Too many Christians have no plan.  No plan for their finances, no plan for their family, no plan for their future, and no plan for personal holiness.  This is disastrous for your spiritual walk, your marriage your bank account, your life in general.

I have a plan to stay faithful to Christ, my family, and minsitry.  It is not perfect, it is not from a text book, and it is based on God’s grace and not my efforts.  Here is a brief outline of the plan, that by God’s grace will keep me humble, close to Him.  Again…not fail proof, but a plan nonetheless.

1.  No Porn - a no brainer, but this means no Showtime or Cinemax at my house, accountability with brothers, and an out-loud, spoken verbal commitment to Christ when I enter a hotel room that I will not rent any of the adult movies offered.

2.  No alone time with females - I don’t have lunch or coffee with girls, I don’t ride in the car alone with them unless they are my wife, my mom, or over 158 years old, and I try to keep all phone conversations with them friendly and proffessional, but short.

3.  Accountability - I have brothers in my life who ask me how I am, where I struggle, and if I am pure.  I have even taken it so far with my friend Perry Noble that if either of us breaks our covenant (no porn, no girls), we have to pay the other one $1,000 in cash.  By God’s grace, we have never had to pay.

4.  Time with God - no matter how many stops and speed bumps we include in our lives to help us stay pure, without an intimate relationship with Christ and the daily pursuit of righteousness and holiness, all our efforts are in vain.  I must stay attached to the vine if I am to live and bear fruit (See John 15).

5.  Prioritize Family - Charie and the boys are number one, period.  The life I live keeps me away from them more than 200 days a year, and I do not personally know anyone who stays gone as much as I do.  So, when I am home, I have to say no to lots of other fun things to be a daddy and a husband.  They are my anchor, my rock, and my paradise, my source of joy and encouragement and rest.  If I fail them, I fail!!!

What on earth is happening to our culture?  Yesterday was just insane.  Ed McMahon, Farah Fawcett, and Michael Jacson all died, Shaq is traded to the Cavs to play with LeBron, and Vince Carter is going to Orlando.  But the thing that shook me most yesterday was a front page article in The Wall Street Journal about SC governer Mark Sanford and his affair with his Argentinian mistress.

I am a native South Carolinian and follow state politics somewhat.  I knew of his bold proclamations of Christian faith, his possible future as a star in the Republican party, and his adamant refusal to accept money from the federal bailout package (regardless of what the state supreme court had to say about it, or the state legislature).  So hearing about his affair was in a way surprising, and in a way…not so much so.

The article I read went into more detail than what I had heard on the news, particulary his disappearance for many days and subsequent lies about where he was.  The article also recalled the sex scandals of previous years, from a NY governor using prostitutes to the governer of Nevada admitting indiscretions just last week, all the way to John Edwards affair while his wife was battling cancer.  On top of all this, a colleague in ministry and pastor of a large and growing church recently came clean about the same kind of sin just weeks ago, something that has affected many of my friends who knew him well.  All of this leaves me with several questions.

1. What in the world is going on, particularly with men in prominent positions of leadership and influence, and why are so many falling into this type of sin?
2. Who is next?  What public figure that is respected in ministry will be uncovered next as a womanizer and a liar?
3. Am I doing all I should as a friend and brother to pray for, encourage, and challenge my colleagues in ministry to stay pure in all areas?
4. Is it possible to stay pure, to live a life above reproach, and to stay faithful to the finish line?

Of course, by the grace of God, it is possible to live a life worthy of the calling we have received.  I said it was possible, not easy.  And I live daily with the reality that it could happen to me.  I am more than capable of falling into the same temptations, the same traps, and the same sins as these men.  I am not better than them and am probably no stronger than them, and if I begin to pass judgment on them, I better watch out lest I fall, too.  My heart is to see a generation of Christians, men and women of integrity, living for the glory of God, not just for a season, but for a lifetime.

Next time, I will share a few practical things I do in my own personal life to avoid being put into situations where I would be tempted to step out of bounds, particularly with the opposite sex.  In the meantime, let us pray fervently for those who have been wounded deeply by the sins of others, because we know that our own sin effects those around us as much or more than it effect us.  Let’s pray for their families, their churches, and their souls, that they would repent and receive the mercy of God.

This weekend I am preaching a message called GOD IS FATHER at Newspring.  I will also be preaching it this summer at our Crossroads Youth Camps.  The text is Luke 15, commonly called the parable of the prodigal son.  It has always seemed to me that the story Jesus told was as much about the father as it was about his two boys, so with the help of the Holy Spirit, I hope to show that God is like the loving, merciful, patient, extravagantly generous and forgiving father in Luke 15.

Since tomorrow is Father’s Day, and I intend to see my own daddy, I have been thinking about him alot the past few few days.  I intend to give him a letter that will contain the following words, since he does not read blogs, not even mine.  The only reason I publish this in a public forum such as this is simple; I want the entire world to know what an Godly and dedicated man my father is and how much I deeply and genuinely love him.  He deserves to be honored, and though you will most likely never meet him, you can at least know that a man named Joe King was the best daddy a boy could ever hope for.

Daddy,

Where do I even start?  I guess I will start by saying the first two things that come to mind.  Thank you and I love you.

You are, without a doubt and without equal, the greatest man I have ever known.  I cannot think of a single man of any age or background that can compare to you.  You have been everything as a daddy that a son could ever want or need.  You were kind and loving to me, providing for my basic needs as well as giving me gifts that were extravagant, like the go-cart that I nearly killed myself on and the Ford Bronco that I flipped on that dirt road.  You made me work and I am so glad you did, because now I love work and cherish the memories of you and I working together on the farm, cutting wood or picking corn, or wiring the new house, or working on the tractor.  If I had known what special times those were while we were sweating and working together, I would have paid closer attention.

Thank you for teaching me to tell the truth, to respect my elders, and to love the church.  These lessons are now bearing fruit in my life as I become a man.  I see a cynical world that loves lies, but you always valued honesty and the truth above all things.  Thank you for disciplining me when I lied and for not giving in when I begged you to let things slide.  You saw into the future and knew that one day I would have to live in a world that was tough, where people have to be accountable, and you forced me to learn things the hard way.  Thanks for making me go to church and sit still during preaching.  I am so blessed that you were my Sunday School teacher when I was young.  To see my daddy standing with a Bible every Sunday morning instructing me and my all my buddies in the ways of Christ went way deeper into m soul than I realized then, but I am realizing it now.

Thank you for being faithful to mama.  You came home every night after work.  You helped around the house, made sure the bills were paid, and loved her faithfully, even though times were very hard and there were many struggles.  I I know how to love my wife now because you showed me how for all those years.  How does a young man even know how to be married or how to love his wife without the kind of example I had in you?  

Thank you for adopting me.  You and mama waited a long time to get me and Brad, but you didn’t give up.  I cringe at the thought of how my life, and Brad’s, would have turned out if God had not put is in your home.  You rescued me and took me as your own, as indeed I am, and even as I type these words, I weep at the very thought that my life and ministry all exist because you took me in and loved me.  

Thank you for teaching me to pray, to tithe and give, to work hard and take pride in my accomplishments, to save my money and put God first in my finances, and to be compassionate to everyone, especially the poor and the sick and those in need.  You were a Man of God when I was just a little boy.  Now I am becoming a Man of God because of you, and I am raising my boys to be Men of God because I want them to have the character and integrity that you have.  I want them to be like you, daddy, because you are such a great man.

Thank you for being there.  You were always home if you weren’t at work.  You took me fishing.  You came to all my ball games.  You called my name from the stands on Friday nights and even at m college graduation.  You played baseball with me in the front yard and even took me to see Ric Flair wrestle Dusty Rhodes.  You took us to the mountains and to the beach and to Washington, D.C.  You worked so hard all those years to give us a good life, and you were there.  The constant presence in my life that I needed so bad then, and still need now.

I am so sorry that you have been so sick these last few years.  I know it has been more difficult than I could ever dream, but even as you laid on the hospital bed about to be taken back for triple bypass, you grabbed the doctor and the chaplain by the hand, and told all the nurses that you loved Jesus, and that He would take care of you, and you took 5 minutes to share your testimony with a room full of medical professionals of how God had been your faithful friend and father since you were 10 years old.  That one 5 minute testimony before open heart surgery made the biggest impression on me.  At 66 years old, you have more influence on me now than you ever have.

Thank you for fighting to stay alive.  You could have given up and went to be with Jesus years ago, but your love for your wife, your boys, and your grandchildren made you stay here and fight for your life.  I want you to keep fighting because I want my boys to know you.  They need to know the greatest man I have ever known, and I just pray that God will give you more years with us.  

Finally, on this Father’s Day, I want you to know how much I still need you.  I cannot imagine a world without Joe King.  I always think about you and feel loved, secure, safe, and cared for.  You are the one I call for counsel, for advice, for wisdom, and for encouragement.  The thought of not being able to see you or pick up the phone and hear your voice makes me afraid.  What would I do without you?  Who would I be without you?   You chose to be a daddy to me even though your daddy left when you were 10 years old.  Somehow by God’s grace, you were everything I ever needed.  You were perfect.  The perfect daddy.  My best friend and my hero, and I love you more today than I ever have.

Happy Father’s Day, daddy, from your biggest fan.

Clayton

I don’t do this often on my blog, but when I do, I try to make it count.  I want to ask you to pray for us at Crossroads for the next five weeks.

In a few short days, our staff will begin arriving and a week from Monday, several thousands students will descend upon our little community for a summer camp we like to call CROSSROADS.  This is our 14th year, we have seen thousands of students saved and surrender to ministry, they have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to missions, and we are about to again embark on this summer odyssey we simply call CAMP.

We need your prayers for the following things, and when you pray, you can be as specific as you like.

• For the attitude of Christ, the hearts of servants, and the energy to do everything with excellence in the name of Jesus
• For students to be converted to faith in Christ, to be challenged and equipped in their faith, and to go home bearing fruit that will last for the glory of God
• For safety en route to and from camp and while attending Crossroads, for staff and campers
• For our camp director, Matt Orth and our administrator, Jeremy Berger, who will work tirelessly and carry a great load of the leadership responsibilities
• For Carl Cartee and his band who will lead in worship
• For all our workshop teachers and the audio and video crews
• For the 60+ total staff and workers to be rested, stay healthy, and build lasting relationships as a summer staff
• For the power of the Holy Spirit to be evident, for the gospel to be proclaimed clearly, and for all that is said and done to point people to the reality of Jesus as Lord and God

Our camps being Monday, June 29 and finish on Thursday, July 23.  It will be long and hot and exhausting but we would not have it any other way.  Your prayers are not just nice thoughts you send our way…they are the means by which God gives us grace for the task assigned to us.  So please…pray for Crossroads Summer Camps for the next 5 weeks.

A young man asked me a very good question yesterday.  He feels called by God into some sort of ministry and is not sure exactly what that might mean in regards to his future, education, marriage, and employment.  He wanted my advice.  I am not sure what he expected, but he didn’t get any response from me concerning seminary, networking, or mentoring.  Rather, I decided to keep my advice short and sweet.

“Learn how to preach.”

He looked at me like I was kidding, or like he expected more practical, serious advice.  But this was it.  I explained that if he was going to follow God’s call on his life and felt like that may include student ministry, evangelism, missions, or pastoring, he could learn all the other skills over time, like administration or hiring and firing, weddings and funerals and hospital visits, planning events, and the like.  The one thing that is lacking most, in my opinion, is a generation of young men who know how to preach; and by that I mean who know how to rightly divide the word of truth in the right context keeping it simple, deep, relevant, and inspired.  There are lot of story tellers and speakers in pulpits today.  But preaching is the method God has ordained to edify the church and win converts to Christ.

A former professor, Dr. Wayne Stacy, says it much better than I ever could.

Preaching these days has been reduced to a bit of banal blather for the benefit of the bored. At least part of the reason, I suspect, is that a shift has taken place in the last fifty years or so about wherein lies the essential meaning of the Word of God. Back in the 50’s my late mentor and teacher, Frank Stagg, wrote a book titled Understanding the Bible. He begins the book by noting the diversity of perspectives and opinions among biblical scholars, “but,” he says, “there is virtual unanimity about one thing; namely, the meaning of the text is the author’smeaning.” My, how things have changed in fifty years!

Today, virtually no one believes that the meaning of the inspired biblical author is the meaning of the text. Rather, the text is an inkblot meaning whatever I want it to mean. Practically speaking, that means that most Sundays, when you listen to your pastor preach, you’re not hearing him interpret the text at all; rather, you’re hearing him interpret himself! The text is a mirror in which the preacher finds whatever he wants to find. 

And so, for all you forty-somethings out there looking for a Word for Sunday, I’ve got a word for you. Save the sound bytes for Dr. Phil and Oprah and the church sign. I’ve waited all week for a Word from God, so for God’s sake, spare me the sound bytes! Give me a Word with some SIZE. Please!

I learned a very valuable lesson about sunscreen yesterday.  My family is at the beach with me while I am preaching at a youth camp for Lakepointe Church in Dallas, TX.  Over the past 10 years we have developed a close relationship and I love their students and their leadership dearly.  They were gracious enough to allow my to bring my family along for the week, which makes me a better preacher and a happier person to be around.

We are spending hours outside and the reserves of energy inside my kids are amazing.  They swim and run and play and splash and dig, and never get tired or sleepy or thirsty or hungry.  It wears me out just watching them.

They finally laid down for a nap yesterday and my wife was reading a book, so I snuck down to the pool for a some quiet time of reflection and rest.  The next thing you know, I was asleep in a pool chair, lying on my stomach.  It didn’t feel like that long, but when I awoke, I was keenly aware of the burning sensation that covered my back and shoulders.  Even though I had applied sweat-proof 50 spf sunscreen, I still got burned.

I was burned because I fell asleep.  But sleep is not evil.  It is necessary for healthy living.  My problem was I fell asleep in the wrong place at the wrong time.  No matter how much sunscreen I applied, 45 minutes in the mid-day sun on a 90 degree day is a guaranteed bad idea.  Do you see the connection?

Sin is often defined as “missing the mark.”  And when we sin, we always fall short of perfection, many times due to our own poor planning, bad decisions, or lack of common sense.  And other times, we just forget to remember what we already know is true.

We know that yelling at our children or our spouse will create more contention, but we do it anyway.

We know that spending more than we can afford on something we don’t need will create stress and strife, but we buy it anyway.

We know that driving faster than the speed limit will attract state troopers, but we speed anyway.

We know that staying up too late makes us grumpy the next day, but we watch the late night movie anyway.

And we get burned.  I knew I shouldn’t fall asleep by the pool on a hot, sunny day, but somehow we all think we are the exception to the rule, and that we can cheat the odds and beat the consequences.  So we venture out with a spirit of arrogance (and copious amounts of sunscreen), and sure enough, the very thing we hoped would not happen, happens.  We pay the price.  In my case, it is a sunburn that requires lots of aloe vera.  In other cases, the consequences are much greater and last much longer.

Isn’t it funny how a few moments, just a few moments, can cause such great harm?  You can spend a lifetime building a family, a legacy, a ministry, or a reputation and it can be destroyed with one word, one indiscretion, one act of rebellion against God.  

Let us pray earnestly, daily, in all humility, that by God’s grace we might be men and women of integrity who daily submit ourselves to His protection, His Lordship, His authority, and His Word.  I don’t want get burned, but evidently I am not vigilant enough even with something as small as sunburn.  All the more reason to rely on the grace of God.

Words are powerful.  If you dare challenge this statement, try saying, “I hope I can get through security with this BOMB in my bag” as you enter the security checkpoint at an airport.  Even if you are kidding around, the authorities won’t think your joke is funny.

The word NO is short.  Two letters.  One syllable.  It only takes a fraction of a second to say.  And it is negative.  It is, very literally, the most truly negative word in our English language.  But I have learned that every NO I say is a YES to something else, something better .  It is not always bad to say NO.  Sometimes it is very, very good to say NO.

When I say NO to my boys when they ask me if they can have pizza for breakfast, I am actually saying YES to their health, to helping them form good habits that will make them better men, better dads, husbands, and eventually better Christians.

When I say NO to an invitation to go preach at an event that I really want take, but I realize that if I go I will be be neglecting a promise I made to my wife, ignoring my health, or that I will miss an important program at my sons school, that NO to the event (though it killed me to say NO) is actually a YES to my family, to our relationships, and ultimately to my own well being and my soul.

When I say NO to the junk food that beckons me at 3 PM when I usually get sluggish, I can say yes to a banana.  My body will thank me later.  I am saying YES to common sense, good health, and better habits.

And when I say NO to sin by the power of the Holy Spirit, I am saying YES to the  treasure and pleasure of knowing Jesus Christ, the power of His resurrection, and sharing in the fellowship of His sufferings.  That little NO is a gigantic YES that will bring God glory and make me more like Him.

We must learn to say NO to the right things because that will allow us to say YES to God, our family, fellowship with believers, time in His word and prayer, or quiet reflection just being still and knowing that He is God, not us.

Say NO more often so that you can say YES when you need to.

My wife is great at many things, but one of her most outstanding gifts is writing.  This entry was taken from her blog at chariemagoo2.blogspot.com

So many women struggle with feeling beautiful. We want to be noticed, to be to be cherished, and to be wanted by our husbands more than any other woman. I know these feelings because I have them too. Why? I believe the healthy part of wanting to be beautiful was planted in our souls by our Creator. However, the obsessive and insecure desire for beauty is a part of our sinful nature combined with the unhealthy propaganda our world feeds us on a daily basis. Women today are inundated with products to increase eye-appeal, pills to make you skinny, workouts that shape you in six months, six weeks, or maybe even six days if you’re dedicated enough. Commercial after commercial, and show after show present images of women with the perfect body, hair, makeup, complexion, etc… Sadly enough many of these are computer generated, but after years of seeing women who seem to be the epitome of splendor, how can a woman ever get ahead (especially after you’re past age 25, and have a couple of kids in the house)? What’s the answer?

I don’t know the answer to acquiring for yourself the ultimate dream body. Many women go major lengths to accomplish this, and I’m sure some satisfaction comes out of it. However, I believe in order to find true satisfaction, somehow and someway we have to choose to accept that our Lord and our mates see us as beautiful. For years, my husband has tried to compliment me by telling me I am beautiful, and for years I have shrugged it off. I may not have done this in the early days when we first met and I was young, fit and trim, but after two kids, less work out opportunities, and lacking a summer glow, my perspective on my appearance seemed to weaken. But, what may I ask did shrugging off his compliments do for him, or me? By disregarding his opinion, I robbed myself of affection, while also making him believe I did not value his compliments toward me.

So, let’s suppose I were to change my attitude and choose to believe that my husband still sees me as the beautiful queen of his life (whether I feel like it or not). What does that do for us in the long run ? Let me share how this has changed me.

It caused me to believe he was attracted to me. It made me feel sought after, and cherished. It also made me feel like he wanted me in the biblical sense of the word, which is how it ought to be. As a result, our marriage has flourished. He feels satisfied that I believe his compliments, and I felt loved by the man who has chosen to spend his life with me. I have come to know that I am special to the one I live with daily. I choose to confide in his opinion of me rather than what the world is telling me, and as a result I also come to a better understanding of our Heavenly Father.

Psalm 45:11 says, “The King is enthralled with your beauty; honor him for he is your lord.”  The Lord is enthralled with my beauty, with me?  No he couldn’t be, I might say to myself. There are so many other things that He should be enthralled with. But, it’s right there, scripture says it, and it is true. So, will we choose to believe it? Because if He is enthralled with our beauty, and this should cause us to be enthralled with Him. Enthralled with a curiosity to know why he thinks we are beautiful. We are beautiful because He has created us this way, each and every one of us. He is in love with us, and He delights in us. We are highly valued, and a price has been paid for each and every one of us. Will we accept His compliment and draw near to Him, or explain it away and live a much more lonely life not knowing the satisfaction of His affectionate gaze. I want Him to look on me with affection and I want to soak it up, just as I have chosen to soak up my husband’s undivided attention.  I hope you want this too.

I have been going through a season recently of deep conviction.  I have a gnawing sense that God is up to something secretly and behind the scenes and that I must prepare myself to act in faith BEFORE I see the end result.  I sense this same feeling about the future of our ministry at Crossroads, and have shared this with our staff and some of my closest friends.

As a ministry, we are embarking on some fairly big, and risky initiatives (more on that soon, Lord willing).  These things are requiring us to work, prepare, and plan  But in the midst of meeting and talking and dreaming about future possibilities, I always seem to mentally move forward into the future assuming certain things and worrying about details WITHOUT CONSIDERING GOD’S INVOLVEMENT.  In other words, I completely leave God out of the equation.  The result?  Fear, panic, uncertainty, insomnia.

Do you do this?  I know you do.  When we worry over scenarios that have not even materialized, we have left Him out of the equation.  When we stress over future possibilities instead of praying to a God who is already in the future, we leave God out of the equation.  When I assume the worst, prepare for failure, or cower back in fear, it is all because I secretly know the truth; when God is left out of the equation, the results are left to me, and they will indeed be DISASTROUS.  So when I forget to factor God into the equation, my fear and panic are actually well-placed, since left to my own devices I will certainly drop the ball and make a large mess of anything I put my hand to.

Prayer is more than a religious hoop we jump through to solicit God’s blessing on OUR hopes and dreams.  It is a lifeline through which we are connected to the life-giving vine of Jesus Christ.  He sustains, He provides, He nourishes, and He moves mightily on our behalf when we are incapable of accomplishing anything of worth without Him.

When we count on His activity and factor Him into the equation, the outcome radically changes.  Don’t forget God.

As I sat on my couch last night watching Andy Rooney on 60 Minutes (waiting on the Cavs/Magic game to start), I was touched by Mr. Rooney’s  piece on Memorial Day.

He stated that for most Americans, today’s holiday has become nothing more than an excuse to take another day off from work, go the lake or the race, and sleep late.  He showed a few photographs from WW2, where he served, and reflected back on that time in his life and that time in the life of our nation.

Perhaps it was the still fotos.  Maybe it was his old gravelly voice.  Or maybe it was his bushy eyebrows.  Probably a combination of all three, actually.  But I just kept thinking about a man that, other than my father, has had the greatest personal influence on my life.  He left this world about six years ago, and I miss him dearly.

He was my papa.  Eugene Knight.  A real Cherokee Indian, a World War 2 Veteran, a junk dealer and cotton farmer and mill worker.  He was more than just my papa.  He was without a doubt one of the most interesting, unique and colorful human beings to ever live.  He was a world class musician and excelled at bluegrass, particularly the fiddle.  He was raised in a kind of poverty that was common in the early 20th century, yet is unfathomable to most of my peers.  He constantly told jokes, the ones he heard from all the other old men at Lloyd’s barber shop in Simpsonville.  He actually told the same old jokes every single year we would get together for Christmas and Thanksgiving.  And if nobody laughed but him, he was fine with that.  He always laughed at his own jokes.

I miss him so much.  I really do wish I could spend the day with him again like I did when I was little.  He knew everything about tractors and could fix any old vehicle.  He loved junk, too.  As a matter of fact, I spent much of my childhood riding from house to house with him, buying and collecting and selling all sorts of junk and accoutrements.  When we passed a strange house with a yard filled with rusted out cars, broken lawnmowers, cement bird baths covered in kudzu or empty 55 gallon drums, he would nearly wreck or run off the road trying to see what all kind of treasure they possessed.  By the end of the day, he was back at that house hustling with the owner for a truck load of junk, usually for less than $5.

Bt the two things I loved hearing him talk about the most were his days as a boy in the 1920s and his days in the Navy  in the South Pacific during WW2.  Like all the other men who served, he was reluctant to talk about the war at all.  It pained him greatly to drudge back up all the horrible memories.  Until he died, he was deathly afraid of thunderstorms because of the storms he weathered on his aircraft carrier.  My mom said he would pile the whole family into their truck when she was a child to try and outrun thunderstorms, or “clouds” as they called them.

I sense our culture changing on a deep level in so many ways and I can’t help but think that one reason is the loss of leadership and influence from these aging, and dying, great men (and women) of the WW2 generation.  As they get older and as they die by the thousands, an amazing generation of heroes that literally saved our world from tyranny and destruction passes into eternity and our world misses their simplicity, humility, and nobility even more.  I make an effort to speak to, and to thank, every veteran I have the chance to meet, whether a vet of Vietnam, Korea, Iraq, Kuwait, or the “greatest generation” of WW2 vets.

We could learn much from their example of service and sacrifice.  And I am telling my own children the stories of their great-grandpa and his friends who stepped up when called upon to defeat a very real and dangerous evil.  They need to know that the freedoms they enjoy were not free.  

Thank a Veteran when you get the chance, and thank the Almighty that by His grace, you were born in a country that enjoys freedoms only dreamed of by the rest of the world.