Transitory Psychosis

Here is a brief update of the situation at Randall House as a results of the extensive flooding of the Nashville Metropolitan area. This statement was prepared by Randall House CEO Ron Hunter.

“Nashville recieved historic record flooding this weekend and Randall House was flooded along with many others. The flood effected our [printing department] press where $2.5 million dollars of equipment, printing in process, and paper inventory is kept.

Today, Monday, we are assessing the damage and beginning cleanup. Please pray over the next few days that our equipment weathered the flood waters.

Please pray for three of our Randall House family who may have suffered the personal loss of their homes and/or contents of their homes.”

All our Randall House families are safe. Please pray for us today as we are indeed short staffed and please continue to pray for the RH families and all those effected by the Nashville flood of May 2010.

I happened across a brief excerpt from musician John Mayer’s recent interview with Playboy magazine. (No, I didn’t see it in the magazine or get it from Playboy. I followed a link from a Christian ministry to get to it.) If you haven’t noticed, Mayer has dated and bragged about bedding some of the leading ladies of pop culture (actresses, singers, etc.) all of whom are very attractive. Oddly enough, none of these relationships has lasted.

WARNING: I’M GOING TO GET A LITTLE FRANK FROM HERE ON OUT, BUT THIS NEEDS TO BE SAID. I’LL BE AS DISCREET AS POSSIBLE.

In the interview, Mayer confesses to a fondness for porn. He states that with the magic of modern communication, he sometimes sees 300 pictures of naked women before he gets out of bed. He also acknowledges that he may be his own best lover.

Mayer recognizes that easy access to pornography has profoundly impacted his generation. He even admits that when he is with a real live woman, he replays his mental library of pornographic images. His conclusion seems to be that his fantasy world is better than any real world experience.

I couldn’t help but be saddened by it all. What Mayer describes is the inevitable destination to which pornography leads. Young men sometimes see porn as an enhancement to their sex lives. In reality, it is an insatiable leech. A little soon grows into a lot. It distorts the mind’s eye, turning every woman into little more than an object of momentary pleasure or disgust. Real women are measured by how they compare to the fantasy women on the page, screen, or in the mind.

It’s not something that can be easily turned off either; even when a man wants to do what is right. As many young men have discovered, marriage does not cure an addiction to pornography. And as many women can testify, no living breathing woman can measure up to the fantasy world of porn. Even after the addiction is broken, its shards work their way to the surface from time to time, bloodying relationships with fresh wounds.

The truth is, guys, if you walk this road it will take you where you don’t want to be. Porn promises to give you all, it just doesn’t tell you how bitter that all can be.

Beware, my young brothers! Proverbs 5 advises men to stay far away from the immoral woman and go nowhere near her house (verse 8). That advice rings true, even if she lives in a magazine, DVD, or website.

Now might be a good time to get into the rehab business, helping people put their lives back together and deal with their addictions–real and perceived. I noticed a teaser on a magazine cover at the drug store checkout: “Jesse James Goes to Rehab.” Apparently after being caught cheating on his wife, Sandra Bullock, James has decided he needs rehabilitation. He joins a long list of celebs that have done stints in rehab.

Most notably in recent months, Tiger Woods has spent some time in rehab trying to put his life back together after his sexcapades were exposed. Last week, Tiger was back on the links at the Masters making some amazingly good (and bad) shots and scowling his way around the course. At a tee on Saturday, Tiger was so frustrated by his drive that he blew up, spouting profanities. The announcer said, “Well, at least one thing hasn’t changed.”

Now I’m not trying to say rehab is all a scam. I know some people who have been helped through rehab programs. Neither am I saying that once a person goes through rehab we should expect him to behave perfectly from then on. Habits of all kinds are hard to break, I know. So I’m not criticizing Jesse or Tiger or anyone else.

I do find it interesting though that in so-called “post-Christian America,” rehab has become a means of rebuilding a public image. There was a time when people would “get religion” in order to accomplish that end. Years ago, people might be photographed going to church after their misdeeds had been exposed. Sometimes it smelled phony and probably was. The same thing is true of rehab today.

The sad thing to me is that both approaches miss the one ingredient that can truly change a life forever–a genuine personal encounter with Jesus Christ. Rehab can certainly help you cope with a life out of control. It may even been a successful means of breaking free from a self-destructive habit. But it cannot bring about the inner change that comes from a personal relationship with God through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. That is a change that will last for eternity.

The evidence of Christ’s ability to transform a life is plentiful and exhibits abound. From the apostle Paul who went from a Christ-hater to a Christ-follower to my friend Gene who went from a drunken patron of the rescue mission to a pillar of his church and community. Tiger can change. So can Jesse. So can you. But I’m convinced that change requires a fundamental “rewiring” of the soul found only in Jesus Christ.

I ran across a sports story yesterday that left me scratching my head. Here’s an excerpt:

Gordano were first to cross the whitewash, with wing Jack Thomas scoring out wide. The home side replied with an unconverted try, but the Sharks responded with a dominant period, with the superb Ben Harvey taking the ball to within yards of the line, No 9 Gavlar Yandell [no relation, by the way] eventually going over.



Playing down the slope, Gordano’s seven-man pack led by skipper Matt Rollings, still had the upper hand, with Harvey and flanker Mike Yandell [again, no relation] prominent.



With confidence high, the Sharks turned down a kick at goal, opting to use their powerful backs to run the ball. This paid dividends, with fly-half Aaron French crashing over.



Soon after Gordano were punished for overcomplicating a move in midfield. A loose pass was collected by the home side, and fluid passing saw the wing score in the corner.

Now, I’m a lifelong sports fan. But reading this story left me confused. What is the world is the “whitewash” and a “sin-bin.” What does a “fly-half” do and how do you “overcomplicate a move in midfield”? A rugby fan could answer all of those questions and move, but I am woefully ignorant of the sport of rugby. The terminology, descriptions, and jargon leave me with more questions than answers.

Near the article’s end, a realization hit me. This is exactly how the unchurched feel when they are confronted with the in-house jargon of Christianity. So often, we are speaking a language they don’t understand.

The further our culture moves away from its historical Christian consensus the more imperative it is that we define and refine our terminology so this marvelous message we bear can be accurately understood.

In truth, it’s hard work to “translate” the gospel into the language of our times. It is much easier to just speak to those who are already on the “inside.” And, in fact, a few (very few) will actually dig in to learn “our” language. But most will do what I’m doing with the rugby story. Smile, shrug my shoulders, and go back to what is familiar. We simply can’t be content to let that happen.

Danny Conn forwarded me a story about a South Korean couple that has been charged in the death of their three-month-old daughter. Quoting from the story:

The baby was found dead last September 24 and an autopsy showed her death was caused by a long period of malnutrition.

“They indulged themselves in the online game of raising a virtual character so as to escape from reality, which led to the death of their real baby.

Incredible story, don’t you think? But it prompted a thought. Isn’t something similar occurring when parents immerse themselves in things such as work, leisure, media, or pleasure to the neglect of parenting, marriage-building, and their relationship with God? I’m not saying those things are wrong, each one has a place in our lives; but when things are allowed to overshadow our God-given priorities it results in long-term repercussions.

It all dovetails with my recent concerns that we are, as one author said, “amusing ourselves to death” as a culture. We find a million things to do to “escape” from those things we should be doing. Too often it results in neglecting life’s most important relationships.

Time invested in building your relationship with God, your spouse, and your children pays dividends for generations to come. It’s worth the effort!

I had an interesting experience at Walmart a couple of weeks ago. My wife and I stopped by there in a hurry on the way to work, a little after 6 a.m. I had something in my right eye that I couldn’t get out. We went there to find some type of eyewash in hopes of getting some relief.

After finding what we needed, we rushed to the checkout line. There was only one woman in front of us, with what appeared to be a week’s worth of groceries. I noted the cashier was obviously Muslim, complete with traditional head covering. Her accent indicated she was not a native English speaker, probably an immigrant. She was also s-l-o-w.

My impatience was growing as I scanned for another open register. The only other one open had a line much longer. So we waited. Finally, the groceries were almost all scanned and bagged. Then the cashier pointed to the remaining items and said, “I can’t touch that.” On the counter were two pounds of bacon, a tube of sausage, and a frozen sausage pizza. It dawned on me what was going on: As a Muslim she could not handle the pork.

Everyone’s frustration level was rising. My wife suggested the cashier let her scan it. She declined and went to ask another employee for help. He was not sympathetic and suggested she let the customer scan the items. Sheepishly, the cashier returned and handed the scanner to the customer. She scanned the pork and my wife helped her bag it before leaving. We paid for our items and left.

Questions filled the air as we left: Why would the manager station a woman who can’t handle pork at the register? How can she work at a place that sells pork and be faithful to her beliefs? Why didn’t she just let the customer scan the items to begin with? Doesn’t she know this is America? Why is she here if she won’t conform to our social norms?

In the midst of our frustration it hit me. While I still can’t understand the manager’s decision to put her at the register, I think I know why she is here. She needs to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. God brought her here to meet His followers who can introduce her to the Truth.

Sadly, all she saw in me was my frustration at being late for work. I hope her next encounter with a Christ-follower is more redemptive.

In the meantime, I’ve been reminded of a lesson I thought I had already learned: Wherever I am, whatever the circumstance, I am an ambassador of Jesus Christ. That matters far more than getting to work on time.

I’m back, after a long silence in this space. My return is just in time for my annual gripe session about the songs of the season. It’s the Christmas season again and the carols are playing, and playing, and playing, and….

Don’t get me wrong, I love celebrating Christ’s birth. I love gift-giving. I love fun time with family. But I don’t love a lot of Christmas music.

I do enjoy a bit of the old standards: Joy to the World, Silent Night, O Come O Come Emmanuel, etc. I also enjoy hearing these done in a fresh way from time to time: Mannheim Steamroller has some interesting instrumental. I’ve heard Phil Keaggy do a few as well.

I even enjoy a few Christmas novelty songs, in small doses: I’m Gettin’ Nuttin’ for Christmas (heard that the other day for the first time in years), I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas (once or twice is plenty), Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, etc.

I even enjoy a few of the more contemporary secular Christmas tunes: Merry Christmas Darling (the Carpenters classic), Tender Tennessee Christmas, etc.

What I DON’T enjoy are the lame Christmas songs and the six weeks of 24-hour nothing-but-Christmas-music-radio-stations. So what are the lame songs (IMO)? Here are some that are grating on me this year.

Christmas Shoes–okay once or twice a few years ago. Enough already. Change the channel immediately.
Little Drummer Boy–drum this one right out of town, for good. Never heard a good version. Never.
Any Christmas song done by an aging rocker or pop star trying to hang on to a career.
Any re-re-re-re-re-re-recording of a Christmas “favorite”–how many versions do we need of Mary Did You Know?
If Only, the uber-lame spoken word song about the guy and the flock of birds–a good story once, not the 1000th time.
Any Christmas song with bad theology (i.e., We Three Kings–the Bible never says there were three or that they were kings.)
Any good Christmas song done poorly–the champ is O Holy Night, a good song, butchered relentlessly.

I’m anything but a Scrooge, believe me. I just grow weary of the same old songs of the season–usually by the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Come on, musicians! Give us some fresh stuff! The old story never gets old and we even like the old songs, to a degree. But I ache for some fresh tunes.

An article in the New York Times the other day got me thinking. This time of year is wonderful and frustrating–characteristics that seem true of life in general. So with the help of a few sources, I’m making a list of some of the frustrating messages I see and hear, especially this time of year. See if any of them sound familiar.

To be continued
Sold out
No longer available
Not at this address
Your email was undeliverable
Can’t take your call, leave me a message
Not in service
Register closed
This may sting/hurt a little
Your call is important to us
Can you hold?
Invalid user name/password
Assembly required
Batteries not included
Try again later
Prices subject to change
Would you like his voice mail?
Word has quit unexpectedly

Can you think of others? Probably so. The good news, of course, is that you’ll never get such messages from God. His line is never busy, he always recognizes you, and is never out of what you need. A comforting thought amid the holiday hustle and bustle.

What do you have too little of? Ask that question to people and you’re likely to get answers like money, time, sleep, or love. While I can relate on all counts, I’m convinced I have an even greater need: wisdom. I don’t think I’m alone, either.

The book of Proverbs is all about wisdom–how to get it, how to keep it, and how to use it. Interestingly, wisdom is often personified as a woman (“she”) in Proverbs. (Maybe Solomon was trying to tell us something, guys.) Proverbs is clear about the value of wisdom. I won’t take time to write out the verses, but grab a Bible and look at what gaining true wisdom (the kind God gives) will do for you.

1. Wisdom will make you happy (3:13). It will raise the level of joy and satisfaction in your life.
2. Wisdom is more valuable that riches (3:14-15). Nothing compares with it.
3. Wisdom will give you a long life (3:16a).
4. Wisdom will bring you riches and honor (3:16b). These riches are measured in more than money.
5. Wisdom results in pleasantness and peace (3:17). Sin causes turmoil. Wisdom calms the seas.
6. Wisdom gives you courage (3:21-24). That’s because the wise trust God!
7. Wisdom enables you to be victorious (21:22). To the wise, no obstacle is too great.
8. Wisdom brings deliverance (28:26). It sets us free from bondage.

For these reasons and many more, growing in wisdom should be the goal of every believer. So how do you know if you are wise? More about that later…

A newspaper editor told me once, “Words are little bombs.” He’s right. Words have the ability to set off huge explosions, devastating anyone nearby. They also have the ability to frame a discussion to the advantage of one side or the other.

Another term I see a lot these days is progressive. It’s often used in political discussions, almost always in reference to the liberal side. Lately, I’m seeing it in discussions regarding the work of the church. One side, usually the one advocating change, refers to itself as progressive. The other side is usually termed conservative, but I get the idea that some who consider themselves progressive would really like to call the others regressive.

Of course, by definition, progressive refers to that which is relating to or characterized by making progress. Certainly those who adopt that label want to think their agenda is all about moving forward. I’m finding, however, that some who call themselves progressives are not moving forward but away from. For instance, some who advocate the ordination of homosexuals are quick to call themselves progressive. In reality, they are moving away from the truth. Likewise, some American politicians who call themselves progressives are simply moving away from the bedrock values of the United States.

Personally, I’m in favor of true progress–a move forward–toward that which is truly for the betterment (both temporal and eternal) of all people. When I see such moves, I’ll be glad to stand with the progressives. But when the move is away from the truth, I’ll gladly stand with those who seek to preserve it.

In the meantime, let’s be cautious in the way we choose and use our terminologies. Especially in the church, we must be fair in not only what we say about our brethren but what our terms imply about them as well.