Dan Brown...what is he all about

I finally read the Davinci Code and Dan Brown's newest book the Lost Symbol. It seems I do not always read a hot authors books in a timely manner. I also read the author's books out of order as I read the Lost Symbol first and then the Davinci Code. I am not sure why I read these bestsellers at a later date..except of course the Lost Symbol (new bestseller)? This seems to be my pattern in that as an example I never watched Seinfeld during the shows airing. I watched every episode years later and I am a bit of an expert on Seinfeld episodes. I guess it comes down to when I find the time I delve deeply into the subject.

Now to author Brown and his epic works. I hungrily read the Lost Symbol and was impressed by the Author's ability to spin a tale. He keeps your interest up though he spends a lot of time on historical information. I found myself wanting to have my laptop close by to google his writings to verify if information is true. The one thing I noted was the education into some interesting topics such as the Masons, Free Masonry, etc. In the Davinci Code I found myself wondering about the true situation with Opus Dei and the Catholic Church. Again I complement the author for his research and his ability to hold my attention. One of my biggest gripes with some authors such as John Gresham is his inability to finish a novel and keep you in suspense. His endings are terrible and he has been told this on numerous occasions though he argues that his books keep selling so he thinks the endings are quite okay.

The one factor that I found coming through loud and clear to me was that I feel Author Brown has a hidden agenda. I felt throughout the reading that He was putting forth his own beliefs in regard to the origin of man and the eventual eternity of man. I sensed in the Lost Symbol that he was promulgating his belief in universalism. He felt that all religions lead to the same path...connection with God. As a Christ follower I could not of course accept his beliefs. I by faith accept that there is only one way to God and that is through His son Jesus. In the Davinci Code he puts forth the idea that Christ was married to Mary Magdalene and that through this union a child was born. I know that this sort of idea would stir the masses and create controversy and of course book sales. But I feel that Brown may truly believe this theory and he weaves this idea along with other radical ideas in the book. The mystery, the intrigue as I said are there and keeps the reader captivated.

My only fear is that if people are not well grounded in their faith that they could jump to these radical ideas and accept them wholeheartedly. To accept his ideas is to reject the true Word of God found in the Bible. It all comes down to faith and acceptance of God's Word the Bible. This is the case in any belief system. One can argue his beliefs for hours on end but when it comes down to it...it is faith that guides our walk through this life. As I have shared with friends who are not believers, I cannot prove my beliefs. I can share what the basis is for my beliefs and whatever one believes it comes down to a question....what is your basis? What is the basis for your belief system. Think about this. If you believe that many paths lead to God...I ask what is your basis for this belief? I can unequivocally say that my basis is the Bible. I believe it, I live by it and my eternity is based upon it. I ask what is your basis for your beliefs. I wonder what Author Brown has as a basis for his beliefs? We will probably never know. I do believe that the Bible is a supernatural work of God Himself. He framed it, fashioned it and it lives on supernaturally in our world. When it is read by a true seeker, it is supernaturally opened to the reader. It has meaning in the heart of the seeker and it speaks to the seeker. It is the basis for many changed lives. It gives hope for the helpless, healing for the hurting and life to the believer. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.

The Best Church in America!

Blessings to you and yours tonight. It has been a very good day. I wanted to share with you why today has been such a blessing...it started right. What do I mean? We began our day by attending what may be...no it is...the best church in America. Now that is a heady claim and how can one know that his or her church is the best church in America? Well you really can't make that claim but it is wonderful that you love your church so much that you make that claim.

I attend Brown's Bridge Community Church (BBCC) in Cumming, Georgia. It is a sister church to Northpoint Community Church in Alpharetta, GA. The founding and current pastor is Andy Stanley (son of Charles). I believe Andy is the most gifted communicator and leader of any church in America, perhaps the world. You could of course make this claim of many men, but for me he is the Man! Of course Andy is very humble and has no ego. He is all about growing the kingdom and growing those people he has influence over. A few reasons I think I attend the best church in America:

• The church is full of people like me. We all are marred, yet redeemed.
• The church has one purpose...to bring people into a relationship with Jesus Christ
• The Worship is unbelievable
• The messages are timely and non-threatening
• Anyone is welcome and no one feels out of place
• There is no dress code...come as you are
• People are baptized regularly (this means people come to Christ regularly)
• It is not about numbers or affiliations with any denomination
• The numbers that do attend represent families coming together willingly and eagerly to share life together.
• Small groups are the foundation of this church. You can't be a member unless you are in a small group.
• My small group members are my closest friends. We literally are sharing life together...the good, the bad and the ugly.
• I can be myself at BBCC. There is no agenda
• I have never seen an invitation to accept Christ given, but people get saved weekly?? The people are going out to their workplaces, schools etc. and sharing Christ.
• There are no business meetings...therefore no one is getting mad and leaving.
• Buildings are not important. We have nice buildings but they are used to the max

There are of course many other reasons why I think BBCC is the best church in America but I think it comes down to this. I feel this fellowship mirrors the early church in Acts. The people shared everything. They met in homes. They shared food together and they shared their hurts, fears, needs and their lives. This could be why the membership is growing rapidly and new churches and new converts are being added daily.

I would never want you to think that I am saying your church is not great. That is not my purpose here. My purpose is to say that I am blessed to be at this place for such a time as this. God has led me here, God keeps me here and I pray that I never take for granted the privilege of being a part of this great church, among great people led by the finest staff of any church anywhere. We can do so much more but we are doing much in this shattered world. To God be the glory...great things He has done.

Small Groups

This week in our small group we studied Philippians, Chapter 1. The topic seemed to be the suffering of Paul and how he handled adversity, jail, etc. It was a special time for our group. We delved into the wonder of community and sharing one another's burdens. We seemed to agree that doing life presents many challenges for each of us. We also agreed that God had brought this small group of believers together to share our hurts and challenges and that we should lean on one another. This is the way that God intended for us to face the trials we face. Man should not bear his suffering alone. This is indeed what friends and especially fellow believers should do in time of need.

One of the points made was that we are all in one of three categories. We are either in a storm, just leaving a storm or about to enter a storm. This same evening we all discovered that things were really going quite well for all of us. But we all understood that this can change at any moment.

As a grandparent I have learned that my heart truly aches for my little granddaughters. They are age 3 months to 6 years. All have blond hair and they are truly a joy. All was going well today with everyone in my family until I got a call this morning that Mary our 3 month old in Dallas had become ill. The visit to the Dr this afternoon confirmed that she has swine flu. Her temp is over 101 and as any parent knows this is a trying time as they really can't tell you how they feel, but her mom said you could see it in her little swollen eyes. I spread the word to my small group and other close friends and a wave of prayer rose up for her immediately. One close friend even emailed a prayer that was shared with other members of my small group. I ask all who might read this blog to pray a little prayer for sweet Mary...right now.

I close with a word of thanks to God for watching over little Mary. I know He has her in His hands at this very moment. Perhaps we are overly anxious for this little one...after all it is only the flu, but when a little one...so fragile is ill it breaks our hearts. I also say a word of thanks to my brothers and sisters in Christ that care enough for us to stop what they are doing and pray for our little Mary. This is why my small group is so precious to me and I thank God that He brought us together.

Wonder what President Obama thinks?

It is cool Saturday afternoon here in Georgia and in the south football is always in the air. But today a rally is being held in the nations capital. The rally is a gathering of over 1,000,000 Americans who have come together to protest change. The desired change is actually a takeover of our country. The takeover is being orchestrated by a group hiding in the shadows. The representative of this group is our President, Barrack Obama. One sixth, almost twenty percent of our economy is the first target. This target is a takeover of our health care system. I am not going to get into any details....you have already heard the arguments. A second segment of our economy under attack is energy. The President hopes to pass the cap and trade (tax) bill. This will without a doubt increase costs for all forms of energy. We are kidding ourselves if we think green energy is the answer to our energy dependence problems. Once again I will not delve into the details..you have already heard the arguments.

The reason for my writing today is my interest in what the President thinks about this huge outcry against his plan for a perfect world. The dreams he dreams are for an America that mirrors Europe and other countries with government controlled health care and fashionable windmills on every hilltop. He dreams of electric cars, bio diesel fueled autos, etc. He has dreamed of a country where all have equal incomes (socialism) and a myriad of other cockamamie ideas birthed in his liberal dreamland. Americans are rebelling against his perfect plan and his lifetime dreams. They are spoiling his plan and in his opinion they are a group of malcontents who lack social graces and education.

It appears his plan will be to ram through his ideas despite the outcry and he must be willing to settle for a one term presidency. Of course one might consider the fact that he is in a hurry to get his ideas implemented with the hope that by the time the next election comes around the simple minded detractors will have given up and he will be reelected. After watching the rally in D.C. today I don't think America will have a short memory. In fact I believe we will see the rebellion in full bloom when the midterm elections take place in 2010. I believe this President is an intelligent man but his agenda is flawed and he can't see the forest for the trees. Americans do have the will to stand up for what is right. We have not yet slipped into apathy to the point that we will stand by and watch our country come apart at the seams.

I close by referring to my last post where I wondered what God might be thinking about our squabble over health care? God knows the end at the beginning and He has a plan for us. Though our President may not realize it, God is in control. I think God does allow his people to make decisions....even bad decisions. He allowed us to select this President (though many of us did not vote for him) and we are reaping what we sowed. But in the end God does have a plan, He is in control and His will be done. I think it is high time that our President spend some quality time alone. He needs to think about what his people (our country) thinks about his plans. He needs to realize that he works for us and that he best listen very carefully to what we are saying. He needs to stop listening to his large group of advisers and start listening to his boss. It also wouldn't hurt him to spend some time alone with God and listen to what His plan is. I pray that he would open his eyes, open his ears and open his heart. He needs to do what is right.

Wonder what God thinks?

As I sit on my porch this evening, I am enjoying a beautiful (cool) August, North Georgia evening. My thoughts have drifted to a question. I wonder what God thinks about our national debate on health care? I cannot speak for God nor know His thoughts. But I wonder if He perhaps is amused by the passion we have on both sides of this issue? God knows the number of our days and He has a plan for each of us. I believe that His children are in His hands and that He is faithful in His promises to each of us that He will never leave us or forsake us.

I personally can see agree with opinions from both sides of the issue and I can also agree that it is a complex problem we face. I think back to my childhood and I wonder if my parents had health insurance? When I was a young boy I can remember the family doctor making house calls. Most of the time his remedy was a shot of penicillin. I don't remember him asking for our insurance card or even discussing payment. He was a model servant working tirelessly to meet the needs of his patients. There was no discussion of whether the insurance company would approve our treatments, etc. It is amazing where we have gone in the health care world. I also feel that we as a community and we as a church have failed in our care and concern for those in need. We as a society have become dependent upon our government to solve all of our problems.

The issues are complex, but I as a simple citizen can see obvious things that are wrong in our society. I'll try to list a few of these things below:

• We need tort reform. Those in the health care community are very concerned about not being served with a lawsuit for malpractice. To the point of doing unnecessary tests to protect their practice.
• We need to be able to purchase health insurance across state lines. It is ridiculous that we do not have the freedom to do this.
• I read where about eleven million folks that earn $75,000 + per year choose not to purchase health insurance.
• I also read that about eleven million illegal aliens are part of the uninsured folks in our country...many of these show up in emergency rooms for care (we pay for this already)
• Many self employed people pay up to $20,000 per year for insurance, that features a deductible of $5,000 or more...this is ridiculous.
• I cannot change jobs today for fear of losing my health insurance or facing a waiting period on the new job before I am eligible.
• If I have a prexisting condition such as diabetes, high blood pressure or the worst case cancer, even in remission...I will probably be denied coverage.
• Today, I must get permission from my insurance company for some tests/treatments. Many of these will be denied.
• My doctor or hospital will not be paid anywhere near the charges for treatment.....again the insurance company denies the payment.
• Medicare is broke along with medicaid and social security (government furnished and managed)
• I am spending a fortune on taxes for the above
• My company and I spend a fortune for health insurance and the price increases every year.
• I wonder how many doctors today recognize a calling to their profession or are they seeking only a high income? I can't fault the income part due to the cost of education but feel they should be a group of folks who truly care first and foremost for the patient.
• I notice my doctor rushes through check ups in order to minimize the time spent on each patient (insurance company driven)?
• Finally, I once owned a small business and felt an obligation to provide insurance for my employees. The cost to my business was over $800 per month, per family. This was in 1999-2000. There was no way we could do this and stay in business. The current proposed plan would fine my business if I did not.

In my heart I realize that something must be done. In my heart the last thing I want is for the government to manage any part of health insurance and health care. I think both sides of this debate are sincere in their opinions and feel they have all the answers. I feel that neither side has all if any of the answers. The shouting in the town hall meetings does not provide an answer. I truly enjoy a group of people from all sides of the issue who sit down and honestly discuss the problems and the possible answers. Until we have more clarity I feel we should all move very slowly. There are unintended consequences to all actions and to move with haste will surely produce waste if not catastrophe.

Again I go to the question....what does God think about all of this? I think He may be amused at our uproar over this issue. Again I cannot speak for God but He must wonder about our dependence on answers from our government to this complex issue. Life is truly a short season and He numbers our days and He has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us. Our hope is in Him alone. In the meantime we will all sit and watch the debate....but it is comforting to know that He is in control.

OBITS

I have always had a fascination with Obituaries posted in newspapers. Not sure why but since I was a young man I have read them with interest. Of course some of it is to make sure my name is not listed but also I try to keep up with those I know personally. Hopefully their names will not appear anytime soon. I confess that I go online everyday to my hometown newspaper...the Morning News of Northwest Arkansas. On many days I recognize one of my old friends or friends of friends or friends of my family. On a few days I have read of the passing of my own family members. It is also interesting that since moving to Georgia some five years ago I know few if any persons that make the obits page. I guess it comes down to living in a place for several decades before you actually know folks who make the page.

Now to what has intrigued me lately in obits from papers locally as well as my hometown newspaper. It is that with the passing of many folks there is no service planned. Most are cremated and they say there will be a service held at a later date. I really wonder if they ever have a service to commemorate the passing of a loved one. I also wonder if it is the economy that has caused this frequent choice of how to handle a deceased loved one? No casket, so service, no plot....just an urn placed on the fireplace or the ashes thrown to the four winds. In any case it makes one stop and think about what we should do when the death of one close to us occurs?

Many of the elderly (I don't count myself as one yet) go to extreme means to plan their funerals. They pick the hymns, what they will wear, who will preach the funeral, the pallbearers, the flowers, etc.... they call this a prudent practice, in that your bereaved loved ones will not have to make all these hard decisions. Having gone through this with my mom I can somewhat agree. I know my dad wants one song played at his funeral "It's party time" I can't quite bring myself to request this song and in fact I am not sure who sings this song.

On a more serious note, I have participated as a speaker at both of my grandmothers funerals as well as the funeral for my mom. It is interesting that I was never asked to speak at the funeral of my grandfathers? I have spoken at the funeral of a dear friend of mine. I am in the camp that feels we should hold a service for the deceased. I am not really sure about the cremation thing....I know that the spirit is not present with the body and that the body is simply an empty shell but I don't find anywhere in my reading of scripture that defines what we are to do. I do know that in the day of Christ that bodies were placed in a tomb and that they were wrapped in burial cloths and fragrances. I am not sure that there is anything at all wrong with cremation as it somewhat gives closure to the loved one we mourn. I know that when my mom died I thought many times about her in a cold grave and it truly bothered me though I know it shouldn't have as I know she was in heaven and the body was truly a shell. Still it bothers you to think about it.

I have noticed here in the south that visitations are huge and that funerals can have as many as four or five pastors to deliver one to the final resting place ( I don't really think of the grave as a resting place). I have also noted that decoration day is huge here in the south. Back home in Arkansas it is a little less elaborate but is still celebrated. There is a lot of grave visiting by my relatives in Arkansas and I too have visited my mom's grave on more than one occasion. I am not sure of the benefit other than to one's own soul.

I'll close here with my thoughts on funerals....many pastors think that this should be a time to present the gospel and scare the "hell" out of people. I believe that it should be a celebration of a life. It should be held to bring comfort to a family and help them remember the good times. It should include joyous music and even some laughter. At the same time it should recall the good things the person who has passed accomplished. It should note the Christian attributes in the persons life as well as the story of how they found God and there is nothing at all wrong with urging those in attendance to find this same peace. It is a sad occasion when the one who passed never knew God and it is difficult to celebrate at this service. It is important that all men come to know the Saviour as we all must face this day at some point. I do feel saddened when I read that no services are planned as I feel the folks involved have nothing to celebrate. I do know the maker of life, the preserver of life, the redeemer of life and while I in no way hasten my death I think I can face it realizing that it is a part of living.

North Point Online

North Point Online hey guys....go to link and view the new upcoming event for our church. We will begin a church on line beginning August 16th. The online church will be from our Buckhead campus and be an actual live worship service beginning at 6:00 PM every Sunday. It will include worship etc...it will be great for anyone including small groups etc.....we invite you to give it a try.