You might have missed it, but it happened at the Forty-Third Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C.

Garth Brooks, one of this year’s honorees, was looking on intently as Kelly Clarkson sang “The Dance.” If you’re not a fan of country music, you might not know that “The Dance” is Garth Brooks’ song, released in 1989 and a chart-topper in 1990.

Kelly and Garth are close friends, having encouraged each other through a number of the storms of life. As it turns out, this particular song helped Kelly make it through one of the toughest seasons in her life, and it inspired one of her own albums. Apparently, she was thrilled to be asked to perform it in honor of her faithful friend … “Oh, our lives are better left to chance. I could have missed the pain, but I’d have had to miss the dance.”

The audience grew pin-drop quiet as Garth Brooks was visibly moved to tears.

There’s something inherently human about seeking to avoid pain. Believe me, when I go to the doctor’s office, I’ll choose the oral medication over the shot every time. I don’t do pain well.

And there are the much more painful pains. The pains of a broken heart. The pains of a shattered dream. The pains with a sting worse than death. That’s why all of us can relate to those simple song lyrics. We know what it’s like to be hurt. We know what it’s like to be disappointed. We know what it’s like to be betrayed. And we know what it’s like to do everything in our power not to be hurt again. But the point of the song is that real love is worth the risk.

In The Four Loves, C.S. Lewis writes: “Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket – safe, dark, motionless, airless – it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”

Jesus wept (John 11:35). Jesus wept because Jesus loved, and His love cost Him everything. Let that sink in! The Sovereign of the universe so identified with the painful plight of humankind that He entered into our grief to the nth degree. So you and I must not imagine for one second that it will cost us nothing to love as we’ve been loved. We have to remember in whose footsteps we’re following, and that we’re walking the way of the Cross. The way of love can be a painful way – a way of suffering.

I believe that Garth Brooks cried because God has blessed him with a warm and authentically human spirit. That gift envelopes his artistry, and so it’s no surprise that Brooks has expanded the profile of the country genre perhaps more than any other singer-songwriter in the world. Looking back over the course of his life and his successful career, I’ll quote directly from Mr. Brooks: “The hope is to have contributed to humanity like my heroes have, to inspire us to be the most we can be as individuals, global citizens, and a part of human history. But most of all, to simply laugh, cry, love, and dream through music … I have been blessed to do just that.”

“Vocation” comes from the Latin for “calling.” So, dear friends, what God has given you to do, do it with all your heart! Do it for an audience of One! Do it for the glory of God! Don’t miss your moment.

Your mission will cost you if it is our Lord’s mission. You can count on that. Like Brooks, you will shed some tears along the way. Not only the tears of suffering but also the tears of recognizing the frailty of your humanity … recognizing the painful journey that you’ve shared with another person … recognizing the painful task to which you’ve been commissioned by God … or simply acknowledging the tenderness of your own heart. But would you really want it any other way?

So don’t miss the dance. It will hurt, sometimes, when you dance for Jesus. But please don’t miss the dance.

Pastor Charles

With his two-run homer, Dansby Swanson helped the Atlanta Braves win their first World Series in 26 years. We can learn a lot from a shortstop.

“God’s always got a plan,” says Swanson with a reassuring tone in a major media interview. I think you’ll agree with me that there aren’t many wiser words to live by, friends: God’s always got a plan. In fact, that is the wisdom of God Himself (Proverbs 16:9): The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

I take great comfort in that great truth, because – whenever I make my plans – my sin gets in the way. I’m a mixed bag, you see – a mixture of pure motives and selfish impulses. This side of heaven, that’s likely to be an accurate descriptor of what you get when you get me: a mixed bag. But not so with God! The Lord is unending in His perfections, and in His perfect knowledge of what ought to happen, so my ultimate trust must be in Him. Yours too. And here’s the deal: it is the Lord alone who ultimately governs my path. Yours too.

God is not just a predictor. God is a doer. God is not just a knower. God is a Sovereign. To understand those important – and heartening – distinctions about God is the difference between being a deist and a theist. Nowhere in the entire universe is there even one random baseball soaring through the air.

Is there any uncertainty about tomorrow? With me, yes. But not with God. He’s never surprised or caught off guard by any unexpected change. That’s so unlike me that it’s not even funny. Can you relate? Like the Israelites who walked before us, you and I often completely forget the faithfulness of God, especially when a new surprise comes our way. And it will be no surprise when I tell you that life sometimes feels like surprise after surprise. We don’t mind surprises like baseball-victory surprises, but you know those other kinds of surprises of which I speak.

That’s right where some of us are living. Right now. We’re just not so sure what God is doing. When it comes to matters of faith, sometimes a season of not knowing can drive us to want to throw in the proverbial towel. Every Christ-follower I know has experienced at least one of those dark seasons. But don’t you dare give up on God, as He has certainly not given up on you! I wish that I could have met Corrie ten Boom because I think that it was Corrie who expressed it best: “When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.”

Are we hapless victims of life’s whimsical twists and turns? It may feel like it at times, but the answer is a thousand times “no!” Nor are we driven along by some impersonal and haphazard force. Nor are we battered by circumstances beyond all control. And here’s why: God remains fully in control. There is not a single moment in history when that statement is untrue, and that includes now.

Even now, Christ’s gracious hand guides us. His gracious hand protects us. His gracious hand provides for us. This is true when we win a game, and this is true when we lose a game. Because the tomb is empty, win or lose, we win!

This is a bright season for the Braves, and I hope that they – and their fans – savor every moment. And, at a moment when the tone could be braggadocious – and who would even question it? – we hear nothing from Dansby but the words of a humble servant: “The good Lord – He’s blessed me so much. I wouldn’t be here without Him. Just the peace that He gives me is remarkable, especially in moments like this. You can never go wrong in trusting in that … I’m just so thankful to be here.” Those are nothing short of (pun fully intended) words of grateful praise.

May his tribe increase. God, give us such grateful hearts.

Pastor Charles

I’m sending you some pics from Manomet Point, just south of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Eileen and I have been literally in the bullseye of the Nor’Easter that just barreled through this part of the world. Our house is on the ocean. We have no electricity. Sustained winds have been 60 miles per hour, with gusts up to 102. And this has been a 36-hour event. Meteorologists are calling it a “bomb cyclone.”

I apologize that the photos have such little definition, but that’s what we’ve been seeing: a near-whiteout of water, fog, and loud mystery. Last night our house felt and sounded like we were riding on a train. Unbelievable.

I won’t write much except to say that the God who commands these tumultuous waves and hurricane-force winds must be an awesome God! He is to be feared, and revered, by His creatures. He is absolutely unfathomable in His power and greatness.

But I must also tell you that this omnipotent Lord of the universe is more than great: He is good. The seals out there are frolicking without concern, as are the seagulls above and the whales below. In fact, the few birds I can spot seem to be soaring effortlessly.

Wind or no wind, I can rest in God’s goodness too. Christ has come to this troubled planet, shown us the infinite love of our Father, and ravaged death forever by a bloody cross and an empty tomb. What else have we to fear? Hallelujah! He’s the real Bomb of history.

This Jesus demonstrated His sovereignty over the stormy sea with three simple words: “Peace! Be still!” That’s more than enough for me. I am simply undone in the glorious presence of One that wonderful.

So today I choose to stand with King David: “The Lord is good to all, and His mercy is over all that He has made” (Psalm 145:9). I hope you’ll stand with me.

Because you and I are safer than seals.

Pastor Charles

I’m having a hard time believing that I’m typing these words, but Mike Stone has sued Russell Moore in federal court. Just when you thought politics and tribalism couldn’t get any uglier in the Southern Baptist Convention, here we go. If you’re unfamiliar with these names, Pastor Stone is the former chairman of the SBC Executive Committee, who failed this year in a run for the SBC presidency; Dr. Moore is the former president of the SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, who left that post in May.

The lawsuit filed Monday comes on the heels of the resignation of Dr. Ronnie Floyd, who had served as the president of the Executive Committee, and who had become embroiled in controversy over investigations of sexual abuse within the denomination. For purposes of this blog posting, I am not going to report or comment on the specific allegations raised by these men, but in general, they range from damaged reputations to “psychological terror.”

Floyd’s resignation was accompanied by a wave of departures by other top leaders, indicating deep fissures in the denomination. Our public witness for Christ is suffering. Our people, including our leaders, are struggling with discouragement and depression. Our statistical vital signs are steadily weakening. In short, we are in trouble.

There is no doubt that our God has called us to unite around the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ! But our enemy’s greatest tactic is a spirit of incessant strife. Satan’s perversion of our identity and our mission causes us to ostracize and shame one another. When we distance ourselves from one another and disparage one another, evil can flourish in our most sacred spaces. The mutual ministry of encouragement, which ought to permeate our shared life together, can be eclipsed by our foolish pride. Factions breed factions, and there will never be united hearts where there are not forgiving hearts.

Here’s the reality: a divided church is an oxymoron, for we are the very body of Christ. We are saints. And we are sanctified. That means that we are “set apart” for God’s own holy purposes. Take a close look at First Corinthians 1:10. It is the Apostle Paul’s remedy for a divided church: in essence, stop dividing! Corinth had more than its share of relational troubles among the people, but Jesus offers more than enough hope for an overriding unity in Himself.

Friends, the courts ought not to have to be settling among us what has already been settled by the blood of the Lamb. He is more than enough!

The out-and-out spiritual warfare that is engulfing our churches right now is nothing short of unbelievably intense. So please do your part as a prayer warrior and as a gospel peacemaker. And I will strive to do mine. Let’s not mimic the national trends, but in a totally countercultural way let’s lead by love. The world is watching. And so is the Lord.

Pastor Charles

We may never know all of the facts, but corporate vaccine mandates were at least part of the issue leading to scores of canceled Southwest flights over the last few days. There’s too much from their own pilots on social media to deny this. Some in our own church family felt the sting of this last round of travel woes, as folks who’d flown far and wide had their fall breaks extended unintentionally. Grounded.

And, as of just this morning, both Southwest and American Airlines seem to be at war with Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Abbott has banned vaccine mandates throughout the state. But the Dallas- and Fort Worth-based air carriers say they’ll defy the governor, claiming the protection of President Joe Biden’s September directive that all private companies with more than 100 workers must require their employees to be vaccinated or take weekly COVID-19 tests. Let’s face it: there’s just nothing quite like 2021.

Now, obviously, I’m not going to take up or solve all of the controversial issues surrounding the coronavirus vaccines. I am not an anti-vaxxer by any stretch, though I respect everyone’s right to their own medical opinion. I am grateful for vaccines, and for modern medicine in general, but I am also very concerned about the preservation of individual liberties – especially when it comes to matters as personal as one’s own healthcare choices. I don’t think that public health and the preservation of freedom have to be at incessant war with each other. In terms of practical application, there may be tension between the two values at times – that’s both inevitable and okay – but I think that we can get through this. And, quite frankly, your personal decision about the vaccine is none of my business.

That being said, I’d like to offer a few thoughts that might help us contribute positively to the conversation. Lord knows we need some positive voices right now. Let’s be among that number, however small it may be if we can. What I’m going to share here is applicable to Christ-followers. I do not expect all citizens to analyze matters as I have here, and that is not my concern. I’m simply trying to shepherd well and to give you a few insights which arise from the Scriptures. (And maybe these principles extend well beyond COVID.) I’ve devised an acrostic in case that’s helpful for anybody.

Grace.

The very essence of the Christian life is that we deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus (Matthew 16:24). We’re to be motivated more by love for neighbor than love for self. In that regard, you and I are exceptionally countercultural. At a bare minimum, loving another person involves wanting and seeking their good. As we seek the common good, we become willing to lay down our personal preferences for God’s glory. This heart-set has to underly all of our decision-making, all of our conversations, and all of our interactions in the public square. It’s simply who we are.

Responsibility.

We do not live in a spiritual vacuum, but we live in the light of our responsibility to God. So a profound and abiding sense of our personal responsibility marks our every thought, motive, decision, and action. We are far more concerned about what we ought to do than what our neighbor ought to do – at least that’s who we’re supposed to be. Feeling the weight of who I’m supposed to be is a far better place to start a healthy conversation than a sense of annoyed agitation over the poor choices of another.

Order.

Pandemic or no pandemic, vaccine or no vaccine, mandate or no mandate … God’s got this. The whole enchilada. I don’t have to fix the world. Lol.

Unconditional Respect.

We ought to be setting the tone for tolerance (and I’m not talking about the kind of “tolerance” that the world tries to pass off as tolerance). Since we believe that people are transformed by personal faith and that faith comes by God’s Word, we ought to want everyone to have the opportunity to communicate freely – so that Christ can be made known among all peoples. We should exemplify respect for others.

No Name-Calling.

People – all of whom share with us God’s image – are more complicated than demographics. When we carelessly label each other, we generate more heat than light. That’s not our job or our high calling in Christ. No corrupting talk (Ephesians 4:29).

Diligence.

We should study the relevant issues for ourselves. We should seek information from multiple sources, and from different political angles. We should stay prayerful before the Lord. We should season our speech, including our electronic speech, with humility. Our light-and-salt responsibilities require that we work hard and that we stay at it.

Excitement.

Yes, I said “excitement!” And I mean it. You and I already know how our story ends, and it’s an absolutely fantastic ending! We must not allow our primary identity to be found in the politics of vaccines – or in any other kind of politics. We’re gospel people, and it’s our great privilege to champion the best news in the entire world. Hallelujah!

Determination.

By our very nature in Christ, believers are “rooted and grounded in love” (Ephesians 3:17). Firmly established. Steadfast. Firm. Grace is who we are, and grace is where we stand. NO. MATTER. WHAT.

G.R.O.U.N.D.E.D.

Let’s try to support each other, even through real-life differing opinions and disagreements. Our positive Christian witness requires it. In his book Secret Power, D.L. Moody observed: “I have never known the Spirit of God to work where the Lord’s people were divided.” So, friends, in these turbulent times, let’s try to stay GROUNDED in grace and truth. I have a hunch that the more grounded we remain, the higher we’ll be able to soar.

Pastor Charles

I won’t write much today since I’m traveling home, but I did want to update you on the Texas abortion law, known as S.B. 8 or the “heartbeat bill,” which has become so incredibly controversial. Yesterday U.S. District Judge Robert L. Pitman granted the Justice Department a temporary injunction which blocks the enforcement of the law. This is not entirely surprising, of course, and it further signals that 2021 will shape up to be a monumental year when it comes to the sanctity of human life in America.

I’ll quote Judge Pitman directly: “From the moment S.B. 8 went into effect, women have been unlawfully prevented from exercising control over their lives in ways that are protected by the Constitution … this Court will not sanction one more day of this offensive deprivation of such an important right.” He went on to describe the law of the Lone Star State as “an unprecedented and aggressive scheme.” Today this ruling is being celebrated by pro-abortion advocates and many in our government, and some consider this an open rebuke of the Supreme Court.

Here’s why. The Supreme Court has already agreed to hear a case involving a Mississippi law that bans abortions at 15 weeks (the Texas law is six weeks). So we can expect critical developments surrounding the viability of Roe v. Wade (pun fully intended) in the near future. Between now and then, this ought to be a season of prayer for the body of Christ.

What I’d like to offer today is a little levelheadedness (I hope) when it comes to a topic that is clearly dividing an already divided nation. First of all, and I say this as a pastor who tries to help people reassemble the broken pieces of their lives, we need to remember that abortion exacts a huge physical, emotional, and psychological toll on the women who choose it. It is no easy way out of a tough situation. I’m not meaning to condemn anyone by that comment, but I’m simply pointing out a pervasive reality that often gets overlooked by the media. Surely a general concern and compassion for women ought to be something which motivates us as God’s people, and which serves to unite people across the political spectrum.

Secondly, facts still matter. I’d like to point out an overuse of the term “extreme” in contemporary social rhetoric. We seem to be calling everything with which we disagree “extreme,” and this serves only to shut down helpful conversation. When it comes to abortion, 90% of the countries of the world place limits on abortion access. In fact, only four countries on earth permit abortion on demand throughout all nine months of pregnancy. Sadly, the U.S. is on that shortlist, along with China and North Korea. I mention those other two countries so that you can get the sense of the civil rights which have to be trampled on in order to champion unrestricted abortion.

Thirdly, and this really gnaws at me, what about the fundamental human rights of the unborn? Amidst the noisy clamor of our generation, who will care about the totally voiceless? Who will defend the most defenseless among us? Surely that point of basic civility and decency ought to extend at least a few arms across the aisle in Washington, D.C.

Just one more thing before I wrap this up: what we do about abortion in the U.S.A. has global repercussions. Like it or not, we tend to set the prevailing moral tone. That’s both an awesome opportunity and a grave responsibility. We live in perilous and sobering times, friends.

For the glory of Christ and His gospel of reconciliation, we need our great God to raise up reasonable and sensible pro-life voices in the public square. Leaders resembling the winsome and trusted statesmen of earlier chapters of our history seem few and far between these days, but our Lord can enlarge the platform of whomever He wishes. Until then, we’re called to knock on heaven’s door. We must intercede, for our nation and for the high court, before the highest throne. You and I, as personal agents of reconciliation, must do our part as well. Don’t lose heart. Keep the faith!

Today and always, like our Savior, let’s be full of grace and truth.

Pastor Charles

Strange as it may sound to those of us who are just downriver, that’s a direct quote from NBC News: Louisville is “a city under siege.” Personally, I find this very unsettling, as Louisville is as near to my heart as any place on earth. We lived in the area for several years. Close members of my family have lived there my entire life. Some of my closest friends in the world make their home in the Derby City.

The attention of the media is focused on Louisville because of the surging homicide rate there. The trend is so alarming that Louisville is giving Chicago a statistical run for its money. Deadly shootings are at record numbers in Louisville, and – this is hard to believe – nearly 70% of the shootings are unsolved crimes. This is unprecedented in Kentucky. Unfortunately, it mirrors some disturbing national trends. The COVID-19 pandemic has driven up rates of violent crime across the country. As the father of a son who has begun his senior year of college as a criminal justice major, I’m all ears.

I’m listening to the Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government. Police officers are suffering from low morale. The Chicago consulting firm, Hillard Heintze, reported to local government in Louisville that officers feel little support from upper management in the community.

I’m listening to the Kentucky Association of Chiefs of Police. Shawn Butler, their executive director, calls low morale among police officers “an occupational hazard … it doesn’t help when we’ve had the civil unrest that we’ve had.” I’m sure you remember that in 2020 the Breonna Taylor incident made Louisville the epicenter of police-related controversy.

I’m listening to the FBI. Just this week in their annual report, their stats are unnerving: 21,500 murders in America last year! And surprising places like Louisiana are leading the trend. So we have an issue in our major cities, and we have an issue nearly everywhere else. Gang activity is expanding exponentially. Quite tragically, at the same time, police forces in 20 major cities have been reduced or weakened (resignations up by 18%, and retirements up by 45%), and police departments across the U.S.A. have seen budget cuts at about $840 million.

So, yes, Louisville is under siege, sadly. But so is the nation.

How are we, as the body of Christ, to respond to such a crisis? I’ll offer four general categories in which I believe that the Scriptures call us to precise faithfulness right now, and I invite you to share more with me from your own heart. I’ll draw these out of the wisdom of the Apostle Paul found in Second Corinthians 5:16-21 …

1. We must not join in on the national despair. From now on … we regard no one according to the flesh … if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come. We can survey the cultural landscape right now and get really angry, or we can survey the cultural landscape and get really excited about the unique gospel moment that is now. It’s obstacle vs. opportunity, and I’m advocating for the latter. Every person out there – even my polar political opposite – stands in need of the grace of Christ. This world has seen dark chapters of history before, but the Lord has never failed to keep the light of the gospel shining in the background. You and I have been called to reach across every barrier with gospel hope for every person.

2. We must keep our ministry of reconciliation front and center. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. People are estranged from each other in America, right now, and the Bible speaks clearly to that dilemma. We need to be reconciled to God, first, and then we can be reconciled with each other. But you and I must consistently die to ourselves in order to be used by the Lord to that end. We must recognize the suffering of the people around us, and particularly the suffering of people groups who have been marginalized for many years. It’s a pain that many of us do not know firsthand, so we need on a daily basis the “gentle and lowly” disposition of our Savior. Only then can we love and serve as we ought.

3. We must not make enemies out of friends. We are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. Both “law and order” and “every voice matters” should be shared national values in American life. From the Bible and from Reformation history, we understand the immense blessings of free speech within a free society. I suppose that my challenge in this regard today is for you to consider that perhaps the church must LEAD THE WAY toward the only kind of reconciliation which will bring to all of our neighbors the ultimate freedom – freedom in Christ – and that is the gospel of Jesus! Martin Luther King, Jr. said it like this: “If you can’t fly, then run; if you can’t run, then walk; if you can’t walk, then crawl; but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”

4. We must speak the truth in love in these darkening days. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. In a world of watered-down soundbites, you and I can’t shortchange the gospel. We have to tell it like it is: things are a mess … we’re all unsafe … we’re all both part of the problem and part of the solution. These times call for great humility on the part of the body of Christ, but we can’t shy away from the fact that there is only one way out of this mess – and the Way is Jesus! As much as you and I need the Prince of Peace, so do our neighbors. We ought to be praying fervently that the Lord will use even this surge in violent crime to remind us all that human strength is never enough to solve problems which are intrinsically spiritual.

I know you’re tired. We’re all tired. But don’t give up now.

Shine anyway!

Pastor Charles

Leigh MarieAnn Klett of the Christian Post just reported some sobering words spoken Tuesday by Pastor Ed Litton, the president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Litton described the current state of our denomination as plagued by “tribal hostility, ungraciousness, and suspicion,” and he described his own heart – after only four months in his new role – as “heavy.” Pastor Litton went on to observe: “The mood of our times is to attack, demonize, make allegations, and threaten. We are seldom slow to speak and slow to anger.”

Wow. Just wow.

I don’t have to tell you that tribalism has no place in the church. The Bible describes us as brothers and sisters. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. It seems that, whenever we get away from that fundamental sense of our identity, all hell breaks loose. And yet, we’re seeing more and more disunity in churches across our nation. It’s as if we’re refusing to learn from the past, including the examples of all of the church schisms recorded in Scripture, and running headlong into another season of disunity – and this time it’s a disunity so profound that it threatens to completely derail the public evangelical witness for Christ in America. Remember: because of the power of social media, the unbelieving and already suspicious world is able to monitor the church’s every move (and tweet).

Lord, help us!

This climate of suspicion is not new, but it seems to be mounting in intensity. When we survey the New Testament, we find multiple tensions among people who claimed to be God’s people: Samaritans vs. Jews, Pharisees vs. Sadducees, Jews vs. Romans, Jews vs. Greeks, Greek Jews vs. Hebrew Jews, Clean Jews vs. Unclean Jews, Sinful Jews vs. Pure Jews, Rich vs. Poor, and Men vs. Women. I’m sure you get my point. The infighting isn’t new, but the fact that in 2021 the church is operating more and more like the world is more than alarming.

I’ll remind you that Jesus was a tribe-buster. He purposefully went after the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1-42). In that case, we might call Him a double-tribe-buster. With extreme intentionality, Christ showed anyone with eyes to see that all of our prejudices are rooted in sin and self. They’re all anti-gospel.

Tribalism destroys peace because it’s anti-relational. It cuts off dialogue. It refuses genuine conversation. It sees every issue under the sun as black or white – “my way or the highway!” Spiritual maturity allows for some gray in life. Tribalism sees every hill as a hill to die on; it’s inherently ungracious, whereas you and I are called to embody self-sacrificing love.

Cliques within the church are a subtle form of tribalism. Church cliques inflict a lot of damage on the body, leaving people feeling deeply excluded – and leaving them questioning God because of the hurtful ways in which they’ve felt personally rejected by the church family. In stark contrast, Christ calls every local assembly of believers to be welcoming both without and within.

The Hall of Fame coach at UCLA, John Wooden, was the gold standard in collegiate basketball coaching for twenty years. Wooden often claimed that a successful team requires three realities: proper conditioning, a clear understanding of the fundamentals, and a willingness to play together as a team. That formula translated into ten national championships in twelve years. And, when you really think about it, that formula fits the church like a hand in a glove. If we’re unprepared to face the real-world challenges of the Christian life, or if we’re uncertain about the new identity to which we’ve been called – and how to live that out – or if we’re unwilling to pursue vital church unity at all costs, then we’ve been set up for a losing season.

Living in a culture that is increasingly angry and polarizing can make us numb to the dangers of disunity. When we get numb, we don’t recognize the dangers of gossip in the church, and – next thing you know – we’re part of the problem. Perhaps unintentionally, our voice becomes part of the cacophony of chaos. Don’t let that happen, friends! Stay vigilant, and do your part to stop church fires while they’re still sparks. Unity sanctifies and strengthens. Since church unity translates into church strength, we can understand why Satan works overtime to divide us.

And here’s something else that I want you to think about: if you and I are going to change the trajectory of our little corner of the church, then you and I have to recover the art of majoring in the majors. That means that we also choose to minor in the minors. Please let that sink in. This change of mindset will not be easy, because we have strayed so far from the ideal. But it’s our high calling in Christ, and by God’s grace, we can do it.

Imagine an army on the move. But, instead of marching together as one unit, the soldiers have allowed unresolved issues among them to drive them apart. They’re so focused on getting their own way that they’re no longer listening to the appropriate voices of authority, but they’re all trying to achieve what they want – so each soldier moves in their own self-guided direction. What do you think of such an army? They are sitting ducks. They will be easily routed and scattered by enemy troops. They are a disaster waiting to happen. They’re not even a legitimate army.

By His blood and for His glory, Christ has called us to live as ONE. But we don’t have to become one. We’re already one. We just have to start acting like it. Strange as it may sound: we’re the army of peace.

Ray Ortlund says it like this: “The gospel being what it is and always will be – ‘the message of reconciliation’ – our churches should be the most reconciling, peaceable, relaxed, happy places in town … so meek in the face of insults and injuries, so forgiving toward the undeserving. If we do make people angry, let this be the reason: we refuse to join in their selfish battles. We’re following a higher call. We are the peacemakers, the true children of God.” I like that thought. I really like that.

Defy the trends. Defy the odds. Defy the devil.

Happy it up, y’all!

Pastor Charles

It’s hard to imagine the state we’re in. It takes the honesty of Piers Morgan to uncover the bankruptcy of the convoluted ideology in which we’ve been drowning.

Here’s what happened Friday night in Miami. Celine Provost, a 32-year-old female fighter with over ten years of experience in the MMA, lost her match to Alana McLaughlin. Provost lost in a chokehold. McLaughlin is a 38-year-old trans-identified MMA fighter, and also a military veteran who served six years as a male in the U.S. Army.

The English journalist Morgan reported in the Daily Mail that viewing the match made him “sick.” He wrote that Provost “couldn’t compete with the overwhelming physical strength of her opponent … Provost’s punches bounced off McLaughlin like a baby lion’s off its father, and when she was pinned to the ground, she couldn’t move and quickly tapped out.”

So we have a former member of the U.S. Army Special Forces – a biological male – beating up a biological female for the pleasure of the viewing public. I’ll quote directly from ESPN: McLaughlin “used a rear-naked choke to get the finish at 3 minutes, 32 seconds of the second round … In the first round, Provost rocked McLaughlin with punches several times and looked to be on the verge of a finish. But in the second, McLaughlin took Provost down, got her back and clinched in the choke.”

Did you ever imagine that such things would happen with the approval of the popular culture? But that’s where we are. And, after his victory, McLaughlin made it very clear that he was fighting in the name of transgender “progress.”

Friends, this is not a “liberal” vs. “conservative” issue – not even close. This is a women’s rights issue. Our culture is allowing gender politics and transgender activism to erase women’s sports. And that’s only the beginning of the intended erasure. Piers Morgan, who is certainly no card-carrying conservative, pointed out in his piece that “Celine Provost could have been killed as so-called ‘progressive feminists’ around the world welcomed and celebrated the event that could have caused it.”

Friday’s travesty was not progress for anybody. Far, far from it.

So how do you and I “put on love” in this environment? After all, that’s our job (Colossians 3:14). We’re not called to put on judgment. We’re called to put on love. Love for everybody involved in this widespread state of confusion. I’ll offer four simple suggestions here, and I welcome your input.

1. We can acknowledge gender confusion, which is a byproduct of our fallen world whether physiological or psychological in nature (and it may well be both), while seeking to guard against the redefinition of God’s creation of humanity. Making the case today for “male and female in God’s image” as the Creator’s original design may be a tall order, but it’s still a hopeful and stabilizing message. And it’s still true.

2. We can minister to people who are struggling with gender identity, without celebrating the embrace of every “gender variant” which makes its way to prominence in the culture. There seems to be no end to the labels, and there still exists a widespread lack of consensus among even the leading experts regarding causation, diagnosis, and treatment of the related distress. Let’s love anyway.

3. We can help parents who are trying to love and guide their children through the tumultuous years of adolescence, by reminding them that changing social situations and changing bodies often create the perfect storm for confusion of every stripe. There are times when “this too shall pass” can be the greatest of comforts for a mom or dad in an unstable season of their child’s life. Drastic measures – medical or otherwise – are sometimes not nearly as powerful as a listening ear and a gracious response.

4. We can seek to love people through their trauma, whatever the source, while honestly recognizing the brokenness of our own identities. (Isn’t every believer still “under construction” in the “in-Christ identity” department?) So let’s humble ourselves and offer others the same hope in Christ to which we’re clinging! I’ve said it before: People don’t care how much we know until they know how much we care. This is fundamentally central, I believe, to the church’s central mission amidst the widespread confusion – what I often refer to as the “truth crisis” – of 2021.

You and I are called to help people – that includes everybody – find their hope in God. There are lots of things about the human condition and experience which we’re still trying to figure out, but I think that Francis Bacon nailed it half a millennium ago: “A little science estranges a man from God; a lot of science brings him back.”

It’s easy to get angry when we see things like Friday night’s Florida fight, and perhaps some of that anger could be righteous disgust. But it’s always best for us to keep asking the Lord to show us how to be love and light – in action – instead of allowing ourselves to stay angry on the sidelines of life. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Matthew 9:36, where our Lord Jesus is so marvelously described: When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

That one verse drastically changes the way I see Friday night. In fact, it changes the way I see forever.

Pastor Charles

I’m writing this in the last few hours of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

In Leviticus 23, the Lord establishes the Day of Trumpets, also known as the Feast of Trumpets. (See also Numbers 29.) This holy convocation was the foundation for what we now know as Rosh Hashanah. The sound of the trumpets was something like the sound of “Auld Lang Syne” at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve in the English-speaking world. The trumpets bid farewell to the past and rang in the year to come!

Rosh Hashanah was meant to be an important memorial day, and it always falls on the seventh new moon of the Jewish year. The appropriate observance and significance were sidelined for multiple generations, as we discover in Nehemiah. Thankfully, God’s people rediscovered the significance of the holiday, and two key features – sorrow for past wrongs and joy at the prospect of reconciliation – have permeated the holiday ever since. I am glad.

The heart of the Feast of Trumpets is the blowing of the shofar – the ram’s horn – and ultimately 100 blasts are heard. For the Jewish people, the sound of the shofar is a sacred sound. It calls them – and us – back to Mount Sinai, where the sound poured forth from a thick cloud and the people shook with fear. The sound evokes many emotions: despair, penitence, and profound hope. Rosh Hashanah is a sanctified reminder of God’s creative authority in our world, and in our lives. For Christ-followers, it reminds us of the Day of the Lord and our soon-coming King, Yeshua.

It is a day of solemnity and joy. Let that sink in for a moment. A day of solemnity and joy.

I just read from a reliable source that, within the last 24 hours, one in 3000 Americans was diagnosed with COVID. Of course, other people piled on to dispute that calculation (doesn’t every number get disputed these days?), but – whether or not the statistic is accurate to the penny – we can all agree that our nation is experiencing a wave of disease like we never thought we would personally witness. It’s everywhere, friends, and it’s deadly serious at this point.

For us, this ought to be a season of solemnity. That goes without saying, I suppose. But I think that it should also be a season of great joy! And I’m encouraging both the solemnity and the joy not so much because of the pandemic – as pervasive as that can feel at times – but simply because God has told us what will happen in the future. We don’t know all of the details, of course, but we know as much as God thinks we need to know for now. Thus, the solemnity: the only rightful Judge of all the earth is on His way! But, also, the joy! For the exact same reason you and I ought to be joyful: we ought to be joyful because God has told us what to expect: Jesus is coming soon!

The Bible promises: every tear wiped away … death entirely banished … Christ with us forever! But getting from here to there will require a walk of faith and a life of no-matter-what-happens worship. Charles Spurgeon said it like this: “We should shout as exultingly as those do who triumph in war, and as solemnly as those whose utterance is a psalm. It is not always easy to unite enthusiasm with reverence, and it is a frequent fault to destroy one of these qualities while straining after the other.” I could never say it any better than the other Charles, so I won’t even try.

This is a time to cry, but it is also a time to clap. That might sound like a strange combination, and I get that, but you and I are the ones who know the rest of the story.

The Garden, ransacked. The New Earth, restored!

Mount Sinai, terrifying. Mount Zion, electrifying!

My sin, grotesque. My redemption, gorgeous!

The cross, so bloody. The empty tomb, so glorious!

With solemnity and joy, the brilliant C.S. Lewis abandoned his steadfast commitment to atheism and wholeheartedly embraced Biblical Christianity. Said Lewis: “All joy reminds. It is never a possession, but always a desire for something longer ago or further away or still about to be … joy is a by-product. Its very existence presupposes that you desire not it but something other and outer.” The Other and Outer is coming, friends! He’s coming with the clouds! The ultimate trumpet sound will soon be heard! Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

I’ll close with this prayer from the rich liturgy of our priceless Jewish roots: “Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who hast kept us in life, and hast preserved us, and enabled us to reach this season.”

Wishing you great solemnity, and great joy,

Pastor Charles