The Killing of God’s Will

Posted on January 22, 2010 by Robert Franklin

[picapp align=”left” wrap=”true” link=”term=pharoah&iid=3186557″ src=”5/a/b/5/Aerial_Of_Valley_9ed1.jpg?adImageId=9373463&imageId=3186557″ width=”234″ height=”309″ /]From the halls of Pharaoh’s palace to the sand hills of Pharaoh’s labor farms, Moses saw the best and worst the world had to offer.  The injustice and deprivation inflicted on his countryman gave Moses cause to take action.  Moses’ choice was not a consequence of unthinking passion, it was not a reaction of self-defense.  Moses committed intentional murder, believing himself protected by his self-righteousness and his subterfuge.

Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews. After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand. The next day, when Moses went out to visit his people again, he saw two Hebrew men fighting. “Why are you beating up your friend?” Moses said to the one who had started the fight. The man replied, “Who appointed you to be our prince and judge? Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?” Then Moses was afraid, thinking, “Everyone knows what I did.” And sure enough, Pharaoh heard what had happened, and he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian. When Moses arrived in Midian, he sat down beside a well.
(Exodus 2:11-15, NLT)

The illusion of safety was short-lived.  A curse hurled from the lips of an angry slave gave this prince of Egypt the fright of his life: he was discovered.  Moses ran away, as far away as he could go.

How could such a story end?  Those familiar with the exodus of Israel, know quite well the man Moses’ best days were yet to come.  But why?  Was Moses the only man in Israel God could use?  Why would God use a murderer and a fugitive?  Why didn’t the will of God die in the desert and be buried in the sand?
We do not know the mind of God on the matter.  We do know is that God allowed Moses to spend the next forty years separated from his privileged upbringing and apart from his people.  We do know that when the time for God to exercise his will had come, there would be no avoiding it and it would not be dispatched.

So it is to this day.  We would do well to remember it.   

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Monochromatic (Part 3 A Little Crowing)

Posted on January 19, 2010 by Robert Franklin

[picapp align=”left” wrap=”true” link=”term=crowing&iid=5238140″ src=”d/d/8/7/Crowing_Rooster_on_1d62.jpg?adImageId=9292820&imageId=5238140″ width=”234″ height=”354″ /] I want to stop and give thanks to God for his provision and goodness to Michelle and me.  Ryan is currently working with Messer Construction Co. as an engineering intern.  The funds he will earn this year should be sufficient to pay for his remaining undergraduate work. Four year degree, no debt, one year’s master left and doing something he really enjoys.  Outstanding.  A man of honor who loves God first, couldn’t ask for better.

Alyssa is soon to enter university studies.  Although she is convinced it is my fault that she now has a new car wash phobia (see her Facebook page), she is pursuing studies in psychology/social work.  Her particular interest is veteran recovery.  Last week she interviewed for a full ride scholarship at Morehead State University.  Even if she doesn’t receive the honor, I am so proud the committee deemed her worthy of their time.  Alyssa also figured out that I will pay for college if she takes classes before she graduates high school (I won’t afterward), so she will enter her freshman year with a 18 “gen-ed” credit hours paid for and completed.  She will be ready for second semester courses.  Very tricky!  She continues to be one of the most generous people I know. 

Emily continues to advance her musical skills.  In the past month or so she has won a place on the Kentucky All State concert band and on the Northern Kentucky Select Band wind ensemble.  She is first chair clarinet as a sophomore in the Campbell County High School band.  She is just as sweet as always and confidently humble.  I am looking forward to seeing what God does through her in the next few years as she enters her own womanhood.

Isaac continues to impress.  He is nearing the end of his University studies in Uganda.  Although beset by many troubles, he continues to take care of his sister and brother.  He does his best to help support himself and dreams of the day he can make a difference where he lives.  His maturity and love for Jesus help drive me forward through difficult days here at home.

Penny will soon graduate from beauty school (although she is already beautiful).  She will then have to find a space to practice her trade which is so very hard in Uganda.  She has done so well not to succumb to outside pressures, choosing instead to be a daughter of the Most High King and a open professor of Jesus as her Lord.

Lionel completed entrance exams for his final year of secondary (high) school.  In a land where the Senior year in high school is a privilege, not an entitlement, it is good to see a young man work hard to attain it without support of parents (inside the country) and with very little resources at hand.  He hopes to follow his brother in studying at the University and to make his way in the world as a businessman.

Praise God for his grace to us!

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Turning the Tables

Posted on January 18, 2010 by Robert Franklin

[picapp align=”right” wrap=”true” link=”term=turning+tables&iid=3174285″ src=”c/3/b/e/Croupiers_Hone_Their_ca63.jpg?adImageId=9221870&imageId=3174285″ width=”234″ height=”156″ /]  There is a historical belief that our connection with God is inately religious as opposed to inherently relational.  In plain terms, God is accessed through a series of human acts (some very odd) performed in a particular sequence: religion defined.  Engaging God through organic and familiar practices (like talking) is relationship.  Theologians have argued the merits and disadvantages of both approaches since long before the birth of Christ.

Jesus weighed in on the conversation, although he is largely ignored.  According to John’s account of Jesus’ life, Jesus entered the core of Jewish religious practice and flipped it upside down.

“The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” (John 2:13-17, ESV)

For those familiar with this story, ever wonder what exactly Jesus was so exercised about?  How could he cause such a disturbance?  For what purpose did he drive out the purveyors of accepted trades, the supporters of the status quo?  Most of what Jesus ended (for a brief time) specifically facilitated the continuation of the sacrificial system.  The sacrificial system God set up.

Could it be Jesus’ statement wasn’t focused on the activity of those he drove out?  Could it be the offense was not the selling of goods, it was the separation between God and those he invited into fellowship with him through the sacrifice?

My friends at Main Street will take a look at this idea this weekend.

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Monochromatic (Pt. 2 “The Soapbox”)

Posted on January 15, 2010 by Robert Franklin

[picapp align=”left” wrap=”true” link=”term=soapbox&iid=7438818″ src=”6/4/4/0/Hoar_Cross_Holds_12c4.jpg?adImageId=9051965&imageId=7438818″ width=”234″ height=”351″ /] I try to refrain from “venting my spleen” while writing for public consumption.  The cybersphere is already full of bile anyway, why add mine?  The margin for error when standing on one’s soapbox is also very large and I despise being ignorant outside the confines of my own home.  Actually, I am not a big fan of ignorance at home either.  Deep breath, now the plunge.

I am appalled by the news coverage of the earthquake that struck Haiti January 12th.  It seems that as soon as something really awful happens somewhere in the world Americans are anxious to go into compassion hysteria.  We made New Orleans into a “great American city” and promised to “restore it to its former glory” after the hurricanes.  I visited New Orleans before the disaster, I worked in post-disaster clean up and I have visited the city recently.  From my view, the hurricane afforded a terrible, dirty, violent city a historical opportunity to remake itself.  The city bears marks of actual improvement over its pre-hurricane state even after the indescribable devastation it suffered.

I am seeing the same thing happen to Haiti.  I visited Haiti years ago and even though I was quarantined to the “tourist areas” I am scarred by the experience.  The systemic economic, political, and spiritual poverty is hard for an American to fathom.  One may expect such lack in the bush of Africa or the depths of the South American rainforest, but a few hundred miles from the United States?

I choose to ignore the American news casts, instead getting my video news feeds from outside sources.  I watched footage from several international news agencies last night and my fears were confirmed:  there were bodies of the dead strewn on the street sides and sidewalks, some not even given the dignity of being set aside.  One of many particularly memorable images was of a perhaps seven year old child laying on the curb, head grotesquely resting on the street below.  A long line of unseeing foot traffic walked past.

I did a quick search and already the first return page is full of sites ready to receive relief donations.  Haiti, a nation of 8,000,000-9,000,000, received 1,461,000,000 in direct aid between 1990 and 2005 from the United States alone.  I fully support wise giving to relieve Haitian suffering.  It is prudent to know, however, that the current state of buildings in Haiti is the normative state of the country and we should not pretend otherwise.

Machete-wielding looters brought more terror to Haiti streets Friday as US troops poured into the quake-ravaged nation to start streaming tons of aid to traumatized and destitute people.     

This is Haiti. I am sure there are all sort of places fingers may be pointed, but the facts remain, Haiti is a place where much of human depravity and human need may be found without any effort.

Pray for Haiti, pray for the women and men who have made it their life’s work to stand with the light of the good news of the love of Jesus in the midst of a land known for its witchcraft, its trafficking of its own children, its addiction to addictions and chronic susceptibility to preventable disease.  Pray these brothers and sisters in Jesus will remain strong and keep pointing people to the hope of every nation.  Pray that God will rescue Haiti from being Haiti and give Haitians the power to be something far better.  Give carefully, give generously and keep on praying. 

For my Main Street family, 100% of funds directed through www.gobgr.org go directly to servicing the need in Haiti.  Nothing kept back for advertising, overhead, or conferences in the Bahamas.

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Unrecoverable Loss

Posted on January 13, 2010 by Robert Franklin

[picapp align=”left” wrap=”true” link=”term=hurricane+katrina&iid=914721″ src=”5/9/3/3/Demolition_Continues_On_9ac7.jpg?adImageId=8962211&imageId=914721″ width=”380″ height=”253″ /]Due to the events of the past decade we are becoming familiar once again with unrecoverable loss.  The new millenium promised a recovery from the stock market blowout of the late ’90 but then September 11, 2001 happened. Before we could catch our breath, hurricanes Rita and Katrina hit.  Before we could clean the mess, the national economy stopped growing and people who had never looked for work suddenly found that work could not be found.  Debt piled up, assets disappeared and the sorrows of many increased.

Just a thumbnail of the past ten years (I kept the list deliberately short) reminds us of the loss this generation will not regain.  I am wrestling with avoiding a greater loss than these things.  It is a loss that is eternal.  Jesus spoke of this loss in a story he told:

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

“The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.

“After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’ “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’ “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’

“Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (Matthew 25:14-30, NLT)

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Sounding the Horn

Posted on January 12, 2010 by Robert Franklin

One of the great privileges I have is to work with a group of wonderfully talented individuals.  My friends at Main Street have recently been blessed by the services of Tyler Andrew.  Tyler came to us all the way from Southern California and we are so grateful for this gift from our Lord.

Amongst several other responsibilities, Tyler does the visual branding for my message series.  He has the task to take my ideas and to translate themes into images that are both pleasing and memorable.  Here is his work from the past year.

You may download any of the accompanying messages from iTunes or stream download them (.mp3) at www.sievechurch.wordpress.com.

I begin each year with an attempt to articulate what I believe God wants to do through the congregation during the days we are allotted.  I believe as Main Street grows in attendance and membership we must remember that God is always bigger still, that we have a particular set of responsibilities God has ordained and there is not one “insignificant” in our number.

This series focused on a simple love story drama we wrote just for Main Street.  The point of the series: God’s love expressed by the shedding of the blood of Christ (blood that stains) washes clean the stains inflicted on our own hearts by our choosing to sin.

Even though we planned this series way ahead of time, it really seemed like we were borrowing from the headlines of the day.  The most important part of this series, I believe, was the launch of the Celebrate Recovery program at Main Street.  Celebrate Recovery is an effective way for people to bring their hurts, habits and hang-ups to Jesus and allow God, through the Holy Spirit to make a change, inside-out.  It has been wonderful for us.

It is my firm conviction that if Christianity cannot stand up to scrutiny then it is worthless.  Unbelievable tackles some of the more difficult Christian beliefs.  I was as honest as I could be in dealing with whether or not the Bible is really true, whether or not God’s rules for sex still apply to modern times, whether or not science and Scripture can coexist.

Boomerang was all about the things in life that tend to come back to us: for good or for ill.  It was my first series after taking a seven week sabbatical.  I was so ready to be back with my Main Street family again!

The “Main Street” take on Francis Chan’s book cover.  This series continues to be talked about to this day.  The Holy Spirit, through Pastor Chan, is challenging us to act like we really believe Jesus is who he says he is rather than some cheap “get out of jail free” card.

Strip away the layers of sentimentality and you may just find Jesus in the Christmas story.  This Advent season we focused on the enormous cost, the extreme denigration, the complete emptying required in God becoming flesh.  My favorite of Tyler’s work all year long.

By the way, Tyler also plays a mean trumpet!

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