“It’s just chopped ham!”

I sat across the lunch table with my friend, John Shoemake. Our conversation had denigrated to his love for Spam. Call me spoiled, sissy, or whatever, but it is a personal goal of mine never to eat any meat that could survive a nuclear holocaust. In defense of his laughable canned meat affection, John made the absurd comment, “Bro. Rob, it’s just chopped ham.” Just chopped ham?! You’ve got to be kidding me! If it was chopped ham, they would call it chopped ham. No, Spam is something so mysterious, so unnatural, that they had to invent a name for it – “Spam.”

I went on an internet search to see if John was right. What I discovered is that John is not alone in his love for the mystery meat in the blue can. Invented in 1937, the Hormel “meat product” has sold more than 6 billion units worldwide. In Austin, MN, there is a museum that exists in honor of Spam. A can of Spam is on display in the Smithsonean Institute. I even found recipes for BBQ Spam Muffins (Are you kidding?!), Spam Stroganoff, and Healthy Spam Peppers (Can you use the words “healthy” and “Spam” in the same sentence?).

The words, “It’s just chopped ham” have echoed in my ears all week long. You know that as a pastor I view things differently (re: wierdly). I have finally come to the odd conclusion that there is deep spiritual truth in mankind’s love for Spam. You see, we often settle for a world that is willing to live with the sub-standard mystery meat “sandwich product,” when, spiritually speaking, our loving Heavenly Father intends for us to feast upon filet mignon. Now, honestly, which do you think is better – a juicy grilled filet or Spam Stroganoff?

The author of Hebrews wrote to first century believers:

For though by this time you ought ot be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Heb. 5:12-14).

For too many modern believers, there is a steady diet of pop culture and shallow (if any) biblical study. We’ve settled for spiritual Spam. And, in defense of our spiritual lethargy, we cry out, “It’s just chopped ham!”  We have traded the meaty things of God for cheap substitutes.

Paul told the Corinthian believers that he had a simple, soul-satisfying message.  ”For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2).  His message was Jesus. Modern pulpits would do well to emulate Paul’s example. Churches have had there fill of messages like “Ten Ways to Save Your Marriage” and “How to Recession-proof your finances.” We don’t need more pop-psychology-inspired sermon series. We need preachers to stand and declare what God has already plainly spoken in His Word. We need the meaty things of God.

Let me urge you to put yourself under the faithful teaching of God’s Word. Be faithful to attend worship services at your church. But go a step further – plant your life in a small group where you can work out how God’s truths apply to your life in the safe confines of community and accountability. Trade in your Spam-style Christianity for something more succulent and satisfying.

“It’s just chopped ham.” If you say so. You keep eating your Spam; I choose the meaty things of God.

[This blog post originally was posted here on March 10, 2006.]

Plugged or Unplugged? Giving up the internet

Paul Miller may be one of the bravest men I know.

I had not heard of Paul before this week.  A writer for the on-line magazine, theverge.com, Paul dared to do something that has often tempted me.  He gave up the internet.  For a whole year.  A whole year, people!

I know!  How did he do that?  Why did he do that?  He disconnected from the internet completely!  The guy went cold turkey for 365 days!  No Netflix.  No Spotify.  No espn.com.  No on-line gaming.  No viral videos.  No twitter feeds.  I get DTs even thinking about it.  He even unplugged from texting.  He traded in his smart phone for an old-school Nokia.  I used to have one of those in 1998.  I’m a boss at that snake game!

I’ve pondered taking that leap of technological silence.  I am fully aware of my own connectedness.  Before my feet hit the floor every morning, I check emails and social media feeds.  When I go out to dinner, I always place my phone face up on the table.  I don’t want to be so rude as to pick it up, so I strategically put it where I can read all push alerts without neglecting my companions.  I know.  I’m pathetic.  I’ve sometimes thought that the internet is the root of my ADD problems.  That’s why Paul’s story grabbed me in such a powerful way.

According to Paul, his journey began with some great victories.  He got a library card and began to read some great books.  He shed 15 unwanted pounds.  He initially found his life to be less stressed.

At the conclusion of Paul’s one year internet sabbath, his conclusion was one that I did not anticipate.  When all was said and done, he didn’t feel liberated or digitally purged.  His digital celibacy didn’t lead to some cathartic experience of the soul.  Ultimately, he felt disconnected from the world around him.  While he readily admits that the experience had some positive effects in his life, at the end of the day he still had to deal with his own personal issues.

It’s hard to say exactly what changed. I guess those first months felt so good because I felt the absence of the pressures of the internet. My freedom felt tangible. But when I stopped seeing my life in the context of “I don’t use the internet,” the offline existence became mundane, and the worst sides of myself began to emerge.

I would stay at home for days at a time. My phone would die, and nobody could get ahold of me. At some point my parents would get fed up with wondering if I was alive, and send my sister over to my apartment to check on me. On the internet it was easy to assure people I was alive and sane, easy to collaborate with my coworkers, easy to be a relevant part of society.

So much ink has been spilled deriding the false concept of a “Facebook friend,” but I can tell you that a “Facebook friend” is better than nothing.

Paul’s experience reminds us that we live in a digital world.  I don’t think there is any undoing it.  The only way not to live in a digital world is to invent a time machine – a task which would probably require the internet to accomplish.  Or you could just visit my in-laws, who live in this vortex that sucks you back 30 years.  They have the internet, but it is the equivalent of really slow dial-up.  My kids bellyache about trips there because they can’t stream Netflix videos.  I tell them, “Go do things that kids do!”  To which they retort, “We’re trying to, but we can’t get online!”

I think it’s healthy to hear that the internet isn’t the problem.  The real problem is – us.  Things like the internet only bring out the struggles that lie within us.  The internet didn’t invent impersonal relationships, it just gave us new places to hide from the muck of interpersonal exchanges.  The internet wasn’t the genesis of pornography, it just made it easy to access.  The internet didn’t invent time-wasting; it just gave us a new method of wielding away the hours. We are the issue, not technology.

Just this week, a survey was released that makes my point.  Seven thousand moms were surveyed.  Almost half said they suffer from “Pinterest stress.”  Moms are feeling inadequate because of their lack of craftiness.  They see what other moms are doing, compare themselves, and walk away feeling like failures.  One clever mom has encapsulated the frustration of those lacking the Martha Stewart gene.  Her website, pinterestfail.com, celebrates the calamities that sometimes result from pinterest experiments gone awry.  Glennon Doyle Melton, a mom and blogger, weighed in with some alarmingly clear thinking:

Being a parent is so physically and emotionally and mentally exhausting. To add 17 layers of perfection and cutesiness? I don’t know of any study that ever said kids turn out better if they have rainbow colored birthday cakes. Why are we doing this to ourselves?”

Pinterest is not the issue.  We didn’t just start comparing ourselves to unrealistic standards with the advent of Pinterest.  People have compared themselves since the days of Cain and Abel.  The results haven’t always been as bloody, but they’ve been equally devastating.  The internet isn’t the problem; we are.

At the end of the day, the solution to our problem is not to be sequestered away from life in some monastic cocoon or to be technologically celibate.  Avoiding issues won’t help – because we carry the burden of our own fallenness wherever we go.  If we are to ever find peace, we must find it within ourselves.  And we will never find that inner peace until we meet the Prince of Peace.

As a Christian, I believe the problem of me can only be solved through the atoning work of Jesus Christ.  If cutting an ethernet cable would make us happy and whole, I’d walk around with wire-cutters sabotaging networks everywhere.  But you and I know that would be an exercise in futility.

Paul Miller knows that going off line won’t fix his problems too:

I was wrong.

One year ago I left the internet. I thought it was making me unproductive. I thought it lacked meaning. I thought it was “corrupting my soul.”

It’s a been a year now since I “surfed the web” or “checked my email” or “liked” anything with a figurative rather than literal thumbs up. I’ve managed to stay disconnected, just like I planned. I’m internet free.

And now I’m supposed to tell you how it solved all my problems. I’m supposed to be enlightened. I’m supposed to be more “real,” now. More perfect. . . .

I didn’t want to meet this Paul at the tail end of my yearlong journey.

It’s not unplugging that will bring us peace.  It’s plugging into Jesus.

I don’t have the best job on the planet?!?!

[I read a fabulous blog this week about jobs. William Thornton truly inspired me! Please go read it! What I'm about to write borders on plagiarism from his fantastic post.]

CareerCast.com released their latest job rankings. Evidently, the outlook for clergy is less than brilliant. We rank #110 in the nation. And here I was, thinking that my job is the best in the world.

There are some jobs that I’m shocked rank ahead of a ministerial calling. For instance, a museum curator (#57). Seriously? That has to be the most boring job on the planet! I should know. One time I served in a church that was practically a museum. Everything about that church was from a bygone age. The musical instruments, the carpet, and the architecture were circa 1945. The building even smelled like you were going to GrandMa’s house. And it was boring. So being a clergy has to outrank museum curator.

And the fine folks at CareerCast.com certainly have #65 out of place – Nuclear Decontamination Technician. I’m not even sure that I know what that is, but it sounds messy and dangerous! Decontaminating nuclear stuff just doesn’t strike me as desirable at all! Imagine that – cleaning up toxic junk all day long. Ministers certainly have it better. We don’t know anything about how toxic people can be and what a mess they make of their lives and how they come to us and want us to fix everything in a 45 minute counseling session. Oh wait. Maybe we do…

I think clergy should also outrank #87, Sewage Plant Operator. [This is me restraining myself. There are SO many snarky comments running through my head. All of which would require me to seek out a new field of employment.]

At least ministers outrank lawyers (#117), airplane pilots (#129), garbage collectors (#160), and lumberjacks (#199). I am, however, surprised that we outrank radio disk jockeys (#179). I always thought that would be the coolest job in the world. You get to spin the latest tunes, use those really cool sound effects in commercials, and meet all of the bands on tour! Of course, the fact that their average salary is less than $30k may have something to do with the unpopularity of this seemingly awesome gig.

Sarcasm aside, being a pastor is not for the faint of heart. At times, it can be an extremely demanding job. People need help finding spiritual guidance. Many times they don’t reach out for that help until crisis strikes. The result is a job that has you dealing with people who are in seemingly always in crisis. Living this way can be emotionally and spiritually draining.

However, it must be said that serving as a pastor is also extremely rewarding! To journey with people through life’s difficulties, helping them discover peace in Christ and direction in the midst of chaos – there can be no sweeter task! Seeing families grow in their faith is ultra-rewarding! Seeing people leave behind addictions and dysfunction for health and peace in Jesus has to be the best job perk on the planet! 1 Timothy 3:1 says, “If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.” This “noble task” of serving the body of Christ is one that comes from the Lord. I count it a privilege that He called me to serve the church, as trying and as frustrating as that task is some days. In my book, CareerCast.com got it wrong – Pastor should be #1.

The Most Important Court Case of Our Times and Why You Haven’t Heard of It

You’ve probably never even heard the name Kermit Gosnell.  And that alarms me!

The public ignorance over this man and the media’s refusal to share his story is almost as disgustingly horrific as the things for which he is being tried.

I want to share some of the story of this doctor and his legal problems.  I share it in hopes of gaining some grassroots attention.  I warn you in advance, some of the details below are sickening.

Kermit Gosnell is on trial in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  His trial began on March 18, 2013.  He sits accused of eight homicides.  His alleged victims include seven newborn babies the prosecution claims he killed by snapping their spinal chords with surgical scissors.  His eighth alleged victim is Karmaya Mongar, a 41-year-old woman who came to the doctor seeking an abortion and left in an ambulance, her heart stopped for good by an overdose of drugs delivered by unlicensed staff.  If convicted, Dr. Gosnell could face the death penalty.

Gosnell’s grand jury report states,

This case is about a doctor who killed babies and endangered women. What we mean is that he regularly and illegally delivered live, viable, babies in the third trimester of pregnancy – and then murdered these newborns by severing their spinal cords with scissors. The medical practice by which he carried out this business was a filthy fraud in which he overdosed his patients with dangerous drugs, spread venereal disease among them with infected instruments, perforated their wombs and bowels – and, on at least two occasions, caused their deaths.

The report further describes the despicable conditions of Dr. Gosnell’s clinic, The Women’s Medical Society:

The clinic reeked of animal urine, courtesy of the cats that were allowed to roam (and defecate) freely. Furniture and blankets were stained with blood. Instruments were not properly sterilized. Disposable medical supplies were not disposed of; they were reused, over and over again. Medical equipment – such as the defibrillator, the EKG, the pulse oximeter, the blood pressure cuff – was generally broken; even when it worked, it wasn’t used. The emergency exit was padlocked shut. And scattered throughout, in cabinets, in the basement, in a freezer, in jars and bags and plastic jugs, were fetal remains. It was a baby charnel house.

Gosnell ran an abortion clinic in West Philadelphia where he regularly provided abortions for cash to impoverished women and women who couldn’t find abortion services elsewhere due to their late-term pregnancies.  Gosnell would proffer his services on women well past the 24-week gestational age permitted under Pennsylvania laws.  In fact, he built an empire performing late-term abortions.  Prosecutors claim he was making $1.8 million per year from his operation.  He paid staff with $20 cash bonuses for every second-trimester abortion that occurred on their shift.

Eight of Gosnell’s former employees have already pled guilty, some to third-degree murder.  In February 2010, the FBI raided the clinic to investigate Gosnell’s distribution of painkillers.  One the employees, performing the function of a doctor without a license, fled the building out the back door.  All around, Dr. Kermit Gosnell seems to be a bad guy – a really bad guy.

There has been testimony that Gosnell delivered multiple babies that cried, moved, and did other things we would classify as human behavior.  One baby took a breath.  It was so large that one employee took a picture of it with her phone.  Prosecution experts have said the size of the child would date it well beyond the 24-week age.  Gosnell’s response was to use surgical scissors to sever the infant’s spinal chord.

I could go on and on with horrific details from the trial.  But that’s not really the point of this post.

We live in a society that sat glued to the Casey Anthony Saga.  The press coverage was exhaustive.  We watched every argument.  We knew every witness.  We grieved with the grandparents.  The press wouldn’t let us forget the details.

And who can forget the Michael Vick trial in 2007?  The then-quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons pled guilty to drowning dogs that had been raised for fighting.  The media uproar was deafening.

Well, Dr. Kermit Gosnell’s trial started on March 18.  Since then, none of the news shows on the three major national television networks has mentioned the Gosnell trial.  The Washington Post has not published original reporting on this trial.  The New York Times ran one story that was buried on page A17 on the trial’s opening day.

You’ve heard it said that a picture is worth a thousand words.  Consider this photo taken of the seats reserved for the media at the Gosnell trial.  They sat like this all day yesterday.

Yesterday, Kirsten Powers broke the media embargo when she wrote a fantastic op-ed piece in USA Today entitled “We’ve forgotten what belongs on Page One.”  Her editorial is articulate:

Infant beheadings.  Severed baby feet in jars.  A child screaming after it was delivered alive during an abortion procedure. Haven’t heard about these sickening accusations?

It’s not your fault. Since the murder trial of Pennsylvania abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell began March 18, there has been precious little coverage of the case that should be on every news show and front page. The revolting revelations of Gosnell’s former staff, who have been testifying to what they witnessed and did during late-term abortions, should shock anyone with a heart.

Erick Erickson, writer for Redstate, brings the issue into clear terms:

Had Kermit Gosnell killed dogs, HLN would be giving it wall to wall coverage as they do all sorts of sensational trials. Nancy Grace would be in full outrage mode every night through the course of the trial. It’s sad that a man who engaged in horrific acts of barbarism will never be as known to the public as Casey Anthony or George Zimmerman because Gosnell’s crime is viewed as less than a crime by the vast majority of the producers of American news.

But why, as Erickson correctly notes, is Gosnell’s crime viewed as “less than a crime” by so many within the media.

The answer is simple.

Society has masked important life issues by falsely differentiating between babies and fetuses.  What Gosnell could legally do in utero is recognized as despicable only seconds later.  If Gosnell is found guilty of murder, then at least twelve citizens on a jury are agreeing that there is something inherently valuable about the life of children, born and unborn.  Even the grand jury that brought the indictment upon Gosnell realized the political ramifications of this case:

Let us say right up front that we realize this case will be used by those on both sides of the abortion debate. We ourselves cover a spectrum of personal beliefs about the morality of abortion. For us as a criminal grand jury, however, the case is not about that controversy; it is about disregard of the law and disdain for the lives and health of mothers and infants. We find common ground in exposing what happened here, and in recommending measures to prevent anything like this from ever happening again.

Even Pro-Choice people will find Gosnell’s methodology unconscionable.  He would induce labor and allow pregnant women to give birth, reducing his own workload.  Then, he would ultimately murder the child.  Again, the Grand Jury report enlightens us:

Gosnell’s approach, whenever possible, was to force full labor and delivery of premature infants on ill-informed women. The women would check in during the day, make payment, and take labor-inducing drugs. The doctor wouldn’t appear until evening, often 8:00, 9:00, or 10:00 p.m., and only then deal with any of the women who were ready to deliver. Many of them gave birth before he even got there. By maximizing the pain and danger for his patients, he minimized the work, and cost, for himself and his staff. The policy, in effect, was labor without labor.

There remained, however, a final difficulty. When you perform late-term “abortions” by inducing labor, you get babies. Live, breathing, squirming babies. By 24 weeks, most babies born prematurely will survive if they receive appropriate medical care. But that was not what the Women’s Medical Society was about. Gosnell had a simple solution for the unwanted babies he delivered: he killed them. He didn’t call it that. He called it “ensuring fetal demise.” The way he ensured fetal demise was by sticking scissors into the back of the baby’s neck and cutting the spinal cord. He called that “snipping.”

As horrific as Gosnell’s methodology of “snipping” was, I have to object to more than just his methods.  The questions facing us have to do with when life begins and what is life worth.  As a Christian, I have biblical convictions about life and its value.  In Psalm 139, the psalmist praises God for creating him in the womb.

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

I believe that the media is “hiding” the Gosnell case because it can evoke nothing less than outrage from any thinking, feeling human being – regardless of their stance on right to life issues.  But news producers are astute enough to understand that the difference between legalized abortion and the grotesque procedures that Gosnell performed are, at their core, just a matter of seconds.

I, for one, will be watching Philadelphia with great interest.  Regardless of whether the mainstream media gives it full coverage, this case is perhaps the most important court case of our generation.

America’s Newest Enemy: Christians???

I am an evangelical Christian.

And evidently, I’m a threat to national security.

In a recent briefing of an Army Reserve unit based in Pennsylvania, a U.S. Army instructor listed Evangelical Christianity and Catholicism as examples of religious extremism.  In fact, Evangelical Christianity was on the top of the list.

The list of religious extremists put all Catholic and evangelical Christians on the same plane as the Ku Klux Klan and Al Qaeda.  Am I the only person who sees this as an extremist view of religious extremists?  It appears that every group with any religious convictions made the list.

A reservist who considers himself an evangelical Christian requested copies of the slides from the presentation and filed a complaint through the appropriate channels.

The Archdiocese for the Military Services issued what I think is an appropriate response.  ”The Archdiocese is astounded that Catholics were listed alongside groups that are, by their very mission and nature, violent and extremist.”  They want the Dept. of Defense to “ensure that taxpayer funds are never again used to present blatantly anti-religious material to the men and women in uniform.”

In the Army’s defense, they have said this was “an isolated incident and not condoned by the Dept. of the Army.”  Army spokesman George Wright said, “This slide was not produced by the Army and certainly does not reflect our policy or doctrine.  It was produced by an individual without anyone in the chain of command’s knowledge or permission.”  Wright said the presenter deleted the slide after the complaint was lodged.  ”We consider the matter closed,” he said.

“Isolated incident,” you say?

Only days after this incident went public, Lt. Col. Jack Rich sent out an email to three dozen subordinates at Fort Campbell in Kentucky listing the American Family Association and Family Research Council as “domestic hate groups.”  Both the AFA and FRC are biblically based groups with convictions rooted in traditional Christian values.  I would consider them to be a faithful representation of the Evangelical Christian viewpoint in areas concerning the family.

The email further warned officers to monitor soldiers who might be supporters of the groups.  Again, the Army responded by saying that there was not an attack upon Christians or those who hold religious beliefs.

What is incredibly sad about this incident is that most of the men and women I personally know in the Army are people of devout faith, impeccable character, and the highest moral values.  In my own church, I have many servicepersons who I gladly count as co-laborers in the Kingdom of God.  Their faith daily inspires me.  I am privileged to call them friends.  And I don’t believe either of these incidents represent them, their points of view, or even the Army as a whole.

What I do believe these incidents represent is the seismic cultural shift that is happening in these days.  We must realize that we do not (and probably have not ever in my life time) live in a Christian nation.  We may live in a post-Christian era – a time that can reflect upon a bygone era that commonly accepted social mores that were rooted in Judeo-Christian values.  But this generation is definitely NOT a Christian generation.

Our country is largely unchurched.  People have en masse abandoned any form of organized religion.  Church attendance is plummeting in most communities.  In my own state, 50% of all SBC churches average an attendance of less than 100; 75% average less than 300.

My fear is that those believers that are courageous enough to respond will respond with a militant attitude.  We have seen believers give themselves more forcefully to winning political campaigns than winning their neighbors to Christ.  Our hope is not and has never been in the White House or Congress. Our hope is in Christ Jesus alone.

My prayer is that these recent events in the Army will raise the alarm in the church.  May Christians awaken from their slumber and boldly live their faith.  Remember that we will only win back our generation one household at a time.  Put some burgers on the grill and invite your neighbors over for dinner.  Share with them the best news the world has ever heard.  Invite them to church.  Pray for their salvation.  After all, sharing the Gospel is the most loving thing you could ever do.

It’s only when we love our neighbors as we love ourselves that America will realize that we aren’t the enemy after all.

The World’s first Viral Obituary

I never met Harry Weathersby Stamps.

But I think I would have liked to.

Harry Stamps of Long Beach Mississippi died on March 9.  His daughter, Amanda Stamps Lewis, penned a unique and loving tribute to her father as she travelled from her home in Dallas to Long Beach, Mississippi.  She highlighted the quirky and unique things about Harry that made him the man he was.  Most obituaries are written in a formulaic way.  They highlight the essential things about a person’s life (where he worked, the names of his family members, any societies he to which he may have belonged, etc.), but little is shared of the real substance of that person.  To Amanda Stamps Lewis’ credit, she authored what, in the opinion of many people on the internet, is the best obituary ever.

I discovered Harry’s obit on Facebook.  And I’m not the only one.  This cleverly written obituary “is one of the hottest things in the Twittersphere and Facebook,” according to the Sun Herald, the paper that originally carried the piece.  His daughter was asked what he would have thought about his obituary going viral.  She replied, “He wouldn’t know what going viral means.  He would have thought that was a disease he contracted, which would have excited him to have another illness to lord over folks.”  What a character he must have been!

In case you haven’t seen it – Enjoy!

Harry Weathersby Stamps

December 19, 1932 — March 9, 2013

Long Beach

Harry Weathersby Stamps, ladies’ man, foodie, natty dresser, and accomplished traveler, died on Saturday, March 9, 2013.

Harry was locally sourcing his food years before chefs in California starting using cilantro and arugula (both of which he hated). For his signature bacon and tomato sandwich, he procured 100% all white Bunny Bread from Georgia, Blue Plate mayonnaise from New Orleans, Sauer’s black pepper from Virginia, home grown tomatoes from outside Oxford, and Tennessee’s Benton bacon from his bacon-of-the-month subscription. As a point of pride, he purported to remember every meal he had eaten in his 80 years of life.

The women in his life were numerous. He particularly fancied smart women. He loved his mom Wilma Hartzog (deceased), who with the help of her sisters and cousins in New Hebron reared Harry after his father Walter’s death when Harry was 12. He worshipped his older sister Lynn Stamps Garner (deceased), a character in her own right, and her daughter Lynda Lightsey of Hattiesburg. He married his main squeeze Ann Moore, a home economics teacher, almost 50 years ago, with whom they had two girls Amanda Lewis of Dallas, and Alison of Starkville. He taught them to fish, to select a quality hammer, to love nature, and to just be thankful. He took great pride in stocking their tool boxes. One of his regrets was not seeing his girl, Hillary Clinton, elected President.

He had a life-long love affair with deviled eggs, Lane cakes, boiled peanuts, Vienna [Vi-e-na] sausages on saltines, his homemade canned fig preserves, pork chops, turnip greens, and buttermilk served in martini glasses garnished with cornbread.

He excelled at growing camellias, rebuilding houses after hurricanes, rocking, eradicating mole crickets from his front yard, composting pine needles, living within his means, outsmarting squirrels, never losing a game of competitive sickness, and reading any history book he could get his hands on. He loved to use his oversized “old man” remote control, which thankfully survived Hurricane Katrina, to flip between watching The Barefoot Contessa and anything on The History Channel. He took extreme pride in his two grandchildren Harper Lewis (8) and William Stamps Lewis (6) of Dallas for whom he would crow like a rooster on their phone calls. As a former government and sociology professor for Gulf Coast Community College, Harry was thoroughly interested in politics and religion and enjoyed watching politicians act like preachers and preachers act like politicians. He was fond of saying a phrase he coined “I am not running for political office or trying to get married” when he was “speaking the truth.” He also took pride in his service during the Korean conflict, serving the rank of corporal–just like Napolean, as he would say.

Harry took fashion cues from no one. His signature every day look was all his: a plain pocketed T-shirt designed by the fashion house Fruit of the Loom, his black-label elastic waist shorts worn above the navel and sold exclusively at the Sam’s on Highway 49, and a pair of old school Wallabees (who can even remember where he got those?) that were always paired with a grass-stained MSU baseball cap.

Harry traveled extensively. He only stayed in the finest quality AAA-rated campgrounds, his favorite being Indian Creek outside Cherokee, North Carolina. He always spent the extra money to upgrade to a creek view for his tent. Many years later he purchased a used pop-up camper for his family to travel in style, which spoiled his daughters for life.

He despised phonies, his 1969 Volvo (which he also loved), know-it-all Yankees, Southerners who used the words “veranda” and “porte cochere” to put on airs, eating grape leaves, Law and Order (all franchises), cats, and Martha Stewart. In reverse order. He particularly hated Day Light Saving Time, which he referred to as The Devil’s Time. It is not lost on his family that he died the very day that he would have had to spring his clock forward. This can only be viewed as his final protest.

Because of his irrational fear that his family would throw him a golf-themed funeral despite his hatred for the sport, his family will hold a private, family only service free of any type of “theme.” Visitation will be held at Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Home, 15th Street, Gulfport on Monday, March 11, 2013 from 6-8 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (Jeff Davis Campus) for their library. Harry retired as Dean there and was very proud of his friends and the faculty. He taught thousands and thousands of Mississippians during his life. The family would also like to thank the Gulfport Railroad Center dialysis staff who took great care of him and his caretaker Jameka Stribling.

Finally, the family asks that in honor of Harry that you write your Congressman and ask for the repeal of Day Light Saving Time. Harry wanted everyone to get back on the Lord’s Time.

As a pastor, I’m around funerals quite often.  At least twice in the last 18 months I’ve done funerals for individuals whose families had nothing kind, loving, or even remotely nice to say about them.  As an act of ministry, I helped these family members close out the last chapter of a sad story.  These families didn’t really care what I said; they just wanted the whole ordeal to be over with.

We need to all be aware that we are writing our own obituary every day.  The choices we make, the words we use, the relationships we build – these are the substance of our legacy.  As morbid as it sounds, we will all die.  And one day people will gather around to pay final respects to you.  What will they say about you?  Will it be honest?  Or will it be polite lies designed to not disrespect the dead?

Take a lesson from Harry Weathersby Stamps.  Live well.

The AAP, Gay Marriage, and the Gospel

For those who don’t know, my wife is a pediatrician.  She and I met during our college years.  We co-endured medical school, residency, and all of the hardships that come with training for that profession.  She is the best doctor I know today.  She is insanely intelligent and possesses an incredible bedside manner.  She is tough when she needs to be; she’s always an advocate for the patient.

For over a decade she has been a part of the American Academy of Pediatrics.  While she is a member of other professional organizations as well, the AAP is probably the most recognizable and influential organization in the field of pediatrics.  With over 60,000 members, the AAP carries much sway in pediatric policy today.

Today, the AAP announced that it has taken a supportive stance on gay marriage and adoption. Their statement sounds to the layman like there was a vote among the AAP membership on this issue.  That is not the case.  Many pediatricians are upset over this announcement crafted by a small committee.  Their statement also sites scientific studies that need to be examined. I am ill-equipped to be that person.  However, I feel their announcement offers a tremendous opportunity for me to address an area with which I do feel capable of addressing:  the modern church’s response to homosexuality.

In a nutshell, let me say that I believe the church at large responds extremely poorly to the issue of homosexuality today.  We tend to fall into the ditch on one of two extremes.  One extreme endorses the homosexual lifestyle regardless of what Scripture says.  The other extreme speaks out against homosexuality, but treats it like it is the unpardonable sin.  One extreme is sappy and spineless.  The other is stiff and loveless.  And both are unacceptable.

The church must find a way to speak clearly about what God says about the family.  at the same time, we must recognize that there are people in our communities and in our churches that struggle with same-sex attraction.  Some have given into that sin; others battle it daily.  We should respond to homosexuality in the same manner that we respond to other behaviors the Bible labels as sin – we should call it sin, but gladly point to a Savior who can wash us of our sin!  Praise God that the grace of Jesus Christ is greater than all of our sin!

Jesus is the appropriate answer to all sin, including homosexuality.  To say that homosexuality is not sin is to ignore clear biblical teachings.  In effect, we steer people away from Christ by saying “You don’t need Christ to overcome this, because there is nothing to overcome.”  To insinuate that homosexuality is some heinous sin for which there is no answer is to diminish the work of Christ, to cheapen his grace, and to ignore the transforming power of the Gospel.

Paul wrote to the church in Corinth,

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you.

While I am specifically speaking to the issue of homosexuality, let me first recognize that Paul didn’t place homosexuality at the top of this sin list or emphasize it as being any worse than the other sins he mentions.  But the important thing to notice is that, writing to believers in Jesus, he says that some of them used to be homosexuals.  Used to be.  They had been transformed.  That is the testimony of all believers.  Whether our sin is homosexuality, disobedient heterosexuality, lying, or cheating, we are not who we used to be!  Praise God!

But how did God change them?  Keep reading what Paul writes:

But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

Christ can change anyone!  All sinners experience the same thing when they come to the Lord – we are washed, sanctified, and justified by God through the sacrifice of Jesus!

This week, Hunter Baker published “An Open Letter to the Church from a Lesbian” on The Gospel Coalition’s website.  I discovered the article via tweets from John Piper (@JohnPiper) and Matt Chandler (@MattChandler74).  This letter says everything I want to say, only better!  I hope it will cause you to think deeply how we both stand for truth courageously and love people deeply – two tenets we must embrace if we are to honor Christ today!

To the churches concerning homosexuals and lesbians:

Many of you believe that we do not exist within your walls, your schools, your neighborhoods. You believe that we are few and easily recognized. I tell you we are many. We are your teachers, doctors, accountants, high school athletes. We are all colors, shapes, sizes. We are single, married, mothers, fathers. We are your sons, your daughters, your nieces, your nephews, your grandchildren. We are in your Sunday School classes, pews, choirs, and pulpits. You choose not to see us out of ignorance or because it might upset your congregation. We ARE your congregation. We enter your doors weekly seeking guidance and some glimmer of hope that we can change. Like you, we have invited Jesus into our hearts. Like you, we want to be all that Christ wants us to be. Like you, we pray daily for guidance. Like you, we often fail.

When the word “homosexual” is mentioned in the church, we hold our breaths and sit in fear. Most often this word is followed with condemnation, laughter, hatred, or jokes. Rarely do we hear any words of hope. At least we recognize our sin. Does the church as a whole see theirs? Do you see the sin of pride, that you are better than or more acceptable to Jesus than we are? Have you been Christ-like in your relationships with us? Would you meet us at the well, or restaurant, for a cup of water, or coffee? Would you touch us even if we showed signs of leprosy, or aids? Would you call us down from our trees, as Christ did Zacchaeus, and invite yourself to be our guest? Would you allow us to sit at your table and break bread? Can you love us unconditionally and support us as Christ works in our lives, as He works in yours, to help us all to overcome?

To those of you who would change the church to accept the gay community and its lifestyle: you give us no hope at all. To those of us who know God’s word and will not dilute it to fit our desires, we ask you to read John’s letter to the church in Pergamum. “I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore!” You are willing to compromise the word of God to be politically correct. We are not deceived. If we accept your willingness to compromise, then we must also compromise. We must therefore accept your lying, your adultery, your lust, your idolatry, your addictions, YOUR sins. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

We do not ask for your acceptance of our sins any more than we accept yours. We simply ask for the same support, love, guidance, and most of all hope that is given to the rest of your congregation. We are your brothers and sisters in Christ. We are not what we shall be, but thank God, we are not what we were. Let us work together to see that we all arrive safely home.

A Sister in Christ