We Got Trouble Right Here In Sinner City

In "The Music Man," Professor Harold Hill used fear to control the people of River City. Who would have known the Professor ultimately became "The Legalist Pastor?" :)

If you're unfamiliar with it, watch the video first -then read the words beneath it.





The Legalist Pastor:

Well, either you're closing your eyes
To a situation you do not wish to acknowledge
Or you are not aware of the caliber of disaster indicated
By the presence of a so-called “grace teacher” in your community,

Ya got trouble, my friend, right here,
I say, trouble right here in Sinner City.
Why sure I'm a church-goer,
Certainly mighty proud I say,
I'm always mighty proud to say it.

I consider that the hours I spend
With a Scofield Study Bible in my hands are golden.
Help you cultivate good morals,
And a pure mind and godly speech.
Ever try to know the date Jesus is coming back?
And fit the whole book of Daniel inside John’s Revelation
like an unsoiled hand in a pure white glove?

But just as I say,
It takes judgement, brains, and maturity to know
how to “come out from among them and be ye separate.”
I say that any boob kin take
A modern translation of the Bible and show a weak Christian
Verses that talk about this “freedom in Christ,”
The first big step on the road
To the depths of deg-ra-Day--
I say, first, medicinal wine from a teaspoon,
Then beer from a bottle.

An' the next thing ya know,
Your son is goin’ to church
In baggy pants pulled down to his waist.
And list'nin to some big out-a-town Jasper
Hearin' him singing songs that he calls contemporary Christian music.
Not a wholesome traditional hymn, no!
But a song where they use SIN-thesizers, keyboards they call ‘em.

Like to see some tattooed, pierced youth leader
Standing behind the Sacred Desk? Make your blood boil?
Well, I should say.
Friends, lemme tell you what I mean.
Ya got one, two, three, four, five chapters in the book of James.
Chapters that mark the diff'rence
Between conviction and compromise,
With a capital "C,"
And that rhymes with "D" and that stands for Devil!

And all week long your Sinner City
Youth'll be frittern away,
I say your young men'll be frittern!
Frittern away their prayer time, Bible study,
Church time too!
“Just rest in Jesus Christ.”
Never mind gittin' MTV disconnected
Or rock CDs destroyed or coverin’ that Chinese tattoo on your hip.
Never mind puttin’ back money for your tithe
'Til you’re your caught on Sunday morning without
a cent when the offering plate come by and that's trouble,
Oh, yes we got lots and lots a' trouble.

I'm thinkin' of the kids in the hallways at school,
Young girls with pierced belly buttons and tattooed backs,
Boys with earrings, holding their pants up with one hand,
Looking at each other with stares that would make a sailor blush, look, folks!

Right here in Sinner City.
Trouble with a capital "T"
And that rhymes with "D" and that stands for Devil!

Now, I know all you folks are the right kinda parents.
I'm gonna be perfectly frank.
Would ya like to know what kinda music goes
On while they're loafin' around that hall?
They’ll be tryin' out ColdPlay, tryin' out Lady Gaga,
Tryin' out Korn and Black Eyed Peas!
And I don’t mean food at the dinner table either.
Talkin’ about how they're gonna cover up their Nickleback “Dark Horse” album with a Britiny Spears case.

One fine night, they leave the church fellowship hall,
Headin' for the dance at the nightclub!
Libertine men and Scarlet women!
And Rap-time, shameless music
That'll grab your son, your daughter
With the arms of a jungle animal instink!
Mass-staria!

Friends, a brain set free is the devil's playground!

People:
Trouble, oh we got trouble,
Right here in Sinner City!
With a capital "T"
That rhymes with "D"
And that stands for Devil,
We've surely got trouble!
Right here in Sinner City,
Right here!
Gotta figger out a way
To keep the young ones moral after Sunday School!
Trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble...

Legalist Preacher:
Mothers of Sinner City!
Heed that warning before it's too late!
Watch for the tell-tale sign of corruption!
The moment your son leaves the house,
Does he pull his pants waistline below the waist?
Is there a small hole in his earlobe?
A pass code lock on his I-Phone that only he knows?
Is he starting to memorize lines from
The Rocky Horror Picture Show?
Are certain words creeping into his conversation?
Words like 'dawg?"
And 'dope?"

Well, if so my friends,
Ya got trouble,
Right here in Sinner city!
With a capital "T"
And that rhymes with "D"
And that stands for Devil,
We've surely got trouble!
Right here in Sinner City!
Remember the Maine, Plymouth Rock and the Golden Rule!

Oh, we've got trouble.
We're in terrible, terrible trouble.
The youth aren’t right! It's a horrible sight. They’ve turned unlevel,
Oh yes we got trouble, trouble, trouble!
With a "T"! That rhymes with "D"!
And that stands for Devil!!!

(lyrics copyrighted 2009, Steve McVey - only to keep somebody else from claiming rights to them. Yeah, right. Like somebody else would want them)

The Parable of Chippie

Once there was a little bird named “Chippie.” One day Chippie was sitting in his cage, singing one of the sweetest little bird-songs you’ve ever heard. Peacefully he sang, with an expression of contentment on his little bird-face you couldn’t help but have appreciated if you had seen it.

Chippie never knew what hit him. Ssswwppp! That was all he heard, then there was nothing but total blackout. What Chippie didn’t know was that his owner had decided to clean his cage with a vacuum.

She had stuck the nozzle of the vacuum into the cage to suck up the seeds and feathers at the bottom, when the telephone rang. She turned to pick it up and had barely said hello when – ssswwppp! Chippie was a goner.

She shrieked in horror at what she had done, dropped the phone, and turned off the vacuum cleaner. She nervously unzipped the bag and there was Chippie, stunned and covered with dust, but alive. So she did what any compassionate pet owner would do: she grabbed him and rushed to the kitchen sink, where she turned on the faucet full blast and held Chippie under a torrent of ice-cold water, power washing him clean.

Then she noticed that Chippie was soaking wet and shivering. So she did what made perfect sense. She snatched up the hair dryer and blasted him with hot air. Chippie’s eyes sort of rolled back in his head, so she stopped.

I’m sure you’re concerned about Chippie and wonder if he survived. He did, but he doesn’t sing much anymore. He just sits and stares off into space, and slightly twitches a little sad bird-twitch every now and then.

Who wouldn’t? Sucked up, washed down and blown over! It’s enough the steal the song from any stout heart. Sometimes you just don’t see it coming, do you?

Sometimes life sucks you up, hoses you down and knocks you over, with no warning at all. Unlike Chippie, we don’t have to be helpless victims that simply go with the flow. As children of a loving Father, we can experience victory through every situation, because our victory doesn’t come from our circumstances. Our Victory is a Person.

What is the answer to the unexpected traumas of life? The answer isn’t a what. It’s a Who. As always, the answer is Jesus Christ. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. Being a Christian in no way insulates us from the trials of life, but it does guarantee us that we will come out safely on the other side.

Your Savior is a sovereign, loving, attentive God. Through the course of your lifetime, there are numerous reasons why He allows you to have your own “Chippie crisis moments.” One thing you can know, though, and that is that He is with you and will guide you through your trials at every moment.

Maybe you’ve been sucked up, hosed down and knocked over by life. You don’t have to sit in a cage twitching now. You can sing again because the Melody of Life isn’t found in your circumstances but in Christ. Paul and Silas were caged and sang at midnight. You can sing too.

Your Father loves you. Don’t give up and don’t give in to your circumstances. Your Father will bring you safely through your trial. “So don’t fear; you are more valuable than many birds” (Matthew 10:31).

Real Repentance

The greatest and most dangerous lie that holds modern Christians in captivity is told in the majority of churches every Sunday. The lie is this – You should rededicate yourself to God. “Why,” you might ask, “would it be a lie to tell people they should rededicate themselves to God?” I respond to your question with a question – “What does it mean to rededicate ourselves to God?” Most would say, “Well, it means that we turn away from our self centeredness, our sins of omission and commission and assure God that, with His help, we intend to do better.” It sounds so noble. That’s what makes it so sinister.

Consider the story of the prodigal son. He left the pig pen fully intending to rededicate himself to his father. Would you agree with that? His plan was to go home and tell his father that he had sinned and that, from this point on, he would serve him better. (“I’ve sinned against heaven and in your sight and am not worthy to be your son. Make me as one of your servants.”) “I’ve sinned, but promise to be a good servant now.” Can this be called anything other than “rededication?”

I propose to you that, when he got home, the father rejected his attempt at rededication. He insisted on something greater – repentance. Repentance from what? Pig pens and far country excursions? No, repentance from rejecting his father’s unconditional love and acceptance.

I believe Jesus had the father pour out his love on his son before he gave his speech to show that the father didn’t want the son to make a connection between his father’s acceptance and his own rededication. The bewildered son wasn’t given the chance to make any promises. His only choice was to either relax in his father’s arms and accept his acceptance, or pull away. The way the story unfolds shows us which choice he made.

He never did rededicate himself. Instead, he repented right there in his father’s arms. Don’t jump to the wrong conclusion about his repentance. I don’t mean he repented of his sins. That came in the process, but more importantly he repented of the faulty view he had held about his father. He had thought what his father wanted was better behavior, when in reality what his father wanted was Him.

I contend that his repentance didn’t happen in the pigpen when he decided to come home.

It happened in his father’s embrace, when his father wrapped his arms around his son and the boy gave up his silly notions of doing a better job and decided instead to simply rest in his father’s hug. He repented of a faulty concept of who his father was and that is what empowered him to never go back to the far country again. His decision in the pig pen to rededicate himself was well intentioned, but it was shallow and silly. His father’s embrace brought the revelation that what he needed wasn’t rededication, but repentance of the foolish concept he had held about his Dad.

Have you rededicated yourself again and again? I feel your pain. I did it a million times myself. I encourage you now to stop it. Stop it permanently. Don’t ever rededicate yourself to God again. Instead, repent. Your need is not to do a better job in a religious regiment. It was only when I repented of my false view of who my Father is that I began to experience freedom.
Repentance is a change of direction. To repent may require that your understanding of who God is and how you see Him turns one hundred eighty degrees. Our Father doesn’t want our promises. He just wants us. It is when we truly know that fact, that everything changes.

Imagine

I’m a bonafide baby boomer. I was a teen during the late sixties and early seventies. I loved (and still do) the music of that time. Once somebody asked me, “Do you really like that drug music?” I answered, “I guess we know what you were doing during the sixties.” No, I don’t like the drug music – never did the music or the drugs. But I do like a lot of the old sixties music. It's like entering a time machine for me.

I heard a song lately that I hadn’t heard in a long time. Back in the day, many Christians called it “the atheist’s anthem.” It was Imagine by John Lennon. I thought about it and wondered if there was a way to redeem that song. Here’s my attempt: (You do know I write this article tongue-in-cheek, right?)

Imagine there’s no legalism, No struggles, no strife.
No rules to judge us, Within us only life.
Imagine all the Christians, Living really free.

Imagine grace filled churches. It isn’t hard to do
No sermons that condemn you. And no religion too.
Imagine all the pastors, Teaching grace and peace

You may say that I’m a dreamer, But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us, And know in Him, we all can live as one

Imagine no rededication. I wonder if you can
No need to make promises, To know in Him we stand
Imagine all believers, Enjoying life in Christ.

You may say that I’m a dreamer. But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us, And know in Him, we all can live as one.

John Lennon imagined a utopia that he never lived to see. The one I imagine is becoming an increasing reality as we work together to share the message of God’s amazing grace and unconditional love with people all over the world. One by one, people everywhere are understanding their identity in Christ and being set free from the performance based prison of legalism they have lived in for so long.

Norman Rockwell Expectations In a Homer Simpson World

I love Norman Rockwell paintings. He was known for his illustrations of everyday life in the days of my boyhood. When I look at his paintings, they always bring a smile to my heart, if not to my face. There is a pure, innocent simplicity about his work that resonates of days gone by when life seemed stable and predictable and warm fuzzies abounded in the heart of our nation.

Times though, have changed. Normal Rockwell died in 1978. Sadly, it seems that for the most part he took the days he portrayed with him. Now we live in a Homer Simpson world. The ahh’s of society seem to have been filled with a constant barrage of doh’s!

Boys like the Beav and Wally respected their parents, girls, their teachers, their neighbors, even God. Today Bart Simpson has disdain for his dad, is more clever than his teachers, dismisses girls, mocks his neighbors and thinks God is a joke.

I know I must be squarely in the throes of middle age because I find myself thinking, longing for the good-old-days and wondering how on earth we’ve gotten so far off track. But the fact is that it is what it is and we might as well learn to deal with it.

Times change. It’s that simple. We can fight it or even deny it, but the world we live in isn’t a stable place. Thank God, there is a corresponding truth that will sustain the Christian. It’s this: Times change, the world changes, but our Sovereign God never changes.

In the past few years, I’ve been amazed at the changes I’ve seen in the world of my own personal circumstances. My mother died, followed by my dad’s departure a little more than a year ago. My only sibling, my sister who is six years younger than me, faced cancer and, thank God, moved beyond it. We have had major personal challenges in the lives of children, our finances, the loss of friends through death, the ups and downs of a faith-based ministry as well as other matters that I won’t bore you with in this article.

As 2007 came to a close I said to Melanie one day, “The Lord is showing me that I still need to learn more completely who is in control and who isn’t. He is and I’m not.” What a hard lesson that is for me to learn. I know it, but I find myself still needing to know it. Can you relate?

The bottom line is that I cause myself needless stress and grief when I bring my Norman Rockwell expectations into the Homer Simpson world of my daily circumstances. No matter how much we want it to be, life is not a neatly wrapped package with the perfect bow on top. It’s messy. It’s scary at times. It’s unpredictable. And that goes against the grain of every fiber of my fleshly desire to be in control of my world.

What’s the answer? To give up control. To admit that I’m not in charge and I never will be. To know that, as much as it is counter-intuitive to the way I’ve been programmed, grace shows up and shows off best in Springfield, not Mayfield.

It’s not an easy pill to swallow, but it’s the pill that will lead to spiritual rest and emotional stability. The truth is that I saw Norman Rockwell through a child’s eyes. It never was as idyllic as he portrayed. Homer Simpson has always lurked in the shadows of this world. This world is a roller coaster ride, at least from the human perspective. The reality is, though, that there is a God who loves us passionately and who has everything under control. So let’s yield our expectations to the divine decrees of the One who loved us and gave Himself for us.

(This article originally was printed in my ministry newsletter, The Grace Vine, in March, 2008)

The Offense of Grace

The thing about grace that many have a problem with is its appearance of being carelessly and indiscriminately thrown around by our Heavenly Father as if there is no limit to it. It just isn’t right by human standards. After all, fair is fair. Give people an inch and they’ll take a mile. Go soft on those who have sinned and the next thing you know everybody is doing it. People make their beds and they should lie in it. They need to learn their lesson. You’ve got to think about the message you’re sending!

Jesus didn’t seem to worry about all that in His ministry. He just loved people and poured out grace, grace, and more grace on the most unlikely candidates. It galls the self righteous when their own sense of justice is violated, but Jesus never seemed to worry about what they thought. He seemed to show such little discernment in how and to whom He gave so much. Even His stories seem to communicate a message that sounds downright wrong to religious ears.

In the parable of the laborers found in Matthew 20, those who came in to work at the last hour received the same salary as those who had worked all day. Those with the admirable ethic of hard work and dependability had been out in the hot sun all day long. Then the slackers show up at the last hour and get the same pay? Come on now! What’s fair about that?

Then there is the prodigal son – a religious zealots worst nightmare. Here, this young boy in the youth group decides he wants to leave it all and move to Los Angeles. He asks His father to give him his inheritance (a subliminal insinuation that he has been thinking he’d be better off if his Dad was dead) and off he goes to the big city. His life soon becomes a blur of Jack Daniels, marijuana and strip clubs.

When all his money is gone and he wakes up in bed one morning and rolls over to see a skanky-looking crack whore (a King James Bible word) who he doesn’t even remember meeting, he is jolted back to reality. “I’m outta here,” he thinks to himself. “Even Dad’s minimum wage guys at home don’t have to live like this.”

So off he goes, hitchhiking home and all the way thinking of how he will grovel when he gets there, how he will promise to do better if Dad will only give him back his old room. “I’ll even sleep in the barn if you want me to,” he figures he’ll say.

You know how the story ends. The moment comes when this scraggly looking, nasty smelling, son comes stumbling up the long driveway. His Dad sees him and immediately tears out running at full throttle. He falls on his boy and, oblivious to the stench, starts laughing and crying, hugging and kissing him, all at the same time. The son is forgiven before he even asks.

The boy chokes up and tries to talk. This isn’t what he had expected. He gets out half a sentence when Dad interrupts and yells orders to fire up the grill, call our family and friends, see if JJT is available (Jerusalem Jazz Trio) and let’s get this party started! Hmm...that’s a strange story, Jesus. Don’t you think it might give the wrong message? “No,” our loving Savior would answer. “It gives the right message. The message is this: It doesn’t matter how pathetic you are, how low you have gone and how long you have been there, I love you and accept you.”

It isn’t about you and me. It never has been and never will be. It’s about Him and His ridiculous, irrational, excessive, loving grace. The self righteous crowd might as well shut up. Jesus is Jesus and He’s not going to change to fit their expectations. Thank God.

Are You A Member of Facebook?

I post updates on Facebook almost everyday about the things going on in my life and ministry. For instance, this week I posted pictures of our recent trip to London, England and Rome, Italy on my FB page.

I will always post my blogs here, but if you have any interest in the day-in-day-out details of my life and that of other people you may know on Facebook, you can go to www.facebook.com and register as a user. Then request me as a friend. I'm not one of those who posts every time I drink a glass of water or eat a meal, but I do post things there that aren't here on my blog. It's just another way to stay in touch with each other. You'll probably be surprised by how many people you discover you know on there. I've reconnected with friends I have had little or no contact with in thirty years.

History Really is His Story

Having just arrived home from our trip to England and Italy, I want today to be a relaxing day. I thought it might be good to see a movie this afternoon, so I checked to see what's playing at the theater near our home. I usually don't agree with the critics review of a movie, but often do trust the opinions of people who have seen the film, especially if many say the same thing.

As I was reading the review of one movie I wanted to check out, here was one person's review:

Not so great. Very little action and not much drama either. Great actors, good acting, but too little to work with. No suspense, no drama, no action, tired plot. Somewhat boring.

When I read that review, I thought about something I recently said when my friend, Paul Anderson-Walsh and I were on Premier Radio in England last week. The issue we were discussing is why God allows evil and pain and all the negative things in life that He could prevent if He wanted to do so.

I know I'll evoke the ire of some who consider "free will" to be the greatest thing they imagine God to have ever created, but I'm not comfortable with the free-will-card as the reason bad things exist in this world. I have another opinion on the matter.

I believe that God allows evil because it provides a great backdrop for revealing His love and grace. Have you ever noticed how that when a jeweler shows you a diamond, he lays in on a pitch-black backdrop. The reason for that is to cause the diamond's brilliance to shine all the more.

History truly is His-Story and I think that a film might be a good metaphor for life in this world. It has already been written and is "in the can" as far as the eternal perspective goes. God isn't waiting to see how the ending turns out. He has already written it and, in Reality, it's a done deal.

If we as human beings are like the guy who reviewed the movie I mentioned earlier and we don't like story lines that lack suspense and danger, why would we think that God would create a world like that? It would be boring, to say the least. The suspense and danger of this world only magnifies the wonder and glory of our God. In this story -- His Story -- a Savior wants somebody to save. A Healer wants somebody to heal. A Deliverer wants somebody to deliver. You get the point.

From the human perspective, it could look like it would be the sadistic work of a god who could hardly be considered as loving if this is true. You and I are the ones in distress who need a hero. There is an antagonist who fights against us, but remember, the end of the story has already been written and the Protagonist of History wins.

So, when things go badly for us in life, and they often do - let's remember that we serve a Sovereign God who has already worked it all out for good. You may be on a dark page in the story of your life right now. This planet appears to be playing out a dismal scene right now. Nevertheless, the Author and Finisher of it all is directing the unfolding of this small incident we call "time." When we finally do see it all from the vantage point of eternity, we will give Him a standing ovation for the exciting story He has written. Though it may not always make sense now, we will see the absolute beauty of it then. After all, it is and will forever be His-Story.

Second Day of Radical Sonship Conference

It's almost midnight here in London and we are ending what was a great day. The conference began this morning at ten and Paul and I each taught two sessions. Paul is an excellent communicator of God's grace and I enjoy speaking together with him every time we get the chance.

Tonight we were aboard the HMS President, an English warship commissioned by the Royal Navy in 1918 and used in World War I. Today it is moored on the River Thames and is used as a venue for meetings. We were aboard for a concert by Dave Bilbrough. I've commended Dave's ministry many times and have always enjoyed serving together with him, but tonight was absolutely an over-the-top experience.

Dave called the evening "Tales of A Troubadour." He weaved his own life story into the mix of songs he sang, many which he wrote and recorded. Some experiences defy description and this was one of them for me. The best word I could use do describe it is "transcendent." I shed more tears of joy and was more deeply touched tonight by Dave's ministry than I have experienced in a long, long time.

Dave will be in Atlanta in October to lead worship during our Grace Walk Leadership Summit and also in our "Living In Heaven's Embrace Conference" during the evenings of the same week. Go to www.gracewalk.org and click the links on the left side of the home page to register for the evening sessions. If you are a Grace Walk Group Leader, you may also register for the morning sessions. Trust me, you don't want to miss this.

Tomorrow morning is the last day of the conference. It has been a great experience to be here sharing our Father's love and grace with such a receptive crowd.

Conference in England

This evening was the first session of the Radical Sonship Conference here in London. I spoke from Ephesians 1 on the topic "The Preface and the Purpose of Life." Tomorrow, Paul and I will teach two sessions each and then close the conference on Sunday morning. Paul and I did one live nationwide radio program yesterday, then recorded eleven more. These are full, but enjoyable days.

Dave Bilbrough is leading worship this weekend. Dave is renowned as a Christian songwriter and singer here in England. We have worked together in previous meetings here and in the states. In fact, I have Dave and Pat (his wife) coming to Atlanta this fall for our Grace Walk International Leadership Summit and our "Living In Heaven's Embrace Conference." (Check gracewalk.org) for more information on those meetings. Dave's ministry touches me like few do. You can check out his ministry at http://www.davebilbrough.com/.

We went to St Catherines Dock for dinner tonight after the conference. We drove past the London Tower, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, etc. on the way back home. Though I've seen it all before, I never tire of downtown London.

Tomorrow will be another great day. It's 1:30 AM here now and we have an early start tomorrow but I'm energized by being with our friends, Paul and Haley, Dave and Pat and by the opportunity to share the wonderful message of our Father's love and grace again here in London.