In The Meantime

The Difference Between Covering and Covering Up

Alan Riley — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:52:09 +0000

"Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV)

If you hang around with church folk very long, you will hear them speak about "covering." I remember when I first heard this phrase, I assumed they were talking about covering up. But there is a huge difference between covering and covering up.

There is only one time in the New Testament that the word "cover" is used in that context, and that is in I Peter 4:8 - "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." (NIV). Sometimes this passage is misinterpreted to mean that our love for each other blots out our sin. Make no mistake: The only love that can cancel out sin is the love of Jesus manifested in his death on the cross. What Peter is talking about here is the unconditional love and acceptance that should be present in the Body of Christ creating an environment where we feel safe and secure to confess our sins to one another and repent.

James also painted this picture of how the church ought to function in his epistle: "…confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (James 5:16, NIV)

Sadly, in most church fellowships that love and acceptance is not present. This results in an environment where we dare not confess our faults to each other for fear we will become fodder for the gossip mill. Here's another way to look at it: When we don't have the love covering, we have a cover up. So we come to the one place on earth where we should be able to be real and we put a mask on and hide what we are feeling, what we are thinking, and what we are struggling with.

There is no doubt in my mind that the epidemic we are currently seeing in moral failures, divorces and scandals among pastors and church leaders has it's roots in the lack of "covering love" present in the church. In most cases, these Pastors were too proud or too isolated to seek out accountability partners.

For every high profile leader who fails, there are scores of deacons, elders, teachers and others in the church who suffer the same fate out of the spotlight. This is why the divorce rate is higher in the church than outside the church! You don't dare come to church and admit you and your spouse are struggling and need prayer, help and support, so you suffer in silence while your marriage and family crumbles around you.

This lack of "covering love" in the church is the spirit of the Pharisees, not that of Jesus! When Jesus encountered those struggling with sin He responded with compassion and understanding, saying "I don't condemn you." This in spite of the fact that He is the only person who has the right to condemn sinners. You and I don't have that right. We are like the Pharisees with rocks in their hands waiting to throw them and the sinful woman; When Jesus reminded them of their own sin, one by one they dropped their stones and walked away, knowing they were every bit as guilty as she.

If your church, Sunday School class, or small group doesn't provide this atmosphere of acceptance, you need to seek out accountability and covering for your life. Covering up your sin will only result in repeating the same behavior. So, find a group of people that you can be totally transparent with and hold each other accountable. I am not exaggerating to say that failure to find accountability in your life can result in at best stagnation and at worst ruin for your spiritual life and your reputation.

Seeking out and taking advantage of an environment where love covers will be one of the hardest, yet most rewarding things you will ever do. You cannot put a price on a clear conscience, and the knowledge that there are people who know you completely yet love you anyway. It is in this environment that you can begin to understand the unconditional love that God loves you with. And you realize that you aren't the "Lone Ranger." Your brothers and sisters are struggling in the same areas that you are struggling in!

What’s Black and White and Not Read All Over?

Alan Riley — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:14:59 +0000

This morning the dwindling number of people in the Metro Atlanta area who read the print version of the Atlanta Journal and Constitution are in for a change. In a desperate (some would say vain) attempt to forestall or possibly even prevent the historic daily from going the way of the dinosaur, today's edition will reflect a major rebranding and retooling. If the advance word from the paper is to be believed, the new and improved AJC will have more news and less opinion, and will deliver the news in a briefer, more concise manner.

Now, I'm no expert on journalism, especially print journalism, but it seems to me people who want their news in a condensed version will turn to TV or radio, not to a print version of a newspaper. And that, in a nutshell is the uphill battle facing the newspaper industry.

When I was a kid, the Journal and Constitution were two separate papers during the week, one came in the morning, the other in the evening. On the weekends, there was one edition of the combined papers. In 1982, the two papers combined staffs and in 2001 the separate editions ceased. Today's changes are the latest in a long string of attempts to hold on to the dwindling subscriber base and stem the tide of lost advertising revenue. The AJC's changes come in the midst of the loss of literally dozens of well known newspapers who have closed their doors or retreated to an online-only version.

Here in Atlanta, making fun of the AJC is as much a part of the culture as dogwoods, azaleas, grits and Braves baseball. We make fun of how out of step with public opinion the paper's editorial staff is. We invent cute, derisive monikers for it (my favorite is still the one I first heard when I was in Elementary school: The Atlanta Urinal and Constipation.) I suspect the same is true of the paper or papers where you live.

Newspapers are without a doubt a large part of the history of our country. Thomas Jefferson was regularly attacked by the newspapers of his day, but nevertheless was a tireless defender of the press. He famously said if he had to choose between having a free press without a government or a government without a free press, he would choose the former.

Think of the great news events of history, and for many an image of a newspaper headline announcing it will come to mind. But the fact is that since the advent of radio, each advance in communication technology has rendered previous technologies less relevant. Sometimes, a technology can successfully reinvent itself, as radio did in the 80s and 90s with the advent of modern talk radio, but often this only delays the march toward oblivion.

For many years now, newspapers have been propped up by classified ad revenues as income from display ads has declined steadily. Craig's List has put a huge dent in that final bastion of profitability, and papers around the nation are facing the tough decision to throw in the towel.

There is no doubt that print journalism as we have known it for all of our lives is in decline, and that this decline will continue. It is my hope that somehow the best of those news organizations will figure out a way to take the level of in-depth news coverage and bring that into an inline environment. I hope it. I doubt it. There are many challenges to online versions of newspapers being viable.

In the meantime, I plan to do something today that I have not done in many years. I am going to buy a copy of the AJC and read it.

In the Blink of An Eye

Alan Riley — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 03:37:09 +0000

One of his church members described Pastor Fred Winters as "a happy soul." He had good reason to be.

Fred Winters was the loving husband of a wonderful wife and the proud father of two beautiful daughters. He was by any standard of measure highly successful in ministry. He bucked the trend set by many evangelical pastors of continually climbing the career ladder by investing a large portion of his working life at one church, and as a result was deeply loved - even revered - by those he had poured his life into.

This past weekend was like any other for Fred Winters. He spent time with his family and made preparations for his Sunday sermon, a message about being contented in the workplace. The title of the sermon was "Come On, Get Happy."

Sunday morning, too, seemed normal as it began. Fred came to the church campus, greeted people, and began the first of the day's worship services.

How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. (James 4:14)

About fifteen minutes into the early service, the seemingly normal Lord's Day at the First Baptist Church of Maryville, Illinois went horribly, horribly wrong. Before anyone knew what was happening, a disturbed young man named Terry Joe Sedlacek walked into the service, approached Pastor Winters and opened fire with a .45 caliber handgun. His first shot obliterated Winter's Bible, which he was holding in front of him. Three more shots rang out in rapid succession, killing Fred Winters. The gun jammed and the assailant drew a knife and stabbed himself. Several courageous church members tackled the young man. Two of them were injured, but they managed to subdue the man and hold him until police arrived. One of the injured members, Terry Bullard, 39, was still hospitalized in serious condition this morning.

In the blink of an eye, everything changed for the Winters family. In a horrifying instant a wife became a widow, and two daughters lost their father. In the blink of an eye, everything changed for the church family at Maryville First Baptist. In a horrifying instant their pastor, their friend, their mentor and role model was taken away from them. For over twenty years, the lives of Fred Winters and his beloved church family were intertwined. Now they must deal with the loss of their leader, the loss of their sense of security, and their plans for the future of the church.

Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring. (Proverbs 27:1)

In the days ahead, many people both inside and outside the faith community will debate why God would allow such a terrible thing to happen to such a good man, such a wonderful family, and such a loving church family.

The truth is we don't know the why, we just know the Who. Illinois Baptist State Association Executive Director Nate Adams said it about as well as it can be said:

"Our great God is not surprised by this, or anything. That He allows evil and free will to have their way in tragedies like this is a mystery in many ways. But we know we can trust Him no matter what, and draw close to Him in any circumstances. Let's draw closer to Him and to one another during this terrible tragedy, and renew our faith and obedience to His purposes for however many days we have remaining to serve Him."

Charles Spurgeon famously said that where we could not trace God's hand we could trust His heart.

At the end of the day, would it really matter if we knew the 'why?' Knowing that would not bring Fred Winters back to his family or his church family. It would not change how God is calling those of us the faith community to respond to this tragedy: With love, compassion, mercy, and grace.

The family of First Baptist Maryville is already showing that the life lessons and personal passion of Fred Winters didn't fall on deaf ears. Members and staff from the church today reached out to the family of the young man who shot their pastor as he stood in the pulpit yesterday. In the midst of, and even in spite of their grief, they assured the man's family of their love, prayers and concern for them as they, too, struggle to deal with the situation.

Pastor Fred is proud of his people today. And so is Jesus. I also have no doubt He welcomed Fred to his new home with the words "Well done."

Please join me in praying for the Winters family and the First Baptist Maryville family in the days ahead.

Tony Blair and God

Alan Riley — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 04:21:59 +0000

For someone who was raised by a father who was a "militant atheist" and whose press secretary once told reporters, "We don't do God," Tony Blair sure does talk about God a lot these days.

Admittedly, it has always been difficult to pin down Mr. Blair. In ten years leading the UK, he proved himself to be that rarest of breeds: a politician who forms opinions based on a thoughtful analysis of the facts and a check of his moral compass and conscience, not a quick check of his party's platform. He led a party that is left of center, yet he strongly supported the War of Terror because he felt it was the right thing to do. When most other leaders on the planet were sprinting away from George W. Bush, Blair continued to support his friend and colleague, causing some of his countrymen to call him a "lapdog" for the unpopular American President.

Since vacating Number 10 Downing Street in June 2007, Mr. Blair has converted to Catholicism and become an outspoken advocate for the faith community. He founded the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, an organization whose mission statement says they "aim to promote respect and understanding about the world's major religions and show how faith is a powerful force for good in the modern world."

In a recent speech to the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Mr. Blair reflected on religion, which he characterized as "a source of so much inspiration; an excuse for so much evil." Blair firmly believes the increasing secularization of our culture is not a good thing. "The 21st Century will be poorer in spirit, meaner in ambition, less disciplined in conscience, if it is not under the guardianship of faith in God," Blair told an audience that included President Obama and Vice President Biden.

Mr. Blair told of a humorous incident during his tenure as Prime Minister. In the midst of a crisis, Blair was preparing to speak to the nation. He wanted to end his remarks by saying, "God bless the British people." To put it mildly, his advisors flipped out. Emergency meetings were convened. In the heat of the knock-down-drag-out that ensued, one career civil servant looked at Blair in complete disgust and said, "Really, Prime Minister, this is not America you know."

Blair's Washington audience roared at the anecdote. It was clear that Blair, unlike many of his countrymen, greatly admires our culture's openness to matters of faith. He obviously wants to see faith - and persons of faith - brought more to the table in the areas of public policy and international relations. Mr. Blair quoted from an American pastor who came to the ministry later in life after the death of his wife. The sermon was preached at a chapel in Jordan, near Mt. Nebo.

"While here on earth, we need to make a vital decision … whether to be mere spectators, or movers and shakers for the Kingdom of God… whether to stay among the curious, or take up a cross. And this means: no standing on the sidelines … We're either in the game or we're not. I sometimes ask myself the question: If I were to die today, what would my life have stood for… The answer can't be an impulsive one, and we all need to count the cost before we give an answer. Because to be able to say yes to one thing, means to say no to many others. But we must also remember, that the greatest danger is not impulsiveness, but inaction."

You can read the entire text of the former Prime Minister's National Prayer Breakfast speech here.

Blair demonstrated he hasn't lost any of his wry, thoroughly British sense of humor with his concluding line, which once again elicited a roar of laughter from his American hosts.

"And by the way, God bless you all."

A Golden Opportunity

Alan Riley — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 04:05:44 +0000

Last week, on the eve of his historic inauguration as this nation’s 44th President, an opinion poll showed that Barack Obama enjoyed an 80% approval rating from the American public as he takes office. At the beginning of his Presidency, Barack Obama faces an opportunity unknown since at least the beginning of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s first term. He takes office with incredible popularity at home and abroad.

The Inauguration was truly a global community event. An estimated two million people filled the National Mall to witness the event in person. One million more stood on the periphery or along the parade route in Washington. In excess of two billion people watched the event on television or online. All over the globe, people gathered together to watch the event with their friends, neighbors and family. Millions live blogged or micro-blogged about the event.

The last time the global community shared in an event was in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. In fact, over the last several generations, most of the events that have brought us together were shared tragedies. This week, the world community shared together in an event that held - at least on the surface - the promise of hope, optimism, change, and even a degree of national unity.

Now comes the hard part: actually governing. Obama must now lead the nation through the financial, international, and social problems that beset us. A candidate - and even a President-Elect - can make promises and pronouncements, or engage in critiques of the failed policies of the past. A President doesn’t have that luxury. He has to make the policies, make good on the promises, and seek to build up rather than tear down.

Can you imagine how it must have felt for President Obama the first time he was in the Oval Office alone? Former President Bush was quoted last week as saying the first time he found himself in that position, he felt as if the weight of the world had descended upon his shoulders. When the “weight of the world” fell on Bush’s shoulders in January 2001, it was before 911, before Afghanistan, before Iraq, before the financial crisis that looms over us now.

It remains to be seen how - or even if - President Obama will be able leverage his considerable charm, political savvy, personal convictions, oratorical skills, and innate leadership abilities to lead America and the Free World. I can only say that I want him to succeed with all of my heart. I don’t agree with many of his positions on the issues, but I want him to be a great President nonetheless.

I want to see him bring our nation together to overcome our present challenges. I want to see him work side by side with Republicans, Democrats and Independents to make our government more responsive to the people, and reign in spending. I want to see the war in Iraq end in such a way that leaves that country as a democracy and a force for peace in the Middle East. I want to see victory in the war on terror in Afghanistan. I want to see an end to the Red State - Blue State impasse.

Can he do it? Again, it remains to be seen. To paraphrase Mark Twain: “I hope he can. I hope it… I doubt it.” The odds are stacked against him. He certainly possesses the intellect and communication skills, but remember James Buchanan and Jimmy Carter were perhaps the most qualified people to assume the office, yet history remembers them as less than successful Chief Executives. Not to mention that the business of partisan politics - making your colleagues across the aisle out to be the boogeyman - is how politicians hold on to power at all costs. When was the last time you saw a politician - Republican or Democrat - exercise true political courage putting the interests of the country ahead of advancing the interest of his party? I’ll give you some time to think. Like, oh, say, a week or so.

But I am an eternal optimist. I am still holding on to hope that President Obama can be a transformational leader. I hope he becomes a historic president. I hope he can take full advantage of the golden opportunity before him and us.

I hope you will join me in sincerely lifting our President up in prayer.

Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant

Alan Riley — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 16:47:49 +0000

I have written several times here about my father-in-law, Rev. Asa Dorsey, who over the last 76 years has become a legendary figure in North Georgia. (See links to articles below). On December 23, as we were preparing to spend Christmas Day at his home with the family, Asa suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized. Over the course of the next several days it became apparent things would not go back to normal as he became weaker and weaker. He suffered at least two more small heart attacks in the hospital, further weakening his already frail heart.

Those days visiting him in the hospital were precious times that we will treasure for the rest of our lives. It was an incredible gift from God that despite the weakness of his body, his keen mind and phenomenal memory were with him until his final breath. Just hours before he passed, he related to his nurse how in the late 1950s he named his mill after his newborn daughter, Fonda. He even remembered the name of the clerk of court he filed the papers with.

On Friday morning, January 2 at about 10:30 am, Asa slipped away from this life and stepped into the presence of the Lord.

It is hard to imagine life without him here. It is indeed true that you are never ever ready to let them go, even when they are 93 years old. We have caught ourselves on numerous occasions over the last two weeks picking up the phone to call, or briefly wondering whose weekend it is to be with him, before quickly being hit with the reality and the finality of the fact that he is gone.

For the last 26 years, we have celebrated Asa's ministry on the first Sunday in January, the anniversary of the first sermon he preached in January 1933. When we began doing that it was on the occasion of his 50th anniversary, and we assumed we were honoring him at the end of his ministry and his life. Little did we know he still had one-third of his ministry still ahead of him.

On the first Sunday in January, 2009, we gathered once again to celebrate Asa's life and ministry, but this time he was not in attendance. As in the years before, there were stories to be told, songs to be sung, and tributes to be given. There was love, laughter and tears. But this year was different because he is home.

The first time I ever heard Asa preach, I remember he joked about how some people didn't think it was proper or dignified to shout. "Well, if you don't believe in shouting," he said in that booming, joyful voice of his, "when we get to heaven together, you might want to stay off of my cloud!" I thought of that story as I sat in the pew at the memorial service. The mental image of Asa shouting for joy in heaven brought a wide grin to my face and warmth to my heart.

It has been said that God's gift to us is life, and what we do with it is our gift to him and to the world. God gave Asa Dorsey the gift of life in large measure - 93 years of it. The gift he gave back to God and to us was faithfulness.

Have a great time in heaven, Asa. We'll see you there in the morning.

Related Posts:

Happy 92nd, Asa Dorsey
Honoring a Life Well Lived

My 2009 New Year’s Resolution

Alan Riley — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 19:21:16 +0000

I generally have disdain for the custom of making New Year's Resolutions. But for some reason this year I find myself looking ahead to 2009 with a sincere desire to do better in an area of my life. So, despite the obvious hypocrisy of a resolution mocker becoming a resolution maker, here is my 2009 New Year's Resolution:

I will be a better blogger in 2009.

Let's face it: If I had been arrested the past few months for being a blogger, there wouldn't be enough evidence to convict me. There are a lot of excuses I could proffer for my postlessness, most of which are actually true and were genuine impediments to blogging. I am in the process of transitioning my role at Multicast and for the last four months I have basically been doing two jobs. My travel schedule has ramped up during that time period as well. In October, I started serving as the worship leader at a new church in the Atlanta area ending almost two years of getting to just be "Joe Church Member" on Sundays and Wednesdays.

All the above did in fact conspire to make it more difficult for me to be a regular blogger this past year. But the bottom line is I didn't make time to do it. On some level, I had a desire to blog, but that desire wasn't strong enough to overcome my lack of inertia, desire and discipline. Simply put, my heart wasn't in it.

Sometimes we need to take an honest, unbiased look at why we do what we do in order to gain a renewed passion for it. That is exactly what happened to me this week courtesy an incredible piece in one of my favorite publications.

There is an excellent article in the new issue of Relevant magazine by Brett McCracken entitled "The Problem of Pride in the Age of Twitter." It deals with the narcissism and self-absorption that is a natural by-product of the technology that exists to customize our world for us. We give the world a minute by minute, play-by-play insight into our lives and our thoughts. We share our thoughts and opinions with the world via our blogs. Playlists on our iPod customizes the running soundtrack of our life. We customize our desktops to suit us and design RSS feeds to give us the information we want to receive, customized and personalized just for us, of course.

McCracken's observations sting and convict. You realize that one of the side effects of customization is the reinforcement of the insidious notion that the world does indeed revolve around me. Reading and reflecting on the article made me give very serious thought about whether or not I should be blogging, twittering, and being active on Facebook.

At the end of that thought process, I came to the conclusion that the answer to the question was yes, I should be involved in those things; in fact, that I should be MORE involved in those things going forward. This post, and my resolution specifically are about blogging, so the question was, 'So why blog?'

You have to search your heart and find the answer to that question for yourself, but for me, there are two primary reasons why I choose to continue to blog in 2009:

1. I need the discipline. It may sound like I have fallen victim to the very pride that McCracken was warning against, but I do feel called to write. And the way you become a better writer is to write for public consumption. You get feedback - and frequent correction - from your readers.

2. God can (and will) use it. Again, this may sound prideful, but it really isn't. If God has given you a platform, He will use you to minister to others. If you are a blogger, you know the feeling when someone posts a comment or sends you an email telling you how God used something you wrote to touch them, inspire them, convict them, or encourage them. Again, if you are not careful it can go to your head and pride will again rear its ugly head. But as long as you remember that it is the work of the Holy Spirit and not you, it is a humbling experience to know God used something you wrote (or said, or sang…) to make a difference in someone's life.

In 2008, I proved that when it comes to my personal blog, I am perhaps the world's worst Internet marketer. Every time my audience began to grow, I went through a slacker period and ended up losing that audience. My motivation for blogging has never been and will never be to monetize my blog or to build a bigger platform for myself. But a larger and more loyal audience is a natural outgrowth of regular posting of relevant content. In other words, if you do what God tells you to do, these things will be added unto you. Seems like I read that somewhere.

My New Year's Resolution for 2009 is to be more faithful and disciplined in what God has called me to do.

That and lose 50 pounds, but that is a another post for another day.

Odds and Ends

Alan Riley — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:00:26 +0000

They Can Be Taught

The Big Three CEOs are appearing on Capitol Hill again today and amazingly they have swallowed their pride - or more likely acquiesced to political realities - and are NOT traveling to DC on their corporate jets.

In a strange case of art, or at least comedy, imitating life, Jon Stewart predicted the future on The Daily Show when the CEOs first went to the Hill via their corporate jets. In his commentary on the story, Stewart gave a fake quote from the CEOs that said, "What did you expect us to do, drive? Have you seen the cars we are making???"

Today, the Big Three's Big Three are driving to DC. And not just in any car. They are all three driving in hybrids. It as if they are saying, "I see your symbolism and raise you ours."

They are also offering to work for one dollar a year if Congress approves their bailout.

Please, please, some enterprising journalist out there report that while these guys might be coming to Washington in a (chauffeur driven) hybrid, they are still jetting around to their homes and vacation homes in their aforementioned Gulfstreams. (One of them actually lives in Washington State and works in Detroit, so you KNOW he is not using a hybrid to commute!) And while you are at it, please also remind us that if they get 40-plus billion of our tax dollars and still fail, each of them will walk away from the train wreck with hundred million dollar golden parachutes!

Tis The Season to Kill Workers

The Friday after Thanksgiving is the traditional kick off to the Christmas shopping season. It is the time when hopefully retailers get out of the red and become profitable for the year. That is the reason it is referred to as "Black Friday." Last Friday was "black" for an entirely different reason. The death toll - let that sink in, we are talking about Christmas shopping, not the War in Iraq - the death toll from Friday's shopping nationwide was three.

Now granted, two of the deaths - the Toys 'R Us shootings in California - were only marginally related to actual shopping, but the trampling death of a seasonal temporary employee at a Long Island Wal-Mart is perhaps the most troubling commentary on our culture I've ever heard. It is bad enough that people literally killed a store employee who got between them and a good deal on a wide-screen TV, but they actually got mad at police when the store closed because of the death. "Look, officer, I'm really sorry that guy got killed, but I waited in line since 3:00 this morning to get one of them big screen TVs!"

We are in trouble. When our materialism is elevated above human life - especially when it is worst around the celebration of the birth of Jesus - we are in deep, deep trouble.

A Powerful Voice is Silenced

The folk singer known simply as Odetta died from heart failure in New York this week at the age of 77.

Her deep voice and gut-wrenching emotion gave voice to so many songs of faith. Her version of "Mary Had a Baby" was as far as I am concerned the definitive rendering of that spiritual. She also gave voice to the Civil Rights movement, notably singing "I'm On My Way" at the March on Washington moments before Martin Luther King delivered his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech. Though only in her early 30s at the time, Dr. King called Odetta the "Queen of American Folk Music." She was to sing that same song at Barack Obama's inauguration, an engagement she viewed as the fulfilment of her life's work and dreams.

Time magazine noted, "Some folks sing songs. Odetta testified."

Poet Laureate Maya Angelou said of her, "If only one could be sure that every 50 years a voice and a soul like Odetta's would come along, the centuries would pass so quickly and painlessly we would hardly recognize time."

Odetta sang right up to the time of her homegoing, her voice growing even more expressive with age. She may be gone now, but her voice and her influence are without a doubt timeless.

Read Time's obituary of Odetta here.

Chutzpah, defined

Alan Riley — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 03:47:03 +0000

At the very least, it was a public relations nightmare. It was most certainly a clear sign that they don't get it. At worst, it was a vivid display of the kind of management insight - or lack thereof - that has caused the Big Three automakers to teeter on the verge of bankruptcy. I'm referring to yesterday's Congressional appearance by the CEO's of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, and more specifically to their method of conveyance to said appearance.

The three CEOs flew from Detroit to Washington on their respective corporate jets. Separately. They didn't even bother to carpool or "jetpool," if you will, in one G4. No, they each flew on their own jet at a cost of approximately $20,000 per jet.

Get the picture: The CEOs fly in pampered corporate luxury to a meeting where they arrived essentially with hat in hand begging our representatives to give them our tax dollars to rescue the companies that they placed at the edge of collapse with highly questionable leadership and vision.

Any way you look at it, the circumstances surrounding the CEO's congressional appearance showed an enormous amount of chutzpah. It is outrageous effrontery. And what's worse, the CEOs are totally clueless. As enraged congressmen called them to task about how they traveled to the meeting, you could see it in the CEO's eyes and read it in their body language: How dare you bring up our corporate jet travel, this has nothing to do with anything. We are entitled these perks. We deserve this because of our position and our stature.

Sure, in the grand scheme of things, $60,000 for yesterday's CEO airfare is a tiny drop in the bucket. Sure it is symbolic. But symbols mean something. That's why they are called symbols. And the symbolism - not to mention the irony - of these arrogant corporate bigwigs arriving in luxurious fashion to beg for taxpayer money was damning. One of the day's most astute observations belonged to Rep. Gary Ackerman (D, NY): “It’s almost like seeing a guy show up at the soup kitchen in a high hat and tuxedo.”

You know, there's not much that Congress does well, but they are good at sticking their political finger in the air and discerning which way the wind is blowing. Over the last 24 hours they did that and realized that if they just handed these guys a blank check the public would be furious at them. So today, Pelosi, Reid and company were posturing for the cameras, declaring these guys won't get a thin dime until they present Congress with a plan on how they were going to use the 25 billion that Congress has already decided to give them (and that they would already have given to them if it weren't for the outrage over the jets.)

There's another delicious irony here: Congress is taking the Big Three to task for failing to have a plan for how they were going to use taxpayer's money. Wow. What a concept. Maybe Congress should try that strategy themselves from time to time!

I'm certainly no economist or business consultant, but one wonders where it will end. A couple months ago, the epicenter of our financial woes appeared to be in the credit markets and specifically in the mortgage market. Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and AIG were being bailed out and and $700 billion was targeted to buy out so-called toxic loans in institution's portfolios. The underlying problem, however was clearly stupidity - subprime mortgage loans were made and offered to people who could not possibly make the payments on it.

Now, just weeks later ground zero of the crisis has moved to the Big Three Automakers, we are told we must bail out Ford, GM and Chrysler. The aforementioned $700 billion has now been redirected from financial institutions to other areas that would benefit taxpayers (read: voters) more directly. And the underlying problem is still stupidity. The automakers have been on the rope for decades because of quality issues, plus their inability to make cars that people actually want to buy.

The people at the center of that stupidity were they ones appearing on Capitol Hill yesterday, staring blankly at the lawmaker who just asked them if to raise their hands if they were willing to sell their corporate jet. They are the ones who have failed to make their companies profitable, and they are now asking you and me to provide the funds to protect those companies from the consequences of their bad business decisions and lack of effective leadership.

Something is just not right about that. I understand it is a complex issue, and that there are literally millions of jobs hanging in the balance. But the idea of bailing out GM, Ford and Chrysler really, really rubs me the wrong way. I am a dyed in the wool capitalist who abhors any type of class warfare or wealth envy. I am grateful for those entrepreneurs and business leaders who create jobs and grow companies. But looking at the CEOs before congress yesterday, these men who have clearly failed miserably in leading their companies into anything resembling profitability basically asking Congress to use our money to bail them out leads me, along with tens of millions of my countrymen to answer with a resounding "No way."

Why Grace is Amazing

Alan Riley — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 00:47:15 +0000

We church folk have a world of our own that we live in most of the time. We have our own language (with words that most people outside of the church don't understand), our own diet (fried chicken for the most part!), our own songs, and our own singers.

Every now and then, something from our world becomes known and popular in the world at large. When this happens, we refer to that singer or that song as a "crossover." Artists like Andre Crouch, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, and Marvin Sapp have become well-known and popular outside the church world. Songs like "Place in This World," "Butterfly Kisses" and "Never Would Have Made It" have become popular with folks who never or hardly ever go to church.

There is a song that is the ultimate "crossover" hit. It has been sung in every church of every denomination. It has been played or sung at the coronation of kings and at the graveside of paupers. It has been the number one song on the pop charts in both the United States and England. It has been rightly called the most popular song in the world.

The song is "Amazing Grace." And the story behind the song is as remarkable as the song itself.

John Newton was a slave trader who lived a despicable life for most of his early years. After nearly losing his life in a violent storm at sea, Newton gave his life to Christ. The change in Newton's life was not immediate but gradual. He began to encourage his crew to pray and he saw to it that his human cargo were treated with kindness and gentleness, but it wasn't until years later that God convicted Newton's heart that slavery was sinful, and years more before he would openly oppose the slave trade.

At the age of 28 John Newton suffered a stroke and was unable to return to sea. He later saw that as yet another way God was reaching out to him. Despite his lack of a formal education, in 1764 Newton was ordained as a minister and was offered the pastorate at Olney in Buckinghamshire.

As time passed, Newton came to realize how abhorrent slavery was in the eyes of God. He was tormented by the thoughts of the suffering he had helped inflict on others, and became with each passing year more and more amazed that God would choose to save him, much less call him into the ministry and use him is His service. Newton became known as a staunch abolitionist and for the rest of his life he worked to end the slave trade in Great Britain.

On New Year's Eve, 1773, Newton decided to preach on 1 Chronicles 17:16-17. In that passage, King David marvels that God had chosen him. As a part of that sermon, Newton decided to share a poem he had written a year before that was essentially his testimony. The name of the poem was "Faith's review and expectation." We know it today as "Amazing Grace."

The song Amazing Grace is so popular precisely because God's grace is indeed amazing. No matter who you are, no matter where you are from, no matter what you have done or haven't done, we all share the same essential testimony: "I once was lost but now I'm found, 'twas blind, but now I see." All of us know in our hearts that we did not (and do not) deserve God's gift of salvation. We all know that it is God's grace - His unmerited favor on us that has brought us to where we are today.

You may not have been as wicked as John Newton or caused great pain and suffering to others, but you know that you are someone who is in need of a Savior. Later in his life, John Newton was quoted as saying, "I know that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior." That, too is a truth we all know in our hearts.

God's grace is truly amazing. Aren't you thankful for it?