COULD MICHAEL GRAHAM BE RIGHT?

If you are from outside of the Boston area, and/or are from outside of the Washington, DC area you may not even know who Michael Graham is.  Michael is a popular “afternoon drive” radio talk show host who broadcasts on Boston’s WTKK “96.9 FMTalk”.  Graham was actually fired from his radio gig at a big Washington, DC station less than a year ago.  I feel bad he got fired, but I also say, “thank God!”.  He’s brought such a fresh and interesting perspective to Boston radio, AND the guy’s a riot!

Michael has a lot to say about illegal aliens, the Iraq war, even the killing of turkeys in Canton, MA for that matter, but my title, “COULD MICHAEL GRAHAM BE RIGHT?” is not about any of those issues.  Michael has some interesting observations about how people DRESS for CHURCH ATTENDANCE.  That’s what I want to talk about just before Easter.

Although Michael grew up in an evangelical Protestant home in the South and graduated from Oral Robers University, he married a Roman Catholic girl and is raising his kids as Catholics.  He also attends the Catholic church with his family.  (For you evangelicals, I know ... I know ... how could he do that? etc. ...but that’s not the topic of this posting.)  Michael Graham has observed on several occasions that the people at Catholic masses he has attended dress like bums. Well, “bums” is my word, but I think Michael has a good point.  It’s not limited to the Catholic church, however.  The trend in all churches, with the exception of African-American churches (and most Hispanic churches) is that people absolutely dress like slobs.  In the Catholic church, that trend was beginning as far back as the middle 1970s.  Many of my peers began dressing like they were going out to mow the lawn when they went to church.  My parents, especially my Dad, were VERY strict about the proper way to dress for church.  Back in the 1970s when I was a young adult, I always dressed up for church.  

When I was a new Assembiles of God minister in the early 1980s all A/G ministers dressed really nice for church, and MOST A/G laypeople did also.  I hope I won’t get any nasty letters about this, but I think the group that started the trend toward casual dress in evangelical circles is Vineyard Christian Fellowship. Now, I’ve got friends in “the Vineyard”, at times I’ve worshipped at the Framingham, MA “Vineyard” church, and I LOVE most of the “Vineyard” music- and we use a lot of it at our church.  But the Vineyard look is casual AND I MEAN CASUAL.  It started at Vineyard Christian Fellowship thirty years ago, but today casual dress among evangelicals at church is the norm.  Have you ever seen Rick Warren, author of the “Purpose Driven...” books?  Any time I’ve ever seen him interviewed on television he’s wearing a bright, open-collared Hawaiian shirt- and he’s overweight, to boot, so that makes the shirt look worse.  He just doesn’t LOOK like a pastor... I’m sorry, but he doesn’t.

Now, I do realize we have to be open for people to “come as they are” to church (see James chapter 2) and I fully agree with that.  AND, I realize that Easter Sunday is the one Sunday that people tend to dress up- they tend to RIDICULOUSLY dress up to show off their fancy and expensive clothes.  (I’ll be wearing one of my semi-worn-out off-the-rack suits for Easter- no expensive stuff for me!)  I realize we CAN make far too much of dress and appearance, and I know that putting dress and appearance above all else would definitely be wrong.  I know I probably sound like “an old fuddy duddy”.  It’s just that Michael Graham has brought this up and spent time on his show discussing it several times.  He’s at least eight years younger than I am, but I find it interesting that he obviously feels the same way I do about appropriate attire for church.

Just curious, how do YOU feel about it? Could Michael Graham be right?

Now, I DO know the Bible says, “...whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God”.  (I Corinthians 10:31)

DID ANYBODY SEE "KING OF THE HILL"?

Did anybody see “King of the Hill” on FOX television this past Sunday night (April 9)?   I’ve been a fan of “King of the Hill” since it went on the air in early 1997.  The nice thing about cartoon shows is that the characters either do not age at all or age VERY slowly.  The Hill family has probably aged about one year in the past nine.

Sunday night’s episode was GREAT.  It was not the first time the show has dealt with church issues, but this was the best treatment of church issues BY FAR.  In the plot of Sunday night’s show, the Hills are late for church one Sunday morning at Arlen First Methodist and “their” seats are taken by a new family.  The new family refuses to change seats so the Hills can sit in “their” regular seats.  The female pastor (no offense to folks from Minnesota but she has an ANNOYING Minneapolis area accent) has no sympathy for the Hills.  Embarrassed and frustrated, the Hills look for another church.  Over the next few weeks they visit a wild and crazy Pentecostal church (now, I’M Pentecostal, but this one REALLY WAS wild and crazy), a Spanish-speaking Roman Catholic church, and a mega church which features a coffee and doughnut restaurant, a movie theater, and large screen High Definition television.  The Hills happily join the mega church.  Hank finds out, however that all that glitters is not gold.  The church has activities just about EVERY night, and the pastor and people are overbearing and controlling (though nice and well-meaning).  

After a few weeks, the Hills decide they need to be back at Arlen’s First Methodist.  They make up with the pastor, and conveniently, the new family who had sat in the Hill’s pew decide to switch to the mega church.

If I knew what the episode would be, I absolutely would have taped it and used it for discussion in a Sunday School class over the summer. (Yeah, I realize technically that usage would be illegal, but to anyone who is thinking that, please get a life.)

Ten years ago I began postulating that the church of the mid-Twenty-First Century would be vastly different from the church of the 1990s. - that by that time all churches would be either mega churches or very small churches of under fifty in attendance.  In fact, that trend is ALREADY taking place!  I heard a news item within the past few days that medium-sized churches in America (churches of 150-300) are in decline and are projected to continue to decline.  The churches that are growing are the very small ones and the very big ones.  Although Arlen’s FIrst Methodist IS a medium-sized church and appeared to “win the battle” in this episode, sociological and demographic studies tell us they will ultimately lose the war.

I’m not saying I LIKE that trend...it’s just reality.  My wife DIDN’T like the “King of the Hill” episode.  She felt like the Hills were babies and got exactly what they wanted.  My young adult son, Jon, commented, “Yeah, but that’s realistic.  THAT’S how it is in churches!”  He’s right.

When we’re out-of-state visiting churches, my wife actually prefers to visit mega churches.  I find them kind of overwhelming and out-of-touch with the struggles of small churches.  I suspect that “should the Lord tarry” someday when we’re retired, we’ll probably be in a mega church, though!

What did Jesus say about church size?  “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”  (Matthew 18:20)

WHAT'S THE REAL DEAL ABOUT BARABBAS?

It seems like every year the media comes out with some sort of crazy “story with a religious theme” every year at the Easter/Passover season.  This year it’s the the bizarre “Gospel of Judas” story.  I thought about addressing that and giving my thoughts about why the “Gospel of Judas” is just a lot of garbage, but I’d rather share MY OWN Easter season thought provoking story with you!

Have you ever become troubled or confused in your reading of the Bible because certain passages seemed contradictory?  I think most of us have had this experience.  Critics of the Bible have singled out many so-called contradictions in their attempts to disprove its accuracy.  The accounts in the four Gospels of the Passion of Our Lord have especially been attacked by unbelievers.  As Christians, we know that it is the critics of the Bible who are seriously in error!  Many times, however, we still do not know how to answer them.  I’d like to share a personal experience I had many years ago about a portion from the Passion story that confused me, and the answer and insight that were given to me by the Holy Spirit.

One of the most familiar stories in the Passion accounts is that of the notorious prisoner Barabbas who was released to the crowd instead of Jesus. As I read the narrative in Luke’s Gospel, I noted that this man Barabbas was in prison for murder.  Luke 23:19 says of Barabbas, “Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder was cast into prison.”  Mark 15:7 agrees with this, stating that Barabbas was involved in insurrection, and had committed murder as part of his involvement in the insurrection.  But then I remembered a passage from John’s Gospel that puzzled me.  John 18:40 clearly says, “Now Barabbas was a robber.”  The two accounts did not seem to agree at all.  Although this problem puzzled me, I knew God’s Word couldn’t be wrong.  Jesus said in John 16:13 that the Holy Spirit would guide His disciples into all truth.  I asked the Holy SPirit to help me to understand the apparent contradiction, and almost instantly I as led back to John 18:40.

I saw that the words, “Now Barabbas was a robber.” nowhere stated that he was imprisoned fir robbery.  They merely told something about the man.  The thought was a relief to me, but I still had questions.  Why was the Holy Spirit revealing that Barabbas just happened to be a thief?  Was itjust a triviality like, "Now Barabbas was tall”, or “Now Barabbas liked to go fishing”?  The Holy Spirit still had more instruction to give me.

My thoughts went to John 10:10, where Jesus says,  “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy...”  I know that passage specifically says, “the thief” but in context the force behind that “thief” is THE DEVIL, SATAN!  The devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but as John 10:10 also tells us, Jesus has come to give us abundant life.  Now, THINK ABOUT THIS MAN BARABBAS.  Like Satan, Barabbas was a ROBBER, he STOLE.  He was a MURDERER, so like Satan, he KILLED.  As an INSURRECTIONIST, he would have been trying to overthrow the established government, or DESTROY it.  In Scripture, the Holy Spirit had mead it very clear that Barabbas has three of Satan’s main characteristics.  What was the significance of this in understanding the account of Barabbas?  The answer is - everything!

In Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke, BARABBAS literally meant, “son of the father”.  BAR meant “son of”, as Peter was called Simon BARJONA or “Son of John” in Matthew 16:17.  ABBA meant “father”, as Paul wrote in Romans 8:15, “...but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, ABBA , father.”  In the Bible, names are very significant.  A person’s name revealed his characteristics and attributes.  Why was Barabbas called “son of the father”?  He was called this because he was indeed a son of his spiritual father, the devil.  In John chapter 8, Jesus told the unbelieving religious leaders, “Ye are of your father the devil” (John 8:44).

At that first Easter season almost two-thousand years ago, two prisoners stood before the mob;  Jesus, the unblemished Son of God, and Barabbas, a follower or son of his spiritual father, the devil.   The mob, in their spiritual blindness, cried for Barabbas’ release and delivered their Messiah up to be crucified.

The Holy Spirit solved the seeming contradiction for me.  But as this Easter season, perhaps your very life is a contradiction.  Will you attend church and give lip service to God, while your heart is far from Him?  Is God your spiritual Father?  Jesus Christ loves you!  He shed His precious blood on Calvary for you, and He wants you to come to Him and receive forgiveness of sin and eternal life.  Again, Jesus said in John 10:10, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”  This Easter season it’s YOUR choice: Jesus or Barabbas?

A DAY IN THE LIFE

My taste in music is very much like my taste in food.  There is very little I don’t like.  For some reason, one of my favorite songs is The Beatles’ “A Day in the Life” from the Sgt. Pepper’s album.  That song is now almost thirty-nine years old, but even now, if given the opportunity, I’ll just play it and play it and ...

We have all kinds of days in life.  Right now, the Adults of our church are studying John Ortberg’s “God Is Closer Than You Think” material.  Ortberg says there are “Rainbow Days”, “Don’t Look, God Days”, “Mystery Days”, and “Ordinary Days”.  I’m actually bland enough that I’m happy with ordinary days.

I’m actually WRITING this on Friday afternoon and will post it on Saturday morning.  I just took a walk.  I’ve been tired and depressed and at least somewhat self-condemning.  I prayed and tried to sort out why I’m feeling that way.  I realized I’m a guy who loves schedules, order, and not too much pressure.  (I’ll never understand people who say, “I just LOVE pressure!”  What are they- insane?!)  I can handle an occasionally crazy day, but here’s what happened lately:

Thursday night, March 30 - My car broke down- electrical problems- had to be towed.

Friday, March 31 - With my car in the shop, I had to borrow my wife’s minivan.  I drove out to Westfield to pick up my daughter for the weekend from Westfield State. The trip was OK, but “ministry-wise” I got very little done, and felt a little stressed about that.

Saturday, April 1 - With several guys from our church I spent all day at a Christian Men’s Conference in Lexington, MA.  It was a very good event, but like all of those kind of things, pretty intense.  I came home peaceful, but exhausted.  

Sunday, April 2- We had to turn those clocks AHEAD at bedtime so I was REALLY tired.  I fumbled my way through Sunday School and morning worship service.  I was just so tired!  I drove my daughter back to Westfield State.  I know most of my fellow Assemblies of God ministers would be shocked, but I sat in front of ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” and genuinely enjoyed the episode.  Not long afterward, I was sound asleep.

Monday, April 3-  I had all kinds of “stuff” to do.  Unfortunately, the guys from the glass company came to replace a window we’d contracted them to replace.  It took almost ALL DAY.  I had SO much to do outside of the church building but I was “stuck” at the church building.  A guy from the church dropped by with a friend. The visit was meant to be encouraging, but for the most part, it wasn’t.  The guy really got on my nerves.  I wanted to punch him out or swear at him (now, none of my superiors from the Assemblies of God are reading this - I hope!).  I was pleasant, but by the end of the day I was depressed and breathing hard.  My wife was concerned that I needed to rest.  Honestly, I was even a little concerned that I might not be OK.  Remember the prayer vigil I wrote about?  Well, I went to it tired, depressed, and not feeling well.  It was cold and drizzly, but God gave me the strength to participate with enthusiasm and I doubt anyone could tell I wasn’t feeling well.

Tuesday, April 4- Yes, I wrote about that, too.  I went to the Benny Hinn Breakfast.  It WAS a good event, but this was one day off (Tuesdays are my day off) that I wanted to sleep in!

Wednesday, April 5-  I can’t go into any detail about it but I learned of a problem (disobedience) situation regarding someone in the church.  I was kind of “mad” about it, but I realized I have to use wisdom and not “flip out” over everything everybody does.  Wednesday night at prayer meeting we had visitors from out-of-state who brought their little kids.  I really wasn’t in the mood for little kids, but I tried to remember Jesus’ admonition about “Let the little children come to me...”  I made the best of the situation and actually tried to enjoy the kids.

Thursday, April 6-  I went to a town civic meeting in the morning (about downtown Framingham issues) and spoke up and put “my two cents in” quite a bit.  I think I was used prophetically at this meeting.  In the afternoon, I attended what was called a “Town Meeting” at the State House in Boston sponsored by 96.9 FMTalk.  I got to meet talk show host Michael Graham with whom I’ve corresponded by e-mail so that was kind of “cool” but by Thursday night I was exhausted.

Friday, April 7- running errands for the church, working on a Bible study, working on a sermon, trying to plan out my schedule for next week.  Tired. Depressed.  Trying to sort out church bills and (even worse) personal bills I’m behind on.  Well, upon review of the past week, I guess it figures why I’m tired and depressed.

I’ll be OK.

“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)

REPORT ON THE BENNY HINN BREAKFAST

God’s timing is impeccable!

On Tuesday morning, April 4, 2006, my son Jon and attended the Benny HInn Ministries Pastoral Breakfast at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel.  The date is very significant because I first attended a Benny Hinn service on April 4, 1981, exactly twenty-five years previously.  The place was Christian Life Center church in Walpole, which sadly no longer exists.  Although I spent a number of years on the pastoral staff there, in April of 1981 I was an ordinary layman.  That day, the young lady who would ultimately become my wife attended Christian Life Center for her first time (for the Benny Hinn event).  On the MORNING of April 4, 1981, I was the FIRST PERSON Benny Hinn prayed for at the altar call.  I was terrified.  I told him, “I want guidance and direction for my life and an anointing on my ministry.”  Benny Hinn prayed and I fell down under the power of God.   It was quite a moment.

Through the years, however, I came to largely dislike Benny Hinn.  When I became a staff pastor, I had occasion to meet him behind the scenes several times.  I found him to be self-absorbed and arrogant.  I also had a very difficult time with the way Benny conducted services, and I found them to be more like disorderly sideshows.  Benny Hinn also tends to be much less media savvy than the great “healing evangelist” whose mantle he now carries- Kathryn Khulman.  His lavish lifestyle and (sometimes) lack of wisdom have caused him and the Body of Christ problems.

In 2000, I attended the Benny Hinn Ministries Pastoral Luncheon in Worcester.  I went mainly to be a spectator and to look for unscriptural inconsistencies.  I did not attend the Worcester crusade that year.

Some weeks back, I got the invitation to the Boston breakfast.  I didn’t know why, but I sent in the card and  indicated I would attend.  Only later did I realize the significance of the date.  I thoroughly enjoyed this week’s Pastoral Breakfast.  And, I have to admit, I’m at least “rethinking” my feelings about Benny Hinn.  His staff could not have been a finer group. Event Director Kurt Kjellstrom and Event Manager Patrick Gambill humbly and warmly shared some great personal testimonies.  Pastor Dave from Benny Hinn Ministries gave a wonderful message which touched my heart.  The clips of the Indonesia Crusade, and the video word to the Boston pastors from Benny Hinn were quite powerful.  I still have some problems with Benny Hinn, but I do believe he genuinely wants to see people saved and healed, and I do believe he wants to see Jesus Christ praised and exalted.  I certainly can’t disagree with those goals.

I will attend the Crusade at the BankNorth Boston Garden (former Fleet Center) on July 27 and 28.  Will I accept wholesale everything that takes place? Probably not.  Will I be praying for many healings and salvations?  Yes, I will, and I’ll rejoice when they take place.

“... Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.”  (Philippians 1:18)

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY

I used to love to listen to Larry Glick.  Glick is now in his 80s and living in Florida, but he was a “legend” in Boston radio broadcasting in the ‘70s and ‘80s.   Larry Glick used to love to uncover, “The story behind the story.”

This posting fits the category of “The story behind the story”.

THE FIRST THING I WANT YOU TO KNOW:  I have a column in today’s (Monday, April 3) MetroWest Daily News.  It can be read on-line at www.metrowestdailynews.com

At the home page, click “Columnists” and then when you get to the Columnists page, click “Baril”.  

The column is very similar to a posting on this blog about whether the driving age should be raised in Massachusetts.  I think it should NOT be.  I do want you to know that the column is NOT my best work.  There are some “typos” and poorly constructed sentences.  In this case, it is not the fault of the newspaper, it’s my fault.  I cranked that thing out on the computer and fired it off without really proofing it and it shows.  Now, I do believe the Editor at the MWDN truly SHOULD edit- and he could have fixed the column, but in all fairness the sloppy writing (as far as the craft of writing goes) is my fault.  I DO hope, however, that the writing is clear enough that it will cause key MetroWest legislators and other important decision makers to be very thorough, thoughtful, and careful before just raising the driving age in a typical Massachusetts knee-jerk fashion. My final couple of sentences will really upset a lot of Senior Citizens I know.  It gives the impression that I want all people over age 80 to immediately lose their licenses.  A careful reading of that columns will show that what I’m ACTUALLY saying is that if we’re going to arbitrarily take away the opportunity of 16-year-olds to drive based on the actions of a minority of them; well, then in all fairness it makes as much or more sense to do the same with 80-year-olds.  (It’s the logic of “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander”.  Most elderly want 16-year-olds off the road, but THEY don’t want to be taken off the road!)

THE SECOND THING I WANT YOU TO KNOW:  I usually post items on this blog on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.  I’m posting on Monday not only because the column about driving is in TODAY’S paper, but also to let you know I’ll be attending the Benny Hinn pastors’ breakfast at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel tomorrow  and I need to be up and out early for that reason.  With the exception of my immediate family, most people would be very surprised at my opinion of Benny Hinn and Benny Hinn Ministries.  I will have a complete report about the breakfast, and will state my opinions. on THURSDAY.  You’ll want to read that!

I always use a Scripture verse in postings.  This one is a stretch, but here goes:
"I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee:" (III John 13)
(No, I won't!  I'll use a computer...)

JOIN US ON MONDAY NIGHT, APRIL 3

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”  (Matthew 5:16)

The MetroWest Daily News for Sunday, March 26, 2006 featured a great piece on page H2 by the Rev. Richard Hurst, pastor of the Lutheran Church of Framingham, and this year’s “Convener” of the Framingham Interfaith Clergy Association.  Rich is quite an eloquent writer.  He also has a passion for righteousness and Godliness (with humility).  Rich and Tom Wingate of the Framingham Bah’ai Faith have worked very hard to put together a candlelight vigil on the night before the Framingham Town election.  (The Framingham Town election is Tuesday, April 4; thus the vigil is on the evening of Monday, April 3.)  The vigil will be SHORT.  It will begin on the steps of the Framingham Memorial building downtown at Union and Concord Streets at 6:00 p.m.  After about twenty minutes, participating clergy will disperse to the various polling places across town and will lead in short prayers at these polling places.

I wholeheartedly back this effort and am very pleased to be participating.  This time of prayer for the elections and the Framingham community is NONPARTISAN.  We will not be endorsing any candidates or positions.  Rather, we will be praying for EACH candidate and for civility and mutual respect in our community.  For some who would sarcastically reject this effort as being “liberal, happy/sappy, pie-in-the-sky foolishness”, I want to make it clear it isn’t that at all!  Believe me, I’m no “bleeding heart liberal”.  And, I hold to some very strong political and theological positions.  I also believe in civility and respect.  WIthout civility, respect, and open dialogue, we are not a healthy society.  Without civility, respect, and open dialogue, we are nothing more than a totalitarian society.  I have no interest in being part of a totalitarian society of either the far left or the far right.  I agree with Rich and many of my colleagues that Framingham can be a far better community.  I agree with them that we need to listen to each other and (as much as possible) find common ground.  I really think Jesus would also agree with this.

Some might be surprised that I (a “conservative born-again Assemblies of God minister”) would join with a very diverse group for prayer and for the vigil.  I did not say I agree with all the theology of the clergy represented.  In fact, theologically I strongly disagree with probably at least half of them.  I’d guess that’s true of politics, too.  BUT,  I respect my clergy colleagues in this community as exactly that:  clergy colleagues and fellow citizens.  No, some of them aren’t Christians, and again, I strongly disagree with some of them on a lot of things.   I’m a conservative and I’m a Republican, but I do agree with many of my liberal Democrat friends when they say, “Diversity is very important”.  It is.  That’s a big part of “E Pluribus Unim”.  America is one nation of very diverse people who work together for the common good.  All Americans should be proud of that.

I hope many Framingham residents will join us at the Memorial building on Monday night, April 3 at 6 p.m.  AND, I hope you’ll vote on Tuesday, April 4.
AND, for those of you who don’t live in Framingham, please pray that God will bless the efforts of this vigil and that it will be a peaceful election day.