Those Who Rule with Authority Fall by Authority

A DEA officer stops at a ranch in Texas and talks with an old rancher.

He tells the rancher, "I need to inspect your ranch for illegally grown drugs."

The rancher says, "Okay, but do not go in that field over there," as he points out the location of the field.

The DEA officer verbally explodes saying, "Mister, I have the authority of the Federal Government behind me." 

Reaching into a pocket, the agent removes his badge and proudly displays it to the rancher.

"See this badge? This badge means I am allowed to go wherever I wish. On any land. No questions asked. Have I made myself clear? Do you understand me? "

The rancher nods politely, apologizes, and then goes about his chores.

A short time later, the old rancher hears loud screams and sees the DEA officer running for his life chased by the rancher's big Santa Gertrudis bull.....

With every step, the bull is gaining ground on the agent, and it seems likely that he'll get gored before he reaches safety.

The DEA agent is clearly terrified.

The rancher throws down his tools, runs to the fence and yells at the top of his lungs...

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 " Your badge. Show him your BADGE! "

Moral of the Story for Christians: The religious "authority" of pastors, priests, and church leaders is an institutional authority and should never be the basis for controlling others. There is greater power in the field of true religion. The Spirit of the Living God cannot be contained by denominationalism, religious authoritarianism, or institutional elitism.

Stop It!

A person who watches the Sunday morning Bible study from Emmanuel Enid via the Internet noticed I said "Stop it!" during last Sunday's message on Hebrews 13:7 and it reminded her of a classic Bob Newheart comedy routine, which she forwarded to me. I laughed out loud. This is not only the kind of counseling I would attend, it is the kind of counseling I would prefer to give, all things being equal.

I've Changed My Mind About Twitter: It Is an Incredible Tool to Connect with Others

About six weeks ago I wrote a post regarding a conversation I had with my sons about Twitter. At the time that I told my sons I found Twitter banal (definition of banal: "trite, obvious, predictable or commonplace").  I told them that "I don't care about what people are eating, where people are sitting, or what people are thinking regarding trivial things. I also have zero interest in telling people trivial things about my day as well." My concept of Twitter at the time was it was used only to help people keep up with celebrities, and since I have no interest in celebrity worship, I had no interest in Twitter. I enjoy people who think deeply, write cogently, and contribute to culture beneficially. I didn't think Twitter had much to offer. However, my sons began to argue with me that I didn't understand Twitter. They said Twitter could be used for either asinine information or important information--that one could receive from Twitter what one wished to receive. My boys explained to me that through the use of #hashtags# (something I had never heard of), Twitter could become a medium through which I could either link people to excellent articles that would be beneficial for people to read, or I could receive articles of interest for me on particular and obscure subjects. They then challenged me to try Twitter using hashtags and see Twitter as a medium through which people could connect.

 So I tried what they suggest--last night--after the Oklahoma State Cowboys beat Oklahoma. I wrote a brief blogpost asking the question of whether or not boosters for the University of Alabama were paying broadcasters to promote Alabama to the BCS Championship Game. Most of you who read my blog regularly know that I usually write about history, theology or current events--and I am an Oklahoma Sooner football fan. So I knew that not many people who regularly read my blog would be interested in last night's post.  But I wrote the post to test Twitter. I copied the link and tweeted "Do Alabama Boosters Pay ABC and ESPN Broadcasters to Promote Albama"  using hashtags to connect the post with the following subjects: Alabama football, Mike Gundy, BCS Championship, Oklahoma State University Cowboys, ABC, ESPN, Kirk Herbstreit, and Brent Musberger. Again, I don't really care about the question or even the possible answers to the question--what I care about is whether or not people who do not normally read this blog would be attracted to read it . Oh my. With last night's post up for only 15 hours, and that on a Sunday when many don't read blogs, my blogpost had over 5,000 unique hits. Not everyone commented, but a few who did, notably Alabama fans, took exception to me asking such an 'idiotic' question. What those Alabama fans don't realize is they have helped my sons prove to me the value of Twitter. Twitter is simply a means of connecting people with other people. You get out of Twitter what you wish to get out of Twitter. For example, if I desire to stimulate conversation about the abolishment of the Old Covenant and what it means for followers of Christ to worship God in "spirit and truth," then I can link the theology post I've written on the Old Covenant to my Twitter account and hashtag it with key words. People from all over the world can be introduced to something they might otherwise remain unfamiliar with were it not for Twitter.

I've changed my mind regarding Twitter. I am convinced of its value. I am currently working on a blogpost regarding The Wizard of Oz and how it was written to promote the author's political and economic views on bimetallism, and how "Oz" is actually the measurement of gold (i.e. "ounces" or "oz"), and how the "Wizard" behind the curtain represents Washington's politicians whose economic policies keep Americans in bondage. It is my belief that the Wizard of Oz has as much to teach us about modern economic policies as it did when first written in 1900. I think I've learned how to use Twitter to connect with people who may find the the land of Oz fascinating.

Thanks Alabama fans for proving Twitter works. And, good luck in the BCS Championship game.

Give a Benjamin to an Atheist and Have Your Pets Cared for After the Rapture

Wondering what to do with your pet after the rapture? A couple of atheists have established two companies, Eternal Earth-Bound Pets, USA and JesusPets, where they offer their services to those Christians who will be leaving their pets behind at the rapture. The atheists, knowing that they will still be here, are willing to take your pet when you are gone for a fee of $110. The homepage of Eternal Earth-Bound Pets, USA makes the following pitch:

You've committed your life to Jesus. You know you're saved. But when the Rapture comes what's to become of your loving pets who are left behind? Eternal Earth-Bound Pets takes that burden off your mind.

We are a group of dedicated animal lovers, and atheists. Each
Eternal Earth-Bound Pet representative is a confirmed atheist, and as such will still be here on Earth after you've received your reward. Our network of animal activists are committed to step in when you step up to Jesus.

So I guess the pre-tribulational rapture dispensationalists--for just ten bucks more than a Benjamin--can sleep well at night knowing that "Fido,” though left behind, will be in good hands. I'm sure the atheists will gladly take Christians' money, but I'm not too convinced they would enjoy their riches if they ever had to make good on the contract and collect the pets.

Smiling.

Wade

Knowing When to Chase the Dream and When to Ignore It.

Pictured here is our great dane named Gracie. In her mouth is the shoe of our nephew Reed who was visiting us over the Thanksgiving holiday. Gracie likes to play, but she has a hard time understanding the kind of things that are appropriate toys. The more we shout at Gracie, the more we chase Gracie, the more Gracie thinks keeping the shoe from us is actually a game. The only way we can convince Gracie to let go of this shoe is to grab another toy and play with it, ignoring the shoe and Gracie. I realize we are using reverse psychology on a dog--acting as if something other than the shoe is more important to us--but for some reason, it works! Gracie let go of this shoe when we presented a rope and played with it as if we had no interest in the shoe. Out comes the shoe from Gracie's mouth, and here she comes after the rope! There's a moral to this story:

Sometimes we get those things we really want by representing indifference.

Wisdom is knowing when to go after the shoe and when to ignore it. Just a thought gleaned from the relationship we have with my daughter's dog.

In His Grace,

Wade

I Finally Figured Out Why I Don't Like Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie

For decades I have been lovingly chided by my wife for not enjoying a good ole homemade pumpkin pie. The first time I ever met my wife's grandparents, salt of the earth Kansas farmers, they fed me a heaping piece of pumpkin pie. Wishing not to sully what I hoped to be a stellar affirmation of me by those grandparents, I surreptitiously stuck the pie in my pocket and buried it later in the backyard. I have never been fully able to explain to others my disdain for pumpkin pie, but one of my church members sent me a photograph this week (see below) that instantly opened my eyes, and helped me make sense of, my aversion to it.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

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The origins of pumpkin pie.

The Irony and Humor of Teaching What the Bible Actually Says About Alcohol

Dr. Randy Jaeggli is Professor of Old Testament at Bob Jones University. Last year Dr. Jaeggli published a paperback book entitled The Christian and Drinking where he examined all of the verses in the Bible dealing with alcohol. Dr. Jaeggli's personal conclusion, as one would expect, was that every Christian should totally abstain from drinking alcoholic beverages. However, his scholarly and academic conclusion was a tad different. He wrote that the Bible itself does not command abstinence. Indeed, Dr. Jaeggli points out several places in the sacred text which seem to imply that alcohol is associated with some positive Christian values or serve as a metaphor for foundational Christian truths. He personally advocates total abstinence but writes the Bible prohibits excessive drinking only. To the horror of some fundamentalists, Dr. Jaeggli writes convincingly that Jesus turned the water into actual alcoholic wine at Canaan. An excellent review of Dr. Jaeggli's book is given by Jonathan Taylor.

Yesterday, a blogger going by the name Ektachrome made me aware of an email sent by the President of Bob Jones University a couple of months ago. The email read:

The sensitivity and complexity of the topic of (Dr. Jaeggli's) book, combined with the brevity and inductive arrangement of it, have caused confusion for some readers. They have concluded from some select portions of the text that Dr. Jaeggli condones a Christian’s moderate use of alcohol, which is the opposite of what the book actually teaches.

I'm not sure about the confusion to which the President refers. Dr. Jaeggli was quite clear he personally advocated abstinence. Could it be that his impartial, scholarly, and conservative approach to the sacred text brought about the confusion? Could it be that some readers realized that the good professor's convictions went beyond the commandments of Scripture? In other words, did people read his book and become clear about what the Bible actually says about the subject, but confused about the grounds for total abstinence for every Christian?

It seems the President's email didn't slow the firestorm over the book. Now, Bob Jones University has pulled the book from its shelves, and has decided to no longer make it available to the public. Hmmmm.

Now, if you wish to purchase the little $10.95 paperback you will have to shell out $999.00 to Amazon for the privilege.

Laughing,

Wade Burleson

A Poem About Growing Old

During our services this past Sunday I explained how difficult a week it had been for me personally. I know that I am still relatively young (47), but growing old hit me like a ton of bricks. I endured a very painful shoulder surgery that had been needed for at least five years, had been informed by my eye doctor that there were a couple of developing cataracts in my eyes, realized there was an incredible amount of gray hair in the goatee I was attempting to grow, and received an invitation to prepay my funeral expenses so as not to put any strain on my loved ones when the time came--all this past week. I was really depressed Friday when I received a poem over my Blackberry, written and emailed to me by my father. The poem made me laugh and brought me a little encouragment to see aging as just a matter of the mind! I read the poem in the introduction to my message, and the people of Emmanuel must have liked it too since there were more requests for the poem than my sermon outline!

Questions About Aging

Who was the culprit that slipped in last night
And stole my strength as well as my sight?

I'd also like to know does anyone but me care
That I have finally lost all my always thin hair?

Why is it when I deliberately put something safely away,
I forget where it is and wherever it is it will forever stay?

Am I finally becoming a world class wimp?
Because while I used to run a lot I now only limp.

I admit to slightly less of my cherished virility?
But does that have to signal a loss of every other ability?

Why is it at church I see someone and have a chat,
But then while walking away have to ask my wife "who was that?

Are all who read this going to laugh until they choke?
Well from this side of age they need to know it is no joke.

Enough questions about growing old and now for a conclusion.
Age is really a state of mind anyway is my simple solution.

So I'm handsome, erudite, and besides that a whole lot of fun.
And anyone who doesn't think so can kiss my good looking left bun.


By Paul Burleson

For further samples from this budding poet, see his writings at the blog vtmbottomline.

New Trend Identified Among U.S. Animal Wildlife

The photo below captures a disturbing trend that is beginning to affect US wildlife.



Animals that were formerly self-sufficient are now showing signs of waiting for the government to give individual animals a handout or orchestrate a national wildlife bailout. Apparently these animals, like the Montana grizzly bear above who happens to be waiting at his favorite government handout table, have become quite adept at learning to just sit and wait for the government to step in and provide for their care and sustenance, rather than work and forage for their own food.

This particular black bear in Montana has been identified as a member of the Democratic Party and is known by the locals by his pet nickname . . . (ready for this) . . . (scroll down)


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"Bearack Obearma."



Smile.

Off to Louisville for the Southern Baptist Convention. Blog posts daily while in Louisville.

In His Grace,

Wade

Ever Been Embarrassed by Your Own Words?

Kevin Everett, pro football player for the Buffalo Bills, suffered a spinal injury two years ago that resulted in paralysis. The following is an actual newscast where a sportscaster is reporting on Kevin's remarkable recovery with a corresponding video - or so he thinks!

Anybody Attending This Church in Louisville Next Week While at the Southern Baptist Convention?

A Kentucky pastor is inviting his flock to bring guns to church to celebrate the Fourth of July and the Second Amendment. New Bethel Church is welcoming "responsible handgun owners" to wear their firearms inside for a June event at the church. An ad says there will be a handgun raffle, patriotic music and information on gun safety.

"We're just going to celebrate the upcoming theme of the birth of our nation," said pastor Ken Pagano. "And we're not ashamed to say that there was a strong belief in God and firearms - without that this country wouldn't be here."

Pagano, 50, said some members of his church were concerned that President Obama's administration could restrict gun ownership, and they supported the plan for the event when Pagano asked their opinion. He said the point was not to mix worship with guns, though he may reference some passages from the Bible. "Firearms can be evil and they can be useful," he said. "We're just trying to promote responsible gun ownership and gun safety."

The Southern Baptist Convention convenes in Louisville, Kentucky next week at the Kentucky Exposition Center. My wife and I will probably be attending the 9th and 0 Baptist Church or Highview Baptist Church, and not Pastor Pagano's AG church.

No need to go to a church impressed with guns when we will already plan to be at a Convention known for her fireworks.

:)

In His Grace,

Wade Burleson

Playing Golf Is Almost As Easy As Pastoring

Just Exactly How Bad Is The US Economy?

Cats can be so dramatic.