When God Writes the Prequel for Scream 8 (New blog post)

When God's stories sound more like Scream 4 than Mother Goose, it messes me up.  In Judges 19-21, we have a story so gruesome that it would be a R rated movie AFTER they cut out half the scenes.  I don't know that it would even get funding, it's so bad.

The story is about a guy who has a lover/half wife.  She cheats on him, then leaves and goes home to another part of the country.  After a while, he decides he does want her, and goes to get her.  The father in law is a manipulative guy, and keeps them both around a lot longer than the husband wants to stay.  Finally, they leave.  The husband is arrogant, and ignores good advice on the trip, putting the family at risk because of his racist attitudes.  When they finally stop, its in a dangerous place.  An old farmer takes them in, because he is kind and is worried about the family's safety.  That night, the men of this creepy town come, and call for the old farmer to send out the man so they can rape him.  The farmer won't, and in desperation, offers his daughter and the man's lover.  They refuse, and demand the man come out.  The farmer sends out the man's lover instead.  They abuse her for hours, and leave her for dead.  She crawls back to the doorstep of the farmer's house, where she dies alone.

Meanwhile, the guy is asleep in the house, completely not caring about his girlfriend.  He sleeps in, and when he finally wakes up, he finds her on the doorstep, where she died trying to get back in the house.  He tells her "Get up, let's go".  Only then does he realize she's dead.  He takes her body, goes home, and decides what to do.

If this movie isn't terrifying enough at this point, it goes downhill fast here.  He cuts up her body and mails parts of it to all of his family around the country in order to get them stirred up and angry.  This ignites a gang battle / civil war that ends up splitting the country into pieces, results in thirty thousand people dying needlessly, and in the kidnap and slavery of dozens of more women before the story ends.

Oh yeah, did I mention, that the guy in the story is a pastor?

That is messed up.  And unfortunately it is a true story about the people who were supposed to be following God and showing His love and compassion to the world.  It's not a script from some warped mind.  It's historical non-fiction.

It's also a reminder of what happens when we quit listening to God in our lives.  This story comes at the end of the book of Judges, which is packed full of stories of God's nation as they continually refused to listen to Him and change.  It's our story.  As gruesome as it is, we can each become this destructive when we try to live life on our own terms. 

Just consider the fact that we go to movies with stories like this, and consider them "entertainment".  Are we that far off then?

The book of Judges is a wake up call of God's concern and love for us, and our severe need to depend on Him each day, and live each moment by His plans as best we can.  We are called to be a people of beauty and light, grace and hope, peace and joy.  Does that describe your interactions today?  Yesterday? 

Or do we line up more with the self absorbed, bitter, pastor in the book of Judges?

The story is a shocker, and it is intended to shock us into evaluating where and how we live as part of His Kingdom.

Does it work?

Or is it just a story?

Buy One God, Get One iPad for Free! Today Only! Hurry! (new blog post)

What if God was for sale?  Like an iPad, a car, or a new pair of shoes, you could go out and buy God off?  What if, instead of a God who knows what is best, and gives you plans for how to live the best way possible, He instead was something you could buy and bring home and create your own comfy little religion?  Would you do it?  Would it work for you?

In Judges 18, that is exactly what happens.  This guys ends up with a little silver god statue.  He makes some other religious stuff, and sets up his own church.  He even decides that his kid is going to be the priest.  That is, until a better offer comes along.  This Levite priest comes into town looking for a place to stay.  Micah, the dude with the self-made church, offers to hire him, and provide food and clothing for him.  The priest agrees, and they set up a little religion in his home.

If it sounds weird, it's supposed to.  At this point in Judges, everything in Israel has fallen apart, and is getting worse by the day.  It's a complete mess.  So, what does the First Church of Micah-ology have to do with us?

We do the same thing.

Really, we do.

We try to blend our want for control, power, influence, and stuff with our belief in God.  We will pick and choose which parts of Jesus we want, and pitch out the rest.  Okay, we may not worship a little silver idol, but we worship idols with an apple printed on them.  What would happen if you knew that God was telling you to give up your cell phone for a year because it was messing up your relationship with Him?  Would you give away your car if God clearly told you to?  What about getting off of Facebook for a while?

If you think "No way!" to any of these, then there is your idol.  We all have them.  They are slowly killing all of us.  We have set up our own little religions, and God often sits off to the side of it. 

What are the things you allow to get in your way?  What are the things you would really, really struggle with getting rid of if God asked you to give them away to someone else, and not replace them?  Why?  Why are they so important?  What does that tell us about ourselves?  Do they REALLY matter that much?  Or are they just some dumb little silver god in our house?

Over and over the book of Judges says "There was no king in Israel" and that is why everything went to pot.  Which begs maybe the ultimate question:

Who, or what, is your king?

How to Pop a Killer Wheelie for Jesus

I remember my dad, in the field by our house, on his 1979 Honda XL175.  It was black and red, and a huge bike, at least compared to me, since I was 10 at the time.  I had a small yellow moped.  He was teaching me the fine art of using the clutch and the gas to perform a move of beauty; the wheelie.  Mom didn't know what we were doing, and it's a good thing.  I doubt she would have been too happy with us.  Over and over he would demonstrate how the timing of the gas, along with popping the clutch at just the right time, would help me get the front wheel up, and then using the gas and brake to keep my balance.  It took awhile, but I got it.

Then there was Andy.  Andy was a guy who was three years older than me, and a nationally ranked bmx racer.  He further refined the wheelie craft, teaching me how to ride a wheelie on a bmx bike.  Not the kind of wheelie where you stand up, pedal as hard as you can, and go about 10 feet.  He taught me how to balance, sit on my seat, use my brakes, and go forever on one wheel.  I remember the first time I rode a wheelie for one mile on the school's track.  It was a big day.

Over the years, I taught dozens and dozens of kids how to ride wheelies.  I taught kids in the inner city, in suburbs, from all across America.  It was hilarious, because I would be somewhere doing a show, busting out all of the hardest tricks I knew.  But eventually, some kid would ask me to do a wheelie.  Then it was on.  I wouldn't just do one, I would begin teaching them how to do it.  It was so fun to watch them figure it out, and ride off to show all of their friends.

All right, I know, who cares?  Well, in a sense, God does.  This idea of passing on what is important in life is seen in Judges 2.  The nation of Israel has experienced 20 years of growth and peace in their new land.  But then we are told that the entire generation that had lived in the desert, and had watched God deliver them at Jericho and other battles; they all died.  Now it was up to their kids, the third generation out of Egypt's time of slavery.  Here is what it says:

"10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel."

Can you imagine that?  Just three generations in from all of the miracles, and these kids don't know God, or any of the stories He had performed.  In the words of the short villain from "The Princess Bride": that's inconceivable!

But it happens today, too.


If we don't tell our stories of God and what He has done in our life, they die with us.  It doesn't matter if you are 11, 16, 25, 38, or 62.  We need to be passing on our stories, today.  We need to invest in other people, and point them to Jesus by showing what He has done, and what He is doing, in our lives.  


It might be through helping with a local youth group if you are an adult or college student.  It might be volunteering in children's ministry if you are a teenager or a parent.  Simply sharing with your friends is one way to pass on God's truth.  Teaching your little sister or brother what you've seen God do at camp, at work, in your family, on a retreat, on in a ministry can make all the difference in the world.


You see, the third generation in Judges didn't know about God because their parents hadn't told them.  That was all it took.


Who will you invest in?  Where will you get involved this week?  It's crucial for you to pass on what you know.  

And if you want to know how to ride a killer wheelie, I'd be happy to teach you that one as well.