Last Spring, my daughter, Jasmine, was invited to go to Washington D.C. to receive a large college scholarship.  She was one of 111 out of over 30,000 applicants to win.  It was a huge honor for her…and for us.  As she was preparing to go, she said that Denzel Washington was slated to be there to help honor the winning students.  That got me thinking.  I’ve always wanted to ask Denzel a question, and maybe this was my chance.

I’ve read more than once about Denzel’s strong faith in Jesus Christ.  Here’s a portion of an article from The Christian Post about his faith:

“I believe that Jesus is the Son of God,” he says. “I’ve been filled with the Holy Spirit. I know it’s real. I was in the room. My cheeks blew up, I cried like a baby, and it scared me to death. It kind of scared me off it. I backed up and went the other direction, to be honest with you. I didn’t know what was going on. It was too strong. It has taken me many years to come back around.”

Sitting in his house recently, reading the Bible (he’s on his third time reading the whole thing straight through), Washington came across a passage about wisdom and understanding in Proverbs 4, which made him reflect on his life.

“I’m in this big house with all this stuff,” he observed. “I’ve heard that saying, ‘You never see a U-Haul behind a hearse.’ You can’t take it with you. The Egyptians tried; they got robbed. I said, ‘What do you want, Denzel?’ And one of the devotional words that day was wisdom. So I started praying on that. ‘God, give me a dose of that.’ I can’t get any more successful. But I can get better. I can learn to love more. I can learn to be more understanding. I can gain more wisdom.”

So, in light of his open confession of faith in Christ, I had one burning question for him:  “Why on earth did you take the sinister and vulgar lead role in the movie Training Day?“  He won an Oscar for his performance as an LAPD narcotics detective, but his character was so foul and so corrupt that I could hardly watch.  In light of his faith, I was shocked that he took the role…and shocked at how convincing he was.  Ever since watching the film in 2002, I’ve wondered what possessed him to play such a dark and vile character.

Well, two days into Jasmine’s trip, my cell phone rang.  Jasmine was on a bus headed to her next event.  She didn’t have much time to talk, but I could tell that she was excited.  She just couldn’t wait to tell me what had happened.  “I not only met Denzel,” she excitedly said, “but I also asked him your question!”

I was a bit taken back.  I was kidding when I told her that she should ask the question, and I wondered what Denzel thought having just met this 17 year-old girl and being asked such a confrontational question.  “Wow!” I replied.  “What did he say?”

She said that he looked her in the eyes and said, “That is a very good question!”  He proceeded to tell her that occasionally he will take roles that are dark and sinister as long as they portray evil as being truly evil (not glorified and not heroic), and as long as in the end, evil loses and good prevails.  He said that the original script of Training Day had his character surviving, but he told the director that the only way he would take the role is if his evil character dies in the end.  And if you saw the movie, you know that his character’s death was brutal and final.  Evil lost in the end.

I recently watched American Gangster, a movie in which Denzel plays yet another sinister character.  I was watching to see if he would stay true to this philosophy, and sure enough, he did.  His character didn’t die in the end, but he did go to prison for many years and then came out a changed man.

Hats off to Denzel.  His tactics may make some Christians a bit uncomfortable, but he’s a purposeful actor who is trying to make a difference in Hollywood.

Observing Lent is a new thing for me (see “My Rookie Year of Observing Lent”), but the concept of observing the Sabbath is not.  I’ve been wrestling with how to make the Sabbath a day of rest, recreation, and spiritual focus for years now.  I’ve had some success in leading my family in this but am always looking for ways to enhance our Sabbath day experience.  I read an article today on cnn.com about how one group is attempting to enhance their Sabbath experience.

Reboot is a nonprofit organization aimed at reinventing the traditions and rituals of Judaism for today’s secular Jews.  This group is composed of Internet entrepreneurs, creators of award-winning television shows, community organizers and nonprofit leaders, several who say they have an addiction to their cell phones.

So, in order to reclaim the essence of the Sabbath in their lives, they pledged to observe 24 hours of freedom from their devices this past weekend – a National Day of Unplugging -  lasting from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath.

The day served as a launch for Reboot’s ongoing project, the Sabbath Manifesto, which consists of these 10 principles:

1. Avoid technology.

2. Connect with loved ones.

3. Nurture your health.

4. Get outside.

5. Avoid commerce.

6. Light candles.

7. Drink wine.

8. Eat bread.

9. Find silence.

10. Give back.

Not that I agree with the theology and practices of many who compose this group, and an obvious omission on this list is anything related to God and His Word…but this list seems to me to be a good starting point for Christians who want to reclaim the essence of the Sabbath as well.

What could be better than one day each week that begins with worship, consists of prayer, time with loved ones, and a period of silence (aka a nap), and then ends with candles, bread and wine?  Sounds like the kind of Sabbath I’d like to reclaim!

I made a cameo appearance on the local news today.  My son’s school was locked-down this morning because of a SWAT situation in the neighborhood, and who did the local media turn to for all of the late-breaking information on the situation?  None other than me!

Click the link below and watch as a new star was born today in Albuquerque.

SWAT SITUATION IN ALBUQUERQUE

One of my blog followers sent this to me from a church in Missouri.  For the non-Christians reading this sign, I wonder how they feel about being told that hell is in them.  Not so sure this helps with the harvest at Harvest Church.

If you’ve followed my blog for any amount of time, then you know that I can’t stand it when churches put stupid phrases and slogans on their street signs.  Many of you don’t like it either.  While we were traveling from New Mexico to Ohio this past weekend, we made a quick pit stop somewhere in rural Oklahoma.  As we made our way to the gas station, we passed a junky motel that sported this sign.  While it’s not exactly a “church” sign, it is incredibly stupid nonetheless.  Made my stomach turn, and makes me wonder what non-Christians who drive by it think.  Sad.

“Some people go to Florida for Spring Break, but we go to Ohio.”  This is what Taylor said as we were running from a store to our car in a freezing rain and sleet storm on the first night in my hometown of Van Wert, Ohio.  Potter Spring Break 2010: Northwest Ohio.

All eight of us packed into our seven passenger van on Friday afternoon and began the 1425 mile trek from New Mexico to Ohio.  Good thing the eighth person is still in the womb or we would have been really packed in!  With 5 of the 8 of us being licensed drivers, our goal from the start was to drive the 24 hours straight through…and that’s what we did.

About 6 hours into our journey, the adventure began.  My new son-in-law, Aarron, was driving the evening shift through Texas, and I was in the passenger seat.  I told all of the drivers that they could go as fast as they want but that they are each responsible for paying for any tickets they receive.   Aarron was going fast, but I didn’t know how fast…until the Texas State Patrol officer pulled us over. 

The officer came up to my window and asked me where we were from.  I told him that we were from New Mexico and making our way to Ohio for a wedding reception for my newly married daughter.  It was dark, so he flashed his flashlight through the van.  I’m sure he was confused as he went from face-to-face.  A black driver, a white red-headed passenger, then black, white, black, white, white.  He told Aarron that he was going 83 in a 65 mph zone. 

The officer took Aarron’s driver’s license and my van’s paperwork and headed back to his car.  Michelle was the first person to break the silence in the van when she asked Aarron, “You don’t have any outstanding warrants, do you?”  We’ve asked Aarron a thousand questions over the last year, but we’d never asked him that one.  It seemed like an appropriate time to ask, and thankfully, he said no.

About 5 minutes later, the officer came back to my window and asked me, “Which ones just got married?”  I pointed to Aarron in the driver’s seat, and my daughter, Emily, behind him.  He looked Aaron in the eye and said, “Consider this the best wedding gift of all,” and handed him his license with only a warning. 

83 in a 65 mph zone will get you billy-clubbed in some states, but evidently not in Texas…at least not that night.  We all let out a huge sigh of relief, laughed, and made fun of Aarron the rest of the way.

Leadership Network’s Eric Swanson has identified Eight Trends That Will Shape the Future of Global Missions. They are:

1. Mutuality—The future of missions will be shaped by mutuality between East and West, North and South, sending and receiving nations. Churches worldwide are learning to come together.

2. Partnering—Different than mutuality, partnering pertains to projects that require the assistance of skilled co-laborers driven by what indigenous leaders in the country are trying to accomplish.

3. Investing in leaders—Leadership is everything. Wherever good things are happening, a capable and passionate man or woman will be leading the way.

4. Combining good deeds and good news—The level of problem-solving in which externally focused, missional churches are engaged is significantly higher.

5. Greater financial accountability—With all the needs and opportunities in the world, global missions leaders of the future are working to maximize every dollar expended on global outreach.

6. Business as mission—An emerging funding model ties business and mission together. Missional entrepreneurs who are starting businesses and creating jobs in the countries in which they serve.

7. Focus—Churches today are learning to do better by focusing on fewer places of engagement.

8. Technology—With every breakthrough in communication technology, there have been innovators who have exploited that technology to advance the gospel.

(Leadership Network Advance 2/23/10)

Lent.  The only thing I knew this word to mean for much of my life was the stuff tucked away safely in my belly button.  I had no idea that Lent was something that many Christians around the world observe every year around Easter.  When I got married, I lived in Milwaukee – a city with a large Catholic population.  I remember enjoying several of the Friday night “fish fries” around the city each spring, but I  never really made the connection.  I thought that Lent was just for Catholics.

As I continued to move through my early adult life, I knew that something was missing as I would crash into Easter each year, but I didn’t know what it was.  The annual “Good Friday” service was always meaningful, but I just never seemed very prepared to grasp, observe and feel the depth and meaning of the Easter season.

Then, last year, I discovered that several of my parishioners had gone to other churches to observe Ash Wednesday (of which I knew very little about), so I decided to do some research.  I was still under the impression that Lent was something only Catholics – and other closely related denominations – observed.  But when I learned that several of my “baptist” congregants were taking part in the observation, my interest was peaked.

My research led me to discover the “something” that I had been missing all of these years related to Easter.  Lent – the 40 days leading up to Easter marked by repentance and more deliberate fasting, prayer, and acts of service was the piece I was the missing in my yearly Easter observance.  And this year, I have jumped in with both feet!

On Ash Wednesday, I – along with my staff – led what turned out to be one of the most meaningful services we’ve experienced at our church in a long time.  To stand up front and administer the ashes to my congregants was incredibly humbling and meaningful.  Many who received the ashes said the same.  That service began the 40 days of Lent, and many in my congregation are participating by fasting, praying, serving, and celebrating (Sundays during Lent are to be days of celebration and the fast can be broken on those days).  A baptist church observing Lent…it’s crazy, I know!

Now – more than ever before – I’m waiting anxiously for Resurrection Sunday to come.  Lent is providing for me 40 days of build-up and anticipation, and I can’t wait to experience the celebration of Easter.  I know…it’s only my rookie year, and I’ve got a lot to learn about this, but I’m enjoying the process.

What about you?  There are still 25 days until Easter, so it’s not too late to prepare yourself for it.  If you’ve missed the first few weeks of Lent, why not jump in today?  If you need more information about Lent, click the link below.  And then join me – a fellow rookie – in preparing for Easter in a whole new way.

My Thoughts on Ash Wednesday and Lent

What’s your town known for?  Mine?  Well, Albuquerque is known for – among other things – its famous stretch of Route 66, having the longest passenger tram in the world, being voted the fittest city in the U.S. in 2007, the famous 1945 quote from Bugs Bunny when he said, “I should have made a left toin at Albukoykee,” and for being one of the stingiest cities in America.

Albuquerque is tied with Toledo, Ohio as the fourth least generous city in America.  The extensive 60-city study was done by the Albuquerque-based Tijeras Foundation in 2008.  Through their research, they were able to discover the average percentage of household income given to charity by people in these cities.

The most generous city in America?  Birmingham, Alabama.  The least generous city?  San Antonio, Texas.  The Tijeras Foundation commented that even Birmingham and other top cities have a long way to go, noting that few Americans (evangelical Christians included) approach the biblical tithe of ten percent.

Here’s the top 10 and bottom 10 lists with the percentage of household income given to charity in each city:

TOP 10 MOST GENEROUS CITIES IN THE US

1. Birmingham 3.6%
2. Memphis 3.4%
3. Columbia, SC 3.2%
4. Greenville, SC 3.1%
5. Atlanta 3.1%
6. Grand Rapids 3.1%
7. New York 3.1%
8. Naples 3.1%
9. Charlotte 3.1%
10. Tulsa 3.1%

TOP 10 LEAST GENEROUS CITIES IN THE US

1. San Antonio 1.7%
2. Pittsburgh 1.8%
3. Tampa 1.8%
4. Albuquerque 1.9%
5. Toledo 1.9%
6. Austin 2.0%
7. Boston 2.0%
8. Honolulu 2.0%
9. Ft. Lauderdale 2.0%
10. Orlando 2.0%

I was working out yesterday, and a rather profound song came up on my iPod.  It’s a song by the now-defunct British band,The World Wide Message Tribe, from the mid 90’s. In light of all the death and destruction in the news recently, it kind of struck a cord with me.

I’m not sure what my response should be to the hurting people in Haiti, Chile, and other war-torn, weather-beaten areas of the world.  I just know that we here in America have been blessed by God in order to be a blessing to others.  To be quiet and do nothing while so many in the world suffer just seems wrong to me.

HYPOCRITE

Taking liberties
I see people dying all around me
Full of pride and evil greed
I keep quiet in a world of need
Casting darkness on the earth
Sin deceives me like a curse
The world is covered in disease
I sit back at ease

What a hypocrite I am

I’m sold as a slave to sin
What a hideous state, I keep giving in
I do not understand what I do
For what I hate to do I do
The evil deep inside of me
Has seized its opportunity
I can’t do right for doing wrong
My time will soon be gone

What a hypocrite I am