Mike Henderson

Character and Conscience

Over the weekend one of the great football players in recent history was shot multiple times and killed. What a tragedy. While the exact details of Steve McNair's death are still being investigated some things are clear.

First of all, his brother claims he was a great role model.  I would disagree.  He was a great football player who did some great things for local charities.  But he was married and had four kids.  And he was hanging out with an unmarried twenty-year old woman...at 2am in the morning in a condo.

Here's the point.  Why do we so often misjudge the character of others?  Even if we do not do it publicly we do it privately.  We overlook things like pride, unethical behavior, and unsavory behavior.

To top it off we do this with friends.  Rather than politely confront a friend and share what we believe to be a character issue we allow our 'friend' to continue on.  How many confronted Steve McNair?  Maybe several did and he ignored them.  Obviously his brother thought it was ok to run around with the girl he was with.

This past week my message on the National Conscience addressed the issue of how our consciences drift.  Ten years ago perhaps Steve McNair would not have thought about doing what he did.  But somewhere along the line his conscience drifted and behavior he would not have tolerated he now tolerated.  

And the sad part is, it ultimately led to his death.  Right now there may be behavior in a friend's life or yours that you are tolerating.  Why do we do that?  If change is not forthcoming the end result may not be pretty. 

WOW!!

What a day.  By far the best music ever heard at New Hope.  The band flat out nailed it.  If you missed it, you missed it.  The buzz after the service was at an all time high from what I could tell.  Looking forward to a great summer.

We also ran a little short on chairs.  Attendance was about 20% higher over the same week last year.

The shirts for our volunteer's in children's ministry were a big hit and designed by Dan Weiss.  

I enjoyed the 5-weeks series on Creation, Evolution, and the Bible.  Next week I want to address the subject of our national conscience.  Should be good.

We are planning to give every one a book in a two part series starting July 12.

On July 26 we start a new series called "Entropy."  I can't wait to begin that one.

As I said, should be a fun summer.

Cats and Holiness

Just about every morning my big black cat likes to come and sit in my lap at my desk.  Since he will only sit for a few minutes I take the time to brush him, and he does need brushing.

After several brush fulls of hair he jumps down to go about his day.  It reminds me of Peter and his conversation with Jesus.  Jesus wanted to wash Peter's feet, but Peter at first refused.   Jesus had to clarify that we need cleansed on a regular basis, a daily basis, and even more frequently than that.  D. L. Moody said that we need to keep short accounts with God.

But many are like my cat.  They come to God once a day, but like my cat I think we need to be more aware of how much brushing (or washing) we actually need.

I wish my cat would spend a little more time in my lap.  Sure I could go track him down and set him in my lap and brush him more.  But I just wait upon him.

I bet God wishes we would come spend time with Him more often.  Sure, He could figure out a way to get us to do that.  But He would much rather that we come and seek him out. 

I like to here my cat come into my office and meow. I think he is saying, I have come to see you and I want you to brush me. 

Who knows what the cat is saying?  But without coming and jumping into my lap he does not get brushed.  And if we fail to regularly jump into God's lap we will not get brushed (washed, cleansed from sin) as needed.

God is sitting in the chair waiting on you to seek holiness.  Jump up and let Him brush away the stuff that is holding you back.

Random Thoughts

June is almost over which means I only have several weeks left to finish some projects I am working on.

I hope to finish my preaching schedule by the end of June. 

This past Sunday we definitely had some talent in the band.  This week you do not want to miss the opening song.  Great music coming your way.

Purposely I have let a few things slide on the tech side.  I have cleaned up quite a few emails. My emails were running over 100 on a regular basis.  Now in the 40's. Going below 10 this week. Simply can't read every thing.  Also I have pretty much ignored Facebook.  It someone writes on my wall it comes in an email.  I'll get back to it in July.  May update my status though.

Also, I have not read as many blogs.  For me if I can eliminate or cut back on things it gives me a better idea what I need to bring back.  Who knows maybe some things can just stay gone.

Time will always be limited.  Cannot read it all, talk to everyone, watch it all on the internet, etc.  Summer is a good time to eliminate and evaluate.

Summer is also a good time to read that book, go to that vacation spot, finish a project, or even tackle something new. 

And you may have noticed that I have blogged a little less often.  That will pick back up by August or maybe earlier.  I have stayed current on Twitter and enjoy the conversations with others, even with those I have not personally met.

One last thing.  As I finish up my series on Creation, Evolution, and the Bible it will be nice to put all the resources away that are cluttering up my desk and floor.

But then I have a series on Prophecy coming up the third week in July, so the mess will return.  Fun times.

As the summer moves along you will get to know Dan and Leah much better.  Dan has already been spending time with some unchurched guys and teens.  He has a heart to reach those far from God, and a desire to see students develop into incredible followers of Christ.

Should be a fun summer!

Wow

Sometimes it's best if I not write but simply share a great story.  Here is one of those stories.  You will be proud of being an American and proud of our soldiers.

Watch CBS Videos Online

Excellence

Just the mention of that word lends itself to discussion.  First of all, you have to define it.  Then you have to decide what's the goal.

For instance, to get it absolutely perfect is probably unreasonable, so what's the goal?  Is it 80%?  It may me that to go beyond the 80% line would take way too much time, effort, and perhaps money. 

It may also be that if we continue to push past the 80% mark we lose some of our effectiveness.  That may result in lost ground.  Frustration may increase and opinionated attitudes may enter the mix.

So perhaps it is better to use the time and energy elsewhere.  Excellence will always be a relevant topic because we will always be wanting to improve...at least say to the 80% mark or whatever mark is decided upon.

Prior to entering the fall we will be looking at every area of ministry at New Hope.  At the least our goal is to take everything we do to another level.  And I am sure that many ideas will come from our volunteers who make things happen. 

Weekly Wrap

Here are a few thoughts from this past weekend.

* To start the day we had a fairly large setup team.  Everything went smoothly and all the cables are now marked so anyone can come help and simply jump right in.

* Had a lot more in attendance than I had expected with several new faces, some who had not been in awhile, and some recent guests coming back for a second or third time.

* Thanks to Nikki for leading the music this week. 

*  I am enjoying the series on Creation, Evolution, and the Bible.  We will spend all of our time in Genesis this coming week.

*  Spent the day in Lynchburg meeting various people and talking to prospective worship leaders.

*  Looking forward to part 4 as we get into the text of Genesis 1.

*  Got some new musicians coming this week.  Plan on coming early. 

*  Looks like the students are heading to the beach!

Hard to believe June is half gone.  If you miss a week be sure to go online and watch the message.  Got some exciting messages all summer long at New Hope.

Apple and Jesus

Here is an undeniable fact.  People who own Apple products are vocally enthusiastic about their Apple product.  The two most popular are the Mac computer and the iphone.

Now you should be excited about your purchases, or why buy it?  But no one goes around and says I have a PC or an LG cell phone.

Of course there is also the ipod and itunes which changed the way we listened to music and podcasts.

But this is what intrigues me.  Why the passion, the bias, the vocal support, and the excitement around Apple conferences?

Is it the innovation, the ease of use, or just feeling like you have the latest and the greatest?

What about Jesus?  For the Christ-follower is the same passion evident?  I mean surely, eternal life, present peace and purpose, and forgiveness of sins rank pretty high.

I hope that one of the things New Hope will be known for is not our perfection but our affection and enthusiasm for Jesus and how He has affected our lives.

Remodeling

If you will recall Carol and I had a water line come loose back in December. Because of all the damage we decided or I should say Carol decided to change the color of the Great Room.

So as a result of the water catastrophe we stained the floor a different color, painted the walls a different color, and changed the furniture.

In a sense that is what Jesus said He would do to our lives when He saved us. He said we would be different, remodeled by the influence of the Homy Spirit.

So how are you different. Can people see the differences? Do you like to talk about all the remodeling? Most people do.

Ready for Death?

In my younger days one of the tv shows I liked to watch was "Kung Fu."  The star was David Carradine.  Just this week he was found in a luxury hotel, having hung himself.

Now you would think someone who was a famous actor and was in the midst of filming another movie was actually enjoying life.  I do not know why he took his life, but I always think was he ready for death. 

In one sense no one is ever really ready for death.  In one of the "Indiana Jones'" movies one of the guys who was protecting the Holy Grail asked, "I'm prepared to die, are you?"

Great question.   Death is all around us.  Over the last two days I have read about a staff member of Northpoint having been killed in a tragic accident.  A local police officer was killed in an accident with a tractor trailer truck.

While no one may ever be ready, there are a few things that can make you ready.  Obviously one's relationship with Jesus Christ is paramount.  But let me add three more.  One would be relationships.  If I was at odds with Carol I would not be ready.  And I certainly would not want to be having a bad attitude on my last day on earth.  And finally, did I get to serve someone today?

While we may never be 'ready,' we can certainly live each day with an eternal and temporary perspective.