Monthly Archives: November 2009

30-minute worship

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While driving from Dallas to Austin recently, I saw a banner with that phrase on it — 30-minute worship. My reaction was, Really? So who’s this targeting? People who just can’t be bothered to give more than 30 minutes out of their busy life to Jesus on Sunday morning?

I’m pretty sure Jesus didn’t respond to a “30-minute cross” banner on his way to Golgotha.

If that’s offensive, I assure you I don’t mean it to be, but I would like us to take a look at our priorities.

  • We hurry home from an after-dinner rush to the supermarket so we don’t miss the beginning of Survivor.
  • We have our child at school 20 minutes early for her kindergarten “holiday program” so we can sit in the front row.
  • We quietly slink out of Sunday morning worship so we can beat the _____ (insert name of denomination) to Smok-E-Mo’s Barbecue and still make it home in time for the Cowboys kickoff.
  • After a late Saturday night, we just can’t get it going the next morning, so we totally skip Bible class and arrive at worship 10 minutes late. We only miss a couple of songs.
  • We’re on time for Sunday morning worship, but have some things to take care of, so we make a hasty exit after communion. At least we were there for the most important part.

Do I sound cynical in the least? Please feel free to kick me if you’ve never experienced (or been guilty of) any of this.

What are we “here” for, anyway? I don’t agree 100% with Rick Warren, but I do agree with him that our purpose on earth is to give praise, honor, and glory to the One Who put us here. Period. That’s why God created us.

I understand there are times when there are business trips on Sunday and there are airplanes to catch. Been there. I also understand that there are other things that take us away from worship, and these just can’t be avoided. Most of the time though, isn’t is because of a choice we make? We choose to be on time and to participate fully in the things that truly matter to us.

  • We choose to hit the snooze 3 or 4 times, and end up being late to worship.
  • We choose to be in our easy chair when Survivor (or Gray’s Anatomy, or whatever it is that you can’t miss) comes on the tube, and we don’t miss a second of the action.
  • We choose to have our 10-year-old son at his soccer game 15 minutes early so he can be a “starter”.
  • Anyone who’s ever had a child knows infants (and kids of all ages) have schedules of their own, but many times when we’re late, isn’t it because we simply failed to plan far enough ahead to get ourselves and our kids there in time for Bible class?

We can just as easily choose to make worship a priority in our lives. If it takes a full 60 or 90 or 120 minutes of our precious Sunday morning, day-off, day-of-rest time, then so be it. What are we here for anyway? How long was Jesus on the cross? (Hint: It was between 5 hours and 7 hours — Mark 15:25, 33-34.) I don’t think showing up on time and staying until the last “Amen” is too much to ask.

General Thanksgiving — A Proclamation

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General Thanksgiving

By the PRESIDENT of the United States Of America

A PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLIC THANKSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed;— for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish Constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;— for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge;— and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions;— to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.

(signed) G. Washington

View the original document at Archiving Early America.

41 things married people ought to know

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My longtime friend Jim Martin is a minister of the gospel in Waco TX, and writes what is, according to recent stats, the #9 “Church of Christ blog”. Jim began a series of articles yesterday titled 41 Things Married People Ought to Know. In part 1 he lists the first 10, including these 5:

  1. Married people are called to move away from self-centeredness and toward self-lessness.
  2. Jesus can be disruptive to a marriage and family.
  3. Married people can become very lazy with one another.
  4. Every marriage has some kind of atmosphere.
  5. Something is very wrong when a married couple claims a commitment to Jesus and belongs to a church, but they have never allowed Jesus to have any kind of practical impact on their marriage.

Each of these has some bit of explanation as to why it’s on the list, so I encourage you to read the article on Jim’s blog A Place for the God-Hungry, where you can see what else is in the first 10. You’ll want to check back to see what the other 31 are too!