I Have A Gospel Dream – Revisiting Dr. King’s Famous Address

I am a child of the civil rights movement. I grew up as a minority white kid in inner city Atlanta, Georgia during the volatile season of the late 1960s and early 70s. The desegregation movement sent me, along with a hand full of white kids, to the previously all black Elementary School known as C.D. Hubert. My sixth grade year, on the first day of class, Coretta Scott King, Dr. Martin Luther King’s wife, spoke at C.D. Hubert to encourage us to embrace one another and to remember the reason her husband died. We ended that meeting as we did every all-school meeting, with students and teachers, black and white, raising their hands together and singing in on voice – “We shall overcome”

However, as a ‘minority’ white kid, I sometimes became the face of the enemy. In 1977 I attended a brand new school named Martin Luther King Middle. The week that the miniseries “Roots” was aired on television, I was attacked five times by angry black kids who blamed me for American slavery. I also suffered at the hands of a few racist teachers in the days when it was legal to spank children who forgot to finish their homework. My spankings tended to be much worse. In fact, one beating was so severe that it left me with deep bruises on my legs and backside. My mother saw to it that the teacher resigned. Yet, somehow, in the midst of all of that drama, I avoided becoming a racist. I didn’t hate black people. Somehow I was able to see that the major differences in people were not determined by the color of their skin, as Dr. King so eloquently puts it in his “I Have a Dream” speech, but by the content of their character. In the world that I grew up in, there were mean and evil and broken black people, and there were mean and evil and broken white people.

Yet, at the same time, there existed remarkably loving people of color like my elementary school music teacher – Mr. Fleming – who discovered that I had a voice that could sing with the soul of black man (his words). He taught me to use my voice and he put me right up in the front of the Black Gospel Choir, singing the lead in “Going Up Yonder.” I also had great and loyal friends like L.D. Hull, Eddie James, David Fields, and another kid named David that we all called “Skee Ball”. We were determined not to allow the racism of our culture to shape how we felt about each other.

Sadly, as things go, my family moved from inner-city Atlanta at the end of my sophomore year and I lost touch with my childhood friends. But those days gave me a paradigm for seeing the world. People are not evil because of the color of their melanin. They are evil because of the darkness in their hearts. As a child, I memorized Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech. It has stuck with me through the years and I have recently had the opportunity to analyze the speech and to think about its message. Ultimately, the speech really is a homily about heaven. It is a speech about the Church. It is a speech drawn from the truth of the Gospel and almost lifted from the pages of Isaiah. It is a speech that could only be written by someone who possessed a Christian view of the world.

Yet, with no disrespect to Dr. King, the speech does not go far enough. The heart of our collective Dream must rise above the struggles of the civil rights movement. It must speak to something deeper…something more. It must speak to something eternal. Because at the end of the day, our hope is not found in the human spirit to overcome. Our hope cannot rest in our ability to save ourselves. Our hope is not in Barak Obama or Martin Luther King or Bono or Mother Teresa or John Calvin. If we understand the Gospel rightly, we must admit that our one and only True Hope must rest in Jesus Christ, and in Jesus Christ alone. There is no one else who can change the content of our character. No one else can rescue us from the wretchedness of sin or the ugliness of hate. Only the Cross can save us. And only through Christ can we ever hope to be truly “free at last”.

With these thoughts in mind, as way to commemorate my respect for Dr. Martin Luther King, and with a desire to root Dr. King’s thought more clearly in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I have re-written the “I Have a Dream Speech”. Somehow, I don’t think Dr. King would mind.

I call this speech, “I Have a Gospel Dream.”

Click at the top to Listen or click below to Dowload…

I Have A Gospel Dream – Audio

I Have A Gospel Dream – PDF Document

Celebrating Christmas in a Season of Economic Crisis

Below is an article that I recently published in our church newsletter…

I don’t know if you have noticed (of course you have), but America is in a pretty serious economic recession. This financial crisis has certainly affected our church. Over the past several months, I have talked with a number of families and individuals at Surfside PCA who are feeling the impact – retired couples who have lost more than half of their retirement nest egg, craftsmen who have nothing left to build, real estate agents who have no buyers or sellers, and small business owners who have gone belly up. There are a good number who are facing the reality of losing their home, losing their automobiles, and to be sure, some are even having a difficult time putting food on the table.

In the midst of these challenges, we approach Christmas – the season of buying and selling and giving gifts. I think it is safe to assume that this is not good news for most of us. In fact, instead of a time of celebration and cheer, the Christmas Season may feel like a swift kick to the head of a guy who is already down. If you identify with what I’m saying, allow me to offer a word of spiritual encouragement

First of all, let’s admit that there is not a lot we can do to change our circumstances. Our economy is in trouble and none of us can change that by working harder. Not one person that I have talked to is hurting financially because they are lazy. They are willing to work hard, but that is not the issue. No amount of hard work and ingenuity can change their situation. We are now beginning to feel the weight of our true needs.  It’s not as if we didn’t have those needs before, but without the cushion of financial security, we feel those needs more deeply.  Aren’t we all in desperate Spiritual need all the time? Isn’t this why we needed Jesus to “move in next door” to us, to become a man, to give His life? This Christmas season provides us with a great opportunity to worship Jesus. We are desperate. We have come to the end of ourselves. We need Jesus to dwell with us.

Secondly, let’s admit that we do not consist of the things we own or the money we have or the jobs that we do. The Scripture tells us that we are more than what we wear or what we eat. Now more than ever, we have the opportunity to feel that truth. We may not have jobs or money or financial security, but we do have our spouses, our children, our church family and most of all, we have Christ Jesus – the greatest gift that God could give us. Jesus never owned a home. Never had a savings account. The Son of Man had no place to lay his head. Yet, he was satisfied with the love of His Father. He trusted that His Father would commune with Him and ultimately would provide for Him. When He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, Jesus said, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.” Jesus makes it clear that His greatest need was not food or shelter, but His greatest need was to commune with His Father. As hard as it may seem, and as foreign as it may be to our flesh, isn’t this also true for us.  We may not want to believe it.  But ultimately, we need Jesus to feed us.

Finally, let’s admit that we can still celebrate this Christmas season by giving gifts. What an opportunity we have. Jesus came into the earth as the King of Kings and gave us the greatest gift He could possibly give – He gave us Himself. He sacrificed Himself that He might give us Freedom; that He might give us Hope, that He might give us Love. Church, you can do the same. Maybe you do not have “silver or gold” but what do you have? You have the Love of Christ. You have Hope. You have Freedom. So, this Christmas season feel free to mourn over what you have lost.  That is perfectly legitimate.  Cry out to the Father.  Cry out to Christ.  Jesus mourns with you.  He knows what you are going through.  Do not allow your circumstances to drive you away from Christ.  Instead, allow your desperation to drive you to the foot of the Cross.  Yet, do not simply mourn what you have lost.  Allow Christ to take you further, so that you might also celebrate what you have. You have Jesus!  You have Hope.  You have Freedom.  If the Lord has blessed you financially, give to others who are need in our church.  Give sacrificially and celebrate the Gospel. If you have no money, consider what you do have and give that. Give Cheer. Give Hope. Give time. Give your heart. Give your Love. Remember Christian, no man is impoverished who has Christ.

O come, O come Immanuel
And ransom captive Israel
Who mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Immanuel shall come to thee O Israel

Halloween: A beautiful picture of Grace

Well Halloween has come and gone and I am grateful that this year I heard far less “crazy Christian Halloween talk” than I have in years previous. Maybe it was the distraction of the coming presidential election that kept most evangelicals from thinking about the horrors of Halloween, but this year I didn’t hear anyone talking about burning Harry Potter books, or praying against Satan, or dressing their children up as Bible characters.

This year, instead of absenting ourselves from a “pagan” holiday, our church had a community festival. That’s right. On October 31st, All Hallows Eve, Surfside Presbyterian Church had blow-up games and dunking booths. We gave out candy and had a box maze and a pie eating contest and all kinds of kids and parents came and dressed up like princesses and superheroes and some even dressed up like monsters. It was a great time for all and a blessing to our community here in south Myrtle Beach. I thought it was great.

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. I don’t know why really. It just has. My childhood memories are filled with bags of candy and Charlie Brown’s “The Great Pumpkin”. I loved it…and I still do. As a matter of fact, out of all the American Holidays, I think that Halloween may be the best at exemplifying the Grace of Jesus Christ. Let’s take a look at it.

On all Hallows Eve, people disguise themselves, dress up like monsters, and go up to a door with an empty bag. They knock on the door and hold out the bag and a neighbor opens the door. The person smiles and says, “Wow, you’re scary! Who are you? Are you a Vampire?” The little kid nods. Then the neighbor laughs and gives the child encouragement, and pours candy into their empty satchel. Doesn’t that sound like the Gospel? It does to me.

The Gospel says that we are all evil monsters who have nothing to offer anyone. We are poor and empty and hiding, walking around begging for someone to fill our empty hearts. Jesus moves into our neighborhood and bids us come in to sup with Him. We knock on Christ’s door and He opens up His home and His heart. “Wow, you’re scary! Who are you supposed to be?” Jesus asks. “I’m a Vampire. I’m a Witch. I’m a Monster,” we say behind our masks. Then Jesus fills up our hearts with the Grace of God, not because we deserve it or because we’re cute, but because we really are monsters and desperately need what He has to offer.

That’s why Halloween is a great picture of the Gospel. It’s a picture of me going to Jesus. Empty, desperate, hiding, and receiving gifts that I cannot buy and love that I cannot earn. That’s why, at my house, we call Halloween by it’s appropriate name – “Grace Night: A night for monsters to come out of hiding.” For years, this is what I have taught my children. They don’t know that Halloween is a night for “pagan Satan worship”. They think it’s a night to worship Jesus. A night to remember the Grace that we have been given and a night to give Jesus thanks for welcoming Vampires and Witches and Monsters into His loving arms. And all we need to receive His grace is a beggars’ desperate posture.

So next year, when October 31st rolls around, be sure to dress your worst and go door to door begging for candy. Just remember, it’s not Halloween. It’s Grace Night. Don’t forget to bring an empty bag.

The Awesomeness of the Dark Knight

So, on Thursday night at 12 midnight, my family and I, along with about 20 other friends, went to go see “The Dark Knight”. It was so awesome that my head exploded, right there in the theater. I would give a review here but a video is worth a thousand words.

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Thanks to Bill Kinnon, “Achievable Ends”.

Maybe the Flobots can Preach?

One evening while enjoying a beer with my good friend and fellow pastor Justin Woodall, I heard a song come over the sound system at Beef O’ Brady’s. It was “Handlebars” by the Flobots. At the time I’d never heard of them, but I immediately liked the hard driving rap and, as I caught bits and pieces of the lyrical content, I felt that the song was saying something important. Later, Justin and I downloaded the song and “wow”. What a powerful message. We were blown away.

Just to be clear, Justin and I are pastors, on staff at Surfside Presbyterian Church. Not only do we love Surfside Pres, but more broadly, we love the Church of Jesus Christ. That is why we are in the ministry. That is why I personally have been in the ministry for 20 years and why Justin works as a Pastor of Student Ministry. We LOVE the church. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!!! In fact, we love the church so much that we want her to be what Christ has called her to be – His body made manifest upon the earth. We long to see the Church operate, by the power of the Holy Spirit, as the hands and feet and mouth of Christ.

The Gospel is not a Gun – Part 2

The following video clip is from the movie, “Saved”…

Hilary Faye: Mary, turn away from Satan. Jesus, he loves you.
Mary: You don’t know the first thing about love.
Hilary Faye: [ throws a Bible at Mary] I am FILLED with Christ’s love! You are just jealous of my success in the Lord.
Mary: [ Mary holds up the Bible] This is not a weapon! You idiot

Like I’ve said before…The Gospel is not a Gun.

Click here or on pic to see video

We Need God

Douglas Coupland is a writer from Vancouver, Canada who became fairly famous in 1991 for his fictional novel,“Generation X: Tales of an Accelerated Culture”, in which he coined the phrase, you guessed it, “Generation X”. Coupland is eccentric to say the least. He’s written several odd and provocative novels on post modern culture. With titles like, “Shampoo Planet”, “Microserfs” and “Girlfriend in a Coma”, Coupland has become a semi sub-cultural pop icon. Besides writing, Coupland has also gained recognition as a film maker and as a visual artist. He once sculpted a series of works in which he chewed up copies of his own books and wove them into hornets nests. Weird dude, huh? Coupland does not claim to be a Christian, and is in fact openly gay. But here’s the thing…

Douglas Coupland is very different from me. He is a non-southern, gay, liberal, public TV watching, sports hating, non-Presbyterian. Yet, he wrote one of the coolest paragraphs I’ve ever read about the human need for a relationship with God.

The Church of Oprah Exposed – an analysis

There is a video circulating around the internet called “The Church of Oprah Exposed”. Maybe you’ve seen it. If not, you can check it out at the bottom of this post. The video accuses Oprah as being a sort of “pastor or priestess” of the world’s largest “new age” church. While I agree with the video in general, I believe that it overstates the case in regard to Oprah. Make no mistake. Oprah is a powerful proponent of dangerous and anti-biblical thought. I mean, how can anyone deny the impact and thought of Oprah? She beautifully exports her well dressed anti-biblical ideas, every day, to millions of people, with no apologies. She recently has become even more assertive as a result of her relationship with Eckhart Tolle, who has written two very popular books “The Power of Now” and more recently “A New Earth”. Along with the books, Oprah and Tolle assert the idea of discovering what they call “The One Thing” – which simply means embracing that there are many paths that lead to Spiritual Awakening (or God).