tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67567031196758933352024-02-20T12:02:58.539-08:00Under the Preacher's Roofan inside-the-parsonage look at life in the ministryLaird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756703119675893335.post-59206405751620458902015-06-24T10:13:00.000-07:002015-06-24T10:13:24.383-07:00Why Not Just Get Rid of Everything?For those who have been sleeping on a different planet recently, the biggest news item to hit the fan is the current frenzy to eradicate the Confederate battle flag from everywhere and everything, from state houses to the Dukes of Hazzard. Of course I understand the emotion that drives the situation, but that's part of the problem. The reaction to the murders perpetrated upon a church in Charleston, South Carolina is all emotion, no substance. And at the end of all the emotion, little is being accomplished. What will removing an antique flag really accomplish? It will make someone feel better. That's it. No real change. Certainly no change of heart and no change in behavior either.<br />
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Where is the flag removal going to end? No one knows. First the flag, next removing monuments, then renaming multitudes of schools, highways, and - what? Family trees?<br />
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Will Georgia sandblast the monument off Stone Mountain?<br />
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Do we dismantle the Jefferson Memorial? He did own slaves, you know.<br />
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But then, Martin Luther King's statue is there, and he was a Republican.<br />
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But then, why stop there? If we are going to do away with everything that offends, every vestige of historic wrongdoing, why stop with America? There is lots of troubling history to go around and we might as well get rid of all the offenders.<br />
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We could get rid of Spain and all things Spanish. Does anyone recall how the Conquistadors put all those natives to death in Mexico and South America? Then there is the Spanish inquisition but don't get me started.<br />
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We could get rid of France. They created the guillotine. How could we possibly look at a French flag after that?<br />
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We could get rid of Germany: two world wars, Hitler, Nazis. Definitely a bad flag. Germany has to go.<br />
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We should get rid of the Far East, or wherever it was that Genghis Khan came from. And that would take care of Japan too. Too many sword bearing ninjas.<br />
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We should really consider getting rid of England. Henry VIII killed off all those wives. Lots of people lost their lives in the Tower of London, and those who weren't beheaded were burned at the stake. Do we really want to be associated with such a brutal history?<br />
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Actually, we could get rid of most of Africa. Africans were practicing slavery long before a bunch of white guys arrived and began ferrying hapless souls to the new world. Since slavery is wrong wherever it is, Africa was guilty long before America began.<br />
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In fact, we probably should get rid of whoever it was that started the Crusades. Enough said. <br />
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By now you're probably saying "But that would mean rewriting all of human history and that would be impossible."<br />
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Right. So short of complete insanity, how do we handle the problem of a distasteful past? We could do what we are attempting to do now - completely rewrite American history and redefine all American culture. No, wait. That is complete insanity, not to mention completely impossible.<br />
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Or we could do what Spain, France, Germany, Japan, England, and Africa have done. We could accept our past as a matter of historical fact and get over it.<br />
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But then, that would mean growing up and deciding not to be offended by every last thing.<br />
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Any chance of that happening in the current climate with the leadership we have in America?<br />
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Not on your life.<br />
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<br />Laird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756703119675893335.post-68153528519331222842015-04-03T07:40:00.001-07:002015-04-03T07:40:56.019-07:00It's a New Day in AmericaWith the recent passage of religious discrimination laws in Indiana and Arkansas, the religious landscape in the United States has been dramatically and perhaps permanently changed. The law specifies that businesses catering to the general public cannot withhold services on religious grounds. In effect, a person's religious convictions no longer have federal protection. While the law is intended to protect homosexuals specifically from discrimination, it allows for reverse discrimination against Christians for their beliefs regardless of their practice. Only churches and nonprofit organizations are exempt.<br />
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Consider several ramifications of this law.<br />
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First, if a person can be charged with a crime for their religious convictions - which is in fact the case - then the Bill of Rights is crumbling before our eyes. Freedom of conscience (soul liberty in religious terms) is fundamental to all other rights. But now we have codified in state law that a person can be forced to act against their conscience on penalty of law.<br />
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Second, if churches are exempt from the law, it means that one's religion can be practiced only within the confines of church property. This has been the goal of leftists all along and the reason why they describe religious liberty as "freedom of worship" rather than "freedom of religion." "Freedom of worship" means we can worship anytime we please so long as it doesn't leave the building. "Freedom of religion" is what we had, which is the freedom to practice our faith anywhere. So-called freedom of worship is the kind of freedom given in Russia, China, and similar dictatorships. It is the state's way of controlling the growth of religion so as to discourage a challenge to governmental authority. Welcome to totalitarianism.<br />
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Third, if individual Christians can be driven out of business because they are Christians and wish to hold onto their convictions, say goodbye to traditional "mom and pop" businesses, or any free enterprise operated by individual owners. Christians are going to be forced into a much larger and safer work environment such as one finds in larger corporations. The head office can make corporate decisions. It's safer that way. Another obvious alternative is to develop business models that do not engage the general public, such as subcontractors. A Christian who wishes to operate a bakery may do so if he subcontracts as a supplier to another business and avoids the public entirely. Christians are going to have to become creative in order to survive.<br />
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Given the current state of affairs, one can reasonably assume that the next assault will come against churches directly in the form of laws against "proselytizing" or "soul winning" as most evangelicals know it. The logic will be that seeking to convert someone from their lifestyle is a form of discrimination, and of course if it's bad for business, it's bad for everything else including churches.<br />
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If churches and Christians generally are forced indoors, how then can we engage the public and survive in a hostile environment? The answer is not that complicated because Chinese Christians have been surviving and flourishing in this environment for years. They do it by staying low key, forming relationships, and engaging people on an individual basis. It works. Chinese Christians do not conceive of a Christianity that is without evangelism. They automatically assume it is a message to be taken to others.<br />
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Persecution - and that's what we have here - has a way of sharpening our senses. As a result, Christians must become sharper and more dedicated at doing what we should be doing anyway. Making contact with people, forming friendships, and using those opportunities to share the gospel in one-on-one situations. Friends don't turn on friends. Our methods will have to change and adapt to this new life in a country that is still home of the brave but no longer the land of the free.<br />
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If the Chinese Christian population can explode under such conditions (and it is), then American Christians can take heart. If ever we needed to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves, it is now. But the gospel still works and so must we as well. Like the Chinese, we must take for granted that the message is to be shared with others. Like the Chinese, we must be willing to assume the risks that go with sharing that truth. There will be a risk and a price will be paid, but it is worth the cost. It is time we stood with the rest of Christianity around the world that is paying that price every day.<br />
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<br />Laird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756703119675893335.post-60180659822561852122014-12-28T20:06:00.000-08:002014-12-28T20:06:09.679-08:00The Peril of the Imperfect CandidateIt's all but a done deal that Jeb Bush is going to run for president if he isn't running already. All the signs are there. To pure conservatives, if there is such a thing, the sight of Jeb running is enough to cause convulsions. The big reason of course is that Jeb is not quite right. He has his good qualities, his conservative elements, but he is noticeably flawed. He supports Common Core and is far too lenient on immigration issues. Simply put, Jeb is imperfect.<br />
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I too am no fan of either Common Core or a weak immigration policy. But at the risk of calling down all sorts of thunder on my head, I have to raise a question. Since no candidate among the oodles of possibilities is perfect, which set of imperfections would you rather have?<br />
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For example, Jeb Bush is pro-Common Core, but he is also pro-life and very much against partial birth abortion. Given a choice, which of those positions would you rather have? Likewise, Bush is very pro business and low tax. If you had to choose between a more traditional education standard and lower taxes, which would you prefer?<br />
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This is not a campaign ad for Jeb Bush, but the reality is that conservatives are going to be faced with choices like these. Republicans - conservatives in particular - are not going to get a candidate who agrees with them on every position. There are too many of us and too many positions. So we are going to be faced with choices; choosing the candidate who offers us most of what we are looking for. Determining what we absolutely have to have in a president verses what we can tolerate.<br />
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Specifically, the question is: Is Jeb Bush good enough to vote for? Because, you see, he just might be the nominee. And if he is, Republicans can hardly afford to have a stay-at-home attitude on election day, unless they really want another four years of an Obama-like presidency. Because, dear brothers, that is what you are bound to have,<br />
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Unless you are willing to suck it up and vote for a less than perfect candidate. And that is the one thing you can be sure of. All the possibilities are flawed. How much imperfection are we willing to tolerate in order to have a better government?Laird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756703119675893335.post-5560117548300429222014-04-14T20:26:00.001-07:002014-04-14T20:26:04.405-07:00The Best of Times, the Worst of TimesSomeone once asked comedian Johnny Carson how life was going in California. "Great!" he said, "The mudslides are putting out the forest fires." So how do we define when we are living under the blessing of God?<br />
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At this particular time, we are facing some terrific challenges in our family. Just when we are having to adjust to life under Obama care (and our "family" deductible currently stands at a whopping $12,000), we have been hit with a flurry of medical bills. None of them will be covered by the new government mandated insurance. With any luck, we will be so overwhelmingly in debt that insurance may actually kick in, say, by December. Just in time to do us no good.<br />
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Add to that, our church has lost one of our founding members. I'm tired of funerals and the more I have to do them, the harder they are. I'm tired of burying my friends. Watching a husband say goodbye to his wife of sixty years is excruciating. Reading the family's last tearful farewells was too much to take. Except for the grace of God, I couldn't have gotten through it.<br />
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Yet in the midst of all this, our church has experienced perhaps the most fruitful period of growth in our history. It seems to be literally true that we had to lose people in order to grow. We're looking forward to Easter this coming Sunday, and for the first time in many years, church life is truly looking up.<br />
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How can I explain this? I can't except to point out a truth everywhere evident in Scripture. God moves when He wants to, and not until then. And God moves under circumstances He dictates and under which only He can understand.<br />
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All this means that with our nation collapsing under the onslaught of relentless communism and socialism driving our government; just at the time when we are losing our religious liberty like as never before; just when our culture seems to be the most anti-Christian ever, we may be in for some of the greatest work of God ever in the life of American evangelicalism.<br />
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Don't be surprised if the way up is down. If churches experience revival in the midst of persecution. If biblical Christianity experiences a rebirth in American culture. It's happened before when Christians were driven to seek God in the midst of the worst conditions.<br />
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But then, maybe seeking God is why He sends us through times like these.Laird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756703119675893335.post-20629574708267231192013-09-21T19:22:00.001-07:002013-09-21T19:22:44.749-07:00Our Obama CultureOkay, President Obama doesn't decide school curriculum. He doesn't persecute Christians. He doesn't create the rules that say a child who points his finger at someone and says "bang" can be suspended for bringing a weapon to school. Nope. You know those crazy rules? He didn't do that. He needed help - or something like that.<br />
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On the other hand, I don't remember those crazy ideas existing anywhere before Obama came into office. So how and why did they begin at just the moment he was sworn in? Or at least it seems that way. Coincidence? I don't think so.<br />
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Barack Obama's election was perhaps the single most influential change in direction in our nation's history. In effect, it was a signal to every liberal ideology which heretofore had been held in check by the effect of the Reagan legacy. Obama not only killed the Reagan legacy, he resurrected liberalism. His election declared "open season and anything goes" for liberalism in all its gory glory.<br />
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Liberals held every dominate office and effectively held all branches of the federal government, including the Supreme Court. They could not be stopped by Republican token resistance. The outcome has been not only the most pervasive and invasive liberal government in our history. It has produced the cultural revolution that is hollowing out what heart remains of this once great nation.<br />
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In other words, Obama may not make all the decisions in our cockeyed country at the moment, but he created the culture that is responsible for those decisions. Our culture is the mirror image of his values, his tastes, his ideology, and yes, his politics. We are living in Obama's world.<br />
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Like the prodigal son, when we awaken to discover the mess we're in, then and then only we will have the desire to leave the hog pen behind and turn toward a better life. But, like the prodigal, we will have to do a lot of repenting to get there.<br />
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Repentance and salvation for our country is possible, provided we come to our senses. Pray we wake up before it's too late.Laird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756703119675893335.post-28197913492000159572013-03-27T10:38:00.000-07:002013-03-27T11:48:25.306-07:00The Easter Bunny is a Christian? Who Knew?It's a sign of the times. The principal of Heritage Elementary School in Madison, Alabama has banned the Easter bunny because, as she explained it, "people relate the Easter bunny to religion." Really? What kind of religion? Fertility rites? Actually, I've heard of people who think the Easter bunny is part of Christianity. These are the same people who see Christmas trees and Santa Claus as manifestations of Christianity. In other words, people are so gobsmacked ignorant of the Bible these days that even the most elemental acquaintance with Scripture is beyond them.<br />
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I talked recently with a man who assured me that although he isn't religious, doesn't know enough of the Bible to quote even a little bit, he doesn't need to go to church because "He lives it" - Christianity, that is.<br />
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Right. He lives it but he skipped all those parts about "If you love me, you'll keep my commandments" including the one about "forsake not the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is..."<br />
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When people are so stupendously ignorant of biblical truth, it should not surprise us when they try to insult Christians by doing things that only serve to display their own ignorance to the point of embarrassment, if they could be embarrassed. Like the student in one of my classes at Wright State University, a professed atheist who blurted out in class "Do you know the Bible teaches the world was created in 4004 B.C.?" Uh, no. It doesn't. That's Bishop Usher's dating system, not the Lord's.<br />
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So now we have this teacher who is trying to be politically correct by doing away with the Easter bunny so as to not show favoritism towards Christians. What she doesn't know is that many evangelicals have been trying to do away with the Easter bunny (and all those left-over, hard-boiled eggs) for years. Let's all pretend to be offended. Maybe we can be rid of yet another pagan attachment to the gospel.<br />
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I just hope the principal doesn't catch on. Come to think of it, I think we're safe.<br />
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<br />Laird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756703119675893335.post-66644873310116317622013-03-21T19:25:00.000-07:002013-03-21T19:25:40.404-07:00"Will You Pray For Us?"The officer was not serious when he asked the question. Typical for that hour of the morning, we were spending our time enjoying some coffee before hitting the streets. It was not coincidence that we were loitering in one of the most often robbed convenience stores in the area. To say they were pleased with our lollygagging around is a massive understatement. The bad guys know our routine by now, no doubt. But there's nothing wrong with robbers knowing not to show up.<br />
At any rate, the opportunity to enjoy a cup of coffee, sans doughnuts, provides more than enough time to rib one another unmercifully about most anything. That was the occasion for the unexpected request: "Will you pray for us?"<br />
I replied in a bit more serious tone, "I always pray for you guys." And that is indeed the truth.<br />
But the police officer was not quite satisfied.<br />
"No, will you really pray for us?"<br />
He was still laughing, not really serious, when he said it, but this time he struck a nerve with me.<br />
How often do we pray for people like we pray for a long list of missionaries? You know what I mean: "Bless the missionaries."<br />
What does that mean?<br />
Prayers so general that they really say nothing also accomplish nothing. If we are going to actually mean anything for anyone, we need to pray in ways that are more precise, more meaningful. The Lord might as well ask - and in fact, I think He has - "Would you like to be a bit more specific?"<br />
Nothing could be more important than precise and meaningful prayer when we are praying for, say, police officers who are about to put their lives in danger. Or a loved one about to go through surgery. Or a family facing the death of a loved one.<br />
You get the idea. There's a lot of difference between praying and really praying.<br />
If you know what I mean.Laird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756703119675893335.post-48226148788835751232013-01-25T21:27:00.000-08:002013-01-25T21:27:45.006-08:00What a DifferenceSecretary of State Hillary Clinton uttered a question during her most recent visit to Capitol Hill that will live in American life far beyond her years: "What difference does it make?"<br />
The question was her visceral response to inquiries regarding her involvement with and understanding of the cover up related to the raid on the American embassy in Benghazi, Libya. Mrs. Clinton's rational was that so much time had passed since events that took four American lives that what people knew or did at the time to cover up the case no longer matters. In effect, all those things happened a long time ago, so as for the cover up, what difference does it make? Telling the truth now won't bring back the Americans, so what difference does it make?<br />
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The logical - not to mention moral - fallacy of Mrs. Clinton's question cannot be overstated or underestimated. So let's take up these matters one at a time.<br />
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What difference do the facts make? The same kind of difference that causes police departments to take up "cold case" investigations. Justice makes a difference, so the cases are pursed regardless of how old they are. In this instance, four Americans were murdered and, in fact, the F.B.I. was called in to investigate. Try telling federal agents that their investigation no longer makes any difference; that catching the criminals no longer matters. See what kind of response you get.<br />
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Better yet, see what happens to the agent who says "These things happened a long time ago. What difference does it make whether we catch the bad guys or not?" I have a feeling he will soon be an ex-agent.<br />
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Do we really intend to tell the grieving families of these lost loved ones that finding the killers no longer makes a difference to anyone? Only in American politics (of the worst kind) can something as horrendous be written off - that it no longer makes any difference - because the event is old news. Or it is no longer politically expedient.<br />
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But there is a worse error, if possible, to Mrs. Clinton's remark. It is an example of the moral vacuum that permeates America and American politics today. She does not grasp the moral difference that works in this world.<br />
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Should people be stripped of a job because they lied years ago on their job application or test? Suppose the person who lied is a police officer, or fireman, or a pilot. Would you want an unqualified liar flying your aircraft? What difference does it make?<br />
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Or suppose your doctor lied and cheated his way through medical school years ago so he could obtain his medical license and now he is ready to operate on you. All those lies and cheating were years ago and this is today. So what difference does it make?<br />
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Or think of all the people who rejected Christ years ago and spent their lives in sin and some false religion of their own choosing. They had an opportunity to follow the right path but they didn't and now they face eternity uncertain and unprepared. They trusted the wrong savior. What difference does it make?<br />
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Do you suppose all the souls in hell could answer that question? Do you suppose the four dead men in Benghazi could? Do you suppose their families could?<br />
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I hope Mrs. Clinton has to live with that question the rest of her life because it's a certainty that our nation will, one way or the other. And if we do not begin to choose better leaders and a better way for our nation soon, what difference will it make?<br />
<br />Laird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756703119675893335.post-55657842013603430172012-12-31T12:13:00.000-08:002012-12-31T12:18:06.035-08:00It's a Not So Brave New WorldJanuary 1, 2013 begins a new era in American life, and not coincidentally, a new era in this blog. In one sense, that new era began when the United States ratified our collective rejection of a capitalist society and plunged headlong into European styled socialism by re-electing our first (and until now our only) European styled socialist president. The old America we grew up with, where we could count on our investments going up, where we expected to leave a better life to our children, where Americans were certain that capitalism was better than socialism, fascism and communism, where we were allowed to be proud of our country and proud of our accomplishments - that country is gone. Probably gone forever. It's odd to think that less than forty years removed from Ronald Reagan our country has so institutionalized liberalism, socialism and communism into the very fabric of our government that we cannot return to historic Americanism again.<br />
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But that's only the economic and political side of things. The real change is in this country's attitude toward freedom of religion. For the first time in our history, we now have a government that is actively opposed to the free exercise of religion. That attitude is prominently evident in the government's prosecution of Hobby Lobby and a host of other Christian oriented businesses for their resistance to providing abortion-causing drugs as a part of regular health care. The government argues that these Christian based businesses are secular because they are not churches and do not engage in worship. The present administration has redefined freedom of religion to mean "freedom of worship." In this government's opinion, worship belongs within - and only within- the four walls of a church building. Thus, the government reasons, these businesses engaged in secular activity are subject to government regulation and intervention and have no right to religious liberty because they do not "worship". Never mind that the business is based entirely upon the religious convictions which give rise the the business in the first place.<br />
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The danger in such convoluted governmental thinking is that churches are likely to be persecuted in much the same way whenever they engage in what the government deems secular activity. So much for Christian schools and colleges. So too for benevolence organizations, nursing homes, orphanages, rescue missions, youth training missions - and just about anything else not considered by our supreme leaders to be worship.<br />
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That's why this blog must change with the times. The new world we've entered has also come under the preacher's roof, so to speak, as it has invaded every other home in our once-great land. So expect a bit more of an edge from this preacher, and a bit more of a political commentary as our government and politics impacts and infringes upon our sacred convictions. The preacher's roof must become a shelter in the time of storm.Laird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756703119675893335.post-21884269042090321402012-10-14T13:50:00.001-07:002012-10-14T13:50:31.632-07:00Time to Climb Back on the SaddleSince last August, this blog has fallen silent because, for the most part, I did. The kids are grown and the grandkids are growing. The preacher's roof didn't seem to house that much anymore, and better preachers (much less better writers) have churned out enough "how to" books. So what was left for me to say?<br />
But then one person, a missionary preacher of sorts, really got under my skin by pushing his political agenda on me in a way that touched a nerve. Not because I disagreed with his point of view, although I do, but because of the larger issue of his using his position to forward a political agenda.<br />
Regardless of whether the government (this administration?) says I can or not, I have no business preaching politics when I should be preaching the gospel. The pulpit - mine anyway - is no place for politics. And no, I really don't care what the IRS thinks. It's just that I have to pastor all those people I've estranged long after the election is over. Making myself a spokesman for a political party or politician diminishes and damages my ministry.<br />
I don't care to listen to that particular preacher again. I don't care to support his ministry. I can't be certain that he displays enough sound judgement to warrant my support. It's a shame to see a man drive away people like that, but he's done it to himself. A hard lesson, I hope he's learns it.Laird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756703119675893335.post-758485301499796322012-08-04T17:14:00.000-07:002012-08-04T17:14:18.575-07:00A Dilemma Named GabbyJust in case anyone was bothering to notice, we've been hit with a wonderful set of contradictions this past week. First, there was the controversy involving Chick-fil-A, the Cathy family and their attempt to have an opinion (horrors!). Never mind that their opinion agreed with one once held by a certain B. H. Obama of Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D. C. It was the opinion of a Christian. And of course, we can't have one of those running around spouting ideas. According to liberal dogma (the gospel of all truly tolerant people as long as you agree with them), Christians are inherently racist, bigoted, hate-filled and hate-mongering troglodytes who are not worthy of respect, much less an opinion. Such people can't be normal. And God help us all if they are too good to be true, which in today's world equals what we used to call "normal" about a generation or two ago.<br />
But then along came Gabby. Gabby is the ear-to-ear grinning sprite who does other-worldly things in gymnastics. This past week, she became the first African American gymnast to win the individual gold medal in the Olympics. She accomplished this feat by spiraling through floor exercises and then landing as if she had been nailed to the floor. Fantastic.<br />
Everything was set for the best script possible in the liberal way of thinking. We have a minority winning the individual gold medal at the Olympics. Not just a minority, mind you, but an African-American minority. And female to boot. Perfect.<br />
Then Gabby opened her mouth and everything went haywire. The first thing she said and did was to give all glory to God. What?? Liberals have been fainting ever since. What are they to do? Just when they had their perfect heroine, she turned out to be another one of those "glory to God" Christians. Mind you, everything would have been acceptable if she had just remained quiet, but she wouldn't be quiet. Her first interview was a full-fledged testimony of praise to God.<br />
To say liberals are upset is putting it mildly. Their preconceived, narrow-minded, pigeon-hold, bigoted ideas of Christians and their supposed inability to walk upright has been splattered once more across the wide expanse of NBC Sports. Meanwhile, Gabby is grinning all the way to the bank and on every Kelloggs Corn Flakes box in the land. Liberals are in a snit and who can blame them? Christians aren't supposed to be this successful, this cheerful, or this attractive. They aren't supposed to be happy, normal, Bible-believing, God-loving minority females who don't subscribe to the liberal notions of what Bible believing Christians are supposed to be. And that's the liberals' dilemma with Gabby.<br />
They've been Tebowed again.Laird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756703119675893335.post-58746607821704616102012-04-28T12:09:00.000-07:002012-04-28T12:09:00.315-07:00My Clock Might Be Ticking...<div style="text-align: left;">
I received a "final notice" from Google that my blog just might either disappear into stellar internet space or else the site might be so locked up that I can never add to it again. Either way, the new method of posting is so fouled up that I literally cannot tell what I am writing or, for that matter, how it will look when posted. So if this particular post looks out of whack, that's why. And if this blog suddenly reappears in an altogether different form, you know why.</div>Laird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756703119675893335.post-87974371531019307992012-01-31T19:29:00.000-08:002012-01-31T20:09:44.613-08:00"Dispatches from Bitter America" - You MUST Read This BookWe interrupt this blog to bring you a commercial. Todd Starnes has done more than knock one out of the park. The award-winning journalist and "son-of-a-Baptist" has accomplished a transfusion for the heart of America. His most recent contribution, "Dispatches from Bitter America" is a homily to much that is still good in our country and well worth saving, certainly well worth fighting for. But the book is more than that, much more. Todd captures the outrage and frustration we feel when we see the country we love disappearing before our eyes. <div><br /><div>"Dispatches" is well researched, outrageously funny, poignant, and - to use Todd's favorite word - snarky. Each chapter is cleverly long enough to hold your interest and short enough to keep you reading through the next chapter. Todd has also managed in his own unique way to weave the gospel clearly throughout the book. He is a stand-up guy with an out-front testimony for Christ. Maybe outside of Tim Tebow, who knew you could still do that so publicly in America and live to tell about it?</div><div><br /></div><div>Buy this book. Read it carefully. You will laugh, cry, be outraged and emboldened to take a stand for America - but you will not be bitter. Better, yes, but not bitter. Todd Starnes is not only an excellent writer and story teller. He is a courageous brother in the Lord and I am grateful for his contribution. I rate "Dispatches from Bitter America" five out of five Nutter Butters. Ya'll might not understand, but Todd knows what I mean.</div><div> </div></div>Laird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756703119675893335.post-48051142704872978722012-01-11T06:37:00.000-08:002012-01-11T07:10:33.422-08:00The Coming Election: Now What Do I Do?It's January, the primaries have just begun, and already the more conservative candidates are all but knocked out of the race. Now, what do I do? I've been forced to come to some rather uncomfortable realizations ("realisations" for my British friends). None of the remaining candidates are entirely satisfactory to me. None of them are as conservative, as evangelical, or as consistent as I would like. They are all flawed. They are flawed and they spend way too much time focusing on one another's flaws rather than talking about the far more serious danger posed by the prospect of four more years of radical un-Americanism. <div><br /></div><div>So what do I do? How do I decide among so many flawed choices? And let's face it: staying home and not voting - or voting for someone who has no chance - is not really a choice unless I want to re-elect the current President.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have to come to terms with reality, and reality is this. The most likely nominee, at least currently speaking, is at least light-years more conservative than the current White House occupants and more conservative than the last Republican who ran for the job. Strange how Mitt Romney didn't look all that liberal the last time, but then our comparison was John McCain, not Rick Perry. </div><div><br /></div><div>Mr. Romney is a Mormon. That bothers me and I'm not in favor of a cult follower as President. But Sen. Orrin Hatch, also a Mormon, ran for President once upon a time, and I don't recall anyone being upset about that. Maybe it's because he had no real chance of being elected. Sen. Harry Reid is also a Mormon. When is the last time you heard about that? He's so liberal, no one notices his Mormonism. And keep this in mind, Mormonism is an American cult. It has a pro-American point of view (Mormons believe the New Jerusalem will be built in America), and a pro-Israel attitude. This presents an interesting choice between philosophies.</div><div><br /></div><div>Which would I rather have: a Mormon, pro-American, pro-Israel moderately conservative, free -enterprise businessman politician? Or a liberation theology, pro-European, anti-Israel radically liberal devotee of socialist - Marxist economic philosophy?</div><div><br /></div><div>Duh.</div>Laird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756703119675893335.post-65644690809524175502011-11-29T15:59:00.000-08:002011-11-29T16:39:59.795-08:00GoneThis is the column I most dreaded, the one I knew would come. On November 19, 2011, my dad went home to be with the Lord. Weeks before in this blog I noted that I could not hold on to my father. Watching him dissolve into the man he became, watching him shrivel to a hollow shell of the man he was, I realized that holding him in that condition, if somehow possible, would have been worse than cruel. <div>Dad is gone, but he is not lost. I understand Vance Havner's reply when his wife died and someone said to him, "I'm sorry to hear you lost your wife." Havner answered, "She's not lost. I know exactly where she is."</div><div>A friend wrote after Dad's passing and reflected upon her own loss, saying "I still can't believe I've lost Dad forever." My heart goes out to her. As I read her thoughts, I said to my self, "You are more right than you know. But my dad is not lost. I will see him again." </div><div>This is the heart and soul of all that is Christian doctrine. It is the hope that sets God's people apart from all else - this sincere and absolute conviction of the reality of heaven, the reality of hope, the assurance of eternal life. </div><div>I love my dad and I miss him. His passing is still too fresh to fully comprehend. I don't know how I will do without him, but I know one thing for certain: he is not really dead. "He who lives and believes in me shall never die," Jesus said. "Do you believe this?"</div><div>Indeed I do. I have a new reason to go to heaven now. A new reason to live for Christ (not that the first reason isn't enough), a new anticipation for what lies ahead. Jesus lives, Dad lives, and so shall I. Far beyond the next few years, we shall be reunited never to be separated again. "When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun," we will have "no less days to sing God's praise" than when we first begun.</div>Laird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756703119675893335.post-24753187600885888782011-10-27T19:16:00.000-07:002011-10-27T19:42:53.955-07:00Old Dog, New TricksAs the next birthday begins to appear on the horizon, I'm glad to say new ministry opportunities continue to open for me. This is very good news because the last thing I want to do is run out of things to do. Admittedly, the subject of retirement has passed the lips of the wife and my self, but the Lord has ways of saying "You've got to be kidding" to us. <div>To start, I've been appointed Chaplain of the Perry Township Police Department in Montgomery County, Ohio. Who would have thought such a privilege would come my way at this point in life? (For that matter, I will always wonder why the Lord didn't allow it much earlier but then His timing is always better.) My wife has declared the chaplain ministry my "new toy." I don't know about that, but the police department definitely has lots of "toys" - uh, another column. Anyway, here I am fascinated with the golden opportunity to spread the gospel to an entirely new "congregation." So much for retirement.</div><div>Then there was the state conference we attended recently. One of the speakers was at or above eighty years of age and still going strong. I nudged my wife and said, "If I'm doing that well at that age, there's no reason to think about retirement." Suddenly, sixty-one looks awfully young, barely past puberty. </div><div>Fresh opportunities and new challenges always give me a charge. Before my latest foray into new ministry, and before I listened to the spunky veteran, I had actually begun to think I might have only a few more good years left. Now I'm thinking decades, at least a couple. After that, we'll just have to wait and see.</div>Laird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756703119675893335.post-67248392856478206302011-09-03T19:28:00.000-07:002011-09-03T19:42:07.005-07:00Fading, Fading, Fading...A World War II general is reputed to have said, "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away." My dad is fading. The old soldier, long forgotten of his medals and citations, is fading like the melting early morning fog. He is but a dim shadow of his former self, and yet the essential life force within him seems bound, restricted by the frail body he inhabits. The soul that is my father is still there, still evident, and yet one cannot help but feel he yearns to be free. <div>It's hard for me to grasp the enormity of this time or the loss that is about to overtake me. Soon enough, perhaps far sooner than we suspect, there will be another post to say that Dad has passed. Not died, mind you, but passed. "He that liveth and believeth in me shall never die," Jesus promised. Indeed, we do not die. We change location. We exchange one life for another. </div><div>It was Jim Elliot who said it best, as I recall: "That man is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."</div><div>I cannot keep my Dad. I cannot keep him any more than I can keep forever any other loved one. But at the same time, I cannot lose him either. I am willing to surrender him for a time, if I must, in order to gain him for an eternity. And so it is with all those whom we love, and that is why we yearn so much that they - like our selves - will come to know Christ as Savior; that we may lose them for a season to gain them for an eternity.</div>Laird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756703119675893335.post-92106016324060777662011-07-31T21:18:00.000-07:002011-07-31T21:29:20.484-07:00What Have We Learned?After all the time, money and effort to put on a really good Vacation Bible School - and with really promising attendance to boot - our attendance in church and Sunday School has not been improved in the least. So what did we learn from all our hard work and experience? Here are a few lessons:<div><br /><div>1. Our church must have a consistent means of outreach. Otherwise, we are quickly forgotten because a single effort for a brief time is too little to establish regular attendance habits.</div><div><br /></div><div>2. We must relentlessly go after people. Anything less fails to generate prospects. We must relentlessly witness. Anything less fails to generate disciples.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>3. Whether we have an afternoon or evening service doesn't really matter. Whether we have a high quality Sunday morning worship service really matters a lot. </div><div><br /></div><div>4. Youth ministry will help youth, but it will never by itself grow the church. Witnessing and relationships are the tools that grow the church.</div><div><br /></div><div>5. After all is said and done, we still have to figure out the most effective and consistent means to reach the public on a daily basis. </div><div><br /></div><div>So we are not back to square one. In truth, we've never left.</div>Laird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756703119675893335.post-72030934099267886312011-07-18T09:33:00.000-07:002011-07-18T09:58:37.392-07:00The Dream Fulfilled - They Came!"if you build it, they will come" - so goes the line from the movie "Field of Dreams." It's a great line for a movie, but it doesn't work in real life. The world is full of projects built and ignored by the general public. So what were we thinking when our church (with a grand total of four kids in Sunday School) began planning the great-granddaddy blowout of all Vacation Bible Schools?<div><br /></div><div>Suppose we build it and no one comes?</div><div><br /></div><div>Given that our church had never even tried Vacation Bible School in our history - With four kids what did you expect? - we had no idea what kind of response we would gain. </div><div><br /></div><div>Enter the highly energized youth group from Alaska Baptist Church. This would be the Alaska Baptist Church that's not in Alaska - not that Alaska. They came down from Caledonia, Michigan (yes, that Michigan, land of "the school from up north" for all Buckeye fans.) to undertake a missions project and we were it. In four days time, they blitzed our town, a city of about 1200 homes and 6000 residents. The result? We had more kids attending Vacation Bible School than we've ever had, up to 18 on two days. They came!</div><div><br /></div><div>But they didn't come back on Sunday. </div><div><br /></div><div>Whoa! What do you make of that? Simply that unsaved people well practiced in not attending church are not going to suddenly see the light and change their behavior simply because the children attended four days of Bible school. We are going to have to go after them again. And again. And again. And again.</div><div><br /></div><div>But if we go, they will come. So we have to keep going until they are finally established securely in our church. "If you build it, they will come" - if you go after them.</div>Laird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756703119675893335.post-88236572178984108262011-06-18T19:47:00.000-07:002011-06-18T20:15:32.322-07:00Father's DayAs I write this Father's Day is but a few hours away and I am ready. I've bought my dad the one thing I know he will cherish the most - a six pack of 20 ounce diet Pepsi. I've also bought a card because I know he will enjoy the hilarious photo of the dog on the front. He will chuckle through dim eyes as he strains to make out the image and try to understand what it means. The message inside is silly but that hardly matters. Dad won't understand anyway. I will write a short message inside and sign my name, but both the message and the name will mean little to him. I will sign the message with "love" but I cannot write the message I really feel. He will not understand, and it is too painful for me. <div>The message I really want to write - the one he cannot understand - is "I love you Dad, and I miss you."</div><div>The awful truth, the horror that I witness every day and from which I cannot escape is that my dad is passing away before my eyes. Like so many millions, like other people in my church, he is a victim of dementia and it is slowly, irresistibly robbing him of life. The disease has already taken the personality I once knew and all his power of recognition with it. Except for what feeble life force remains, my dad is all but gone. </div><div>You may know someone whose father is hindered by certain physical conditions. Perhaps you are facing an unpleasant Father's Day because your dad cannot do the things you wish, or perhaps he cannot be with you this year. That's understandable. But if your father still knows you, recognizes the sound of your voice, and can have a reasonably intelligent conversation with you, you have a treasure millions of others can no longer enjoy - even if you are miles apart. </div><div>Yes, I am grateful that I have my dad at all. Very likely, this is his last Father's Day and I will make it as pleasant for him as possible. </div><div>I hope you can do the same. Of all the gifts we can give one another, the power to know, to love and to knowingly give that love is the greatest gift of all.</div><div> </div>Laird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756703119675893335.post-21776090720604339962011-06-11T19:58:00.000-07:002011-06-11T20:39:52.555-07:00Of Coaches, Politicians and Other IdolsThe biggest news and greatest shock to Buckeye fans across Ohio (of which I am one) was the resignation of The Ohio State University's football coach, Jim <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Tressel</span>. Coach <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Tressel</span> resigned largely because of an NCAA investigation prompted by an article in Sports Illustrated magazine. The article had the effect of taking down the greatest football coach in Ohio State's history. <div>Ironically, Sports Illustrated ran an ad a couple of decades ago that featured a photo of Alabama coach Bear Bryant with a tag line that read "In Alabama, an atheist is someone who doesn't believe in him."</div><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Tressel</span> had obtained similar status among his myriad fans in Ohio. But unlike the rough and gruff Bryant, Coach <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Tressel</span> was known for a very public religious orientation. He's been a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for years. Coach <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Tressel</span> has a reputation as an evangelical believer. For that reason, I couldn't help but react when I read of his comment to a appreciative crowd who came to express their gratitude for his years of service. Thinking about the next Michigan game, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Tressel</span> remarked, "Next November 26<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">th</span>, we kick Michigan's _____."</div><div>You notice I haven't finished the sentence. The coach used an expression I am not accustomed to hearing from fellow believers. </div><div>Lest you think I'm picking on the coach or being overly sensitive, Gov. Sarah <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Palin</span> is another example of a very public professing believer. I know that because I've followed her rise carefully and read some of her books and various writings. Gov. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Palin</span> is a member of an evangelical Bible Church in her hometown, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Wasilla</span>, Alaska. She is accepted (or criticized) by the general public as a believer. </div><div>Knowing that, I've cringed more than a few times when the governor has written or recalled her own -how shall I say this?- "colorful" language. Recent published emails from her years as governor of Alaska document what I say. </div><div>Call me odd if you wish, but I can't help reacting in a couple of ways. First, why in the name of sense (or Scripture) does a believer damage their credibility as a believer by sinking to foul language? And yes, it is foul. Do public people not realize that everyone is watching, everyone is listening?</div><div>Second, do they not realize that some things are just not fitting for Christians whether we are public figures or not? Is the Scripture warning against "filthy communication" not plain enough?</div><div>Yes, I know I'm picking. But it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks according to Jesus, and He should know. You think? So as I've read President Bush's own words in his autobiography, "Decision Points," I've been disappointed in him more than a few times. He is given to the occasional off color remark, and that tendency undermines his testimony greatly.</div><div>There are two huge lessons here for us all. First, our tendency to put public Christians on a pedestal is not good for them or for us. They cannot live up to it and we are sure to be disappointed as their faults become obvious to all.</div><div>The second lesson is equally simple. Small things matter. An off color remark or inappropriate action can have devastating effects on our testimony, causing people to question the validity of our character. The world is crying for consistency; for someone they can believe in. We need Christian leaders and Christian examples. But most of all we need Christians who are willing to live up to the name. </div>Laird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756703119675893335.post-76561366273874070682011-05-20T16:41:00.000-07:002011-05-20T17:02:22.820-07:00The End is Coming ...AgainIn 1987, I received an unsolicited book in the mail entitled "88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988" by an unknown preacher named Edgar Whisenart. A year later, I received a second book from Whisenart telling me Jesus would appear in 1989. Between 1989 and the present, we've all endured the Hale-Bopp comet, the Branch Davidians, and a host of other crackpots. Even venerable Jack Van Impe has gotten into the act with the suggestion that the world may end on December 21, 2012 (according to Baptist Bulletin magazine). Maybe he's read one too many Mayan calendars. The latest fool to trot out a date is an until-now unknown named Harold Camping who says the world ends tomorrow. So if you're a little late reading this, you may or may not be in trouble.<div>The very real problem I have with all these charlatans is that they make the serious message of the Bible trivial and the butt of every joke. You hear them everywhere: "I'm not paying my bills until Sunday." Charles Krauthhammer said "There's an upside to everything. You can eat red meat."</div><div>The truth is that the world is going to end some time sooner than later. Christians know it. God certainly know it. The world should know it, but they won't. </div><div><br /></div><div>Someone has made a joke of it.</div>Laird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756703119675893335.post-58429147746585402552011-04-25T16:54:00.000-07:002011-04-25T17:08:27.970-07:00Time For a Course CorrectionI lose my focus at times, and when I do, God is faithful to remind me and bring me back into line. Frankly, I've been off course for a while and it's time for correction. I've spent way too much time concerned about how the church is growing and what to do about it. I've concentrated too much on how my wife and I are going to afford life when she finally retires. I've spent way too much time thinking about how things are going to work out.<div>Doesn't everybody? Perhaps none of the items I've just described surprise anyone. Perhaps others will read these words with the thought "That's what I've been doing. What's wrong with planning for the future?"</div><div>Nothing is wrong with planning for the future. The question is whose plans we are following. </div><div>The thing I've known, forgotten, and needed to be reminded again is that God is in charge of all plans. It's not my place to be concerned with how things work out. It's my place to follow the Lord first and let Him tell me how He is going to work it out. </div><div>But God is not going to tell me everything at once. He will tell me enough for today, and I must take care of today. The most important matter before me is not how life will work out. The most important matter is my relationship with God. "The Lord knows you have need of these things."</div><div>May God help me to trust Him first, seek Him first, and let Him tell me where I can follow Him. It's not my plans that matter. It's His.</div>Laird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756703119675893335.post-63275176475839488102011-04-10T18:21:00.000-07:002011-04-10T18:38:49.569-07:00A Hard Expensive LessonOur epic adventure with the "new people" is over. After an extensive investigation, we learned the recent "converts" had more to be concerned about than "baggage." They are professional thieves.<div>People of this kind make a living off the generosity of churches. We had taken them in with the intent of truly helping them and seeing their lives turned around. For their part, they intended to take the church for every penny they could get, and frankly, they succeeded fairly well. The combined total in cash, food and merchandise exceeded $1000.00 within one month.</div><div>The scam operates the same all over. A couple arrives in town and either shows up at church or calls. Either way, a plea is made for money for a variety of excuses: The car broke down. We're trying to get home to see our dying mother/father/sister/brother. We are out of gas. We are out of food. We need a motel room. We had a fire. etc., etc.</div><div>If the couple is successful, they may convince enough churches to have a different church making contributions each week. Once the couple is found out, they simply move to another town and start over.</div><div>In the case of the particular couple in our church, they simply became too greedy too quickly and that raised enough suspicion to begin an investigation. Greed is always their undoing. They never know when enough is enough.</div><div>This has been a touch and expensive experience for our church, but we simply have to learn when to say "no." This is a fair warning to all churches. Be very careful about how you help people. Have a plan in place for those times when people come calling for a handout. Trust me, they will. Have a plan and follow it faithfully. Don't jeopardize your church by unwise sympathy and careless procedures. Don't give money to strangers no matter how real they may seem to be. Confine your help to your own people, those who belong to your church those who faithfully attend, and those you know personally. In the long run, you'll be glad you did.</div>Laird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756703119675893335.post-57766654589098446962011-02-28T16:46:00.000-08:002011-02-28T17:09:31.782-08:00Salvation is Messy, Part DeuxI'm exhausted. I've been dragged from pillar to post while trying to help some new converts in our church. Life would have been lots easier if they had been customized into the Christian subculture already. Nope, these people are as green as they come - no church background whatever. <div>And baggage? Can you say "fly the friendly skies?"Every day is a new revelation, a continual soap opera of recurring problems from a seedy past. Earlier this month, I wrote "Salvation is messy," and the Lord added His exclamation point. </div><div>The intriguing and unknown factor is when "enough" is going to be enough. That is, when are these people going to be capable of standing on their own feet without the pastor (or another church member) coming to rescue them from yet another unforeseen predicament? The answer may only be known in hindsight. Like the experience of rearing our own children, we may not come to an exact point where we can say our job is done - ever. </div><div>But as a government official reminded me just a week ago, this experience, and the responsibility that comes with it, is all part of the job. When we ask the Lord for new people in church and souls being saved, He is under no obligation to provide them all shiny and new. New converts are new on the inside but the exterior can remain quite rough. </div><div>So what's the preacher to do in cases like this? Do a lot of praying, and then do the best you can. Remember the Lord is keeping watch, and your labor is not in vain. </div><div>It only looks that way.</div>Laird Baldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591431632577828623noreply@blogger.com0