Month: October 2023

It’s Time for a Change…

/ pastorlynnmalone / Leave a comment

This blog post will be a bit different. I’m jumping into the political realm again for some reason, and we know that’s probably something pastors shouldn’t do. Maybe it will be okay. Maybe it won’t. Here goes anyway.

I have always been interested in politics. I registered to vote on the day after my 18th birthday. I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to vote. I once thought I might have a future in politics. I ran for and was elected to my local school board and served until the Lord decided I needed to go to seminary. I resigned my position and that ended whatever political career I thought I might have. Moving from community to community as a Methodist preacher doesn’t lend itself well to political aspirations in most cases.

I never stopped following politics, though. I was always aware of the candidates, even for little-known offices like Justice of the Peace and Constable (Do you know who your constable is?). It might be because my step-father was the local constable when I was growing up, but I always knew who the local officials were and who was or might run against them. I guess you could say following politics was somewhat of a hobby. Some people hunted and fished. Others played golf. I followed politics.

On the day after my 18th birthday, I went to the Registrar of Voters office and registered as a Republican. It was 1981 and Ronald Reagan was riding high as President of the United States. I loved Ronald Reagan and I wanted to be a Republican. I’ve been a registered Republican ever since. That’s forty-two years, but who’s counting.

I’ve never voted for a Democrat for a national office. Not in 42 years. Actually, I’ve voted for very few Democrats for any office. I did vote for Edwin Edwards for governor of Louisiana once, but that’s because the best candidate Republicans could come up with was David Duke. If you know anything about Edwin Edwards, you know what a sacrifice it was for a died-in-the-wool Republican to vote for him. I have also voted on the local level for Democrats whom I knew personally and knew their values. Ironically, some of those who were Democrats when I voted for them switched to become Republicans later. Go figure!

It’s not like I was raised to be a Republican. My grandparents were Democrats. Even had a grandfather who was elected to the local school board as a Democrat (it was the same seat to which I was elected years later). My step-father was a Democrat and was elected as the local constable as a Democrat. No problem. As a matter of fact, in 1981 when I registered as a Republican, it wasn’t the fashionable thing to do. There were far more Democrats in Louisiana at the time.

I registered as a Republican in 1981 because of Ronald Reagan, and because as I surveyed the party platforms of both the Republican and Democrat parties (yes, I did that as an 18 year-old–I told you politics was a hobby), the Republican Party platform more aligned with what I believed and with my core values of what a government should look like. And for 42 years, that has pretty much been the case.

I’ve probably divulged more than I should have, and probably more than you ever wanted to know (not that you even care), but I’ve offered this more as confession than anything else, and perhaps this blog is a means of repentance, too, because after 42 years I’ve decided that I am no longer a Republican. Oh, don’t worry! I’m not a Democrat either. After 42 years as a Republican, I will henceforth and forever be an Independent.

Why? Two reasons. One, Donald Trump, and two, the recent chaos in the leadership of the Republican Party.

Honestly, I didn’t like Donald Trump is 2016 and I didn’t like him in 2020. I still don’t like him today. In each of those elections, I held my nose and voted for him, much like I did for Edwin Edwards for governor many years ago. Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden were not legitimate alternatives for me. As much as I dislike Donald Trump, there was no way I could support the Democratic candidates because many of the policies and positions they held/hold were counter to my core values as one who seeks to follow Jesus Christ. Don’t take that last statement as a condemnation of any “Christian” who voted for Clinton or Biden. It’s not intended to be such. It’s a simple statement that as I seek to follow Jesus, I could not reconcile my values with their positions. If you can, more power to you.

I’m also not certain that the Trump phenomenon is not the reason there has been such chaos in the Republican Party. I certainly believe it is a major part of the reason for the chaos, but I also believe there has been a lot of egotism and narcissism involved as well. I’ve watched with interest over the last month as Republicans in Congress struggled to identify and elect a Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The Republicans have been in chaotic disarray until this week when they were able to elect Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) to the speakership. Oh, I’m elated that Congressman Johnson was elected. I believe that his values and mine are not that far apart. He’s my Congressman! He’s the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States! He’s the third in line to the Presidency of the United States. This is a really big deal–for him and his family, for the State of Louisiana and for our District. I pray for his leadership. I prayed for his election to the position. I pray he represents Louisiana and our nation well.

The process of his election, though, exemplifies the broken nature of the Republican Party. At my age, I’m just tired of the politics that played out over the past month. Some wise sage once said (I don’t remember who and Google was no help) that the only difference between the Republican Party and the Democrat Party is the speed at which they want things to change. The “establishment” of the Republican Party and the “establishment” of the Democrat Party want the same things, they just want to get there at a different rate of speed. After watching the Republicans over the past month, I’m not so sure that isn’t true. My prayer is that Speaker Johnson’s leadership will prove me wrong.

Speaker Johnson’s election notwithstanding, it’s time for me to take a step back from party affiliation. Jesus is neither a Republican nor a Democrat. I just want to be more like Jesus. I suspect Jesus would have plenty to say to both Democrats and Republicans were He present today. Oh, wait! He is! He is present in His body, the Church. The Church should be holding both Democrats and Republicans to account. The Church should be speaking the prophetic Word on His behalf, but that’s kinda’ hard to do if it is too closely aligned to a political party, either on the right or the left.

My loyalty is to Jesus, not to a political party. It’s time for me to be free to speak prophetically whenever the Spirit stirs. I’m just sad it took me 42 years to come to that conclusion. For that, I repent!

Until next time, keep looking up…

A Question Not Easily Answered…

/ pastorlynnmalone / Leave a comment

I have been asked many times over the past two weeks what I think about the situation in the Middle East. My staff, who know I’m a pastor, and customers who come in the shop, upon finding out I’m a pastor, will ask my opinion on the situation. I will always answer, “In what regard?”

I answer that way because it matters in what regard we look at the situation in Israel and Gaza. In one regard, the conflict is nothing new. It’s as old as the Bible itself. There have been wars in the Middle East since there have been people in the Middle East. Go back to chapter 14 of Genesis and you’ll read of a war in which five area kings were at war with four area kings. It is the first recorded war in the Bible, and dates back to 1800 BCE. That war would eventually draw Abraham into it, so conflict in the Middle East is not a new phenomenon.

Of course, everyone really wants to know what it means in regard to the end times. That’s a tougher question to answer because I really don’t know. There were prophets and prognosticators who were certain the end was near when Israel became a nation in 1948. And, they might be right. Scripture seems to indicate that Israel would re-form as a nation. 

The OT prophet Zechariah indicated the Jewish people would turn to God, through the Messiah, only after returning to Israel (Zech.12:10; 13:1). Likewise, the prophet Ezekiel stated God’s promise, “For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land” (Ezek. 36:24). The passage continues, “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean…. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezek. 36:25–26). Note that the spiritual regeneration of Israel follows the restoration of the Jewish people to the land. Thus regathered, Israel will, as a nation, turn in faith toward the Messiah.

I think the nation of Israel’s existence is biblical. Is it the end? It could be. It could not be. I could be the beginning of the end, or it could be another conflict in the region that needs to be settled. I won’t speculate either way. I don’t claim to be a prophet. There are plenty of people who do claim to be a prophet and you can read 427 different interpretations of the current situation. You might be equally confused by all of them. I know I certainly am.

Let me share what my thoughts are on the current situation, though. First, Israel is not responsible for what happened two weeks ago. No amount of verbal gymnastics or woke ideology can ever make Israel responsible for the murder of innocent women, children and elderly persons. None! What Hamas did is evil and atrocious and there is no justification for their actions. There is no moral equivalency between Hamas’s actions and Israel’s prior acts or current reactions. To make it so is to reveal one of two things: either your ignorance of history or your hatred of Jews.

Has Israel committed prior bad acts? Certainly. Read the Old Testament. It’s filled with instances of bad choices, terrible decisions and wrong actions. Why would it be different today. We’re all still human and human nature hasn’t changed. Have civilians suffered as a result of Israeli actions? Unfortunately, yes, but civilians have never been targeted as participants of war. To draw a moral equivalency between Hamas and the nation of Israel is, at best, disingenuous.

Second, I believe Israel will ultimately prevail in the current conflict. And, I think the church is right to affirm Israel’s right to self-defense and self-determination, and from a political standpoint, the United States should stand with Israel (yes, I do!). 

I’m not so sure that people don’t hate Jews because they are God’s chosen people. They are the physical representation of God upon the earth. The same thing could be said about the church and is said about the Church. For the same reasons, the Jewish nation and the Church are both hated in the world because they are both the physical representation of God on the earth. We should expect evil to attack the nation of Israel and the Church. Until Christ comes again, unfortunately, it will likely continue. Remember what Jesus told his disciples? John 16: 1-2 says, “I have told you these things so that you won’t fall away. For you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing God a service.”

The reaction of many in the West comes as a result, I believe, of the “woke” culture that sees oppression as the great sin of the culture. There are levels of oppression and the more degrees of oppression you are able to claim, the more of a victim you become. It’s a terrible philosophy.

History changes the oppressor and the oppressed. How often throughout history has Israel been oppressed. Let’s see, there’s the Egyptian slavery, the Babylonian captivity, the Assyrian captivity, the Roman occupation, the Holocaust. We could name others. Throughout history, the oppressed have often become the oppressor. I suspect that current “woke” culture, with its stress on oppression is simply history’s latest attempt to have the oppressed become the oppressor.

I say all that to note the irony of many on the left in the West that have called the Jews Nazis. Literally the same people who were exterminated by the Nazis are being called Nazis. Again, that is a reflection of people’s ignorance of history and of their pure hatred for God’s people.

So, what should we do? First, we pray and work for peace. Jesus said in Matthew 5: 9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” The Church should be involved in the peace process from a prayer perspective. No, we won’t be invited to sit at the negotiating table, nor should we, but we should pray that peace would come to the Middle East by whatever means the Lord deems necessary. We should pray for our national leaders as they work to bring peace to the region, and we should stand behind their efforts, whether we agree with them or not. The end goal is peace, not revenge.

We should also be praying for the Palestinians and Hamas. Praying for them will help us not lose sight of their humanity. The civilian populations of both Israel and Palestine are in harm’s way, and that not of their own doing. They are suffering, and the Church is called to enter into the suffering of others (that’s what the word ‘compassion’ means) to suffer with them. Why? Because Jesus died for all men. No matter how evil we believe Hamas or the Palestinians have been, we shouldn’t wish them dead, we should wish them saved!

If you or I are part of the crowd that seeks revenge on Hamas and relishes in waiting for Israel to exact her revenge, then we’re not in the correct crowd. We need to check our discipleship. We might need Jesus as much as those in Hamas. I’m reminded of the Apostle Paul’s words to the Roman Church: 

19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12: 19 – 21

I think that would be quite revolutionary in and of itself. I need to remind us that we are called to be disciples by one who, himself, was a revolutionary. 

I remind us that Jesus has a disciple named Simon who was also known as the Zealot. Do you know what a Zealot was in the first century? Zealots were pretty much the terrorists of their day. They were prone to starting fires over here and starting fights over there to get at their Roman oppressors. They were known to attempt assassinations and to kill Roman soldiers. Yes, Jesus called one of those people as a disciple, but it wasn’t for a political revolution. It was for a spiritual one. As confusing as it was then, it seems to be equally confusing today.

Secondly, we should live as if the end is now. Jesus tells a great parable:

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Matthew 25: 1 – 13

We need to live as though Jesus is coming back today or tonight. We live obediently today in light of his imminent return. No one knows when He will come back—not even the Son, Himself (Matthew 24:36). It may be fun to play in the sandbox of end times prophecy, but it is a completely pointless endeavor if it distracts from the ultimate purpose of the Church, and that is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ so that all men might be saved.     

That’s sort of what I tell staff or customers who ask whether what is happening in the Middle East is fulfilling prophecy in the Bible. I don’t know if it satisfies their curiosity or answers their question, but I know it’s the only answer I can give.

Until next time, keep looking up…

Finding My Way…

/ pastorlynnmalone / Leave a comment

Vanessa and I were blessed to have a little time away last week. Our children were gracious enough to gift us a few days in a cabin in the Tennessee mountains. It had been a long time since we spent any time in the mountains, so we were grateful for the opportunity to see the beauty of the Lord’s creation, but also to just get away. It’s always good to get away.

One of our children who gifted us the cabin lives in the Memphis, TN area, so we decided we would leave a day early so we could stop by and visit with her and our son-in-law as we were traveling. Now, here’s the thing. I’ve been to her home numerous times in the time they have lived there. The problem is I can’t ever remember how to get to her house. I always have to rely on Siri!

I realized as we were driving up to Memphis (and subsequently on to Pigeon Forge) that our lives have become totally dependent upon those little devices we hold in our hands. Our lives are on autopilot, just going wherever the culture (or Siri) leads us.

I’m old enough to remember folding maps. I also remember a time when I could go somewhere I’d never been before, and following one of those folding maps or one of those bulky road atlases (remember those?), I could get there. I might struggle the first time. I might get lost (though as a man, I’ve never been lost, right?) or take a wrong turn, but eventually, I’d reach the destination. Here’s the thing: once I got there, I didn’t need a map the second time. I remembered the way if I ever went there again. I had a great sense of direction (“had” being the operative word). I blame Siri for the loss of my great sense of direction (couldn’t be my age, could it?).

Okay, so it’s not Siri specifically, but here’s what I mean. Technology is robbing us of our ability to think. With an old folding road map or road atlas, I actually had to think about where I was going. I had to use my brain. Now, all I have to do is plug in the destination and let my device lead the way. Just listen. Turn where she tells you to turn. Go where she tells you to go. Pay no real attention to landmarks, road signs or road names. Just follow the little voice.

“Proceed to the route.”

“In one mile, turn right.”

“In one-quarter mile, take the exit.”

“The destination is on the left.”

“You have reached your destination.”

It really is a mindless endeavor. I think that’s what technology has done to us. It has made us mindless.

Let’s face it. Technology companies are happy for us to use their technology. That’s because they mine our data so they can predict our behavior based on the places we go, the things we watch and the items we buy. And, they use that data to affect what we eventually see so they can profit off our behavior. They want us mindless. This paragraph is a digression. I should save this thought for another day.

What I am challenged with is the question, “Have I allowed technology to make me spiritually mindless, too?” Another way to frame the question is, “Am I on spiritual autopilot?” In many ways, the answer to the question is “Yes!”

When my faith in Christ becomes a routine matter, I’m on spiritual autopilot. To be complacent as a believer is to be on spiritual autopilot. To be in our spiritual “comfort zone” is to be on spiritual autopilot.

Our Christian faith is not a mindless endeavor. If our faith is not challenging us to grow in obedience, in grace, in love, in action and in holiness, then we are not thinking much about our faith. We are called to grow deeper. We are called to grow closer to Christ and closer to one another. We are called to be more like Christ. We will never fulfill our calling on spiritual autopilot.

Yeah, well tell me how to get off autopilot, then!

How about get out the old road map. Yeah, you know what I’m talking about–the Bible! It is the road map for life. I’m reminded of the words of the Psalmist:

Your word is a lamp for my feet,
    a light on my path.

Psalm 119:105 (NIV)

Personal bible study where we engage the text every day causes us to think about our faith in real and life-changing ways. Group bible study (when done well) can challenge our presuppositions and biases, causing us to re-think our faith. We need both to grow as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. We need both to engage in faithful service and witness to a lost and hurting world. We need a road map to find our way spiritually out of the brokenness of our lives so that we might be used as vessels in a world that is spiritually broken.

The Bible is not the end all and be all of our spiritual existence, but it is that which leads us, forms us and shapes us into faithful people…into a holy nation. We need the Bible. We need Bible study–both personal and group. We need to open it…to read it..to “eat” it like the prophet Ezekiel:

And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.

3 Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.

Ezekiel 3: 1- 3 (NIV)

Or, the Apostle John:

8 The voice which I had heard from heaven spoke to me again. It said, “Take the opened scroll from the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9 I went to the angel and asked him to give me the small scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will be bitter in your stomach, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”

10 I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, it was bitter in my stomach.

Revelation 10: 8 – 10 (NIV)

The Bible will challenge us. The Bible will strengthen us. The Bible will encourage us. The Bible will give us hope. The Bible will correct us. The Bible will give us peace. The Bible will lead us home, and it will do so because it is the road map to living, to dying and to living again. The Bible will cause us to think, and we need to think about our faith if we desire to live fruitful, faithful lives in Jesus Christ.

I leave you with these words from the Apostle Paul:

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, keep your thoughts on whatever is right or deserves praise: things that are true, honorable, fair, pure, acceptable, or commendable. 9 Practice what you’ve learned and received from me, what you heard and saw me do. Then the God who gives this peace will be with you.

Philippians 4: 8 – 9 (NIV)

Don’t think the irony has escaped me of using technology to encourage you to stop using so much technology in your spiritual life by returning to the old-fashioned Bible. Pick up that old-fashioned Bible. Turn its pages. Ingest its words. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, you’ll find your way home to the Savior.

Until next time, keep looking up…

Vacation Time…

/ pastorlynnmalone / Leave a comment

Good morning! I’ve been enjoying a little vacation time this week, so that means I’ve not taken the time to sit down and write, so you’re really not getting a blog today. I will say that although the time has been short, it has been reflective (terribly so).

We were able to enjoy the Harvest Festival at Dollywood. If you ever get the opportunity to go to Dollywood in October, I highly recommend it. It is beautiful with all its festive seasonal colors. It was definitely worth the trip. A shout-out to our children and their spouses for making the trip possible.

One thing I’ve pondered on this trip is the need for maps. Yes, the old-fashioned, fold-it-back-up mess of a map. That’s all I’ll say for now, but I’ve been thinking about it since we left home on Wednesday. Maybe you’ll hear more about it next week.

That’s all for now. It’s time to pack up and head home.

Until next time, keep looking up…

Missing Breakfast…

/ pastorlynnmalone / Leave a comment
A delicous home style breakfast with crispy bacon, eggs, pancakes, toast, coffee, and orange juice.

The congregation I serve as interim pastor has a men’s breakfast once a month. I missed the men’s breakfast for the month of September. No, I wasn’t otherwise occupied. I simply forgot. I’m uncertain as to why I missed it. It’s probably because I’m just getting old and forgetful, after all, I do celebrate a milestone birthday this week and it’s one that ends with a zero and officially puts me in the old man club. Or, it could be that I’ve adopted the attitude of the rest of our culture–men just don’t matter that much. I pray it is the former and not the latter.

Our culture has told men (particularly young men) that masculinity is toxic. It’s as if there is a wholesale attack in our culture on traditional manhood in general. Our culture tells men (especially young men) that they are fundamentally flawed and that their natural impulses are misguided and wrong. One of the guiding principles behind the attack is the belief that the differences between men and women are not biological, but rather a matter of social conditioning.

When men act the rebel, roughhouse or (heaven forbid) assess women based on their looks, they are called out and straightened out. Having lived this many years now, I can honestly say that it seems for almost two generations, young men have been told they are toxic, sexist and probably racist, too. I should probably attach a bunch of links to prove the point, but you have Google, too, so you can do it if you want. I just sense that there is a crisis of manhood in western culture. And, it’s showing up in the church, too. It seems I’m not the only man missing breakfast.

Our culture needs men! Every culture needs men! Every church needs men! Men and women are different, I don’t care what sociologists tell us. Genesis 1: 27 says, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” No amount of wishing, feeling or believing makes it otherwise. To state otherwise is to state a lie, and if there is one thing our culture needs today, it is to stand on those things that are true.

I haven’t shared much about my journey out of the United Methodist Church simply because it was too personal, and I possess a deep love for the UMC. To share my reasons for leaving might cast a dim light on the institution, and I have no desire to do that. It could go its way and I would go mine. I would be grateful for the opportunities it afforded me and the blessings it brought into my life. I suppose officially becoming an old fogey has changed my mind.

I knew my time in the United Methodist Church was drawing to a close in 2019 when a UM seminary hosted a drag queen chapel (not going to link it here, either). That’s not a slap on drag shows. There have been men dressing as women for centuries. I know that. The difference, as I see it, is that now drag is hyper-sexualized and is part and parcel of the broader trend in culture to promote transgender ideology–which promotes the idea that men can be women and women can be men. Neither is true, and the Church (any Church) should not be promoting the lie.

God’s creation is magnificent, wondrous, and powerful, but it is also inviolate. We tamper with God’s natural order (and with truth) at our own peril. To pretend men and women are the same is to defy the natural order and the entirety of human experience. Men and women are different. We need each other in order to be whole. That’s the truth. Anyone who tells you different is lying.

We need to be telling men they are worthy. We need to be telling men that they have meaning, value and purpose. We need to be telling men to pursue that purpose. Get up. Get a life. Go to work (we are created to work). You won’t discover meaning or purpose spending countless hours a day in front of screens. Don’t be lemmings. Challenge the status quo. Play the rebel. Live the truth of your masculinity!

Truth is contagious, but so is lying. Once we discover the truth and proclaim it, the stronger we become. Once we proclaim a lie and believe it as the truth, we become weaker. The world (and the church) needs strong men, men who hold to the truth found in Jesus Christ who said, “I am the way, the truth and the life…”(John 14:6).

I’m not sure any of this makes sense. I just know there is a burning in my bones. Eh! It’s probably just because I’m old now and don’t care nearly as much what other people think of me.

I do know these are the things we need to be talking about when men gather for breakfast. It’s why I hate I missed breakfast last month. It’s why I’ll try not to miss again. It’s why I’ll encourage other men to join, too.

Until next time, keep looking up…