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CAN THE TIGER ESCAPE?

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By Ken Blue

There is no end to the bimbos who keep coming out of the woods, (no pun intended,) claiming to have had sex with Tiger Woods. Doubtless, this is only the tip of the iceberg. However, there are several ways whereby Tiger may escape.

First, it can be blamed on his wealth. Money attracts immoral women like moths to a flame. How can we expect any man to escape when beautiful women fling themselves at him constantly? There is a way. (2 Timothy 2:22; Genesis 39:12).

Some of the media have already placed the blame on the women. They argue that those women knew Tiger was a married man, and in spite of that, they made themselves available to him. So, blame the women. I assure you, if Tiger was single, the media would not have faulted him or the women for their fornication.

Another ploy that might work is to attribute his adulteries to his fame. Everyone knows that popularity is intoxicating. Men, who become famous, loose prospective, and see themselves as invincible, and they possess an attitude of entitlement. Perhaps we can blame his failings on his rise to super stardom.

Possibly, we could blame society. He is only as wealthy and famous as his promoters made him. He would have neither fame nor money, had we not bought into the hero worship; which is so prevalent in America.

Then, perhaps Tiger has an “addiction” and cannot help himself. That idea has been suggested by others. It seems like we heard something like this when Mr. Clinton was President. It is possible to become addicted to anything. But, our addictions cannot become our excuse. We become addicted, one act at a time, and each act is a conscious choice.

Finally, Tiger could claim demon possession. Some have given this excuse to escape personal responsibility. How can you fault a man, if the Devil made him do it? No doubt, the Devil is indirectly responsible for our fallen nature, and he will share his part of the blame. However, blaming the Devil did not get Eve off the hook, nor will it work for anyone else.

Like King David, Tiger has lost it all. His kingdom will continue to crumble until the end. Listen to King Solomon on this matter. “But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.” Proverbs 6:32.

Society may or may not forgive Tiger Woods, but he can find personal forgiveness and peace if he truly desires it. David prayed, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.” Psalms 51:1.

Personally, I feel sorry for Tiger Woods, his wife and their children. No man or woman can commit an action without it impacting the lives of others. Not only did he betray his wife and children, he betrayed every small boy or girl who looked up to him and hoped someday to be a great golfer like him.

Some may argue that it is not his fault that others looked up to him; that may be true. But, it is his responsibility to maintain behavior and an image that will not damage or destroy the lives of others.

Scripture says, “The wages of sin is death.” Sin is death to relationships, happiness, health, wealth, fame, and freedom. “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” 1 Corinthians 10:12.

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

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Policies and ProceduresBy Ken Blue

“…See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.” Hebrews 8:5.

Policies are usually written orders or directions made to regulate the practice or the actions of people. Procedures describe a particular way of accomplishing something or of acting. It outlines a series of steps in a definite order. Primarily, policies have to do with rules and standards, whereas, procedures deal with how to proceed and carry out a task or mission.

Every church has policies and procedures. However, in most cases they are not written. They are assumed without giving much thought to them. These two documents are very important to the operation of the church. They must be in writing and made available to all who need them. There should few requirements, and they must remain simple. Don’t allow them to become a roadblock to the growth of the church. The more rules you have, the more resistance you can expect. They should be written in order to keep the church focused on its purpose. That is, they should support the structure and strategy of the church

There should be policies for every ministry. All workers must read and agree with them before they are installed in a ministry. Remember, do not recruit, install, and then present the policies. You are asking for trouble if you do. Give people plenty of time to read the policies and procedures before installing them. Some churches require the Job Description be signed after it has been agreed upon. The overall policies and procedures of the church should be taught to those seeking membership, prior to joining.

Sunday School teachers may have the same policies, but the procedures can change from class to class and department to department. The procedures will let the workers know the expected time to be in the class room, and give a step by step process from the time of arrival to the time of dismissal. Each step, with a time frame should be clear. This lets the teacher know how to carry out the class hour. Flexibility must be allowed.

It is important that the pastor take the lead in the writing these documents. As one can see, these will control what the church is about, and how it will proceed. Therefore, the pastor and staff should write these to ensure that they comply with the overall purpose of the church.

I suggest that policies and procedures be written for each Job Description. The pastor should take time when writing these, in order to communicate what he wants.

I mentioned in another article that one of the areas of complaint will be over policies and procedures. So, write them with care, and expect that some who disagree with them. These people are not on your team, so ignore them. Work with those who are eager and willing to work with you and help the church go forward. Policies and procedures may need to change. They are not your Bible; therefore, they can be adjusted as needed.

PASTORING AND RAISING CHILDREN

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THE PASTOR’S FAMILY

 

childrenBy Ken Blue

“A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.” 1 Timothy 3:2-7.

Listed below are several qualifications required of the pastor. One should read the above text and note how many of these he can find.

Some qualifications for pastors are:
1. Blameless in conduct.
2. Husband of one wife.
3. Vigilant.
4. Sober. Self-controlled; temperate.
5. Of good behavior.
6. Given to hospitality.
7. Apt to teach.
8. Not given to wine.
9. No striker. Not quarrelsome; one not ready to strike back at those who displease him; no persecutor of those who differ with him.
10. Not greedy of filthy lucre. Not desirous of base gain; not using wrong methods to raise money to increase his own income.
11. Patient, meek and gentle.
12. Not a brawler. Not contentious, but quiet and peaceable.
13. Not covetous. Not a lover of money; not desiring the office for the sake of personal gain.
14. Ruler of his own house, not by hardness and tyranny, but with honesty.
15. Not a novice. Not a new convert to the faith.
16. Of a good report from outsiders.

Of the sixteen qualifications listed above, most are ignored except number 2 and 12; these concern the pastor’s family. Verses 4 and 5 should be read again. Notice that the pastors inability to “rule” his household will reveal that he cannot “take care” of church matters. The issue is about one’s ability to take care of his family while they are under his care. It has nothing to do with how spiritual the children are at home or after they leave.

Because some lack understanding of these verses, they have resigned the ministry because of a wayward son or daughter. If this was the intent of the text, the only men who would be pastoring are those without children or who have children that cannot reach the doorknob.

A famous pastor, with an infamous son, wrote a book on How To Rear Children, and another on How To Rear Teenagers. A pastor friend said to me, “When my children are grown and their children all turn out right, I might consider writing such a book. Until then, I will refrain.”

While the pastor’s kids are under his roof, he must set the standards, the rules, and the example for them. Rules must be fair, and they must be enforced. This does not guarantee that your children will comply when they are out of your sight or when they leave home.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]One obstacle facing the pastor’s children and wife are church members who hold them to a higher standard than others.[/pullquote]

One of the obstacles facing the pastor’s children and wife are church members who hold them to a higher standard than they do themselves or others. Many times the children will be shamed or scolded by a youth worker or a Sunday School teacher. This sets the children up to dislike church people and the ministry.

When teachers and youth workers verbally abuse your children, you must personally confront them, and let them know that it will stop immediately. Tell them that if your child needs correcting or discipline, they are to come to you, and you will deal with the matter. Not until my children were grown, did I learn from them about the verbal abuse inflicted by some teachers and workers.

My advice is that the pastor refrains from using his children as examples from the pulpit. This turns the spotlight of criticism on them. Wait until your children are grown before bragging on them publically.

Remember, if you keep putting your children or your wife in the limelight, you are creating an atmosphere for them to be criticized. The more public exposure they get, the more the faultfinding and the gossip will fly. Let your wife be your wife; not the assistant pastor. Let your children be children, and don’t expect or demand they be models of angelic creatures.

Someone has said, “Your family is your best résumé.” The pastor, who thinks that to be true, either doesn’t have children, or his children are still in elementary school. The above text is not discussing how good your children are, but rather your ability to keep them in subjection while they are under your roof.

I know pastors who fail 15 of the 16 qualifications above, yet they have good kids. I also know good, dedicated men whose children are a disgrace to the human race. Two things are in play which you have no control over. One, every child has a free will; the other is the grace of God.

I heard a pastor make, what I believe, is a correct statement about human nature. He said, “You can’t give anyone spirituality, wisdom or character. All you can give is example and information.” May God enable us to give the best example and information possible, and then pray that God will use our children for His glory, and protect them from self-righteous church members who love to make public examples of the preacher’s kids. However, if you can’t handle a six year old, you will have trouble “taking care” of the church of God.

SHAME, SHAME

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By Ken Blue

“Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:38.

The above verse should be read in its entire context to get the correct interpretation. Many pastors, in their zeal and effort to get sinners “down the aisle,” have quoted it, suggesting that failure to publicly come to the “altar” proves one is ashamed and that he is not saved.

This is a travesty, and it is the pastor who should be ashamed. Why not go all the way and tell the sinner if he is ashamed to get baptized, join the church, start tithing, go soul-winning, and stop smoking, the Lord will be ashamed of him and deny him heaven?

The context is not talking about heaven, the church, or the rapture. Nor does it have anything to do with a particular public profession of salvation. The entire text has to do with Jews acknowledging that Jesus is the Christ and demonstrating it, even unto death. Also, the text calls Jesus “the Son of man.” This is a title concerning His reign on earth as Israel’s Messiah. He is never called Son of man in any of the church epistles.

Notice also, it is not the rapture of the church mentioned here, but the Second Advent, following the Tribulation. Most of the Jews, who acknowledge Jesus as their Messiah, will be required to physically lay down their life in the coming Tribulation, if they hope to be resurrected and enter the Kingdom.

There is nothing the sinner must do or can do today to be saved. It has all been done for him! By faith in the finished work of Christ, he is made acceptable in the Beloved. It is not predicated on whether he is ashamed or not. There is no aisle one must walk, no profession one must make, and no church one must join, nor is there a set time one must make a public profession.

Finally, let me ask you, have you ever been ashamed to speak up for Jesus? Aren’t there situations right now, where you are ashamed to speak for Him? Do you think He is going be ashamed of you at His coming? Peter denied the Lord three times! Do you think Jesus will be ashamed of him? If we can’t understand the verse in its context, it is best we leave it alone. Why abuse a verse which was never intended to feed our ego? It is the pastor who uses it to goad people who ought to be ashamed.

YOU GOTTA LOVE THOSE BAPTIST

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By Ken Blue

On the lighter side

An outlaw was pulling of a train robbery. He went from passenger to passenger demanding they put their money and jewelry in the bag. He came to one passenger who said, “Oh, sir, please don’t take my money, I’m just a poor Baptist preacher.” The outlaw stuck out his hand to shake and said, “Put ‘er there partner, I’m a Baptist myself.”

*Baptist Cowboy*

A cowboy, who just moved to Wyoming from Texas, walks into a bar and orders three mugs of Bud. He sits in the back of the room, drinking a sip out of each one in turn. When he finishes them, he comes back to the bar and orders three more.

The bartender approaches and tells the cowboy, “You know, a mug goes flat after I draw it. It would taste better if you bought one at a time.”

The cowboy replies, “Well, you see, I have two brothers. One is in Arizona, the other is in Colorado. When we all left our home in Texas, we promised that we’d drink this way to remember the days when we drank together. So I’m drinking one beer for each of my brothers and one for myself.”

The bartender admits that this is a nice custom and leaves it there.

The cowboy becomes a regular in the bar, and always drinks the same way. He orders three mugs and drinks them in turn.
One day, he comes in and only orders two mugs. All the regulars take notice and fall silent. When he comes back to the bar for the second round, the bartender says, “I don’t want to intrude on your grief, but I wanted to offer my condolences on your loss.”

The cowboy looks quite puzzled for a moment, then a light dawns in his eyes and he laughs. “Oh, no, everybody’s just fine,“ he explains, “It’s just that my wife and I joined the Baptist Church and I had to quit drinking.”

“Hasn’t affected my brothers though.”