A  Judge in California recently ruled that the State’s Proposition 8 was unconstitutional. In his ruling the judge opined that the majority of voters in California who voted for the measure did so out of an irrational bias toward homosexuals because of “unscientific” and “religious” views.  The Judge also noted that the law was unconstitutional because it denied equal protection for homosexuals who choose to marry as well as due process of law.

I do not read many legal opinions but the profile of this one was interesting so I read it-all 136 pages.  In it the judge’s biases are clearly identified.  In his view the plaintiffs were clearly the experts on marriage parading a bevy of expert witnesses who gave sound, rational, scientific, and legal testimony while the defendants were dull traditional moralists and  fearful souls making irrational and illegal arguments in favor of their position.  The judge concluded that evidence showed those in California who voted for Proposition 8 were people whose moral and religious views formed a belief that led them to conclude that “same-sex marriages are different from opposite-sex marriages”. And, this does not provide a “rational basis” for supporting such a belief.

In other words if you have a moral or religious view about anything to do with this issue you are not rational and  rationality is the only basis for determining anything legal.  He also says that Californians that voted for this Proposition have a private prejudice that makes them feel superior to homosexuals who want to marry.  In the end he agreed with the Plaintiffs who contend that:

1.  Marriage and marriage laws have changed over time.

2. Marriage serves many and more purposes than procreation.

3.  Same-sex marriages will have little or no effect on opposite-sex marriages.

4. Banning same-sex marriages was done by a majority whose private, moral, and/or religious views punished an unpopular majority.

I suppose that his ruling has to put our nation on notice because in the U.S. code marriage and spouse are defined in all laws as: “…the word “marriage” means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word “spouse” refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife.” (Title 1.7)

There are more issues related in this opinion but these seem to me to be the significant ones.  So with the Judge’s opinions in hand I have a few questions for the future regarding marriage.

1.  What is the meaning of “marriage” from now on.  If this ruling is upheld then marriage as an institution or even a word will change forever.  If same-sex marriage is to be based on “rationality” then is it safe to assume that one day a person will be free to marry his/her pet?  How about two men and three women?  How about a woman and her son or another close relative?  I don’t think I’m being moral or religious to wonder if marriage will have any meaning in the future thanks to a judge who thinks he is “rational.”

2.  If the definition of marriage changes or simply goes away then what about the words “husband”, “wife”, or “family.”  If those terms can mean anything then they eventually mean nothing.  They might become as significant as “uh” or “huh.”  I don’t think my questions are moral or religious but rational.

The Judge has determined by his own “rational” authority that marriage is in no way to be governed by moral or religious views so that means marriage is only what someone determines it is.  In the end it is a choice governed by the reasoning of those who seek it.  Those arguing for the repeal of the California law define marriage as simply a choice of a couple who make a commitment to remain with one another and join economically to support one another in material needs.  But “rationally” this seems to be only one view and may limit another persons right for equal protection and due process if they choose for example to marry their goat, their three best friends or their favorite aunt.

I hope higher courts see the bias of this judge’s ruling and the danger he has set in motion.  If he is upheld then a cornerstone of our nation will have eroded.  Children and women will find less protection and more abuse and neglect.  Public discussion of marriage will evaporate to a meaningless political/legal war of words.

I will admit that I do not know all the legal implications of this ruling nor have I given opinions on all that is in the judge’s document.  I have no desire to see anyone discriminated against or denied rights provided by our Constitution.  But some relationships do not qualify for marriage traditionally, morally, religiously, or rationally. The judge is wrong in this one.  If we are fortunate he will be reversed and our nation will be stronger for it.

We just finished Vacation Bible School this week at my church with a record number of children and workers.  I am always amazed at the power of commitments that turn out the most interesting responses.  On any give day last week there were parents who committed to get their children to VBS on time and ready for whatever awaited them.  There were workers who came ready to teach, lead, help, nurture, and do anything that they were asked to do for the children.  There were the children who nearly always “get it” on the first day who committed to learn songs, bible verses, stay in line, and move when told.

The power of these commitments go beyond the ordinary however.  Some parents bring their children with the hope that they might have a good day, or that they might forget the pressures they face daily at home.  Some of the children are at risk of not having enough to eat or ever having much hope that their lives may improve.  But a Mom or Dad gets up and commits to bring a son or daughter with the hope that something will bring a change in fortune or future.

Some workers come each day with commitments that overcome their battles against cancer, old age, job loss, and many other private struggles and disappointments.  Most come, however, with a commitment to something beyond themselves as they give their time and energies to work with the children.

The children come with commitments to experience and learn despite many issues which they face daily.  Some have physical and mental challenges, yet they come.  Some have personal and family issues, yet they come.  Some are shy, some are energetic, some are reluctant and some are ready for anything; but they come.  They come the first day not quite sure of what is happening and leave the last day singing songs and doing body motions they have learned.

As I watched the children leave Friday with cowboy hats and VBS shirts  holding five day’s work in their small hands, I understood again the power of commitments.  Committed persons, large and small, young and old, strong and weak make a great difference for themselves and those they serve.  Commitment placed in the right things moves the world toward the places it should be changing lives for the better and leaving legacies to remember and follow.

What are your commitments?  What will they accomplish?  Who will benefit from them?  Commitments can overcome our heartaches, weaknesses and struggles and turn our lives into powerful forces of change and good.  Find something worth a commitment and pour you life into it; even if it’s for just one week at a time.

Gene Mims

To me, life can often be compared to putting together a jigsaw puzzle.  With the picture of the puzzle in view, the pieces can be put together successfully.  With only the pieces however, it is nearly impossible to make sense of the picture and frustrating to attempt to complete the puzzle.

It is not hard to lose dreams, speculations, and pursuits in the crush of ordinary living.  Most of us have to deal daily with questions, answers, and activities surrounding our money, family, health, work, and if we have time, dreams.  Living life at the pace we seem to be resigned to, it is easy to lose sight of the overall meaning of life.

The Questions

For centuries we have asked the same important questions about life and living, namely:

• Who am I?
• What is the meaning of my life?
• Where am I going?
• Does what I do really matter?

The answers we get to the above questions depend upon where we start.  If you start with the pieces of your life then you are bound to get more questions.  Focusing on money, family, health, work, and personal dreams can lead us to spend time and energy on things that are important but may have little impact on who we really are and our significance.

The Picture

In truth we are gifted with eternal not temporal qualities.  We are made in God’s image and given significance because we have living souls.  The pieces of life do not satisfy the soul’s appetites but the picture does.  The fact that we are eternal beings on our way to forever changes our understandings about the pieces of life.  We are free to live as stewards of this life and not bound to the narrow focus of selfishness.  Knowing that eternity is ours means that we can relax in this life when asking the “big” questions.  We can focus on the long road ahead and not the immediate sharp turns and detours that we often encounter.

The Gift

God has given us eternity and with it comes the joy of living in the good, enduring the bad, and benefiting for both as He directs us to and builds us for that which lasts forever.  This means that we are able to understand money, family, health, work, and dreams as temporary and limited, yet important in the long run of eternity.  Live today like you are going to live forever.  It will help you focus your life on the picture and not the pieces.

My family and I have lived in Nashville for nearly twenty years and the events of the last week have once again convinced me that we are fortunate to live in this city and metropolitan area.  The devastating flooding that ruined the homes and threatened the lives of so many people in our area and state have in fact shown the character and spirit of our citizens.

In any crisis the character of individuals is displayed and developed and our crisis is no different.  The acts of kindness and heroism displayed to and among the people of this area have been nothing short of astounding. We have had the best of leadership from our Governor, Mayor, Senators, Representatives and the people who work for them.  At no time did our leaders show fear or place blame as they went about their work to rescue and restore the people they serve.  We may have been ignored by national media and the President but the leaders who live here have led us in remarkable ways.

Each day I find more and more reasons for optimism knowing that all that can be done is being done from government, businesses, corporations, churches, synagogues and temples.  Most of all, however, I find strength from the selfless people who walk up and down destroyed areas offering helping hands, money, comfort, food and water.

I am pleased to be a resident in this city and pleased to live in a place where differences of opinion, faiths, philosophies and backgrounds have been easily set aside to help suffering people recover from their losses.

Gene Mims

We were having a conversation at church recently about the many options believers have in choosing a church.  Just a few years ago we could talk about traditional churches or contemporary churches but now the lines are blurred and the options have greatly multiplied.

On the surface this might seem like a believer’s dream-unlimited choices that one might choose from in order to find a perfect fit for himself or a couple or a family.  I have had serious conversations with folks that have recently come our way and what I find is just the opposite.

Choices, Options, and Needs

Many people tell us that the number of choices and options are almost too much to handle.  What they define as needs in their lives and for their families are almost never addressed by the churches that they visit.  In a recent month I noted from conversations from our newer members the following observations:

1.  Most people looking for a church to attend assume that worship services will be well done including good preaching and music.

2. Most people looking for a church to attend assume that child care and children’s ministry will be quality, safe, and the facilities will be clean.

3.  Most people looking for a church to attend assume that the congregation and especially the pastor is grounded in scripture.

Having said the above what has been most surprising are the following observations:

1.  Visitors are not greeted in most churches (no matter their size and reputation) and people are generally confused by this.

2. Many of our newer folks report to me that their children did not have a positive experience the churches they visited even when they visited multiple times.  It seems that many felt like their children were treated like additional burdens instead of welcome visitors.

3. The majority of churches made no contact with the individual or family following the visit.  No calls, visits, cards, or emails.

4.  The lack of biblical preaching was a major disappointment.  Many pastors read a text of scripture, put their Bible aside and never referred to it again.

5.  They could not determine what the church was doing in ministry, missions, evangelism or discipleship.  There were no printed materials or information available.

A Caution To Everyone

When I hear comments like these, I want to make sure my church never makes these mistakes.  I know we can all let people come and go without engaging them but we have to make the effort to greet them and engage them if they will allow us.  I am amazed at how much conversation goes on in church and denominational life fueled by the latest topics of interest to the latest experts.  We hear words like “missional” and “transformational” used in discussions about denominational renewal, church planting, and discipleship.  As interesting as such topics are, people who are lost, unchurched, between churches, are real persons who have real needs that real people can meet.  Our categorizing them notwithstanding, they are hurting, seeking, and hopeful individuals that we have great opportunities to help.

Instead of wondering about their categories and adding fresh words to our church lexicons ,what about a focus on a few basics?

The Basics

1. People like to be greeted.  Wow!  How about that for a change.  Greet folks by giving your name, asking theirs, showing genuine interest and excitement about their coming to your place.  Help them find answers to their questions and concerns.

2. Change whatever you have to in your ministry to reach out to persons and when they visit make sure they feel good about coming, especially when you minister to their children.

3. If someone visits you make sure you attempt to contact them as soon as possible.  Call them or email them but do something to let them know you were glad they showed some interest in your ministry.

4. Preach the Bible!  Do it your way but don’t give in to phony series that sound like something Dr. Phil came up with.  People actually expect to hear scripture preached when they visit churches.  They are not put off by it like many believe they are.  You can do it your way in any context you like but do it.

5. If you know what God is leading you to do then publish it to your folks and give it to your visitors.  They want to know what you stand for, what you are attempting and how you are going about it.

Finally

I think we make church harder on the front end than it has to be.  We live in a post-christian world that easily breeds a christian consumerism that is difficult to address.  No one denies the challenges of evangelism, discipleship and worship today.  But without a genuine interest in people and a clear purpose for our churches the tasks we have only prove more difficult.

I known I am not always aware of what is what, but….why do greeters and seating captains at empty restaurants have a hard time determining where to seat you when you come in?  We often eat dinner early and most often the restaurants are empty but we stand there watching a sixteen year old person pour over the seating chart like it is a physics test.  How hard is it to seat someone?

Rules

As I have pondered this I have come to feel such persons have obviously been schooled by management to put certain persons in certain places with certain servers.  It seems too complicated but I know that behind all the deliberation there are rules.  Someone has software in a computer somewhere that directs management to balance out the seating so that maximum profit is achieved with minimum risk and effort.  In the meantime I stand waiting in amazement that a table cannot easily be had.  All I want to do it eat and enjoy the company of my wife, family and/or friends.

Focus

This reminds me to remember in my own life and work to focus on the reason I do what I do.  There are many good things and important things to do, learn, and observe while trying to be effecient and effective but nothing is more important than the reason you do what you do.  Serve food, sleep people, sell gasoline, raise children or build churches; it makes no difference.  Find out what most important to the people you help, focus primarily on that and then get to the other stuff.  For me-I just want to be seated.

I have read a number of comments recently by people who claim to be atheists.  Their claim is certainly not a new one.  In fact for me, it is a worn-out one.  I began thinking about those who claim to be atheists and my mind kept coming back to one question.  Why do atheists always talk about God?

Listen to an atheist or read one and you will notice that they always talk about God, believers, churches, theology, faith, etc.  To me this is remarkable.  So remarkable that I have give some thought to such a paradox.

Unicorns

Stay with me for a moment and I think I can give you a better understanding to my perplexity concerning atheists.  You see I do not believe in unicorns.  You may and that is surely your right, but I don’t.  They are cute in cartoons, movies, and comic books, but I must confess that I don’t believe in them.  So what’s the point.  The point is that since I don’t believe in unicorns I don’t give them much thought.  I don’t write about them or speak about them.  I don’t go to conferences on how to stop people from believing in them.  I do not fund legal societies to stop people from being able to talk about unicorns in schools and public places.  I  don’t worry if people celebrate holidays dedicated to unicorns.  For me they don’t exist.

Give It Up

To all bent-out-of-shape atheists I say simply, GIVE IT UP! Find something else to worry about like global warming, Republicans, education, war, and rain forest destruction.  Let those who believe in God alone.  If He doesn’t exist then why all the worry and concern?  If He does exist then you don’t care anyway.  He won’t bother you.  Try not to be bothered by what you don’t believe in and work on what you do know. The more you talk about God the more likely it is that those who may share your position might begin to doubt it and actually search for Him and find Him.

A Truce

I suggest a truce.  If you will not worry about those of us who do believe in God, then I promise not to begin a campaign against all those who continue to believe in unicorns.

When Congress passed the “Stimulus Package” last week it exceeded in real dollars the amount that Franklin Roosevelt spent on the New Deal in the 30′s.  That is quite an accomplishment considering that most of those who voted either for or against it never read it.  Never read it!

History Reversed

It seems to me that our founding fathers risked their wealth for a legacy that continues to benefit us today.  Our current national leadership has sacrificed a legacy for temporary wealth.  One generation was willing to lost properity for posterity while another sacrifices posterity for a hopeful prosperity.  Two generations from now will pay for this.  Presently we wait to see if such reckless spending will create anything but debt and more chaos.

Dangerous Government

Someone said many years ago that a government which gives you everything you want will eventually take everything you have.  Somehow those words seem ominously on target today.

Sacrifice is a word no one seems to use or remember in these days of constant crisis.  As the economic crisis deepens globally we are hearing predictions, remedies, blame, etc. but nothing about what it really takes to get out of it.  Printing money and giving it away will not make our troubles go away.  Political rhetoric is not a tool of real change.  It is a tool of real talk.

What does it take?

Excess eventually demands sacrifice.  To get out of this crisis will take the sacrificial commitment of all who are affected by it.  It takes a national leader who can define the problem and point out the path to a solution.  He must sacrifice his political agenda for the good of the nation and world.  It takes the sacrifice of legislators who refuse to spend because they can.  Their current example places them in perilous waters politically whether they know it or not.  Ordinary citizens who bear the greater burdens of our nation’s woes will have to sacrifice their wants and desires for the austerity of a lower standard of living for the duration of the crisis.

Leadership

Leaders define reality and outline a path for meeting the demands of the realities they face. We need more than photo ops. and speeches.  Look us in the eye and tell us the truth: what you know and what you don’t.  What you think and what you are considering.  Call us to a higher and more personal commitment.  Tell us in plain English what sacrifices we are going to have to make and what will happen when we do.  Tell us how we really got here (and what part you played), where we are and where you are leading us.  Really.

The Future

We will follow because we have no other choice.  We will also follow becasuse we want to.  Sensible people do not want anyone to fail.  Our leaders in government, business, education, and in the faith communities need to lead.  That gives change and hope some real meaning.

I was speaking to a friend the other day and he asked me a question that I often wonder about, namely, “Is There Anyone Out There?” He asked me that as he described his search for people in churches that are “restarts” or “reclaimed” churches.

We know of the many reasons for successful new starts and relocations but what about churches that have nearly expired and have come alive again? Where are the blogs, stories, associations and conferences for them?

I thought about what he said and wondered if there is anyone out there like me and my friend who are enjoying rebirthing broken and battered churches. Its not pretty or easy but it is exciting and fun.

I am in my thirty-fifth year in ministry and this is the most fun I have ever had. Church change is not impossible nor is revisioning or renewal. I have found, however, that most who speak of the possibility of such reclaiming either have not done it or would not attempt it. They need to speak and write on something else!

Anyway, my friend and I continue to trust the Lord, thank Him for the opportunity to revision a congregation, and most of all do something not many want or know how to do. We were just wondering…

…Is There Anyone Out There?????