"If you find yourself in a boardroom of people who look, act, and think like you, it's time to start listening to some other voices." @djstrickland#GLS18
Many years ago our long time pastor at first Baptist in Houston asked my husband to become a deacon at our church. Keith declined, replying that, sorrowfully, he was not the kind of man a deacon should be.
I’ve thought about it a thousand times through the years. Thought about how he had more character than 10,000 others who would not blink an eye to accept such a visible role in the church only to bring their untreated carnality and arrogance, their unrepentant dissensions and rivalries to the service of the church, masquerading as pious, no few hiding their unquenchable lusts and pornographic addictions.
I thought about it Sunday as I witnessed the deacon ordination of a dear brother at my church who had completed many hours of preparation through formal courses and training and as I heard the solemn promises he was making and saw him sign a document before our congregation and watched his wife put on his vestments face-to-face with him as a reminder, our bishop explained, that his ministry as deacon first began with serving her. It was so meaningful and moving. I believed my brother. I believe he will flourish in his service to the church.
I say all this because of the seriousness I saw in my husband many years ago when he declined this office. I say all this because of the seriousness I saw in my dear brother two days ago as he accepted this office.
I say this because of how comparatively little weight many of us seem to attach to being in leadership positions in our churches. I think perhaps Keith might have shown more maturity in his refusal than God alone knows how many others in their hasty acceptance.
These words come from a very flawed woman who has been forgiven and delivered from much sin. And, in large part, because of the resultant woefully painful seasons of divine discipline over my sins, one who also wonders how on earth we who are in Christian leadership roles think we can get away with our unrepentant duplicities.
I wonder how we are getting away with this if we are meeting in earnestness with the Lord on a regular basis. Are we bringing to him our confessions of sins of pride and greed and lust and covetousness and hatred and discord? I have questions because of the trouble and heartache I’ve met with my own disobedience. I ultimately didn’t have enough tenacity to resist conviction. How do we bear the withdrawal of Christ’s fellowship as we continue unrepentant in our sins against him and our brothers and sisters in Christ and our neighbors?
This exposure we’re constantly seeing will not stop. Christ has come for his church. He will refine her with fire. We pray our usual prayers and we sing our favorite songs and we read our favorite scriptures to use against our favorite foes and attend all our services. So often we do all the things. All the things but what the Head of the church is waiting for. Repentance.
Repentance that we — that I — have thought so little of him. So little of his words. So little of who we are — and I of who I am — in him.
He stands at the door and knocks.
The Lord is Jennifer Lyell’s Shepherd. She shall no longer long to see right made of wrong. She has walked through the valley of the shadow of death. She fears no evil, for he is with her and she, with him. His rod and his staff, they comfort her. He prepares a table before Jennifer in the presence of her enemies. He anoints her head with oil. Her cup overflows. Surely Goodness and Mercy have walked her all the way home. She now dwells in the house of the Lord forever.
I’m going to say something that shouldn’t be controversial but will be. If you are a Christian, you can support border control and immigration being legal vs illegal. You CANNOT celebrate deportations and get off on the cruelty, and be a real Christ follower. Period
I won’t share RFK Jr.’s lies about autism.
It’s disgusting and dangerous.
If he had a shred of decency, he would apologize and resign.
Autistic people contribute every day to our nation’s greatness.
To every kid with autism, I’m in this fight all the way for you.
NON-PARTISAN 🧵:
As a Christian pastor, one of my primary convictions is care for the poor and vulnerable. Consequently, I will confess my concern for some of the financial decisions my government is making or planning to make. I’d like to highlight a few:
I thought one of the lessons we all agreed on from 1933-1939 was that you don't achieve lasting peace by sacrificing land to dictators with imperialist ambitions and expecting them to hold up their end of the 'peace' deal? Or was I mistaken in that perception?
Today’s Oval Office meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy was shameful. President Zelenskyy represents a nation whose citizens have sacrificed their lives and shed blood for the freedoms they cherish. He deserves respect, not humiliation.
In a country that had not, as the prophet Jeremiah put it, “forgotten how to blush,” this abomination would shock every conscience. We are long past that point. God have mercy.
Donald, this is not the Soviet Union. You can’t change the truth and you cannot silence us. Remember all your lies about the voting machines, the election workers, your countless allegations of fraud that never happened? Many of your lawyers have been sanctioned, disciplined or disbarred, the courts ruled against you, and dozens of your own White House, administration, and campaign aides testified against you. Remember how you sent a mob to our Capitol and then watched the violence on television and refused for hours to instruct the mob to leave? Remember how your former Vice President prevented you from overturning our Republic? We remember. And now, as you take office again, the American people need to reject your latest malicious falsehoods and stand as the guardrails of our Constitutional Republic — to protect the America we love from you.
This is how dictators destroy free nations. They threaten those who speak against them with death. We cannot entrust our country and our freedom to a petty, vindictive, cruel, unstable man who wants to be a tyrant. #Womenwillnotbesilenced#VoteKamala