How Rebuilding a Boat Helped Rebuild Me

Note: When I started writing this blog site in 2004, it was a commitment from me to live out my life in as transparent a way as possible. The following post is an example. it is very personal, but one that is a testimony to God's presence, His grace, His mercy, His blessing- I am nothing and He is everything.

Because it is so personal, I would like to request that you not share or post this to social media .. I can't stop it, if you do.... if you stumble on this and read it, I welcome a comment on this page, but again...at least for a few months, let it stay here.

I have no idea the shelf life of a google blog..... it's gone on a lot longer than I ever imagined... but one day maybe one of my children or grandchildren will be able to read these posts and see how faithful the God of the Bible is.....

So here is as honest as I can express my last few years.......

I don't have to rehash all the circumstances that led to coming back to Birmingham, AL in 2011.

As a coach, I discovered that a fear I had had for much of my life wasn't nearly the monster it purported to be. I won't be the first or the last football coach to be dismissed. I experienced this after going 3-7 and 5-6 in 2009 and 2010.

To say it is very humbling doesn't quite describe the depths of the hurt.

Just about all of my life I was used to winning. I think I enjoyed going 45-3-1 as a player from 7th- 12th grades including a 17-4-1 record as a starting varsity QB at Banks High School (1980 and 81 season).

I played for championship coaches David Cutcliffe and Paul 'Bear' Bryant.

As an assistant coach, I was fortunate to win 3 state titles and enjoyed a streak of 112- 4 from 1996-2003.

In Nashville, I enjoyed a dream and experienced a nightmare.

The Nashville City Paper summarized an amazing, but turbulent 7 years:

I will tell you that being let go sent me into a turmoil of faith and a flattened ego. The day I had to tell my wife and children I had lost my job was as difficult a day I have ever had in my life.

When you are on a winning streak, you don't feel like you can ever lose. Once you lose that mojo, you wonder if you can ever win.

The hardest part of leaving Nashville was that I knew we were about to be really good. A wonderful man and coach took over after I left and he has gone 54-4 and won a state title since my departure. I guess the folks who wanted me gone feel vindicated, and no doubt he drew some talent in that I may not have... So I applaud him, but I also do feel like we left a good foundation in place for him and I have celebrated their success...... way to go!

To show you how gracious the Lord is.... He showed up in a tangible way for me every single day for  almost 4 months after I was fired. He ministered to me in His Word. He made the path smooth in leading me to His next calling on my life and He made it clear that I was sent to Nashville because He needed to work on me.

I realize that a lot of my sports motivation was an addiction to sports glory. A lot of my significance came from people applauding me as a great player or coach. And like all competitors, I feared and hated losing more than I loved winning. In summary, all of that was an idol.

I spent long hours talking to the Lord, most of them training for the Music City Marathon which I completed in 2011. The 26.2 mile run was a sign that I still could compete- I still had a fire to finish.

I came back to Briarwood in 2011 as a pretty fragile guy. I was ready to be rebuilt, but my spiritual and emotional health wasn't going to come quickly. It is a long road back.

And of all things, God intended for me to work as a school disciplinarian (Dean of Students).... talk about a job to break you of other people's applause!

Coaching was good coming back. My first year, I got to enjoy just coaching receivers and it was like drinking from a fresh well... head coaches don't really get to coach like that! It was so freeing to just teach routes, blocking, and taking time to encourage kids.

In year two, I was able to experience head coaching again as I took over the freshman team. It was so enjoyable...simple and innocent!

I received a special blessing at the end of that season where circumstances led to me taking over as offensive coordinator of the varsity ream for the 1st 2 rounds of the playoffs. We pulled off two major upsets and I was back on track to believing I was a good coach after all.

I spent the full season in 2013 as offensive coordinator and personally feel like it was one of the best coaching jobs I have ever done. And I had the pleasure of doing it with amazing coaches and players.
I have a E-book coming out this Spring from Coaches Edge Technology that will describe the offense we used that season. I have had coaches from all over the country contact me about the fast break huddle and some of the concepts we used that year. Coaches Edge signed me to a contract to teach some of the concepts and plays.

Because it is so recent, I can't go into all the details of what happened in 2014...but this past year, the Lord allowed similar circumstances to happen that haunted me like the nightmare of my final two years in Nashville. I heard the same voices, saw the same attitudes, and experienced the same pain that had crushed me just a few years earlier.

And I regressed...... and the Lord seemed distant this time. I ran another marathon in 2015, but this time- the Lord withdrew- I felt I was fighting the race alone. He wasn't mad at me, He loves me enough to let pain mold me.

I experienced more personal attacks.... the lowest moment was when a parent roasted me over a lie his son had told him. I tried to convince this dad that I wasn't guilty of what he was accusing me of.... but this man was convinced... I was a bad man........

It didn't take much evaluation that I was needing to get away from coaching for awhile. My school job had turned into a 24/7 full time on call affair. I just can't do both effectively until we apply some needed changes and I need to continue changing as well.

I have to mention that in the midst of this transition, my heart has been broken in the loss of two brothers... one, my spiritual brother, Terry and the other my youngest blood brother, Lee. One died of suicide and the other of a drug overdose. One fought a 20 year battle against depression and the other a 20 year battle with addiction... and after some time of victory for both, the demons rose up and won a battle, but not the war.

 I am still grieving those losses.

Through all of this, once again, God, my family, and my school co-workers were gracious. They all saw it was necessary to take a step back and re-tool.

Stepping back from 26 years of coaching and 43 years of continuous football seasons was surreal.

I remember praying, "Lord, what are you planning to do?"

And then I was surprised by a boat.

Day 1- little did I know!

A year earlier, a parent called me and wanted me to become a steward of his dad's bass boat. It was a 17' aluminum, Lowe, bass boat with a 75 Evinrude on it.

To say it need work was an understatement.

These weren't even the right numbers!

And to make matters worse.... I knew very little about boats. I didn't even have a boating license. Even though I had fished all my life, I never drove the boat. I never towed it. I never backed it up. I wasn't even sure how to start it!

A good friend got me started... the boat had not been cranked in a long time and the gas in the fuel tank was very old. So this project tok a long time.

The old gas... tough doing this part- thanks Lance!

But having a summer without coaching prep meant that it was time for me to fulfill my promise to restore this boat.

Every day was a challenge and a joy to accomplish. I spent long hours on you tube and google, looking at how to install marine batteries, on board battery charger, and cleaning old moldy things out of the bowels of this boat.

I had it taken to my garage and opened al of the compartments. My house smelled like a dirty, moldy tennis shoe for weeks. How my wife stayed with me during this time was amazing.

This was when it was STINKY!

God would send help every time I got stuck.

One such time was an old student of mine who allowed me to launch in his lake while we replaced the rotten boards on the trailer.  He helped me grease the bearings.

The trailer minus rotten runners

I put the new tags on the boat and discovered that the serial numbers on the side were incorrect.

I added life jackets, trolling motor, hummingbird navionics, fire extinguisher... each improvement was like a healing.

I passed my boating test. And friends began teaching me how to hook it up, how to tow, how to back up, and how to run it.

It was so exciting learning new skills.

I had my setbacks..... the old trolling motor burned up on the 2nd outing.

The shaft on my starter was sticking... and I celebrated the day I was able to fix it while on the phone with a mechanic, who diagnosed the problem by listening to it on my phone!

I had humbling mistakes as well-- got towed in over a mile only to discover that my kill switch had been disconnected! My boat was dead until I realized I forgot to put the main battery hookup on!

I drove 50 feet or so one day with the trailer wheel down!

And we put the winch strap on the wrong side of the rubber  bow stop while all the waiting boaters were rolling their eyes at us!

But from June to August, I got better and better.

I have now spent two months towing, launching, driving, loading that boat all by myself. I have dome it in daylight and dark.

I have enjoyed fishing... caught a few nice ones even though fishing hasn't been great.... but much more than fishing, I have learned to love boating!

I love to turn on my navigational lights and GPS just before daybreak and running between the Lay Lake Narrows just as the sun is peeking his early rays on the horizon.

Guntersville

And then, as birds are flying at flying at dawn and the peaceful breeze of morning dew splashes my face......

God shows up.

I nod to Him and He nods to me.

And I feel like He has me more ready to follow Him than ever before in my life.

And I have never been more content. I am not addicted to the applause or approval of man.

I still have struggles and one was making sure the boat doesn't become a new idol... God has already been working on that one as well.

So I don't know what the future has in store. I love my job (which is weird for me to say) and I love coaching the fishing team.

Today, I finished a 3 mile run and the neighborhood boys were playing football.

I took some time to teach them a few routes and we played touch football for a few minutes.

It was a lot of fun!

If I am ever a head football coach again, I do know this, I will NOT be afraid. But I can also say, If I am never a football coach again, I will not be discontent...God knows what He is about.

Rebuilding a boat helped to rebuild me.

UPDATE: 2016 SEASON

This boat has been a successful tournament boat- the kids and I are calling it 'Ole Reliable"

Twice, it has had to fill in when another boat hasn't been able to go!

It ran so well each time- going all the way to Pickwick and running almost 60 miles for that whole day.

Personally, I guess I have caught 250+ bass including a 5.4 lb on on Pickwick and a record day for me catching a slew of spotted bass at Logan Martin

Late one Saturday night after a tournament... my wife and I talked... she and I both agreed... I finally am healed from that painful transition... likely, will always have a limp from it... but I am at peace and thankful to the Lord for helping me!

Update 2024- I wrote a song about this post:

He Nods to Me (An Old Boat)

"Woodlawn"- Birmingham's Story and My Story

After weeks of anticipation, my wife and I were privileged to see a preview of the Erwin brothers new film, 'Woodlawn'.

The movie tells a story which totally intertwines with my life.

The very first high school football game I ever saw was the now famous Banks/Woodlawn game that is the climax of this amazing movie.

My mom and dad went to Woodlawn, I played Qb at Banks (years later). The rivalry was special. Jeff Rutledge and Tony Nathan were heroes to me growing up. Jeff's dad, Jack, was my Sunday school teacher at Ruhama Baptist Church. He was the very first man to ever personally share the good news of Jesus Christ to me.

I guess I could add on more quick paragraph of name dropping  here (skip to the next picture if it bothers you, but this is my blog!): Eli Gold and Tandy Geralds were the play by play and color commentary guys my junior year on two occasions when we played on TV. Todd Geralds, who wrote the book on which the movie is based became great friends with my brother-in-law and we are excited to have Todd come speak at our school this September. Jeff Rutledge and I became friends when we competed against each other as head football coaches in Nashville. Coach Shorty White has been a solid figure of support to my time at Briarwood as we coached his grandchildren. Coach David Cutcliffe (Banks) and Coach Jerry Stern (Woodlawn, portrayed in the movie) were friends and rivals when I played. Because of the movie, I have now a nice understanding where Hank Erwin began his journey as a bold witness for Jesus in my life. It was also neat to see Caleb Castille, Briarwood player, play the lead role in an amazing way- so proud of him and his amazing family!  I could go on and on...Banks and Woodlawn and the characters in this movie are a part of the fabric of my life.

So I loved seeing the movie. Fun to see Woodlawn High School's building, still majestic. Nice to see Legion field is still OK as a movie stage....(next.).. The images of the 16th street Baptist church sign and downtown Birmingham resonated as iconic home images to me.


"Woodlawn" will undoubtably go down as the best, to date, overtly Christian movie ever made.

I applaud the effort. I am no professional movie critic- but the camera work, editing (even though it is still not finished), script, humor, drama, was done in a way that is vastly improved over anything I have seen before for a film in this genre.

Even though, I was alive and close to the events, I do not know them well enough to comment on the accuracy of everything in the movie- I know it is 'based' on a real story. I am looking forward to hearing from Todd Gerald's on some interesting questions I have regarding it.

And I am fully going to support the effort here to make this movie known and shown. I will be buying tickets on Oct. 16, I will give this movie 2 thumbs up. I will say the message is real, it is bold, it is entertaining. The movie is 'authentic', meaning it has the excellence to hold its own with other movies from the industry greats.

My only 2 'gripes' were the portrayal of Coach White and the inability to get the Banks Jets uniforms right. Coach White, I guess I am 'a little OK' with because it increases the story telling by making his character a foil to Coach Geralds... but the uniforms? That one made me scratch my head... the Columbia Blue and Red was what made the Jets distinct in those days. Coach Shorty White is a great man and was a great coach.... and not like his movie portrayal at all. But we understand.... it's a movie.

Now....let's talk about a deeper help and hope in the movie- the nature of race relations and the gospel.

You know my city.... we have such a dark 'history' played over and over on black and white reels (pun intended)- fire hoses and dogs- Wallace and Foster auditorium- and images of bombed buildings and burning crosses. I am saddened by that time and by those images.

I have walked now 5 different times through the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and looked at the displays of Jim Crow. I have read the FBI files on display and then turn around and see the church sign looking right at me.

But that Birmingham was not my Birmingham. I was a child in the 60's in Birmingham, but I am not a child of the 60's.

Sure, I heard the 'n' word and racial jokes growing up..... but as a young boy going to an integrated school- I already knew that hate and prejudice was a bunch of lies. I already knew that God made all of us in His image.

Sports did more to tear down racial divides that any government initiative ever could. When my black teammates and I put on our Banks uniforms, we were just Jets. We prayed together, we bled together, we cried together, we cheered together.

In the 1980's in Birmingham, in East Lake, we all came from the same cloth...blue collar ...and needing to get a lot right to move up. Some did and some didn't. But living life everyday to the glory of God is possible in any social condition, maybe even more so when it is a struggle.

I get really sad when I see evidence in our culture that we can't close this deal... it seems like we are worse today that where we were headed in 1972... and even in 1982.

I watched Jeff Rutledge and Tony Nathan win that Sugar Bowl on TV. I enjoyed beating Woodlawn twice as a Banks Jet.

I went to college and moved back 'over-the-mountain' and discovered that there was still a great divide.

Now I watch the TV and at times feel like we have retreated.

What's going on? Why can't we close the deal?

Why do we seem at times farther away from Dr King's dream where all men will be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin?

The drift is directly proportional to another drift.... we have lost steam in racial healing because we are abandoning the only One who has the power of forgiveness, humility, and reconciliation.

The message is still out there- it is just bouncing off dead ears and hard hearts.

Recently, in the Republican debate, Dr. Ben Carson explained the true solution... it is not skin that makes the human, he recognizes that everyday as touches the inside of humans in his work  as a neurosurgeon.

But we have to go one step further... it is Ok and necessary to call good- 'good' and evil-'evil'... no matter the pigment of the person.

As I watched Woodlawn, I saw the Tony Nathan character struggling to find himself, struggling to discover his purpose. And where was he helped?

A mother and father holding hands in church.... a pastor teaching the truth of God's Word and the message of the cross. A message of love and not of hate. He was helped by a football coach pushing him and holding him to high standards.

If we shrink back from calling out moral wrong doing- even in the reality of pain and anger- we have no chance to close the divide.

My Birmingham still has hope because we still hold to a gospel in both the black and white communities. it is not a perfect obedience, and never will be.

A large part of the country though, will mock us as we cling to our Bibles in Birmingham..... But please listen, if you get rid of God- you have expelled the very One from Whom we receive rights...even civil rights. Eradicate the Bible from society and you remove the very fabric of human decency. You kill God and it is not long until you start killing one another.

But my prayer is that Woodlawn will export gospel hope... and my Birmingham will have a chance to export changes that catch hold in Ferguson and Baltimore... but if you delete Jesus Christ and the truth of God's Word from that message... I promise you this... it will never happen.

Come to Fairfield, come to East Lake and Avondale- and watch a Kaleidoscope of Christ followers work to serve and restore. Watch us mess up... fess up... and move on.

There is still a lot of work to do and we need to keep at it 'til He returns.

Please go see this movie on October 16 and may all of us never stop believing.

How John Piper Made Me Pause

So thankful that my wife had me block out last Friday night on my calendar weeks ago to attend a "Look at the Book" conference on I Peter taught by Pastor John Piper.

The presentation was excellent and the place was packed- I really enjoyed what John is doing by presenting the written words on the big screen and telestrating the text as he teaches.

I did a blog series on Peter in December of 2011 (http://www.jayopsis.com/2011/12/peters-inspired-testimony-pt-1.html) and I am always so appreciably humbled when a pro pulls out of the text powerful truth that I just skipped over!

But that is the beauty of God's Word- it is living and dynamic. How many times have I read 1 Peter? Thousands? Yet the Holy Spirit continues to illumine and teach new stuff over and over- year after year.

I taught literature for 14 years- 5 classes a day- so you can imagine what it was like to read Romeo and Juliet, or Scarlet Letter, or The Great Gatsby 5 times a day, one time through each year, for 14 years.

I memorized long sections without even trying- I often quote the Raven or other passages/lines all the time.

But man's word is nothing like God's Word. I enjoyed each trip through literature, it is fun to teach old things to new people- but I never discovered new stuff- unlike God's Word. Sometimes I read a passage in the Bible and it is like I had never read it before! Endless treasure!

And Piper is a master miner of that gold.

Here are just a few personal points I took away from session 1.

I am an exile... this world is not my home. This seen quite frequently in 1 Peter.

One thing I spent time meditating on is how we mess up this whole sojourner thing....

One extreme is to be too much at home here. Our hearts are tuned like Lot's wife..longing for the world, sad that we cannot have it. And we are swept up in idolatry and destruction.

But there is an opposite extreme as well. We are exiles.... but we should be exiles based on the world rejecting us. We don't self exile... that is detachment. Yes, you can be in the world and love the world.... but it is equally fruitless to be totally absent from the world.

Jesus had the balance...in the world, but not of the world.

The key is to understand the perspective- when we are cast out because of our alliance with Jesus, we have no need to grieve- we are awaiting the good stuff to come where we will be welcomed with open arms by the King of All.

Prepared to Die, Willing to Suffer, but Strangely Joyful in the Fire.

Am I willing to stand so firmly in the gospel and the truth of God's Word that I would die for it?
Oh I'd like to think so!
Bu how many times do I shrink back from sharing the gospel for fear of rejection?

Ransomed from futile ways...

This section made me wipe away tears.

Piper said it like this- my gospel inheritance is kept for me by God's power and grace AND my faith is guarded for that reward by the same power and grace. It is kept for me and I am kept for it!

And the price? The precious blood of Jesus... more valuable than silver and gold!

That kind of valuable and precious ransom bought me so I could be brought AWAY from all my futile ways!

Mind Impacting Emotions

How do we obey Biblical commands to feel?

Piper makes a strong case that a transformed MIND impacts the heart. The mind is given for the sake of the heart.

Yes, there are some days where my cold dead heart just says stuff out of ritual and routine... but there are amazing truths in Scripture that ignite passions as well. If I feel dead and cold, I just need to keep prayerfully engaged in God's Word. It will come.. in God's good timing.

I am in a life long war and I need to fight as a hope filled believer.

Sanctification is just this: a life long battle with a hope filled heart.

Finally, Piper doubles down on a regenerative salvation that is by God alone. Election is too evident in these verses to ignore.

But I love his tempering verse: God works through human activity. Yes, it is He alone Who is the Sovereign He alone engenders the faith to repent and believe in the atoning death of Jesus and the validation of that sacrifice in His resurrection. BUT- we hear this good news through human ministry.

He will accomplish His plan.. if He has to, the stones themselves will cry out.

But a God secured election should motivate us to willingly be used as a means of gospel proclamation.

In a strong theology of election, evangelism should be MORE robust.. not less.

All we have to do is initiate the conversations and the Holy Spirit will do the work.

It is a pressure free privilege. One that we cannot fail.

All of this .... the glorious inheritance, the costly ransom, the adoption as sons, the suffering under God's purifying fire leaves a Holy result.

Pick up 1 Peter and see if you find these truths laying in storehouses of treasure.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:3-7 ESV)

In Screens We Trust- Why We Must ALL Be Careful

I have written, posted, edited, and eventually retracted this post a number of times.

Before I finish this blog today, I'm finally going to say something about Ferguson. A blog is a tough place to write about some of these complex things, because I often find that my point isn't clear enough, and I promote divisiveness when my goal is gospel unity.

But now  Baltimore, Maryland has had tragedy after tragedy... and still has potentially more tinder for a fire that not only ravages the citizens of the city- it has national implications as well.

So, at the end of this piece, I will say a few words... but the bottom line is this... Ferguson is a microcosm of a real problem we have in the world of social media and 24 hour news for profit.

The facts of Ferguson finally show a verdict.... we were ALL wrong. And I worry if anyone is willing to see it and say it.

One of the dangers in today’s society is screen manipulation or deception.

In his mesmerizing book, Future Crimes (2015/Doubleday), Marc Goodman devotes an entire chapter to this phenomenon. It is Chapter 8, “In Screens We Trust”

http://www.amazon.com/Future-Crimes-Everything-Connected-Vulnerable/dp/0385539002

He uses an attention getting quote to begin the process:

“The world isn’t run by weapons anymore, or energy, or money. It’s run by ones and zeros—little bits of data. It’s all electrons. There’s a war out there, a world war. It’s not about who has the most bullets. It’s about who controls the information—what we see and hear, how we work, what we think. It’s all about information.

AS STATED BY COSMO (BEN KINGSLEY),THE VILLAIN IN SNEAKERS”
Excerpt From: Marc Goodman. “Future Crimes.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/Bv_F2.l (emphasis mine)

This chapter is another example about our vulnerability when it comes to bad guys and technology. Malicious hackers can cause great destruction by having ordinary people just follow what their screen tells them to do.

We see this honestly when we follow the GPS directions in google maps without any concern that the sweet girl’s voice coming out of the device may be dead wrong. Before we know it we are heading to Paducah, KY instead of Kentucky Avenue. Any alert person would recognize that they needed to travel 25 minutes and not 5 hours! But many of us will follow her voice way beyond the alarms in our brain going off and saying to us that ‘this ain’t right’ !

Goodman’s examples are way cooler than mine. Did you know that the virus (or more precise the computer ‘worm’) that damaged the Iranian Nuclear facilities messed up centrifuges, but kept faulty information on the sensors? The engineers were blindly believing their screens that all systems were ‘green’, when the real data should have shown them that everything was red lining. We have to understand that the screens may not be telling us the truth!

Every screen we read…. whether it is airport flight information or our latest bank statement look so smart...great optics….colors, bars, pictures...but the screens are dumb. They are only as good as the information is accurate.

How fake is our online world? Here is what Goodman uncovers:

“According to Facebook’s own 2014 annual report, up to 11.2 percent of its accounts are fake. Considering the world’s largest social media company has 1.3 billion users, that means up to 140 million Facebook accounts are fraudulent and these users simply don’t exist. With 140 million inhabitants, fake Facebook-land would be the tenth-largest country in the world. Just as Nielsen ratings on television sets determine different advertising rates for The Walking Dead versus the Super Bowl, online ad sales are determined by how many eyeballs a Web site or social media service can command—if only the data could be believed.

Want 4,000 followers on Twitter? They can be yours for $5. Want 100,000 fans on Facebook? No problem, you can buy them on SocialMediaCorp.​org for a mere $1,500. Have even more cash to burn? How about a million new friends on Instagram? “For you we make special deal,” only $3,700. Whether you want favorites, Likes, retweets, up votes, or page views, all are for sale on Web sites like Swenzy, Fiverr, and Craigslist. These fraudulent social media accounts are then used to falsely endorse a product, service, or company, for a small fee of course[…]”

Excerpt From: Marc Goodman. “Future Crimes.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/Bv_F2.l

What impact does all this make?

Sadly, the culmination of the speed of information, the amount of information,  the erosion of critical thinking and non-political education, the trend of resisting an authorized Truth and having no consensus of values is killing our country.

Of all the screens, which one is the MOST deceptive?

The cable news screen.

America… we have a problem, and a study of Ferguson is a clinical on the cancer.

THE POWER OF PRESUPPOSITIONS

I still can’t believe I am writing this… because I feel like Nietzche’s madman…  how can I articulate something so complex when I too suffer the symptoms? And how can I do it without being misunderstood?

I am haunted by a quote by Ravi Zacharias everytime I speak and write:

How do you reach a generation that listens with its eyes and thinks with its feelings?

But here is my question..my attempt…

Are ANY of us willing to challenge our preconceived and settled judgments AND be willing to change those as the evidence directs?

The human condition doesn’t give us much hope to believe this to be so.

How many times in your life have you presented solid arguments and facts to try and persuade someone to alter a view only to find that you did almost nothing in altering that view?

But at the same time, how many people have ever swayed your opinion?

We all believe that facts should shape our perception, but the reality is that most of the time we collect only the facts that bolster our perceptions.

YIELDED AND STILL

Let me preach and then I will move to my point.

We used to sing a hymn many years ago…(remember hymns?).

• Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
• Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.
• Mold me and make me after Thy will,
• While I am waiting, yielded and still.
• Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
• Search me and try me, Master, today!
• Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,
• As in Thy presence humbly I bow.
• Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
• Wounded and weary, help me, I pray!
• Power, all power, surely is Thine!
• Touch me and heal me, Savior divine.
• Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
• Hold o’er my being absolute sway!
• Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see
• Christ only, always, living in me.
• 
  
• (Words: Adelaide A. Pollard, 1907. Pollard believed God wanted her in Africa as a missionary, but she was unable to raise funds to go. In an uncertain state of mind, she attended a prayer meeting, where she heard an elderly woman pray, It’s all right, Lord. It doesn’t matter what You bring into our lives, just have Your own way with us. At home that night, much encouraged, she wrote this hymn.
• Music: Adelaide George C. Stebbins, Northfield Hymnal with Alexander’s Supplement1907-source: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/h/t/h/hthineow.htm )

AMERICAN RUGGED INDIVIDUALISM AND CHRIST

American rugged individualism and Christ followers have always been at odds and yet Alexis de Tocqueville has been one of the few who saw the tension as paramount in the success, prosperity, and continuation of the American experiment.

“As I see it, only God can be all-powerful without danger, because his wisdom and justice are always equal to his power. Thus there is no authority on earth so inherently worthy of respect, or invested with a right so sacred, that I would want to let it act without oversight or rule without impediment.” Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America (p. 290)

Our only hope as a nation is that we would temper our personal freedom by a willingness to acknowledge a higher cause to yield to. America proved the world right that no human king is worthy of that power. American democracy is a compliance to be governed by a consent of the governed. The power is in the people, but if the people are polarized and not unified, there is no power to progress.

When America submitted to Jesus as their spiritual king, there was a consensus of value. Because humans are involved, it is never a perfect and uniform obedience, the Bible celebrates diversity. Unity does not mean uniformity.

But even George Bush lost his moorings. His desire to spread ‘freedom’ to the middle east and other places was benevolent, but misguided. In a final analysis, ‘Liberty’ is not a high enough virtue. Freedom without virtue and self submission is ultimately selfishness.

Capitalism without virtue is greed. America without virtue is chaos.

Political freedom without a self submission to an outside absolute is a recipe for disaster.

I have quoted the last line of the Book of Judges too many times… but the broken record sounds the same:

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

(Judges 21:25 ESV)

I fully believe in the existence of God and the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

But even if I did not… that is the One world view that I would want to dominate any culture without fear. It is a call to die to self and live for others.

The problem is that a nation does not fare well in a theocracy… because ultimately men have to rule.

Again, understanding I may be misunderstood-

What I am advocating is a full endorsement of the American constitution. It has a wise self correcting mechanism built within the separation of powers.

But without self governance of individuals, even the American constitution is corrupted.

There has to be an ideal bigger that the Constitution… our founders understood that.

The Declaration of Independence lays it out… read it again for yourself:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

The only way for our nation to last is a willingness for people to be ruled under submission to their Creator, then they give consent to be governed. But when ANY form of government becomes destructive to those ends (not ‘light and transient causes’ i.e. all humans suffer) there has to be change.

Again… Life, Freedom, and Happiness are not in a vacuum… they are in the context of a Creator. Self rule is governed by Him, and that gives men the ability to submit.

And whether Deist or Calvinist.. the founders view of the Creator was the God of the Bible- the Judeo-Christian God… love, justice, peace, and moral law.

MUTUAL SUBMISSION IS A HIGH STAKES AFFAIR

Any hope of human reconciliation must begin with a healthy self suspicion and a willingness to say, “I was wrong… I am sorry...please forgive me.”

Can a marriage be saved by looking at a spouse and saying, “You are wrong..but if you confess, I will consider it”? This attitude is a quick trip to the divorce court.

All human reconciliation begins with a willingness to lay down my rights for the sake of others.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

(1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ESV)

And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

(2 Timothy 2:24-26 ESV)

I personally believe that this type of love is not possible apart from the beautiful example and message of Jesus.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

(Romans 5:6-8 ESV)

FINALLY- LET’S GET TO FERGUSON

The story of the shooting of Michael Brown (Aug. 9, 2014), the media coverage, the public outcry, the criminal investigation, and the DOJ investigation is a microcosm of all we are suffering from as a nation.

Would we have Baltimore burning if the Ferguson incident didn’t happen?

I don’t believe it would be to the degree…. and I truly believe that we are looking at worse things if we do not come to some level of understanding here.

On March 4, the Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division released their report of the Ferguson Police Department. You can read all 100 plus pages here:

http://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/opa/press-releases/attachments/2015/03/04/ferguson_police_department_report.pdf

But this report is one of many facets, or factors that need to be weighed.

What a perfect storm!

The Ferguson disaster is a combination of these factors (along with the problem of presuppositions and factors I tried to flesh out).

• Socio-economic issues. Poverty rate is very high
• Law Enforcement Patterns of Concern. Policing for profit. Read the report!
• Widening gap between the rich and the poor. Fractured homes and ineffective education.
• Media hype. Media for profit sensationalizes. If it bleeds it leads.
• American pastime of opinions/perceptions devoid of facts.
• Leaders with agendas. A good leader will correct and counter for good of all.
• Victim mentality- we have been hurt so we can hurt and destroy without consequence.
• Abuse of authority. If you question me I will make you miserable.
• Finger pointing instead of personal responsibility.
• Liberals and conservatives distrust and blame one another.
• Race baiting and excuse making on both sides.
• Talking heads… all problems and positions… no remedies.
• The agenda is to win my viewpoint… not find healing.
• T.V. is deceptive… it over hypes and ultimately trivializes real problems.
• No perseverance… we left Ferguson to  be consumed by Baltimore.. and soon we will ponder flood victims in Texas. Who stays to help improve and change?
• The circus came to town and piles of debris a left in its wake.

In the end, Ferguson proved almost every outside opinion wrong. Sadly, we jumped on any salacious  tidbit to prove our presuppositions about what really happened. Solid facts are now in place. Officer Wilson used justifiable force, Michael Brown did not have his hands up, but the climate of the Ferguson police department wasn't conducive to good public relations and community cooperation- and a lot of good people got hurt in the process. Some refuse to budge on their positions even in the light of these facts. EVERYONE needs to alter their narrative based on these truths. Shame on the leaders, shame on TV news organizations, but shame on us as well.... we have to be better than this.

We have some severe issues in our nation, and polarization squashes any momentum to find progress and healing.

IS THERE A ROUTE OUT?

Yes…

Here is how it works…. EVERYONE MUST AGREE TO BE HARD ON SELF AND UNDERSTANDING OF OTHERS.

This is not a 50/50 deal… it is you bring your 100% and it doesn’t matter if nothing comes in return.

Everyday, I must wake up and say:

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.

(Galatians 2:20 ESV)

and then I need to live each day with an earnest, energetic, and honest quest to serve and love others under the direction of God’s Spirit.

Do I encourage people? Do I give to those who are hurting or needy? Have I been faithful to my family? Can I speak and live to promote unity.. racial healing… hopeful and not pessimistic? Do I speak words of life or death? Do I honor authority? Do I pray for my leaders? Do I work hard as unto the Lord? Do I always have to get my way? Am I willing to consider I am wrong? Do I initiate reconciliation? Do I forgive? Do I judge without looking at myself? Am I willing to die for my belief in the Bible and the good news of Jesus? And am I willing to suffer for standing on truth?

And the big problem is... the answer to those questions show me how much of a sinner I am. I can ONLY say yes to those questions if I have God's Spirit in me.

At the end of every day, because I failed, and fell short I pray this prayer:

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

(Romans 8:1 ESV)

I do believe there will be a judgement day and a new heaven and earth… but that doesn’t mean I don’t work to make this world a better place today. It is our calling… to be salt and light… not divisive and cruel.

Finally,

This does not mean that I withhold speaking Biblical truth. Not everyone will like or accept that truth.

There will be those who will want to silence me because the world view I ascribe to. Often because the message means we have a responsibility to God, we are accountable to Him. Men know God is there… but they, naturally, do not love that view.

But even then, it is not my job to be ‘dead right’ or to kill others with truth.

God loves me even though I am unlovely.

Shouldn’t I be willing to do the same toward others?

Jesus said it best… what good is it if you love those that love you?

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

(Matthew 5:43-47 ESV)