Tag: revival

We Didn’t Realize Where We Stood

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It was Saturday afternoon, sometime in late 1997. I sat in a booth at the Pizza Hut in Jacksonville, Texas, waiting for my personal pepperoni pan pizza.

They brought that delicacy out in a piping hot iron pan and served it to you right there on your table, pan and all. I was already sipping on my soda, served in one of Pizza Hut’s iconic red plastic cups.

The jukebox was jamming out to an old AC/DC song and I was looking forward to a big night at my best friend, Ronnie’s, house. We were going to, once again, attempt to conquer “Tomb Raider” on the first-generation PlayStation system. If Ronnie ever beat that game, I wasn’t there for it.

Sunday night would see my return to college at Stephen F. Austin State University, where I would wake up at 9 a.m. on Monday just in time to make it to my 10 a.m. broadcasting class before going to lunch at East Cafeteria, where I would be treated to all-u-can-eat flame broiled hamburgers, and “Silver Springs” by Fleetwood Mac playing on the jukebox.

Fleetwood Mac… in a few months, I would be able to attend their tour, “The Dance,” at the Coca Cola Starplex in east Dallas. That show was perfectly choreographed, with every move, note and song matching Fleetwood’s PBS special that aired earlier that year. The only thing missing was the USC Marching Band. Not a bad show for $10.

No bills. Inexpensive entertainment. And disposable income. No worries, just how to entertain myself next. Life at the age of 19… as it should be.

Life was good. Those were the “good ole days.”

In 2016, Donald Trump ran for his first term in office under the slogan, “Make America Great Again.” At the time, I was co-hosting a talk radio show with my good friend, Brian Wade. We theorized that, if Donald Trump wanted to “make America great again,” then there must be a time in American history that he was looking back on which he perceived America to be greater than it is today.

So, we went on the air and asked our audience to call in. Tell us, “When was America greater than it is now?”

Our audience gave different answers, ranging from the 1950s to the 1990s. What we found was that most people saw America at its greatest around the time they turned 18… when the benefits of earning money and starting their lives were first being realized, but before the realities and burdens of adult life set in.

For most, America was at its finest, not when the markets rallied or the wars were won, but when their lives were good. One man even said America was at its best in the late 1970s. The voters in the 1980 election beg to differ, but in the late 70s, this man had a good job, a good home, and a good family.

The good ole days.

Brian ran the show from the control room while I offered commentary, audio, lined up guests, and answered calls from “Studio B.”

What I didn’t realize in August of 2016, as Brian and I were creating the best radio that Brownwood, Texas, has ever heard, was that in a few short months, Brian would be called home to Heaven after suffering a pulmonary issue.

We never really know where we are standing, how good the time is, and how fleeting that moment truly is.

Adam and Eve stood in the garden of Eden… a perfect life, everything they could want, no problems. But… they didn’t realize where they were standing, how good things were, and how that paradise would be lost once they rebelled against God.

I wonder if Adam and Eve ever felt nostalgic for the Garden, the way we often feel nostalgic for our lost youth?

Nostalgia…

Nostalgia is an English word that descends from two ancient Greek words, Nostos (homecoming) and algos (pain.) It’s a sentimental longing for a period in the past, often accompanied by the pain of grief over the innocence and youth lost, the time past, and friends and family who have passed on.

Me and two of my kids at the total solar eclipse in Central Texas. Much of my nostalgia centers on my time as a Dad.

What does scripture say about nostalgia?

Very little.

Ecclesiastes 7:10 warns us, “Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this.” That the ongoing longing for times that seem better than now is not wise.

Philippians 3:13-14 tell us “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

In both verses, we are warned against living in the past, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a sin to remember the past. Rather, when we remember the past, we do so with purpose, remembering God’s goodness, blessings and mercy, while at the same time looking forward to what He will do next.

So, to help us with this, let’s keep a few things in mind.

First, realize that when we look back on memories, we tend to look back with rose-colored glasses. Truth be told, the good ole days weren’t always that good.

Sure, America was prospering in the post-war years of the 1950s, but we faced a polio epidemic and the threat of nuclear annihilation at the hands of the Russians.

The 1960s might have been fun, but that’s only if you forget the near collapse of the American government and economy in the aftermath of the Kennedy assassination and the dark forces that were truly driving the counter-cultural revolution.

The 1970s may have had good movies and music, but stagflation wiped out the income of American workers and there were gas shortages.

The 1980s brought us AIDS. The 1990s brought us scandal, divisive politics and the beginnings of global terror.

I mean, Billy Joel has a hit song from the 1980s about all the challenges that post-war America faced.

Secondly, realize that today isn’t all bad. Yes, the simplicity of last century is gone, and the world we grew up in will never return. However, from the 1950s through the 1990s, generations back then grieved the changes that were taking place. Yet, today, we look back on those years as the good ole days, remembering some really good things about the times we complained about back then.

Everything is different now, and there are a lot of anxieties to daily life now. Cell phones and remote work has isolated us. Entire communities are disappearing even though the houses and people remain.

Yet, good things are happening today.

On a Spiritual level, I don’t think I have ever seen a younger generation so inquisitive and accepting of Biblical truth as the young Gen-Z, and Gen-Alpha. While social media shows the extreme left-wing and atheistic wing of those generations, in real life, there are multitudes of young people who are not only open to the Gospel, but crave a deeper understanding of the scriptures.

They seek what’s real. And, we as Christians and churches have the opportunity to cultivate that curiosity and foster that growth in faith in these younger generations that could spark a revival such as we have not seen since the 1950s.

Furthermore, if we take stock of our own lives, and take the time to count the blessings God has given us, we will find that, national and global issues notwithstanding, life is still good.

And finally, it will help if we remember that there is still purpose to life. If you opened your eyes this morning, God still has a purpose for your life. If you are still breathing, God is still working with you.

Sometimes, we go through seasons where we feel that we no longer have a reason to live. There’s no more purpose to life.

This is very common for empty nesters whose children have just moved out of the home. This is also common for retirees who have no idea what to do now that there’s no longer a career to wake up to.

It may take some time, but God will lead you to your purpose. Take this time to rest and to get into His word, and gain more understanding of him. Also, take a road trip, or go fishing. Enjoy life.

And as you enjoy it, just know that there is still purpose to life.

As we follow these steps, we will find ourselves less bereaved over the passing of the good ole days, and more purpose-driven, making these current days the good ole days. As we do that, we may even see the Kingdom of God advance.

May God bless you richly today.

The Jesus Revolution’s Frisbee Problem

Let’s face it… for fans of The Chosen, Jonathan Roumie sold The Jesus Revolution. Roumie’s portrayal of Jesus in The Chosen has earned him a following, a ministry, and has contributed to a national conversation about Jesus, leading many to seek the truth about Jesus, and many have professed faith in Christ as a result.

So, it comes with a bit of irony that in The Jesus Revolution, Roumie portrays a young Lonnie Frisbee, whose emotionally compassionate outreach and charismatic preaching sparked The Jesus Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, thus sparking a national conversation about Jesus which led to many salvations.

Neither man (Roumie or Frisbee) is without controversy, as is neither character portrayed. Jesus was controversial in His day, and remains so to this day. And with a resurgence of post-morten fame on the heels of Jesus Revolution, Frisbee finds himself in the middle of controversy as well.

At the center of Frisbee’s controversy are his theatrical antics, and his struggles with homosexuality. Critics point to the former to discredit his ministry, and they point out the latter to discredit Christianity in general.

To their credit, the filmmakers of The Jesus Revolution were open about the character flaws of each of the leaders of the movement. Smith was a bit opportunistic and judgmental, and struggled with seeing the church blossom under someone else’s leadership. Laurie struggled with drugs early on and struggled with faith toward the end of the movie.

Frisbee demanded the spotlight, neglected his wife, and stormed out in a hissy fit when the spotlight was taken away. Yes, his struggles with homosexuality were omitted from the movie, but were not an issue during the time portrayed in the movie.

Frisbee was raped as a child, and as many who endure that atrocity do, experimented with homosexuality during his adolescence and early adulthood. Frisbee reported coming out of that lifestyle when he came to know Jesus, but relapsed in the 1980s. Frisbee confessed that his behaviors were sin, and were as sinful (but no more than) other sins.

When confronted, Frisbee confessed. He prayed for forgiveness. He tried to help others find forgiveness. He did not cling to the lifestyle, and did not advocate that others live the lifestyle.

It would be sinful and unproductive to try to determine Frisbee’s salvation status, or whether his faith was real, and his ministry motivated by faith and a genuine heart for the Lord. We leave the judging of the living and the dead to God.

However, a quick internet search into Frisbee’s life reveals a struggle with sin which is not unlike the struggle with pornography, addiction, anger, gluttony (I confess that!), hate, covetousness or dishonesty.

As Christians, we often find ourselves easily ensnared in sin that rapidly gets out of hand and gruesome pretty quickly. Sometimes we deceive ourselves into thinking that our sin isn’t that big of a deal, but it is.

And we can usually find a worse sinner to point out to make ourselves feel better about our sin. And in this case, that worse sinner is Frisbee.

However, the political fireball surrounding his sin neither discredits the Bible, the Gospel, nor the film, because all three uphold the fact that God works through the broken, and through weakness we are made strong.

Frisbee struggled with homosexuality, but Abraham committed adultery, Jacob was a crook, Judah hired a prostitute, King David committed adultery and murder, and Solomon dabbled in idolatry. Yet, Scripture holds those men up as patriarchs of the faith, and some even wrote scripture.

Scripture does not affirm their behavior, but God used them in spite of their brokenness, and God uses us in spite of our brokenness.

Why would God do that? He does that because the premise of the Gospel is that the broken can be healed, the sinner can be cleansed, and the condemned can be redeemed. Further, this all happens not because of how great the person is, but because of how graceful and powerful God is.

And that’s the power of the Gospel, that the death and condemnation of our sins was placed on Christ when He hung on that cross, and when He died, that death and condemnation were sent to Hell instead of us.

And because of that redemption, because Jesus took it all on our behalf, we can go free. We can place our faith in Him and make ourselves available for God to use to do big things… or maybe small and simple things. Either way, it’s a blessing.

So I’m not offended that one of my favorite actors portrayed a man who struggled in homosexuality, and I’m not discouraged that such a man was a key figure in a national revival, because I have routinely seen God use broken people, including myself, to lead others to redemption and healing.

God uses the broken to advance the Gospel, and He is glorified in it. Or as the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 3, “For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?”

So let’s review. God is good. Redemption is real. The Gospel saves. The Jesus Revolution is a good movie. And God has used the broken to spark a national conversation about Jesus. Let’s have that conversation, and point people to the redemption in Christ Jesus that is found at the cross, and not let ourselves be distracted by one man’s sin from 40 years ago.