Voyage Blog

We Have Moved

2009-11-22T19:49:00.003-06:00

Never say never...but this is probably my last post at this blog. There will be Voyage Ministries updates and other posts made at my new blog http://davidbmclaughlin.com/. I am trying to consolidate all of my activities in one place.

Please come over to my new place, bookmark the site, get your rss feed and join the crew. You can also follow me on twitter at http://twitter.com/davidbmc.

Love & Mercy,
David McLaughlin

What I Learned During My Sabbatical

2009-11-22T19:47:00.002-06:00

Posted What I Learned During My Sabbatical at my new blog.

dm

Team Griffis

2009-11-17T22:02:00.001-06:00

Please pray for John Griffis, a teacher and coach from Bethany schools who fell off of his roof Saturday and is in a coma. Prayers are desparately needed.

You can track his progress here:

http://teamgriffis.blogspot.com

dm

I Dont Think You'll Like It

2009-10-09T09:07:00.002-05:00

I have been mentally configuring a post that I will be writing in about a month or so titled, "What I Learned During My Year Long Teaching Sabbatical At Church" or something like that.

It will be brutally honest. I don't think you'll like it.

Stay tuned.

dm

BeBe & CeCe New Video: Close To You

2009-09-26T18:10:00.000-05:00

BeBe & CeCe Reunite

2009-09-26T11:20:00.002-05:00

I could not possibly be more excited about a new album and tour from BeBe & CeCe Winans. The first in 15 years. Out of the top ten concerts I have seen in my life, two of those were BeBe & CeCe shows.

They really need a web presence though. The only thing I can find worth anything is cecewinans.com and bebewinans.net.

---------------
B&C Records Proudly Announces the Release of 'Still,' the Eagerly Awaited New Album from the Best-Selling Grammy Award-Winning Gospel Duo Bebe & Cece Winans

--First BeBe & CeCe Album in Fifteen Years Available Online & In Stores on Tuesday,
October 6

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug 31, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- B&C Records in conjunction with Malaco Records is proud to announce the upcoming release of Still, the highly anticipated and eagerly awaited new studio album from the platinum-selling chart-topping award-winning gospel duo BeBe & CeCe Winans. Still will be available online and in stores on Tuesday, October 6.

Still is BeBe & CeCe's first album in more than 15 years and is the reunion that has been on the lips of fans around the world since it was announced earlier this year. Since the their self-titled debut album in 1987, this chart-topping brother and sister duo topped the R&B and inspirational charts with their debut single, "I.O.U. Me," and generated Grammy nominations, Dove and Stellar Gospel Awards. BeBe & CeCe were the first African-American artists to receive significant airplay on CCM radio stations and the second African American artists to receive the Dove Award in the Group of the Year category.

Premiering 12 new BeBe & CeCe classics, Still includes the album's recently released lead single, "Close to You" which has received critical acclaim and success for its soul-stirring, smooth sound and pristine vocals. The video for the single was recently launched on Yahoo and can be viewed by logging onto http://new.music.yahoo.com/videos. Other tracks on Still include the heart wrenching "Grace," "Things" (featuring brother Marvin Winans), "Let It Be" (featuring Mary Mary) and "I Found Love" (Cindy's Song) which is destined to be the wedding song of the year.

With assistance from longtime producer and collaborator Keith Thomas, along with Warryn Campbell, Percy Bady, Peter Zizzo, Merv Warren and Mario Winans, BeBe & CeCe weave their love for God in a faith-fueled gospel sound that combines a tuneful blend of R&B, pop, soul, jazz and more.

Growing up in Detroit, MI, Benjamin "BeBe" Winans and Priscilla "CeCe" Winans were born into a home that birthed the first family of Gospel music. The Winans Family was led by a mother and father who taught their ten children the foundations of a Godly life and admonished them to use their voices for the glory of God. The success of their four brothers, The Winans, blazed a trail for BeBe & CeCe to create their own path of writing and performing music that would attract a legion of fans and change the face of Gospel music forever.

After the success of their debut album, BeBe & CeCe became the first Gospel pair to see their second album, Heaven, reach #1 on the Billboard sales charts in 1988 and also be certified Gold. The title track reached #12 on the Billboard R&B singles chart and also spawned two more hit singles with "Lost Without You" and "Celebrate New Life."

In 1991, the dynamic duo released Different Lifestyles featuring the single "Addictive Love" and a cover of the Staples Singers classic, "I'll Take You There." Both singles topped the R&B charts. From there, BeBe & CeCe released two more albums and after an amazing run of smash hits and albums, BeBe & CeCe went on to pursue incredibly successful solo careers.

With a phenomenal career that has spanned more than 20 years, BeBe & CeCe have become one of the most commercially successful gospel artists in the business. As a duo their accolades include five Grammy Awards, eight Dove Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, one Soul Train Award and over a dozen Stellar Awards. They have also racked up 12 chart topping R&B singles, as well as numerous #1 singles on Christian AC and CHR radio, three gold albums and one platinum album.

In conjunction with the release of Still, the BeBe & CeCe Reunion Tour will criss-cross the country later this year.

SOURCE B&C Records

So What's Up With David?

2009-09-01T22:21:00.002-05:00

If you really want to know you need to be following me on twitter. That's where the action is.

http://twitter.com/davidbmc

The new blog will be fully functioning January of 2010 but is sparodic for now. Definitely not much happening here though.

dm

Entering The Ministry

2009-08-17T19:43:00.003-05:00

When people ask me about entering the ministry I usually advise them to do something else. I figure if I can talk them out of it they didn't need to be in the ministry in the first place.

C. Michael Patton has written a stellar list about things to consider for the ministry. Must reading for those thinking about it.

I will only add a couple thoughts.

1. He emphasizes seminary education. The older I get the more important I think this is. It's harder than you think to "rightly divide the word of truth."

2. You must realize that ministry is about being a servant. If you are doing this to serve your ego or gain notoriety stop now.

Read Patton's list now.

dm

If You Really Want To Know

2009-08-02T17:28:00.003-05:00

My interest in this blog is fading fast. However, I'm not quite prepared to go fullblast at the new one.

But if you really want to know what's going on in my world you need to be paying attention over there:
http://davidbmclaughlin.blogspot.com/

I'm also on twitter now. Come follow along:
http://twitter.com/davidbmc

Btw,Hurt Locker was a really good movie.

dm

iMonk Blasts Paula White in Tampa Bay Online

2009-07-25T11:26:00.002-05:00

From an article in Tampa Bay Online about Paula White returning to pastor her ex-husband's church:

Some critics are concerned about Paula's message, not her gender or marital status. They say Paula's return is about money, not restoring spiritual order.

"In the end, it's an audience retention operation," said Michael Spencer, a Baptist pastor in the ministry for 30 years who wrote a recent article in the Christian Science Monitor about what he sees as evangelicals' coming implosion. "The Christian mission has been traded in for a financial scam."

Spencer doesn't consider the Whites to be evangelicals. "These are motivational speakers and financially motivated quacks playing on the materialistic desires of Americans and their worship of greed over God."

For those reasons, Without Walls will fail and serve as a cautionary tale to others, Spencer said.

Full article here.

Amen brother, preach it!

Rule of Thumb

2009-07-20T18:11:00.002-05:00

"A good rule of thumb is if you spend more time hearing someone else tell you what the Bible says than you do actually reading the Bible yourself, you’re out of whack."

- Jared Wilson, via iMonk interview

New Look

2009-07-18T21:03:00.002-05:00

I've been working on a look for the new blog. Tell me what you think!

http://davidbmclaughlin.blogspot.com

dm

iMonk Wins

2009-07-18T09:00:00.003-05:00

I just realized that I reference iMonk more than anyone else on this blog...thus he must be my favorite blogger.

He killed it again today.

You MUST read his post about The Gospel. Fantastic. Just fantastic.

dm

Newchurch Joins This Decade!

2009-07-17T19:06:00.003-05:00

Thanks to the techno skills of Chris Gray, my church, Newchurch, has moved into the year 2000 by starting a blog so they can communicate announcements to their parishioners. They still dont have an email announcement list like every other church in the world but this is even better as far as i'm concerned.

I can't wait until 2034 when they start Twittering!

In all seriousness-THANKS CHRIS!!!!!!!!!

Credo House Now Open

2009-07-16T20:47:00.001-05:00

[From the Daily Oklahoman]

There is a place to enjoy a Calvin Cappuccino or a Luther Latte while getting a fuller understanding of Biblical theology.

The Credo House of Theology opened last week, offering a place for theological training, conversation with Biblical scholars or just to hang out.

The Rev. Michael Patton, president of Reclaiming the Mind Ministries, calls the Credo House of Theology “an evangelical theological hub.”

“We want people engaged in the church history, understanding the lineage of the Christian faith, understanding a defense of the faith and reclaiming the intellectual element that has historically characterized our faith,” he said.

Patton received a master of theology degree in New Testament studies from Dallas Theological Seminary and served on the staff at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, for six years. He returned to Oklahoma to open the Credo House of Theology.

“God wants us to be holistic in our thinking,” he said. “So there is a very strong emotional element tied to what we believe but it’s not merely an emotion, it is also a conviction.”

The hub of the ministry is the Theology Program, which includes lessons on DVD and online meetings with teachers and students worldwide.

“It’s a seminary for lay people,” Patton said. “It’s taking all of the theology classes that we get in seminary, not dumbing them down in any sense, but the content is the same.”

The Credo House of Theology also offers courses and events for children, teens and pastors. “We want this to be a safe place where people can come and get answers,” Patton said.

His sister, Lindsey Price, head of development said, “If you don’t ask you might lose your belief because you have no basis for it. So that’s why this place is so important.”

Credo House of Theology is north of Memorial Road and east of Santa Fe Avenue at 109 NW 142, Suite B.

Visit the Credo House site.

The Average Church

2009-07-13T22:17:00.002-05:00

iMonk has posted an article by Michael Bell which is an excellent analysis of "average" church size. Is it 75 or 184? Which result do you believe?

It all depends on mean or median (for your stat folks).

Highlights of the analysis:

- Imagine you are looking down a very, very long street, and all the churches of U.S. are lined up along the left side of the street from smallest to largest. In behind each church are all their Sunday morning attenders.

If you counted the grand total of everyone standing behind each church and then divided this number by the total number of churches that you see on this very long street, you would come up with a “mean” or “average” size of 184. “Mean” is usually what we mean of when we think of “average”.

- It isn’t until you reach a church of size 400 that you will have the same number of people behind you as in front of you. This means that half of church attenders in the U.S. go to churches larger than 400. If we were to use the word “average” again, we would see that the “average” or “median” churchgoer was in a church of 400. Not only that, but this means that half of all those who attend church are in less that 10% of the churches!

Be sure to check out the entire article. The chart alone is worth the price of admission.

dm

Paula White Takes Over Ex-Husbands Church

2009-07-12T20:44:00.002-05:00

Ok...Paula White is stepping in to be the new pastor of the church she used to pastor along with her husband who is now her ex-husband because since they divorced for "drifting apart" the church is now millions of dollars behind and the pastor (ex-husband) now has health problems related to stress that are causing him to step aside and she agreed to step in and be the new pastor to rescue it financially.

Yeah...I know that was the longest run on sentence ever. I did it intentionally. This is the kinda stuff I used to talk about on this blog and I just dont give a crap anymore. Looking forward to the new blog.

Story here.

Sample Post

2009-07-12T15:07:00.004-05:00

Wanna know what the new blog will be like at http://davidbmclaughlin.blogspot.com/ in 2010?

There is a sample there today.

Check it out.

dm

3.0 on the Way!!!!!

2009-07-11T14:50:00.001-05:00

copied from Voyage Radio 2.0
--------

I have really enjoyed doing Voyage Radio 2.0, especially the interviews. When we finished the Original Voyage Radio I knew I didnt want to quit but wanted to continue doing the podcast in some way thus came 2.0.

I have been taking a teaching sabbatical at church this year and have been re-thinking my future. I do not have everything figured out but it is halfway over and I have figured out a few things.

Part of it is that I am going to be doing a new blog and podcast starting in January 2010 with a whole new look and vibe. It will be centered around my new mission statement.

Everything will be found at http://davidbmclaughlin.blogspot.com/

Be sure to go bookmark it now so you won't forget to get on board. More announcements coming soon!

dm

The Problem With..Well, I'm Not Sure Who

2009-07-11T14:21:00.004-05:00

Newsweek has an article entitled, Why Barack Obama Represents American Catholics Better Than The Pope Does.

Geez.

Nothing against the president in my gripe here. He didn't write the article.

I'm not sure who I'm ticked off against here. The media? Seems too easy but also seems fair.

Parishioners? Yeah...I think them too.

So what's my gripe?

It's this. Who says that clergy are supposed to "represent" the people?

Regular readers of this blog know I spend a good portion of my time knocking the errors of professional clergy so I think I'm on solid ground there. But we also have to recognize what the real job of the clergy is.

What is it?

Well, for starters:
- to accurately understand and teach scripture, and
- to love, care for and protect their congregations.

Their job is not the same as a member of Congress. They do not listen to their constituents and take the congregations grievances to God.

"Hey God, we no longer like this 'love your neighbor' thing so we would like an amendment to the rule."

It doesn't work like that.

So it really doesn't matter if Obama represents the views of American Catholics more than the Pope. All that means is American Catholics are not in line with the teachings of their own church. If they get too far in disagreement, why even bother being a member?

When it comes to religious views, the religion sets the views and you decide whether or not to be a part. Styles may change but the doctrine is what it is.

dm

Steve McNair Killed By Girlfriend

2009-07-05T10:05:00.002-05:00

NFL quarterback Steve McNair was shot to death by his girlfriend.

Story here.

My condolences to his wife and children.

Similar to the Jackson coverage, we are hearing what a great man he was because he was an athlete.

I believe anybody can make mistakes. But McNair had been with this woman for months. This wasn't a slip up. This was deliberate and ongoing betrayal of his wife and kids.

Can we not say anyone is a jerk anymore just because they are dead?

Moral of the story? Don't cheat on your wife.

dm

Happy 4th!

2009-07-04T12:21:00.001-05:00

Rocking my flag on Independence Day. Just noticed I need to paint my flagpole.

Enjoyed the parade in Bethany and some Swadley's bbq. Gonna fire off some fireworks at the in-laws tonight.

Enjoy your freedom today and always.

Executive Decision

2009-07-02T21:45:00.002-05:00

Executive decision about my life posted here:

http://davidbmclaughlin.blogspot.com/

We're #5!

2009-07-01T16:34:00.002-05:00

Oklahoma is the #5 fattest state in the nation. Come on team! We can make it all the way to #1 if we really try. Go get a pizza tonight and get some ice cream on the way home.

Here are the stats.

dm

Failure

2009-06-30T20:58:00.001-05:00

Dropping Like Flies: R.I.P. Fred Travalena

2009-06-29T20:57:00.001-05:00

Fred Travalena, comedian and impressionist, has succumbed to Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma on Sunday, June 28, 2009, after a courageous seven-year battle with the disease.

dm

A Real Tragedy: Billy Mays Dead at 50

2009-06-28T13:19:00.002-05:00

According to an AP story, Billy Mays died at his home Sunday morning. His wife says he was not feeling well the night before.

Full story here.

dm

Let's Not Forget-Jackson Was A Pedophile

2009-06-27T08:17:00.003-05:00

The world is in a complete meltdown over the sudden death of pop star Michael Jackson. He is now being talked about in terms fit for a patron saint on television 24 hours a day and his music is at the top of all the charts again.

But let's not forget that just a few days ago his career was in a complete tailspin because this same public had largely rejected him because most believed he was a pedophile who had molested children.

Yes-he was found "not guilty." But that was a jury in LA (if I remember correctly) that most people at the time and since believed had come to the wrong conclusion.

But now the king of pop is dead. So I guess all is forgiven.

As Christians we are to ask God to forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. But nowhere in scripture does it tell us to celebrate those who violate children. Rather, we are repeatedly commended to look after children and to condemn sin.

The only slack I will give Jackson is that I do not know for sure whether or not he is a pedophile. I will admit it. But I certainly believe in my heart, as did most of the public the day before he died that he was guilty. So I will not glorify the man as a saint.

I will be the first to admit that he was an incredibly talented person. He was an amazing dancer, a great singer, songwriter, producer and one of the greatest performers ever. I have several MJ albums and listen to some of them about once a year. Yes, even after his trial.

But I will not celebrate the man as a hero just because he is dead.

dm

New Bride Album Coming Soon! Tsar Bomba

2009-06-23T18:20:00.002-05:00

Check out bridepub.com to learn more about the new and likely final album Christian metal legends, Bride....coming soon!

Book Review: If Jesus Were A Parent

2009-06-19T22:10:00.003-05:00

My friend, Joy, gave me a copy of If Jesus Were A Parent, by Hal Perkins and asked me to review it. I told her I would but I would be honest. (I did tell her that if I hated it I just wouldn't say anything.)

Since I'm saying something you know I didn't hate it. In fact, I loved it.

I do have two gripes, however.

Gripe one: I wasn't initially knocked out with the title. I thought it was kinda cheesy. It makes sense once you read it but my initial reaction was, "Ewww.."

Gripe two: I have read tons of parenting books and have always been able to tell folks they only need one: Parenting With Love & Logic. Now, my response is more complicated because they need two. Throw this one in the mix.

The idea of the book is that Jesus discipled people. So what would Jesus do if he were a parent? He would disciple his children. We can learn how to do that by looking at how he discipled his followers. (Saying it here doesn't work nearly as well as Perkins lays it out in the book, trust me.)

Perkins points out that some of us spend time trying to disciple others while neglecting spending time discipling those closest to us, when in fact our children should be our top priority on our discipleship list.

I also love the way he brings in the fact that Jesus was full of grace and truth. (Something I have preached on often.) But he applies this to parenting. We should parent with grace and truth. The grace should always come first so they will be receptive to the truth.

Great stuff.

This book is a must have for all parents.

Get yours at halperkins.com.

dm

Dog The Bounty Hunter Gets Two Thumbs Up

2009-06-13T11:16:00.003-05:00

Last New Years Eve I was killing time waiting for Chris Daughtry to come on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' eve (or some AI artist on some NYE show) and I found a Dog The Bounty Hunter Marathon on A&E.

I had heard of the guy but had never seen the show. We watched a few episodes and I have been hooked ever since.

Why?

First, it taps into my inner redneck.

Second, it is mildly interesting to watch the team track down the bad guys who are hooked on ice and jumping bail.

Third, love the scenery of Hawaii and Colorado.

Fourth, love the interaction of the Chapman family.

But mostly it is the grace that the Chapman's show the people they capture. Five minutes ago they were saying "Freeze mutherf****r" (and I know that offends a lot of people). But now they are in the back seat of the Suburban giving them a water and a cigarette trying to help them turn their life around.

The Chapman's are not the nice and shiny kind of Christians who show up on Sunday in a pretty suit and tie, say all the right words and then go back to their safe home life and judge evverybody else.

No, they get down and dirty with the crackheads and prostitutes, cuss a little while doing a take down and then show them the love of Jesus all the way to jail.

They are my kind of Christians.

You will see more grace and gospel on DTBH in the last five minutes of most episodes than you will see in 24 hours of Christian television on most days.

I give Dog the Bounty Hunter two thumbs up. Sorry if that offends you.

dm

Patrick Morley Interview at Voyage Radio 2.0

2009-06-08T22:40:00.002-05:00

Be sure to check out my interview with Patrick Morley at Voyage Radio 2.0 as we talk about his new book, How To Survive the Economic Meltdown which you can download for free.

Check out The Theology Program

2009-06-01T20:15:00.003-05:00

I have been reading this guys blog for a while now and I can heartily recommend this program.

dm
--------------
1. The Entire Theology Program for $359
This is a continuation of our biggest special ever. The entire Theology Program for $359!

That is over 50% savings when sold separately.

NOTE TO HOMESCOOLERS: The Theology Program is the perfect addition to your curriculum. Get your kids solidified in Christian theology early.

Seminary level theological training from your own home. For everyone!
Included:
Introduction to Theology: Ten 1.2 hour DVDs and Student Workbook.
Bibliology and Hermeneutics: Ten 1.2 hour DVDs and Student Workbook.
Trinitarianism: Ten 1.2 hour DVDs and Student Workbook.
Humanity and Sin: Ten 1.2 hour DVDs and Student Workbook.
Soteriology: Ten 1.2 hour DVDs and Student Workbook.
Ecclesiology and Eschatology: Ten 1.2 hour DVDs and Student Workbook.
That is more than 70 hours of high quality theological education.

Get what J.P. Moreland calls, "The Theology Program is the best thing I have seen to date."

Chuck Swindoll says, "If it is your desire to understand what you believe and why you believe it, then The Theology Program is for you. Here you will learn the basic principles of how to think biblically. TTP takes theology from the top shelf and places it where it belongs--where everyone can reach it."

Bob (a student) says, “I grew up in a Christian home, attended college on a Christian campus, have attended church all of my life, and have been a subscriber and reader of Christianity Today and Christian History for a decade and an half and no where have I been exposed to the level of teaching that we are experiencing in the TTP. It is unique. I have been blessed."

Check it out here.

Ida Not Peer Reviewed

2009-05-21T20:44:00.001-05:00

From Stand To Reason:

The paper on Ida hasn't even been presented yet so has not yet met with peer review, an important step in the scholarly chain of establishing scientific evidence for any kind of claim. Yesterday's headlines were based on press releases promoting the paper, not evidence from the paper itself since it hasn't been peer reviewed. This is the beginning of the process, not the end so no time to hail Ida as final proof of evolution, which The Guardian points out is missing more than one link in the fossil evidence. We'll see what comes of that process.

That didnt take long.

dm

Scientists Say Missing Link Found

2009-05-19T10:24:00.005-05:00

I stopped arguing about evolution a while back. I'm not a scientist.

I know micro-evolution happens. I'm bald. Macro-evolution, I don't know.

Today, it was announced that the "missing link" has finally been found which should officially close the pie-holes of everyone who has ever doubted evolution. Right?

I doubt it.

There are many who have placed their faith in anti-evolution instead of God. For them they will have to spend every waking moment trying to prove that this missing link is a hoax as past missing links have been. Maybe it is maybe it isnt, I have no idea. I'm not a scientist.

What I do know is it doesn't matter to me. My faith is in the resurrection, not whether creation took seven days or seven million years.

Full story here.

The discovery of the 95%-complete 'lemur monkey' - dubbed Ida - is described by experts as the "eighth wonder of the world".

dm

iMonk Answers...and How

2009-05-14T23:29:00.002-05:00

A few posts back I asked the question of how you might reconfigure church if you were to attempt to do so.

Today the blogger known as iMonk answered me. Well, he wasn't really responding to me per se. But he wrote a great post that answered my question in large part.

It is titled "What Did Jesus' Version of Community Look Like?" and you should go read it. The comment stream is very good as well.

dm

Naked Pastor Maps My Brain

2009-05-13T21:01:00.000-05:00

Used by permission of the Naked Pastor.

American Idol Is Dead To Me

2009-05-05T22:44:00.002-05:00

First I'll explain why I used to like it... then why it has jumped the shark for me.

Why I Like(d) It

1. I'm a musician in a former life. I actually have been Simon Cowell and have enjoyed judging vocal competitions and even done a little bit of producing and engineering on a very small scale so I actually know what Randy is talking about when he says something is pitchy. So I like to give my own little critique on the contestants. I enjoy it.

2. It is usually a pretty family friendly safe show in a world there are very few shows we can watch as a family. Since the wife and kids both like it, it's something we can enjoy and talk about together. Something we are all pulling for the same person (David Cook) sometimes not.

3. The early weeks where the contestants are horrible (most, intentionally) are pretty funny.

Why Idol Is Dead To Me

1. This season the judges have been blatantly pulling for Adam Lambert. I can deal with that because he has really good vocal chops except for one thing. The cheese factor on this guy is out of the park. I will be the first to admit that when he does slower songs and just stands there and sings he is fantastic (channeling Sam Harris and not as good). But when he does upbeat tunes (ie: Play That Funky Music & Satisfaction) it is unbearable to watch.

2. He crucified Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire. I almost cut the show off then except Simon kept it real by admitting there were some people who would hate it. Yes Simon. We did.

3. The final straw was tonight. This man blasphemed the good name of Led Zeppelin by desecrating Whole Lotta Love. I could never forgive him, but AI itself could have called him out for it.

But no. They had to go on and on about how great it was and even had the audacity to claim it was "better than Zeppelin." After vomiting I listened to see if Simon would bring them all back to Earth as usual. Nope. He was given his membership card in the Adam Lambert fan club and turned in my AI card.

I'm done.

The final thing I will say about the show...ever...is that I have told people over and over not to do Aerosmith songs. Danny, don't say you weren't warned.

And Allison...great job. You don't stand a chance but I hope you win.

I'm sure I will continue to see the show as my family watches it but I will never comment onthe show again, on this blog or privately.

Seacrest Out.

Don't Forget Mother's Day

2009-05-04T17:29:00.001-05:00

Sneering at Christianity

2009-05-02T09:49:00.002-05:00

A.N. Wilson wrote an interesting article about his journey from young believer to atheist to believer.

Here is a part:

Like most educated people in Britain and Northern Europe (I was born in 1950), I have grown up in a culture that is overwhelmingly secular and anti-religious. The universities, broadcasters and media generally are not merely non-religious, they are positively anti.

To my shame, I believe it was this that made me lose faith and heart in my youth. It felt so uncool to be religious. With the mentality of a child in the playground, I felt at some visceral level that being religious was unsexy, like having spots or wearing specs.

This playground attitude accounts for much of the attitude towards Christianity that you pick up, say, from the alternative comedians, and the casual light blasphemy of jokes on TV or radio.

It also lends weight to the fervour of the anti-God fanatics, such as the writer Christopher Hitchens and the geneticist Richard Dawkins, who think all the evil in the world is actually caused by religion.

The vast majority of media pundits and intelligentsia in Britain are unbelievers, many of them quite fervent in their hatred of religion itself.

The Polly Toynbees of this world ignore all the benign aspects of religion and see it purely as a sinister agent of control, especially over women.

One suspects this is how it is viewed in most liberal circles, in university common rooms, at the BBC and, perhaps above all, sadly, by the bishops of the Church of England, who despite their episcopal regalia, nourish few discernible beliefs that could be distinguished from the liberalism of the age.

For ten or 15 of my middle years, I, too, was one of the mockers. But, as time passed, I found myself going back to church, although at first only as a fellow traveller with the believers, not as one who shared the faith that Jesus had truly risen from the grave. Some time over the past five or six years - I could not tell you exactly when - I found that I had changed.

Full story here.

Deconstructing Church

2009-04-28T22:45:00.002-05:00

I had a discussion with a friend today about what we liked and didn't like about "church."

It got me thinking about deconstructing our preconceived notions of church. This is not the first time I've thought of this topic.

But it makes me wonder, if you were going to reinvent the concept of "church" what would it look like?

I dont mean the church universal. I'm talking about the local gathering together of believers. How would it look? What would a biblical model be? How would you reinvent it? Would you change anything?

What are your thoughts?

dm

Failing Forward: Michael Oher

2009-04-25T18:03:00.002-05:00

Michael Oher was drafted into the NFL today by the Baltimore Ravens. Best of luck to him.

Of course, I'm a Steelers fan. I hate the Ravens. But I digress.

According to the source of all truth, Wikipedia:

Oher's father was not involved in his upbringing (and was murdered when he was a junior in high school), and his mother was addicted to crack cocaine. As a result, he received little constructive attention during his formative years. He repeated both first grade and second grade, and attended eleven different schools during his first nine years as a student. He also alternated between time spent in various foster homes and periods with no fixed address until he was sixteen years old.

That year, Oher applied for admission to a private school, Briarcrest Christian School, at the instigation of acquaintance Tony Henderson, with whom he was staying temporarily.

A couple with a daughter at the school, Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy, allowed Oher to move in with them and began taking care of his needs after becoming familiar with his difficult personal circumstances. They also connected him with a tutor, who worked with him for twenty hours a week, eventually bringing his low-D performance up to a 2.05 grade point average.

Oher played football his freshman year at the Memphis public school, but didn't play football again until his junior year at Briarcrest Christian School. His senior year, he took over at left tackle. He was extremely well regarded as a prospect once he came to the attention of scouts, due to his size and athleticism.

After receiving scholarship offers from the University of Tennessee, Louisiana State University, the University of Alabama, and North Carolina State University, among others, Oher ultimately decided to attend the University of Mississippi, the Tuohys' alma mater.

Oher started in 10 games as a guard during his first season with Mississippi, becoming a first-team freshman All American. He shifted to his natural position of left tackle for the 2006 season, and was named to a variety of preseason All-Conference and All-American teams. He was named a second-team SEC offensive lineman after his sophomore season and a first-team SEC offensive lineman after his junior season. After the 2008-2009 college football season Michael Oher was selected to the AP All-American first team.

Oher is the subject of Michael Lewis's 2006 book, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game. A portion of the book was excerpted before publication in the New York Times Magazine as "The Ballad of Big Mike." The book has been adapted for film and will be directed by John Lee Hancock.

It Wasn't Me!

2009-04-24T17:49:00.002-05:00

David "DJ" McLaughlin, 23, died after shooting himself during a siege at Ngunnawal last week. His stepfather Andy Hammond said he could have saved his son if police had let him talk to him. "They [the police] didn't give me a chance," he said.

Story here.

Church Has Gone To The Dogs

2009-04-23T17:39:00.002-05:00

OK, am I nuts or has this stuff gone too far?

Now churches are allowing people to bring their pets to church in order to get them (the people) to attend.

About 20 to 50 dogs typically show up for the "Woof and Worship" service at 5 p.m. every Sunday at Pilgrim Congregational Church in the Boston suburb of Weymouth, Mass., says the Rev. Rachel Bickford. The services began in September, she adds. "I thought this would be a wonderful way to bring some joy back into the community," she says. "It's been terrific."

Full story here.

Colson on Domestic Violence

2009-04-20T21:06:00.004-05:00

Chuck Colson wrote a great article today on the appalling problem of domestic violence in the church. Must read especially for ministry professionals.

A portion of the article states:

Denise George, a gifted writer and the wife of theologian Timothy George, has published a new book called What Women Wish Pastors Knew. “Spouse abuse shocks us,” George writes. “We just cannot believe that a church deacon or member goes home after worship . . . and beats his wife.” Tragically, however, George notes, some of these men justify their violence “by citing biblical passages.”

George sites a survey in which nearly 6,000 pastors were asked how they would counsel women who came to them for help with domestic violence. Twenty-six percent would counsel them the same way Marleen’s pastor did: to continue to “submit” to her husband, no matter what. Twenty-five percent told wives the abuse was their own fault—for failing to submit in the first place. Astonishingly, 50 percent said women should be willing to “tolerate some level of violence” because it is better than divorce.

Morley Offers Free Finance Book

2009-04-19T09:39:00.002-05:00

Kudos to Dr. Patrick Morley, multi-million selling author, for offering a FREE pdf version of his new book on finances.
--------------------------

Patrick Morley, a former Florida real estate developer whose company was one of Florida’s 100 largest privately held companies, spent years fighting off a multimillion dollar bankruptcy after the Tax Reform Act of 1986. He has since become a best-selling Christian author and head of an international ministry to men (Man in the Mirror).

Pat’s new book, How to Survive the Economic Meltdown features 35 hard earned spiritual, practical and financial survival strategies based on lessons learned during his own personal financial crisis. Every day for seven long years he woke up not knowing whether or not he would be forced into bankruptcy. By God’s grace, he was able to avoid bankruptcy and not only survive, but experience extraordinary spiritual growth. Ultimately, our prayer is that what Pat learned during a nightmarish season of his life will help others to get through their tough times today.

Pat’s passionate about getting a copy of this book into the hands of every person who wants one—even if it’s for free (click on the upper right to download a free PDF copy). We’re also making the book available at huge discounts (as low as $1.95) so leaders can distribute them through their churches, businesses, and ministries.

Leaders are sometimes at a loss about exactly how to serve the tens of millions of people trying to make sense of this meltdown. On this site you’ll find dozens of resources to help – including videos, message transcripts, message ideas, speaker notes, graphics, and promotional materials.

Get yours at survivethemeltdown.org.
------------------------
Good for him!

dm

Pimp This Bum

2009-04-15T21:31:00.003-05:00

I saw a news story on tv about this tonight.

pimpthisbum.com

This is a website where these guys pick a random homeless guy, feature him on the web and try to raise money to get him off the streets.

I have mixed emotions about it. I dont really like the name, "Pimp this bum" and I feel like there are probably better ways to help him.

But...I'm going to go ahead and give these guys running the website props for being creative and doing something to try and help the homeless.

Visit the website and watch the first video on the site (8 minutes). Very interesting.

Whether or not you donate is totally up to you (obviously).

Local angle-though this guy is in Houston, TX, he graduated from Midwest City (suburb of OKC) according to the news story on tv.

Idol Update

2009-04-14T19:45:00.003-05:00

For both of you who care:

-Danny Gokey (Iron Man) is still my favorite-love his voice, but he is picking songs the last few weeks that are boring me to tears.

-Allison (red-head) is my second favorite. She is an amazing natural talent. The last three weeks she has not done as well though which worries me. (Would people stop trying to sing Steven Tyler songs! Nobody should do them but him.)

-Kris Allen is my third favorite.

Then it gets all jumbled up. I'm a jerk I guess but I dont think the blind guy should have even been in the competition and Lil Rounds has severely underperformed.

And then there's Adam Lambert. If he wins I will stop watching this show.

Yes, he can sing. And really really well. But he has cheese coming out of every part of his body. He is a poser. Puhleeze.

That said-Mad World and Tracks of My Tears were awesome.

Danny is blowing it though by song choice and that makes me sad.

Wade Burleson now on Voyage Radio 2.0

2009-04-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

Part 1 of my interview with Wade Burleson, author of Hardball Religion, is now online at Voyage Radio 2.0.

Don't miss it!

dm

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

2009-04-12T13:49:00.002-05:00

Did you know that William Paul Young, author of The Shack, was the biggest winner on Season One of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

Wade Burleson tells a great story about it today on the internet broadcast of Emmanuel Baptist's Easter service. You can watch it here.

Easter Song for My Favorite Holiday

2009-04-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hoppy Easter

2009-04-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

New Law Makes Women Subserviant to Men

2009-04-11T12:30:00.003-05:00

A new law from ~~christians~~ Afghanistan makes women sexually and financially subserviant to men.

The United Nations women's agency, international diplomats as well as Afghan parliamentarians have criticized the legislation that reportedly would, among other measures, make it illegal for a woman to refuse to have sexual relations with her spouse and would prevent her from leaving her house without her husband's permission. It would also reportedly grant custody of children only to fathers or grandfathers.

Full story here.

Easter Cheese this Saturday Morning via The Artist Formerly Known as Carman

2009-04-11T06:00:00.001-05:00

Martyrdom of the Apostles-Happy Easter!

2009-04-10T20:51:00.002-05:00

There is a ridiculously good article at Parchment and Pen about how the historicity of the martyrdom of the apostles lends credibility to the reality of the resurrection of Christ.

Must reading for believers and seekers.

Good Friday-On The Way To The Cross

2009-04-10T06:00:00.001-05:00

Craig/Hitchens Debate Recap

2009-04-09T19:40:00.004-05:00

I did not get to attend the William Lane Craig/Christopher Hitchens debate (though I intended to) I have read about it from Stand To Reason. You can read several of their blog posts about it and even order a copy of the debate:

Order a copy

Play-by-play

Hitchens Makes Two Admissions

Could Craig Be Wrong?

First Thoughts

Of course STR is biased towards Craig but I think they are reasonable and rational.

But as my official disclaimer says, I could be wrong!

William Lane Craig/Christopher Hitchens Debate

2009-04-02T18:08:00.003-05:00

Received this email:

I'd like to extend an invitation to a free event taking place at Trinity Baptist Church in Norman on Wednesday, Apr 8, at 7 pm sharp.

See the link here. http://www.biola.edu/academics/professional-studies/apologetics/events/

Biola Univ is hosting a debate between well-known Christian apologist William Lane Craig and also-well-known public intellectual, author, and commentator, atheist Christopher Hitchens on the topic "Does God Exist?" The debate itself will take place this Saturday, but we will stream the video to the church on Wednesday.

Craig is more than a fair speaker and is a great debater, and Hitchens, while a poor debater (IMHO), is an outstanding and highly entertaining public speaker and is famous these days for his book god is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything.

This event is hosted by Trinity Baptist Church and by Oklahoma Atheists. Come join the dialogue! No RSVP required, admission is free. It's a great opportunity for learning and exposure to the other side through respectful dialogue.

Atlas Shrugged Movie In The Making

2009-04-02T18:03:00.002-05:00

They would probably make a horrible version but I like the idea at least of making a movie of Atlas Shrugged. The times definitely call for it.

From The Hollywood Reporter:

Hollywood could soon be going Objectivist.

After decades in development hell, Ayn Rand’s capitalism-minded “Atlas Shrugged” is taking new steps toward the big screen — with one of the film world’s most prominent money men potentially at its center.

Rand’s popular but polarizing book — it’s derided by many literary critics but has a huge public following — tells the story of Dagny Taggart, a railroad executive trying to keep her corporation competitive in the face of what she perceives as a lack of innovation and individual responsibility.
A number of stars have expressed serious interest in playing the lead role of Taggart. Angelina Jolie previously had been reported as a candidate to play the strong female character, but the list is growing and now includes Charlize Theron, Julia Roberts and Anne Hathaway.

Although it was written a half-century ago, producers say that the book’s themes of individualism resonate in the era of Obama, government bailouts and stimulus packages -- making this the perfect moment to bring the 1,100-page novel to the big screen.

An “Atlas Shrugged” movie has gone through endless development fits and starts. Faye Dunaway and Clint Eastwood had been attached to earlier versions -- if that doesn't give you an idea of how far back it goes, we don't know what will -- but with both Rand and the Rand estate very particular about how the story was handled, those iterations didn’t get traction.

Full story here:

http://www.riskybusinessblog.com/2009/03/with-atlas-shrugged-hollywood-may-have-its-first-antibailout-movie.html

Heavy Metal Monk

2009-04-02T17:42:00.000-05:00

Wade Burleson & Monty Priest on Voyage Radio 2.0

2009-04-01T22:15:00.003-05:00

I'm excited to be interviewing Wade Burleson next week about his book, Harball Religion for Voyage Radio 2.0. The episodes will air April 13th & 20th.

In the meantime, be sure to enjoy my great interviews currently running with Monty Priest, my pastor, of Newchurch in OKC. He has had an interesting life that God has done a great work in.

dm

Hardball Religion Now Available

2009-03-31T21:52:00.002-05:00

Wade Burleson's book is now available. Get your copy today! I just ordered mine.

From the publisher:

Hardball Religion
Feeling the Fury of Fundamentalism

by Wade Burleson

In November 2005, the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention passed two policies: 1) that missionaries desiring to be appointed by the IMB be baptized in a Southern Baptist church; and 2) that prospective missionaries be disqualified from service if they used a private prayer language. Wade Burleson, a trustee of the IMB at the time, questioned the policies. Were they necessary? Were they scripturally sound? Were they in line with the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message?

While Wade Burleson’s Hardball Religion is the startling story of his three-year journey from Christian dissent to censure to resignation from the IMB, it is also an important record of another struggle within the SBC—the much more serious battle against the Fundamentalism that threatens to destroy the fabric of Southern Baptist cooperation.

Hardball Religion is a call for Southern Baptists to see the importance of allowing many voices to be heard, voices who represent diverse positions on the issues, when some Southern Baptists are vigorously pushing to silence all dissent within the Convention.

Wade Burleson and his wife, Rachelle, live in Enid, Oklahoma, where Wade has served as senior pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church since 1992. Wade has held various denominational positions in the state of Oklahoma and the Southern Baptist Convention, including two terms as president of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. Wade is the author of numerous articles and the book Happiness Doesn't Just Happen. He enjoys his family, golf, and the study of theology and history.

Skillet/Disciple in OKC April 30

2009-03-28T17:22:00.002-05:00

http://www.okctickets.com/e/1565/skillet

Can Satan Read Our Minds?

2009-03-28T16:48:00.002-05:00

Can Satan read our minds?

I received that question by email and this was my response:

I'd say there is no real biblical evidence that satan can read our minds. However, I dont think he needs to. I can work with someone for a couple years and know how to push their buttons. I think it is the same with Satan. He is very sharp and knows how to push our buttons.

He also knows human nature. People are prideful, jealous, lustful, etc. It's not rocket science to tempt people.

Finally, I would say that we dont want to give Satan equal power as God. Satan was a created being-God is the creator of all things, even Satan. Satan is more on equal footing to the archangel Michael. Bottom line is, greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.

Christ gives us the power to overcome temptation. But we certainly have the option of picking it up, playing with it and taking a bite. God wont stop us. But we will suffer the consequences when we do.

dm

Scratch That: Voyage of the Dawn Treader is Back On!

2009-03-27T22:42:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Mr. LuminousSpector:

Twentieth Century Fox recently partnered with Walden on the “Narnia” film series after Disney and Walden parted ways. It was an easy fit, since Walden Media and Fox have a partnership under the Fox Walden banner. Disney was the publicity, financial support and distributor for the first two “Narnia” films. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe debuted in December 2005 and cumed $291.7 million domestically.

Full story here.

Woohoo!

Voyage of the Dawn Treader Canceled

2009-03-27T16:39:00.002-05:00

I just learned about this:

Walt Disney Company has dropped the third "Chronicles of Narnia" movie, "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader."

The book "Dawn Treader" has the least amount of time with Aslan, who is the Jesus figure in the series by acclaimed Christian author C.S. Lewis. It is much more logical that the economics of the movie did not make sense than that there was a concern over the Christian content of the book.

"Prince Caspian," the most recent "Chronicles of Narnia" movie, exceeded its budget and ultimately cost $200 million to produce. A movie has to produce two and a half times its costs to break even, which means it would have to earn $500 million at the box office. In fact, it only made $418.8 worldwide. In terms of videos and DVDs, the markup is much higher, so "Prince Caspian" would have to make much more money to make its money back in the DVD market. Neither Walden nor Disney could have been happy about this economic straitjacket.

Although "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" is one of the most beloved books in the series, it is more of a travelogue than a well-structured movie. Of all the "Narnia" books, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is the most cinematic. So, from an economic point of view, paying more for "Dawn Treader" does not make sense.

Full story here.

Bummer! I liked the movies and was looking forward to more.

Turkish Thieves

2009-03-24T20:53:00.003-05:00

We have been getting a ton of traffic for Voyage Radio from Turkey. Not just hits but actual downloads of our episodes.

We get downloads from over 80 countries but starting around the first of the year we have gotten a gazilillion downloads from Turkey and I have been trying to figure out why.

I recently found out that there is a New Age Internet Radio station in Istanbul called Radyo Voyage 107.4. What is most interesting is that they have stolen OUR LOGO!

How do I know they stole it? Because I created it myself! In photoshop! On MY computer!

So I contacted them and asked them to stop using our logo.

The good news however is that people I guess are searching for their site but finding ours and are actually downloading our programs, repeatedly. We can tell from ip addresses that we have lots of repeat traffic so people like what they hear.

In the spirit of Genesis 50:20:
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done...

dm

Don't Miss Phil Miglioratti

2009-03-21T14:49:00.004-05:00

Don't miss my two part interview with Phil Miglioratti of the National Pastors Prayer Network on Voyage Radio 2.0 on the topic of prayer. It was great.

Part 1

Part 2

Holiness & Carnality Continuum

2009-03-20T17:14:00.003-05:00

To my recollection I came up with this continuum analogy on my own...but hey, I'm old and my memory aint that great so forgive me if I stole it from you. But I love it.

I've been having a discussion on a blog post with a guy named Charley and I just posted the following:

Charley,
I think you and I would probably agree on most things. My greatest caution would be to let the Holy Spirit do the pruning and not create some man-made set of lists of what is right-wrong or ok-not ok activities.

Just because somebody doesnt live by my priorities/values/convictions doesnt mean God is not doing a great work in their life.

If perfect holiness is a 100 and perfect carnality a 1, I may have been raised in a 50 environment and have spiritually matured to a 70. Someone else may have been raised in a 20 environment and matured to a 30. We look at them and say that they dont "get it." When in fact they are just at a different place on the continuum.

I am extremely cautious of legalism. I find that most legalistic people do not think they are (myself included).

I would even be careful about judging whether someone is living up to biblical standards. God deals with people on their continuum at His pace, not ours.

Let me add-evaluating someone for leadership in the church is a whole other enchilada.

dm

I Will Do Anything For Love But I Won't Do That

2009-03-17T20:03:00.003-05:00

From TheSmokingGun:

MARCH 16--A Florida man wearing an "I ♥ My Marriage" t-shirt was arrested last night for allegedly choking his wife during an argument in their Tampa-area home. Bradley Gellert, a 32-year-old financial consultant, was busted by Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office deputies and booked into jail on a felony domestic battery by strangulation charge.

According to a police report, Gellert, pictured in the below mug shot, got into an argument with his wife and "screamed at the victim and threw numerous items." He then allegedly "grabbed the victim's neck and strangled her," which "prevented the victim from breathing normally." Gellert's wife subsequently fled the couple's Apollo Beach home and went to a nearby sheriff's office to report the incident. Investigators noted that the woman had been "taken to the ground by the arrestee and suffered an abrasion to her knee and red marks on her neck."

The "I ♥ My Marriage" shirt was a promotional item tied to the 2008 movie "Fireproof," a Christian-themed film starring Kirk Cameron. The movie, a hit in evangelical circles, centers on a fireman's religious awakening and his simultaneous effort to save a failing marriage.

Bryan Duncan Is Killing Me

2009-03-16T12:55:00.002-05:00

Regular readers may know a few things about me:

1-I love Bryan Duncan
2-I suffer from semi-insomnia
3-I over think things

What this means is I usually will listen to headphones until I fall asleep. It helps me not think too much.

Last night I was listening to Mr. Duncan and his old song We All Need came on and I broke down and started crying like a baby. His lyrics have always hit home for me and this is one that really really does. Especially verse two.

Grab a kleenex and enjoy:

We All Need

From a cardboard hovel in a darkened street
To the well-lit windows of a penthouse suite,
All are desperate souls with a human fate,
And we protect ourselves within the walls we make.

And I stand in a corner, now, in my house of rest
And bow my head, beat my breast and say,
"God, please forgive me for this sinner's heart!
Though You show me your mercy,
It's the same old story keeping us apart."

And we all feel lost sometimes,
And we all feel hurt inside,
And we all cry, and we all need
The redeeming love of Jesus.

And I was raised with the lessons and the victory speech,
And I fought for the standards that I could not reach,
And I hold my tongue when the pain is great,
And I cover my tears as we celebrate,
While a private war rages with the fear and the doubt,
As I try to run faster to find a way out
I'm convinced if I stumble they'll just cast me aside,
And mock at my weakness and shatter my pride.
'Cause I've watched as we've stoned the more hesitant soul.
So, we all must remember,
It's still God's grace we all need to know.

We all feel lost sometimes,
And we all feel hurt inside,
And we all cry, and we all need!

And we all feel lost sometimes,
And we all feel hurt inside,
And we all cry, and we all need
The redeeming love of Jesus.

All feel lost sometimes,
We all feel hurt,
And we all cry,
And we all need.

What's So Amazing About What's So Amazing About Grace?

2009-03-14T09:19:00.006-05:00

I just spent about 6 months or so reading Philip Yancey's book, What's So Amazing About Grace for the second time in my life. The first time was about ten years ago.

It should be required reading for every Christian.

I am going to list a few quotes from the book that are some of my favorites. I could list a million but these are just a few:

I rejected the church for a time because I found so little grace there. I returned because I found grace nowhere else.

...Isak Dinesen leaves no doubt that she wrote "Babette's Feast" not simply as a story of a fine meal but as a parable of grace: a gift that costs everything for the giver and nothing for the recipient.

I have been picking on Christians because I am one, and see no reason to pretend we are better than we are.

Throughout the Bible, in fact, God shows a marked preference for "real" people over "good" people. In Jesus' own words, "There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."

The problem of pain meets its match in the scandal of grace.

Jesus' story makes no economic sense, and that was his intent. He was giving us a parable about grace, which cannot be calculated like a day's wages. Grace is not about finishing last or first; it is about not counting. We receive grace as a gift from God, not as something we toil to earn....

Grace cannot be reduced to generally accepted accounting principles. In the bottom line realm of ungrace, some workers deserve more than others; in the realm of grace the word "deserve" does not even apply.

God's grace is not a grandfatherly display of "niceness," for it cost the exorbitant price of Calvary.

Sociologists have a theory of the looking-glass self: you become what the most important person in your life (wife, father, boss, etc.) thinks you are. How would my life change if I truly believed the Bible's astounding words about God's love for me, if I looked in the mirror and saw what God sees?

Grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us more...and grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us less..

But the very word "forgive" contains the word "give." Like grace, forgiveness has the maddening quality of being undeserved, unmerited, unfair.

At last I understood: in the final analysis, forgiveness is an act of faith. By forgiving another, I am trusting that God is a better justice-maker than I am. By forgiving, I release my own right to get even and leave all issues of fairness for God to work out. I leave in God's hands the scales that must balance justice and mercy.

As Lewis Smedes points out, "The first and often the only person to be healed by forgiveness is the person who does the forgiveness...When we genuinely forgive, we set a prisoner free and then discover that the prisoner we set free was us."

We're all bastards but God loves us anyway.

He added a chilling remark, "As a gay man, I've found it's easier for me to get sex on the streets than to get a hug in church."

I had the constant, pounding sense that following an external code of behavior was the way to please God - more, to make God love me. It has taken me years to distill the gospel out of the subculture in which I first encountered it.

OK, maybe that was a million. But trust me, there are a million more.

Read it.

dm

Oh So True

2009-03-13T20:37:00.000-05:00

From today's Catch of the Day:

Strong feelings are attached to strong opinions, which in turn are attached to a certain interpretation of the facts that at least in the explanation is impervious to error. In other words, we all are pretty convinced we are right. So when we disagree it is my interpretation against yours. Certain things are obvious to me that are not even in your wheelhouse. So how can we even talk?

-John Fischer

The Jerk...You Know The Guy

2009-03-11T21:03:00.002-05:00

As a public service announcement to all my single female readers I thought I would point you to this article:

How to avoid dating an abusive creep

Good article.

U2 Coming to Oklahoma

2009-03-11T20:58:00.002-05:00

According to KRXO, U2 is coming to OU this fall.

Game on!

The Answer

2009-03-11T20:46:00.003-05:00

I have seen the future of rock and roll, and it is....

The Answer.

New music is horrible. New bands are terrible.

And then comes along The Answer and they will rock you old school...if you like that sort of thing, and I do.

Hailing from around Belfast, Ireland they have been touring the States opening for AC/DC (which should clue you in that there is no Christian nutritional value to this post).

Listen in on iTunes.

You heard it from me first.

dm

The New Newsboys

2009-03-11T20:44:00.001-05:00

From Christian Post:

After more than two decades, the frontman of Christian pop rock band newsboys will be stepping aside and another renowned artist will be taking his place.

Though Peter Furler will continue with the band and make special appearances throughout the year, former dc Talk member Michael Tait will be touring with newsboys as the lead singer, the band announced this week.

Full story here.

Why Do They Do This To Me?

2009-03-08T18:35:00.005-05:00

In my previous post I mentioned I am questioning my commitment to blogging. Let me give you an example and ask for some input.

I was driving down the road today and a church had an idiotic statement on their sign. First thought-"Ooh, that would make a good blog post!" Second thought ' "Oh who cares. Just let them be idiots. I don't really feel like a prophet anyway. It's not my job to fix everybody."

But then I see this story and I just have to say something:

David Wilkerson is a famous NYC pastor who has made a lot of predictions that haven't been correct. Here is what I expect to be another one:

"An earth-shattering calamity is about to happen," he writes. "It is going to be so frightening, we are all going to tremble – even the godliest among us."

Wilkerson's vision is of fires raging through New York City.

"It will engulf the whole megaplex, including areas of New Jersey and Connecticut. Major cities all across America will experience riots and blazing fires – such as we saw in Watts, Los Angeles, years ago," he explains. "There will be riots and fires in cities worldwide. There will be looting – including Times Square, New York City. What we are experiencing now is not a recession, not even a depression. We are under God’s wrath. In Psalm 11 it is written, "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?"

Sigh.

If he is correct I will make a public apology but if he is wrong will he commit to retiring and shutting up?

Of course we will need a time frame for this to occur in order to ask him to admit he is wrong. And we all know every good prophet who hears directly from God can give you an exact date of when these things will happen right?

"I do not know when these things will come to pass, but I know it is not far off," Wilkerson concluded in his message. "I have unburdened my soul to you. Do with the message as you choose."

This is where you come in.

Do you care? Does it matter at all that I posted this or was this a waste of my time?

thanks
dm

David McLaughlin 2.0

2009-03-08T14:40:00.003-05:00

One of the best things I have ever done was decided not to teach this year. It has given me a little space.

For a host of reasons, which I will not bore you with, I have been rethinking every area of my life. Every area. Every pore and crevice. Every nook and cranny. I even had to look up cranny to see what it meant.

I am still in the process and not sure what the end result will be. But this I know. I will not emerge from 2009 as the same person I entered. I will not emerge from the 1st quarter as the same person I entered.

There will be some changes people will like. Some changes people might not like. I don't know. I'm just trying to be honest with myself throughout this pretty painful process. It might not need to be so painful except for the fact that I tend to analyze the crap out of things, for better or worse.

It feels like Extreme Home Makeover when they demo the old home and level it to the ground so they can build an entirely new structure. It is a more efficient process. Sometimes I wish I could do that. Just start all over with a whole new life knowing what I know now. But we don't get that luxury.

I have even been considering abandoning blogging. Everything is on the table. We'll see what happens.

But in the end, what emerges will be David McLaughlin 2.0. (Technically it will probably be David McLaughlin 4.2 cuz I've gone through this process a few times in my life before but this feels like a pretty significant shift so I'll just call it 2.0).

Love & Mercy,

What's In Your Backpack?

2009-03-05T19:37:00.002-06:00

I received an email last night that has been driving me crazy with thought.

What would you keep in your backpack?

Let's say that you had to live on the move. No home really. Your family gets to travel with you and they each get their own backpack. You dont have to worry about clothes our toiletries. You will have access to electricity and so forth wherever you go. The world has not changed. But all you can travel with for your worldly possessions is one backpack.

What would you keep in your backpack?

dm

Ping Finds The Truth

2009-03-04T20:14:00.002-06:00

From FaithInTheWorkplace.com:

A Chinese emperor was looking for a successor, so he handed out seeds for people to grow. L.L. Barkat tells the story in her book Stone Crossings. A boy named Ping takes a seed, plants it, and nurtures it. Normally, Ping is good at growing things, but his seed won't grow.

On the appointed day, everyone returns to the king with beautiful young plants and flowers. Ping brings his empty pot. The emperor notices Ping, listens to his story, then turns to the others. "Where you got your seeds from, I do not know. For the seeds I gave you had all been cooked."

It took courage for Ping to appear before the king with the empty truth. In the story, the emperor rewards Ping's courage as evidence of his character.

Too often in our work, productivity can seem so important that we are tempted to twist the research, spin the numbers, or just flat-out lie about our results. Results are good, but the truth is better.

Global Economic Crisis

2009-03-02T19:15:00.001-06:00

Last week I recorded an episode of Voyage Radio 2.0 on the topic of the Global Economic Crisis.

The podcast went online this morning and the stock market immediately went in the tank falling below 7000 for the first time since 1997! Who knew my comments would have such an impact on the market?

I already had one person comment asking if I was saying that I believed America was coming to an end.

Be sure to check it out and leave your comments.

dm

Infomercials & Christianity

2009-03-01T14:34:00.002-06:00

Just the other day I was thinking that I needed to clean the inside of my car windshield. I stinking hate doing that. I was thinking, “Somebody, somewhere, has to have made an invention that makes this easier!”

Fast forward to today. I’m sitting at home watching tv and an infomercial comes on for the Windshield Wonder which does EXACTLY what I was just wishing for.

Now I have never ever ever bought anything from an infomercial. But this was like a sign from heaven. So I made the call. (Come on, it’s only $10 plus shipping and handling.)

This is where things start to get annoying. It was one of those computer voices where they ask you a question and you give an answer as if you were talking to a real person. I hate that.

But that wasn’t the worst part.

After I purchased the Windshield Wonder, Computer Woman decides I need to buy some more stuff before I conclude my purchase. So I have to listen to a one minute sales pitch that she will be more than happy to add to my order, “OK?”

“No,” I respond in my most annoyed sounding voice for the benefit of the computer.

“I understand your hesitation,” Computer Woman responds. “But many people have found Super Gizmo to be an incredible product with many superdeeduper benefits..blah blah blah. So I’ll go ahead and add it to your order, ok?”

“No,” I respond again.

“Ok. Now let me tell you about our next fantazmic opportunity for you…”

This went on three times. I could not conclude my order until I heard three more sales pitches and had to decline each one TWICE!

SO how does this relate to Christianity?

Well, the easy connection is how many times we sing “Just As I Am” until somebody, anybody, walks the aisle and accepts Christ. No? Rededicates their life to Christ. No? Joins the church. No? Wants to get baptized. No? Wants to dedicate their child to the Lord. No? Wants to sign up for the potluck dinner. Come on people, don’t leave me hanging up here!

But I think the better connection is how we think we are getting one thing and then get hung with another.

Salvation through faith by grace alone? I’ll take that please!

Oh wait-here-we want you to prove you meant it by doing this this and this. And do it the way we do it. When we do it. Why we do it.

Didn’t know that’s what you were signing up for? Too bad! You should have read the fine print or taken a few years of seminary before committing. You can’t expect us to explain all this to you during the sales pitch can you?

dm

Amen Brother Preach It!

2009-03-01T11:38:00.000-06:00

The salvation of the lost is not best accomplished by great popular
campaigns, conducted by a small minority of specialists in public
evangelism, but by the godly, honest witness of believers individually.
It is pure irresponsibility to leave the evangelization of the lost to
the 'experts,' as many are doing today. God would have every believer do
his part to win the lost to Christ by prayer, personal witness and
sincere godliness.

Cornelius Stam

Paul Harvey Passed Away

2009-02-28T20:14:00.002-06:00

Radio legend Paul Harvey (from Tulsa, OK) passed away.

That's a bummer. I loved his "Rest of the Story" bits. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy.

Swindollogy

2009-02-27T21:51:00.002-06:00

From Swindoll's Blog:

There is a Persian proverb that sounds more like a tongue twister than sound advice. My high school speech teacher had us memorize it for obvious reasons:

He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool; shun him.
He who knows not, and knows that he knows not, is a child; teach him.
He who knows, and knows not that he knows, is asleep; wake him.
He who knows, and knows that he knows, is wise; follow him.

The rest is here...

Make the Idol Judges Pay For Their Sins

2009-02-25T20:12:00.002-06:00

Danny Gokey's Circumcision?

2009-02-25T20:06:00.002-06:00

OK, in this blog I have discussed American Idol contestant Danny Gokey (aka Iron Man). I have also - in a completely different topic - discussed circumcision.

For some odd reason, someone found this blog searching for "danny gokey circumcision."

I dont even want to know why.

President Obama Bigger Than Jesus

2009-02-22T13:17:00.002-06:00

From Christian Post:

American adults (age 18 and over) spontaneously named President Obama as the person they admire enough to call their hero in a Harris Poll that did not provide a list for respondents to choose from.

The Harris Poll, released on Thursday, was conducted on 2,634 U.S. adults between Jan. 12 to 19, 2009 – just ahead of President Obama’s inauguration.

“The fact that President Obama is mentioned more often than Jesus Christ should not be misinterpreted,” The Harris Poll clarified in its report. “No list was used and nobody was asked to choose between them.”

Following Barack Obama, the next most popular personal heroes are Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Abraham Lincoln, John McCain, John F. Kennedy, Chesley Sullenberger, and Mother Teresa, respectively, to round out the top 10 people Americans say they admire and would call their hero.

Since the 2001 list, several people have dropped off the list completely, including Pope John Paul (was 18th), Jimmy Carter (was 20th), Nelson Mandela (was 21st), Michael Jordan (was 9th), Princess Diana (was 16th), and Tiger Woods (was 23rd).

Full story here.

Bad Apologetics

2009-02-17T21:24:00.002-06:00

I need every Christian and Non-Christian to go read this right now:

14 Examples of Really Bad Apologetics at Parchment and Pen

Splendid.

Matt Write Good

2009-02-17T18:53:00.002-06:00

My friend Matt wrote a really neat very short piece that was quite touching. Even a little Shack-ish.

Read it now.

Happy Valentines Day

2009-02-14T14:09:00.002-06:00

A lot of people hate Valentines Day and that's ok.

I don't mind it because it is a great reminder of how much I love my incredble wife. (You can roll eyes here if you want.)

Seriously though, on a daily basis I am amazed that she is still married to me. I know nobody is perfect but she is as close as it gets.

She is kind, thoughtful, caring, genuinely nice, a great mom, and good person.

Oh yeah, and she is ridiculously hot too.

I love you Tina!

One Thing,

Principalities & Powers

2009-02-13T22:28:00.002-06:00

Everyone in ministry and/or healthcare and/or government and/or business should read the Naked Pastor's incredible article about Health and Institutions.

It's a work of heart.

Your Valentine Stimulus

2009-02-13T17:29:00.003-06:00

From washingtonpost.com. Click on the image for full size.

Then pray for us all.

David shrugged.

Keeping The Spark Alive

2009-02-12T19:39:00.002-06:00

I enjoyed a Lunch-n-Learn at work today presented by Bob Davis from the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative on the topic of Keeping The Spark Alive in Your Marriage.

Out of about 30 people I was the only guy. I guess I'm the only guy at my company who cares about his marriage. That's how I'm selling it anyway!

Here are a few of the highlights:

-A good relationship is measured by how well you manage conflict-because conflict is inevitable.

-To keep your marriage fun, do what is fun for each other (the other person).

Examples:
-If a guy asks you to go to Lowe's with him, he considers that a date.
-Develop a funlist together. Some things will be activities you do not enjoy but your partner does. Do them anyway.
-What is fun at one stage of your life may not be fun at another. Acknowledge the change.

-During date nights, do not talk about serious issues. A good time can be ruined by a serious discussion. Set other time aside for serious discussions. Keep fun-time fun.

- Allow yourselves to have Time Out's.

These are planned ahead of time and mean "I love you and care too much about you to talk right now because I may say something hurtful. For now we are not going to talk until I cool off because I love you so much. We will resume later."

The person calling the Time Out must say how long the Time Out will be but it must be at least 30 minutes because that is how long it takes the brain to cool down but it can be as long as 24 hours. They must say something like, "I am calling a Time Out. I think I will need 2 hours. I will tell you when it is over."

Then they must call Time In when it is over so the partner is not left wondering. They cannot let it go longer than the stated time.

Sounds a little childish but I think there is some wisdom behind this idea.

I really enjoyed Bob. He was a great speaker and had a great down to earth personality.

Fun class.

dm

Just Land The Plane!

2009-02-12T19:32:00.002-06:00

I loved this from John Fischer today:

The following exchange took place in a CBS interview Katie Couric conducted recently with the crew members of US Airways Flight 1549 that went down January 16 in the Hudson River with all passengers remarkably surviving.

"Did you, at any point, pray?" Ms. Couric asked the pilot, Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger.

"I would imagine somebody in back was taking care of that for me while I was flying the airplane," he replied.

It was a loaded question, and a stellar answer. The man had literally seconds to make a decision where to land the plane, gliding 77 tons of metal, jet fuel and precious human cargo into a perfect water landing that did not break the plane into bits and pieces. "Let's bow our heads for a few moments of silent prayer" was probably not on his agenda at the moment. But "somebody in back" was most likely taking care of that for him.

Prayer is vital to a Christian's life. Prayer is our link to the eternal and an act based solely on our faith in an unseen God. It's probably something we could all use more of in both cases of our own prayer experience with God, and the support of others praying for us. But sometimes, you've got to just concentrate on landing the plane and count on the fact that somebody in back is praying.

Often, these days, I feel like I'm trying to keep my plane from crashing, and although it's not like I don't have time to pray, it's nonetheless comforting to know that somebody in back is.

In truth, I think we need to be in both of these positions at the same time. We need someone in back praying for us, and we need to be that someone for someone else.

And remember, as important as prayer is, sometimes you just have to land the plane.

Danny Gokey Wins American Idol

2009-02-11T21:05:00.001-06:00

I'm just predicting it now.

I call him Iron Man.

American Idol Blows It!

2009-02-11T20:41:00.001-06:00

I'm so mad about this Norman Gentle business that if it wasn't for the dude who looks like Iron Man I might not even watch this season.

Grrrrrr!

dm

Me and My Peeps

2009-02-10T20:49:00.002-06:00

Congratulations, American Fidelity!

American Fidelity is number 43 on the Training Top 125 (up 18 from 2008) and the only Oklahoma-based company on the list!

Highlighted this year was one of our Career Development initiatives:

One-on-one coaching is offered for improving written and oral communication skills, and employees who need help in the basics are referred to local colleges for additional skill building. Recent coaching efforts focused on improving the voice and diction of entry-level workers to enhance their advancement opportunities. A "Voice and Diction" class was help one hour a week for eight weeks, and served as a practical approach to improving articulation and enunciation.

Thanks so much to our leadership that believes in continuous improvement and supports an atmosphere of life-long learning!

Training Magazine publishes the Training Top 125 -- Recognizing companies internationally for creating a thriving culture of learning. This is AFA's fifth year of recognition.

Dale Thompson Unbridled

2009-02-10T19:16:00.002-06:00

Dale Thompson of Bride is let loose at Voyage Radio 2.0.