Michael Vick Finds Faith in Christ?

This morning I heard part of the Michael Vick press conference after I got out of classes at Southwestern. I was surprised at what I heard Vick say. I'll let you watch and judge for yourself, but I must say what he says here is impressive. I've never been a big Vick fan, but I pray that what he says here is sincere.

In the conference he apologizes to his teammates, his fans, kids that looked up to him, and everyone that he let down. He owns up to what he's done and doesn't make excuses. He encourages others to learn from his example and to make better choices than he has made. He says he will now have plenty of time to think about what he's done. Most importantly, however, Vick says that he's found Jesus and given his life to Him.

Now when I heard that in my car this morning, I must admit my first thought was, "yeah, sure - that's a great way to get sympathy, claim religion." Then I realized that he could be for real. Shame on me or any of us for judging the man who claims that he has found faith in Christ! I pray that he truly has and that Christ will change Michael Vick. To some, this may just seem like a convenient excuse, but I can think of no better time to turn to faith than when we're losing everything else. Could it be that God allowed Vick to get caught and to potentially lose everything in order that Michael Vick might gain eternal salvation through faith in Christ? I think it's a real possibility.

I look forward to seeing what comes of this in the future. What do you think? Is Vick sincere? See for yourself:

A Word on Perseverance or Finishing What You Start

The school year is once again at hand. As a seminarian I am looking forward to starting classes again both with optimism and with a bit of disappointment. I enjoy going to class and learning and am very much looking forward to finishing my M. Div. and receiving that diploma from SWBTS at the end of this academic school year (Lord willing). However, on the other hand I will miss summertime. I've been busy and have enjoyed doing many things that do not involve seminary work (although I did spend a good portion of my summer in class -- but that's for another post), but I've also gotten to relax a little bit.

As I prepare to go back to class I'm reminded of a subject that is close to my heart and one that I wish were as dear to the hearts of my fellow seminarians, namely, perseverance. As I look forward to the first days of class I have no doubt that many of the classes I will attend will be full of students who are eager to learn, hungry for knowledge, and present in class. However, over the past two years at seminary I've recognized a disappointing trend. While many, if not most of my classes will be full for the first few weeks, a number of these classes will have dwindled significantly before the semester is over. Why, I have often asked myself, is this the case? Why is it that so many who are called to the hard work of the ministry leaving the classes to which they committed at the beginning of the year?

Even now, I do not have a satisfactory answer to this question. I'll not accuse any of laziness or academic ineptitude, but rather I will endeavor to admonish my fellow seminarians, and indeed others who walk in other paths now, to remember the importance of finishing what we start.

Every semester at school we all register for classes. Some of the classes are those which are required, others are elective classes that we choose because we think that we might enjoy them or benefit from them. Sometimes we choose easy classes for whatever reason, other times we choose more difficult classes for an equal variety of reasons. One thought that occurs to me is that I have made a choice to be in school (even though I am tired of spending my life as a student now that I have reached adulthood). My choice was made as a response to God's calling on my life to ministry. I know that in order to be the best minister I can be, I am called to prepare in a myriad of ways, one of which is in the area of academics.

To me it is important for a Christian minister to be willing to work hard and persevere in a good work even if and when he or she may not enjoy it. Sometimes seminary can be that way. There are times when I find myself neither enjoying nor excelling particularly in some of my classes, yet I recognize that they are part of the package when I signed on for seminary.

There's another aspect of the problem as well--I pay for my education. Perhaps it's a matter of pride, but God has blessed me with work and a steady paycheck so that I can pay the CP subsidized tuition at my Southern Baptist seminary. I'm strongly convicted every time I hear it said that higher education is one of the only areas in which people want to get less than they pay for. I do want to get every bit of the education I am paying for. I also recognize that I only pay half of my tuition -- there are ordinary people sitting in the pews of Southern Baptist Churches who match every dollar I pay in tuition. I would be ashamed to squander their money by failure to go to class or failure to complete a class that I've signed on for.

I say all this to encourage my brethren (and sistren) to persevere. It makes me sad and considerably disappointed when I see so many of my fellow students dropping out of their commitments to their professors and to the members of the convention by quitting their classes for whatever reason. If you commit yourself to something, follow through! Don't quit.

Also a word to those who are no longer or not yet students, perseverance and following through on commitments are critical character traits for all of us. No boss wants to hire a quitter, nor do you and I work simply for an earthly boss, but for God (Col. 3:23-24) I also think of the importance of honoring our commitments and honoring our word. (Ps. 15; Mt. 5:37; James 5:12)

Back in the Saddle Again

It's been some time since I've posted anything. I've been away this summer and have been quite busy. This summer was a time of learning and growing for me. I've spent the last 12 weeks on Air Force bases learning and ministering as I continue toward my goal of becoming a chaplain.

The ministry was great. I was reminded of just how insulated I can be going attending a Southern Baptist seminary, and working in a Baptist Church. Getting outside of the Christian culture was a real eye-opener in many ways. I value the time that I had and the people I met over the last several weeks. Perhaps in coming days, as I get back into the swing of things here in Fort Worth, I'll share some of the insights and lessons that I was able to glean from my experiences this summer.

And now, after being away for so long, I get to turn back to the task of studying to show myself approved, and making the grades so that I can finish my Seminary Degree (Lord willing) at SWBTS at the end of this academic year.

Jerry Falwell Home at Last

Today I was traveling back to Fort Worth and listening to the radio when I heard the report that Dr. Falwell had been found unconscious and rushed to the hospital, moments later a friend who still attends Liberty called me to deliver the news that Jerry Falwell had gone on to be with the Lord.

There aren't many things that I can say about Dr. Falwell that haven't already been said. For four years I was a student at Liberty University and during that time I had the opportunity to be a part of Thomas Road Baptist Church and to witness firsthand just what kind of man Jerry Falwell was. I fondly remember his passion for the Lord, the Bible, conservative politics, and LU sports. He was, in many ways, like a grandfather to the students and will be sorely missed.

I for one will treasure the memories of Dr. Falwell - the things I admired about him and the things that I learned from his mistakes, as well as those few times when I got to meet him face to face. Jerry Falwell always had time for people, and was always generous - he even had to have assistants to stop people from asking him for things because he would always give. I recall a time when some close friends of mine asked him for a steak dinner - and he delivered, taking them (several of them) out to one of the town's premier steakhouses. That's just the kind of guy that he was.
I shall also remember his passion for young people to embrace the spiritual disciplines of earnest prayer and study of the scriptures. Jerry Falwell was many things, but to those of us who have attended his school he'll always be our Chancellor.

Lastly, when I heard the news of his passing I could not help but think of a saying he had: "Until God is through with me, nothing can harm me--I'm bulletproof until He calls me home." I smile as I think of the wisdom of his words, indeed those were words he lived and died by. Now that God is finally through with him, he can rest in the presence of his Savior.

Made for More than Ordinary

Do you ever get that feeling, you know the one, where you feel that you were made for something beyond the ordinary. Lately, I’ve been humbled by the realization that God does extraordinary things everyday. Last Saturday my church conducted what we called “The Big Event.” It was an opportunity for the church to reach out to our community in tangible ways. We sent out teams to: wash cars, plant shrubs in apartment complexes, paint local buildings, remove brush from local houses, and do other various landscaping chores for individuals in need all around our area.

I was truly impressed with the response that we received. I met a few individuals who simply could not believe that we were doing these things. They wanted to know why? What was our angle? We just expressed that we were taking the opportunity to serve others because Christ has blessed us. Many of our church members were able to worship with a shovel, a broom, or chainsaw, or even sponges and towels.

As I was digging through my (small, but expanding) library I happened upon a book that I’ve not yet read – Louie Giglio’s The Air I Breathe. It’s a book about worship. He says that we’re all worshipers, every single person living. It’s who we are and what we were created for. He says worship is simple about value. It’s our response to what we value most.

I love how he communicates. One of my favorite books of all time has to be another of his, I am not but I know I AM. I was reminded, looking through this little book on worship that God is constantly showing himself to us. It was really neat to see Him this weekend as Christ was imitated by many people around North Richland Hills, Texas.

I pray that people will keep seeking God, and finding Him. And maybe, just maybe I was able to be a part of that by following Christ’s example and serving others. Doing simple chores? It seems pretty ordinary, but God has big plans, and sometimes those involve doing big stuff with regular folks like us.

Paige Patterson on Campus Violence

Last week in a chapel service at SWBTS, seminary president Paige Patterson admonished the male students to be prepared to stand up to, and stop a campus shooter, should such violence ever occur at the seminary. The clip can be found here (4/18).

Yesterday, the seminary released a statement, written by Dr. Patterson expanding his remarks.
Since his original remarks last wednesday, many have criticized the president for "being insensitive" and for a myriad of other charges, most stemming from each pundit's interpretation of his motives.

I will not make apology for his remarks. Dr. Patterson has been called many things, but "sensitive" is not usually one of them. I do, however believe it is important for us not to judge his motives, only God and Dr. Patterson can know those. I will agree, even as a current student of the seminary, that his remarks struck me as quite bizarre. Upon reading the press release, however it appears to me that he does raise a legitimate viewpoint. Dr. Patterson views Christianity as a faith of selflessness and sacrifice, and rightly so for this is what the Bible commands of us. I agree with Dr. Patterson that the values of courage and sacrifice are important and ought to be taught at our seminaries.

How then should our faith work itself out in our lives? Does our faith lead us to attack a gunman in order to save the lives of others? Or does it manifest itself in other ways? I pray that the day never comes when someone with intent to kill enters our churches or seminaries (again), yet if and when that day does come, we should have an idea of just what our faith does call us to do. Are we to show our faith through quiet martyrdom, or are we to actively struggle against one intent on doing harm? Each of us must answer that question for ourselves.

Feeding the Beast

I am consistently amazed at the lengths (and depths) to which the news media will go in pursuit of a story. In recent days we’ve seen several big stories, and great tragedies. While my heart goes out to those families touched by the events at Virginia Tech and NASA’s Johnson Space Center (story) in Houston. I can’t help but notice the ways in which many of our nation’s news outlets have injected themselves into the news.

Sadly, it seems that the news industry is willing to do anything to get “the big story” and that includes making stories happen. Please do not misunderstand me; I’m not advocating conspiracy theories or anything like that. Here’s an example of how the news organizations themselves are in the news. Virginia Tech shooter Cho Seung-Hui sent a package to NBC. This package included video footage of him expressing his viewpoints and murderous intentions. Of course NBC dutifully aired the video. As a result of their choice to do so several families of the victims opted not to appear on the network (story).

Whether they should have done it or not is still a matter that is up for debate. Obviously NBC and other major media outlets believed they had a “journalistic obligation” to air the footage. The question that ought to be asked is, “where should the line be drawn?” How far can the news go before they cease to be informing the people, and start ruining lives?

There are some cases that have been in the news that I thought would ruin my life. The Anna Nicole Smith ordeal, you’ll recall dominated the 24 hour news networks for what seemed an eternity. I watched for a while, hoping that some other news would knock the fight to be her baby’s daddy off the news, but in the end I boycotted the 24-hour news networks for a few weeks.

There are countless stories of how the news organizations themselves have sought to be the story rather than simply reporting the stories. Here’s another example: Don Imus. I seriously doubt that he would have been fired had someone not decided that his gaffe was worthy of “top story” status. Once the pack of ravenous wolves that is the news media jumped on him, he was done for.

Here’s the bottom line – the news media is a ravenous beast that either finds or creates news to feed itself. Professional journalism in America today has become a machine that devours anything remotely tragic or sensational, even to the point of making it so for the sake of the story. In the process the news machine uses, chews up, and spits out those whom it exploits for the sake of getting “the story.”

Would we be better off without 24-hour, up-to-the-second, coverage of the “news?” You decide.