Biblical Passages for Those Who Parent or Work with Teens

My blog over the next few weeks will be devoted to my work with students. Next year will mark 20 years that I have been involved in Christian Education and I wanted to reflect a little on my ministry philosophy and set some goals for the future- see the original blog at www.jayopsis.blogspot.com

PASSAGE 1- PATIENCE IN THE PREPARATION OF WINESKINS

Luke 5:33-39: 33 They said to him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.”
34 Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? 35 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.”
36 He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’” 

This passage has always helped me in my work with students AND as a parent. I know that the applications may be less direct in my line of work, but some clear principles are here both for the teacher/parent and for the students. And even though the context here is the nature of the New Covenant Kingdom- the applications are valid.

Context and Overview: Jesus is being carefully watched and critiqued. It is interesting how the flow fits here, and you almost paint a narrative though I admit it brings in some speculation. Jesus is getting active and drawing interest and the implications of His ministry is causing uneasiness. The status quo is being challenged and it always attacks rivals. The key word is found right above this passage, in verse 29 “But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect ‘complained’. What is the difference in a complaint and a question? What is the dividing line of helpful critique and a damaging complaint? We know the answer- matters of intentionality.
Their first critique is that they are eating and drinking with sinners. Jesus answers the sinner issue. The second criticism is that they are eating and drinking. In their understanding, religious zeal is regulated and evaluated by ascetic lifestyle. I find it interesting that Jesus uses a wine analogy to answer the charge.
Of course the biblical principle centers around the timeliness of behavior and allowance of the pleasurable when appropriate. Basically Jesus is saying- sometimes the time is right and sometimes the time is not right. Ultimately we enjoy pleasure at the allowance of our King who also is our Father. We serve at his will and not ours. There are times for feasting and there are times of fasting- it’s not important what we do, it is important why and for who we do it.
This seems to be an important point of the New Testament and the emphasis on conscience and concern for the weaker brother- or in other words- not using freedom as an offense (another day and another topic).
Jesus implies that He is involved in a process and the first step is preparation. You prepare a new wineskin, then fill it with new wine, as it ferments both the wineskin and wine are changed. The structure influences the substance and the substance changes the structure. The process takes time and involves pressure and constriction and contraction.
At some point, the wineskin is opened and the aged, desirous, aromatic and beneficent drink is used.
To put new wine into an old/used wineskin is foolish. The old skin cannot withstand the new process – it can only take so much for so long. And it is senseless to patch an old with a new piece- you ruin both. You must make allowances for time and pressure to produce the good stuff.
The overall point is that Jesus is bringing in a new administration of the covenant of grace and these disciples are going to carry this new wine into a new structure. They will face pressure and suffering- they will fast in time-AND the product will be beautiful.

APPLICATION TO THOSE WHO PARENT/WORK WITH TEENS:
PATIENCE- wineskins are in process. As sophisticated as a senior seems, they are still just a new wineskin that will be filled and capped in time. My guess is that they will pour out the gospel in whole new structures and I have no clue what it will look like. I will not be able to work in that new structure- I just need to pour out my wine in faithfulness to my Father.
PROPRIETY: In a weird twist- we should teach the teens to serve at the Lord’s will, not their hasty whim. The bridegroom is away for now- so we need to fast and practice self discipline- enjoying pleasure- YES- but in His timing and in His way.
So we have a strange application- the trials of life are coming- be patient. I do not expect my senior daughter to have the sanctification of a 30 year old. God will fill her and ferment her in circumstances and time to produce a beneficial fruit. She will be changed and the world will be impacted- at His pleasure and for His glory.
At the same time- trust God in this timing by obeying Him. There is a reason He wants abstinence and soberness- pleasure is not sinful- using pleasure outside his allowances is sinful. As a parent/teacher I am to be patient with their spiritual immaturity and they are to be patient with God’s restrictions. Both are points of perseverance.

Movie Review: 'Collision' with Christopher Hitchens and Doug Wilson

I don't know why it took me so long to see the movie 'Collision'- but I downloaded it from Amazon.com and finished it today. It is a beautiful and fun movie. The stuff being put out today in the area of Apologetics is great because the film makers understand how to use fast moving editing and music to make dry debates interesting.
    These types of interactions are good. I see Hitchen's in such a better light and I confess my admiration for him and have found myself praying for him, crying out to God for him, especially in light of his recent fight with terminal cancer.
I also have to say how impressed I am with Doug Wilson, his patient and calm defense of Christianity through pre-suppositional apologetics, his reformed theology, and his great training puts him as a man called for such a time as this.
As I continue to see the whole debate coming to cosmology, teleology, and morality- I keep wondering why the apologist never presses the skeptic being created in God's image. Why can Hitchen's know good and do good even though he does not believe? Because he cannot escape the fact that he is an image bearer. He is a beautiful creation, regardless of his rebellious state. I'm sure there is a tactical reason that the apologist does not go there- but I would bite.

I love the bottom line for Wilson: 'The Christian faith is good for the world because it provides the fixed standard which atheism cannot provide and because it provides forgiveness for sins, which atheism cannot provide either. We need the direction of the standard because we are confused sinners. We need the forgiveness because we are guilty sinners. Atheism not only keeps the guilt, but it also keeps the confusion.'

May we continue to step into the marketplace of ideas... no need to hide. The greatest opportunities in these debates is not a love of ideas, it is not to win arguments, it is the ability to love people- and that is where we make the biggest impression.

My Good-Natured Young Earth Views are Evolving

"Science gives us the full accord of facts- It costs the church a severe struggle to give up one interpretation and adopt another- but no evil need to be apprehended- The Bible still stands in the presence of the whole scientific community, unshaken”

Charles Hodge- Princeton 1829

I vividly remember my first encounter with evolution in the classroom. I was in 6th grade at Robinson Elementary and the mere mention of an unguided process that over eons of time turned a germ into a monkey and then into a man was laughable.


I don't know if the two visceral reactions were connected- but my 'red flag' aversion to evolution was equally comparable to my anger toward racism. At the core of my being, these views collapsed right in front of my deep grained instinct that the Creator was there and He was just and good.

This class was prone to tough debates and I remember the interesting realization that I was in the minority. It's funny, but my weakest argument to these elementary debaters was my firm stance on the 6 day creation account. But my God was big enough for the miracle... He could have done it in 6 seconds!

"Everyone knows that the universe is millions of years old"
"Oh Yeah?" I said.
"Yeah"


Do you believe me? I so remember it and I specifically remember being a science skeptic from my early years. I trusted God and I did not trust men. If God's story and man's story were in conflict...I'm taking God.

As I got older, and actually became a Christ follower, my argument grew more 'sophisticated'-

'A very smart man still has little perspective on time. He may know 75 years....possibly a select few know 100....but no one truly can perceive 1,000- let alone 1 million"

I will tell you that a young earth believer in Genesis has a pretty simple apologetic. God said it and that settles it. He was there and you weren't. I believe in 1 miracle GOD. You have to believe in millions of miracles without Him.

My next interesting skirmish was in Birmingham. I was teaching at a Christian school and we hosted Hugh Ross for a weekend. It seemed to be fine until Hugh got an audience with our Bible department. I remember sitting in the school library. My recollection was the audience was very small- three or four Bible teachers, our pastor, and a history teacher.


Hugh Ross had barely started before the odium thelogicum attacked with their guns blazing.
"How dare you teach this day age stuff?" "You are out of your field and have no right to make theological applications." "You have undone Romans, you have destroyed the gospel, in your view there is death before sin and death cannot happen before sin."
I was shocked and I was embarrassed. Though I still held to my literal, young earth view- I saw Hugh Ross as a man who proclaimed Jesus and taught a high view of Scripture.
I also need to say that I have deep respect for the Bible teachers- they loved Jesus and the gospel and knew the Bible so deeply. But this was a hot button topic.
It even got to the point that some in our Bible department would not label a college 'christian' unless it taught a young earth and a literal 6 day creation.

My questioning would get me small splashes of indignation. It is the mischievous side of me that kind of sadistically enjoys the turmoil.
 "Who says there can't be death before sin?"
"What if it meant spiritual death... or human death?"
"Did Adam not step on an ant?"
"Did the serpent eat bananas?" I know...stupid!

But they were settled- the slippery slope to liberalism begins when a person compromises Genesis 1. Once you begin... where does it stop? If the day is not literal- how can we say Adam and the garden are not figurative?


For a long time after that, I was the 'good-natured young earth  guy'. I held firm to my position, but did not question the faith of any 'old-earther' I ran into. There were times where I didn't know what was more shocking to them- the fact that I was young earth or the fact that I was accepting of others who weren't.

I moved to Nashville and began teaching apologetics. My department leader was old-earth and he seemed ok with my young earth view. The only time I got him riled up at all was my 'young earth that appears old' argument. He said it makes God deceitful. I never really agreed with that rebuttal because general revelation only declares that God is there- it takes special revelation to give out the details that He wants us to have. It would not bother me at all if I found an antique storage chest in my father's workshop.
"Wow, dad, this is amazing."
"How did you make this? It looks 200 years old!"
"I finished it this morning, son."
So a 5 minute tree in Eden had 35 rings... and it keeps a Biblical theme.. things are not always what they seem.

My apologetics study led me at first into evidentialists and the weapons against macro-evolution. You have to understand, that getting arguments against Darwin were thrilling to me. I hated what Darwin had done to the church. I remember that sheer anger I felt when I watched 'Inherit the Wind' and saw the biased attack on my faith. So how could I not cheer when I read about irreducible complexity, and the Cambrian explosion, and the faulty Miller Urey experiment.. and on and on.

But a funny thing happened- as I read the evidence I had to admit that there was no doubt that evolution was true. The slight, successful changes in species was studied and proven.
But the extrapolation of that theory into a naturalistic world-view which helped kick God out of classrooms and relegated faith to a 'stay at home' private thing was offensive. It didn't help that all of the neo-darwinists would take all kinds of explanations for life.... including aliens.. as long as God wasn't mentioned.

My young earth views were greatly helped by Douglas Kelly's excellent book "Creation and Change". But I also was helped by reading Einstein's biography and going back into Hugh Ross from time to time. I saw the two camps (young and old) as being tools to spread the gospel. Young earthers reach traditionalists and old earthers reach post-moderns. God had people in every sphere with a high view of Scripture and a love for gospel proclamation.

I even developed a 'power point' where I helped to clarify a lot of mistakes we make. It demonstrated how the Big Bang theory actually helps a theistic world view and how ID could be a rival to macro-evolution in the science classroom.

My next funny moment was when I was asked to speak at a Creation Conference at a Christian school across town that was also a big sports rival. I knew that my power-point was going to be picked to death by the 'Answers in Genesis' people. My mentioning of Intelligent Design was anathema and they took me to task in the gymnasium. The students loved it! The CPA football coach was getting grilled! After I answered their main criticism a few other panel speakers came up to me. 'I thought you made a great point". I thought 'thanks for speaking up for me'. But in a weird way, I enjoyed it.


Fast forward three years later and the growing evidence for an old universe and the slow erosion of young earth arguments have me reconsidering the whole thing. The only way I can stay young earth is to keep my "looks old, but is young" view. But most of the other supporting elements are easily explained away.

So I will spend some time going back to Genesis and considering again: Day Age- Analogical Days- Fiat Days- and Framework Views. I will pray and read and wrestle. I am not a scientist or a theologian... so I doubt I will ever be the last word on anything. But I enjoy the process and am so confident in my Heavenly Father that He and I will enjoy the process.

I started the background of this study by reading the Holman book: "Understanding Creation" edited by Jeremy Howard and designed by Doug Powell- two great local resources.

I am starting off with some honest questions:
How does Moses' background/education play into the way God spoke to him?
God dictated to Moses information- how does giving the info relate to the real time-line of the events?
Was there a purpose in God using current cultural structures as the best way to prepare the world for His solution for sin?
In what ways did God place himself in competition with false gods and rivals only to show His power and victory? Did He have to set up a parallel structure so we could see the difference?
If we adopt accomodist views of Scripture- where does the figurative stop and literal begin?
At what point do we end up in old-fashioned liberalism?
Is it possible for any man to think clearly here? Aren't we all influenced by presumptions? What if all the thoughts about the age of the universe are faulty models that don't take into account the possibility of fluctuations in time/space/history?
Is all of this battle over the beginning that important? Isn't the real skirmish over the life/death/words/ and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth?

Should be a fun run!

Comments on "The Last Christian on Earth" by Os Guinness

I'm going to paraphrase and comment on some of Os Guiness's book that was originally published under the title, "The Gravedigger Files (IVP, 1983). This is a little like C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters, but more direct and informational.

The problem with this blog is to differentiate Guiness's points of brilliance and my random rambling. So anything in BLUE (italics in facebook notes) and  is me- and if Guinness contradicts my BLUE... choose Guinness!

Memorandum 2 is a phenomenon labeled 'The Sandman Effect' and is presented as an enemy tactic versus the church.

In this tactic, the church digs its own grave while Christians sleep.

The major premise of the Sandman Effect is to infiltrate the church by use of culture- which exposes the defensive vulnerability of the church. Instead of the church becoming more aware of the damaging effects of popular culture, she falls into a deeper and deeper sleep.

The first experiment with this tactic is confusing the nature of belief. The impact of the enlightenment produced unexpected and unintended results.  The pomp and pressure of those who presented themselves as the intellectual elite offered much promise, but only produced exclusive caste systems and cynicism. The ultimate fruit of intellectual oppression is a quest for power and the greatest use of that power is cynical, dream killing, skepticism.

I love how Guinness describes this: "Yes, there was brilliance, but its darker side was the empty rhetoric, the hypocritical poses, the shabby compromises. the betrayal of friends and causes, with some people fellow-traveling with the communists, and others more or less sleeping with fanaticism...The legacy of this kind of general mood became a more effective inoculation against faith that a hundred (Voltaires)". The desire for truth went out of fashion..... which led the way for post-modernism which is not a clear philosophy... it is also a mood.

And here is where we (Christians, especially in the south) go wrong- we fail to see what has happened among those who are not the traditionalists. Traditionalists have a strong sense of right and wrong- they have a foundation of TRUTH.

But we are increasingly living among those (especially the young- media savvy- who tend to think by sight and act by impulse) who judge truth not by objectivity, but degrees of plausibility.

In Guinness's words- "we have created a climate in which a thing's seeming to be true is often mistaken for its being true."

And what is the means of this change? By changing the definition and standards of 'belief'.

We allow and even applaud people who believe or disbelieve on non-rational or psychological grounds. YOUR FEELINGS ARE VALID AND YOUR ACTIONS ARE JUSTIFIED BECAUSE THEY ARE PLAUSIBLE, EVEN IF THEY DO NOT CONNECT TO REALITY OR TRUTH.

I love Guinness's analogy here: we accept a person who is an atheist- not because they have weighed truth and fallacy- but simply because their father was a religious hypocrite who alienated the family from God as much as himself.

Unfortunately, we fall into this trap when we begin to elevate psychology over Scripture or only accept interpretation and application of Scripture as it fits the latest psychological models.

See how subtle it is? We agree with truth if the support structure is strong. But if the support structure is weak, it is harder to believe.

"Coach it with care and and plausibility will upstage credibility"- this is a scary statement.

The church has become a heart suffering from fibrillation - the rapid, irregular, and unsynchronized contraction of muscle fibers- 

one spasmodic side is the Christian philosophers- who expound the theoretical- and the other meaningless motion is the 'just give me Jesus' anti-intellectual crowd who throw out doctrine.

Then Guinness shows how the Apostle Paul provides a framework for the fight. He knows that the church is the pillar and bulwark of truth... not theory. "Paul would have believed his faith was objectively true if he had been the last one convinced of it."
The truth of Christianity is NOT dependent on a strong church.. but a weak church hides TRUTH as it seems less credible, and a less credible church is a less plausible church.

A Two-Legged Stool: Guinness also shows how apologists only use 2 of three tools of analysis in unveiling this issue.
Leg 1- The history of ideas
Leg 2- The climate of culture and custom
and the missing...Leg 3- the justification of knowledge

In the post modern world- cultural pluralism and relativism offers confusion in leg 2 and the rapid flow and dynamics of information makes Leg 1 seemingly archaic and irrelevant (and BORING). But if we pressed more into Leg 3 and make the post-modern man justify his knowledge beyond the perspective of personal experience and evaluate truth claims in a more logical framework- we would see some progress and usefulness of the other 2 legs.

A huge roadblock in this mess is the frenzied pace of communication technology and global mobility. I love the quote about the Kenyan saying "All westerners have watches...  but Africans have time."

"A culture of mobility plus convenience leads quite naturally not only to (drive-in food) and banks but also drive-in churches"

See how it works? Overlay upon overlay- the effect of molding lives through culture has all the advantages of a revolution and none of the disadvantages of intellectual sweat.

As our children see belief as a feeling of plausibility and relevance- as they are spun dizzy by infinite activity- as they are enticed by the promise of convenience- as they are distracted by new cool tools of transport of information tsunamis- they cannot understand that TRUTH is TRUE even if no one ascribes to it. 'When the Son of Man returns, will he find faith on the earth?' He won't, if we have lost what 'faith' means. What will He say when we respond "It just didn't 'seem' right... It didn't feel true"?

'Subtle compromise is always better than sudden captivity'.

Father- we need help. We need to slow down- we need to read the WORD- chew it- meditate on it and mull it over- we need true WORSHIP to lift us out of the trivial pursuits and insulated hearts.

In short- we have loved things and ideas that have not loved us back. We live for pleasure while the King suffered and died. 

Culture makes godliness seem strange, but without truth... justification of life is meaningless- 

Our children need to see us forsaking our idols- because the idols will soon forsake them.

But we also need to train our children how to ask the right questions- make men justify their beliefs.... make them follow the consequences of their faith.....and Holy Spirit...PLEASE illumine the TRUTH.

Pure Freedom and Fun- the 2010 CPA Football Team

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

It has been a long time since my last post and way too many ideas to share at this time.

I will be drafting some ideas after football season about all that I have been learning...reading..etc. I especially want to write about the Transcendental Argument for God at some point and press into some ideas from our recent apologetics conference.

But this post is about football and the sad end to our season against Goodpasture in the TSSAA football state playoffs.

I am so proud of my football team- if you have a facebook account, I encourage you to find "QB Club" on facebook and take in the pictures and videos of this special group of winners.

This team took the foundation of last year's team and pushed it further. This team worked hard and lead well. And we are had more fun than a person should be allowed.

If you showed up in our locker room or attended our practices, it would would strike you as strange. This was s a 'loosy goosey' bunch- but NOT to their detriment.

This team is clearly bore the fruit of what we hope to produce in this program: these young men have  a warrior spirit and a loving heart. They fight hard and know how to show love as brothers.

An example of this was last week against Pearl-Cohn, one of the most physical football teams we have ever hosted on our field. We attacked those guys with absolutely no flinching! I'm telling you that this was a senior stacked team going against our guys (12 freshmen and sophomores starting) and we matched them blow for blow.

In the end, we fell short 17-14. The PC head coach called me over the weekend and we marveled at how hard hitting the game was.

But let me tell you the 2nd big thing- our guys were and are undaunted. We have had some heart-breaking losses this season and some thrilling wins- ending up 5-6. Don't get me wrong- we have hurt when we have lost- but not like it is the end of the world. This team cannot be defeated- knock them down- and they keep coming.

Why? Because they have understood what this is all about- and it has NOTHING to do with football. This team has embraced what we are really about and that is glorifying God by enjoying football and embracing the challenge of getting better and playing hard.
Does that mean we are sinless? Heaven's NO! Were we bad at times? YES
I have had to correct our guys about language, attitude, silliness, coarseness, and this head coach has manifest sin inside and out.
But they are not afraid to bow to the King and acknowledge our only hope- the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This team sang "A Mighty Fortress is our God" by their choice and they hit the door with a mission- LEAVE IT ALL ON THE FIELD.
It wasn't in God's plan for us to move ahead- don't expect us to live like life is over. Our battle has only begun- and we will smile in adversity and celebrate success.

You ought to look at the last few pictures in the album below- see guys who fight hard and love well. I especially encourage you to look at the last pictures of the seniors- they cried hard- and then they pulled it together- and the last sounds in the locker room as joy and celebration. How many high school seniors get to do that?
http://pakempdds.smugmug.com/CPA-Football-2010/Varsity/Playoff-Game-CPA-vs/14530887_Ljhti
 

Personally, I will take a break from it- and then I want to keep getting better. We have young linemen who need to have a great offseason and we were a young team. Spring football begins in 6 months.

update:  Pearl-Cohn sends 10 football players to college ranks
Source: blogs.tennessean.com

Cold October Mornings

I have never liked early morning running.
But, this has been my routine now since school began in my effort to keep all the weight off I lost from Jan-August.

Lisa and I hit the pavement around 5:05 or 5:10 and go. We have had this standard run for a minimum of 3 days a week consistently since Mid-August. We have run in all types of conditions- even got drenched by rain one morning.

Slowly I have gotten better at it- more used to it- almost enjoying it....

But these last two morns have been my biggest enemy yet- darker and cold. Brrrrrrrrr.
I dislike cold.

We changed the route up a bit to get off the trails because it seems darker this week (the moon has been just a sliver).

But I am always amazed by creation- the stars have been spectacular and the owl greets us with his hoot.
It was 38F this morning...how low can I go?

I guess I'll have to wait to see what I do in November.......

The Real Hope and Change

OK, OK- I am getting a little more equipped to send my oldest to college. It has taken more than the average amount of prayer and late night sessions with the Lord.

It is remarkable though how often I hear these little tunes in my head:

I wanna go back and do it all over but I can't go back I know.......


If I could turn back time...If I could find a way....

So how am I doing it?
I am becoming more intentional in the present and more expectant of the future.

All I have is today. All I have is now. Am I using it in ways that will lessen regret?

I need to know that I have shown a willingness to love, to listen, to engage, to serve.
And I need to be thankful- I have a great girl and our time has been beautiful.
And, Lord willing, there will be much more- in quantity and quality.

And a much bigger hope is in the future.

My wife put up some baby pictures on the wall yesterday and I just stared. And those tunes started up again.

And then I thought- "One day, the Lord will say 'NO MORE DELAY' and it will all be made BETTER THAN OK." And that is our hope.

What are the alternatives? How can they live without Jesus?

So I have a heart today that rejoices in the fall sunshine and the spectacular blue and my heart cries out: Thank you O my King- O my Father- O my love- You have us in mind and our hope in You is good.

So I can't rewind and there is no need to fast forward.
I just step and pray into today.........

Trip to Duke 2010

Friday night we had a TOUGH loss- one of those where your gut feels like its been kicked in and you would love someone just to put you out of your misery.

Right after that my wife and 1 of my daughters packed a big suburban and headed toward Durham, NC with a friend and his son. 5 weary travelers, pulling out about midnight and wanting to get just east of Knoxville. I was about as miserable as a man can be- so tired that I actually passed out for about 2 hours.
We found our hotel room for the night and grabbed a few hours and headed out again, hoping to catch a pre-game tailgate of the Duke-Alabama game and a 3:30 EDT kick-off.

We made the tailgate right at the end, but I still had a chance to get a good hamburger- and the healing had begun. It was a beautiful Saturday on beautiful campus. Because I had been to Princeton a few years earlier, I immediately sensed the similarity.

It was fun traveling with Stewart and Andrew Shoffner- and it was fun to see Stewart's son, Robert, run out of the Duke tunnel wearing #66. That had to be great for them!

It was also good to see Coach Cut. My game Friday and the Alabama game on Saturday was a real life illustration of the old coaching cliche- "it ain't about x's and o's- it's about Jimmys and Joes". Alabama has some huge and fast 'Jimmys and Joes'- it was the first time to see them live with the championship personnel they have and all I can say is wow.

I wanted to say that I was very pleased with the Duke fans- a lot of appreciation for their team and their coach. It was refreshing.
I was so thankful to see Karen Cutcliffe after the game and did get to see Coach Cut just long enough to hug his neck and commiserate a little.

We had a lovely dinner at the Club afterward and the bed felt like heaven.

Sunday- we visited the campus- got to hear the end of the Sunday service at the majestic chapel- and had a fun, story telling- over 500 mile ride back to Nashville where I lay my head down at 10:35 PM.

The weekend had been a healing getaway... I was ready to get rolling again.

I think next time I will fly- but it was a wonderful time by all.

My Daughter is a Senior and I Can't Get Life to Slow Down

I just walked in the door about 8PM, another late night getting a game plan together- it is what I do this time of year.

Right behind me is my sweet Julie, working hard on her homework- and I just get hit by the sneak attack... she is getting ready to leave..sooner than I ever hoped.

I cannot believe it- I'm trying to grasp it- I'm not handling it very well at all.

There is this sad ache that seems to say, "Can't I just freeze frame it for a moment?"

There is so much more I want her to know- I wish I told her more with how much I love her- I wish I had been more compliant and less pig-headed.

I wish I had prayed more and stayed more.

So ready or not, here it comes. And I wonder why I get so bent out of shape about a football game.
 I'm reminded of a little poem I wrote when my senior was just a little girl......

Her Eyes

“Why don’t we even look at one another?” Emily- Our Town

“The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” Matt. 6:22,23


I can’t connect eye to eye with you.
Your eyes desperately want me to.
They flicker to points of wisdom same
And slide away in pain and shame.

Some eyes look down on me.
Your eyes look up in wait.
Some eyes don’t notice me.
Some are filled with hate.

You look up for need.
Looking for me to lead
Seeking for me to fill
Looking with mold-able will.

His eyes search within.
Shining on shadows of sin
Her heart needs His leading.
Her eyes search me, pleading.

I seek other eyes’ approval
And yearn for their attention.
My soul seeks their solace
Rubles of respect - no dissension.

His eyes move to and fro
And scans the depths of hearts.
To support the loyal will
And strengthen unified parts.

Little eyes are on me still.
Desperately wanting some time.
I’m scanning all the world
Expecting adventure sublime.

Oh, Lord! - If my heart is truly yours
I’ll seek the treasures unseen.
And answer this child on my knee
And know you’re looking at me
And she will start staring...
at Thee

Change and Big MO

Been too crazy to post. The start-up of any football season is nuts.

It has been tougher this year than any of my previous 19.

Part of it was that we re-designed the offense to better accommodate our personnel- this is what high school coaches have to do from time to time. We made adjustments in language- formations- communication- protections- so it was like starting all over. The change has been beneficial- the question will be if it is just a 1 year change or not.

We also completely re-did the kicking game. That  has been our biggest improvement. It needed new energy and new emphasis. Hidden yardage is our new battle cry.

And there were late and crazy changes to our staff. We are coaching this season with 2 guys who have never coached football... ever. One in middle school and one on varsity...and they are doing well. But we were without 2 coaches in the first week of camp and I was coaching every position in a new system.

We are building a new high school- so the daily construction issues were an unexpected thorn. We lost water- we lost part of our practice field - and took long walks to get back and forth everywhere. I called it the 'price of progress'.

We are young- we have 12 players who 'start' that are freshmen and sophomores (2 freshmen- 10 sophomores with 6 of those being linemen). That will keep you up at night.

So- it is so interesting- I have never worked harder and never had so many 'loose ends'- but I feel good. I'm running nearly every morning at 5AM with my wife and actually enjoying it. I'm keeping my weight under 200 lbs, though I'm trying to break it with stress eating. And the little attacks of the enemy to produce doubt or dissension haven't taken root.

And we are 2-0. Funny because in some ways we have played MUCH better than last season and in some ways worse. Alas, football is a funny game.

This week is huge. If we could get East Lit at our place- we start 3-0 for only the 3rd time in school history and we will be on a roll. I cannot put into words how much I want this one- but I also know that none of these games are easy... East Lit is a very quality opponent and it looks like they are better than last season- but so are we.

I'm taking the Qb's to see the Titans tonight (pre-season vs the Saints) we are going to look at coverages and concepts..have fun.

But I doubt I will sleep tonight.... the churning is growing. We are on the verge of some BIG MO.

WALL TO WALL FOOTBALL 2010

Getting anxious thinking about a new campaign of high school football.
My 19th year as a coach and my 7th as a head coach.

Never had more loose ends to start- never felt better at the start.

These players and coaches have worked... and I mean WORKED!

On Friday I weighed in at 198 lbs- accomplishing my goal to break 200 before the season begins.
That is a total weight loss of 48 lbs and I will post later on how the Lord helped me do it.

Today I ran in a 5K.
Tomorrow I will teach Sunday School and meet with our coaches 1 more time..

AND Monday..... it begins again. I am a blessed man!


No clue as how it will go.

I honestly believe though, that this is my shape. It is what my Father wants me to do.

Starting Monday, there will be at least 14 consecutive weeks of planning, practice, evaluations, adjustments, and competition. If it goes really well, it might go 5 more after that.

It is impossible to describe the ride. I have included a little journal I kept one week in a recent season that represents the inner life... what is spinning in my brain.

I get real quiet when I am away from the team during these times... but inside, my brain is in overdrive.

If you think about it, please pray for all football coaches everywhere... the madness is about to begin.

MY INNER LIFE DURING FOOTBALL SEASON
A Journal....

I wanted this AM to record what seems to be the annual recurring haunting of my mind during football season.

I think about football almost every day…year round. It’s hard not to, my life is shaped like a football. I developed an early passion for it, I have a lifetime of memories, both good and bad within my football life.

I have been coaching since 1991 and the inner experience has been almost identical each year. I spend an enormous amount of inner energy rehearsing the game in my mind. I rehearse plays, formations, motions, scenarios, injuries, per game talks, post game talks, play parent conversations, pray, anxious thoughts.

My wife points out every season how quiet I am. Inside, though, it is a screaming madness. I love my family and friends, but during the rigors of a week to week football schedule, they seem to me like I am underwater and they are on the surface calling out to me.

I wish for my brain to turn off sometimes. I find that flipping channels on TV gives me some relief. Eating gives me relief too, but it is not good for my weight or health.

About 2 weeks into the season, I get flickers in my eyelids. It is like the film I watch burns a shadow image on my eyelids. I close my eyes and still see the faint outlines of plays, wide angle, in motion.

My week starts on a Friday night- it is after the game and I am about to watch the film of the event that I have worked for all week. After a win, it is the most satisfying feeling in all the world. When we lose, I am anxious to see all the breakdowns.

I am so keyed up on a Friday night that I will usually not get to sleep before 2 AM. I lay in bed and the rehearsal goes on and on. I see it over and over. I hear it. And I start thinking about adjustments for the next game. What about our depth? Who will center if ______- gets hurt? ______ looked sad after the game. I hate that _____is hurt.

Saturday morning I am up early, I am anxious to read about our game and all the other games. I usually swap film with the next week’s team. College football only fuels my mind. I constantly look at what the innovators are doing. I like that blocking scheme for dart.

There are other things to be done, Grass cutting, kid’s activities, social appointments, girls soccer, occasional youth football game I need to attend… Saturday night, I am in meltdown. I yearn for my bed with an enormous longing. I usually crash hard, unless the game that night is really good.

Sunday morning, I actually think about the Lord… Church today, and I am excited, Worship is a release. I do catch myself thinking football plays during lulls in the service, but I am usually caught up in the reality of my sin and the grandeur of God. I thank Him over and over.

I love teaching Sunday School during football season, it forces me to keep in the Word and prayer. It is an accountability measure. I love the fellowship. When we win, I get a lot of fun conversations. When we lose, I get some encouragement- but I am also surprised how some people run from me. Maybe it is awkward for them?… not sure.

Sunday afternoon, my freest day! A nap is welcomed! I feel human again. My family is not separated by water! I eat and rest. Football is on, but the pro game does not interest my imagination- I am a passive fan. I do love the Titans, because I love Jeff Fisher and Mike Reinfeldt!


Sunday night, let me forget football…but if it is a big game, forget it. The bigger the game, the faster the haunting begins. I just hope for sleep.

Monday morning- swamped with anxiousness. I work in a frenzy- I have to get the game plan started. I have to watch the opponent. I have to draft the practice schedules. Travel? Weather? Injuries? Back-up plans? School week- and yes, I am expected to do very well as a classroom teacher....

Monday afternoon/evening:- team meeting- recap of Friday- Good/bad/ugly- watch film- teach-teach-teach- lift weights-introduced the new opponent- conditioning- kicking game- 7 on 7. Coaches meetings- go over each player- how are we doing? What are challenges? What are tweaks? How do we size up the opponent? Phone calls. A parent is not happy with me and another is thrilled.
I wrap the day up between 7 and 8PM. All the way home, my mind is scheming. I play scenarios over and over. How do they see us? What will they be thinking? What might be their plans? What do we need to rep? Monday night football helps- Bill O’Reily is an excellent distraction. He is provocative and it shuts off my brain. I close my eyes. The flicker is there. I pray. I feel so sorry for my wife, she needs more of me. But I am possessed. Lord, keep it together until the season is over. Help me take advantage of breaks and opportunities. I love my wife and children more than football. It is hard to prove that right now.

Tuesday morning- I got about 7 hours sleep unless it is a big game. If it is a big game, when I wake up- I am up. I hope is is 5:45, but sometimes it is 4:30 or 4 or sadly, sometimes 3:30. I toss and turn, pray, think, and get up.

Last time to really get opponent down- I watch the film again- who are their danger guys? Where are the weaknesses? What are the tendencies? Do they see them? How does the match ups work?

Tuesday Afternoon- BIG DAY/WORK DAY- Meetings and weights- install the plan- teach/teach/teach- Are we focused? Full pads- long, hard practice…tempo tempo- Lord, please keep us healthy-
6:30- practice ends. Usually I feel really good or bad right now. Good practice is a must! It is darker now- we are all tired. I love the laughter in the locker room- great spirit! Coaches laughing- such a great time! Thank you lord!

Tuesday night- I re-engage with the kids- so good to see them! How was the day (and I usually mean 2 days)- I look at my wife- thank you Lord for such a good woman. No words can relate the love I have for my wife of 23 years- see just can’t see it much during the haunting.

Wednesday morning- Deadlines- Scouting report finished- SS finished- playcards have to be finished, printed, laminated, distributed, I spend most of Wednesday on School and Sunday School- grading- recording- planning-

Wednesday afternoon- shorter practice- rehearsal- last reps- sometimes we review Tuesday practice tape- last weightlifting day- usually a fun practice- over at 6PM- church dinner- assistant coaches start painting the game field.

Wednesday night- I start calling the game in my head- 1st and 10- 2nd and long- 2nd and short- good runs- good passes- 1st play- kickoff or receive?- I study the weather map and forecast- big games I start to get nervous- my stomach feels queasy-

Thursday morning- I’m pumped- it’s Thursday! Thursdays are good. I rehearse the game plan. I’m getting a mental rhythm. Time to call next week’s coach and arrange a film swap. I will sometimes take a sneak peek at the next opponent.

Thursday afternoon- quick meeting- walk thru- team devotion- get them out of here ASAP- feel good- Hay’s in the barn.

Thursday evening- I like a good college game or middle school game. Hopefully I will sleep. I work hard to have no caffeine after lunch. Good family time- End of the week is here. If I lay down and fall asleep quickly- YEAH!- If I start playing the game mentally, it may be a long night. Please don’t wake up before 5:00.

Friday morning- I’m juiced! No tie day- YES!- Quick look at weather and our equipment. Were headsets plugged in? Mom’s prayer group list…DONE! Thank you for those prayers! Good to see our team in ties- I don’t feel badly at all to be in a golf shirt- LUNCH WITH BOOSTERS- fun,light- have to hurry back to class-

3:00 Coaches devotion- the most spiritually intense hour of my week. We lay it out to the Lord- a great time of fellowship- I love my coaches!

4:30 Players arrive- food arrives- I don’t want to eat, but if it is good- I do- I usually feel heavy pressure and adrenaline- I pray- I pee a hundred times from 3-7- I sometimes feel sick- The first few games I feel out of breath because I am not used to the adrenaline. Later in the year, I handle it better- pre game- I look at the other team- they look a lot better in person- I watch my team- are we focused? Smooth?

Meet with officials- I give them captains- I give them information and go through my checklist- and study their faces- is this crew going to be good to us? For some strange reason, I never feel nervous after the official’s meeting- I guess I’m fully now in the combat zone.

The locker room before the game is cool. I always pray very earnestly, Lord I can’t do this without you.

We go out and the game is always a blur. It is never predictable. Highs and lows and a roller coaster of emotional shifts in momentum. I have gotten a lot better about thinking well during the game and cutting mental mistakes down.

Nothing is more thrilling than a big win. It is the ultimate coming together of plan, work, brotherhood, and fight! Nothing wounds more than a heartbreaking loss.

After the game, I go around and hug a lot. I love seeing our players and fans happy. I see my wife and girls. They soothe me well in the losses. Thank you for being here!

And the film turns on. More flickers are burned.

When the season is over, my body totally shuts down and I get sick for about three days. A few days after that the flicker is gone and the madness is over…until next season.

QUESTIONS:
Is this serving the Lord or a convenient distraction?
Am I sacrificing my family for my obsession?
Have I misplaced priorities?
Can someone help me?
Am I just a typical idolater?
How can I be better? How can I do it better?
Soli Deo Gloria- To God Alone Be the Glory!

Count Me In! I Want to Be the Next Greatest Generation!

This was from an e-mail I received today:

I don’t know if you have read the new book “Pacific” by Will Ambrose or watch the HBO series. Tom Brokow called them the ‘Greatest Generation!’  Dr Sidney Phillips, one of the six men  depicted in ‘Pacific’ is from Mobile Alabama and recently visited with our Governor, Bob Riley, When Gov. Riley listened to Dr Phillips recount some of the happening of WW II, he made this comment. “ Your generation was truly the greatest Generation ever!” To which Dr Phillips replied, “ Governor I beg to differ with you, but the Greatest Generation is yet to come. It will be that generation that will again stand up and say Stop! No More! We are taking our country back; our Government back. We want God back in this country!”

I want to declare right now, that until my dying breath, I will try to be an instrument where God may allow this to happen. I confess my love for my country- but NOT at the expense of honoring the living, Triune, God of the Bible and His Son Jesus Christ! This is what is truly American. Only this spiritual life can give the moral foundation for a strong country and the blessings of liberty.

Liberty is not the American commodity that we export- Liberty comes only through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is our KING.

Watch me as a dad- a husband- a coach-a teacher... I am ready to fight the good fight. Who is with me?

Football Fun Time- CPA Youth Football Camp 2010

We had an incredible time this week with our youth football camp at CPA.

Three years ago we made a decision to move to a full contact camp for rising 4th grade through rising 7th grade. My desire was to take our varsity staff and give these kids a positive first experience with hitting.
That first year we had 25 or 30 participants and actually only ran half-line drills to get a scrimmage feel.

Nevertheless, it was a fun time and we felt like it was something worth doing.

Year 2, we grew to around 40 and actually got in an 11 vs 11 scrimmage for both age groups. We match up 4/5 and 6/7 for practice purposes (and still have to watch body size match-ups).

This year though, was really sweet - we started Monday with 74 and ended the week with 80!

I especially like how we do the week.

Day 1- We carefully check the fit of the equipment and let them hit the big stand-up dummies. We then teach our warm-up drills (having fun HOORAHS). I then have them pick a partner about their size and we go through teaching stations- ball security, blocking, throwing, catching, form tackle, and SNEAK ATTACK. Sneak attack is a drill we developed based on a Marine competition called 'wooded engagement'. It is two teams of 5 who hide behind these big landing mats turned on their side. Each round a coach picks a number 1-5 and that represents how many players will go onto the battlefield.

One side is offense, the other defense and the battlefield is a 10 yard x 7 yard rectangle.

I say "Ready, Ready, SNEAK ATTACK" and then guys come around from behind the big mat. At that point you see the odds- completely random- 5 vs 5 or  5 vs 4 or 3 vs 2 ... endless possibilities including 5 vs 1! And then they just go at it. There is a ball carrier- maybe 1 or more blockers- and then between 1 to 5 defenders. Fun stuff! We love when a guy fights as hard as he can to make a play against tough odds!

After the teaching stations- we do some group teaching and then play "Smash and Crash"- smash and crash is backyard football in pads. Each player is an eligible receiver and there are unlimited forward passes and laterals per play. The best games are on smaller field and a consists of numbers about 12 vs 12.

Day 2 and 3- we teach offensive and defensive groups and put in plays from a playbook that we show in the huddles. We take time to scrimmage and always end with sneak attack.

Day 4 is fun. We start the day with a variety of hitting drills: One more chance to encourage good/safe techniques contact. (One more round of Sneak Attack).

I then take them into the locker room, teach them about the Football Creed- teach the chant- teach our silly celebration song- and show a varsity highlight tape (about 6 minutes). We run out of the locker room motivated to have our best practice and scrimmage yet!

We do live scrimmage (2 at a time 4/5  and 6/7) and end with one last 'SMASH and CRASH'

We close every practice with stretching and prayer.

It was a blast seeing these young boys gradually face fears- fight fatigue- learn how to encourage and persevere- and slowly embrace the contact part of football.

The end product? After 4 short days (9-11:30 AM)- these guys walk off the field- red faced- sweating- feeling a lot of satisfaction that they had faced a challenge and won- that they had done something special- a looking forward to doing it again in the fall.

"Father, thank you for keeping us safe and thank you for the ability to have fun in football."

A Goal of the Gospel

Ephesians 2:8-10 "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

I want to throw out an idea that has been stirring in my little pea brain for a good while. Faith and works. We all wrestle with this. What is my relationship to the Law of God? What is my commitment to the moral law? How can the ceremonial and civil law of the Old Testament serve me?

Church history is full of ideas and experiments. The Monastic orders where men of God mortified the flesh in hoping to save their souls. We also see examples of antinomian (anti-law) philosophy where men drank deeply of grace and adopted an almost anything goes mentality. Go to the far right of them and see the Theonomists wanting to adopt the Civil codes of the Old Testament in society and drawing tough stances in honoring the Holy nature of God.

I even see this in current trends in the church. I don't know how familiar you are with the terms 'emergent church' or the 'new perspective of Paul' trends- but each in some ways wrestle with grace and works.

When I read N.T. Wright's commentary on Romans, I felt like the Bishop was just tired of licentious living among Christians and this 'new perspective' was an effort to push believers into thinking that they do need to add to their salvation by accomplishing righteous deeds. (Please believe me when I say that I could be dead wrong on that one- but it was a strong impression I had while reading him.)

And don't we feel that pressure ourselves? As a Bible teacher, I would love somehow to inspire my students to Holy living and a desire to honor God in our choices. A purer, more disciplined church would be more distinctive.

And yet, time and time again, Scripture calls me back to a very clear reality. The ONLY thing I add to my salvation is my hideous sin. To try and justify my record to God actually dishonors the sacrifice of Christ. To think I can compete and improve my sin trends to make God love me more is the religion that all idols demand.

So over and over, and over again. This is a gift. It is from God. I simply receive it and take Him at His word. My only claim on justification and adoption is Jesus.

And that is so clear in the above passage.

And then comes verse 10. Arrrrggggghh- there's that work again 'works'. God prepared works. I am a work. I am created in Christ for good works. And I should 'walk in them'.
No different from James... 'Faith without works is dead'.

Can someone help me?

In an attempt to be even more confusing, I wanted to write about some of the things I have experienced over the last couple of years and some thoughts. But none of this violates the gospel message: "I am a sinner, saved by God alone through Christ alone by faith alone."

Stage 1- The Ping Pong Ball. A lot of my early experience with grace was a back and forth bounce between the ditches of license and legalism. I play the role of the sinner and the pharisee, the addicted younger brother of the prodigal story and the cynical elder brother. My personal experience is one of fast jumping between the two and then finding longer periods in both (but also more stability in the sweet middle). I may write more on this one later, but there are amazing lessons and consequences in this teetering wobble. The freedom offered to the pharisee is pure joy and the grace offered to the sinner is pure hope. But this is a rather immature stage. A lot of excuse making, hiding, comparing to others, rationalization, compartmentalization, and pathetic pride.

Stage 2- The Shepherd's Tool. I was reading a new book by Timothy Witmer, entitled 'The Shepherd Leader', when I ran across a neat concept.
He visited the Nix Besser farm and asked Mrs. Herr, "What is the Shepherd's most important tool?". Witmer thought it might be the rod or staff or dog or voice. But Mrs Herr without hesitation said, "The fence".

And this describes a second stage in this concept. At some point I began to see that God's law is not obstructive or fun robbing rules. Not at all, time and experience begins to show God's law as a beautiful boundary of protection and peace. I am hemmed in for my good. Part of growing in the trust of my Father is believing that His ways are the best ways. It creates some internal motivation for improving in my ability to follow Him.

The funny thing about this stage is that I begin digging in to what the Word really says. The more I trust the fence, the more precise information I want to know. And the more precise, the more beautiful it becomes. This is a fine tuned balance that we always miss. And I laugh because I actually have way more freedom than my fears ever believed. I have missed out on no fun or pleasure that this life affords. But the boundaries keep these from sending shoots of idolatry into my heart on so many levels.

Stage 3: The Ideal Standard, the Good Gospel, and the Heart of Flesh. Lately, the fence has been less of a boundary and now becoming Standards to pursue. But the cool thing is that I see these mostly as unachievable. Something like going into every football game with the mindset of 'no turnovers'- but rarely achieving this crucial goal.
The neat thing is this- this is where the gospel serves me so well. My family, my marriage, my self discipline, my worship, my unselfishness, my giving, my prayer life is NOT what it needs to be. But I am under the precious atoning sacrifice of Christ. This gap does not discourage me- I am loved and forgiven. So I get up and run a little better tomorrow. And when I do make progress it is all due to the Spirit and the ministry of the Word, and His gift.
I am not what I need to be... but I am not what I used to be. And I am not arrogant about that, I am so thankful. All praise and credit goes to Him!
The Rule is good. It is worth pursuing. It hurts so good to sweat toward that prize. There are great examples to follow.
But here is the neat little secret.... all of this has a heart beat now called love.
The most amazing gift I have been given in these stages is the ability to love someone other than myself. When I gush at my wife and melt with my girls. When I have warm thoughts of friends and cry over their pain. When my insides smile at the lofty thoughts of my heavenly Father, all I can do is say is 'amazing'. And this honors my Father and gives proper credit to the work of the Son.

Last thing- even this blog post is an ideal that I fall short of. You may catch me tomorrow sulking over what someone said or did. I may be licking the wounds of defeat and hiding from the fray. But the Father of the glorious gospel says, "Come on, my Son, and let's get going." And I say, 'Wow, I wonder what's gonna happen next?' The old hymn says 'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His word'. I say "This is just too cool!"

Love to get your thoughts........

Our Bus Trip and the Middle Tennessee Flood of 2010

(This will be the first of a few posts from the historic, Nashville Tn Flood May 1-3, 2010- as always this is an upload from my blog: www.jayopsis.blogspot.com- Facebook doesn't always pick up my entries, so I suggest you become a follower at the main site)

  I was a chaperone this weekend (May 1) with our Middle School band on a bus trip to Atlanta. It was a great time by all. I want to really brag on our band director, Max Fulwider. This is a man who loves the Lord, loves kids, and loves music and works wonders in his program.
  After a morning competition, we spent the rest of the day at Six Flags- an almost perfect day. Cloudy, a little humid- but not packed. We rode almost every ride twice. Our first two stops, Batman ride and Superman ride was about a 3 minute wait. By the way the Goliath and Superman roller coasters at Six Flags are the most amazing rides ever!
  The  real adventure came, though, as we began to get information back from Nashville about an epic flood event taking place. There were severe thunderstorms, tornado warnings, and closed interstates to the west of us.
   I want to mention here about how well technology served us- a huge blessing from God- to be able to pull up video, maps,  pictures, to instantly text updates made it possible to plan a route and make good decisions.
   We were especially thankful for contact with an EMA director and very helpful parents. In God's goodness, we were able to get back with very little rain- we were granted a window of travel and were prepared to shut it down at anytime and hunker down in a hotel for the night.
   Our route was directed from I-24 to Murphreesboro and then we had to cut west to I-65. We then had to negotiate open roads hoping to get to Hillsboro Rd just south of Fieldstone Farms. Our plan was going fabulous, we even skirted a huge storm as it passed just north of 840, until we got to the last 30 yds.
  Here I was, looking at Hillsboro Rd- our route to freedom and we were stopped by water coming over the road- stuck. The Franklin police stopped us and suggested an alternate route.
   We had to BACK the bus up about 1/2 mile to Hwy 31 and go south. When we got to Franklin, we began to see the devastation this day of downpours had produced- flooded homes, businesses, and floating cars were startling enough to even make the middle school students watch in silence.
  The final mile had to be connected by a Police escort going up the southbound lane of Hillsboro.
We pulled into Publix to a bunch of grateful parents. The bus continued on to our school.
  The last student made it to their stop at 1AM. Our last parent chaperone was the last car to go over a bridge in downtown Franklin before the bridge was closed. The city got over 12 inches of rain that day and there was another 8-10 inches predicted for the next day. I woke up the next morning (Sunday) to tornado warnings and we would watch our town get slammed by flooding. But I was so thankful to be home..... so thankful to be home... so thankful to be home!

Language, Law, Church, State- Loving Across the Divide

Earlier this week I posted gubernatorial Tim James commercial on facebook and predicted (as with everyone else) that it would stir the pot nationally. Indeed, James was on O'Reilly last night getting grilled by Juan Williams.

It generated an amazing outpouring of comments on my facebook page as well. Even prompting a mini-debate in the process. Hard to present point/counterpoint in a Reply bubble.

It points to an interesting list that I sometimes refer to. There are buzz terms that we react to in a negative way, but in the end actually help support the Christian World View. Even as I am about to write a few of these, I can already feel the visceral reaction and prepare for the objections.

Examples:
"Big Bang"- we rail against the idea and think that it is counter to Genesis 1 when in actuality the discovery by Edwin Hubble (and actually noticed by Einstein in his theory but he backed away from it) showed that the universe was not static and supported a beginning and not eternal matter of a cosmos that is just 'here'.
"Evolution"- we bash this observation of the mechanism of change as the environment changes, but actually this beautiful, genetic wonder aids the Genesis account of a worldwide flood and the awesome variety of life as we now encounter it.

and there are others.

But let me shift to another one- 'separation of church and state'. Now hold on... I am not saying that recent Supreme Court actions against prayer and 10 commandments is justified (in fact I think our Government has promoted a 'religion' of secular humanism), what I am saying is that most denominations do see value in separating the ministry and work of the church.

My denomination, the Presbyterian Church of America, makes it clear many times in the Book of Church Order that 'No religious constitution should be supported by the civil power further than may be necessary for protection and security equal and common  to all others' (BCO Preliminary Principles). In his commentary on this issue, Morton Smith writes, "This principle reflects the American scene, where the civil authority is not to be exercised over the church, other than in provision and security." (Commentary on the BCO, pg 20).

So, our government has a responsibility and duty and our churches have a responsibility and duties. The Church builds and expands the Kingdom of Christ, while the state seeks to 'form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourseves and our posterity'.

What does this have to do with the Tim James debate?

We are not a unified country. The polarization of right and left, fueled by strong and influential 'shaping' sources has us as divided and weak as we have ever been. The fragmentation of American culture has put us close to Lincoln's famous Biblical allusion- "A house divided against itself cannot stand".

My personal belief is that this is because we made one major change in our thought process. We have made "Liberty" our god and forsaken God as god. Liberty without a common set of core values is lawlessness.

That is why our leaders, no matter the political persuasion, point to the 'rule of law' as vital. The point of freedom of expression and freedom to vote is to debate, disagree, decide, and then do.

I also believe the current grass roots anger is actually a frustration that 'the people' have no real representation. The cultural elites seem to be saying, we actually know better what you need so back away be quiet and obey.

This is where I will get very controversial. Our only hope of unity is to proclaim a world-view and a language- and be willing to be who we are, no matter the difficulty.

There should be no restriction for our Gov't to say that our laws come from a tradition of Judeo-Christian thought. We believe in a Creator, we believe in absolute truth, and that compels us to defend the constitution including all of the Bill of Rights. A vacuum of truth creates a world view. Liberty comes from God and is held in check by His standards.

America without this framework cannot stand. Even capitalism must be held in check by Biblical teaching.

The Gov't only takes what is necessary to do its limited role. And it does NOT run a deficit.

I also think there is nothing wrong with adopting an official language. We welcome all- but we write our documents in English. It is just common sense.

We allow all kinds of language to be written, spoken, used in the arts, studied, taught. But we do official transactions in English. A wise businessman seeks to reach out to other nations in their native tongue, but we assimilate under American values and an American language.

This does not mean everyone must be a Christian or Jew. We must protect the rights of people to believe or disbelieve- but our framework is Biblical- mainly because whether Deist or not our Founders worked and lived in this framework.

The church then recognizes where She must serve. She feeds the poor, speaks the gospel in all types of tongues, cares for the widow and orphan, goes into all the world. Christianity is not American, but America at her best is Christian.

The biggest loser in all of this is the next generation- we have trained them in our own schools that God is compartmentalized and liberty is King.

I have to run..... more on this later.

Instructions for a Godly Home by Baxter

I have been reading "The Godly Home", newly edited by Randall J. Pederson, but originally came from the pen of English Puritan,  Richard Baxter (12 November 1615 – 8 December 1691).

As with all 17th century puritan writers, this is no 'easy' read, especially the introductory chapters. But when Baxter gets to the applications of Scripture you find real gold.

I am going to list some of the best parts of this fine book, but it is almost like getting a rib bone without meat.

For each point I list, Baxter has an exhaustive list of Biblical passages that he applies and uses to thoroughly back up each point of application. He also goes into amazingly minute detail in explaining the issues.

As you read over this you may feel like I do: My home does not measure up. But let us cheer God's grace and pray to improve in any area that His Spirit points out. "Oh Lord, revive our homes today! May we receive from You the reminders and the motivations and the perseverance and the power and the grace to accomplish these crucial principles in our lives."

I will call this list:

Richard Baxter's Advice for Building a Godly Home 

It starts with marriage: 
"If God calls you to a married life, expect various troubles and make particular preparation for each temptation, cross, and duty that you must expect. Do not think that you are entering into a state of mere delight, lest it prove to be a fool's paradise to you."
"Take notice of the helps and comforts in marriage as well as the hindrances, that you may cheerfully serve God in it."
"Let your marriage covenant be made understandingly, deliberately, heartily, in the fear of the Lord, with a fixed resolution to keep it."
"Be sure that God is the ultimate end of your marriage- heartily devote yourself and your family to the Lord. Those who do so aim at His glory and do it to please Him and (end up)
finding God owning it and blessing it."

Growing as a Family in Private Worship:
"Worship is the honoring of God- giving Him blessed works of praise and thanksgiving- (and in doing so) receive more largely from God and enjoy more fully our happiness in Him."
Families are obliged to seek opportunities for worship and bound to improve them faithfully.
Worshiping God in the home will not only allow members to live in the presence of God, they will also "apprehend that presence".
Godly homes should include private worship, family worship, and corporate worship in a local congregation.


We all should desire to grow in this area: "It is a dead, graceless, carnal heart that must be cured before these men will be satisfied"- "a better appetite would help their reason"-
"That which men love not but are weary of, they will not easily believe to be their duty."

The Holy Government of Families:
The head of the house should maintain authority. "For if that is lost, and you are despised by those you should rule, your word will be nothing to them- you are riding without a bridle."
"Your authority over your children is great, yet only such as, joined with love, is needful for their good education and happiness."
Teach your family that your authority is from God and they are obliged to obey you in the Lord.
The more God appears to be with you- in your knowledge, holiness, and blameless life- the greater will your authority be in the eyes of those you are leading.
Do not lose your authority by not using it.
Seek to improve in your leadership skills-  study God's Word, and study your family.
Be a good husband and father and your family will find it easier to obey you.
If you seek to rule others, you must first learn to command yourself.
"Men's actions follow the bent of their dispositions. They will do as they are."
It is much 'cheaper and easier' to call others to strict disciple than to bring ourselves to it.

Let your family see you:
Devote yourself to God
Lay up treasures in heaven and make the enjoyment of God in glory to be the ultimate end.
Never making a small matter of any sin
Being full of love
Never being kept in idleness and flesh-pleasing nor overwhelmed with such busyness that distracts the mind


Motives for a Holy and Careful Education of Children:
God is the owner of your children
Consider how great a comfort it will be to have your children know God: to love and serve Him


Mutual Duties of Husbands and Wives:
Husbands should love wives with a true, entire, married love. Take more notice of the good in your wife than the evil.
Husbands and wives must take delight in the love, company, and conversation with one another.
It is their duty to live in quietness and peace and seek to resolve wrath and discord by patiently enduring when one is (overcome by temper, etc), confessing faults, asking forgiveness, praying together for pardon.


Specific Duties for Husbands:
Husband must take up his duty to lead his family.
He must exercise and work to maintain a united authority and love
He must protect/preserve the authority of the wife over the children
He must seek to improve in knowledge and be the principal teacher of the family
He should be able to pray and have a praying heart- he is the mouthpiece of the family.

Specific Duties for Wives:
Be loving and submissive to the husband with a softness and yieldedness.
Speak well of your husband.
Develop a cheerful disposition with your condition and take heed of murmuring or complaining.
Do not teach your children  to have a gaudiness of apparel or a troublesome curiosity.

 Duties of Parents to Children:
Understand your child is a sinner (which they received from you) and thankfully accept the covenant offers of a Savior.
Dedicate yourselves to God and give Him everything, including your children.
Teach your children,as soon as they are capable,the beautiful covenant blessings.
Train them  up in exact obedience- "and break their wills... do not allow them to act irreverently or contemptuously toward you" do not give them everything they want- tell them often and lovingly of the joy of obedience and how it pleases God.
Labor to possess their hearts with a fear of God and reverence for the Scriptures.
Speak with great honor and praise of authority figures (ministers, teachers, magistrates).
Though we labor diligently for spiritual health, we also work for the health of their bodies- appetites, sports, and recreations- but no so much that it carries away their minds from better things.
Speak disgracefully of the gallantry, pomp, and riches of the world- speak against pride, selfishness, and covetousness.
Keep a watch on their tongues: especially lying, unclean talk, and the Lord's name in vain.
Keep them away from ill company.


Duties of Children to Parents:
Dearly love your parents.
Honor them in your thoughts, speeches, and behavior.
Obey them- have in your mind a desire to please them and be glad when you please them.
Consider that your parent's rule is good for you and, even when in discipline, it is love.
Be content with your parent's provision.
Humble and submit yourselves to any labor that your parent's appoint you.
Be willing and thankful to be instructed by parents and teachers, especially in matters of God and salvation.
Patiently submit to correction.
Choose good company.
Take care of your parents at that time that you are able and they are unable.
Imitate your parents in all that is good, both when they are living and when they are dead.

Learn to understand your covenant vow to God and when you do- renew that covenant with God and deliver yourself to Him as Creator, Redeemer, Sanctifier, Owner, Ruler, Father, and delight.
Take heed of loving the flesh too much- eating too much or drinking, or play. "Do not set your hearts upon your belly or your sport; let your meat and sleep and play be moderate."
Subdue your will and desires to the will of God and those in authority over you.
Take heed of a custom of foolish, filthy, lying, or other sinful words.
Take heed of friends who entice and tempt you to sin.
Take heed of pride and covetousness. Do not desire to be glamorous.
Love the Word of God and all good books that would make you wiser.
Remember to keep the Lord's Day holy. Reverence the ministers and mark what they teach you.
When you grow up, with the guidance of your parents, choose a trade or calling that allows you the greatest helps for heaven and the fewest hindrances in which you may be the most serviceable to God.


A Few Practical Tips of a Parenting Pattern:
Teach words
Teach reading
Teach stories of the Bible
Teach catechism
Teach doctrine
Ask questions:
Teach them to pray
Put good books before them
Get them to teach each other
Do not tire them with too much at once
Labor to provide sweetness and pleasant experiences
Encourage them with kindness and rewards
Be kind to your children when they do well

If all of this seems too much to do: "I ask them to ask Christ, who died for them, whether  souls are not precious and worth all of this labor. It is a small labor compared to the everlasting end."

Possibilities, Probabilities, and Presuppositions: Our Test-Tube Mindset

I'm completely off the cuff on this Monday, but have had a number of conversations recently that ultimately focused on our prison of pre-suppositions.

What am I talking about? Ultimately, it relates to our nature as human beings, the indwelling of sin, the condition of our hearts, and how we are subtly trained in how to think and our ability to discern.

We are children of the enlightenment: our schools, consensus opinions, and cultural norms are not shaped in a vacuum- they are ingrained into our very core through powerful, cultural systems.

And that is what 'pre-supposition' is all about. It is the core belief system that we all hold to (even subconsciously) that filters, fits, and even shapes the information we receive according to our world-view.

Now, people react with various levels of hostility when I say that ultimately, all men live by faith. It is the one statement that makes Richard Dawkins lash out in a temper tantrum.

He and many others would say that we must divide reason from faith. The mindset is that reason/science is reasonable and faith is illogical. The concept is sometimes coined "NOMA" and stands for non-overlapping magisteria- and basically says let's compartmentalize faith/transcendence/religion/supernatural into the realm of private/unknowable/nuanced/mystic experiences and keep it totally separate from science and technology.

This thinking has had amazing consequences (intended and unintended):

• All belief has become relative and personal. You can have your belief, but it better stay inside and it cannot claim exclusivity.

• Science/reason has become secular- seeming to be without morals. We will only stand by what we can observe through the scientific method.

• The realm of the supernatural is rather ludicrous to the modern thinker and only represents what has yet to be discovered by science.

• Anyone who believes in the supernatural is relegated to irrelevancy and is suspected of being too lazy to close the 'god in the gaps".

I wanted to stop here and confess with great heartache that the Church has performed so poorly in this area. At a time when we should have been engaging culture with confidence that God's truth would still compete and stand in the marketplace of ideas- we committed two fatal flaws.

Flaw #1: Some in the church decided to hollow out the message of Christianity and replaced it with a Jesus of deeds and morals and denied any supernatural testimony. This slippery slope was driven out of a desire to 'save face' to the skeptics, philosophers, and intellectual elite. So scholars began to chip away at foundation claims of Scripture. Any hard truth was softened by explanations of natural cause and effect. Word began to creep in 'myth'- 'legend'- 'agenda'- and these defenders of the truth capitulated at every challenge.
Flaw#2: Others in the church (maybe seeing an easy out) decided to drop contentious doctrine all together. This thinking was something like: "All this fighting over doctrinal issues is complicating the matter, just give me Jesus". Whether realizing it or not, it was a vote for NOMA. I imagine these people saying something like this: "I don't care what they say. Jesus said it, I believe it. You either are from a monkey or a man. Don't confuse me with science, I have my Bible- you have your science". Sadly, this was a retreat that is not warranted in Scripture.

What should have been our response? What should be our response now?
I guess you know me well enough by now to know that Princeton is close to my heart. The old reformers at Princeton stayed in the dialogue with unflinching anticipation and eager excitement.

The Princeton goal was finding the essential unity of  theology and science.

They believed this followed the tradition of Calvin- “ Science is the elegant structure of the world and serves as a mirror in which we see God”.

    “Science gives us the full accord of facts. It costs the church a severe struggle to give up one interpretation and adopt another, but no evil need to be apprehended. The Bible still stands in the presence of the whole scientific community, unshaken”. Charles Hodge

An example of this is how Hodge and Princeton reacted to Darwin's theory.

Princeton received “Origin” with great interest in 1859- the year it was published.
In 1862, Charles Hodge noted Darwin’s own admissions: “His frank admission of  the difficulties of the theory and in the absurdity of its conclusion”.
Hodge’s main problem with Darwinism was its commitment to random chance and not directed by God.
According to Hodge, the fatal flaw of Darwinism is the denial of design in nature. “If you deny design,you in effect deny God. Darwin says he believes in a creator, but if the creator, billions of eons ago, called a germ in existence and abandoned its development to chance has pretty much consigned himself to non-existence. So what is Darwinism? It is Atheism.”

Hodge rejected Darwin’s views, with respect, in 1862.

Did this mean that these men were anti-science?
Listen to their own quotes:

Hodge: “Science has taught us, the church, a lot about the Scriptures”

Archibald Alexander: “Science and the Bible are allies in establishing truth. God is author of both revelations. The truth has nothing to fear from the truth”.


What Charles Hodge did believe in was what he called the "Two fold evil".
Evil of Science- Formulating theories that ignore Biblical truth
Evil of Church- Persisting in interpretations that conflict with well established objective truth.

Now, I have to stop here because of the quote 'objective truth'.

This goes right back to the top of this long diatribe.

Our pre-suppositions could cloud our acceptance of what is objective truth and what is subjective premise.

An example would be evolution- where there are parts of Darwin's view in jeopardy by those who have further tested and studied the theory. Indeed, so much has changed in science: our ability to see into the cell, our break throughs in genetics, our discovery of wonderful mechanisms in living creatures for adaptation.

Where evolution passes out of 'hard science' into pre-supposition is the extrapolation of the mechanism of evolution as the only explanation for all of life. In other words, we take proven observation of successive, slight changes in living species and deduce that this system explains the emergence of life and proof of a non-directed cause.

I'm sorry if I have lost you..... but there are legitimate competing views and enough valid questions to say: We don't know how life began still- can't we keep all the questions open? We can't prove undirected development- can we keep the question a possibility?

Sadly, our culture has said "NO"- because anything outside the natural realm is not allowed. To even contemplate the supernatural is to open yourself up to ridicule and mockery. "This guy still believes in something as hokey as the virgin birth or resurrection."

But I will close with this last thought. If you take the average highly educated, multiple degreed scientist,  who would never accept God in any shape form or fashion- he actually uses 4 'l-words' that are hard to explain outside the existence of the God of the Bible.

The first is 'language'- communication is such an interesting phenomenon. As we learn other  languages it does not seem to strike anyone of the homologous structure of language. This one is easily dismissed by skeptics, but the personal/intimate nature of communication is so intriguing to me.


The second is 'logic'-it was pointed out to me recently that the acceptance and context of logic is a  personal, not an immaterial relationship. Logic is used, challenged, and supported in the context of personality.


The third is 'love'. What would there be in a realm of un-caused non-personal circumstances to produce beauty and love? Can the non-personal create personality?


The final one is 'law'. Where does our sense of fairness and rightness come from. Skeptics will say that so many cultures have differering norms of right and wrong that this is a poor argument. But regardless of the shifting standards- there is still a sense of 'oughtness'. A law on the heart... again with a strange hint of personality or relationship attached.

Well- I have been going way too long- and will be subject to ridicule of the skeptic as he calls me an illogical fool or neanderthal.

So next time you are watching CSI-Miami where the 'test tube' often disproves the testimony... ask yourself a question: Is that true? Is science always 100% without bias? Is it without flaw? Is it limited in any way? What are its boundaries?

Again- do not be anti-science..... just be willing to have a healthy self-suspicion. All men live by faith, even if it is faith in our reason.

II CORINTHIANS 4:3-4 "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."

The Dove Delivery System

 note: This is a download of my blog site: www.jayopsis.blogspot.com
The original site has links that allow for more follow up regarding specific information

I had the fun opportunity to attend the filming of the 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards on Wednesday. My wife and I had a great time and enjoyed our company very well.

The show will be televised this Sunday on GMA TV around 7PM (CDT).

A couple of observations:

It was interesting to see the television capturing process. There is a lot that goes on to build video for the final edited version. Crowd shots, do-overs, and stage set-up were all allowed in what will be edited to a sleek and quick final production. The Grand Ole Opry House is a neat venue to watch it.

It is also easy for me to get critical and legalistic when it comes to music. Sure, I wish Christian music had a little more Christ focus, gospel clarity, and Scriptural foundation- but this is the case where I have to say with the apostle Paul "Whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is being proclaimed and in this I will rejoice."

I did notice that the songs performed which explicitly made bold stands about Christ, and taking the message of Jesus Christ to others received the most energetic applause.

The 'pop' songs that basically say warm fuzzies and power of positive thinking stuff was more lukewarm by the audience. But hey, I'm subject to presuppositional bias....

The bottom line was this: at the end of the night there were talented people in a category of 'Christian Music' which represented rock, pop, rap, southern gospel, black gospel, twangy country, and others all set to deliver a gospel message to any who would hear.


We should pray for these songs to be used by God's Spirit to open the eyes of unbelievers and encourage believers to live out the message of faith in Jesus Christ.

Sure, there probably are those who may be servants of mammon or self in the process....
This music may never be accepted by the Babylonian system of the city of man....
The message may be more nuanced than it needs to be...
Some believers may bristle at certain styles of music...

But we need to bear with one another and continue to hope that a new reformation will sweep the land. Lord, forgive me of my cynicism and criticism and please pour out Your Spirit on all flesh.

Taking Christian Education Out of the Box

Been thinking a lot about our culture and what has been my long term prayer for the Christian School movement to produce culture changers and leaders in the next generation.

But I also look around and see the older generation, what we are losing, and wondering if we are training replacements.

So, I wanted today to throw out some off the cuff ideas, brainstorms, of how Christian world view training and education could be adapted in more non-traditional ways.

Out of the Box School #1
High Tech Christian Vocational Schools: We are losing skilled laborers in our country at an alarming rate. And we aren't producing much anymore. I wonder if we took the extreme technical interest our kids have and combined it with the coolest current tools- what would we create?

In my mind it goes like this:
#1 Find a unique building that is suffering in the commercial real-estate market (for some reason I think of empty Car Max lots and buildings because they look cool) and aquire it for almost nothing (see if there could be some gov't subsidy or write-off because of the educational component).

#2 Find christian men and women with high tech skills (lasers, robotics, high speed semi-conductors, chips, etc)- who would desire to train and mentor young men and women in technology and life.

#3 Develop a program that meets minimum state requirements for education (GED) but develops experience and skill in high tech tools and at the same time training them in general Biblical principles- reading, Bible, math, applied science, and technology)

#4 See what happens.

Out of the Box School #2 
Grammar, Linguistics, Language, and Editing

This one is a direct result of our post-modern loss of technical grammar and language. And because of this we are losing editors.

In this school- you focus in on linguistics and grammar.

A cool project would be to have classes that update Puritans and great reformed thinkers of the 16/17/18th century into a style that speaks to today's audience. Most of this is public domain. Could become a great publishing business.

These students would also be trained in ways to produce the Bible into native languages of unreached people groups joining Wycliff missionaries in the process.

Ok enough for now... what are your ideas?

History is "His Story"- Alexander the Great

I love learning about famous leaders- there is a small degree of separation in the lives of Hannibal, Napoleon, and Alexander the Great. History records some eerie ironies in the lives and providential circumstances of their lives.

Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) was used in the providence of God in a couple of dramatic ways.


The first is his creating a land bridge to lay siege to ancient Tyre and fulfilling OT prophecy. Please read the article linked below:


Does Alexander Prove Ezekiel?

I used to shy away from this story because the skeptics seem to mock it until I read the above account and compared the 'research' of the skeptics to the above research.
No comparison- I now fully see Alexander's tactics to fully conclude prophecy in Ezekiel.

But I wanted to spend this blog post focusing on a second dramatic part of Alexander's reign. His conquests of the Mediterranean set the stage for the Greek language to be the delivery system of the New Testament and the Old Testament Septuagint.

The roads and language allowed the gospel to quickly spread and allow the message of the resurrection to begin sweeping the globe.

It is also neat that Greek is the language of the NT, because it is so clear and distinctive. When people say, "You can make the Bible say anything" clearly do not understand Greek. It is so specific and exact in terms of verb conjugation- there is little room for editorializing.

Alexander the Great was not moral or Christian, but his free acts of conquest was channeled under the sovereign Lordship of Christ to set the stage for a new kind of conquest- the advance of the Church of Jesus Christ.