his son could ever have.

Layton had always had a deep spiritual side. It just seemed natural to him to be in relationship with his creator. From childhood, he was involved in his church and even though his parents took him to church, he'd have figured a way to go without them. At 12, he had what might be called a 'born again' experience, but it was nothing as drastic as you'd hear about from a revival speaker. He had a moment of clarity where he sensed, in a real way, that Jesus was with him and that he needed to respond to the presence with a commitment. So he did.

While still in high school, one of Layton's friends who was in college invited him to be a leader of the junior high youth group at their church. It didn't take long to discover that he was an incredibly gifted leader, teacher and communicator. The kids took right to him, listened to what he said, asked questions that proved they listened, and took what he'd said to heart. It was not long before Layton figured that he'd been given these gifts for a reason and, after much wrestling with his own doubt, decided that his vocation in life would be to share the Gospel with kids. As a result, after he graduated from college he entered a Presbyterian Seminary, completed his training and his masters of Divinity and was ordained as a pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Not long after, he started work at Trinity Presbyterian Church, his second church (the first one didn't work out since his marriage began to fall apart soon after he started and most people want their pastors to be perfect), Layton began musing about his biological father. The birth of his son along with the fact that the CHP had provided for his finances sufficiently to get him through college and seminary essentially debt free, led him to inquire about volunteering at the Folsom PD as a chaplain. He figured he could give back a little of what he'd been given and, because of his father and grandfather, who was also CHP, police work was in his blood whether he realized it or not. He soon discovered that the FPD had never had a chaplain. He also discovered that the chief, whose 'seat and tray table were not in the full upright and locked position', a fact known by the entire FPD, would be his biggest deterrent to filling the need. But Layton never backed down from a challenge and faced the chief head on.

  

". . . So make sure you stop and check any late model white Dodge vans you see with right front damage, including broken turn signals and or missing right rear view mirrors. We need to catch this hit and run driver and make an example of him because this is becoming epidemic." The duty sergeant smirked as he looked at Layton and then at officer Puggle, "And Pudge you get to ride with Chaplain Guy today. That's all: Go get some bad guys."

Pudge sulked out into the hall and Layton followed at a distance. The duty sergeant motioned to Layton and whispered, "Go easy on him. He thinks you are gonna get all religious on him. He's scared to death!" Layton winked and slid out the door. He caught up with officer Puggle as they walked out the door to the property yard and toward the patrol car.

"Hey, I don't believe we've been properly introduced," Layton said as they reached the car. Then, with a formality that belied his laid-back religiosity, "I'm the Reverend Layton Guy. It's a pleasure to meet you officially. I thought we might spend some time in prayer before we begin our shift." Layton folded his hands and bowed his head. Pudge, confused and caught off guard, did likewise. Layton then peaked up to see if Pudge had followed suit. Seeing that he had, he yelled, "Psych!" and the other officers broke into a roar. Pudge was not amused.

As they got in the car, Layton put on a more serious tone, "Look, I'm not here to be your pastor or confessor or judge or whatever you think I'm going to try to be that has you so upset. I'm just here to get to know you and to be available to the PD if they need a chaplain. I do ride alongs to get connected to the feel of what you do and the pressures you face. We can talk if you want but I'd rather not talk about spiritual stuff unless you really want to. I have to deal with that stuff all the time and I do this to get away from the grind of my job." Then Layton loosened up a bit, "We can just sit silently for the next twelve hours if you'd like that best, but I might have to start singing Negro spirituals to pass the time." That got a bit of a grin out of Pudge.

Pudge then caught himself, "You listen here: I ain't no holy roller and I had enough of the chaplain stuff from the guy who used to hang around our football team at USC. All he ever did was pray and tell us not to cuss." That one got a grin out of Layton. Pudge resumed his lecture, "I don't come to your work and bother you and I ain't gonna change my self just because you're here. It's my . . ." but Layton finished the sentence for him. "I know, 'It's your damn cop car and I can just live with it.' I've heard the speech before. I'm not here to change you I'm here to do my job while you do your job. Now can we try to enjoy the shift? It'll go a lot faster for both of us"

Pudge was not rude but not friendly for the first hour of the shift. Layton knew his type and knew how to handle him. Tad Puggle was the kind of kid who tried his best to succeed in life and followed the rules. He was told that if he lived up to certain standards like the golden rule, he would go far in life and his prayers would be answered. The problem is that life isn't always that way and when his dreams were shattered along with his knee; he'd blamed God because it was God's stupid rule and God hadn't kept up his end of it. Therefore, God was not to be trusted and neither were any of those who trusted God too much and especially those who made a living peddling God's broken promises. So, Layton went slow with him.

They spent the first hour pretty much in silence. Layton asked general questions every so often; whenever possible Pudge would answer in monotone single syllables. He got basic information about where Pudge grew up and what position he'd played at USC. After he had asked all the questions he could think of, he used his tried and true method for breaking down the walls cops build around their feelings: Donuts!

"Look, I'm buying if you pull into the coffee shop at the corner. I didn't get up early enough for breakfast and I'm starved. You coppers start work before even God wakes up!"

Pudge took the bait hook, line, and sinker! The coffee lubricated the conversation a little but Layton knew he'd have to pull his trump card - Pudge's defenses didn't stand a chance.

"Don't know if the boys told you but my dad was a cop."

"Didn't know that. He retired from a PD around here?"

"Nope, CHP . . ." Layton hung it out there like a curveball with a noose around it.

Puggle had warmed to the discovery that the preacher had some cop in his blood. "He still on the job then? You know them Chippies can sit in that pursuit vehicle until they're about 93."

Layton knew he had him, "No, my old man was killed in the line when I was three. Chasin' a drunk driver who fled a violation stop. It was up in the Eureka area, you know, it rains lots up there. Anyway, my dad tried to pursue him through the pouring rain in the middle of the night. Those roads up there have the switchbacks from hell. Followed the drunk right off a cliff . . . couldn't stop in time . . . head trauma."

"Dude, I'm sorry. I didn't know," Pudge said sheepishly, gaining a new respect for why Layton Guy would spend twelve hours in a cop car with a guy he knew didn't want him there.

Layton smiled, forgivingly, "Don't sweat it.

The rest of the shift provided continued opportunity for Layton to turn on his charm and win yet another admirer on the force. As for the ride-along, it was pretty standard; false alarms from the newer homes because the cat had set off the motion detector while the occupants were at work and school; a suspicious black teen in an older neighborhood of Folsom (turns out he was putting out fliers door to door but the folks in that neighborhood "ain't used to his kind around here"); a couple of traffic stops, and a drunk and disorderly at the city park.

It was during that late part of the afternoon, as the commute on Hwy 50 was beginning to cause temperatures to rise, and patrol cars prepared for the obligatory accident calls, that Pudge and Layton pulled into a spot near the Prairie City ramp to wait for the inevitable accidents. It wasn't long after that when they heard the call: "All units: we have shots fired and an individual down at Folsom High School. Possible vehicle fleeing the scene, no description. Be on the lookout for any and all suspicious vehicles as you roll. Rescue in route."

The adrenaline levels skyrocketed as the radio scratched out the news. Puggle nearly hit a car coming off the freeway as he flipped a U-turn to head back toward the high school. "Damn it! Watch where you're going," Layton blasted, "we don't need any more blood right now!" Pudge laughed, as much from the pressure as from Layton's profanity, "Glad you're not changing your language around me!"

The Sniper

Where is she?! Practice must be over. The little bitch is probably in there primping. How can anyone that young be that vain? Come on! Damn it, someone is going to see me!

The Sniper had planned and preplanned the mission. No detail could be overlooked. The stakes were too high. Steph had to be eliminated. She'd gone too far. She was beyond help, beyond forgiveness, beyond saving.

It had to be obvious. There was a fear in Folsom, as in all bedroom communities, that the gang violence of the inner city would find its way out to the burbs and infect the youths despite the protections built by their parents, the police, and the city council. There had to be enough gang-like presence in the killing to throw the cops off the trail long enough for the Sniper to cover tracks, strengthen alibis, provide reasonable doubt.

Gunfire, and lots of it, was essential. More than one gun implying more than one Assailant, different calibers if possible. At least one had to be untraceable. Ensuring that was the hard part. The Sniper could not buy them, especially from a fence: too much history with black market pieces and it would mean a possible eyewitness. Witnesses would have to be eliminated and that complicated the mission. Besides, gangs don't buy, they steal. It took a while to confirm that they provided the right cover, but the Sniper came up with two guns: a .45 and a .22. The .22 would provide the illusion of a second Shooter but it couldn't be depended on to kill. The Sniper would fire it from the left hand. The .45 would be the murder weapon. Hollow points would do damage on impact and make even a poor shot effective. The Sniper would fire it from the right hand and site down its barrel.

The car had to be anonymous. It had to be invisible. The kind of car you don't see unless it hits you. The kind of car that people think gang-bangers drive on drive-bys. It had to have no history and disappear in such a way that no one would think twice about it. This was even harder than getting the guns but the Sniper was on a mission and the mission could not fail.

The plan was brilliant in its simplicity. Steph always went to the hospital on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Once basketball practice began in November, she'd have to go strait from the gym to the hospital. Because she lived across the river, she had to shower and change at the gym – the rich little bitch was too concerned about her image not to shower or to shower at home and risk being late.

The girls practice ended about an hour before the boy's basketball team or football team. Because she needed to look presentable, it would take her longer than the other girls. Steph would come out by herself and if she didn't, the Sniper's car was anonymous enough to slip away. The hit would look like the community's deepest fear – a gang-related drive by staged to send a message that this was now gang turf and they had staked their claim.

There's the little bitch! Oh, don't you look pretty. Well, we can fix that. This will teach you. Just step off the sidewalk and into my line of fire . . .

The Sniper must have been on autopilot because the car was a quarter mile from the school before the Sniper realized that the mission was completed. The pumping heart was the only thing faster than the getaway car, so the Sniper backed off the gas in time to ease by the parked patrol car and onto the freeway at Prairie City Road and disappear into the masses of commuter traffic.

Chapter 2

To download the rest of

"All Things Work Together – A Layton Guy Novel"

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About The Author

Rev. Dr. Keith Layton Posehn, a fifth-generation Californian, was born and raised in the Sacramento Area, confirmed as a member of Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church and Graduated from Casa Roble High School. He earned his Bachelor's Degree at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, his Masters of Divinity at San Francisco Theological Seminary, and his Doctorate of Ministry at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

Keith began his service to the church over 30 years ago. He served in youth ministry for 20 years at FOPC, St John's Presbyterian Church in Reno, and Folsom Presbyterian Church in Folsom CA. He served as an Interim Pastor in Sacramento Presbytery for seven years at four different churches. He recently finished a four year Designated Pastorate at River Valley Church in Rancho Cordova. Currently, he serves as Interim Head of Staff at Northminster Presbyterian Church in Pensacola Florida.

Keith's recently completed books are available on Amazon.com. He also co-founded the office of Chaplain for the Folsom Police Department and served the FPD for five years supporting both the officers and the victims of crime in the community.

Keith Loves to spend time with his wife Tracy and his three sons: Forrest, Ryan and Jesse. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, home improvement, golfing, restoring old cars, and golfing with his boys.

