"I like this guy"

Luke 18:9-14 recounts the story of a pharisee and a tax collector praying in the temple. I'll let you read it for yourself - while I will level my keypad and thoughts at telling you why I like the pharisee.

"Whoa," you may say, "this guy is clearly in the wrong - you cannot be serious." The fact of the matter is this, as a pastor I love that this guy fasts twice a week, gives tithes on everything (picture getting a birthday card with $20 and tithing 10% back to the church), and is aware that he is set apart from others. I like this guy.

So, what makes my "like" of this guy conditional? It's simple, he opened his mouth. Matthew 12:34 Jesus aims his criticism at the pharisees when he says, "You brood of vipers! How can you speak good when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." Once this pharisee (in Luke 18) opened his mouth it was apparent to everyone where his heart was.

I encourage you today, understand and embrace the humility of the tax collector who opened his mouth and said, "be merciful to me, a sinner." Is fasting twice a week wrong, no. Is tithing on EVERYTHING wrong, no. Together lets beg God to show us piety for the sake of God not the sake of man.

One Good Thing Leads to Another

Yesterday afternoon was beautiful. The wind was gently blowing, the temp around 73 and I had a cup of coffee in my hand - sitting on a lawn chair in the front yard. After taking a sip of coffee and closing my eyes for a bit to take in the early spring weather, I was wakened by giggles and the picture of nail products you see.

After some arm twisting from Jada (daughter) and Emily (the neighbor girl) I consented to allow the girls to paint my fingernails. What ensued was a magnet of all the macho neighborhood boys (shirts off riding their bikes in circles like sharks on blood) hovering over the three of us and throwing little jabs here and there about how boys don't paint their nails. Perseverance, I reminded myself, perseverance. Its biblical...especially under great duress from children (all between the ages of 5-9). Undeterred, I decided to once again enjoy the weather and pay no mind to the comments (it really wasn't that bad). But something kept happening.

The Lord kept asking me to invite the kids over. So, without thinking about it, literally, I said, "hey, don't you think we should do a movie night with popcorn and snacks in our basement?" Their eyes widened like saucers and immediately they agreed. So, I went and spoke with all their parents and tonight we have our first "Neighborhood Movie Night." Sure, I endured some ridicule for my nails and my enjoyment of the weather, but now we get to have about 8 kids into our home to hang with for an entire evening. How good is God?