God's Commandments, humanly approved version

Recently I wrote an article for the Presidential Prayer Team web site about legislation to promote the display of the Ten Commandments in school classrooms in the state of Texas.  Something I didn't talk about in the article is the fact that our culture, through popular media and educational outlets, has been busy rewriting the commandments for many years.  To present day ears, these comandments sound quaint;  they may even be incomprehensible to much of the population.

I tried to imagine what might be "Common Consensus" versions of each commandment.  I based these on what seem to be cultural norms of widely accepted social behavior.  The law of the land recognizes something called "community standards" in determining appropriate levels of public behavior.  Public schools also use this phrase to evaluate appropriate rules and discipline standards.  If we were to reword God's eternal commandments (the very thought feels blasphemous to write!) to reflect current opinions, here is what they might read like:   


I am the Lord your God.

You are the center of your universe and no one really knows where you came from.

You shall have no other gods before me.

Don't make narrow-minded, non-inclusive statements.

You shall not make for yourself an idol.

Everyone has values;  you are free to choose your own.

Do not take the name of the Lord in vain.

Nothing is really sacred, but you should follow social conventions in order to be well thought of.

Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.

The practices of older cultures may be of historical interest, but have only symbolic relevance to you.

Honor your father and mother.

They don't get it;  besides, even they think you should just look out for yourself.

You shall not kill/murder.

Don’t break social taboos about killing;  besides, it's certainly just as bad to kill animals for food.

You shall not commit adultery.

Practice serial monogamy:  with or without marriage, either gender.

You shall not steal. 

Don’t break social taboos about property. The ever-changing law will let you know what is acceptable.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Always insist on your own innocence. Sue others if they are not nice to you.

You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, and any thing that is your neighbor's.

Fight politically for equality, so that your rich neighbor will have to surrender his advantage.

Oh no, not more Oprah!

Promising "Health, wealth, and happiness," the new Oprah network (OWN) launches on January 1st.  Like a bad parody of the Christian television networks that thinking Christians intentionally avoid, secular America can now simply substitute faith in Oprah for faith in God and get the same vending machine promises from a benevolent "Queen."

How appropriate that this comes after the assault of secular American Christmas with its messages of "it's about family, sentimentality, giving, and indiscriminate faith."

Please, let's join hands and repeat, "I won't succomb to the enchantment...I won't be mesmerized by the incense....I will escape this ugly but alluring Underworld...."   Where's Puddleglum when you need him?

It's here! Merry Christmas!

Nativity of the Lord (Christmas Day)


Watchword for Christmas Day --

The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:17

Nativity of the Lord

You shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace. Isaiah 55:12


The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. Luke 2:20



Prince of peace, remember those who have no home, those who have lost loved ones, and those for whom light does not shine and reside in their hearts today. Amen.

from the Losungen
________________________________________

Scriptures on Labor

Our most recent issue of World magazine had nine excellent articles focusing on the general theme of the world of work and the Christian concept of vocation, or "calling."    As promised, here are the scriptures which relate to this theme:                                                   

Work and our attitude toward it

1. Work is part of God’s plan for man.
     “Six days shall you labor and do all your work…” Exodus 20:9
      “In all labor there is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty.” Proverbs 14:23

2. Honest work results in personal satisfaction.
     “When you eat the labor of your hands, You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.” Proverbs 31:25

3. God approves and rewards diligence.
    “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no work in the grave where you are going.”

4. One who looks for excuses not to work will accomplish little.
    “The slothful man says, “There is a lion in the road! A fierce lion is in the streets! As a door turns on its hinges, so does the slothful man turn on his bed.” Proverbs 26:13-16

5. Men are to plan ahead, but also to consider God’s will in their planning.
    See Proverbs 30: for the examples of the ant, the cony, the locust, and the spider. Also in James, 4: 13-15 believers are warned about planning without considering God’s will.

Business Principles

1. Business must be conducted honestly.
    “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight.” Proverbs 11:1

2. Business should be conducted with proper safeguards.
    “Whomever you approve by your letters, I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem.” I Corinthians 16:3

3. An employer must be fair to his workers.
    “The laborer is worthy of his hire.” Luke 10:7

4. Employees are to served their employers faithfully and as unto the Lord.
    “Servants, be obedient…with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ. Not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers; but as the servants of Christ; doing the will of Christ from the heart.” Ephesians 6:5-8

5. A break in the work week is God’s plan, in remembrances of God’s rest at the end
    of the creation week, and in response to the needs of men and animals.
    “But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God: In it you shall do no work…” Exodus 20:11

Thanking you kindly for the hospitality, it's time to go home

It was great to see so many Dove Mountaineers at the Gloria Christmas Concert at Catalina Foothills Church Sunday evening. On stage were Dove Mountaineers Donita Van Stelle and John Bailey. On the row right behind me was WorldMover May Toedter. I saw old friends from Bisbee whose sister is now in the CFC Chorale. In the seat next to me was a former member of my Sunday School class when I taught at CFC. Linda and I saw many old friends from CFC, including Karen Hocker of the PrimeTimers ministry and our staff buddies Al Tellez and Scott Farris. Such reunions are always great times of renewing and catching up.

As Dove Mountaineers, we are in a unique position. Virtually all of us came originally from Catalina Foothills. That means that we have healthy connections there, and are culturally savvy enough to know when we should go back - for choir concerts, men's ministry events, educational seminars, etc. It feels good to "know our way around" there, and to not feel like a complete stranger.

But for most of us, our lot is now cast with a new family. Just speaking honestly, it has been somewhat discouraging for those of us who are "sticking it out" with Dove Mountain to see so many of our friends leaving in recent weeks. I have always been one to acknowledge the free agency of adult believers to find their own way - without guilt trips and attempts to control the lives of others through manipulation and emotional blackmail, so don't read me wrong here. I am happy when others have found what makes them happy.

But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord with the amazing family of believers known as Dove  Mountaineers.  And I don't plan to be a nomad any more. I like the new family that is being forged at Dove Mountain, and while it may be far from perfect, I plan to stick with it and enjoy the adventure that Aslan has planned for us.

Honor where honor is due...

It's easy to take good (even great!) things for granted when you have nothing to compare it to.  We live in a time when, frankly, most church musical productions have become either silly or (worse) sexy.  Imitating the entertainment standards of the lost world, many churches have thrown out the western cultural heritage that has come to us with centuries of artistic refinement and faithulness to the values of traditional Christendom: truth, beauty, and goodness.

No so with the Catalina Foothills Church Chorale.  Director Joan Ashcraft has gone to great lengths to successully blend:  the best of traditional music and contemporary compositions;  the best of professional musicians and talented volunteers;  the best of vocal styles ranging from Baroque to Black gospel;  the best of music which easily speaks for itself, with selections which elevate and educate the audience's tastes and senstivities.

The concert last Sunday may have been the best one ever at Catalina Foothills.  It shook me out of my Christmas doldrums and fired me up to worship Jesus in spirit and truth this week.    In the future, I am going to be more diligent to promote the concerts and presentations of this group everywhere that I can, including this blog.  Giving honor where honor is due, I thank God for Joan, Jane Brandt (accompanist), and all the vocalists and instrumentalists who gave so generously of their time and talent for the edification of the body of Christ at the Christmas concert, Gloria!

And now, Tucson!

Tucson joins the growing host of cities with Hallelujah Chorus flashes (see blog for November 22). This one was at the Tucson Mall on Saturday, December 18. I was there - bottom floor, right beneath the white banner on the second floor railing. It was great to see so many musical friends from so many overlapping backgrounds - church choirs, music teachers, etc. I tried to memorize the score, but had a hard time; while waiting to start, I realized that I could go back to the free score site on my iPhone and sing from that. Thanks to technology, I didn't miss a single syllable or note. What fun! Glory to God!

Fourth Sunday in Advent

Watchword for the Week -
Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; let your face
shine, that we may be saved. Psalm 80:19

Isaiah 7:10-16; Psalm 80:1-7,10-14
Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25

God has made me fruitful in the land of my misfortunes. Genesis 41:52

The God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4


As you have loved us, as you have consoled us, as you have empowered us,
O gracious Lord, let our gratitude be shown by our fruit of love and
compassion for all we meet. Amen.


from the Losungen

Third Sunday of Advent

Watchword for the Week -- Be strong, do not fear!  Here is your God. Isaiah 35:4

Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 146:5-10 James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11

The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. Zephaniah 3:15

Jesus came and touched the disciples, saying, 'Get up and do not be afraid.'  Matthew 17:
Light of the world, shine upon us so that all fear and trembling may be cast out and we may live as beautiful, creative, loving children of God  as we were created to be. In Christ's name. Amen.

From The Losungen

o

And part three....

Part 3:  Financial Matters and Men's Relations

1.  Those who are sent out by God to serve Him can expect Him to supply their material needs.   "Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel."   1Corinthians 9:14.
2.  God, in some cases, directs a believer to support himself in doing the Lord's work.  "But I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that is should be done so to me...."   1 Corinthians 9:15.  
3.  That which is valuable must sometimes be destroyed because of the danger of its leading into sin.   "And if your foot or hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire."  Matthew 18:8,9 
4.  Believers may rightully give special consideration to other believers.  "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the hosuehold of faith."  Galatians 6:10.
5.  Believers are not to base their respect for people on their wealth.   "But if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors."  James 1:9
6.  Lending and borrowing money are connected with freedom for a nation or a person.   "The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender."   Proverbs 22:7
 

More on Money

Part 2:  Giving to God and giving to People

1.   The tithe is God's minimum, taught by the law, by practice, and by New Testament approval.   "And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's.  It is holy to the Lord."  Leviticus 27:30.
2.  God blesses those who are generous with him.  "Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase;  so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine."  Proverbs 3:9,10.
3.  Giving to God should be in proportion to the way God has prospered us.   "On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper..."
4.  Giving to the Lord should be a private matter based on one's own decisions.  "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them...Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret..."  Malachi 6:1-4
5.  God considers our giving an investment;  He keeps accounts.  "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands or My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit everlasting lie."  Matthew 19:27-30
6.  Offerings to God chould be honestly and fairly handled.  2 Corinthians 8:18-22 and 1 Corinthians 16: 2-3 show that proper precautions should be taken that the money given is administered properly.
7.  Those who serve the Lord full time should also give of their substance to the Lord.  The Levites were to tithe the offerings given to them, giving their best to the Lord.  Numbers 18:26-32
8.  God expects both individuals and churches to be generous with those in need.   "Blessed is he who considers the poor.  The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble."  Psalms 41:1.
9.  God's way of providing for needs is through the gifts of His people.  "If a brother or sister is naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, Depart in peace...but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?"

As a reminder, these principles are from Haycock's Encyclopedia of Bible Truths for School Subjects.  In this excerpt , I have only included one supporting scripture for  each conclcusion, but in the full volume, Dr. Haycock always present multiple scriptures from both Old and New Testaments.

Money close to home

As I mentioned in Monday's blog, we have been praying (in WorldMovers) for the new Congress, and inevitably concerns about how they will budget and spend keep arising.  On Sunday I posed the question, "Based on Biblical principles, do we know how we want them to handle money issues?"

For the next three days, I will share here some biblical principles regarding the use of money.  I credit these to Dr. Ruth Haycock's excellent research in preparing her life work, Encyclopedia of Bible Truths for School Subjects, the secret weapon that makes Christian schools diferent from all other schools.

As you read through these, consider your own personal decisions about wealth accumulation, budgeting, discretionary spending, and so on.

1.  Whatever good things we have are gifts from God.
      "Every good and perfect git is rom above, and comes down from the Father of lights..."  James 1:17
2.  Believers are stewards over God's possessions, not independent owners.
      Parable of the talents, Matthew 25:14-29
3.  Material things should not be a goal in life.
     "For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?   Or what will a man give in exchange for his own soul?"   Matthew 16:26
4.   Money is entrusted to believers to use as God purposes.
     "But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."   I Timothy 5:4,8,16   "Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have somehting to give to him who is in need."  Ephesians 4:28
5.  God is the supplier of material needs for those who trust in him.  
     "Be content with such things as you have.  For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'  So we may boldly say:  'The Lord is my helper;  I will not fear.  What can man do to me?'"  Hebrews 13: 5,6
6.  Money will not buy spiritual blessings. 
     "You were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold...but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and wihtout spot."  I Peter 1: 18,19 

7   Attitude toward money is an index of one's general attitude. 

     "He who is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much;   and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.  Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to you trust the true riches?"  Luke 16: 10,11

8.  True prosperity depends on obedience to God and favor from him.  

"This bookof the law shall not depart rom your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.  For then you will make your way prosperous,  and then you will have good success."   Joshua 1:8

Prayer, money, and leadership

Yesterday in WorldMovers Sunday School, our cover story discussion was on the new congress, especially Speaker John Boehner.  We quickly saw theat many of the difficult decisions for the new congress concern money and budgetting.  For the next three blog posts I'd like to share some of that discussion with other Dove Mountaineers for your thoughtful consideration.

One of the things that we were concerned about (and prayed about) is that those who were elected would remain true to the intentions of the electorate, without compromise.  Realistically, we undertand that the very nature of politics is compromise.  But what things are  (or ought to be) inviolable?  The short answer would be:  those things which woudl violate the revealed truth of Scripture ought to not be compromisable.  Unfortunately most Christians are either already so compromised in those areas, or so Biblically ignorant, that we don't recognize them when we see them.

In this respect, we already have one piece of good news from the new Speaker of the House.  The taxpayer funded Smithsonian Institute recently opened a display of homoerotic art featuring (among other things) images of naked brothers kissing, men in chains, Ellen Degeneres grabbing her breasts, and (worst) a crucifix covered with ants.   Congressman Boehner quickly provided leadership for the outrage against this display.

"American families have a right to expect better from recipients of taxpayer funds in a tough economy," Boehner said. "While the amount of money involved may be small, it’s symbolic of the arrogance Washington routinely applies to thousands of spending decisions involving Americans’ hard-earned money at a time when one in every 10 Americans is out of work and our children’s future is being threatened by debt.


"Smithsonian officials should either acknowledge the mistake and correct it, or be prepared to face tough scrutiny beginning in January when the new majority in the House moves to end the job-killing spending spree in Washington.”

It is important to note that in response to the public outcry, the Smithsonian has removed the video depicting Jesus covered with ants.  We can be thankful for small victories.
 
Tomorrow:  Economic questions closer to home.

Second Sunday in Advent

Second Sunday of Advent  (from the Losungen)


Watchword for the Week -- Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. Matthew 3:2

Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72
Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12

When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but the prudent are restrained in speech. Proverbs 10:19

Let your word be "Yes, Yes" or "No, No;" anything more than this comes from the evil one. Matthew 5:37

As we come closer to Christmas, we pray in Advent expectation and humble ourselves before you, O Lord. Restrain our speech so we might listen and learn and prepare for the kingdom this season. Amen.

Casting Down Idols

This is the time of year I always have to remind myself that football is only a game.  Just days after Jason Bobo, campus RUF minister at (hold your nose) ASU warned us against making idols out of all sorts of things...like, say, football...my beloved Wildcats lose a squeaker to ASU by the narrowest of margins.  "Things have a way of evening out," lamented Coach Stoops after the game.

Yes, and God has a way of casting down our idols to remind us of what is really important in life.  See you tomorrow at the Pusch Ridge library for canvassing! 

Recovering our Sense of Parish, Part 3

One very practical means of "Blooming where we are planted" is to continue the well-designed canvassing survey of the environs of Pusch Ridge.  This will take several more Saturdays to complete.  The men pictured here were the "test batch," three weeks ago, and all returned not only unscathed, but pleasantly energized.   Consider joining us for Round Two this Saturday morning at the Pusch Ridge library at 9:00 AM.  Whether we are in our final locaiton geographically or not, this is a "parish-building" activity relationally, and is helping us to build a better sense of our defined community among those of us who participate. 

Recovering our Sense of Parish, Part 2

"....we put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos.  The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set sail.  After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed to Syria.  We landed at Tyre..."   Acts 21:1-4

When Elder Dave Bowen preached on this passage two weeks ago, he made the comment that such geographical details in the New Testament serve an important function. They point out that the Acts of God (including the Acts of the Apostles) have taken place on a real planet with real locations that still exist. In the maps above, we see that the cities of ancient Phoenicia that are mentioned in the scriptures, such as Tyre, still exist. The languages on the present day map of Lebanon give graphic testimony of the changes that have taken place in the ensuring two thousands years: Greek and Turkish control, Arabic conquest, and a brief French occupation between the world wars. Through it all, Tyre has remained Tyre, a real place on this globe, which was also real in the time of the apostles.

Back to Dave's comment... It is profound and necessary that we understand that the infinite God of all time and all space has chosen to interact with us who are temporally and spatially bound. God knows where we are (spatially) right now (temporally). That should be a great comfort to us, not only when we gather together to worship in our "tabernacle" on the Lord's Day, but throughout the week, as well.

Much Dove Mountain energy has been spent on wondering about a spatial point on Tangerine Road where we may at some temporal point have a "permanent" house of worship. That possibility has caused some to wonder about the relevance of geography and who should be a part of our body, or even targets for the same.

While geography is important, just as it was in Paul's time in the book of Acts, and just as it has been in historic Christendom through the life and work of localized parishes, it is even more important to live our fullest and best expression of Christian fellowship right now, while we still dwell in tents. For compared to the New Heaven and the New Earth, all of our "permanent" dwellings are tents.

Our recently departed sister Jan Wintz came to Dove Mountain during its time of greatest change, just a week after Pastor Allen had announced his departure. While many were leaving what they considered to be an "unstable" situation to go back to a particular church they feel to be "more permanent," sister Jan moved in exactly the opposite direction. Knowing she was near the end of her earthly life, she said, "I don't wat to die without the support of a church." She felt comforted that she had found such a place among us.

Tomorrow: Part 3.