Up and Gran Torino: secular movies deal with serious societal issue

The two most recent movies I have seen are Up and Gran Torino. These movies are in many ways polar opposites of each other, but they both touch on a cultural problem that is prevalent in our society- young men without a father or role model's guidance. Up is an animated film that is imaginative, fun, and even emotionally touching in places. In this movie the main character is an old man whose wife dies after many years of marriage. After her death he makes a trek to some scenic water falls in South America that they had always intended to visit, but he does it by traveling in his house, which he made into a hot air balloon. Along the way he begrudgingly befriends a boy who just happened to be on the porch when the house took off. By the end of the movie it is evident that the old man has taken his role in the boy's life seriously. He attends the boy's scout ceremony and the last scenes show them doing various activities together.

Gran Torino is gritty and violent and I was reminded of Clint Eastwood's character in the Dirty Harry movies. Gran Torino was not about a policeman, but Eastwood played a tough old dude who could kick butt and owned his own arsenal of weapons. In this movie the main character was also a widower after many years of marriage. Left alone in his home, which sat in the middle of a largely Asian neighborhood, the main character (played by Eastwood) ends up becoming friends with the young Asian man that lived next door to him. Along the way he teaches him how to fix things around the house, helps him get a job, shows him how to carry himself confidently, offers guidance in dealing with women, and generally encourages him to be a man of responsibility. The climax of this movie involves Eastwood taking down a gang in the neighborhood, but the ending has a twist (I want divulge here). I will admit that this movie has some bad language, which in many cases was unnecessary, but the story line is solid.

The common thread that ran through these movies was the importance of young men having strong male role models in their life. In both movies older men took the time to pour into the life of a younger man and helped get him on track; in both cases the younger man ended up more confident in who he was and able to accomplish things he would never even have tried before. Of course, this interaction between older and younger men is a biblical mandate too. 1 Peter 5:5 commands the younger men to be willing to listen to older men and follow their leadership, which assumes that the older men are setting a proper example. These movies also drive home the importance of fathers being active in the life of the family and especially of their sons. Studies have shown that the rate of incarceration is substantially higher for young men who had no father in the home (one issue among many that is affected by dads in the home). Churches benefit too when older, more experienced Christian men take the time to encourage younger men and engage them on an individual level by holding them accountable and inviting them to participate in ministry.

On some level and with a disclaimer for violence and language, I would recommend both movies, but I hope that dads in particular and men in general will anser the call on their lives to offer guidance and be the examples they should be to younger men.

Christians and prayer- monastery mindset part 2

In my last post I was discussing the reality that Christians very rarely reach out to those who are unchurched by way of inviting them to church. This doesn't mean that we don't have unchurched friends or don't rub shoulders with them; it simply means that studies show we aren't inviting them. In regard to this, I have noticed that many of the Christians I know do seem to be very involved with their Christians friends and other church members outside of church activities as well. When I think about this phenomenon it is not surprising at all. We enjoy doing life with those who share our goals and purpose; it is a blessing to be able to share burdens, joys, and sorrows with those of a like mind and faith.

This brings me to the topic of prayer. Not only are we by and large not reaching out to the unchurched by way of invitation, but I suspect that we are not praying for them either. Most church prayer meetings that I have ever led or been a part of were dominated by requests that we pray for other Christians- those sick or in need in some way. Now I am not knocking this; we are commanded to pray for those who are sick among us and to cast our cares upon the Lord. But if we look at many of the prayer requests and prayers made by the Apostles we see that they were largely focused upon the proclamation of the Gospel and the salvation of unbelievers. Here are a few examples, and there are many others: 2 Thess 3:1, Romans 10:1, Eph. 6:18-19, Acts 4:29, Colossians 4:3. Praying for others to come to God is not a New Testament reality either. The Psalmist prayed in Psalm 67 "may the peoples praise you...may all the peoples praise you."

If all of this weren't enough of an indication where our prayers should focus we need only look at the "model prayer" or "Lord's Prayer" of Matthew 6. Jesus prayed for God's name to be honored as great and His will to be done. The Lord's desire is that men come to be saved through His Son (2 peter 3:9), and Jesus stated emphatically that He came to save the lost. We know that Jesus honored the will of the Father perfectly, which ought to and must give us direction in our praying. The bottom line is this: are we concerned with the salvation of those who don't know God through faith in Christ; do we faithfully pray for them to be saved? Do we pray faithfully for boldness in sharing Christ, or are our prayers only inwardly focused?

Christians, the unchurched, and the monastery mindset

As a pastor I am called to guide, feed, protect, and care for God's people. I actually enjoy this aspect of ministry; it is a privilege to be a part of the major events in people's lives. I am there for births, graduations, weddings, funerals, and all of the highs and lows in between. I am literally a part of a very large family at my local church, and it is no different for any Christian who is part of this institution we know as the "church". However, we as Christians are called to share our faith and bring others into this close-knit family group. Our relationship with God through Christ is not something we are to keep to ourselves; our heart's desire should be to see others come to know God and find their place in this family.

It seems to me that we grow comfortable in our local assembly; we get to know one another, and as we do we learn to celebrate our strengths and tolerate our weaknesses. We enjoy sharing life together. My fear is that we actually become closed off to those outside our family we call the local church. I was recently re-reading a book by Thom S. Rainer entitled the Unchurched Next Door. Rainer and his staff do a lot of surveys that are mostly centered on issues of faith, and his books are insightful. One thing they found while researching for this book was that the vast majority of those who do not attend church are actually open to the idea of going to church. In fact, a full 82% said that they would likely attend if they were invited. Over 8 out of 10 people that we know who do not go to church would likely attend if we would only invite them! The sad part is that only 21% of active church goers invite anyone to church in any given year, and only 2% of all church goers invite someone unchurched.

All of this brings me to consider this question: do we as Christians actively pursue relationships with those outside of the church, or do we succumb to a monastery mindset? Are we scared to get involved on an interpersonal level with those outside of the faith? Do we enjoy our Christian fellowship so much that we become closed off to those we are called to reach for Jesus? Could it be that we are not scared of our non-Christians neighbors and co-workers but just too busy for them? Maybe we assume that they are not interested in our faith and what God has done in our lives....I encourage you to consider this and to ask yourself if there is someone already in close proximity to you that might be one you could simply "invite."

the worst thing about turning 40

While having a birthday is always better than the alternative, your 40th birthday is a day of mixed emotions. One might think that a receding hairline, expanding waste line, imminent poking and prodding from the doctor, or the reality that you are officially too old for the "young" couples class at your church would ruin your day. But nothing is quite as painful as having to spend an afternoon at the DMV. Happy Birthday; now give us $32 for your license renewal and sit and wait an inordinate amount of time. I don't like the person that created the Division of Motor Vehicles. They could at least require you to renew 6 months before or after your birthday....

D-day, the greatest generation, and God's grace

I am fascinated by the events of D-day in particular and World War 2 in general. There are so many lessons to be learned from Generals Eisenhower and Montgomery who led in the planning of the Allied attack on France's beaches. Both were very meticulous and gave great attention to detail, and the beach landings had been thoroughly rehearsed on the shores of England. Despite losing around 2000 men at Omaha beach on day one over 34,000 made it ashore safely.

Having grown up in a family where my maternal and paternal grandfathers were both WW2 vets I learned to appreciate the sacrifices made by that generation, a generation that Tom Brokaw would call the "greatest generation." It seems that adversity brought out the best in them; theirs is a generation marked by stories of courage and faithfulness to their families, country, and the cause of freedom.

There are so many lessons for us today couched in all of this- from the proper planning of the generals to the courage and sacrificial actions of those great soldiers. But I think it is important that we not miss the grace of God and His sovereignty and purposes in it all. We could discuss evil and its existence and look for someone to blame for that, but perhaps we would do better to see the possibilities that exist for us in light of a day like June 6, 1944. Ultimately, it is all about God and His purposes. The wise king Solomon grasped understood this as he dedicated the temple; Israel was blessed with peace and prosperity but Solomon knew there was more at work. 1 Kings 8 tells the story; Solomon proclaimed that the temple and its splendor would cause all nations to hear of God's great name (v42) in order that all the peoples of the earth would know Him (v43).

It is no different for us in the United States; we have been greatly blessed but not for our own comfort, glory, and purposes. We have been blessed in order that others can come to know God through His Son Jesus Christ. May God deliver us from our selfishness and self-centerdness and laziness as we take His gifts and the sacrifice of the greatest generation for granted.

joy and pain-my first 3 months in a new church

Alright, it's been over 90 days now. As I try to describe my first several months in a new pastorate I can only think of the title to a hit song that was popular during my college days by an artist that went by Rob Base; anyway, Joy and Pain was a catchy ditty.

Joy:

• the opportunity to fulfill my calling as a pastor in Christ's church. Having served as an associate for several years I was and still am excited about the opportunity.
• the opportunity to preach the Word of God every week. Again, I had always done a lot of teaching, but it is not the same as having the responsibility/opportunity of addressing the church each week in a corporate setting.
• the opportunity to meet, know and love new people.
• being there when the light bulb goes on in someone's head as they understand the Word of God and how it applies to their life through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
• watching God's people come together for a common cause or opportunity to serve others.
• having the opportunity to lead someone to Christ or be part of a Christian's life who rededicates himself to the Lord.
• watching someone in the church anonymously meet the need of another.
• noticing that each week more people are taking notes and bringing their Bible to church.

Pain:

• the reality that Christians can be self-centered and full of pride (myself included at times) as I watch them gossip and tear each other down
• presiding over a congregation that seems to have skipped a generation
• watching a saint suffer
• seeing God's people get caught up in issues that are not of eternal value and lose focus on what is important
• Realizing that my own lack of discipline, indiscretions, and mistakes will not only negatively impact me and my family but many families
• the reality that there are many all around us who are lost and are not being reached with the Good News of Jesus Christ

Well, these thoughts are not comprehensive but are the ones that came to my mind the quickest. No matter what the circumstances I know this: the church is Christ's; He suffered and died for it. I am only His servant, and I don't serve in my own strength.