I Wish We’d All Been Ready
A group of atheists in England have come to the rescue of pets everywhere. They are offering, for the low, low price of 69.99 pounds (which is currently about $115 US), to watch after your pets after the rapture. We just need a company like this here in the States.
Graduation Present
For those who didn’t know, I graduated yesterday with a Master of Divinity. I’ll probably comment soon on the degree called “master of divinity,” and the thoughts running through my head during the graduation ceremony. But for now, I wanted to point out a graduation present I would take if anyone wanted to send it this way. Let me know if you need my address. 
(Un)happy Mother’s Day
To begin with, Al Mohler has a great word about Mother’s Day. I would recommend you at least skim his article. It isn’t hard to get the gist of it. But I had some Mother’s Day thoughts that bug the mess out of me, and I simply wanted to share it here to get it off my chest.
Yesterday was a bad day. To start with, my mother and I are not on good terms. Long story, so let’s just leave it at that. But, being happy/mushy/sentimental was not in store for the day. Then, we get to church and one of our youth asks us to pray for her voice teacher, who just miscarried this week. That made me think of a colleague of my wife, who just miscarried twins a month or so ago. Then, as we sat in church, we quickly realized that my wife is the only adult female in our church who is not a mother. Next to us sat the mother of one of our youth who cried almost the entire service–she just lost her mother a couple months ago. I wondered about those women who desperately want to be mothers, but are physically unable to do so. I bet yesterday was miserable for them. My heart hurts for them.
But, we sang wonderful songs (with bad theology) about how great mothers are and how well our mother’s did at giving us Christian homes. We heard a sermon about how great mother’s are. It was real swell. We had baby dedication on Mother’s Day, in a church that supposedly affirms complementary gender roles. Shouldn’t we do this on Father’s Day if we really believe the father to be the head of the home?
It was all so trite. I would like to say that hurting people are few, but as I sat there with the church, it didn’t take me long to realize that there are a significant number of hurting people on Mother’s Day. I haven’t even mentioned all the single moms in this world. They may not be hurting for sentimentality, but they are certainly hurting for more than a cheap flower and a pat on the back. What about those pitiful excuses for mothers? We don’t like to admit it, but there are a few. Should we pat them on the back for how well they’ve done, or should we call them to repent and encourage them to embrace their huge responsibility?
I know the Church in America does a lot of junk without thinking it through. I’ve been part of the problem. But for all the people who are hurting on Mother’s Day, let me offer this word of apology. We’re sorry for overlooking the plight of women who have wayward children, have miscarried, can’t get pregnant or are getting older and are still single. I know days like yesterday suck, and we don’t make it any easier. We’re sorry for people who have bad mothers, bad relationships with their mothers, or their mothers have passed away. Again, days like yesterday suck, and you get overlooked. For the single moms who need more than sermon and a carnation, we’re sorry for not helping you with your struggles (and we repudiate the words of Ann Coulter). We’re sorry for our hypocrisy in making a big deal over complementarianism, then succumbing to the culture and dedicating families on Mother’s Day.
And for all the women who don’t fit into these categories, and yesterday was a great day to feel warm and sentimental, find a woman who’s struggling and love on her.
Nine Pastoral Prayers
I’ve been listening to Matt Chandler’s podcast for the last couple of weeks. His actual approach to preaching and what most call the “preaching program” are intriguing to me. But, I’ve only just begun to listen to him, so I’ve been backtracking a bit. In doing so, I came across a sermon he preached last April (2008), where he gave 9 basic prayers that he and the music leader in his church prayed for their congregation before they started, and still pray to this day. (If you want to read the transcript, you can do so here.) I found them very intriguing, and you can listen to the audio or read the transcript for more clarity concerning the points, if you so care. Anyway, I found these worthwhile, and thought I’d share them.
1) That we would see that the greatest problem in the universe is not mere moral failure, but rather failure to honor God.
2) That we would understand that discipline (note: don’t think punishment, think conduct) rarely brings about love, but love always brings about discipline.
3) That we would realize that children of God are not under wrath, but under mercy.
4) That we would find that the fullness of all things, including life and joy, is in Christ.
5) That we would experience a holy discontentment of where are lives are, and we would espouse the hope of where our lives could be.
6) That we would recognize that God has purposely placed us here, at this time, in this place, for his glory.
7) That we would develop a taste for truth, even difficult ones.
8 ) That we would embrace biblical Christianity, not American evangelicalism.
9) That we would believe in the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, and desire them earnestly.
