Off the Wall

As far back as I can remember I have used a New American Standard version of the Bible.  Well, there was that paperback “Good News for Modern Man” Bible from back in the ‘70s.  Remember that one?  It was illustrated with newspaper headlines.  We thought it was cool that it was written in “Today’s English Version.”

Now, I’m not trying to promote one version of the bible over another.  I don’t want to get anywhere near that argument.  I’m just saying that all the verses in my head are memorized in the NASB.  So when someone pointed out to me a particular verse in the King James I thought they were kidding, but there it was.  I Samuel 25:22, “So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.”

I’m not making this up.  It really says, “pisseth,” and it means just exactly what you think it means.  I guess the genteel scholars who put together the more modern versions thought the phrase a bit crude which is why it was later cleaned up to read “one male” (NIV), “one man”(NLT), “one man-child” (ASV), and “one male of any who belong to him” by the NASB.

Modern scholars cleaned up 2 Chron. 10:10 as well but I’ll let you look that one up for yourself.

Now being a guy myself I can appreciate how the word “man” became interchangeable with“one who pisseth against the wall.”Any guy who’s spent time in God’s great outdoors, especially in the snow, knows how wonderful it is to be a man.  But the scholars I read said the phrase didn’t just apply to grownups or soldiers but to any and every male in the family.

While most of us today might find the concept wholly inappropriate we mustn’t forget that back in David’s day they didn’t have indoor plumbing.  Still, I guess the thought of such a thing was so repulsive that modern day scholars apparently felt the need not to translate but to interpret the text.  Perhaps they were worried that if we read it as it was written too many of us would forego the facilities to write on someone’s wall.  But I think it’s important to remember that despite what you see on TV or portrayed in the movies or read in books and magazines men really aren’t that stupid…but they are different.

I’m not saying that men don’t occasionally need cleaning up but God made men they way they are for a reason and it’s not just to kill bugs or open stuck jelly jars.  Still, for some reason, even those in our popular church culture feel the need to apologize for our men.  Let me give you a good example:  My wife pointed out recently the differences between a Mother’s Day service at most churches and a Father’s Day service.  On Mom’s day she gets a flower and we celebrate the hard-working, tireless, loving, giving, Proverbs 31 woman.  Indeed she is great and worthy of praise.  But what do we hear on Father’s day?  Usually it’s about all the things we dad’s could be doing to be a better Father.

I know dads aren’t perfect but we’re not always wrong, either.  For example if we’re going camping and my son, after repeated reminders, still forgets his sleeping bag Dad says, too bad.  Sleep in the cold.  He won’t forget it next time.  Mom, however, will drive 100 miles to the nearest Wal-Mart so her little boy won’t get sick.  Mom is taking care of her baby.  Dad knows what it takes to be a responsible man.  Neither is right.  Neither is wrong.   Unless you ask Child Protective Services.

Now, let me be very, very clear.  I am NOT advocating that your men and boys go out right now and stain someone’s fence.  That’s not acceptable.  But men need to have the freedom to be different.  They need to know it’s OK to follow their hearts.  They need to be encouraged to take chances.  They need to be inspired to lead.  They need to have the freedom…to be men.  Just stay away from the wall.

Matt Mosler is the author of Way Off Base.

The Chicken & The Egg

I love science.  I really do.  But I think now and then that God gets a good chuckle out of scientists, don’t you?  Consider this recent story I read on my newscast:

“British scientists claim to have finally come up with the definitive answer to the age old question, ‘Which came first, the chicken or the egg?’  According to researchers at Sheffield and Warwick Universities the answer is…the chicken!   Their proof?  Well, apparently there is a certain protein in the shell of the egg that can only be produced inside a chicken’s ovaries.   Now that that question’s been answered, scientists say they will now begin working to determine why the chicken crossed the road.” (That last sentence wasn’t part of the study.)

That’s nice to know, isn’t it?  But I wonder how in the world they got funding for this project.  I mean, with all the issues scientists could be devoting themselves to is this really the best use of their resources?  Plus, didn’t Moses answer that question about 3500 years ago when he wrote,“And God created…every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good.” (Gen. 1:21) I know they don’t fly but I would still consider the chicken a winged bird, wouldn’t you?

Still, I do love science.  Yeah, I know that many scientists have devoted their lives to disproving the existence of God but they’re not good scientists.  They may be smart but the scientific method says you don’t draw a conclusion until after all the evidence is in.  And as scientists continue to pursue the truth the evidence is mounting for the existence of a creator.  Just ask Dr. Antony Flew.

A few years back I wrote about how Dr. Flew, a legendary British philosopher and atheist who had been a champion for unbelievers for decades, suddenly reversed his course.   The year was 2004 when after years of bitterly deriding creationists Flew announced to the world that he “had to go where the evidence leads” and stated, "It has become inordinately difficult even to begin to think about constructing a naturalistic theory of the evolution of that first reproducing organism." (Philosophy Now Magazine, August-September 2004) All that bloviating is just scientist speak for, “There had to be a creator.”

Now I know there are all sorts of arguments that can be made on both sides of this faith/science/creation/evolution battle and I’m not nearly smart enough to even engage in many of the debates but I don’t lose sleep over it.  Because the fact of the matter is Christians have nothing to fear from science.  The Bible is perfectly clear when it says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”(Rom. 1:20)

Which means while tomorrow there may be headlines splashed from one side of the globe to the other about the discovery of the latest missing link or how bacterial life was discovered on another planet or that aliens brought life to this one but fear not.  The truth will get out and the science will prove it.  Science followed to its logical conclusion will always confirm the existence of God because God did indeed create the heavens and the earth. (Gen. 1:1) I’m not saying Science is Faith and Faith is Science but they can coexist rather nicely.  For more on this subject I encourage you to read a book written by someone much smarter than I.  In fact it’s called, Can a Smart Person Believe in God, by Michael Guillen.

So what’s the big deal about knowing the chicken came before the egg?  Simple, it’s just one more tiny drop in a sea of evidence that God is real.  He’s as real as the rings of Saturn, as real as a strand of DNA, as real as a new born baby.  And if God is real then maybe Jesus is real.  And if Jesus is real then maybe there is a purpose and a plan to my life.  That’s something worth investigating.

By the way, you do know why the chicken crossed the road, right?  To prove to the armadillo it could be done.

Matt Mosler is the author of Way Off Base.  Find out more atwww.beautifulfeetministry.com

Say It Ain’t So, Mel

I don’t know Mel Gibson. Never met him. I like his movies though. In fact, I think Braveheart may be my favorite movie of all time. But I don’t like what Mel Gibson has become. And I’m not just referring to this latest rant which has all the gossip magazines atwitter like sharks that smell blood in the water. To me, the roots of Mr. Gibson’s well chronicled fall from grace extend all the way back to 2004. See, before that Mel Gibson was, to put it mildly, “The Man.”

Back in 1985 he was People Magazine’s original “Sexiest Man Alive.” He starred in, produced, and directed numerous blockbusters like The Patriot, Maverick and the Lethal Weapon franchise. He even won two Academy awards for his role in the aforementioned Braveheart, which was named the best picture in 1995. In short, he was one of the most likable and most bankable stars in Hollywood...until 2004.

So what happened in 2004? Well, that was the year Mel Gibson felt he had enough good will and popularity in the bank that he could make the movie he always wanted to make. He knew he would face criticism. He knew he would be attacked. But I don’t think even Mel Gibson understood the firestorm that would surround the creation, production and release of The Passion of The Christ.

Among other harsh criticisms of the movie Jami Bernard of The New York Daily News said,“Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ is the most virulently anti-Semitic movie made since the German propaganda films of World War II. It is sickening.” But while the furor rose in some quarters in others the movie began to have a much different effect. Some churches were renting out entire theaters and handing out free tickets and even today the film is being used on the mission field to illustrate how God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son to pay the penalty for their sins (Jn. 3:16). To date The Passion of the Christ is the 7th highest grossing movie of all time. Who knows how many lives have been impacted because of its release.

Well, we know of at least one life that’s been changed. Just two years after the release of the film Mel Gibson was arrested for drunk driving and was recorded during the arrest unleashing a blistering barrage of anti-Semitic rants. Three years later his wife of nearly 29 years and mother to his seven children announced they were divorcing amidst rumors of infidelity. Later that year those rumors were confirmed first with pictures then with the birth of his eighth child by a Russian model named Oksana Gregoriava. And now this latest incident.

I don’t know if one thing has to do with the other. Like I said, I don’t know Mel Gibson. But it is hard to ignore the timing of it all, isn’t it? See, Satan loves to attack those on the front lines of the battle (Job 1:9-11). We shouldn’t have any trouble naming the myriad of religious leaders across the country who’ve been embroiled in one type of scandal or another. And if we think about it we can also probably come up with a few right here at home who have stumbled along the journey. True, much of their demise was a fault of their own pride but are they any different that most of the men and women listed in the Bible, including King David who sent one man to his death so that he could marry the guys wife. And he was a “man after God’s own heart?” (I Sam. 13:14)

My point is not that we should go easy on Mel Gibson. Neither should we shy away from the front lines of the spiritual battle to avoid the flaming darts of the enemy. That’s where we belong. That’s where lives are changed. That’s where purpose and meaning begin. That’s also where the battle gets nasty. So as you go about fulfilling your ministry put on His full armor by reading His word, praying without ceasing, and surrounding yourself with Godly men and women who will hold you accountable (Eph. 6:10-20).

Matt Mosler is the author of Way Off Base.

Do What You Do

Hey! Remember me? Yea, I know it’s been a while. I hated to go away but I felt I had to and I hope you’ll give me this opportunity to explain why.

I started writing in this space more than eight years ago. It was more of a release than anything else. It seemed everywhere I looked I saw God’s hand and just wanted to share it with whoever cared to read it. Those reflections have resulted in one book to date, Way Off Base, and a couple of others that will likely be ready in the next couple of years.

But over time the hours I spent in front of this computer shifted from devotion to duty, from response to requirement and from outpouring to obligation. That’s not good. When that happens too much of me gets involved and too much of He gets squeezed out. I needed to hit 700 words. I needed to have it ready by the end of the day Monday. I needed to find a scripture to wrap around my observations. I needed a break.

My writing is not any different than your coaching or your car pooling or your t-shirt wearing or your Facebooking. Whatever you’re doing to put yourself in a position to influence others needs to be done not because you feel you have to but because it’s an overflowing of your wellspring of life. (Prov. 4:23) And when that well runs dry it needs to be filled otherwise all those people you’re trying to influence will end up influencing you. (I Cor. 15:33)

Following after Christ can become such a duty, can’t it? So often we get sucked into this eddy of expectation of what a believer is supposed to act like and look like and sound like that we lose our God-given uniqueness. When we live our lives the way we think we’re supposed to as opposed to how the Spirit of God is leading us we miss all those strange and wonderful and frightening and beautiful twists and turns of what, in the end, turns out to be a pretty abundant life.

Recently I reread the story of Jesus eating at the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus…the second meal (Jn. 12: 1-11). Remember in the first account (Luke 10:38-42) Martha got all bent out of shape because she felt she was doing all of the work while Mary sat there fawning over Jesus and Lazarus, well, who knew what Lazarus was up to. Jesus tells Martha then, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only a few things are necessary, really only one…” (v. 41) What was that ‘one thing?’ To many, including so many today, that one thing would have Martha out of the kitchen where she was so fussy and around Jesus feet where she could worship with hands held high. But that’s not what Jesus meant. Martha was actually pretty good at what she did.

At this second meal Martha is still in the kitchen but she has a totally different demeanor. Mary is still at Jesus’ feet and Lazarus? Well, what about Lazarus? He wasn’t cooking or serving or anointing Jesus’ feet with oil. All he was doing was traveling the country side sharing the good news and getting people saved (John 12:11).

See, we’ve each been given different gifts to be used in different ways. One is no better than another. Now, they may appear so to those caught up in the downward spiral of duty but in God’s eyes the body is “fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies.” (Eph. 4:16) This doesn’t mean Lazarus shouldn’t help in the kitchen or Martha shouldn’t get emotional or Mary shouldn’t serve. What it means is that we should take the time to allow Christ to fill up the wellspring He created within us so that what overflows will not be what we think the world needs but exactly what is necessary for the building up of the body...irrespective of others expectations.

So go on. Do what you do!