Merry Christmas!

Our Christmas Eve fondue was a tremendous success. I can't recommend BestFondue.com enough. We always love the idea of fondue on Christmas Eve (and have only missed it once in the past number of years), but the execution isn't always that great.

Last night it was amazing, though. We made the second beef broth fondue and the mushroom dipping sauce (which was listed under the hot oil fondues). Our food consisted of a couple of large filet mignon steaks, thinly sliced, broccoli, mushrooms, and baby purple potatoes. I'm hungry again thinking about it.

I'm very thankful for my family and my friends on this day. I'm thankful for Jesus Christ, and it's beyond simply a privilege to be able to celebrate the day that the Word became human and made His home among us.

(Image via Smashing Magazine)

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80 Proof-Texting

You've probably heard the term "proof text" before. This is the practice of having a broad position that is supposedly supported by a small phrase in the Bible. Usually it's a single verse, but sometimes the proof text will be a group of verses, and less often a verse fragment. This is typically a bad thing because it includes mistakes like ignoring the larger context of the Word, disregarding the original language, turning a blind eye (intentionally or not) to the setting of the verse -- its intended audience and its situational context -- etc.

I think the phrase "bad hermeneutics" should almost always be a part of the definition of "proof-texting."

I've found that there's a way to employ solid hermeneutics and to avoid proof-texting, yet still wind up with results that are just as bad. For better or worse, I was one of those people who went through the Bible to try to find evidence that it was okay for a believer to drink alcohol. For many Christians this is just a no-brainer. The denomination I was a part of? Not so much. Actually, it was almost heresy for most in that group, part of a long-standing tradition/guidelines that had essentially become on par with the Bible in many people's minds.

Now, to be quite clear, this post is not written to take a position about the rightness or wrongness of consuming alcohol. It's not to condemn one denomination and give kudos to another. Don't try to read between the lines, because I didn't put anything between the lines.

Back to the stance on alcohol, I'm not happy accepting statements as fact without investigation, particularly when the edict is from the church and the Word doesn't seem to be the source. And to be honest, I wanted to be able to drink and be guilt-free about it. So I dug in. I easily found Scripture passages and situations that strongly hinted or directly stated that "wine" was not non-fermented grape juice as I've heard several times from various pulpits, but was actually the buzz-inducing stuff. Whether the drink was weaker or not was beside the point, though I've found arguments for the former to be uncompelling and unsubstantiated.

An excellent first passage in my quest was the time Jesus pointed out the hyper-legalism of the Pharisees in Luke 7:33-35 (NASB): "For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is justified by all her children."

Obviously, there was something in the wine that had the self-righteous Pharisees up in arms. When Jesus said the word "drunkard" here, it meant "one who imbibes wine." And hey, if Jesus "imbibed," that's license for His followers to do so. Heck, it could even be a mandate if we wanted it to be! That way we could really hang out with "tax collectors and sinners."

Then there's the wedding at Cana -- the kickoff miracle. The ill-prepared groom ran out of wine, which was probably at least somewhat expensive, because after Jesus turned jars of water into wine, the guests were surprised at how much better it was than the wine in the first kegs... er... jars. There was no reason for the groom to bring out bad wine later unless the guests' tastes or perceptions had been dulled by that time ("A host always serves the best wine first," he said. "Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine..." John 2:10, NLT)

It wasn't proof texting, because in every case I endeavored to make sure I explored all those things I initially mentioned that proof texting usually ignores: comparing Scripture against Scripture, considering context, audience, language, setting, etc. And I think I came up with a pretty good argument on my own; no need to use Google to find out how someone else had justified their Biblical alcohol quest.

But after it was all said and done and I had my good, strong argument ready for battle, and my glee ready to enjoy wine (even taking passages like Proverbs 20:1 and Genesis 9:20-23 into account -- both of which speak of drunkenness; not drinking), I looked back and realized that I hadn't gone on a quest to find out what would honor Jesus the most. Instead, I'd gone looking for a loophole in His system for my own personal gratification.

This is what I like to call 80 Proof-Texting (although wine is more like 28-proof), though it doesn't apply only to alcohol consumption. It's exactly the opposite of what God intends for His people to do; the focus is on me or you as the center of the universe.

(In case you aren't aware, in really simple terms, the "proof" number is the percentage of alcohol in a drink multiplied by two. This is usually used for liquors rather than beers and wines. Here's a great little article at AskDaveTaylor.com in case you've always wanted to know about this: "What does 'proof' mean on alcohol?")

While 80-Proof Texting involves inductive Bible study and a thorough understanding of Scripture, I would contend that its effects are similar to those of regular ol' proof texting. It may be equally as dishonoring to Christ. It just typically doesn't make you look quite as bad to other people, but God will still say the same thing: "What are you doing to my Word?" -- a situation where we can technically honor "the law" but miss the intent by, like, infinity miles.

Big thanks to my friend Leroy for pointing out some wording issues and helping me to clarify some thoughts.

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giving free stuff away on black friday

I'm going for a more raw, gritty, in-your-face post title today. I figure that will bring in the readers in droves.

I'm not sure why today is called "Black Friday". (By the way, Tony, it's acceptable in British writing to put the punctuation outside of the quotation marks. I lost sleep over that after your tweet the other day because I'd forgotten why I started doing that. I am henceforth pretending I'm a Briton.) So anyway, I'm not sure why they call today "Black Friday". If it were called "White Friday" would there be any accusations of racism? And is it called "Black Friday" because it's a dark day for the people who decide that it's worth battling the massive crowds to save a few percent on an item? I'm curious. Not curious enough to Google it, though. I'm fairly contented not knowing for sure.

Our Jr. High "Guy" at Wall Highway, Josh Harris, coordinated an event that several of us enjoyed this morning. At 4:00 AM we left the Wall Highway campus, taking boxes of donuts (the ones in a pre-packaged tubes of six) and things, along with two of those big tailgate cooler-looking dealios filled with hot chocolate. We arrived at Best Buy around 4:15. I thought the line (as seen in the photo) was long, and then I talked with someone who let me know that the line went around the corner, and had extended around the corner as of 3:30 AM (probably earlier -- that was when they'd arrived).

Our intrepid band of Christ followers, armed with food and hot drinks, began to hand out these things to the people standing in line. Several people were obviously shocked that we were giving this stuff away. A few refused it until I said, "It's free," with a smile. Their faces immediately brightened and their eyes widened. We had the opportunity to tell people that we were doing this because we love Jesus Christ and just wanted to serve other people.

It was a small; one that lasted about 15 minutes. Josh had set aside junk food rations for about 100 people.

At one point I walked nearer the end of the line to give out donuts, and as I was coming back around the building, there was a man walking toward me next to the line, holding up the tube of donuts I'd given him less than a minute before, saying, "$10.00! $10.00!" I said, "Man, don't do that," and turning to the people in line, with a smile said, "I just gave him those things for free." People started to laugh. He smiled and looked at me and said, "Hey, I was just kidding," and walked back to his place in line. In retrospect, it may have seemed like I was saying that we'd done something good. In reality, I just didn't appreciate him wanting to rip people off.

That was our experience this morning. Getting up at 3:00 wasn't as tough as I'd anticipated, and being able to go back to sleep from about 6:30 until 10:00 made for a great, lazy day.

Hope your Thanksgiving was fantastic, and may you always set aside a time of daily thanksgiving to your Creator!

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Whatever You Do Today...

People will look at you and me today and very likely stereotype us based upon how we dress, talk, act, and react. This is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to a great (new?) stereotype for followers of Christ!

You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial. Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.

So you may eat any meat that is sold in the marketplace without raising questions of conscience. For “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”

If someone who isn’t a believer asks you home for dinner, accept the invitation if you want to. Eat whatever is offered to you without raising questions of conscience. (But suppose someone tells you, “This meat was offered to an idol.” Don’t eat it, out of consideration for the conscience of the one who told you. It might not be a matter of conscience for you, but it is for the other person.) For why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks? If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why should I be condemned for eating it?

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God. I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.

- 1 Corinthians 10:23-33 (NLT)

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Mountains out of Mushroom 'N' Swiss

Go with me on this one. It's a small situation that I'm absolutely certain you've personally encountered before. However, I'm really picking it apart here, and I want to tell you how I dealt with it, and to get your insights and opinions. I'm taking a small situation and expanding it like crazy. A mountain out of a molehill, maybe.

On my way back from last Friday's out-of-town trip, I stopped in at Hardee's around noon to get a Mushroom 'N' Swiss Thickburger. Those things are phenomenal!

A group of guys who'd apparently just gotten through with the first half of a manual labor day went in just ahead of me and ordered their food. I stood and waited as the girl who took their order went about preparing it, taking drive-through orders on her headset, etc. I noticed a manager-type busily cooking in the back, looking very motivated.

I waited for several minutes as the first girl called the three individual meal numbers for the guys in front of me, gave them their food, didn't acknowledge me, and walked back to the kitchen to keep doing other things. She was busy, for sure. I made eye contact somewhere along in here with a girl who was cooking alongside the manager (who never looked at the cash register counter and therefore never made eye contact with me).

A minute later a gentleman walked up to the counter next to me (rather than in line behind me), leaned on the counter, and began making good-natured small talk with another girl who appeared from around the corner. He was apparently a regular. They exchanged pleasantries for a moment or two, and then she took his order.

Of course I was surprised and initially pretty indignant. Rather than reacting the way that I wanted to react, I decided I would wait to see if this new girl (who had no idea who was in line first) would acknowledge me. She never did. Never looked up.

Now, obviously, this is pretty poor service. However, I wanted to make sure I was reacting internally and externally just exactly the way Jesus would react if He'd gone to order a Hardee's Mushroom 'N' Swiss Thickburger and found Himself in this situation. Here are some things that I thought about (there were more, but these stuck out):

• The crew didn't know me from Adam. Therefore I could assume that there was no reason they would be intentionally ignoring me.
• I wasn't really in a hurry, but what if I had been? They didn't seem to care.
• I wasn't terribly hungry, but I had better things to do than stand there.
• I was upset. Why?
• How should I react based upon the answer to the "Why am I upset?" question?

The last two questions are where I think we as Christ-followers regularly get ourselves into a non-Christlike mode. We skip over that one.

Why was I so upset? Here are my honest answers:

• I felt like I had been personally insulted. This means I feel like I was entitled to be treated fairly but wasn't. The place is a business -- I'm giving them my money in trade for their product, and their stated goal is to treat the customer well.
• I felt like I had been outwardly insulted. This means that the people who'd just gotten their food saw the situation and thought, "They waited on that dude before this guy who's been standing here forever."
• I felt like the guy who came in after me was a jerk. He saw me standing there waiting for someone to appear, yet horned in and started ordering without consideration.
• I felt like the people behind the counter were incompetent. This means that I felt like I would have done a better job than they'd done. I mean, any competent person would have, right?

Which one of those most represents how Jesus Christ would have felt? I decided after just a moment that not one of them was Christ-like. So how should I proceed?

I decided to let the gentleman behind me order his food rather than interrupting the cashier and politely saying, "Excuse me. I was here first." Would this have taught the crew a lesson? Possibly. In the next similar situation they might be more careful about how they treat the customer. But would that have been my motivation -- to just help the staff? Not likely. I was annoyed. And since the manager was there, although he'd just messed up, he'd likely take out frustration on the staff, while he was actually a participant in the problem.

I also decided to swallow my ego about the guys who'd ordered ahead of me, although I imagined they were thinking, "What a wimp. That guy just let the other guy cut in line."

Now, if any of you has made it this far, I fully anticipate that you'll tell me that I contributed to the delinquency of a Hardee's by not saying anything, but for me, in my case, God used it to teach me a bit of patience and to teach me about my thought processes and reactions. Is it really true that I do my best to live as Jesus would have lived? Or do I just modify my Christianity to fit my reactions, casting it off when I feel it's necessary or convenient?

I hate to admit that I eventually left without ordering and instead hit a Pizza Inn further on up the road. However, I didn't leave in disgust. I just wanted to go somewhere I'd get my food promptly.

In your responses, I'm primarily interested in knowing why the things that you'd have done actually have a basis in Scripture, in life representing Christ, and in the daily transformation of your mind to be more like that of Christ. For me it was a would-be mundane experience that wound up being very eye-opening.

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When Lipstick Attacks

Several years ago I went to a restaurant (one that's now out of business, for some reason) with a few friends. I'd heard good things about it. I ordered my food, with coffee to drink. The guy next to me ordered chicken.

My coffee was delivered with lipstick stains on the cup and when my friend cut into his chicken, we noted that it was cooked somewhere around medium.

We probably happened to go on a really bad day, and the odds that the cook messed up on the same day as the dishwasher were likely very high against. However, I never went back to that restaurant.

"Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8, NLT) You know, the one that the devil is seeking to devour may be you, but it very well may be the person next to you (or both of you, as a "twofer"). The one you come in contact with on that freakish, exceptionally bad day. You know, the one when your hair didn't do right that morning, you and your spouse got into it over bills, the toilet was stopped up and flooded the bathroom, you were late for work...

And then you wind up delivering Jesus Christ to your neighbor in a lipstick-stained coffee cup.

I'm not suggesting that we put on a false face for someone on a bad day. It's not wrong to let people know that Christ-followers have bad days. But it's important that we go out and face the day actually trusting that God will bring good out of the situations we see as entirely negative. Often we'll get only one chance to impact another person's life for the sake of Christ. We should never take on the day failing to live what we believe.

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Molded Food, National Geographic, and Sin

As I cleaned out our refrigerator the other day, I found some things in it that I thought didn't really exist: beef that smelled like fish, salad that had become something like a meat product, and a rather old dish of... ah... beans, I think.

And that prompted me to think. I surmised that a bowl of moldy beans is like a box of National Geographic magazines. I think most of you already know that, but I'll elaborate: the longer a bowl of food sits in the refrigerator, the more fuzz and unusual growth it accumulates. The longer a box of National Geographic magazines sits in your floor, the heavier it gets. Don't believe me on that last one? Put a stack of National Geographics in a box, let it sit there for a week or two, and see how it exponentially accumulates weight by the time you're ready to move it.

When I refused to confess my sin,
    my body wasted away,
    and I groaned all day long.
Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
    My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.
Finally, I confessed all my sins to you
    and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”
    And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.
- Psalm 32:3-5 (NLT)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

- Hebrews 12:1 (NLT)

Don't think about these Scriptures in a way that says, "Yep, isn't that the truth..." Instead, think about what it is in your own life that needs to be stripped away. What's accumulated? What's the rebellion that you need to confess and then intentionally neglect forever? Anger? Resentment of a family member? Pornography? Frustration with your spouse, a co-worker, or a church leader? Worrying about finances?

Throw out the moldy beans: stop it, confess it, and don't do it anymore.

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Pan-Seared Ribeye

This is really off the wall in terms of the things that I usually post, but I had to share it. I found this recipe a month or two ago and finally had the opportunity to try it tonight (along with fried green tomatoes, a first for me).

From FoodNetwork.com comes this recipe of Alton Brown's for pan-seared ribeyes. I highly recommend the recipe. Obviously it won't result in a grilled-tasting steak, but the results are more like prime ribe than a typical steak. I loved them!



1 boneless rib eye steak, 1 1/2-inch thick
Canola oil to coat
Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Place 10 to 12-inch cast iron skillet in oven and heat oven to 500 degrees. Bring steak(s) to room temperature.

When oven reaches temperature, remove pan and place on range over high heat. Coat steak lightly with oil and season both sides with a generous pinch of salt. Grind on black pepper to taste.

Immediately place steak in the middle of hot, dry pan. Cook 30 seconds without moving. Turn with tongs and cook another 30 seconds, then put the pan straight into the oven for 2 minutes. Flip steak and cook for another 2 minutes. (This time is for medium rare steaks. If you prefer medium, add a minute to both of the oven turns.)

Remove steak from pan, cover loosely with foil, and rest for 2 minutes. Serve whole or slice thin and fan onto plate.

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Identical Coffee Makers, Different Java

I have a curious situation.

I own two coffee makers of the identical model, the Melitta One:One ("One to One") single-cup pod coffee maker. (Lest you feel that owning two of these is overly indulgent, they were given to me as gifts, and they were purchased by the gift-giver at a reduced price.) One of them stays at home for me and my wife to use, and the other is on the counter top at my office.

My wife and I sampled all sorts of different pods in order to weed through the contendas (that's my northern-accented word for "contenders") and find what we believe to be The Holy Grail of Coffee Pods -- Millstone French Roast pods (yes, yes, I know the photo shows Colombian Supremo), which are intended for a different coffee maker, but are able to be crammed into the Melitta for really good coffee. We use purified water. We use a particular type of creamer. I have a ninja mojo sequence of coordinated button presses now worked out to make the perfect cup of coffee.

At home.

When I get to the office, it doesn't matter whether or not I use the perfect combination of the above elements (sorta like the "11 herbs and spices," I guess) or any other configuration; I just can't make a perfect-tasting cup of coffee! It always comes out too... well... I don't know... earthy or something. And if I adjust the recipe or button sequence, it turns out to be too weak, or just gross in other ways. Even the ninja mojo bit falls short. I'm drinking a moderately bad (but tolerable) cup o' joe here at the office as I type this.

So in two scenarios, orchestrated in a manner as identically as possible, the results of the first can't necessarily be replicated in the second.

I've found that this is also the case when I attempt to take all those great life lessons that God's used for good in my own life and try to lay them out as a template for a brother who's going through a similar or nearly identical situation. "This worked for me, therefore it will work for you," is not always an accurate statement.

Among my daily prayers are requests for knowledge -- God giving me opportunities to learn where I can be used -- and then for wisdom -- the accurate vision of how to correctly proceed in accordance with my part in God's plan. That wisdom may include how not to apply my lesson-learned to my friend's current situation. Isn't that weird?


Also, telling someone, "I know. Believe me, I went through exactly the same thing," can sometimes come across as saying, "Your problems are run-of-the-mill, and you're not really that important, but the lesson I have already learned (because I'm more mature than you) is the important thing."


Does this make sense to anyone but me?

Of course, this doesn't preclude the fact that most of the time, those lessons you've learned probably will fit perfectly into someone else's scenario, either by helping them to learn or simply by enabling you to understand or identify with their situation.


"If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct." (Galatians 6:3-5, NLT)

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Nice Duds!

My wife and I went to a restaurant last night, and upon her first stop at our table, the watiress asked, "What would you like to drink?" and in her instructed method of using the power of suggestion, she continued with a couple of drink options. I fully expected, "A margarita or a [Brand X] beer?" to come out of her mouth, but what do you suppose she prompted us to order?

Oddly, the drinks she mentioned in her leading question were, "A raspberry iced tea or a [Brand X] cola?"

After my wife and I gave in to her salespersonship ("salesmanship" doesn't work there) and ordered a raspberry iced tea and a [Brand X] soda, the waitress walked off and I immediately said to my wife, "Hey, she didn't suggest margaritas or wine!" My wife replied, "That's because you're starting to look like a pastor."

I looked down at my old Superman T-shirt and the black long-john shirt underneath it, then looked up at my wife and said, "Yeah, right!" And then I went into introspective mode (this is a requirement for me in every situation, you know). "Self," I sez to myself, I sez, "You rarely dress like someone who's on a pastoral staff." And then I wondered if that was a good thing or not.

I almost immediately came to the conclusion that I was okay as long as my appearance doesn't ever cast negativity on Christ. Here's the way I'm concerned about being clothed:

"I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God!

For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation

and draped me in a robe of righteousness."

Isaiah 61:10a (NLT)

"Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father."

Colossians 3:16-17 (NLT)

(By the way, in my hunt for Scriptures today I read Psalm 29, and I highly encourage you to read it today, too. It's not directly applicable to today's post, but wow!)

We ordered the margaritas after dinner.

Just kidding!

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