Blog

I’ve tried to avoid the television coverage regarding the confirmation hearing s of the proposed Supreme Court Justice, Brett Kavanaugh. I’ve tried to avoid both sides of the political aisle, both sides of the American system of grandstanding and both sides of complete rubbish we call news. However, I made the mistake of watching “the news” this evening.

In case your wondering, I am neither pro-Kavanaugh or anti-Kavanaugh. I do not know him at all. I have not read his positions on many things that I think should matter in our country. I am however completely, totally and overwhelmingly anti-rhetoric, anti-hate-speech, and completely sick of finger pointing, personal attacks and lack of facts, truth, decency or even common civility in our country. It is childish, selfish, evil and it is pathetic.

And before you get fully armed behind your keyboard to launch an assault on whichever side you are on – STOP! We – Me and You…we are perpetuating this villainous incivility by watching and repeating the same half-truths that are being touted as news.

I fear that we have trained at least one full generation to never seek to change the world for good because you will be hated and hailed as the next horrific human on the planet. Again, lest you think I am touting this as a proud Republican, right-winged preacher that is blind to the foolishness of both sides – STOP! I am filled with the kind of anger that is rooted in the firm belief that populous expediency is a fool’s errand. I am angry that we have bought the lie that the Divine is truly riding either a donkey or an elephant.

My friend, when He comes again, it won’t be on anything a simple as a jackass or a tired circus elephant. When He returns there will be no foolish pandering for the cameras. There will be no saying what you think will gain your party’s allegiance.

You might say Great! Way to go Chuck. Your idea is to just stick your head in the sand and hope things get better? NO! My idea is that we —

1. Choose to grow up and make our part of this world far better by simply speaking the truth in love.
2. Choose to offer forgiveness to those who are not worthy of it.
3. Choose to allow the presence of the Divine within you to fill you with so much grace, so much mercy and so much compassion that we cannot help but be inextricably connected to how the Savior of the world treated us.
4. To stop pointing a bony finger of guilt at the world and take a long look in our mirror and choose to be grateful, gracious and kind to all peoples.
5. To get off of our proverbial stumps and stop screaming at people. I have never found it possible to introduce Jesus to somebody while simultaneously screaming at them.

This is a messed up world we live in and as long as we carry the same selfish position on every single issue as a result of ignorance, we will continue to spiral out of control in our lack of civility. As a Follower of Jesus, I do not want my grandkids to inherit this evil incivility that has been thrown into the sewer to reside as the filth of humanity.

As for me, don’t bother asking which side of the aisle I line up with. I’m sick to my stomach of the gross disregard for decency on both sides.

I cannot imagine any of our best and brightest wanting to enter the arena of foolishness known as politics. I pray my grandsons and granddaughters will never consider it. But then, I am a pastor with convictions that don’t line up with theological conservatives or theological liberals. I just happen to line up with Jesus. I grow more and more confident that He is who He said He was and He is the only hope for this world.

Believing that can get you in some hot water with both sides of the theological aisle. But if He is enough to split time in half, leave Heaven for the earth as a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, live a sinless, perfect life, offer His life up as a sacrifice for the worlds sin and selfishness, beat death and raise from the dead, go back to Heaven and sit on the throne of the universe and welcome every believer a home with an eternity of peace…well, He is more than enough. And, He is worthy of better. Better than the silly filth we offer in places like Washington DC and in Sugar Hill, Georgia.

Please, folks, let’s crawl out of the sewer and claim our rightful place as the image bearers of the Most-High God.

–AChuck

I suppose that we all have things that we regret in our life. In my life, like many of yours, I feel as though I’ve had my fair share of heartache, heartbreak and also my share of joyous moments, huge wins and blissful travels. That only leaves a few things to truly regret.

I am not sure where this quote came from, but it’s a great look at our regrets: “Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.”

And so it is true for me as well. I don’t regret many of things that I have done, but I desperately regret the four things below that I did NOT DO.

1. I regret not spending more time with my Mom and Dad in the last years of their lives. The old Harry Chapin song “Cat’s in the Cradle” was accurate for both me and my dad. I’d love to have a chat with him and mom this week. Heaven will be the next chat and so many things simply won’t matter then. But this one thing will, I Love You, Mom and Dad.
2. I regret not praying more with my daughters. Don’t get me wrong, we prayed at every meal. We prayed when we dropped them off at school and we prayed at night. But I wasn’t very good at teaching them to pray and allowing them to see their Daddy as a praying Daddy. My heart breaks as a result of that regret. I can still do that, both with them and my grandchildren. How about you?
3. I regret the way I spent most of my life without gratitude. In my desire to achieve more, make more, be more and become something, I never truly became a grateful man until I was in my 50’s. I spend time every morning in quietude and gratitude. Don’t wait as I did to become grateful. It will change your attitude, your altitude, and your personhood.
4. I regret not answering God’s call to vocational ministry until I was in my late 30’s. I simply didn’t want to live in the world of preachers, and honestly, I still struggle occasionally. I wanted to make a lot of money. build a platform of human recognition and succeed wildly. Once I became a Pastor, I discovered so many benefits of being in the center of God’s will for my life. Of all the regrets, this is the one that I pray you will take away from today’s blog. Don’t wait for the Divine to drag you into His will, run to it today!

Welcome back to the work world today. It’s been a great weekend.

–AChuck

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year is Here! Just for fun, I’ll throw out my picks of the week, an upset of the week and a homer of the week, which is always the DAWGS!

Here is your Pastor’s Pigskin Picks for the First Weekend of College Football.
September 1-3, 2018.

1. Auburn over Washington
2. Tennessee over West Virginia
3. Michigan over Notre Dame
4. Miami over LSU
5. FSU over Virginia Tech

Upset of the week: Florida Atlantic over Oklahoma

Homer of the week: The Dawgs over Austin Peay

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

–AChuck