The World Cup continues in South Arica with a noteworth drop-off of interest in the United States. When Team USA advanced to the title round, the FIFA World Cup was the lead story for local and national sports programming. By appearances, millions of Americans instantaneously converted into soccer fans. Reality surfaced, however, when Team USA was eliminated. Heightened World Cup interest is not passion for the sport of soccer, but instead an opportunity for rallying together as Americans There are certainly many very rabid soccer fans in the USA, but flag-wavers far outnumber true “football” fans.
Similar to patriotism’s link with this sports spectacle, there is a July 4th temptation to marry allegiance to USA with love for God. It is certainly appropriate to pray God’s blessings on America. Patriotism is not however equal to worship of God. Christians in America must not be guilty of a “World Cup/soccer” model regarding relationship to God and our church. Instead, be as passionate for Jesus as the true soccer fan is passionate about the game. Flag-waving is appropriate at soccer games and gratitude to God for our nation ought to always be expressed. Do not however equate patriotism with worship.
This Sunday, USA again celebrates Independence Day. It is an historical fact that the founding fathers sought direction from God. For example, Benjamin Franklin wrote, “Sin is not hurtful because it is forbidden, but it is forbidden because it is hurtful. Nor is a duty beneficial because it is commanded, but it is commanded because it is beneficial.” The Christian heritage of the USA is well documented. Prayer and patriotism are in harmony. Relationship with God and nationalism are not however equal. A believer’s primary allegiance is to Jesus! Christians are citizens of the Kingdom of God, and thus all believers are aliens on this planet. Prayer for USA begins with personal repentance & commitment to join God in His work. Words are hollow if Americans sing God Bless America but do not live with fervent faithfulness to God. Thus our gatherings at First Highlands are primarily celebrations of allegiance to Jesus. All other reasons for gathering, including patriotic ceremonies, are secondary to worship of God. The first & foremost commitment is that Jesus is Lord. He is above all else, including your USA freedoms. On this holiday weekend, pray that God will be glorified by all gatherings at FBCH. As you worship with other believers, pray for God’s direction personally & for the USA. Celebrate independence in your 2010 July 4th observances, but freedom in Christ must be your passion in life. Your 1st priority as a believer is to bring glory to God!

Texans have “enjoyed” summer weather for months. The vacation season with many “fun-in-the-sun” activities began with early June school dismissal. Yet the calendared 1st day of summer was just this past Monday. Summer is now officially here as June 21st is the day of the year with the longest period of daylight. The literal Summer Solstice is a precise moment in time when the axial tilt of the earth towards the sun is at its maximum. The term Summer Solstice, however refers to the entire day on which it occurs.
This day has no spiritual significance for most people worldwide. It is an annual cultic-style experience, however, for neo-druids and neo-pagans that assemble for sunrise at Stonehenge monument in England. Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument that has a 20th-21st century history of recreating Druidic ceremonies. It is located about 90 miles southwest of London. Built between 3000 -1600 B.C. it is a popular tourist attraction in the United Kingdom. Stonehenge has become increasingly associated with British Druidism, Neo-paganism and New Age philosophy. This past Monday, approximately 20,000 revelers greeted the midsummer sunrise with cheers, drums, tambourines, and mediation.
This cultic worship is practiced by an almost immeasurably small percentage of the population. By comparison and contrast, numerous other false gods are worshiped by a huge percentage of the population. The issue is not whether or not people worship- the question is who do you worship? To quote the noted “theologian” Bob Dylan, “you gotta’ serve somebody”. Paul addressed who people worship in his Holy Spirit inspired description of humanity. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools & exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles… They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator Romans 1:21-25
The root problem is that many people worship the creation not the Creator. Sin is the sunrise of self instead of the worship of the Risen Son. In your summer plans, enjoy the creation, including vacation “fun-in-the-sun”. Your 1st priority must however be to worship the Creator. Honor Him day by day!

Fathers Day

The annual calendaring of the third Sunday in June as a day to honor fathers is certainly appropriate for families and churches in our nation. Many families are responsibly led by Godly Christian dads, and this one day is a reminder of quality parenting that is experienced all year long. By contrast, the unfortunate reality is that Father’s Day gifts and cards are very hollow formalities for multiplied millions of people. The failure of dads to “be there” for their kids is pandemic in our culture. Reasons for the waning influence of dads vary, but the Biblical model of a loving involved father must be the goal for families on Father’s Day and every other day of the year. The Father’s Day message from God’s Word is clear instruction to fathers in 2010. Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4

Thrill of Victory and Agony of Defeat!

“Wide World of Sports” was the weekly ABC Sports program that aired 1961-1997. It is a predecessor of today’s constant satellite coverage of virtually any event on every continent. The “Wide World” athletic competitions varied, but the intro was the same for every broadcast. “Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sport… the thrill of victory… and the agony of defeat… the human drama of athletic competition… This is ABC's Wide World of Sports.” For decades, viewers were introduced to sports from around the world that ranged from the obscure to the wildly popular.
The most memorable feature of the weekly broadcasts is the agony of defeat illustrated by the spectacular crash of ski jumper Vinko Bogataj. His crash March 21, 1970 was featured from the early 1970s onward. An Indianapolis 500 accident was also used for a few episodes of Wide World, but it is this stunning skiing mishap that is forever ingrained in American culture and consciousness as a picture of the “agony of defeat”.
To paraphrase the Wide World intro, Christians also live with the thrill of victory and agony of defeat as you play your role in the human drama. This drama is far more than athletic competition. The arena of real life is success and failure in relationships, finances, education, career, marriage, parenting… and at times even sports. The Wide World intro teaches a spiritual truth in contrast to the vivid imagery of the spectacular Wide World skiing crash. The lesson is that success or failure is not defined by your performance in any of the events of this life. Success comes as you achieve your deeper purpose in life. True purpose is through a life that honors God and this success is received, in a faith relationship in Jesus. Biblical truth is that you cannot earn success by your performance nor will you be labeled a failure due to your defeats. Victory is through God’s Grace. Do not replay the crashes of your human drama over and over. Affirm with Paul the true victory in the human drama. But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us Romans 8:37

Summertime!

An agriculturally-driven agenda was the way of life prior to the industrial revolution in America. Patterns of life were established on the basis of the times for planting, cultivation, and harvest. It was an era in which the Farmers’ Almanac was as widely read as the Sears and Roebuck catalog and the family Bible. One of the summer events that define Americana was a summer revival meeting. After the crops were harvested and prior to planting for a fall garden, many local churches scheduled outdoor services with enthusiastic music and evangelistic preaching. Thus summer was not only a time to gather the fruit and vegetables, but also provided occasion for a spiritual harvest.

Schedules in our urban culture are no longer based on growing seasons, but now revolve around the school calendar.
This week, textbooks were returned, report cards mailed, and graduates tossed their caps. This summer recess does not affect just teachers and students, but literally sets the calendar for the whole community. Thus, families anticipate “school’s out” to plan vacations, reunions, and other recreation.

Completion of the 2009-2010 school year also affords opportunity for a summertime spiritual harvest. Although an outdoor, post-harvest brush-arbor camp meeting is not scheduled, our First Highlands June-August calendar is filled with events designed for spiritual renewal. Youth Camp, Pre-teen Camp, Vacation Bible School, and student ministry events are not designed to just entertain the kids. These programs have the deeper goal of spiritual harvest just as much as the camp meeting revivals of rural America. This summer, maximize summer vacation by taking advantage of these special events for spiritual growth of kids and for all the family. Schools out for summer!!!