Category Archives: The Word

Ministry, The Word, Theology

Late Night Revelation (Replay)

I posted this back in March under the title The Practical Theology of the Waffle House. Since that time I have revisited it, cleaned it up, and added a few things here and there. I chose to publish this version in the August newsletter for my church.

We are soon headed into Fall which means only one thing here in Texas.

Football.

I sketched this story out on the back of the placemat after a football game last season. My dad is a coach so we went to the Waffle House near his school after the game and I’ve never been the same.

As the season begins, I know that there will be a few late nights and similar opportunities. Just as I was not content with the way this article read back in March I am not content with with reacting the way I did back in October. I am ready to share my plate, my life, and my Jesus with people who are nothing like me. Maybe you are too.

Thanks for letting me get away with replaying this so soon. Here’s to a new season.

It was probably only the second time that I had ever stepped foot
inside one of these restaurants. The air was smokey. To say that the
cliental was shady would be an understatement. I made my way over to
the booth in the corner careful not to touch anything. As I looked
over the menu, I was less than thrilled with the choices. I wasn’t
hungry for any of the items listed but I was with my parents so I felt
that I should at least eat something here instead of walking to the
fast food establishment next door. I ended up ordering a simple
hamburger. After I ordered, I began to glance around the building
looking at the other people there.

I saw an older man sitting at the counter. His face was beaten and
weathered by the elements. He looked homeless. I didn’t see him eat
but I watched him as he drank his coffee. After a cup or two he
lowered his head and walked out into the cold night. As he left, two
young women walked in. The had just come from a high school sporting
event. Their sweat shirts sported the the mother of all swear words in
bright, bold white letters. As they cozied into the booth behind me
all eyes were on them. Whispers became audible insults. The girls just
laughed and went on about their night. Some high schoolers came in
looking for something to eat. They sat down at the counter where the
old man had sat. These people were so different from me.

The more and more I watched them the more convinced I became of the
new belief stirring in my heart. This belief is a simple and radical
idea. It doesn’t sit comfortably with me because it demands a
response. A response to the world and to the people sitting around me
that night.

Jesus would have eaten at the Waffle House.

He would have. There is no doubt in my mind. Jesus was the kind of
Savior that would have cozied up to the counter and had some
hash-browns covered and smothered with some guy who was at the end of
his rope. Jesus would have eaten with him, covered the bill, and
changed the man’s life. Maybe it would be with the touch of his hand
or maybe it would have been with just a look or Jesus might have even
spoken a word of encouragement or discipline to the man but the
message would have been clear.

“I am your Savior. I traveled across the universe to be with you. I
know who you are. I know your name. I know where you’ve been. I know
where your going. I want you to abandon your plans and join up with
me. I’ve done all the hard work. All you have to do is say yes.”

Yeah, Jesus would have eaten at the Waffle House.

Matthew 9:10-13 says this:

That night Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to be his dinner
guests, along with his fellow tax collectors and many other notorious
sinners. The Pharisees were indignant. “Why does your teacher eat with
such scum?” they asked his disciples.

When he heard this, Jesus replied, “Healthy people don’t need a
doctor—sick people do.”  Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning
of this Scripture: ‘I want you to be merciful; I don’t want your
sacrifices.’ For I have come to call sinners, not those who think they
are already good enough.”

As followers of this Savior what does that say about where we should
eat and who we should eat with? Think about that the when you eat at
the House or the next time your sitting in the booth at Chicken
Express or whenever you grab a slice of Sbarro in the food court.
Somebody there could benefit from you sharing not only your plate but
your faith as well.

Books, Ministry, Resources, Review, The Word

Oh Let The Ancient Words Impart

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Yes, the Bible is an interesting book. Which is why nine out of ten American households own at least one copy, according to a 2005 update from the Barna Research Group. It’s why six out of ten Americans confess to reading the Bible every once in a while, according to a 2000 Gallup poll. Yet most of us readers don’t know Ezra from Esther or Zephaniah from Zechariah. Few of us can list all four Gospels or recite half of the Ten Commandments. A majority of us can’t even identify who delivered the Sermon on the Mount.*

That’s why you need this book – A handy, easy-to=read, occasionally amusing guide to the Bible and its characters, events, translations, and history. Why? Because the Bible is the all-time best-selling book, one that most people own but apparently don’t read, that lots of people read but apparently don’t understand, that lots of people allegedly understand but in a way that makes them jerks. Let’s see what the Pocket Guide can do about that.

As a youth minister, I am constantly on the lookout for new resources that can help me introduce my students to the Bible. With each passing day I have found that it is becoming increasingly more difficult to get students excited about reading the Word. The reasons are many and varied:

1) The Word seems dusty and unapproachable. When you force kids to read the New King james Version what do you expect.
2) We try forcing the Bible on our kids. That’s like trying to eat 8 saltines in under a minute. It’s unbearable and it ain’t gonna work!
3) We are more concerned with our kids getting a scholarship than we are with them spending time with the Savior. Scholarships for knowing the Torah and the history of the Northern kingdom are hard to come by.
4) When adults have trouble understanding something, we often let it slide. It falls off our radar and we don’t make it a priority. Our kids see that and learn a lesson (not a valuable lesson, but a lesson nonetheless).
5) Students don’t see adults all that excited about the Bible.

Parent: Where did you learn this?
Johnny: (through tears) I learned it from you, ok! I learned it from you!!!

Whatever the reason we have to find an approach to living with Scripture that glorifies God, gets people into the Word, and gets everyone excited about learning and sharing the greatest book of all-time.

A new resource that I have come across is Jason Boyett’s Pocket Guide to the Bible. This little book is both side-splittingly hilarious and deep-in-the-trenches informative (Yes, you can be both). I want to spend this weekend and the first part of next week introducing you to this “little book about the Big Book.”

Boyett divides the book into 5 sections: Biblicabulary, Cast of Characters, What Happens, History of the Written Word, and Biblical Miscellany. Today, I only want to discuss the first section.

The first section is titled Biblicabulary. Here he takes the reader through a list of difficult Bible words or confusing concepts that often derail many a man, woman, or child who attempt to read the Good Book. Boyett first defines the word or concept for the reader. Then he gives an example of how it is used in Scripture. By using concise, solid Biblical examples Boyett helps readers understand the differences between the Pharisees and Sadducees, Old Testament and New, and everything in between. By using references from everyday life and pop culture Boyett helps make the Word accessible for both first time readers and valedictorians at Hebrew Union. 2 Examples:

Ark of the Covenant: A sacred, gold-covered box made of acaia wood. It houses the stone tablets on which God chiseled the Ten Commandments, plus a jar of manna and Aaron’s miraculous walking stick. It’s kept in the holy of holies in the Tabernacle and later gets moved to Solomon’s temple. Why? Because it is a reminder to the Israelites of God’s presence.
Also Known As: Ark of the Testimony, Ark of the Agreement, Ark of the Lord
Not Also Known As: The Ark of Noah, which holds a bunch of animals rather than stone tablets and is made of gopher wood instead of acaia wood. Also, it’s a boat.
Please Use It In a Sentance: Archeologically inclined Nazis will want to avoid opening the Ark of the Covenant, as it will melt their faces off.
Biblical Example: Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight. (1Samuel 6:13)

Prophet: A human messenger speaking on behalf of God, for the purpose of (1) calling God’s people to repentance for doing something wrong, or (2) predicting future calamity or coming judgement because of all the wrongdoing. Such prophesies make up a sizable chunk of the Old Testament, from Isaiah to Malachi. Other biblical big-timers like Samuel and Elijah are identified as prophets.
Not To Be Confused With: False prophets, seemingly religious heavyweights who claim to receive visions and messages and other sorts of instructions from God, but who are pretty much full of crap. On account of how the stuff God’s apparently telling these guys to do is more or less evil, and that’s not how God rolls. Example A: Jim Jomes. Example B: David Koresh.
Biblical Example: “But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the LORD only if his prediction comes true.” (Jeremiah 28:9)

See, who says the Bible is out-of-date and irrelevant? Not me. I love reading, learning, and living with God’s Word. I want my students and their families to get just as excited and motivated about spending time in Bible study as they do about yelling at the refs in the NBA for allowing Miami to walk away with that trophy.

If someone you know is having difficult time understanding the Bible or connecting all the dots, pick them up a copy of Pocket Guide to the Bible. In fact, get two copies and start reading it with them. Start making Bible study a priority with your friends, family, and yourself.

*George Gallup Jr., The Role of the Bible in American Society, 1990