I haven’t done 3 Things in a while, so it’s time to get back in the game.

1. Do You

“The Holy Spirit uses Driscoll in a lot of ways. Driscoll can tell you that you are stupid on a Sunday morning and everyone will say, “yes I am, how can I be saved?” But, if you try and be Mark, instead of who God has called you to be, you are going to look like a bunch of jackasses!” Matt Chandler, at Text and Context Conference

We all know who we look up to as a preacher and as a teacher.  And we all know that we want to be just like them.  But if God called us to preach and to teach, then he’s given us our own voice.  If we ignore that voice and try to apprehend someone else’s, we’re not allowing the Spirit to take hold of us and use us as He intends.

I’ve seen a number of preachers who, for whatever reason, have tried to imitate or out-do the person they look up to, or whose shadow their in - and I’ve been there myself.  Sometimes you’re just trying to do something new, or change things up to keep people interested.  There may be a dozen different reasons why people do it, but it all amounts to one thing: you’re relying on your own planning and brilliance to get the message out.  But the Gospel doesn’t need it. And the result is always the same - middling impact.  No matter how great your preparation, illustrations, or your message as a whole - if you rely on yourself, it’s impact will be reduced.

Interestingly enough - in my own sermons, and in those that I observed - when the speaker forgets the plan momentarily and just talks, those are the moments that stick with people.  It’s your passion, personality, and the pneuma (I just wanted the three p’s) that shine through.  Rely on God’s power, use the voice he gave you, and see the difference in how your words are heard.

2. Vaccinations

You may have heard or read about Amanda Peet’s comments about vaccinations. I’ve found some of the responses to be interesting.  This one in particular from the Huffington Post, of all places:

So there you have it. Since the beginning of the year, we have heard from:

1. Three United States Senators
2. The next President (and possibly Vice President) of the country
3. The Director of the CDC (and her “open mind”)
4. The former head of the NIH and the American Red Cross
5. The Chairman of a House Science Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight
6. A respected Pediatric Neurologist and Resident at Johns Hopkins University Medical School (Dr. Jon Poling)
7. The HHS Vaccine Safety Working Group
8. The CDC’s Vaccine Safety Research Agenda authors
9. Medical personnel at the HHS Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
10. The Strategic Planning Workgroup of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee
11. The Clinical Immunization Safety Assessment Network
12. Leading autism researchers at Johns Hopkins University Medical School
13. America’s health insurance companies

Virtually all of the above advocate, or have at least considered, exploring the possible links between vaccines and autism.

My wife and I won’t be giving our son the full vaccination schedule, because we’ve done our research and, among other things, have both contracted illnesses we were vaccinated for.  We don’t think the benefits outweigh the risks right now.  That will probably change as he gets older and the chemical makeup of the vaccines changes - time will tell.

Vaccine injuries are legitimate, permanent, and extend far beyond an tenuous link to autism. But you should make your own decision about that, and if your informed decision is to go with the full schedule, then do it. One of the most difficult things about the decision is that either choice means the (remote) possibility of hurting your child while trying to protect them from something that was unlikely in the first place.

“Herd immunity” - the condition such a large portion of the population being immune that the non-immune are protected - is an important factor in the ability for some to choose against vaccination.  If the herd’s immunity falls, our position might change. But for now we should all respect a difference of opinion when evidence is inconclusive in either direction.

3. Home Alone

My wife and son went on vacation yesterday.  They’ll be at the beach for a week.  I’m here all alone.  I thought it could be fun…I could get some reading done, a little extra work - finally get good at RockBand - but it’s been 24 hours and I’m already bored.  It’s just too quiet.

Technorati Tags: 3 Things, alone, controversy, driscoll, evidence, herd immunity, injury, matt chandler, mccarthy, peet, resurgence, spirit, vaccinations, virus

Share your thoughts.

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website