But of course that brain marinade philosophy applies to everyone, not just to young people. There is plenty of entertainment out there which is not sinful or bad in and of itself, but which still has a tendency to draw us away from what’s more important.  This morning Randy Alcorn posted on the need to invest time in God’s word -

The fact is, you and I will become the product of what we choose to delight in and meditate upon. Psalm 1 says: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

We all meditate, and we’re all shaped by the object of our meditation. We take our attitudinal and behavioral cues from it. This week, will I be shaped by situation comedies, soap operas, and newspapers, or will I be shaped by Isaiah, Luke, A. W. Tozer, and Charles Haddon Spurgeon? It depends on how I choose to spend my time.

My bible study and devotional time has been sporadic lately.  I’ve always been like that – my faith has a pattern of ebb and flow where I’m constant and enthused and then I’m disengaged.  The more I mature as a Christian, the more the pattern resembles ripples in a pond rather than waves on the ocean shore; it’s just a shorter, less dramatic cycle.  Still – any lengthy absence from my devotional time leads me to thoughts that I know are wrong, even as I think them.  It actually occurred to me this morning what a hypcrite I am to pray. Who am I to speak to God, after I’ve been ignoring him and actively evading him lately?  What entitles me to bother him? Why on earth would he want to hear from me?

Now, I know, I know, that he will welcome me back as a prodigal – not as a servant, but as his child.  Not only have I read that and studied that parable repeatedly, not only have I experienced that as a parent myself, where I was joyous and thankful to have my child come home, but I have experienced that reunion in my own relationship with God after particularly long periods of “ebb.”   So I know in every possible way that God loves me and will welcome me back. And yet, I still entertained that thought.  Because I’ve been marinating my brain in the wrong things.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
- Phillipians 4:8

Brent Detwiler’s predictions have unfortunately been entirely fulfilled: after a decidedly limited and unfair process, the panels vindicated CJ Mahaney.  Mahaney has been reinstated as President.  Detwiler has been made out to be some kind of crank whose charges were patiently borne, but has now been dismissed.  And from what I’ve seen on FB and elsewhere on the web, a lot of SGM members are enjoying a victory lap.

It kind of reminds me of how the black community rejoiced at the re-election of William Jefferson here in New Orleans.  Yay, they got their guy back!  (Let’s not talk about the charges against him, this is a celebration!  And those charges were trumped up anyway, right?)  Certainly CJ Mahaney is not a criminal; don’t take the analogy that far. I’m talking about the reaction of his followers, not making an apples to apples comparison of offenses.  And like the William Jefferson followers, I suspect a lot of them are willfully uninformed.  Many people have followed SGM’s instructions and decided not to read Brent’s documents.

It’s true that Brent Detwiler has jumped several sharks in this process. I sympathize with him, though. I read the documents in their entirety. (I admit it: I have no life.)  Several facts stand out to me.

1. No one has ever claimed that the evidence – meaning emails, etc. – were faked or in any way untrue.  When Sovereign Grace described Brent’s charges as “slander” they were using the word in the biblical meaning of “unpleasant, harsh talk” and not the American legal system meaning of “untrue.”  To be clear: they’ve disputed Brent’s reading of the facts and his conclusions, but not the facts themselves.  But one can read Brent’s documents and gloss over his commentary, reading only the email exchanges and reports of phone conversations (which again, have not been disputed) and find quite a damning indictment of what’s been going on at Sovereign Grace and with CJ Mahaney for many years.  Did Brent select the worst examples? Certainly. He was taking the role of prosecutor in this situation.  But I don’t really find that unfair. After all, God does not weigh our good deeds against our bad.  Have we committed a sin? Yes – then, absent repentance, he judges us as sinners. Not as otherwise good people who made mistakes.
2. When you consider the entirety of Brent’s accusations – not just against CJ but also against Dave Harvey and others – what the AOR panel actually looked at was extremely limited, and it seems obvious to me that the process was rigged and unfair.

With that in mind, I’m very sympathetic to Brent’s anger and frustration, and the way he’s behaved, even when it seems excessive. I probably would have reacted the same way.  Then too, keep in mind that Brent has said that he believes he’s been called to address these issues in the same way Old Testament prophets were called to point out sin and call for repentance.

All along, I have tried hard not to be on “Team CJ” or “Team Brent” but rather on “Team God.”  I’ve read all the documentation, all the blog posts, and basically every scrap of information that was out there, and tried to look at it impartially.  After all that, I do think an injustice has been done.  I also see that I don’t have any control over it because while I desire to be on the same side as God, I’m certainly NOT God.

I do think it’s very good news that CJ says he intends to step down soon and that structural reforms will be put in place at SGM.  But to say I’m skeptical about what those reforms might include doesn’t begin to cover it, and CJ intends to resume preaching after he is replaced.  Here are the relevant documents from the various involved parties:

• Sovereign Grace’s announcement that CJ has been reinstated.
• CJ’s response to the SGM announcement.
• Brent Detwiler’s response to the reports on his dismissal
• Panel Reports and the Board’s Response.

And here is Brent’s blog response to the fact that CJ has been cleared:

I’ve come up with a great idea!  Surely inspired by the Holy Spirit.  I am going to do my own three panel investigation of C.J.  Certainly you’ll support this endeavor since you believe so strongly in the Golden Rule – at least for him.  “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)

Here’s how my twelve step program will work.  Try it on for size.

1. Three people will serve on each panel.
2. I will pick those people.
3. Jim from SGM Refuge will be on one panel.
4. Kris and Guy from SGM Survivors will be on the other two panels.
5. Six additional people will fill out the panels that are known opponents of C.J. or at least have concerns for him.
6. I’ll call 18 witnesses against C.J. but won’t tell him who they are.  These witnesses need not have any integrity and can be proven liars.
7. Their testimony will be solicited behind closed doors and I won’t let C.J. know what they say against him or give him opportunity to cross examine them.
8. I won’t allow C.J. to pick any witnesses who can testify on his behalf and I will limit his participation to one of the three hearings.
9. I’ll restrict the hearings to very narrow questions but inform C.J. when he arrives at is hearing that he can share anything to make sure he is unprepared.
10. This panel won’t include in their reports anything C.J. says or evidence he presents but people will never know because I won’t allow him to record the session.
11. I’ll have a trial lawyer validate this process so people think it is legitimate.
12. When the reports come out I’ll send C.J. this Scripture.  Matthew 5:11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”

Lastly, I want to express my agreement with the following email that was sent to you this morning. Try Jeremiah 9:4-9 on for size. You’ll discover a perfect fit. God will continue to punish SGM and avenge himself. People, pastors and churches will leave and stop giving money to the ministry. A split will ensue. Those with discernment, integrity and courage will leave. Idolators will stay.

From: [Deleted]
Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2012 9:11 PM
To: C.J. Mahaney; Dave Harvey; Craig Cabinass; Mickey Connolly; Rick Gamache; Pete Greasley; JohnLoftness; Mark Prater; Jeff Purswell; Aron Osborne; Steve Shank; Bob Kauflin; Joshua Harris
Cc: Bryce Thomas; Brent Detwiler; kris@sgmsurvivors.com; guy@sgmsurvivors.com; jim@sgmrefuge.com
Subject: An announcement regarding C.J. Mahaney

The words disappointing, disheartening, and discouraging can only begin to describe the feelings that many people have, regarding these announcements:

SGM Plant & Build Blog: An announcement regarding C.J. Mahaney

C.J.M.’s View From the Cheap Seats: A note to those in Sovereign Grace Ministries

So, I leave you with this passage from Jeremiah to contemplate:

Jeremiah 9:4-9 [ESV]

[4] Let everyone beware of his neighbor, and put no trust in any brother, for every brother is a deceiver, and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer. [5] Everyone deceives his neighbor, and no one speaks the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they weary themselves committing iniquity. [6] Heaping oppression upon oppression, and deceit upon deceit, they refuse to know me, declares the LORD. [7] Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: “Behold, I will refine them and test them, for what else can I do, because of my people? [8] Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceitfully;with his mouth each speaks peace to his neighbor, but in his heart he plans an ambush for him. [9] Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the LORD, and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?”

It [punishment] has only begun.

I don’t think the people who are taking victory laps right now are necessarily idolators, malicious or even sinning.  Surely some may be, but I think most are just mistaken.  (As I often am, and have grace extended to me.)  At the end of the day, I’m going to have to trust God to sort this out.  As a practical matter, until/unless it is sorted out, I’ve bought my last Sovereign Grace book and CD, attended my last Sovereign Grace seminar, and made my last Sovereign Grace donation.  (On that note, they’ll never miss me; we always did give primarily to our local church.)  In short, I will disengage as much as possible from the national organization, and I will pray that God grants repentance to those involved.  I’m not doing this because Brent said so – I’d already made the decision before I read his post – but because I believe it’s the correct response.  But I suspect Brent is right when he suggests that a lot of people are going to disengage from Sovereign Grace.

I don’t know yet how my pastor is going to respond to this.  I’ve considered what my response to his response will be… if he comes out with a full-throated defense of CJ and SGM, I will be very unhappy. But is continued association with Sovereign Grace enough reason for me to leave a church where we have roots, and where good preaching takes place every week?  At this point, that’s an easy answer: no, it isn’t.  But that’s really not the deciding question. We feel that God has called us to our local church. The real question is, has God released us from our local church?  So far, no, He hasn’t.

So for whatever it’s worth, that’s where I stand.

* Thanks to commenter Waiting for the correction.

“I pray to be a good servant to God, a father, a husband, a son, a friend, brother and uncle, a good neighbor, a good leader to those who look up to me and a good follower to those that are serving God and doing the right thing, people I can look up to and try to emulate.”

The bottom line is this. If the unborn is not a human being, have as many abortions as you want, whenever you want. It doesn’t matter. No justification is necessary. If, on the other hand, the unborn is a human being, no justification is adequate unless another human life, that being the mother, is in danger.

Until I was 21, I was heartily in favor of a mother’s right to kill her unborn baby.  For one thing, I did not accept that it was, in fact, a human life being taken. It was “cells” or a “mass” or “the product of conception.”  I bought the Planned Parenthood line – hook, line, and sinker.  Then I got pregnant. Although I was married, the circumstances in my life at that point were… less than ideal. Several people pressured me to have an abortion. And I, Ms. ‘Safe and Legal’ Prochoice, heard my baby’s heartbeat and suddenly understood how incredibly stupid I had been.  So flippant, so closed-minded.  I was very blessed to discover that in time.

I watched a Discovery Channel documentary on Netflix – Two Weeks In Hell.  The young men who went through the two-week selection process for Green Beret training are truly amazing.  The fact that they go through this hellish process voluntarily – to challenge themselves and to serve their country – shows a strength of character that I don’t think I will ever have. And if they make it through the incredibly painful, stressful two week tryout, their reward is… a chance to continue more incredibly painful, stressful Green Beret training for a year. And then they still might not make the cut.  If I ever am introduced to a Green Beret, I will tell him it’s an honor to meet him, and I will mean it sincerely.

Just when we’re all heartily tired of our nation’s youth whining about how college isn’t free and in spite of their Womyn’s Study degree they can’t find a job - and stay off my lawn, you whippersnappers! – here’s a reminder that they are not all lazy, whining, MTV addicts.  Angela Zhang is a 17 year old high school senior whose science fair project just happened to be an innovative treatment for cancer.  Good Lord, do I feel insignificant. And proud.

And today I was reminded of the most amazing thing of all – God loves the unlovely (like me, for example) and is committed to winning and transforming them. Humbling doesn’t begin to cover that.

‘What you’re doing is wrong, guys. Do you know what is right or wrong?’

Qaddafi was apparently referring to violations of Islamic law in how his captors treated him. Still, that’s one scalding-hot cup of irony he served up there at the end, isn’t it? Don’t click through unless you want to see some really graphic images.

It’s sobering to consider the sense of entitlement in how we view ourselves compared to how others see us – and more importantly, how God sees us. After administering a brutal dictatorship for four decades, Qaddafi had the audacity to complain about the treatment he received from others.  Now he’s answering to God, who says there is no one who is righteous, not even one. (Romans 3:10, also Ecclesiastes 7:20) Which puts us on a more or less equal footing with a brutal dictator: God is not going to compare our sins to Qaddafi’s and say, “Hey, you weren’t so bad after all – come on in!*

Salvation aside, obviously Qaddafi had one set of standards for himself and a different set of  ”fair play” expectations for others.  But his question, “Do you know what is right or wrong?” got me thinking about the standards I use to assess what is right and wrong. And even though I know better, I often judge myself according to other people’s behavior: I’m never going to be as holy as so-and-so, but at least I’m not a rotten, malicious jerk like that guy.  And the truth is that I know what is right and wrong, and that mindset of looking to other sinners as a standard for self-assessment is entirely wrong.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
(Hebrews 12:1-4)

 

* Access to heaven is not according to a sliding scale; salvation is only through Jesus:

“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all …” (1 Timothy 2:5)

“There is one body and one Spirit … one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Ephesians 4:4)

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and find pasture … I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:9)

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” (John 11:25)

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)

“I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” (John 6:51)

“… whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:15-16)

“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:36)

“Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” (John 8:24)

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24)

“… And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; He who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:11)

“And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” (1 John 4:14)

It’s amazing to me how many people think that voting to have the government give poor people money is compassion. Helping poor and suffering people is compassion. Voting for our government to use guns to give money to help poor and suffering people is immoral self-righteous bullying laziness.

People need to be fed, medicated, educated, clothed, and sheltered, and if we’re compassionate we’ll help them, but you get no moral credit for forcing other people to do what you think is right. There is great joy in helping people, but no joy in doing it at gunpoint.

“Social justice” does not glorify God – it glorifies government.

Via Jeff G @Protein Wisdom.

But we’re all going to go sometime, and then what will they say about us?  For my part, the only obituary I want is “Well done, good and faithful servant,” and nothing at all here in what C.S. Lewis termed “the Shadowlands.”  I’d prefer not to even make an announcement in the paper.  Anyone close to me will know.  And those who aren’t, don’t really need to know.  I would rather just let my life speak for itself via the people who knew me.  Let their memories of me – good, bad and indifferent – sum up my life.  If I’ve lived well, whatever pablum they include in the Obits section will not be remotely sufficient.  And if I haven’t, it will be a lie.  Either of those would be worse than nothing.