TALK LESS! PRAY MORE! The Silence

Too many Christians believe turning the other cheek means keeping a stiff upper lip and yielding ground to a bully. Wearing a a "grin and bear it" grimace, silent saints suffer, in self-imposed exile, in their own nation. They have lost their voice in the culture wars, not from the hoarseness derived from spirited debate, but from a self-inflicted gag order.

 The right to vote is one of those private expressions that is still available to a Christian citizen in what remains of a republican (small "r") form of government.  Some voices within the church, oozing with misplaced mercy and ill-advised counsel, attempt to convince Christians that mobilizing their base to vote is form of bullying.  Express personal convictions based on the Word of God has become the latest form of hate speech in those outside of the church. Both of these positions take separation of church and state to whole new levels of absurdity. impotency. God-given rights should not be taken lightly, nor given up easily. Deluded expressions of benign piety or a misguided spirit of self-resignation are poor substitutes and expressions of contemporary Christian citizenship. 

Politicians bow down to the culture bullies because they know half of all Christians in America don't register to vote. They are also aware that half of those registered to vote will never cast a ballot. Political figures are merely actors on a stage, performing a script written by the audience. They are not influenced by those who speak up, but they pay close attention to those who show up.

 Politicians look at a petition presented by a group of Christians, and they divide by four. Remember your fractions? One half of one half is one-fourth. When they see a small group of protesters, with a reputation for contributing big money and consistently casting ballots, they multiply by ten. Christians don't influence politicians by raising their voices, signing petitions and eating more chicken. They do it by registering to vote and casting ballots. There is a huge difference between symbolism and substance. Politicians pay lip service to the former, and pay attention to the latter. 

All that glitters isn't gold and silence isn't golden, when it is just plain yellow. Color blind Christians are too often perceived as cowards, and seldom considered a constituency. Perception is the cruelest form of truth, but the truth is that this perception will not change until  Christians leaders stop focusing on policy initiatives, press releases, and photo -ops. Politicians do not fear the turn of a phrase or the next leadership summit. They fear voter turnout. Mobilizing pastors to inform and inspire their people to register to vote and to enter the voting booth to express their Biblical convictions is not complicated. It is consistent with the Scriptural admonition for  Christians to be salt and light in a tasteless and sightless world.  

The voting booth and the prayer closet have one thing is common. SILENCE. Politicians listen to the faintest whisper of the voting booth. God inclines to hear the cries of His children rising up to Him from their prayer closets.  Votes are heard in Washington D.C., but prayers are answered in Heaven. 

Bullies fear votes. Satan fears prayer. The Soul of America is impacted by both. Cast yours.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

Dr. Gary Miller,

www.garydonmiller.com

Twitter@garydonmiller

gmillerlight@gmail.com

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE! The Father

"It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, 'Lord, teach us to pray...'" Luke 11:1 

"One of the disciples..." Not a committee, nor a convention or a called solemn assembly. One. Just one. All it takes is one. What a contribution to the world that one unnamed disciple made to the cause of intercessory prayer and world evangelism.  If that one person had not asked, would we know that prayer always points us  back home? One disciple, and two little words unleashed the power of Heaven... "Our Father." Lord, do it again!

Prayer and my Heavenly Father are virtually inseparable. On this Father's Day morning, it is a gentle reminder to me that my earthly father pointed me in the same direction. He has always maintained the same connection. I am grateful today for my father, my Dad, Don Miller.

Don Miller was raised in Pennsylvania. His family came from sturdy stock. From his father's side, Puritan ancestors came from England to the shores of Connecticut. Their arrival predates 1635. They were on the wrong side of history in their native land, when the royals came back in power. Their chosen form of worship put them at odds with the law. They left everything behind, and they came to America. By 1640, they crossed the Long Island sound and established the first English speaking church on the eastern end of "The Island."  From his mother's side, his root system goes back to Germany and the Thirty Year's War. His people came to Pennsylvania on a circuitous route that took them from Hesse, to Ireland, across the Atlantic to Philadelphia and westward into what became Columbia County. They were hardy Lutheran lumbermen who built strong churches and covered wooden bridges that still stand in that heavily timbered part of the nation.

World War II interrupted the plans of millions of young Americans. When the Japanese bombs landed on ships in Pearl Harbor, Dad was a DJ at WKOK Sunbury, PA. He had developed a huge interest in drama while in high school, and had his eye on a career in radio or the stage. He was gifted with one of those "Columbia School of Broadcasting" voices that were so popular back in the day. In his high school yearbook, his class-mates predicted he would have a future in directing and producing 3-D movies. What a difference a war makes.

In May of 1943, stationed as an Army Air Corps cadet in Monroe, Louisiana,  Dad came to know Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. His Reformed root system was rich and filled with the legacy of great personal sacrifice of those who gave him a start in this nation. Yet, it was a simple Gospel sermon, by Dr. L.T. Hastings of the First Baptist Church of Monroe, LA. that led him to an awareness of his lost condition. Dad had been invited to attend church on Sunday morning by another service man from Alabama. Later that day they were seated outside on the steps of the tar paper shack barracks of Selman Field. They were talking about what they had heard the preacher say about the love of God. Dad reached out his hand and said to his army buddy, "I don't know how to do this, but if you will take my hand, let's shake on it. Let's agree to take that preacher at his word, and accept it as fact God loves us and is willing to forgive our sin." They shook hands. Dad was saved. They never saw each other again. The rest,as they say, is history.

The saving grace of Christ is such a mystery, but it is no less real than the breath in a man's lungs. It gives life. It forgives sin. It bears fruit. It is hard to determine when it begins in the lives of some, but it always gives evidence that it is there. Dad's life was no different. He shared with the Baptist preacher what he had done, and Dr. L.T. Hastings encouraged him to make his public profession of faith in Jesus. His signature on the certificate indicates he baptized Dad on May 6, 1943. On that same day, my father was called to preach. He has been doing it for almost seven decades. Thousands more have turned to the saving knowledge of Jesus as a result of that one hand shake. What was shaken on those barrack steps was sealed in the halls of Heaven. What a story!

As the war drew to a close, God's calling on Dad's life turned his thoughts towards college. Dr. W.A. Criswell, pastor of First Baptist Church of Muskogee, Oklahoma, directed Dad towards Baylor University and away from Bob Jones College. Credit belongs to Dr. C for turning our family into Texans. The "G.I. Bill" opened a door for an education. It had never been an option before the war. Dad became the first person in his family to graduate from college, since they left Europe. God bless America!

Dad met my mother in the First Baptist Church of Monroe in 1944. She was singing in the choir, when she heard him preach for the first time. Mom said he was a wild man, moving all over the stage. He had the congregation laughing, and crying. His stage presence was a bit over the top and pretty over-whelming to her. She had not seen his year book yet. He had a flair for the dramatic. Long story short, she fell in love with the wild man.

Dad and Mom partnered together for over 30  years as he served as pastor, home missionary, itinerant evangelist and church planter. God used all of that experience to turn Dad's heart for prayer into another phase of ministry.For 33 years, 1977-2010, Bible Based Ministries took Dad and my mother into a thousand churches, 48 states, and every continent. The videos of his prayer conference, distributed by Texas Baptist Men, went even farther. Their little house on the East Side of Ft. Worth became Prayer Central. Today the Don Miller Prayer Conference has been produced in a DVD format by his dear friend, Dr. Steve Gaines of Bellvue Baptist Church of Memphis, TN.  This has assured Dad's legacy of personal prayer and passion for intercession within the church will continue for decades to come.

An interesting side note: The Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention appointed Dad to lead out in Pioneer Missions and plant churches on Long Island in 1960. He remained on "The Island" until 1977. He was pastor of one of those churches he planted in Suffolk County from 1966-1977. Only recently did we discover his early ancestors planted the first English speaking church on Long Island in 1640...on Suffolk County. Dad had come full circle.You can't make this stuff up.

Still, the greatest legacy my Dad has given to me is his consistent and passionate heart for prayer. His first words of every prayer he prays are, "Holy Father."  On this "Father's Day" I am grateful for my father's love for me. He has always been a father who would hear me out, and not shout me down. I know he has not always agreed with me, but I have had confidence that he has always prayed for me. That is not wishful thinking. It is a fact based on the experience of having him pray with me. He has taught me to give God elbow room in the face of every impossible situation. He has shown me the wisdom to slow down to the Spirit's pace, to step back and to watch God do the HIMpossible. He has shown me how prayer is the way back home to The Father's arms for every lost child. By his own example, Dad has shown me how prayer is the only way to place a man-sized problem in The Father's hands for a God-sized solution. Dad has shown me how prayer provides rest, but that it is not for the lazy man. Prayer leads to rest by Releasing Every Single Thing into The Father's hands and leaving the results up to Him.

Happy Father's Day! Dad. Thank you for reaching out your hand to The Father 69 years ago. I join thousands of grateful people you have taught to call out to "Our Father."  Thanks for showing us the way home.

As always, I am proud to be called...

Your son,

Gary Don Miller
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!
www.garydonmiller.com
gmillerlight@gmail.com

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE! The Comforter

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE! The Elbow

"And behold two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus...and they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place. Jesus Himself approached and began travelling with them...And He said to them, 'What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?'...One of them...answered Him and said, 'Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of these things which have happened here in these days.' And He said to them, 'What things?'" Luke 24:13-35

There is a huge difference between talking and praying. Talk loses perspective in the white water rapids of a rocky river turning it into foaming flow of perpetual whine. The process of talking oneself through a crisis never ends well. It usually provides more hot air that expands and thickens the fog of confusion. Prayer clears the air and places the outcome of the crisis into the hands of the only one who can make sense out of it.

When the two disciples walked the seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus, they were on a downhill slide, geographically and spiritually.  They had been witnesses to a very emotionally draining and defeating experience. "These things which had taken place" were filled with the drama and trauma that included the betrayal, arrest, trial, scourging, death march and crucifixion of their friend, Jesus. All their hopes and dreams had been crushed under the heavy hand of religious bureaucracy, and the clenched fist of Roman authority. They were in no mood for chit chat and not inclined to suffer fools gladly.

"Jesus Himself approached and began travelling with them" serves as a reminder that He does not wait to be invited to a crisis. He shows up to make sense out of it.  These victims were overwhelmed by defeat, but they were only a breath away from The Victor over death, hell and the grave. Talking among themselves had left them breathless and hopeless. Talk is never cheap if it costs a person the breath of life. Prayer is the breath of Heaven. It provides fresh air for the journey and hope for the destination.

Jesus knows the difference between talking an praying. Notice how He gently elbowed His way into the conversation these two people were having about their crisis. "What are these words which you are exchanging with one another?" They had been talking to one another for seven miles, but no closer to Jesus than when they had started. Talk leaves a victim out of step with Jesus, and on a slippery slope to despair. Prayer transforms despair into desperation. It turns a crisis over to Jesus, and He reveals God's direction, protection and correction.

When Jesus elbowed into their independent lecture series on their crisis, He was attempting to get them to talk to Him, not about Him. This shift in priorities provoked one of the distraught disciples to spit back sarcastically, "Are you the only one...unaware of these things which have happened here in these days?" It was not very prayerful, but it was natural.  Prolonged pain poisons a person's heart and sharpens their tongue into a viper's sting.

Rather than take offense at the remark, Jesus responded, "What things?" Now that His elbow had broken   up their discussion among themselves, He wanted them to pour out their pain filled heart to Him. What flowed out was a laundry list of past offenses. They were so focused on the past that they were unable to see Jesus in the present. Prayer puts intimidated people and circumstances in the proper perspective. Those who are intimate with God are seldom intimidated by anything or anyone else. Jesus heard them out, and then reminded them of the promises in the Word of God. When he had finished, He had made sense out of what had happened to them.

"It is amazing what God can do with a broken heart if you give Him all the pieces." Samuel Chadwick

After Jesus completed His walk through the Scriptures, Luke's account records that He acted as if He would go farther down the road. With a fire in their heart ignited by their companion, the disciples strongly urged Him, "Stay with us!"


What initially felt like an intruding elbow had become a helping hand. Jesus chose to stay with them and share a meal.  As He blessed the bread, they saw Him as The Risen Christ. They couldn't wait to get back up hill, the seven miles to Jerusalem, to let the rest of the disciples know, Jesus is alive. Prayer will do that every time. Prayer resurrects hope by taking the worst thing that can happen to a person and placing it in the hands of The One who can make the best out of it.

When Jesus ascended to Heaven, He told his disciples to go to Jerusalem, and to wait and pray for The Promise of the Father. Ten days later in an upper room, 120 people were filled with the Holy Spirit. Moments later the church was birthed through the power of Spirit-filled preaching.

The church was never designed to function without prayer. It began in the climate of prayer and will always be breathless without it. The voice of a prayerless church will become a faint whisper that is easily shouted down by the enemy. Prayer is the breath of Heaven and the hope of the church. Without unceasing and life-giving prayer, the church will never thrive, nor will it even survive.

The Holy Spirit of Christ now lives to give the church "The Elbow."  He encourages the church individually and corporately to give God elbow room in the middle of any and every crisis. Prayer turns Impossible into HIMpossible by overwhelming the big "I" with "HIM." Take a deep breath and  TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

BTW: If you liked "The Tebow" you are going to love "The Elbow."

Dr. Gary Miller
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!
gmillerlight@gmail.com
www.garydonmiller.com
Twitter@garydonmiller

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE! The Elbow Draft

"Call unto Me, and I will show you great and mighty things which you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3

"And it shall be that before they call I will answer..." Isaiah 65:24

"With men it is impossible, but with God all things are possible." MT 19:26

"If you live in Me (abide vitally united to Me) and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you." John 15:7

"Pray at all times in the Spirit." Ephesians 6:18

"When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their distress and troubles." PS 34:17

"In the day of my trouble I will call on You, for You will answer me." PS 86:7

"He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him in trouble..." PS 91:15

"O Lord You have heard the desire and the longing of the humble and oppressed." PS 10:17

"What things?" LK 24 Jesus

"God intervenes in the affairs of man." Ben Franklin addressing the Constitutional Congress

Prayer gives God elbow room. If you liked "The Tebow," you're going to love "The Elbow."

The gentle touch of The Holy Spirit is the tip of the spear of God's powerful elbow intended to move us out of the driver's seat and to turn to Him as the source for all direction, protection and correction.

"So too the Holy Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness, ..." Romans 8:26

"O my God, incline Your ear and hear, open Your eyes and look at our desolation." Daniel 9:18

"What are these things which you are talking about?

The Risen Christ interrupted the downward spiral of confusion and chaos. He was there before they prayed. He was there before they saw Him.

Caught up in the waves of the stormy past, this couple could not see The  Risen Christ in the present.

"Prayer is the intimate communication between the Heavenly Father and His child." Don Miller

"It is amazing what God can do with a broken heart, if you give Him all the pieces." Samuel Chadwick

Home > Faiths & Practices > The Founding Faith Archive

Benjamin Franklin's Request for Prayers at the Constitutional Convention

Benjamin Franklin
July 28, 1787

 

The Constitutional Convention had been meeting for five weeks, and had hit a perilous deadlock. The large states were insisting that congressional representation be based on population; the smaller states wanted a one-state-one-vote rule. The entire effort to create a stronger union was in jeopardy. Eighty-one-year-old Benjamin Franklin, quiet during most of the deliberations, then addressed the group. According to James Madison's notes, here is what happened next.

Mr. President

The small progress we have made after 4 or five weeks close attendance & continual reasonings with each other-our different sentiments on almost every question, several of the last producing as many noes as ays, is methinks a melancholy proof of the imperfection of the Human Understanding. We indeed seem to feel our own want of political wisdom, since we have been running about in search of it. We have gone back to ancient history for models of Government, and examined the different forms of those Republics which having been formed with the seeds of their own dissolution now no longer exist. And we have viewed Modern States all round Europe, but find none of their Constitutions suitable to our circumstances.

In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings? In the beginning of the Contest with G. Britain, when we were sensible of danger we had daily prayer in this room for the divine protection.- Our prayers, Sir, were heard, & they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending providence in our favor.

I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?

To that kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? or do we imagine that we no longer need his assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that "except the Lord build the House they labour in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and bye word down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing Governments by Human wisdom and leave it to chance, war and conquest.

I therefore beg leave to move-that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the Clergy of this City be requested to officiate in that Service-

Mr. SHARMAN seconded the motion.

Mr. HAMILTON & several others expressed their apprehensions that however proper such a resolution might have been at the beginning of the convention, it might at this late day, I. bring on it some disagreeable animadversions. & 2. lead the public to believe that the embarrassments and dissensions within the Convention, had suggested this measure. It was answered by Docr. F. Mr. SHERMAN & others, that the past omission of a duty could not justify a further omission-that the rejection of such a proposition would expose the Convention to more unpleasant animadversions than the adoption of it: and that the alarm out of doors that might be excited for the state of things within, would at least be as likely to do good as ill.

Mr. WILLIAMSON, observed that the true cause of the omission could not be mistaken. The Convention had no funds.

Mr. RANDOLPH proposed in order to give a favorable aspect to ye. measure, that a sermon be preached at the request of the convention on 4th of July, the anniversary of Independence; & thenceforward prayers be used in ye. Convention every morning. Dr. FRANKn. 2ded. this motion After several unsuccessful attempts for silently postponing the matter by adjourng. the adjournment was at length carried, without any vote on the motion.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE! The Exchange

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it (for death or life)." Proverbs 18:21 AMP

A difference of opinion can lead to a heated exchange of words with another person. Don't believe me? Walk into a sports bar anywhere in the southern United States, between August and January,and shout out either, "S-E-C!"or "A-C-C!" Expect to split the house and to leave with a split lip. People can go crazy when they are confronted by someone who disagrees with them. Warning Alert: On second thought, you will get this same response on the days ending in "Y"...any month of the year in the South.

Even at the lofty summit of a Presidential debate, grudge matches often break out between half wits lobbing verbal grenades at one another. More decorum can be found in a caged monkey fight at the zoo. Shedding more heat than light on any and every issue generates a great deal of perspiration, but very little inspiration.  By the time the "debate" is over, no one is calling for an encore. The mud slinging, and throwing of rotten fruit often misses the intended target, and leaves the audience ready for a hot shower. Watching grown ups behave like children is always a mind-numbing and life-sapping experience.

Talk radio, smart phones, Facebook posts, the blogosphere, internet links and email connections have widened the circle of offense to a whole new world, and raised offensive speech to a whole new level. Now the potential for relentless and meaningless conflict over any issue is virtually endless. Time and space no longer limit the soap box speech or the school yard challenge, "I dare you to knock this chip off my shoulder." The internet highway is grid-locked with heavy traffic and it is filled with road rage.

The arena makes no difference. People only hear what you say, but they are changed by what you pray. Daily conflict often takes place between a parent and a child. The wise person decides early on to take the high ground rather than the low road in these sparring matches. The adult in the room chooses to exchange what is the least effective for the greater good. Shouting down a child rarely raises them to a greater level of appreciation for the louder argument, but it is a short cut to resentment. Enforcing rules that are never reinforced with prayer support usually leads to rebellion.

Children are able to recall, vividly, the phrase their parents would use when they were on their last nerve and about to lose their grip on an argument. It was a desperate grasp at the last straw a battle-fatigued parent could find.  The child immediately vowed never to sink so low to ever say to one of their own, "Because I said so!"  BTW: This may be the most commonly broken vow in the world. "Because I said so" remains the  last gasp and the final refuge of a breathless parent engaged in an endless argument with a relentless child.

Proverbs warns about the powerful impact words can have. They have the capacity to inflict death-dealing wounds or to provide life-giving blood transfusions. The context of Proverbs 18:21 indicates words produce fruit. The difference between life-giving and death-bearing fruit is determined by whether they are used to poison or to prune. Pruning appears to cut a fruit-bearing plant down, but it is actually giving it life. Poison kills everything it touches. Pruning is a necessary part of the development of the nature of the fruit. It only removes what is not necessary for the improvement of the plant. The loss of limbs and leaves makes room for superior fruit.

Training should never be confused with abusive speech that cuts a child down to size or makes them into the parent's own image. Wise words help a child clear away the clutter from their lives, and embrace what God created and intended them to be.


"Train up a child in the way he should go and in keeping with his individual gift or bent and when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6 AMP

Parents can be comforted by remembering children are a gift from the Lord.  The gift packages often come with scary paper and strange ribbon that God used to wrap them. It is not surprising that at times even the best parents feel the urge to stamp on their child's forehead, "Return to Sender!" Desperation is often the most powerful preparation for mobilization. Parents who choose to be mobilized to pray for, with and over their children are less likely to be traumatized by them.

Training up a child in the way God means for them to go, means giving up the tendency to live one's life through a child. There is no virtue in treating a child like a pet on a leash, or a pawn on a board for one's own personal amusement, aggrandizement, or fulfillment. God does not intend for parents to live through their children, but to listen to Him. God has chosen parents to raise up the next generation of leaders who need to be filled with His character. He is calling on parents at all times of the day and night to pray for their children. It is never too early and seldom too late for a child to be able to hear from Him. Wise parenting agrees with God's sense of direction for a child. When these world's collide, prayer transforms a parent's good idea into an agreement with God's idea for their child. When Jesus prayed, His time alone with God turned "My will" into "Thy will." It will do it every time.

"Discernment is God's call for intercession, never fault-finding." Oswald Chambers

When children hear a parent talk to them, they hear what they say. When children hear a parent pray for them, they hear from God. Prayer is life-giving and death-defying, and should become the parent's life breath.  The wise parent takes a deep breath and exchanges talking to their child, for praying for their child. There is no perfect time of the day or night to pray for a child. They need it 24/7. It is impossible to start too early and it is never too late to begin. Prayer uses the breath that is available, and seizes the teachable moment. Remember, the best preparation for prayer is desperation. Most people believe they are not prepared to pray, and keep postponing it until they feel better equipped. The wise parent puts prayer into action with the resources at hand.  If there is breath in your lungs, take heart...Your walk with God is the next 20 seconds. When you use up what God has given you, take another breath. Prayer doesn't have to be perfect for it to work. It just has to be done. Keep breathing and keep praying.

 "Halitosis is better than no breath at all." Dr. Bill Hendricks

Before you exchange the gift God has given you, make sure you have read the directions. The next time you are at the "Complaint Department" trade in your talk before you give up on your child. The operation manual is not complicated, and it will show how to turn poison into pruning and death into life.  TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

Gary Miller
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE! Ministries
gmillerlight@gmail.com
www.garydonmiller.com
Twitter@garydonmiller

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE! The Line

"He who is not with Me is against Me and he who does not gather with Me scatters." Matthew 12:30


As a native son of Texas, I have always been mesmerized by a story told about Col. William Barrett Travis. He was described as taking his sword and drawing a line in the sand, in front of the remaining battle weary veterans of the siege of the Alamo. In the final hours of the 13 day siege of March 1836, Travis gave the defenders of the mission a choice. They had to choose between taking a chance at escaping through the Mexican lines or accepting their fate. They would eventually be faced by an overwhelming attack of the enemy. The story tells of the bed-ridden Jim Bowie asking to be carried across the line so he could join his comrades. Revisionists have tried to discredit the accuracy of the story and to devalue the the sacrifice that followed. Be that as it may, everyone agrees that not one of those who chose to stay survived to tell if the story was accurate or not. They stayed and died, line or no line. "The rest", as they say, "...is history."

If history cannot be changed, it certainly can be revised to make it more politically correct. Truth often becomes a pawn in any cultural chess game between two opposing view points. As the stakes get higher and the resentment intensifies, players evolve into combatants willing to go to the mat. The game turns into a death match in the arena of ideas. The end of the evolutionary process is a revolutionary conflict that takes no prisoners.

It has never been appropriate to use the bully pulpit as a catalytic converter to sound an alarm by raising a false dilemma. Neither should it be a platform for raising revenue for every cultural cause or legitimate concern under the sun.  Over the past 30 years, the family policy boys have raised a great deal of concern, and a ton of money. They call for prayers to go to God, but they ask for all the checks to be sent to them. After all is said and done, more has been said than done.

He who dies on every cross is sure to live a very short life.  The more seasoned veterans of the culture wars realize they can only die on one cross, not one at a time...just one. They choose wisely, giving their lives to one great cause. Paul came to a similar singular conclusion, when he said, "This one thing I do." (Philippians 3:13)  His statement is a far cry from the muddled thinking, politically correct posturing and mixed up priorities of contemporary Christian leaders. It can be said of those who spread themselves a mile wide and an inch deep racing to get to any open microphone to speak on every "passion of the month,"..."These many things I dabble at."

Culture warriors from the left and the right constantly shout, "Do the right thing!" They bully those who resist them with the dire warning that to do less is to risk coming down on the wrong side of history. The issues change, but the rhetoric doesn't.  The problem with doing the right thing is made more difficult by the consequences that come from purging the concept of right and wrong from the arena of ideas. For decades situation ethics, moral relativism, cultural diversity, and Biblical illiteracy have been brewing in the body politic. The result is a toxic "Molotav" cocktail that has been ignited into a combustible creation of chaos and confusion over right and wrong.

God is no longer considered to be the absolute authority of what is right and wrong, so that leaves man-made law as the final line drawn between two opposing forces. The fallacy of this concept is exposed when the line keeps moving, mobilized by every whim of public opinion, and fed by the latest celebrity endorsement. The mirage of evolving to a higher level of understanding, by lowering the standard of living at the same time, is nothing new. The ancient people of Israel were admonished to avoid making up life as they went along or making God in their own image. As they prepared themselves to enter the land of Promise, they were warned about the danger of buying into the deeply ingrained lies of the pagan cultures they would encounter. They would be tempted to believe God was holding out on them, and denying their right of free expression.  God's people have always benefited from timely warnings to stop taking themselves so seriously.  Light-weight anchor points of personal preference and public opinion are poor substitutes for God's moral compass.


"You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes." Deuteronomy 12:8


Even after the people of Israel settled into the land God gave them, they still had a tendency to ignore His advice. When they became their own standard of right and wrong, it was never a pretty picture. God has never been pleased by looking at people who are full of themselves. Loving His creation did not lead God to leave them alone. Accepting people for who they are should never be confused with a benign neglect that leaves them just the way they are, separated from God.  Those who set themselves up as the final authority  should take no compliment nor receive any commendation for behavior that can be described as...

"Every man did what was right in his own eyes." Judges 17:6 & 21:25

The ancient Hebrews were not ignorant of the truth. As direct descendants of the families who received "The Ten Commandments," they knew God's Word. They just didn't want to be bound to it. By their own willful disobedience, they turned God's commandments from a moral imperative to a nostalgic list of "Ten Suggestions." The silver lining in this cloud of corporate confusion was their full knowledge that God existed, and that He had a set of laws for them to follow. They were not atheists, secularists, humanists, or agnostics with no deep belief in God. They were revolutionists leading a rebellion against God's authority over them.  The history of redemption is filled with testimonies of people who turned from God, but returned to HIS Story.  When people come to the end of themselves, and get turned around, they are restored to right standing with God. This is the only way for them to land on the right side of HIS Story. 

Today the contemporary culture has been stripped of a belief in God. There is no respect for, or even a basic knowledge of what He said. Based on the elevated virtue of the evolution of the open mind, what was once considered wrong is now considered right. Once the stigma of wrong is removed, it is a brief slide down the slippery slope for a right that was once considered to be wrong to evolve into a civil right.

Perhaps the most heart-breaking evolution in the 21st Century is revealed by the following statistic. Over 80 percent of the young people who have attended evangelical churches, never return after they turn 18 years of age. Something is terribly foreboding about that stat, as it is applied to the church. The impact of it is equally alarming when  it is played out in contemporary culture. Those who reject the relevance of the church eventually discard the Word of God as the final authority on moral standards or social contracts.

It should come as no surprise that there is a rising tide of support for the expression of open-mindedness. Tolerance for the rights of those engaged in a host of detours from Biblical standards of morality is the new expression of Christian compassion and courage. Even those who were once considered orthodox Christians have felt comfortable redefining the meaning of Christ follower, and redesigning the image of God. Priority is now placed on being open-minded to behavior that God clearly defined as sin. Great effort is made to avoid appearing as a judge of behavior that doesn't appear to the fellowship of the evolved to do them any harm. They have traded a public expression of honor, for the image of God, for one that elevates their own self-image. The Holy has been kicked to the curb by the hip. In a culture that considers advocates of God's absolutes to be bigots, Christians are under mounting pressure to just keep their opinions to themselves. Even churches are no longer a safe place to expect God's Word to get a fair hearing. It is ransacked for references that are taken out of context to ridicule any effort to give what God calls right the respect it deserves.  Social network sites are the new bully pulpits for social justice.The internet, Facebook, Main Stream Media polls, Twitter, and the blogosphere give critics of God's standards a powerful and relentless public forum, but they are not holding sway in the privacy of the voting booth. The secret ballot still remains the clearest line between right and wrong and the final refuge from the thugs who enforce political correctness.

In Antioch, the early church turned the slur of being called "Christians" into a badge of honor. In the 20th Century the homosexual community followed suit, and in less than 50 years they transformed the word "gay" into their preferred banner of identification. Perhaps the lines being drawn in the 21st Century culture war will require Christians to embrace and baptize the word "bigot." When forced with extinction, the early Christians chose distinction. Their passion for purity gave the word "martyr" a new name. In the 1st Century, this word became synonymous for Christian witnesses who embraced death before dishonoring the name or reputation of their Lord. Perhaps 50 years from now the word "bigot" will receive a new and elevated meaning of  "death before dishonor." Time will tell.

The kind of witness needed in the 21st Century must know where to draw the line. Surely there can be a clear distinction and a healthy alternative between the two extremes currently expressed by Christians caught in a crossfire of the culture wars. The challenge must be met. Christian purity is not well-served by a shameless rejection of the authority of  God's Word.  Churches leading big group hugs and landing slobbery kisses on behavior God calls still calls sin, bring no honor to Him. On the other hand, there is nothing to be gained by animated advocates of hate getting lathered up and slinging sweat condemning "the love that dare not speak its name." Shedding more heat than light may burn people at the stake, but it rarely leads them out of the darkness.

The words of Oswald Chambers give great guidance to those tempted to get side-tracked from their one passion in life.  The fog of the culture wars has a way of clouding one's confidence in ultimate victory.  Fear often leads to a hate for the sinner along with the sin. Faith leads to prayer for God's discernment, and a compassionate concern for a change in the condition of the sinner.  Prayer is not a hammer to be pounded over the head of someone moving in the wrong direction. It is a tool best used to build a bridge to connect a lost person to "The Way" back home. It is hard to hate those being prayed for, not impossible, just harder. Pray anyway. Beating a person up, while tearing their position down is not a healthy expression of God's passion and purpose. Any confrontation must be preceded by intercession to receive His direction, protection and correction. These words of wisdom were spoken 100 years ago to believers tempted to tear down those they should be lifting up.

"Discernment is God's call to intercession, never to fault-finding." Oswald Chambers

Those who know they are in the right and now live in the light would do well to recall that there was a time when they were wrong and trapped in the darkness. Paul wrote to a breathless church suffocated by the contemporary culture. No one transferred their membership to the First Baptist Church of Corinth. They came with no letter of commendation, but were called out of the depths of depravity. The smell of the fight was fresh in their nostrils, and the screams of hell could still be heard on the street right outside the door of the church.  The early church was not marked by a steeple, but by a people set apart by God. They had been rescued from the streets of one of the most depraved cities in the Roman Empire. Corinth was the crossroads of the world, and the sewer through which every kind of sin freely flowed. However, even this earliest gathering of rescued believers had to be reminded,

 "...neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."Such were some of you." I Corinthians 6:11

There is great promise in these five little words, "Such were some of you." They described people who were moving in the wrong direction, until the love of Jesus stopped them in their tracks and turned them around. The membership of the early church was not filled with those who had evolved, but with those who had revolved.  Their lives had been turned around by Jesus. They once had been moving in the wrong direction, but then one day God's Spirit released His power to turn their lives around and move them in the right direction. The Spirit did not soothe them in their sin, nor did He shout them down while they were in it. He simply met them where they were, and He changed them in the middle of it. The laundry list of the great unwashed was the prospect roll for membership in the early church. The same should be true today. There is great hope in, "Such were some of you." Change is in the air. Take a deep breath and speak the truth of God in love.

The condition of sin has not changed in the past 2000 years. People mentioned on that list in I Corinthians are still around. If it was wrong then, it is wrong now. If a person caught is a trap could be set free from it then, they can be set free now. What has changed is the Christian's proper response to the condition of sin. To call something right that God calls wrong in order to appease a hostile culture is not open-minded. It is heartless. To cheer for someone riding a fast horse to hell is not the right thing to do. It is not even fair. It is just plain mean.

Remaining silent while someone is moving towards a cliff is no virtue. At times silence is not golden. In this case, it is just plain yellow. However, shouting down to a person from a moral high horse rarely convinces them to turn around. Discernment from God on a person's sinful condition is not meant to provide a sense of superiority, but a sense of urgency. Prayer is the proper response to person in need of a turnaround in their lives. Praying for a person moving in the wrong direction keeps your heart tender, your voice soft, and your eyes focused on the Life-Changer. Prayer calls on God to do what He does best. Talk, too often, just shouts at people who are doing their worst. You might be surprised what happens when you stop doing what is right in your own eyes and take up God's challenge to TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

Dr. Gary Miller
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE! Ministries
3717 Mossbrook Drive
Fort Worth, TX 76244

gmillerlight@gmail.com
Twitter@garydonmiller
www.garydonmiller.com

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE! The Right

"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." Proverbs 14:34

"Then he believed in the Lord and it was reckoned unto him as righteousness." Genesis 15:6


Words mean things. It is not enough for people to use the right vocabulary. They must have the right dictionary.  It is impossible to know what people believe until you know how they define the words they use.
It is possible for someone to use all the right words and mean all the wrong things. It has never been more important to know what words mean.

Righteousness is God's gold standard for His creation. He is the one who defines it and refines it. There is no righteousness without being right with Him. Agreeing with God is the beginning righteousness. His is the only opinion that matters. If this makes you flinch, then you might want to check your alignment. Being right with God may mean you will be out of sync with people who expect you to get in line with them.

Moral absolutes make professing Christians cringe, and progressive secularists rage. When the light of the Word of God is introduced as a source for moral standards and social contracts, it creates great discomfort to those who are more comfortable with the twilight of evolving tolerance. When God's people become more inclined to being in line with those who disagree with Him, they are on a slippery slope. If being right with others requires a person to be wrong with God, it is time for a turnaround.  Take back the high ground.

Catch phrases, witticisms and moral platitudes abound in a culture that devalues moral absolutes. What God's Word says is considered to be at the very least a composition of quaint, old school concepts that have become outdated and desperately in need of an upgrade. At the very worst, God's Word is accused of being filled with hate speech, and just plain mean.

One of the more popular battle cries of the contemporary culture war is the phrase, "It is imperative that we come down on the right side of history."  That statement really has a great deal of merit, and can lead in the right direction if the emphasis is made on the right syllable. Coming down on the right side of history is all about being in agreement with HIS story.

Sin is a matter of missing the mark God originally set for His creation to be right with Him. Those who do not believe in Him are free to express their opinion, but they do not get a free pass to redefine who God is or what He meant about Himself. Today it is a popular concept to elevate oneself to a higher level of mercy and compassion than God, by disagreeing with Him in public. It usually means that a person feels their way to a new level of insight about God's love and compassion. Because they do not want to offend a friend, relative, boss, base of a political party, or a hostile activist who disagrees with God, they put God's Word on mute. Disagreeing agreeably with those who disagree with God does not mean that a true believer can remain silent. Silence may not be the same as kicking God to the curb, but is hardly an invitation for Him to sit in the driver's seat. If disagreeing agreeably is the new gold standard for "believers" who desire to be politically correct, then they must be extremely careful not to devalue God's Word. Silence is not always golden. Sometime it is just plain yellow.

Believe means to agree with God. It is rooted in the very same Hebrew word that entered into Christian vocabulary as "Amen."  The very essence of the word was meant to convey the concept of affirmation or agreement with something that has just been stated in the public arena.  In the Hebraic form of worship and in the course of their daily life, they were expected to make a verbal response when a blessing from the Word of God was read, a prayer was prayed, or a statement was made about the character of God.  To remain silent was not considered a virtue. The righteous would be expected to shout out, "I agree!" When Abram heard what God had in mind, he believed. His belief was expressed by a public identification with God. His agreement with God was in word and deed. In every sense of the word he gave God a big "Amen!"

God's absolutes never become obsolete.  The authority of God's Word may become an embarrassment, but His Word will never expire. The ash heap of human history is filled with the remains and refuse of once mighty nations who chose to take their own counsel and to reject God's.  It is a popular concept to value diversity over authority.  It is common for believers to back up in the public arena from declaring God's word as authoritative. The fear of man has become increasingly pervasive, as "believers" have become alarmingly evasive. They have traded intimacy with God for intimidation by man. In choosing to be known as open-minded and culturally sensitive, courage has fled from their heart.

Being right with God is based  upon being in agreement with Him. God's Word is the final authority on His direction, protection and correction for His creation. The very thought that God's Word is an authority is an anathema to a culture saturated with its own self-importance, and a church focused on self-preservation. Those who claim to be believers are often bullied into silence by purveyors of a conventional wisdom that rejects a one size fits all morality clause. To ignore God's Word is a personal option that He grants to those who choose not to believe in HIS story.  However, the wrong choice never brings about the right consequences. Putting on dark glasses does not remove the sun's rays from doing damage to the skin, and ignoring God's Word does not dim the consequences of sin.

People may not believe HIS story, but it doesn't change the ending. Being right with God begins with agreeing with Him. When you choose to agree with God, expect those who believe He is wrong to be disagreeable with you.  The gold standard of God's creation is a righteousness that cannot be purchased by you, but it can be received from Him. You will come down on the right side of HIS story when you accept what HIS Son bought with His own blood.  Through Jesus you can be right with God. He is still the only way.

"I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father, but by Me." John 14:6

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!
Gary Miller
gmillerlight@gmail.com
Twitter@garydonmiller
www.garydonmiller.com

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE! The Honor

"HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise) ..." Ephesians 6:2

Honor = to estimate, to fix the value of something that belong to one's self. It occurs 20 times in 16 verses in the Greek concordance of the New American Standard Bible

Observation: You increase your own net worth by placing a higher value on someone else. 

Mother's Day now ranks third in the list of the most highly attended worship services in this country. Only the twin towers of Christmas and Easter overshadow this special day.  Somehow, in spite the relentless pressure of post-modern culture's crusade to devalue Scripture as a reliable standard or source for personal or civil behavior, obedience to this mandate has survived. Go figure.

Still, there is a huge difference between thrive and survive. The real danger may be that it is possible for people to miss out on the promise of God by burying the intent of His mandate under a heavy heap of crushed corsages, cheap candy, and cheesy cards. The current campaign being carried out by culture warriors to create politically correct celebrations of Christmas and Easter should be a clear warning of the danger ahead.

So, let me be one of the first to say, "HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!...GOD'S WAY!"  

Honoring one's mother may be more difficult for some than it is for others. There are those who were never blessed by a mother's love. Their birth mother's unbridled hostility or benign neglect only created in them a death-defying resentment towards her rather than a life-giving tenderness from her. That makes this day a difficult one for them. Perhaps this will help.

It is hard to hate someone you pray for. It isn't impossible, just harder. Invest your prayers in your mother anyway. It doesn't mean you have to let her get away with anything. It just means you have to let go of something. It is not an invitation to an unrepentant, toxic terrorist to sit down and eat Mother's Day dinner with you. It just means you refuse to be terrorized by your own memories of her past treatment of you. Prayer allows you to let go and leave it with God. Even if you can't find the words to say to Him about her, don't be discouraged. God has an interpreter who is fluent in the language of personal pain.

"In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings to deep for words." Romans 8:26

There are those among us who never knew their birth mother. The breath in their lungs is a constant reminder that someone thought about them for months before they were born, but they struggle with a subtle, yet suffocating sense of  personal rejection every day.  Children are put up for adoption for reasons too numerous to mention. The fact remains that a mother who chose life for her child rather than death is worthy of honor. My counsel to a child of one of these mothers is based on God's value system. It leads me to encourage them to embrace life, and to let go of the nagging doubt of their own net worth. Children were and always will be God's idea and one of His greatest gifts. In the heart of God, there will never be an unwanted child or a crisis pregnancy.  Before a child was conceived, He had them in mind. Honoring your birth mother begins by thanking God for choosing your mother to give birth to you. Never change the price tags on anyone upon whom God has already placed a very high value.

"Children are a gift of the Lord." Psalm 127: 3

For me, and the vast majority of children whose mothers have always been the first touch of The Father's love, this day is filled with a flood of fond memories.  Don't take them for granted, or cover them up with an avalanche of artificial adoration. Sometimes less is more. K.I.S.S. doesn't have to mean, Keep It Syrupy Sweet. It can mean, Keep It Sincerely Simple. If your mother is alive, call her and tell her you love her. If you can get with her in person, say a blessing over her. Don't choke on this. Remember, if you have ever thanked God for a cheese-burger, you can thank God for your Mom. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

In honor of my own mother, Libby Miller, let me say, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!...GOD'S WAY!

• Thank you for giving me confidence in God; the knowledge that He can be trusted to make a way even when there does not seem to be a way. Long before gifted people wrapped a tune around this truth, you were living this out in our home. I always loved hearing you whistle around the house. Even as a little boy, hearing you whistling your way through life always gave me a child-sized calm. It was a confidence booster to believe all was well between our house and Heaven.

• Thank you for educating me. You were homeschooling long before homeschooling was cool. Your tireless efforts to teach me the times tables at our dining room table in the parsonage on South Fitzhugh were legendary. I mean no disrespect, but I still flinch when I hear the words...FLASH CARDS!

• Thank you for setting the bar high. Every day when I went out the door to school you would cheerfully shout out, "Make lots of 100's!"  It became my goal for the day, and it is still the best coaching advice I have ever been given in life.

• Thanks for rearranging all the furniture in the house. When I would break curfew, you would move the furniture, and then go to bed. You knew when I came stumbling in and end up crashing into a lamp or coffee table in the middle of the night that the noise would wake up Dad. That meant I would have to deal with him, and not you. You're not just another pretty face. That was pretty shrewd! Well played!

• Thank you for being a great writer. When I was at college or overseas, your letters were always filled with encouragement and personal challenges that raised my sights to see what God was up to in my life. I knew you were praying for me to see what God will only let a mother see in their own children. You believed in me long before I believed in myself.

• Thank you for loving Dana, and embracing her into your life. I have to admit, you seemed more than ready to pass the baton of raising me to your new daughter-in-law. In fact, I don't think I have ever heard you refer to her as an "In-law."  She has always been a daughter to you. You prayed for her before she was born, and when you met her it was love at first sight. You never would let me even hint at a negative reference about her in your presence. When I heard you call her "My Dana" I knew she was in the will. I'm not sure I have made the cut yet. I am probably still behind Michael Catt, and Steve Gaines. It gives a whole new meaning to, "I Am Third."

• Thank you for praying for me before I was even born.  I know I was supposed to be your first daughter, but Joy eventually won that special place in your heart. Still, it is the thought that counts. You were taking me to church nine months before I came into this world, and for 62 years it has been a way of life for me. Your prayers ushered me into life, and and your prayers have sustained me through it. No matter where I have been in the world, my earliest thoughts on each day have been the complete confidence in knowing of your faithful prayers for me.  

• Thank you for taking my calls. One of the great joys of my life has been calling you every morning and hearing your voice. Today was another one of those days. The corsage is on its way, but get ready for a shopping trip. I have commissioned three of my favorite girls to take you to "DSW" shoe store and to "Ann Taylor" to get you decked out in a new outfit. Dana, Ashley and Allyson have been instructed to refuse to take no for an answer. They just look little, so don't fight them. We don't need you girls to make a scene and end up on "Judge Judy." After all, you and Dad have your 67th wedding anniversary coming up on July 7th, and it is time for your to get your dancing shoes on.

Happy Mothers' Day!

I love you!

Your Favorite Middle Son,

Gary

  

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE! The Issue

"Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE, and said, 'FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND HIS MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.'? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." Matthew 19:5-6

It is probably a safe statement to say that Jesus had a pretty good idea of what God had in mind regarding the institution of marriage. The Apostle Paul would later quote the same passage in his letter to the Church at Ephesus. '

"We are members of His body. FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND HIS MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and His church. Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband." Ephesians 5:30-33

These are only two of the passages of Scripture that are able to give us a firm foundation for a Biblical belief in marriage. They are rooted in Old Testament and New Testament Scripture, and they contain the very words of Jesus and those of one of the most prolific writers of Holy Scripture. Each of them concurred on the core values that are fundamental to the oldest institution of in human civilization. This belief in marriage as the inseparable union between a man and a woman became the basis of all Judeo-Christian jurisprudence and found its expression in English Common Law. It is this legal heritage that was brought by the earliest settlers to the New World that would become America.

By the summer of 1776 these two rivers of thought flowed from the minds, to the pens and onto the parchments and into a statement being prepared by the founding fathers that launched the birth of a new nation. In short it said, 

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are LIFE, LIBERTY and the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS." 

Two hundred and thirty-six years later we are seeing the results of a relentless secularist movement in this country that has attempted to kick the Creator to the curb and redefine the source and the substance of the rights that He granted to those He created. Current events have revealed that this efforts has not been in vain.

The recent statement of support for same-sex marriage by the POTUS, has raised the issue to a new level of visibility and intensity in the public arena.  The basic nature of the issue has been difficult to grasp in the midst of a media blitz and the emotional reaction to his evolutionary statement.  A wild flurry of issues seem to be shouting out for attention all at the same time. The following is a novice's attempt at lowering the decibel level and gaining a degree of understanding at what is happening and the consequences that are at stake. As clearly as I can discern, I believe I have heard people shouting...

• It is a social justice issue. There are those who say that there is a wrong that must be made right in the social fabric of contemporary culture. For too long the belief in marriage as a relationship between a man and woman has been inflicted upon people who hold a different view. They believe it is time to make things right, and they compare their concern with the early abolitionists who paved the way for the removal slavery as a public stain on the honor of the country. 

• It is a civil rights issue. This is an expression of the belief that a chosen life-style is a civil right and any personal preference of an oppressed minority must be protected by the law of the land. Regardless of what previous generations have believed about same-sex marriage, they hold that a government must protect  those who reject the existing laws against same-sex marriage from any expression of discrimination against their behavior. Black voters are divided on this issue, and apparently not convinced that they are ready to equate same-sex marriage with access to the voting booth, and the removal of Jim Crow laws. From California to the Carolinas they have supported marriage propositions and amendments, that oppose same-sex marriage. One pastor in Texas made a public statement against this comparison by stating for the record, "Don't confuse your sin with my skin."  This appears to be a tough sell to those who have known the fight, still bear the scars and cherish the memories of what was at stake in the battle for their civil rights. 

• It is a genetic issue. These people believe that homosexuals are genetically designed to have an attraction to their same sex, and they should not be denied the full protection of the law in their free expression of their genetic design. Those that resist this scientific finding are vilified as ignorant bigots who just can't comprehend that at least 10-25% of the population carries this gene.  Those who reject  this finding counter with their own position that there may indeed be a genetic tendency towards homosexuality, but it impacts less than 2% of the population. There is no compromise in sight.

• It is a fairness issue. For some, it is simply not fair to deny people access to or approval of the type of marriage relationship that they prefer. To hold up marriage between a man and a wife as the only form of the institution is mean, and hurtful to those who have no choice but to love those who share their same beliefs. One cynical contemporary comic expressed fairness this way, "I wish them well. Advocates of same-sex marriage deserve the same right to be miserable in their marriage as I have been in all of mine." 

• It is a tolerance/diversity issue. Glenn Beck created a firestorm in conservative circles when he advocated that as far as he was concerned, what causes no harm to him raises no offense in him. Advocates of same-sex marriage may not share a personal preference for it, but they defend the right for it to exist for those who want it. They refuse to mandate the behavior of others, and criticize those who hold to the narrow-minded view of heterosexual marriage. They perceive their position as an open-minded and enlightened expression of political correctness. 

• It is a legal issue. These advocates believe that the separation of church and state excludes any and all religious opinions from the public arena. What is held as foundational beliefs inside the walls of one's church has no place in the lawbooks of the land. In short, they believe the majority cannot legislate the behavior of a minority or restrict their free expression of their rights.  These same people do not seem to see anything wrong with the state influencing what goes on in the church, but they countenance no interference from the church with the state.  They refer to the law of man as supreme, but they are a bit cloudy where the absolutes or principles for these laws come from.   

• It is a cultural issue. Marriage between a man and a woman has been the accepted standard since the foundation of civilization. However, in the 21st Century 100% of mainstream media outlets have daily promoted the support for same-sex marriage. This effort has slanted the playing field toward sympathy for the position held by a minute minority of people. Local communities have the authority to codify laws and statutes even when they are based upon the shifting sand of public opinion and personal preference. Still, only seven states (14% of the nation) have established the legality of same-sex marriage. 35 states have statutes on the books or constitutional amendments opposing it.This may indicate the size of the disconnect between the Mainstream Media and Main Street.  

•  It is a constitutional issue. The 1996 Defense of Marriage Act was an attempt to settle this issue nationally.  Still, opposing forces continue to call out to members local communities to establish a standard for marriage based  upon their own personal mores and preferences. The result has been surprising. Polls continue to report a groundswell of support for same-sex marriage, but the ballot box seems to tell a different story.  The 35 legislative initiatives opposing same-sex marriage have passed by an average margin of 60-40%. Even in California, their proposition passed by 8%, and in North Carolina by as much as a 22% margin. Apparently, the American people hold a very different view than they feel the freedom to express in the public arena. The secret ballot still trumps the latest poll results.

• It is an integrity issue. Supporters of heterosexual marriage are often chided that they have little right to use the word "sacred" in the same sentence with "institution" to describe marriage. To describe it as a "sacred institution" is to deny that they have failed to hold the high ground. Government's sanction of  "no fault" divorce, and society's acceptance of the practice of cohabitation as a means to beat the "marriage penalty" are only two of the subversive systems that have undermined the "sacred institution." For three decades one out of two marriages in this country has ended in divorce. This has held true for marriages in and out of the church arena. Serial practitioners of divorce have lowered the standard of marriage even though they march under the matrimonial banner of one man and one woman. In fact, they have brought respect for the institution to a new low.  They have allowed it to morph from a "sacred institution" to a form of practical polygamy.  A person in this country is free to have as many marriage partners as they choose, as long as they hook up with them one at a time.  Womanizing men, and marriage-mad women have created unions more likely made in heat than in Heaven. Honest brokers of traditional marriages are disgusted with this hypocrisy. Those who criticize same-sex marriage, while they destroy the integrity of traditional marriage are part of the pollution not the solution. This has led many traditionalists to express a personal desire to set their own marriage in order instead of investing angst and energy in denying another person access to theirs. This noble gesture is often interpreted as a sign of weakness. Only time will tell.

• It is a political issue. Traditional family values are pitted against the redefinition of marriage and support for same-sex marriage. Opposing forces try to place essential planks on their political platforms. Each side is engaged in partisan politics. They each can justify the expensive mobilization of a campaign to demonize, marginalize and humiliate those who do not share the same view. The fabric of the American family is being rewoven year after year by forces that manipulate the masses to carry their water, and keep them in office.

• It is a religious issue. Orthodox Christianity holds that Scripture is the Word of God and the final authority on moral standards and personal behavior. The Bible clearly defines homosexuality as a sin, but it is not considered unpardonable. It can be forgiven. Though a rejection of God's plan, it is not to be set aside,and vilified in such a way that the critic is free to think more highly of himself than he ought to think. Though it is a sin against nature, and therefore particularly abhorrent, it is worth remembering that all sin is abhorrent to God. The slightest to the greatest sin required the same measure of His Son's blood for the ultimate sacrifice that would purchase forgiveness for those who receive it. Within the broad borders of so called American Christianity there is a wide variety of  opinion on the authority of Scripture. Those who hold on to its inerrency with a tight grip are prone to distrust any diluting or diversion from the application of God's Word in the matter of same-sex marriage   Those who hold a lower view of Scripture and a higher view of their own opinion, usually loosen their grip on ancient Scriptural mandates. They may take hold of some of the same words, but they have a tendency to rewrite the dictionary. They evolve into people more comfortable with being politically correct than being biblically accurate.  Fear of man usually evolves into a disobedience to God's Word. However, the following laundry list of the early church indicates that it was filled with people with an inglorious past, but a glorious future. It is worth remembering, when dealing with people who disagree with us, that God has a way of turning people around who we are prone to believe are too far gone. Gotta love the statement, "Such were some of you." 

"Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you." I Corinthians 6:9-11

• It is too early to tell which one of these issues will carry the day. For the POTUS, it was a painful and agonizing process to stir up his courage and admit in public what he had held in private for a very long time.  He is to be commended for clearing the air and setting the record straight.  He has staked his political future on his personal belief in God, and his desire to be a faithful advocate of the "Golden Rule."

•  If  POTUS is right, then everything I know about God and His Word is wrong. His statement has not led me to a crisis of faith. Fear of God is still the best antidote for the fear of man. I have found that when I am intimate with Him, I am not intimidated by what man does. Parsing and dissecting the Word of God rather than obeying it, usually evolves into disobedience to God's voice. If he is wrong, POTUS will have much to answer for, and a country will have much damage to repair. What a leader does in moderation, usually leads to excess in the lives of his people.

•  In spite of all the screaming and shouting in the public arena, I find comfort in an ancient Hebrew Proverb. It has helped me face these issues with a calm and a perspective that only God can bring to my heart. After I run into His Presence with a breathless report of all that I have seen going on in the world, I always discover that He has been aware of it all the time.  I haven't surprise Him yet, and He hasn't panicked yet. Running into his Presence always ends with me rolling the issues into His hands and leaving them with Him. He is the only One that can make sense out of them. In short, I am learning to TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

"Do not be afraid of sudden fear nor the onslaught of the wicked when it comes. For the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught." Proverbs 3:26




Dr. Gary Miller
gmillerlight@gmail.com
garydonmiller.com
@garydonmiller

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE! The Choice

"If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve." Joshua 24:15a

May 9, 2012 POTUS used the office entrusted to him by the people of the United States as the platform for a presentation of a statement on his personal evolution. He took pains to share his angst and feelings over the process of making a difficult decision. He made it clear it was based upon personal reflection, private conversation with his wife and profound counsel from his two young children. He went out of his way to clarify that his choice was based on his Christian convictions. In one brief statement he made a metamorphosis from a follower of Christ in sync with God's view on marriage to one who was more comfortable with being in touch with his own feelings and those closest to him. In one breath he blew away the authority of God's Word, but expressed His allegiance to the same God who wrote it.  It was a glib swan song to Christian orthodoxy and must have sounded eerily like the tune Nero played while Rome burned.

Reaction to his announcement has been swift. Remarks have ranged all the way from faint praise indeed to blubbering congratulations to benign contempt to moral outrage, and given rise to hostile condemnation. One leftist blogger referred to him as an empty suit making a play for a financial windfall from the very community that would prove to be the recipient of his support. Others on the right were equally cynical about the political nature of the announcement. They decried his decree as a diabolical design to create a firestorm of moral outrage that would cause a smokescreen large enough, loud enough and long enough to cover his economic record until election day.

The simple truth is relatively clear, even if his motive is not.  He made his choice. It remains to be seen whether his evolution will launch a new revolution.  Those who support what he said are already clamoring for more. Those who oppose what he said are shouting, "Enough is enough." Time will tell which will win the day. All things being equal, those who are able and willing to shed more heat than light on the issue will win the day in the political arena. The result will be a country of divided people and a scorched earth political landscape regardless of who claims victory. This battle for the "Soul of America" is a long way from over and it is not going to be pretty. This national turnaround will require a tumultuous Spiritual upheaval of the status quo at every level of the contemporary culture. The next Great Awakening is not restricted or enhanced by the party in power. It's power comes from a higher level of authority, and it can begin in the home and overflow into the church. The choice is yours. Awakening begins with the next step of obedience.

"SOUL OF AMERICA" SURVIVAL KIT 

1. CHALK: Take a piece of chalk and draw a circle around your family and recognize the God given arena of responsibility for your obedience.  Choose to follow the teachings of God's Word regardless of what the bullies of political correctness try to coerce you to do. Courage is the triumph of the fear of God over the fear of man.  When you allow the fear of man to influence the choices you make, it always evolves into disobedience to God's Word. Don't be surprised when your "Christian" friends bale out on God's Word and start making it up as they go along. In search of a fix, they have chosen to go along to get along, but left God out of the mix. There is no law stopping you from transforming your home into a slice of Heaven. Circle up!

"...But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15b

2. KNEE PADS: The finest fruit is produced from the foulest fertilizer. This most recent announcement from the current POTUS is the first of many truckloads of cultural compost that are lined up and ready to bury you under an onslaught of false accusations and personal humiliation. Don't forget. You were called for this and you were born for this. When you are knocked to your knees by the weight of the manure, ask God to release the fragrance of the fruit of His Spirit in your life. God does not waste any tear or any trial that is brought to Him in prayer. Knees down. Prayers up. It is harder to hate those you pray for. It is not impossible, just harder. Wipe the spittle of moral outrage from your lips. Cough out the bone of resentment that is in your throat. Shake out the rock of retaliation that is  in your shoe. Get on your knees, and pray for them anyway. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

"You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you may ask the Father in My name, He may give it to you." John 15:16

3.  REAR VIEW MIRROR: It doesn't hurt to look back once in a while and remember where you have been, and where you were headed before your life was turned around.  "Such were some of you" is one of the most profound statements in God's Word. The ground is level at the foot of the cross and a reading of this laundry list of the great unwashed is a gentle, but firm reminder that except for the grace of God you would still be trapped in your sin. Don't get on your high horse to look down on those who are in need of a turnaround experience with God. You were saddled up on a fast horse to hell until  Jesus transformed you into a child of God.  Dismount!

"Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, not adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you.  But you were washed...sanctified...justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." I Corinthians 6:10-11

Gary Miller
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!
gmillerlight@gmail.com
garydonmiller.com

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE! The Discipline

"Discipline your son while there is hope." Proverbs 19:18

One of the joys of living closer to my parents is the opportunity that often can come my way to take them to the doctor when they need help with transportation. Mom is 91 and Dad is 90, and they have just renewed their driving permits. They are usually good to go, but there are times when they need help with the logistics of negotiating hospital parking lots or the maze of medical corridors that were apparently designed by mad architects intent on turning people into lab rats.

Recently, Dad and I were seated next to one another in one of those ice cold, meat locker waiting rooms while Mom was having a tune up by her doctor. Dad always takes his Bible with him and reads it while he waits. He has learned that the ancient magazines provided are no substitute for a fresh word from God. He doesn't often say very much in those settings. Apparently, he is more interested in hearing God speak than hearing the sound of his own voice. I wish everyone else in the room felt the same way, but I digress.

When Dad spoke, I was a bit surprised by the tone of his voice, but even more so by the far away look in his eyes. He seemed to be receiving a particularly clear blast from the past, and he was slowly processing the memories, savoring them in his mind's eye before they came out of his mouth. He said, "I remember the night my father came home from a Methodist revival meeting a changed man. He gathered us around the kitchen table, and I heard my Dad pray for me for the very first time. I had never heard anything like it my life. Even as a little boy, I knew that something had happened to him, and I have never forgotten the thrill of hope that it gave me that things were going to be different in our house from now on."

I responded, "I am over sixty years old and I have never heard you tell that story." He seemed a bit taken aback by that, but offered no explanation. He just continued down memory lane, and assured me that it was a night he would never forget. He said his father soon placed a plaque on the wall of their home that said, "The family that prays together, stays together." It remained a fixture, and a gentle reminder in the family home until Dad graduated from high school and left to serve his country in the Army Air Corps during World Ward II.

My father's memory of that first time he heard his father pray for him has had a profound impact on me. Dad has reached a point in his life when insignificant details do not clutter his mind. He may not remember what he had for breakfast, or connect the right name with a familiar face, but he has held on to those things that are most precious to him. We should all do the same. Let me comfort and challenge every parent reading these remarks,

"What your child hears you pray for them is more important than what they hear you say to them"

Chances are most children are quite clear about what a parent has had to say to them. The fog comes in when they are forced to remember the time when that same parent has ever had anything to pray for them. From the "Greatest Generation" to the latest generation there is a commonly held belief concerning the value of free advice, "Talk is cheap." It is rarely appreciated, and those who invest in it the most are valued the least.

The current dismal popularity numbers of members of Congress give credence to the lack of toleration people have for those who invest more in their talk than they do in their walk. Hot air is often more death defying than it is life-giving. When those around you need some fresh air, offer them your prayers.

Parents invest their best when they let their children hear them pray for them. What they pray for them will be remembered more than what they say to them. Our daughters were in their teens, they heard us pray for them every time they left our house to spend time with their friends. We would pray for them to have a safe, and enjoyable time, but always use the tag line, "Father, we place them in Your hands and if they do anything wrong, let them get caught." They would groan at it, but they never forgot it. To this day they can tell you, "God answers prayer!" Nuff said.

Recently I received a phone call from a personal friend and ministry colleague that I have known for over 30 years. His father died a few weeks ago and I had left him messages and texts to let him know that he had been in my prayers. He was calling to let me know that one of the things that had carried him through the loss of his dad was the memory of a prayer he had heard me pray in 1992. The occasion was a prayer meeting I was leading at our church on the night bombs began falling on Baghdad. He reminded me that I had said, "Father, we are concerned, but we take comfort tonight from knowing that You are more concerned about what is happening than we are." I had not remembered the saying of it, but I did remember the praying of it. God used that blast from a past crisis to shed His light into a dark shadow in the present tense. Who knew?

I am becoming more and more convinced that God has implanted a memory chip into the hearts of His children to value what they hear people pray for them, more than what they hear people say to them. The preparation for wise parenting begins with wise living, and it starts at any time in a person's life when they learn that "Talk is cheap."

Knowing this, wise people become wise parents because they develop the discipline to invest wisely in those that mean the most to them. They know that when they talk to or about someone more than they pray for them, they devalue their relationship. When they choose to talk more than they pray, they choose to lose. They entrust their prayers for someone as a way to invest in those they love. When they determine to use their life's breath to pray it before they say it, they will find what they have to say increases in value to those who hear it.

"Talk is cheap." Stop investing in words that lose their value the more you use them. Children often know what their parents have to say to them, but their character is built by what they hear their parents pray for them. Prayer is the greatest barrier breaking conversation and bridge building tool God has given to us for healthy relationships with Him and with others.

Begin spending your words wisely, and invest them in prayer for one another. Husbands praying for their wives, wives for their husbands, parents for their children, children for their parents increases the value of those we love because it is the currency of Heaven.

"Pray it before you say it."

"Always giving thanks for all things in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to God even the Father, and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ." Ephesians 5:20-21

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

Gary Miller

www.garydonmiller.com