Talk Like a Pirate Day

Believe it or not, yesterday was “National Talk Like a Pirate Day.” It really was. And somewhere in the nation there were scores of people running around growling “Arrrrrrr, ye land lubber,  Shiver me timbers,” and “Avast me hearties!”

Don’t believe me? Check out www.talklikeapirate.com!

I even did a little pirate talk in my home (much to my children’s embarrassment), but chose to refrain during Sunday worship.

I’m not sure that pirates even talked like pirates. Truth be told, they were rather ruthless and cruel human beings, despite their cult status in popular culture.

And I got to thinking…

Seems to me that we should have a national “Talk Like Jesus Day.” That doesn’t mean using  a lot of “thee’s” and “thou’s” or using lots of God-talk such as “Praise the Lord,” “Glory to God,” and “Thank you, Jesus.” If you listen carefully, Jesus himself didn’t pepper all of his speech with religious language.

(And have you ever wondered why in the movies, Jesus always seems to speak with a British accent?)

Rather, on “Talk Like Jesus Day,” “Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” Eph 4:29

Come to think of it, sounds like a good plan for every day!

I’m in.  How about you?

Florida Fires

Everywhere I turn I’ve been encountering stories about the pastor in Florida who plans to burn a bunch of Korans on 9/11. A few thoughts come to mind:

1) As so many other Christian leaders have said, this is a decidedly un-Christlike act. Even if we accept the premise that Muslims are our enemies, we should follow the words of Jesus when he said, “You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies^[9] and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” Matt 5:43-45 (NIV). This teaching is reinforced by the Apostle Paul when he instructs believers to “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” Romans 12:14 (NIV)

My belief is that Muslims are NOT our enemies. Some radical Islamists are, but most Muslims I’ve met are no more or less our enemies than the followers of any other religion. What most Muslims ARE is people who have been created by God, are loved by God, and who following a religious system that will ultimately lead them to a godless eternity. They are in desperate need of the grace of God, purchased through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and offered freely to all who will receive him as their savior and Lord.

So tell me, how many of these lost and hungry people will be attracted to the love and grace of Jesus by this angry and disrespectful act?

2) When anyone who is publically identified as a Christian does something cruel, hateful, evil, intolerant, or just plain wacky, the world will jump all over it. Seriously, how hard is it to get the press to cover all of the good, kind, compassionate, sacrificial, and loving ministries that are being carried out by Christians all over the globe? But let one misguided pastor send out a press release that he’s going to burn a bunch of Korans, and the news travels the globe in a heartbeat.

Pastor Jones may have ignited this controversy with his intent to burn the Korans, but the press could have simply ignored him. If they’d done so, American troops wouldn’t be facing increased danger, Christians around the world wouldn’t be fearful of violent repercussions, and this whole firestorm would have burned out in days. Instead, the press have acted as coconspirators, doing everything in their power to inflame the masses.

(Come on. If he’d threatened to burn a pile of flags, wouldn’t the people who are screaming in anger from the top of the mountaintops have been defending his rights of free speech? He’s wrong – dead wrong. But the crisis is only partly of his own making.)

Friends, we must never forget that the eyes of the world are upon us. Therefore, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Gal 6:9-10 (NIV)

3) As we approach the ninth anniversary of 9/11, let’s take a moment to honor the memory of our two church members who lost their lives in the twin towers – Kermit Anderson, and Al Kapplemann, and uphold their loved ones in our prayers.

God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.  Matt 5:9 (NLT)