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The Father of the Bride

Posted by Steve Higginbotham on 19 July 2010, 10:40 am

Tomorrow, June 20, 2010, my daughter is getting married.  That makes me the “Father of the Bride.”  There’s a jovial stigma to being the Father of the Bride.  Maybe we can chalk that up to Spencer Tracy.  But at any rate, I feel much more than a bumbling man whose only contribution to the wedding is his wallet.  Not that I’m not a bumbling man or that weddings are free.  I am and they aren’t.  But here’s what else I am as “the Father of the Bride:

  • I am blessed to have been able to experience another phase of life.  One of the things that makes the death of a young person so difficult is the realization of how many things they were not able to experience.  I’ve been blessed to be able to experience childhood, college, getting married, and having and raising children.  I have paused to think of how many people do not get the opportunity to experience the joys that come from each of these milestones in life.  God intended life to be enjoyable, and by being the “Father of the Bride,” I’m able to experience yet another one of those milestones.
  • I am blessed that my daughter is a Christian and has chosen to marry a young man who also is a Christian.  Together, they will help each other go to Heaven.  What more can a father want for his daughter than for her lifelong companion to be someone who will assist her in going to Heaven?  Because of their selection, they have both avoided so many pitfalls that come from separate allegiances, competing loyalties, and have greatly enhanced their own hopes for eternal life.  “Two are better than one…” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).
  • I am blessed because I know the potential that is wrapped up in the God ordained institution of marriage.  I know from revelation as well as practical experience.  I am glad to know that she will be able to experience all the advantages that come from this relationship, not only in ultimately arriving at Heaven, but also in navigating the peaks and valleys of life.

So, tomorrow I’ll be the “Father of the Bride.”  Bumbling, in the way, lighter in the wallet, but most definitely blessed!

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Polishing The Pulpit

Posted by Steve Higginbotham on 18 July 2010, 6:11 am

In just a little more than a month (August 27-September2), the Polishing the Pulpit lectureship will begin.  For years, I’ve wanted to attend this event, but just could not swing it due to my schedule.  However, having moved to Knoxville this year, this event will be in my “backyard” so I’ll be able to attend.  This year’s Polishing the Pulpit (PTP) is the largest event in its history.  There will be 102 speakers, 10 concurrent sessions each hour, and 375 separate classes spread out over seven days.  Last year, the attendance surpassed 1400; this year the goal is 2000.  There are tracks for preachers, elders, deacons, women, youth workers, and general lessons for anyone who wishes to improve himself.  I hope you’ll register and make plans to attend.  Their website is www.polishingthepulpit.com.

Why should you attend?  With nearly all occupations, there is required ongoing education.  Teacher’s, doctors, electricians, plumbers, etc. all  have “professional days” in which they are taught new things, and brought up to speed with new policies, etc.  If our secular work sees the merit in ongoing education, then how much more should we embrace as elders, preachers, deacons, Bible class teachers, etc. the idea of continuing education?  Don’t settle.  Rather be challenged by new and innovative ideas which may be employed to advance the cause of Christ.

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It’s Fun to Stay at the “Y…”

Posted by Steve Higginbotham on 14 July 2010, 7:24 am

The YMCA officially changed its name this week.  After 166 years in existence, the Young Men’s Christian Association has officially changed its name to the “Y.”  That’s it.  No longer will the word “Christian” be associated with this organization.  Now, the organization says they will still emphasize “Christian ideals,” they’re just removing the “Christian” from their name.

What do you think?  Is this a step away from the “Y’s” original mission?  Is this another example of the secularization of America?  One thing I do know is that it won’t be nearly as fun to sing, “It’s fun to stay at the Yyyyyyyyy….., it’s fun to stay at the Yyyyyyyyy….”

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Right Desire, Wrong Response

Posted by Steve Higginbotham on 17 June 2010, 8:20 am

“I was baptized when I was very young and I’m not sure I really understood what I was doing at the time.  What should I do?”  Most preachers have heard this question many times and have probably offered this typical response, “If you have any doubts, why not be baptized again and remove all the doubts?  If you did it properly the first time, you’ll just be getting wet, but if you didn’t, you’ll be receiving the forgiveness of your sins.”

While that response is appropriate in some situations, it is wholly inappropriate in others.  Very similar to the above scenario is the person who desires to be “rebaptized” because they want a new start; they had fallen away since their baptism, feel guilty for it, and just want to be baptized again as a way to start all over again.  It’s at this point that the appropriate response is not to “proceed with the baptism to give them peace of mind,” but rather to teach this person the biblical response to their situation.

We have always preached, and rightly so, that God has two laws of pardon; one for the non-Christian (Acts 2:38) and one for the Christian (Acts 8:22).  We would never accept or advise a person who need to be baptized to simply pray for forgiveness, but what would make us think that baptizing a person who needs to repent and pray would be any more acceptable?  That’s the right desire, but the wrong response.

A non-Christian’s sins are not removed by praying to God.  He needs to be baptized.  Likewise, a Christians sins are not removed by being “rebaptized.”  He needs to pray.

While there is a place for “rebaptism” for one who did not understand what they were doing at the time of their baptism, or for one who had the wrong motives for being baptized, “rebaptism” is wholly inappropriate for the person who understood their baptism, but just wants to be “rebaptized” because they feel guilty and want to start again.  Many of our religious neighbors teach people who have the right desire to respond in the wrong way, namely praying when they should be getting baptized.  Let’s not be guilty of the same mistake, only in reverse, by telling people who need to pray to be baptized.

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Do You Have A “Funeral Story?”

Posted by Steve Higginbotham on 5 May 2010, 1:33 pm

For the family who has suffered a loss, a funeral is a tragic and painful event.  However, for those who deal with funerals on a day to day basis, like any profession, there is humor in many of the events that transpire.  I was recently introduced to a book entitled, “Tales from Kentucky Funeral Homes” by Willian Lynwood Montell.  In this book, Montell collected and shared stories from funeral directors all over Kentucky.  Some of the stories are informative, relating how the practices of funerals have changed over the years, and some of the stories are humorous.  To my surprise, an incident involving one of the funerals I preached made the book.

Here’s an excerpt from the book as told by Follis Crow, the funeral director of Crow Funeral Home in Glasgow, KY:

“This is a funny story that happened to the minster not too long ago.  Sometimes ministers will ride in the hearse with me to the cemetery, but most times they’ll drive their own car.

This minister here in Glasgow, Steve Higginbotham, is a big tall fellow and a nice guy.  He got into the hearse with us, was sitting down, and as we pulled out he reached over his shoulder to grab the seat belt to put it on.  Well, in the funeral hearse there is a glass partition between the front part where the passengers ride and the back were the casket is.

When he reached over his shoulder to get the seat belt, he saw the reflection of his hand in the glass partition behind him.  He yelled and jerked back and jerked down like somebody was grabbing him.

That was one of the funniest things that ever happened, and he and I still get a kick out of what happened.  he thought somebody was back there getting ready to get him.”

What can I say?  I watched too many Boris Karloff and Vincent Price movies as a child.

Do you have any funny “Funeral Stories” to share?  If so, why don’t you share them in the comments section?

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Wolves In Sheep’s Clothing

Posted by Steve Higginbotham on 4 May 2010, 12:14 pm

I recently received an invitation to an area-wide youth rally that was scheduled to be held here in Glasgow, Kentucky.  As I looked at the flier, I had some serious concerns about the individuals who had been invited to lead in this event.  Due to my concerns, I turned to the Internet and literally, in a matter of moments, I discovered the following facts about the invited guests.

  • One speaker worships with a congregation that employs instrumental music in some of their worship services, and provides audio sermons online wherein their preacher argues that there were women apostles.
  • This same speaker told me in a personal correspondence that there is nothing wrong with offering instrumental music to God.
  • Two other invited guests do not attend any church of Christ in their community, rather they have set up a “home church” in which they receive their weekly preaching through video from Brentwood Baptist Church in Nashville, TN.
  • These two individuals also admit that they employ instrumental music in their worship services.
  • One of the invited guests actually argued on his blog that not only is instrumental music permissible, but it may also be commanded in Christian worship (Shades of O.E. Payne).
  • Another one of the invited guests is a “worship team leader” in a congregation that made national news when they decided to employ instrumental music in their worship services.

All of this information was discovered in less than 15 minutes of looking on the Internet.  Consequently, I have a few questions:

  • Would men who profess and practice such views be invited to our congregations to lead our adults in a special worship series?
  • If not, then why in the world would we invite such men to lead our youth in a special worship series?
  • If we would not expose the spiritually mature to such men, why would we expose the spiritually immature to such men?
  • While a man may not promote or practice such unbiblical views while among us, is there not an issue of fellowship that must be addressed?
  • Does it matter only what a person promotes and practices while among us, or does it also matter what a person promotes and practices elsewhere?

This event has been particularly troubling to me because it is in our “backyard,”  but I’m also concerned because I know that we cannot make ground or hold ground by compromising with those who espouse and practice error.  Why we would not tolerate the likes of such men in our congregations, but would be willing to expose our children to such men is beyond me!  If we are going to prevent another division such as has not been witnessed since the division that occurred over 100 years ago, we had better start taking an uncompromising stand for the truth that doesn’t leave our youth wondering what we really believe.

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