I go back to my days with my mom as a youngster. Of course, I don’t remember the dirty diapers or the late-night feedings but I am quite sure there were a few. Through it all, mom loved me. As I got older, there were the days that she became paper editor, science project innovator, field trip monitor, and personal chauffeur. Through each moment, she still loved me. She probably said to me a hundred times, “Don’t make me tell you again.” She probably said a thousand, “You just wait till your daddy gets home.” (He always came home). Through every one of those seasons, she loved me. She loved the skinned knees, the broken bones, the stubborn moments, the girlfriend drama, the picky-eater stage. She loved me when I the uniforms were dirty and the bathroom was too. To try and pay back a mom–any mom–for the sacrifices they make and the ways they love would be futile. But there is one way I know they like to see you try…by simply loving them in return during their own difficult moments. When they lose their cool. When they disappear for some solitude. When they ask too many questions or offer too much advice. When they begin to age and can’t remember what they’ve told you or the last time you called. Loving them is the only way to repay the special love they pour out on us. So for all the moms in my life, I hope I’ve been good to you. I hope I have loved you a small portion of the love that you have given to me. And, to my one, true mom…I love you very dearly. Don’t think that I don’t recognize the sacrifices you made, the difficult choices you faced and the times you loved me through all the chaos. It may have taken me a while but I know this….Ridley Barron wouldn’t be who he is without the love of Nadine.

Now, as a little tribute to all of you moms, I thought you might enjoy a little video.

So let me just share my thoughts in no particular order. I don’t know that they will sway anyone’s opinion nor do I really think that’s my purpose here. I simply felt a need to share these thoughts for others who are listening to the ongoing debate.

First, let’s understand what love is. I read Facebook (FB) today as one young man said  that because Jesus loved everyone we should too and that means we should leave everyone alone and let them do what they choose. This is a misunderstanding. You see love is not an overall acceptance of everything that someone else does. If it were, every mom and dad who has ever lovingly disciplined their child for wrong behavior would have to go back and apologize. More important, Jesus would have to apologize to a prostitute (whom He loved by the way) for telling her in John 8:11 to “go and sin no more.” Modern translation: “I love you but your sinful lifestyle isn’t acceptable and you need to leave that lifestyle.” He would also have to apologize to the rich, young man (whom He also loved) because He told him in Matthew 19:21 to go and sell all that he had and give it to the poor. Modern translation: “I love you but your values system is messed up and there are more important things than your wealth.”

N0, love is the very reason that I am compelled to speak up when my children misbehave, when a friend is making poor choices or our country has lost its direction on a particular issue. I–along with every other person who has ever truly loved someone–must feel compelled to speak up to save those we love from what we believe are poor choices.

Second thought…while my views on homosexuality may not line up with yours, I truly do my best to honor God by loving everyone. I love those who don’t vote like me, don’t worship like me, don’t act like me or don’t dress like me. Just because I don’t agree with them does not mean that I don’t love them (besides, if that’s true, why isn’t anyone talking to them about loving me? It goes both ways).

Thirdly, I’m confused by this question of “homosexual marriage.” Why do we have to “redefine” marriage? Isn’t that like looking at a mountain and insisting that we call it a river? Throughout the course of history, marriage has been defined as being between a man and a woman. The reason that is the case is because the first marriage was ordained by God in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:21-24) and it was “defined” then as being between a woman and a man. If homosexuals want a partnership, let them call it what they want. Call it unions, call it partnerships, call them durable arrangements. I don’t care. But don’t call it marriage because its not…just like a mountain is not a river. I know that much of this debate centers on the question of tax and other benefits. I don’t care one inch about those benefits. You can have them because the way the government is moving backward on us, we’ll all be losing those benefits shortly any way.

Let me be clear. I do not think that homosexuality honors God. I don’t think it’s the right choice for any man or woman. I also don’t think its the biggest problem the Church is facing. It receives an inordinate amount of attention from us. In fact, just after the passage of Scripture where Paul talks about homosexuality being against God’s plan for humanity (Romans 1:26-27), he also lists the following wrong sins that plague humans: wickedness, evil, greed, depravity, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossip, slander, God-hating, insolent, arrogant and boastful. Not only are these problems far more prevalent, they are found far too frequently among the ones who are called to living differently in this world…the Christ-followers.

Maybe if Christ followers did less gossiping, envied each other less, encouraged each other more and learned what true love was really all about, those walking down paths that do not honor God would feel more compelled to find out why we are the way we are. Maybe they would be drawn to Christ rather than repelled from what we do.

One last thought. I’m really frustrated by how this word judgment gets tossed around so easily. First of all, determining if someone is doing right or wrong is not judgment. If that was what God was talking about when He said do not judge, then He would have no leg to stand on when we did something wrong. We could say we simply refused to judge. Judging is something that goes deeper, more eternal than watching as someone harms someone else and deciding its wrong. None of us would watch a grown man steal food from a starving child and hesitate to “judge” that his behavior was abhorrent. I also get bothered when those pointing fingers at the church tell us not “to judge”–quoting Scripture from a Bible they choose not to believe otherwise. You can’t pick and choose when you follow the Bible. That’s not an option. The same Bible that says “be careful how you judge” is also the one that says” Be holy as HE (God) is holy.” The last time I checked we all–every single one of us–have miles to go before we can say we’ve accomplished that one.

Here’s the problem. I cut the grass today. On days when I do that, I typically have an hour or two to ride the mower and think about things. Sometimes its just random thoughts that really amount to little or nothing. Today, there was something specific rolling around in my head. As some of us Southerners would say, “I had something stuck in my craw.” Now, to be clear, I’ve never really said that statement very much and I’m not entirely sure I know what a “craw” is. In fact, I might have just offended some of you. That’ s okay. It may be practice for what’s to come.

My first thoughts went back to Jesus. You see, I’ve heard lots of preachers talk about Jesus’ preaching over the years and describe it this way, “He turned the status quo upside down with what he taught.” Yeah, I guess He did. Statements like the a master should serve, the first should be last, pray for your enemies. Those kinds of statements kind of fly in the face of what is the accepted norm. I think I’m coming to the point though where I see that Jesus’ thinking was really the only one that was right side up. It makes sense of this life we live. It serves as a foundation for all those cool things we seek in this life: peace, joy, purpose, love, relationship. Jesus just got it right because–another of His great teachings–He said to do unto others what you would have them do unto you. That’s just good stuff. Not do what they did to you….do what you want them to do to you.

Here’s why I was dwelling on the subject. (Rant warning). Can someone please tell me why such good common sense teaching is squelched in our country and we insist on living life with upside down thinking? Let me get more personal and specific. Can someone pinpoint who the last person with common sense was who left Washington, D.C. and left the fools in charge? This isn’t a Democratic or Republican thing nor is it a conservative versus liberal. I’m simply asking why adults with advanced degrees and seeming intelligence can’t seem to find their heads from a hole in the ground. Consider this:

My dad served 3 years in the military during the Korean War, a fact I am very proud of and a commitment he willingly made. He, just as with many veterans, was promised pay and benefits in exchange for his sacrifice. My dad never, too my knowledge, cashed in on any of those benefits before his death. If he did, he was awfully quiet about it. Flash forward to today. My sisters and I have recently attempted to tap into benefits allowed for a surviving spouse to help my mom with her increased health care needs. So, being the son, I took the paperwork and applied. That was five months ago. The promise was that it would take ten months to consider her application. Today, a friend of my sister’s who is familiar with how these things work in this VA department, informed us that it would more likely be twelve months, that we would probably be rejected on the first try in hopes that we would not reapply. If we reapply and get approved (which is still a big “if”) then my mom might qualify for as much as $1000/month. I’ll stop there and not go into all the gory details. I have to leave room for my rant.

Can someone explain to me why a veteran’s spouse has to fight to get the money promised to her husband (let’s be honest, the reason they are delaying so long is the hope that my mom might pass away before they have to give a penny) but we spend more money per month fighting to give death row inmates’ unlimited appeals on their convictions? Do you understand that my mom’s benefit for my dad’s service in the military would be less per year than the closing dinner at the General Services Administration’s much ballyhooed conference (that meal cost taxpayers $30,207.60)? Providing decent healthcare for the millions of veterans, spouses and children should be a bigger priority than any of the following wastes of taxpayer money.

#1 A total of $3 million has been granted to researchers at the University of California at Irvine so that they can play video games such as World of Warcraft.  The goal of this “video game research” is reportedly to study how “emerging forms of communication, including multiplayer computer games and online virtual worlds such as World of Warcraft and Second Life can help organizations collaborate and compete more effectively in the global marketplace.”

#2 The U.S. Department of Agriculture gave the University of New Hampshire $700,000 this year to study methane gas emissions from dairy cows.

#3 $615,000 was given to the University of California at Santa Cruz to digitize photos, T-shirts and concert tickets belonging to the Grateful Dead.

#4 A professor at Stanford University received $239,100 to study how Americans use the Internet to find love.  So far one of the key findings of this “research” is that the Internet is a safer and more discreet way to find same-sex partners.

#5 The National Science Foundation spent $216,000 to study whether or not politicians “gain or lose support by taking ambiguous positions.”

#6 The National Institutes of Health spent approximately $442,340 to study the behavior of male prostitutes in Vietnam.

#7 Approximately $1 million of U.S. taxpayer money was used to create poetry for the Little Rock, New Orleans, Milwaukee and Chicago zoos.  The goal of the “poetry” is to help raise awareness on environmental issues.

#8 The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs spent $175 million during 2010 to maintain hundreds of buildings that it does not even use.  This includes a pink, octagonal monkey house in the city of Dayton, Ohio.

#9 $1.8 million of U.S. taxpayer dollars went for a “museum of neon signs” in Las Vegas, Nevada.

#10 $35 million was reportedly paid out by Medicare to 118 “phantom” medical clinics that never even existed.  Apparently these “phantom” medical clinics were established by a network of criminal gangs as a way to defraud the U.S. government.

#11 The Conservation Commission of Monkton, Vermont got $150,000 from the federal government to construct a “critter crossing”.  Thanks to U.S. government money, the lives of “thousands” of migrating salamanders are now being saved.

#12 In California, one park received $440,000 in federal funds to perform “green energy upgrades” on a building that has not been used for a decade.

#13 $440,955 was spent this past year on an office for former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert that he rarely even visits.

#14 One Tennessee library was given $5,000 in federal funds to host a series of video game parties.

#15 The U.S. Census Bureau spent $2.5 million on a television commercial during the Super Bowl that was so poorly produced that virtually nobody understood what is was trying to say.

#16 A professor at Dartmouth University received $137,530 to create a “recession-themed” video game entitled “Layoff”.

#17 The National Science Foundation gave the Minnesota Zoo over $600,000 so that they could develop an online video game called “Wolfquest”.

#18 A pizzeria in Iowa was given $60,000 to renovate the pizzeria’s facade and give it a more “inviting feel”.

#19 The U.S. Department of Agriculture gave one enterprising group of farmers $30,000 to develop a tourist-friendly database of farms that host guests for overnight “haycations”.  This one sounds like something that Dwight Schrute would have dreamed up.

#20 Almost unbelievably, the National Institutes of Health was given $800,000 in “stimulus funds” to study the impact of a “genital-washing program” on men in South Africa. (taken from this article).

Okay. Long blog. Lots of stuff to digest. All of it makes me stick to my stomach. There are millions of things our government could be and should be doing and probably just as many more they should stay out of. (I could write another blog about that one). I just had to let out some steam. If you made it this far, thanks for hanging in with me. I’ll return to sanity tomorrow. Or maybe I won’t and I’ll decide to run for Congress.

Jesus knew that. He really didn’t sugar coat things when He was talking with His disciples. He never promised that everything would be great and that their life would always go smoothly. Rather, He talked about the challenges that would come. In so doing, He used words like “persecution”, “trials”, and “suffering.” Maybe that’s why so many become disillusioned by the religious promises of prosperity, health and wealth. You see, all three of those words focus on who we can become because of our own effort. Our work ethic. Our personality. Our charisma. Our good choices.

On the other hand, things like trials are meant to make something of us rather than us making something of ourselves. In trials, we learn to lean on a God who loves and is big enough to carry us through those desperate moments. He’s done it for me before. I’m confident He will do it again.

Still, Jesus, knowing us like He does, felt a need to address the subject of worry. Worry, to put it simply, is just negative meditation. Worry comes when we take our eyes off of this powerful God and put them on our situation and our ability to overcome it. Worry leads to fear, to doubt, and to self-dependence. Self-dependence is like rowing your boat to a drowning man and saying “Save yourself.”

So what’s the antedote to worry. I believe it begins with positive meditation. Ask yourselves some questions and give serious thought to the answers:

• Is the same God who created you capable of handling the details of your life?
• Can your worry really add one minute to your day or change your situation?
• What are some ways that God has carried you in the past–big or small?
• Worry is a lack of faith in God. What has caused you to doubt?
• What major things in your life could be accomplished if you got your focus back on God and off of worrying? Realize that worry keeps you from experiencing what God has next.
• What would happen if I trusted God for the next hour instead of worrying about what’s happening next week or next month? How would my perspective change?
• Take a second to shut off your phone, step away from you computer or iPad and step outdoors or look out a window. Jesus said, “Have you looked at the flowers and the birds? Do you see them worrying? Just think how much more God loves and cares for you because you are the pinnacle of His creation.”

The video was good. I liked what the guy said. It lined up with some of my own political viewpoints so I chose to take the next step and share it with some friends on Facebook. In a matter of minutes, I had received some “Likes” and a few comments. Then I received a comment that escalated the progression of things. It was from another young lady that I really don’t know very well but we have a mutual friend. She is a Christ follower (like me) and carries an obvious burden for those less fortunate–orphans, the poverty stricken, those who suffer from disease, etc. For that I applaud her. But it was her comment on my page that took me by surprise…

Why can’t pastors stay out of politics?

I’m not sure what my first reaction was. I was more than a little stunned. Did some really suggest to me that my faith in Christ and my subsequent call to serve him as a pastor disqualified me from having an opinion? Not one to back away from such a conversation, I replied:

Why should a pastor stay out of politics? Are you saying that my call from God disqualifies me from having a voice in the politics of my country? 

Somehow, it was said, my comments as a pastor were creating division. Why is it always the conservative viewpoint that creates division while the alternative view is simply someone practicing their right to free speech? Why is it that I am described by some as intolerant because I share my opinion but others do the same and it is never a concern? After another comment or two, I wrote this:

First of all, in my opinion, I am standing for truth. It is a truth that I believe just as passionately as you do yours. Second, I do support the cause of the poor, the homeless, the widow and the orphan. I have done that all my life. I think you just made the assumption that because I am not a fan of Obama’s leadership that it makes me not care about the cause of the poor. But….I choose not to become divided or defensive over this. I simply share my thoughts (which may be different from a 1000 other people on here) and then vote. Not just at a booth in November but with the dollars I spend, the gifts I make to charities and a thousand other ways that you don’t know about me. So, before you make the statement you just made, you should know who I am and what I really stand for. My congregation (who I no longer serve because God has called me into other areas of ministry) knows who I am and they love me…even when they don’t agree.

I won’t share all of the other details or the other comments. That’s really not the point of my blog today. After watching the Braves win their first game of the year and getting our kids in bed, I laid awake for a little while pondering the implications of what I had just read. Here, in a nation founded on principles that come directly from the Bible; a nation where God is on our money and in our pledge to our flag; a nation where our Congress begins every session by invoking the favor of our Creator…in that same nation, had I really been told by a Christ follower that I had no right to talk about the government that serves us?

Therein lies the problem. Our government “of the people, by the people and for the people” is no longer for us. We’ve been intimidated into silence and the false belief that faith should never mix with politics. NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH. Our nation–indeed, any nation–must be built around values. Values are formed from the character of the people who are to be governed. When the people who are to be governed choose to be silent (or are intimidated into silence by those who want to rule them) their values (aka their faith) will be ignored. That’s where we find ourselves. That’s where our government has lost its accountability. If we–all of us–cease to speak our mind, share our thoughts and vote our conscience, then we become no better than the population of Germany in the early 1930′s whose apathy allowed a man to come to power on the backs of their silence. You and I know him as Adolf Hitler. (Interesting note: Hitler became chancellor of Germany even though his party never won more than 37% of the popular vote).

Christ follower, Hindu, Mormon and atheist alike ALL  have the right, the privilege and the responsibility to speak what we believe. If we don’t, we have no one to blame but ourselves for what our country becomes. Conversation should encouraged. Differences should be uncovered and, at the end of the day, the voice of the majority should be the one that guides the future of our nation.

So hear me now, reader (if you have stayed with me this far). My name is Ridley Barron. I am a husband, a father, a son and a brother. I wear the titles of dad, Pastor, and friend. I am a Christ follower and I will not be silent. I will speak when injustice is seen. I will vote with the conscience that God has put in me. I will carry the banner for those whose voices cannot be heard–the unborn, the under-resourced, the disenfranchised. I will not apologize for my beliefs, my Bible nor my God. And I will die for your right to do the same.

As I went through the weekend with my family, I was constantly reminded of God’s favor and goodness towards us. He has been so faithful, so evident in so many areas of our lives. But underneath it all, I knew the weekend would end and that Monday would come. It comes every year, this date that is forever etched in my mind. And year-after-year, I have discovered that these five days (from the day of the accident to the day that Josh died) stir a wide range of emotions for me. And, for some reason this year, the memory of those days has been more…present.

Last night as I watched Mary, the mother of Jesus, weep over her son, my mind was naturally drawn to the day I was forced to weep over my own lost child. The levels of heartache are indescribable. The questions of “what if” or “if only” haunt you in a thousand different dreams. Silently, I wept again last night as Mary held the face of Jesus as he walked to the hillside carrying his cross. To know what she knew to be inevitable must have felt like the weight of a 1000 crushing bricks upon her heart. I know it did mine that day eight years ago as I watched my best friend die. The feeling you get as the doctor tells you, “He only has a few more seconds here” cannot be compared to any other. BUT…

Mary found out what I already know from Jesus’ story. Death does not have to be the end. It is not the ultimate conclusion to every life. As Mary stood on the hill that day, she probably thought very little about Jesus’ prediction that he would conquer death in just three days. Her heart was too focused on the drama playing about before her as her precious son died.

Me, on the other hand, standing 2000 years this side of that empty tomb…it was all I could think about as Sarah took her last breath and as I kissed Josh goodbye. It was the peace that carried me through the dark days of 2004. It is the hope that I long for even now. It is the strength I have to share their story a 1000 times over. It is what Paul, the Apostle, called the “power of the resurrection.” When you know that power it changes your perspective on everything.

Paul said you and I can know that power and, in knowing that power, find that we no longer have to fear death or the grave. I believe with every bit of my heart that my “Granny” is holding Josh, that Sarah is back with my Dad who used to drive her crazy with the way he pronounced her name (Say-rah). I believe that they are in a place where you and I long to be. I believe that, given the opportunity to return, they would choose to stay a million times over.

I believe with all my heart that’s what makes eight a little harder than seven…or the ones that came before. The older I get, the more homesick I get for a place that Jesus has promised me and for all those who trust in Him. Maybe you’ve felt it yourself. That tug in your heart that tells you, you’re not home yet. This is not all there is. Let that tug…and the knowledge of the power of the resurrection…draw you closer to Christ. Not just on Easter, but every single day of your life.

The name took greater irony for me 8 years ago on Good Friday. It was the day that my family was in the accident, my wife was killed instantly and my son began a journey that would end with his own death five days later. How in the world do I call it “good?”

It makes me think back to a scene from “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe”, the C. S. Lewis book that was made into the Chronicles of Narnia. I think I have even referenced it here before. Lucy is talking with Beaver when she asks him about Aslan, the lion who serves as King of Narnia (and in Lewis’ book represents Jesus).

“Is – is he a man?” asked Lucy

“Aslan a man!” said Mr. Beaver sternly. “Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion, the Lion, the great Lion.

“Ooh,” said Susan, “I thought he was a man. Is he – quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”

“That you will, dearie, and make no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver; “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”

“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the king I tell you.”

The problem with many of us (and the problem I had with that term Good Friday) is that we want so desperately to have a God that we control, one who is safe and works by our standards. The minute our God becomes predictable he ceases to become God and becomes…a god. You see, nothing about that first good Friday…or the one eight years ago is safe. Not like I wanted them to be. Not the way I would have written them. But they are good. Very good. Two thousand years ago, Christ took a punishment I deserved, died in my place on a cross and gave me the freedom to experience how good God really can be.

Eight years ago, God used His script instead of mine again. While I don’t believe He caused the deaths of my loved ones, I do believe He allowed those to happen knowing that, through all of the circumstances, many more would be given the chance to know just how good He really is.

This is our God. This is the one who works as He chooses, where He chooses. Is he safe? Heck, no. He never claimed He would be. But He is so very good. Maybe this Easter weekend, if you haven’t already made that decision, you’ll choose to place your life in the hands of this “dangerous” God. There’s no safer place to be. Therein lies the irony of our faith.

We grabbed our last item near the back of the store then made the mistake of coming down the main aisle towards the front. You know the one with all the seasonal items that are highlighted at certain times of year. It looked like a pastel bomb had gone off down through the middle of the store. There was bin after bin of items supposedly related to Easter. There were baskets, bunnies, chocolates and marshmallows. There were bunny costumes, bunny videos, egg-dying kits and Easter cards. About half way down the aisle, Harrison asked the question, “What do eggs have to do with bunnies? How did the two get connected at Easter?”

(Here’s where my emotions heightened and my cynicism kicked in).

I stopped in the middle of the aisle, turned to my family who was walking behind me and said in a fairly loud voice, “It’s all here for Jesus guys. Look at it–bunnies, eggs and candy–all for Jesus.” At this point, I got some strange stares from the people around me and that look I get from my kids when they are afraid I’m about to really embarrass them.

Did you know that in that aisle, almost 50 yards long, there was not one mention of Jesus, God, an empty tomb or the Bible? The mention of angels or of crosses was nowhere to be found. But there were several Easter cookbooks and an instruction kit on how to dye eggs naturally. I counted as I walked. At least five different times, the phrase “You’ll love…” appeared.

Isn’t that some kind of irony? The Bible says, “No greater love has a man than this…that he lay down his life for his friends.” NO GREATER LOVE! NONE. So your love for Robin Eggs, Cadbury Eggs, Milk Chocolate egs, and colored boiled eggs cannot compare to the love displayed on the Cross that day. No matter how much you  like Peeps or M&Ms (coconut, peanut, plain or pretzel), you’ll never find a greater love than what Jesus showed you 2,000 years ago.

So, this weekend, parents will fight to make sure their kids get their share of eggs at the community egg hunt (don’t laugh, it happened in Colorado Springs to the point where they cancelled this year’s egg hunt). Others will spend hundreds of dollars on new clothes or Easter baskets or, more likely, both. And for a few billion people on this planet, Easter will be just another day. We’ll eat our ham, consume our candy and watch a few holes of the golf tournament.

But as you do, don’t let this day–more than other day that history has observed–lose its meaning. Without Christ, life has no purpose. Without the Cross, forgiveness is a pointless word. Without the empty tomb, death still has its power. Without the real Easter, you and I still stand in need of a Savior. And without it all, another day passes without knowing what real love is all about.

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:6-8 NLT

Anyway, he had written to share his thoughts regarding one of my recent posts, the one entitled “Not Me.” It seems that entry had some significant meaning for him after some of the things he has been through in his own personal journey. In the email, my friend made this statement that got my attention…

“It’s funny how watching a sitcom that’s just decades old can seem so antiquated and irrelevant; yet the bible transcends every generation and every century, no matter what changes occur in society!”

His statement is right on. The fact that the Bible still holds truth for us today–almost 2000 years after it was completed–should be further evidence that this is not just any old book. The principles that fill its pages can still teach us all we need to know about what God desires for us. The stories hold timeless teachings that can steer us from pain and hurt. It is, without a doubt, the most beautiful love story ever written and the most complete owner’s manual ever issued. Yet we doubt it. We read it selectively. We pick and choose the portions we want to believe. We tear it to shreds and place more confidence in Wikepedia than we do in a book that has literally stood the challenges of two millennia.

Theodore Roosevelt once said, “A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.”

Years later, Ronald Reagan would add this, “Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.”

But for many of us, our love affair with the Bible gets replaced as we grow older. We “grow up” and begin to believe the stories of Scripture no longer hold much meaning for us. David, Noah, Moses and Joshua were wonderful images for our childhood but, we believe, we must move on to more mature reading. The reality is that there is nothing more challenging or life-changing than the timeless truths of Scripture. It has a prescription for what ails you, direction for when you are lost, hope for the times of darkness and the secrets to joy unmeasurable. It is through the words of these pages that you and I and all humanity will find our way back to God. But in order to find our way back to God, we must first find our way back to the Book.

I re-read the story again this morning during my quiet time and picked up on some critical mistakes in David’s life–mistakes that we all can make if we aren’t careful. Let me list them quickly for you. I pray they serve as a warning for all of us:

• David became arrogant. As I said before, David had been a national hero to this point. He was Saul’s chief musician, a giant slayer and a military genius. He had his own fan club. The problem is that he started reading his own clippings.
• David dropped his guard. To this point in David’s story, he has experienced 20 years of success. Everything he touches works for him. He has experienced the favor of God. But he failed to remember there was an enemy who desired to have him. The enemy won because David relaxed.
• David wasn’t doing what he should have been doing. 2 Samuel 11 (where this story is told) starts with this phrase: “In the spring, the time when kings go off to war…” David’s a king. He’s supposed to be working on national security. Securing the borders of Israel should have been his concern. Because he wasn’t where he should have been, doing what he should have been doing, he set himself up for failure.
• David looked twice at a woman that did not belong to him. One look is temptation. Look twice and you’ve entered into sin.
• David tried to cover his sin instead of confessing. The whole tone of this story changes if David comes clean. If he just confesses and repents of his sin and allows Bathsheba and Uriah (her husband) to raise this child, things are completely different. Instead, his feeble attempts to cover his wrongdoing only made things worse. He gets a man drunk, has him murdered and, in the process, brings on God’s disfavor.
• David place himself above the accountability of others. The story doesn’t say this–maybe that’s an indicator that it’s true–but none of the advisors of David’s court or his army questioned David in what he was doing. Not the slave that was sent to get Bathsheba. Not the servants that attended his court. Not the messenger sent with instructions for Joab. And not Joab, the leader of his army.