Oak Ridge Today

Faith column: Does it make a difference to the dog?

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I once heard of a cute example of faith. It told of a stubborn husband who had fought the Lord for years. After a revival, he was converted and the neighbors said he was such a changed man, that even their dog could tell the difference!

I was in a conversation a while back with several people who had been around the Amish culture and known some of them personally. Now we all have ideas about certain groups and their beliefs. The Amish are probably one of the groups that most people hold to a higher expectation and standard. Their radical lifestyle suggests that they are set apart on purpose and desire to exhibit a more disciplined and holy lifestyle than most Protestant Christians would ever desire to attempt. But in this particular situation, their neighbors had taken the Amish to task for cruelty to animals, namely the inhumane treatment of their draft horse animals. It was an awkward situation for authorities to deal with. [Read more…]

Faith column: Building on the firm foundation of spiritual gifts

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The new mindset compared to the old way of thinking

Have you checked your thinking closet lately? What old ways and what new ways are going on all around you? The struggle with many people is: What are the old ways that I want to keep, and what are the new ways I want to accept.

Jesus noticed the problem and used a parable of wine skins to illustrate his point. (Luke 5:33-39) He understood. He knew the reality of change. He fought against some of the need for change that he was bringing himself.

Here are a few thoughts on the subject of churches and changes. Many, many more could be added to the list. [Read more…]

Faith column: A real drought crisis

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A large area of our United States experiences major drought conditions frequently. This is unusual for some of the affected areas. Occasionally, this happens everywhere but when it happens to your territory you react differently. The Bible used the phrase, “It depends on whose ox is getting gored.” We don’t mind if the desert Southwest goes dry, they are used to it! And it’s okay if the Sahara Desert gets a little bigger, nobody important lives there anyway! However, when your grass turns brown or they start water rationing in your neighborhood…then it is a crisis!

Wherever there is a crisis, it affects those around them and larger areas in a ripple effect. If the hay crop is reduced, if the tomatoes don’t bloom, or if the corn withers away, then it hits the farmers first and gradually stores, and finally our own pocketbooks. If people thought Katrina only affected those in Louisiana, they learned in subsequent months just how far-reaching disaster spreads. Just ask your local insurance agent! [Read more…]

Faith column: An attitude of gratitude

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Ephesians 5:21-33

When was the last time you said—“Thank You”?

When was the last time you said—“Please”?

When you introduce your spouse…How do you do it?

With…enthusiasm,

embarrassment,

appreciation,

a joke—

with love.

When you talk about your church, how does it sound? Are you ready to invite someone? Are you hesitant because your church doesn’t have a particular building or music? Do you hold back because you do not attend church very regularly yourself?

When you talk politics or city government, do you appear distraught? Are you constantly griping about the way things are in the world today? Are you still upset that you have not won the lottery!? [Read more…]

Faith column: ‘A Poem: Everybody in Church’

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What if everybody in church was just like me?

What kind of church would it have to be?

Would everybody have long blond hair?

Or would the only color be light gray? [Read more…]

Faith column: Join the Easter Parade

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There are many things to say about the pageant of Easter. It is that second time of the year, along with Christmas, when many people come out to join in the celebration of a religious holiday. There will be enough written about that shallow approach to worship, so I won’t waste any more time addressing that myself.

What I want us to remember are two, true things that Easter represents: the triumphal entry and the death on a cross.

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Faith column: We can accept limitations, or fumble along on false pride

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It was a line from a Dirty Harry movie. The first time I heard it, I loved it. Such wisdom for a violent movie, yet the truth was so obvious. Make no mistake…man does have limitations! We may refuse to accept that; we may not want to recognize it, but it is a physical and spiritual truth.

I want to address this as our great church problem. We are supposed to be a people of faith in God. Yet, we consistently attempt to do things, in our own strength, which are beyond our ability. We seek new programs, new ideas, new pastors, NEW ANYTHING, rather than admit we are unable. As that old cliché says about Grandma finally giving up: “I guess we’re gonna’ have ta pray. It looks like it has came down to that!”

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Faith column: What did you find at Christmas?

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What did you find at Christmas?

Is that the common question these days?

No! We are more in the habit of asking questions that are easier to answer. Did we have a good Christmas? Did Santa Claus bring you everything you wanted? Did your family come to visit? Can you believe the crowds at the malls? These are our way of saying we care, at least a little about someone else’s life. But not too specific or too personal so we won’t get some long answer about how someone else’s life is really going.

I think, despite our superficial interest, we have grown careful in asking others about their faith and circumstances. Yes, I do think we still care about others. It is just we are reluctant to put someone else on the spot with a real question and a real answer. Because that would mean we might be obliged to do the same thing. It is about risking our life to another person, whether they are a stranger or even a close family friend.

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Faith column: We elect a president, not a king or messiah

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On Nov. 6, a great and tragic event may occur in America. We will have an election for president and king of our country. I say president and king because many people tend to view the office much that way. And because they do, it becomes the tragedy of our own making.

In the book of I Samuel, Chapter 8, the story is told of how God’s people became dissatisfied and afraid of their current administration (namely Samuel) and petitioned Samuel to “appoint for us a king to govern us like all the other nations.” The idea made Samuel angry because they did not trust God but rather chose to be “like all the other nations.”

The story is a classic example of the confrontation between faith and fear. It includes the warnings of such earthly leaders and indicates that it will be a tragedy the people will regret. However, if they insist, a leader will be given. The closing episode of the confrontation has the ominous warning, yet the people continue their request. “No! But we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the other nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us to fight our battles.”

I feel these last few words by the people betray some of the underlying motives that had plagued men and politics ever since they have existed. The people wanted things done for them, a Messiah to deliver them from everything; things they chose not to do for themselves or allow God to do for them. And so government and politics seems to have become somewhat of a necessary evil with inherent weaknesses.

As we watch our own 2012 presidential race, we should be able to see some of this. As “mud-slinging” and outlandish promises are made, we should see that the people we elect are, at best, no better than the rest of us. They are not especially divine. They are not the world’s authority on any given subject. Many promises they make, no one could possibly keep. Many other well-intentioned ideas will never materialize. And I imagine, some of what they said, they wish they had never said at all.

I write all this to say, simply…We are electing a person to help our government operate. If we are electing a king, to do our part for us, we are most wrong. As you vote, remember what you are voting for and help others do the same. On Election Day, we will not be electing a Messiah!

(PS. We already have one…)

Joseph M. Westfall is a bi-vocational minister living in Oak Ridge. Since 1975, his ministry has covered pastoral positions in 17 churches across several denominational lines in six different states. He has special training and experience in interim ministry for churches in transition. He has a Biblical style and teaching heart. He encourages honesty and relationship with the Holy Spirit. His favorite response to a sermon he has preached? “You make me think!”