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Singing The Star-Spangled Banner in the UK

4th of JulyThe 4th of July, a.k.a. Independence Day, is just two days away and very difficult to celebrate in the United Kingdom. Just think about that for a second and you’ll understand why. We have missed this bit of Americana for the past four years, but we do love what God has called us to do here, so we’re not complaining.

Last night I heard “The Star-Spangled Banner” sung by an American church choir in our small town of Pontypridd, South Wales. Since I organized the event, I already knew that there would be two choirs—a Gospel choir from the Atlanta area and the Pontypridd Male Voice Choir—and that the audience would be singing the national anthems for America and Wales. It was the first time I have ever attempted to sing the Welsh Anthem, “Land of My Fathers,” in Welsh and it was also the first time I have heard my national anthem in the United Kingdom.

What I didn’t expect was the emotional response that surfaced from within. I almost lost it. Seriously. Having grown up in the Deep South and having served my country voluntarily during the Vietnam War, I have always been deeply patriotic at the display of the nation’s flag at American football events, school functions, parades, and other special occasions where the National Anthem was sung with hands over hearts or salutes by uniformed military personnel. We have now lived on foreign soil for over four years, so perhaps it’s just that I never hear the anthem or see the flag in our new home.

To top things off, the Welsh choir performed Elvis Presley’s version of American Trilogy that begins with the words of “Dixie” and then transitions through two more songs: “All My Trials, Lord” and “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” By the end of the concert, I was an emotional, patriotic wreck—in a good way—and it reminded me just how much my American heritage means to me.

Have a great Fourth of July celebration!

Posted 02 July 2008 § Daily Scribe § Personal § United Kingdom ‡ Comments (2) °

You might be lukewarm if . . .

A thought-provoking, soul-searching list of eighteen signs that characterize the lukewarm Christian. Distilled from Francis Chan’s book entitled Crazy Love.

1. Lukewarm people attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe “good Christians” do, so they go. Isaiah 29:13

2. Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so, After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right? 1 Chronicles 21:24, Luke 21:1-4

3. Lukewarm people tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives. Luke 6:26, Revelation 3:1, Matthew 23:5-7

4. Lukewarm people don’t really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. They don’t genuinely hate sin and aren’t truly sorry for it; they’re merely sorry because God is going to Continue Reading »

Posted 02 July 2008 § Miscellaneous ‡ Comments (2) °

How should Christians vote in November?

Image © iStockPhotoThe 56th American presidential election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 4, 2008; and nearly everyone has an opinion about Barack Obama and John McCain, the apparent nominees for the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively. Quite a diverse field of third party contenders are lining up as well, hoping to snag a few votes and produce a couple of sound bites, but I doubt anyone considers them serious challengers to the two major parties.

A friend on mine suggests that choosing a presidential candidate in November may involve selecting “The Lesser of Two Evils,” but I’m not so sure I agree. Reading the responses to his article, I found myself drawn into the discussion and I posted a response that I thought might be worth posting here with a few modifications.

I don’t understand why many conservative evangelicals feel as if they must vote for a candidate (whether for President or a local sheriff) “who reflects godly values.” Do we take the same position when it comes to choosing a cardiac surgeon, a lawyer, a plumber, or a barber? No! Most people just want someone with experience and training to do the job!

There’s nothing in the United States Constitution that requires a president to give allegiance to God at all; and our obligations as Christians are to submit, to give respect, and to honor the elected officials who rule over us (1 Peter 2:13-17). Paul even says they are God’s servants, ordained by Him and granted the power to govern for our good (Romans 13:1-7).

Maybe it’s too difficult for Christians to assess a candidate’s ability to govern; therefore, the election becomes a “spiritual beauty pageant” where the person with the most “godly values” wins the vote of evangelical Christians. I don’t need someone sitting in the Oval Office who thinks exactly like I do on a laundry list of moral issues: I want someone who can lead the nation in what has to be the most complex and difficult environment on the planet.

Writing in your own candidate is a wasted vote, in my opinion, and simply a form of protest against our present party system that has chosen ballot contenders for our nation’s entire history. You might as well not vote. Or you could do your homework, choose the best candidate, and trust Paul’s words in Romans 13:1, “The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Then pray for that leader while serving his/her term, whether Republican, Democrat, or independent.

Posted 27 June 2008 § Daily Scribe § Fundamentalism § Personal § Politics ‡ Comments (9) °

Approaching the empty nest

Dan & JenThings are moving quickly right now. Three weeks from today, I’ll be walking our youngest daughter down the aisle of an evangelical church in Cardiff. She met a young Welshman three years ago at a Christian conference in Aberystwyth and they’ve been engaged for eighteen months. After the wedding, they will be setting up house about ten miles away and begin a new life together.

So our nest is almost empty. Raising four children has been a real challenge that began in 1980, so we’re talking about a twenty-eight year investment that we trust will continue to pay handsome dividends until the final chapter of our lives. Our slobbering, smelly, clumsy toddlers have grown into responsible adults who are finding their own way in life, fully potty-trained and able to dress and feed themselves. It has been an amazing, joyful, though sometimes terrifying experience.

I’m sure the next chapter holds just as many surprises, but right now I have a father-of-the-bride speech to write, an interesting cultural difference from the typical American wedding. I’m not sure what to say, or if I’ll even be able to say it when the time comes. If things get quiet here over the next couple of weeks, you’ll know what I’m working on.

Posted 21 June 2008 § Daily Scribe § Personal § Wales ‡ Comments (0) °

Louie Giglio: Laminin molecule declares God’s glory

I had never heard of Louie Giglio until today, but I ran across the following clip from one of his messages on “How Great is Our God.” If there had been no video, I would have sworn that I was listening to John Piper: the voice and the style sounds exactly like him, even Piper’s trademark usage of hyphenated phrases. Giglio is a powerful communicator, but more importantly he speaks of the power of God’s glory in His creation.

(HT: Micah Fries)

Posted 11 June 2008 § Creation § Daily Scribe ‡ Comments (2) °

Anglican Bishop compares global warming opponents to incestuous Austrian father

Aberystwyth Sea FrontSo you’re having second thoughts about global warming? Not convinced by Al Gore or a growing number of scientists that climate change is being brought about by the human contribution to carbon emissions? Then you’re no better than Josef Fritzl, according to the Church of England’s Bishop of Stafford, Gordon Mursell. Horrific stories have surrounded Fritzl, the Austrian father who allegedly locked his daughter in a sound-proof, underground cell for twenty-four years and fathered numerous children with her while he frolicked in holiday resorts in Thailand. But to make his point in a recent pastoral letter, Bishop Mursell writes:

And yet Josef Fritzl represents merely the most extreme form of a very common philosophy of life: I will do what makes me happy, and if that causes others to suffer, hard luck. In fact you could argue that, by our refusal to face the truth about climate change, we are as guilty as he is—we are in effect locking our children and grandchildren into a world with no future and throwing away the key. We are right to be disgusted at these crimes. Continue Reading »

Posted 08 June 2008 § Culture § Daily Scribe § Environmental Issues ‡ Comments (4) °