What is Newsworthy?

I turned on the television last Thursday night to catch up on the events of the day. And what did I find?

A national “news channel” wanted me to know Paris Hilton was released from jail after serving only a few days of her sentence. The channel also informed me that Larry Birkhead and Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter, Dannielynn were finally arriving in Southern California. Charlie Sheen was the next big story. Apparently it is newsworthy that Sheen is featured on a new 9-11 conspiracy film. Finally, I was teased with a rivalry between news CNN broadcasters Anderson Cooper and Larry King.

Why on earth would a major news network be telling me all this?

Confused by the national news coverage, I turned next to local news. The local news team enlightened of an exchange of blows on the state senate floor. Alabama Senator Charles Bishop, R- Jasper punched Lowell Barron, D- Fyffe. There was actual video of the sucker punch, with commentary provided by state senators from both sides of the aisle.

Now that is news!

I say let them duke it out and the last party standing wins. Perhaps that way our state senate would accomplish more of the state’s business.

Fatigued with both the national and local “news”, I watched a few minutes of the NBA Basketball Championship Finals. The problem with the NBA is that it is no longer entertaining. So, I returned the national “news channel” for one more shot of information. In doing so, I was informed of some of the trivial events from Thursday. In 60 seconds I was informed a Senate immigration bill is dead, Putin and Bush discussed missile defense systems at the G8 summit, state education proficiency levels dropped, and finally, retailers posted modest gains.

Come on, is that really newsworthy? Who is interested in immigration? Who cares about missile defense? State education levels are failing? Big deal! We experienced modest financial gains? Who cares? I am glad they devoted only 60 seconds to this kind of information. How boring? (Please note that my tongue is placed firmly in my cheek!)

Give me some real news. What did Paris eat her first night in jail? What did Dannielynn’s nursery look like? What did Charlie Sheen know about 9-11, and when did he know it? Did King and Cooper duke it out like Bishop and Fyffe? (Again, tongue in cheek.)

The line of distinction between news and entertainment has been blurred.

Edward R. Murrow was a distinguished and renowned figure in the history of radio and television. Five decades ago Murrow made an eerie prediction about the line of demarcation between news and entertainment. The following is a brief excerpt from a speech he gave to the Radio-Television News Directors Association and Foundation in Chicago on October 15, 1958:

Our history will be what we make it. And if there are any historians about fifty or a hundred years from now, and there should be preserved the kinescopes for one week of all three networks, they will there find recorded in black and white, or color, evidence of decadence, escapism and insulation from the realities of the world in which we live. I invite your attention to the television schedules of all networks between the hours of 8 and 11 p.m., Eastern Time. Here you will find only fleeting and spasmodic reference to the fact that this nation is in mortal danger. There are, it is true, occasional informative programs presented in that intellectual ghetto on Sunday afternoons. But during the daily peak viewing periods, television in the main insulates us from the realities of the world in which we live. If this state of affairs continues, we may alter an advertising slogan to read: LOOK NOW, PAY LATER.

Murrow was a prophet calling out in the wilderness. Murrow was a man ahead of his time. His words of warning in 1958 are now reality.

Treating current events like entertainment is dangerous. Treating entertainment as news is equally scandalous. What once was news now is amusement, and what once was entertainment now is news. The line of distinction is no longer clear. And what is more troubling is that the general public does not know how to distinguish between the two. Or worse, the consumer demands to be entertained with their news.
I am curious to read your remarks.

I Need Prayer

This week I am reading John Piper’s book, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry. I like Piper because he writes with exceptional clarity. He gets to the point, and his points get to me.

Chapter 8, “Brothers, Let us Pray”, begins with a timely quote from A.C. Dixon:

When we depend upon organizations,
we get what organizations can do;
when we depend upon education,
we get what education can do;
when we depend upon man,
we get what man can do;
but when we depend upon prayer,
we get what God can do.

I need prayer. Actually, I need God, and prayer leads me to God. The more I pray the more I depend on God. The converse is true. The less I pray the more I depend on others or myself. Thus, I am back to my original statement, I need prayer.

Chapter 9, “Brothers, Beware of Sacred Substitutes”, ends with a quote from A.A. Baron:

O brother, pray; in spite of Satan, pray; spend hours in prayer; rather neglect friends than not pray; rather fast and lose breakfast, dinner, tea, and supper—and sleep too—than not pray. And we must not talk about prayer, we must pray in right earnest. The Lord is near. He comes softly while the virgins slumber.

I find it comical how I can substitute so many other things for prayer. There are times I rush my prayer so that I can move on to something else—something more important. There is nothing as important as prayer. Nothing can substitute for prayer.

Just the other morning I was rushing through my time alone with God so I could study for Sunday’s message. Thankfully the Holy Spirit reminded me that my sermon study could wait. Then a quote from a seminary friend came to mind: “Ryan, you and I should spend more time talking to God about our people than we do talking to our people about God.” So I prayed more.
I need prayer. What about you? Do you need prayer?

Praying Fervently

What can take the place of prayer? Can anything take the place of prayer? Is there anything more important than prayer? If something is greater than the work of prayer, then what is it?

I am convinced that nothing—not ministry, not worship, not fellowship, not discipleship, not even evangelism—can take the place of prayer.

Jesus said,

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
John 14:12-14

And what is the “greater work” to which Jesus is referring? Is it ability to heal the sick? Is it power to raise the dead? Is it walking on water? I believe prayer is the “greater work”. If prayer is not the “greater work” then why does Jesus address the subject of prayer in the next sentence after mentioning the “greater work”?

I believe prayer is the “great work” to which Jesus is referring for two other reasons.

The first reason I believe prayer is the “greater work” is based on what Jesus said at the end of His first statement. Jesus said, “Because I am going to the Father.” Jesus “going to the Father” is the culmination of His redemptive work. After His death, burial and resurrection, Jesus ascended back to heaven where He returned to His place of authority and glory. He did so because He completed the assignment His Father had given Him. As a result He finalized the plan and process of salvation. Completing the redemptive plan authorized Jesus the right to do the greater work through His people.

The second reason I believe prayer is the “greater work” is due to a simple phrase Jesus repeats twice. In the first instance Jesus says, “Whatever you ask in my name, THIS WILL I DO, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” Again, in the next sentence, Jesus says, “If you ask me anything in my name, I WILL DO IT” (emphasis added). Thus, Jesus emphasizes that prayer is something HE answers. Jesus responds to prayer. Note He does not say, “It will be done”, which is void of personal involvement. Instead, Jesus says, “this will I do” and “I will do it”, which corresponds to His direct involvement.

The more I devote myself to prayer, fervent prayer, the more I realize prayer is the greater work. And so, that is why I say nothing can take the place of prayer. Prayer is the birthplace of ministry. Prayer is the fuel for worship. Prayer is the key discipleship. Prayer is the impetus for evangelism. It is in prayer the battle is either won or lost.

The more I devote myself to prayer the more I desire to pray. Or, to state it another way, the more passionately I pray the more passion I have to pray. Prayer is the greater work, I am convinced. It is also the fuel that ignites the greater work.

As many of you know, I recently asked the staff of CrossPoint to join me in a prayer adventure. The prayer adventure includes praying for each member of CrossPoint by name. I gave the staff a church roll through which they were instructed to pray. When we pray, we mention you specifically by name. When we pray, we pray for God’s will in your life. When we pray, we wait on the Holy Spirit to tell us how to pray for you.

At first I asked the staff to pray through the list once a week. After six weeks of taking the prayer challenge, I realize it now takes me on average three weeks to pray for every family of our family of faith by name. Praying for you is the greater work, and it is also the most difficult work.

The adventure in praying for you became difficult last week. Because of the burden that comes from prayer I decided to take a day or two off in order to relieve some of the load the Lord placed on my heart. I must be honest with you, praying for you is taxing. I have learned the more I pray for someone, the more I desire God’s best for them. And sometimes I am more concerned for the person I praying for than they seem to be for themselves. That is when praying for someone gets complicated.

Praying for other people does something else to you: it increases your sensitivity to the working of the Holy Spirit. My spiritual intuition escalates the more I pray. In recent days I have noted a stronger tendency to look for the Holy Spirit working around me. Prayer is connecting with God’s Holy Spirit.

Prayer is an amazing adventure. At times prayer can be spiritually empowering; at other times it can be emotionally fatiguing. And so, that is why I say nothing can take the place of prayer.

When was the last time you prayed, prayed fervently?

Father’s Day Shopping?

For those of you looking for a good Father’s Day book, may I suggest Alan Williams’ book Walk On: Life from the End of the Bench. CrossPointer, Woodie Eubanks loaned me his autographed copy to read. It is an autobiographical account of Alan’s four-year attempt to walk on as a basketball player at Wake Forest University.

As compared to the book I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, this was a very easy-to-read book (one of those written on a third grade level). The athletes in your life would enjoy reading through the highs and the lows of a walk on athlete.

Williams includes many timely stories and quotes throughout his tome. The following quote from basketball legend John Wooden gives great insight into true success:

I always tried to make clear that basketball is not the ultimate. It is of small importance in comparison to the total life we live. There is only one kind of life that truly wins, and that is the one that places faith in the hands of the Savior. Until that is done, we are on an aimless course that runs in circles and goes nowhere.

Extraordinary words from man who won ten NCAA Basketball Championships.

Another highlight of the book concerns Williams’ relationship with his father. For those of you who read the book I will not give away the details, but Williams does something memorable toward the end of his collegiate career to recognize his father on national television. What makes it memorable is that Williams was a benchwarmer and a walk on and yet he still got his father TV time on ESPN.

Williams’ father would often leave his son timely notes of encouragement before or after great accomplishments. Hours before his first game at Wake Forest, Williams found an envelope from his father with an index card in it, which read,

“Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will succeed.”
Proverbs 9:16
“Success is where preparation meets opportunity.”

Williams’ book is about preparation. It is about discipline and determination. And, it is about success. Be careful when reading it, however, the success mentioned in this book cannot be measured in worldly terms. It is about another world’s version, the only kind of success that truly lasts.

Again, for those looking for a nice Father’s Day gift, I suggest Walk On. I also suggest you give a copy for any coach or athlete you know.

Good Reading

I have read several good books lately. One of the books was loaned to me by CrossPointer, Judy Johnson. The title is The New York City Noon Prayer Meeting: A Simple Prayer Gathering that Changed the World by Talbot W. Chambers.

Although a bit difficult to read at times, I encourage anyone who is interested in prayer to pick up a copy. The difficulty in reading is due in large part to the eloquent use of the English language. That is a sad commentary, isn’t it? That is, in the sense that is difficult reading because the language is so eloquent. It is a sad commentary in the way we use and abuse the English language today.

Speaking of our use and abuse of the English language, it is my understanding that the average New York Times Best Sellers are written on a third grade reading level. What does that say about us as readers?

Back to The New York City Noon Prayer Meeting.

The Foreword by Dutch Streets explains the impact of this prayer meeting:

One of the great wells in America’s godly past is New York City’s Fulton Street Noon Prayer Meetings in 1858, under the leadership of Jeremiah Lanphier. It was remarkable in its scope and influence, touching cities from beyond the Mississippi River all the way across the Atlantic to England. Only God knows for certain the fullness of its impact, but it is generally accepted that it sparked a revival that touched the entire nation and other parts of the world.

The Introduction reveals more detail into Lanphier’s burden for the city of New York. As a detail of great symbolism, the author noted that the location of the Fulton Street Noon Prayer Meetings was in the exact same vicinity where the World Trade Centers recently stood before 9-11.

Lanphier’s plan was very simple. He asked businessmen to come over their lunch hour to pray. On the first day, for the first thirty minutes he sat alone praying. Then six men showed up. But God was already there doing His work. Two weeks later there were over 40 people present! Soon every church and public meeting hall in New York City was filled with noonday prayer meetings. Thousands of New Yorkers were meeting daily at noon to pray. And what was the result? One astonishing result was over 150,000 new believers.

Soon people from the world over were writing prayer letters to Lanipher regarding their salvation or the salvation of a family member. One particular letter stood out in my reading of the book:

From a Little Girl.
Savannah, Ga., August 28, 1858.
Dear Sir:
I am a litter girl, and scarcely know how to write to a perfect stranger on so important a subject. But oh! I want to be a Christian so much;…I saw a notice in a New York paper the other day, that God’s people would pray for any one who sent on their request to you at the Fulton Street Prayer Meeting; so I thought that I would write, and ask their prayers in my behalf. Perhaps God, in his great mercy, may see fit to answer your prayers, and make an angel of [me].

With salvation on my mind so much lately, I was taken back by the humility of the writer. Someone requesting prayer for their own salvation would be considered an oddity in today’s church.

Yet there is more.

For a Church in Texas.
Dear Sir:

In the name, and for the honour and glory our blessed Jesus of Nazareth, we humbly and earnestly beseech an interest in those prayers which have been so signally blessed heretofore for others, in behalf of both preacher and people of our little Church in Texana. We long to see the stately steppings of Immanuel in our midst.

Y’rs in the love of a crucified Redeemer.

In summary, there are many things I took away from the book as positive. Perhaps greatest of these was the outright dependence in God’s Sovereignty the people expressed in their prayers and in their request.

If you want to be challenged to pray, then I suggest you pick up a copy today. After reading The New York City Noon Prayer Meeting my prayer for CrossPoint is to find a deeper dependence on the Sovereign One in the saving of many souls and in the awareness of the crucified Redeemer’s “stately steppings in our midst”.

I Feel So Small

How many of you watched the dedication of the Billy Graham Library Thursday evening on TBN? I watched it, and I am so glad I did.

Former Presidents Carter, Clinton and Bush were invited guest speakers. Witney Phipps and Ricky Skaggs were invited singers. The Governor of North Carolina and the Mayor of Charlotte were gracious in their welcoming remarks. In his frail and feeble condition, Billy addressed the congregation by thanking everyone, by name, for their participation. The ceremony concluded with his two dear friends George Beverly Shea and Cliff Barrows leading the congregation in “How Great Thou Art.” It was an event full of pomp and circumstance. Yet it was also a ceremony of inspiration.

There were more than a few noteworthy moments.

It was magnanimous of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to invite former Presidents Bush, Carter and Clinton. Watching them react to the ceremony while sitting on the rostrum with Dr. Graham and his son, Franklin, was interesting television. By appearances only, each man looked outwardly humbled to share the stage with Billy Graham.

Is it just me, or do not most of our former presidents carry an air of humility about them? I think they do. I wonder if it has to do with the consequence of serving as the leader of the free world. Or, it may just be me. Do any of you recognize this quality in our retired presidents? I realize also it may have something to do with the way I esteem the office. Remember, only 43 men have been elected president in our nation’s brief history. Presidents of the United States are in elite company.

Before singing, Ricky Skaggs said of Billy Graham, “This is not what one man has done for Jesus Christ, but what Jesus Christ has done for one man.”

Patrick L. McCrory, the Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, shared revealing story from his life while observing Dr. Graham. In 1996 McCrory and the governor of North Carolina joined Dr. Graham in riding a golf cart into the Bank of America stadium for a crusade. As they entered the stadium thousands stood to their feet to welcome Billy Graham. The mayor said he and the governor were doing what politicians do, waving to the crowd. In stark contrast, he said Graham leaned over and whispered, “I’m embarrassed. This isn’t about me; it is about the message.” President Clinton observed how Billy Graham ministered to him personally. “When he prays with you in the Oval Office or upstairs in the White House, you feel he’s praying for you, not the president,” said Clinton.

The line of the day came toward the end of the ceremony when Billy Graham addressed the audience: “I feel like I’ve been attending my own funeral. I know they all meant it. I feel so small.”

Later, while commenting on the new library, Graham said, “There’s too much Billy Graham. My whole life I have lived to please the Lord and honor him, not to please me.”

Billy Graham is known as America’s pastor. Some of called him the greatest evangelist to ever live. He’s preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ to 210 million people in 185 countries on six different continents. Millions have been born again into God’s family because of his witness. Of all that can be said of Dr. Graham, to say he is a humble man is understatement.

For those of you who watched it, what did you think of the ceremony?

Three Disciplines I Cannot Live Without

Yesterday morning I spent a considerable amount of time in personal prayer and devotion. I try to spend some time alone with God each day, and I try to keep that time separate from my normal routine of developing messages. Wednesday morning, however, was different in that I did not worry about the time or my schedule. I followed the Lord’s leading while I prayed, read Scripture, meditated, journalized my thoughts, and studied specific passages for my own personal devotion throughout the morning. As a result, I was able to enjoy a great time of fellowship and worship all the while feasting with the Lord during that time of solitude.

I was so glad I devoted that time to pray and study. I thank CrossPoint for giving me the kind of schedule that can be devoted to what the Apostles called prayer and to the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4). I believe “prayer and ministry of the word” are inseparable. A pastor cannot be effective in one area while forsaking the other. As your pastor, I trust you know how seriously I accept the role as your spiritual leader.

While enjoying my time alone with the Lord I wondered out loud if I would give myself to moments like these even if I were not called to vocational ministry. My answer was quick and definite—yes. The Lord reminded me I learned the secret of time alone with Him long before I heard His call to ministry. Somewhere between my late high school and early college days I learned the secret of an intimate devotional life. And, I am convinced, it was through the discipline of a quiet time I was able to hear God’s voice with distinct clarity when He called me to preach.

Today I spent a moment or two reflecting back on my journal entries from Wednesday morning. Without consciously knowing it, I focused on three ingredients necessary for a personal and fulfilling devotional life with the Lord. I list these three items for your consideration. Although I have listed these items in order, each deserves equal attention.

First, I must devote myself to fervent prayer.

I admit that I DO NOT and CAN NOT pray enough. Prayer is a spiritual discipline that requires much time and effort. The more time and effort I put into prayer, the better I know the Lord and His will for my life.

There is a sentence in the Old Testament that teaches me something about the secret of prayer. It reads,

Before they call I will answer;
while they are yet speaking I will hear.
Isaiah 65:24

The verse suggests there is something the Lord intends for me to experience in prayer that I will not experience in anything else.

Next, I must relentlessly study the Word of God.

I know God’s Word better today than I did when I was in high school. Yet I desperately need to know it in greater depth and detail to continue on the path the Lord wants me to go.

I am reminded of the admonition of Paul to Timothy, when he recorded, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

Part of doing my best to present myself to God includes diligent study of the Bible. Diligent study takes time and concentration. It also requires me to conform to what the Bible says rather than trying to have the Bible conform to me.

Finally, I must align myself with God’s Holy Spirit.

Each morning I must be filled with the Spirit in order to be controlled by God. The best way for me to do that is to admit my weaknesses and revel in them before the Lord. Someone once said, “No man can glorify Christ and himself at the same time.” That statement rings with truth, doesn’t it? I admit my weaknesses, foibles, follies and sins before the Lord so that I can align my life with His will.

The Lord instructed Jeremiah, “Thus says the Lord: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

I know my job requires me to develop these and other spiritual disciplines. I would be negligent if I did not perfect the skills of my trade. Yet I am convinced I was on this path to deeper spiritual growth well before I was called into vocational ministry.

So, why do I spend time alone with the Lord? I am so thankful my motivation has little to do with my job (although it sure does benefit me in my profession). I am thankful I learned the secret of spending time alone with God because it makes me yearn more for the Lord.

Like many of you I have continued to read through my Bible following the CrossPoint Bible reading plan for 2007. I, therefore, do not think it was an accident that our Bible reading for the Wednesday included Psalm 63, which part of it reads,

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
Psalm 63:1-4

And so, that is how I concluded my personal time alone with the Lord.What about you? What kind of personal and private time do you spend with the Lord?