Our building was without one of two air conditioning units this past Sunday.  We survived though things got a bit stuffy near the close of worship.  My gratitude goes to our people’s patience.  I made the obligatory remarks about hot air emanating from the pulpit.

We just had the AC maintenance guy come by and fix the unit.  The problem?  Ants in the unit were preventing contact in the circuit so that it could not cut on.  Apparently they are drawn by the hum the unit makes.  We have had this happen before with our home AC.  I heard the technician rapidly cutting the unit on and off (the unit in question is right outside my office window).  He told me that was his way of frying the ants and that he “had fun doing it!”.

I think there’s a sermon illustraion in this somewhere but I’m not sure yet where to find it.  Any ideas?  I’m just glad to know we’re back with both units running for this Sunday!

I read a heartwrenching article in the most recent issue of World Magazine (subscription required).  What caught my attention was the author’s quotation and reference throughout from the book of Habakkuk- a book we just recently considered as a sermon series entitled, “When God Doesn’t Make Sense”.  These are very difficult times for the people and for the church in that country under “President” Mugabe who has stolen the recent election and allows thugs to roam free.  God has been so good to us who live in this country.

Robert Norris writes a great article for Tabletalk entitled “Praying for Church Leaders” that you can read HERE. These are sobering words reminding us of the truly spiritual battle that is ministry. Let’s pray for pastors, elders, deacons, and those in ministry leadership. Norris says in the article commenting on Paul’s words in Ephesians 6:19 (..and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, ESV):

[Paul] saw that the work of the Gospel is an essentially spiritual work. [He] knew nothing of being dependent upon technique or program to accomplish his work, and his appeal was for spiritual support because he knew that he was battling spiritual powers that were arrayed against Him and were hostile to God and His purpose. Today it is easy to be seduced by the secular mindset into dismissing the spiritual nature of Christian ministry and fail to see that there is a combating of dark and hostile spiritual forces that can be met only with humble dependence upon God, diligence in the study of His Word, and devotion to the Gospel of Christ.

It is the role of the church leader to keep watch over the souls of God’s people. And to be effective in this role, as in all the other aspects of ministry, he needs the prayers of God’s people.

The White Horse Inn discusses our culture’s move toward what they call “radical informality” and how this cultural movement has impacted the church.  Very interesting discussion.  While I am very pleased that people feel free to come to worship at HLPC in various styles of dress be it formal or informal (I would hate for someone to stay away due to lack of what they feel is proper clothing), this broadcast made me think wistfully about preaching in a robe to signify the dignity of the preaching of the Word.

You can listen to the broadcast HERE.  In the words of famous philosopher Gomer Pyle, “It makes ya think!”

Rod Parsely, televangelist from Ohio, is following John Hagee’s footsteps in endorsing John McCain for president it seems. Here’s another “evangelical leader” (quotes are quite intentional) becoming a power player in American politics- or so they would think. It must be irresistible to be courted by a presidential campaign as they were. It must be irresistible to consider the potential invitations to the inaugural, the White House, and other presidential perks if your man wins.

As a pastor I find this both embarrassing and infuriating. When pastors take this step they diminish the place and role of the church and thus diminish the gospel message the church is to proclaim. Instead of fulfilling a prophetic role and standing above politics, they relegate the church to just another special interest group- in this case the evangelical vote.

God is not a Republican or a Democrat. He’s the Sovereign Lord of all the universe. As His church we stand for the gospel and Biblical truth but not for political parties. Should Christians be involved in leadership and politics? Absolutely. We need many more like William Wilberforce in our nation. But the Church should stay above the political fray and speak Biblical truth to the issues of our day regardless of party.

Let me say that I do NOT perceive that we have a problem at HLPC with people looking down on others for the way they educate their children in different ways be it public school, private school, or homeschool. I thank God for that! We have families involved in all three avenues. That being said Josh Harris offers some good pastoral advice regarding this potentially divisive issue. As he says, we’re all in the gospel camp- not the public, private, or homeschool camp.

(HT: Justin Taylor)

I received a great little book in the mail today that we may have to begin using with inquirers and new members of HLPC. The book was written by Dale Ralph Davis and is entitled The House that Jesus Built (published by Christian Focus). It speaks plainly and succinctly about what it means to be a part of a church, particularly one that is Reformed and Presbyterian. Read this excerpt that is especially good that I believe describes HLPC:

What can you expect to find in a church? You will probably find…

1. Persons who will disappoint you and sometimes infuriate you. No rosy or even peachy perfection here. It’s like being on a quest for the perfect cup of coffee. Not many are on that quest, but some are looking for the perfect church and always coming up disappointed. You must remember that the church is a hospital for sinners. The church is precisely where sinners need to be, but it can make life pretty trying at times.

2. People who still struggle against sin and are enduring severe trials. Any number of our people have been through a lot of heavy weather- and the winds are still blowing. That means we may not always be smiling, upbeat people with that “victorious” air about us (though we trust there is deep gospel joy in us).

3. A church that seeks to worship God carefully and thoughtfully. We try to place a high priority on public worship. Hence we try to plan it carefully. We don’t want people simply attending church- we want them adoring God; we don’t want them merely coming to a service- we want them entering God’s presence. Sometimes worship may seem a bit formal to some, but formal is not the same as dead. If it seems dead, it’s probably because you’re not worshiping. In any case, we seek to lead people into thinking, joyful, solemn worship that is worthy of God.

4. A diligent effort to provide preaching and teaching that both informs the mind and stirs the feelings. This is to a large degree the task of the teaching elder. Note that the pastor’s proper title is “teaching elder,” for teaching is his primary task. A good bit of pastoring is to be done by all believers as they care for one another.

That is what you can expect- perhaps. Sometimes we’ll fail to care for each other as we ought. Sometimes we’ll ignore people, so that they feel they don’t matter. You think that this is not a great sales pitch. You’re right. It’s even worse. We are not even salesmen at all. We are an imperfect body of believers convinced that Jesus loves us in spite of ourselves and seeking to become more faithful to Him by becoming more faithful to His people. And you are welcome to become a part of us.

The quote below is from David Wells’ recently published book The Courage to be Protestant. This fits with the discussion we had this morning at the men’s Thursday morning group looking at Hebrews 12:28, Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, (ESV).

Don’t worry- I have no immediate plans for doing an Elvis impersonation.

“[T]his transformation of Christianity into entertainment, is rapidly becoming the norm today, not the exception. Pastors are straining to outdo each other in becoming as chic and slick as any show in Las Vegas” (p. 24).

(HT: Keith Mathison)

Having a statement of faith like we do at Houston Lake Presbyterian can be unnerving to some people. Some may think we hold it above the Bible. We don’t, we merely believe that all churches have a theology be it a good or bad one. Our theological views are written down, other churches have theological views too but are not in written form. After all, every church believes something about who God is, what is the nature of Bible, what it means to be a Christian, and how and who should be baptized.

R.C. Sproul writes on the need and benefit of having a doctrinal statement such as the Westminster Confession of Faith, the statement of faith of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) of which Houston Lake Presbyterian is a member. I think it’s helpful to appreciate why we’re “confessional” and what strengths that brings. Sproul says, “Without such confessions, theological anarchy reigns in the church and in the world.”

You can read the entire article here.

Last night our church youth had a “Bigger and Better” scavenger hunt. Two teams were given a penny each and had to go door to door asking, “Do you have anything bigger and better than this?” Items continually get traded up. It’s always entertaining to see what groups bring back. Back in the 90’s when we were in campus ministry at Tennessee-Martin we had a group bring back a satellite dish- the big as six golf umbrellas sized dish. It helped that many of our students, largely from west Tennessee, all had pick-ups.

The winning team last night brought back a working, color, 27 inch TV (and an oar). The second place team (remember, only two teams total) brought back a lawnmower and a powered scooter- both items need a touch of repair but look great.

The good news is that these items left with the youth director and are not adding to my collection of junk in the garage.