A Unique Endorsement

I had to have my car worked on this past week. While sitting in the dealership waiting for my name to be called, I sat chatting with a woman. The television flashed an advertisement for Professional Wresting and she commented to me that her grandkids “love that stuff.” Over the years I have had many friends who loved it too. My dad watched it regularly and so did other family members. I recall Saturdays when the entire schedule was centered upon “when wrasslin’ was comin’ on.” In fact, years later, a college friend won tickets on a radio contest and I, along with three other guys, went with him to sit at ringside. The history of wrestling has evolved from fat chubby guys with no athletic prowess to today’s behemoth, muscle-bulging power-lifters. Styles have changed and most guys have come and gone, but one thing has remained the same… Ric Flair.
Ric Flair has been a part of pro wrestling since I first saw it in the 70’s. He went from young star to multi-time champion. He has been around for so long and is so well known that this week I saw his name listed in the politics section of the newspaper. You see, this past week “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair threw his weight around once more. Only this time he was not in the ring - he was endorsing a political candidate, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. First I was shocked that it made such news. It was one of those moments when I thought, “What… you mean Hulk Hogan wasn’t available?” Why would a candidate for political office want a pro wrestler not only endorsing his campaign, but also stumping in the state of South Carolina. (Maybe he’ll get Steve Austin, for Texas?) First of all, if you weren’t aware, wrestling is fake! What does that say about such an endorsement?
It reminds me of the story in 1 Samuel 8. The people of Israel wanted a king. The prophet Saul went to God and asked for a king. God wanted to remain their king, but the people insisted that God was not sufficient and they wanted to be like other nations with a king. So, Saul found a handsome man who looked like a great king and Samuel chose him as king. He was a terrible king! The next king, God himself chose. In 1 Samuel 16, God tells Samuel to go find Jesse and his sons; from this family he would find the next king. Samuel thinks that surely the oldest and handsomest must be the chosen one, but God says “No.” Each son is examined and each God rejects. Finally Samuel asks Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” David, the youngest and most unlikely is not present and is keeping the sheep. David is the chosen one! He is the one with the heart for God because God judges the heart not the looks of a person. We too must be careful who we choose to be our leaders. Often we look at the outside of a person instead of examining their heart. I think that today it would be virtually impossible for a man like Abraham Lincoln to be chosen President. He was not a handsome fellow.
As for Mike Huckabee, I have no opinion - but what an interesting choice of endorsement in the person of Ric Flair. Don’t get me wrong. I have a very good friend, Tom Butler, who worked in the Charlotte, NC media and is a good friend of Ric Flair. He says that the guy is really nice and not anything like his wrestling character (whooooo!). I see all kinds of folks endorsing the many candidates, including former President Bill Clinton on the late-night television circuit… I wonder who he is endorsing? May I be so bold to suggest that you give every effort to find out a person’s heart, not just what you see on the outside. Samuel learned that lesson with Saul and David. Be it candidates for office or even people who are our friends, God loves us all, but not all love God. We must be wise and follow people who seek God’s will first in their life.

The Truth Is What God Wants

Another Halloween has come and gone. Did you have trick-or-treaters or did you actually go out yourself? I had many a cute kid come to my door from a Clone Soldier from Star Wars, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, to the obvious scary parade of witches and horror movie impersonators. I certainly enjoyed seeing the kids and I know they had a blast gathering bag-loads of candy.
Even so, one thought troubles me when it comes to this whole Halloween thing…evil. Evil is not a silly joke to be celebrated like some figment of a foolish person’s imagination. Evil is real and takes many forms. Maybe I need to clarify. Yes, there are different types of evil. There is demonic/satanic evil which is written about in the Bible - stories of Job, Legion, and the Book of Revelation. But a very dangerous and common form is the evil Jesus encountered in Matthew 16:23 when He tells Peter “get behind me Satan.” You see, Peter wanted what Peter wanted. This form of evil is a denial of what God wants and an insistence of what the individual wants. When someone begins to accept his or her own heart’s desire over and above what God wants, then, that becomes evil and it too is often hidden behind our mask.
What Would Jesus Want? WWJW? How do we find out what God wants for us? We must first pray, but then we need to look to the faith community for answers. King David wanted to hide his adulterous affair, but Nathan the prophet came to him and confronted David with the truth - not to simply point out David’s sin, but to help him confess, repent, seek forgiveness, and become someone after God’s own heart. In fact, simply pointing out another’s failings if done in a self-righteous manner is itself not of God but evil as well. But, an honest truth teller attempts to draw an individual closer to God and restore the individual by destroying the lie and self-deceit.
Author and Pastor John Ortberg calls it “the gift nobody wants.” It is the gift of accountability. We want to know ourselves, but then again we don’t. It is like looking in a mirror or getting on a scale. The cold, hard, factual truth comes to bare. Ortberg says, “When people are engaged in destructive, soul-threatening behavior, they need a mirror.” Telling people what they want to hear is not love, it is evil. This is true everywhere… including within the church. It is frightening to hear the truth because we fear chaos and the lack of control that goes with it. The questions arise: “What might happen if the truth is told?” and “Who might be offended?” But real community invites and seeks the truth. Anything else is simply what The Road Less Traveled author M. Scott Peck calls “pseudo-community.” Do you have someone who tells you the truth... someone who loves you and whom you love who can serve as your Nathan? At times, we all think that we know what we want, but is that really what God wants or are we simply following the steps of Peter? God loves you and wants your life to be one of discipleship, so find yourself a faith community and someone you trust to help you be the man or woman after God’s own heart.