Self-Promotion

I'm doing research for my sermons coming up this week and came across this quote from A.W. Tozer: "...egotism, exhibitionism, self-promotion, are strangely tolerated in Christian leaders even in circles of impeccable orthodoxy. ... Promoting self under the guise of promoting Christ is currently so common as to excite little notice" (italics mine; from The Pursuit of God, 45-46).

God, give me the discernment I need for my own sin-filled heart so as to keep me from such an egregious sin (as I post on a blog that millions could read).

Author Spends 1 Year Obeying Bible

Author A.J. Jacobs just finished a year-long quest to obey every rule in the Bible--over 700--for his new book The Year of Living Biblically.

Here are some things I found interesting:

"I miss my sin-free life, but I guess I was never sin free. I was able to cut down on my coveting maybe 40 percent, but I was still a coveter" -- sounds a lot like Romans 7.

"...during the experiment I wore a lot of white clothes, because Ecclesiastes says let your garments always be white, and I loved it, so I look like Tom Wolfe now. Wearing white just made me happier."

"I also really liked what one of my spiritual advisers said, which was that you can view life as a series of rights and entitlements, or a series of responsibilities. I like seeing my life as a series of responsibilities. It’s sort of, "Ask not what God can do for you, ask what you can do for God"--nothing like works-righteousness.

"I started the year as an agnostic, and now I am a reverent agnostic. Whether or not there is a God, I believe in sacredness"--the "sacred" without God? Only in our self-centered, create-your-own-religion age.

"I went in really curious, I didn’t go in to mock religion. It was much more a journey to understand."

"One of the lessons of the book is, there is some picking and choosing in following the Bible, and I think that’s OK. Some people call that cafeteria religion, which is supposed to be a disparaging term, but I think there’s nothing wrong with cafeterias, I’ve had some delicious meals in cafeterias. I’ve also had some terrible meals in cafeterias. It’s all about picking the right parts. You want to take a heaping serving of the parts about compassion, mercy and gratefulness—instead of the parts about hatred and intolerance."

To a question about the restrictions of living Biblically, Mr. Jacobs responds "We all talk about freedom of choice, but there’s something very attractive about freedom from choice. Religion provides structure, mooring, anchoring. Should you covet? No. Should you give 10 percent to the needy? Yes. It really structures your life. After my year I felt unmoored, overwhelmed by choice. I have adjusted, but I’m still overwhelmed by choice, as we all are in America."

To read the article in its entirety, click here. My prayer after reading it is that he will be overcome by his inability to be "sin-free" by "keeping the rules" so that his exposure to God's Law will bring him to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ ("the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified [that is, pronounced "Innocent" by God for our sins against Him] by faith" Gal 3:24).

Thoughts from the Valley

I wanted to share this part of a prayer called "Spiritual Growth" in The Valley of Vision:

"Give me a tender, wakeful conscience
that can smite and torment me when I sin.
May I be consistent in conversation and conduct,
the same alone as in company,
in prosperity and adversity,
accepting all thy commandments as right,
and hating every false way.
May I never be satisfied with my present spiritual progress..."

Edwards on Demonic Faith

I'm preaching a couple hours on lies people believe about salvation to our junior high group here at Compass. The sermon has been done for a while, but for last minute input I just finished reading Jonathan Edwards', True Grace Distinguished from the Experience of Devils, a sermon he preached in 1752 on James 2:19 "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder."

It was a very good sermon that contrasts false marks of saving faith that a person can have from true ones. While there is a lot I want to reproduce here, I'll just leave you this gem:

"[Seeing the beauty of Christ] is a special gift of God, which he gives only to his special favorites. Gold, silver, diamonds, and earthly kingdoms are given by God to people who the Bible calls dogs and pigs. But this great gift of beholding Christ's beauty, is the special blessing of God to His dearest children. Flesh and blood cannot give this gift: only God can bestow it. This was the special gift which Christ died to obtain for his elect. It is the highest token of his everlasting love, the best fruit of his labours, and the most precious purchase of his blood."

Seeing the beauty of Christ is what Edwards gives as the main mark of true conversion (cf. 2 Cor 4:3-6). If you liked this quote and would like to read the whole sermon, click here.

Thoughts from The Valley

I read this in a collection of Puritan prayers calledThe Valley of Vision today and had to share it here:

"Give me intenser faith in the eternal verities, burning into me by experience the things I know ... Grant me to know that I truly live only when I live to thee, that all else is trifling" (235)

I need these reminders constantly, daily. That is why I thank God for this book, and the riches compiled therein.

Mike Penner Becomes Christine Daniels

Mike Penner, sports writer for the L.A. Times, announced here that he will leave on vacation and return in a few weeks as Christine Daniels.

As I read this article, my initial response was to feel sorry for a guy who has been constantly afflicted with the "white noise" of really being a woman for over 40 years, and then have people tell him his brain was "wired female" even though they admit transsexualism is "a complicated and widely misunderstood medical condition."

A couple months ago I posted on a story about a 14 year old boy named Tim who became Kim. At that time I wrote:

"What makes a man male? His parts or his nature? In other words, just because his parts changed, does that mean he's no longer male?

If a man lost his "equipment" from cancer, would he no longer be male? What if he lost it, and wore dresses and makeup?

If a woman lost all of her "equipment" in an accident and wore men's clothing and talked with a deep voice, would she cease being female? I don't think so.

What did people do who thought like Tim before sex-change operations? They fought the thoughts in their mind with reality, or gave into them and were miserable.

My point: Just because you think or feel something, doesn't make it true no matter how strong the thought or feeling is. So much for self-control. If I feel it, it must be true?

The reality is Kim is Tim, and just because Tim took hormones to change his body's appearance, and just because he wears women's clothing, doesn't make him Kim. In fact, nothing can make Tim Kim."

I know that will not be persuasive for many of you. In fact, most of the comments I read on the L.A. Times website argued along the lines of "if it makes you happy it must be right and good and true."

Now, there is a lot of courage that goes into this decision. I don't want to minimize that, or the suffering he's gone through. And, I don't want to be like the Christians who posted Romans 1 and a call to repentance in the comments either.

Rather than punting to the sovereignty of God (which is true, and his operation is a prideful spurning of His sovereignty) to explain Mr. Penner's condition, I think more can be said about this.

What he's experiencing is certainly an effect of the Fall. If there was no sin, we would never think of our "software" conflicting with our "hardware."

Homosexuality is certainly a sin, but this article says nothing about his attraction to men. Should we just assume that's going on? I don't know.

Also, the article does not mention a wife or kids, who would trump any considerations of a sex change.

And, regardless of his operation, Mr. Penner is still loved by God and made in His image and in need of the gospel. He has been told the false gospel that his problem is not sin, but a prolonged difficulty with emotions that he can be "saved" from by mean of an operation.

However, I'll leave with these words from Ed Welch's, When People are Big and God is Small, which help me begin to understand what's going on in his mind:

"If you exalt the individual and make emotions the path to truth, then whatever you feel most strongly will be considered both good and necessary for growth. ... That is why the unpardonable sin in today's culture is to either 'deny' or suppress your emotions. Emotions point to needs, and to deny your needs is to deny something God-given and God-like." [But] "just because I feel a 'need'...doesn't mean that this desire is really a 'God-given need,' a 'legitimate need,' or a 'primal need.' Perhaps what I am calling 'need' is really disappointment or grief, or perhaps it is my demandingness and lust" (pgs. 87, 89).

I hope that as these episodes multiply, more and more Christians will write books and articles on gender, transsexuality, and what makes a man a man and not a woman from philosophical, theological and counseling angles.

Augustine on Pride

In the midst of his wrestling with God in his Confessions, Augustine makes this priceless statement about pride:

"By my swelling pride I was separated from You, and my bloated cheeks blinded my eyes" (VII.11).

Can't you just picture an obese man who's eyes squint under the pressure coming up from his inflated cheeks?

Pride not only separates a person from God, but it blinds him to God, blinds him to the separation and blinds him from the fact that it's precisely his pride that has caused this separation.

Sin, Death and Joseph (Gen 38, 39)

I made the following observations about sin and death, and sin's consequences while reading Genesis 37-39 today.

Concerning sin and death, the Bible says people die because of their sin:

"Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord took his life" (Gen 38:7).

Onan "was displeasing in the sight of the Lord; so He took his life also" (Gen 38:10).

Now, this is not the only reason people die, but this is one of the reasons. And, this is not just the Old Testament as 1 Corinthians 11:30 and 1 John 5:16 say the same thing: God, the One who "puts to death and gives life" (Deut 32:39), kills people because of their sin.

And, concerning sin, it's consequences and how to fight it, remind yourself of Joseph and Potiphar's wife:

"Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. It came about after these events that his master's wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, 'Lie with me.' But he refused and said to his master's wife, 'Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?' As she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her to lie beside her or be with her" (Gen 37:6-10).

Joseph fought sin by filling his mind with what sin is (namely, a "great evil"), who its against (horizontally Potiphar, and vertically God), and it's consequences (vv. 8-9, also horizontal and vertical). As a result, he kept himself from being anywhere near where this sin could take place (v. 10). The truths of verses 8-9 motivated him to take the action he did in verse 10.

Also, despite being aware of the horizontal benefits Potiphar showed him, the bottom line for Joseph was he refused to sin because he'd be sinning against God. Sadly, I don't think of that reality until after I've sinned.

Clear Your Schedule & Listen

UPDATE: I've now listed to all four of Dr. Tripp's message, and will do so again and again. They are so good at diagnosing the difficulties we face in sanctification, in growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and becoming more like him and how to find victory in our battles. Please listen to them.

While passing out flyers today for my dad's business I've been walking from house to house listening to the message below by Dr. Paul Tripp (author of Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands) from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary's 2007 Theology Driven Ministry Conference.

I told my friend just now that listening to them has been like having someone cut open my chest to allow the light of God's Word to shine on my heart and I've been getting filleted.

1. Your Walk with God is a Community Project (Tripp)
2. Progressive Sanctification and the Anti-Social Nature of Sin (Tripp)
3. The Pastor's Role in Sanctification (Ferguson)
4. Colossians 3:1-17 (Ferguson)
5. Sanctification in the Middle of the Messiness of Relationships (Tripp)
6. Looking in the Mirror: James 1 (Ferguson)
7. Playing in the Box: Romans 7 (Tripp)

If you click on the message's name you can listen instantly, and if you press Control and click your mouse on the link (or Right click if you have a PC), you should be able to start downloading it (if it doesn't, let me know). If that doesn't work, click here to subscribe to the podcast, or click here and scroll down to March 26th and you'll see the conference audio.

I've listened to the first two of Dr. Tripp's four messages so far, and I've also included the messages from Dr. Sinclair Ferguson to have the full conference. The last two were given in the same venue at the same time, but for a reason I don't know they weren't part of the conference.

I hope you're as challenged and rebuked and encouraged and grateful for the Savior as a result of these as I have been.

I Did It My Way

Augustine tells of a socialist plan he and his friends conceived that went south as soon as they considered what their wives would think of it in chapter 6, paragraph 14 of his Confessions. His comment on their plans shows the folly of fighting against God's will in our lives.

"...our steps followed the broad and beaten ways of the world; for many thoughts were in our hearts, but "Your counsel stands fast forever." In Your counsel You mocked ours, and prepared Your own plan...."

What plans are you making that more resemble the "ways of the world" than the wisdom of God? Don't know? How well do you know the wisdom of God found in His Word so you can check what kind of plans you have? This is the question I keep asking myself.

Real Objections to Christianity

Augustine spoke of the steps it took for him to be saved in his Confessions (see an indication of this in Book VI, chap 1 here and my comments on it here).

At the end of chap 11 and at the beginning of chap 12 (see both here) he talks about the real reason why he kept himself from giving his life fully to Christ. He said:

"I delayed my conversion to the Lord; I postponed from day to day the life in thee, but I could not postpone the daily death in myself. I was enamored of a happy life, but I still feared to seek it in its own abode, and so I fled from it while I sought it. I thought I should be miserable if I were deprived of the embraces of a woman, and I never gave a thought to the medicine that thy mercy has provided for the healing of that infirmity, for I had never tried it. As for continence [i.e., self-control], I imagined that it depended on one’s own strength, though I found no such strength in myself."

And...

"I quoted against [Alypius] the examples of men who had been married and still lovers of wisdom, who had pleased God and had been loyal and affectionate to their friends. I fell far short of them in greatness of soul, and, enthralled with the disease of my carnality and its deadly sweetness, I dragged my chain along, fearing to be loosed of it. Thus I rejected the words of him who counseled me wisely, as if the hand that would have loosed the chain only hurt my wound."

Augustine resisted the happiness to be found in Christianity because he was enthralled with the deadly sweetnesses of sexual immorality. This kept him from becoming a Christian after the intellectual hindrances were removed (and, I suspect the reason for his intellectual objections was his love of sexual sin).

Augustine's life reminds us that when doing evangelism there are the dozens of objections a person gives us, and then there are the real ones. Ask God for wisdom to see these through the smoke screens we're so often trying to blow away.

Behold The Holy God (Ezek 36)

While reading Ezekiel today I was deeply struck with these words, and just how different they are from the therapeutic portrayal of God perpetrated on us by much of American Christianity. God says:

"Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the LORD, "It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD," declares the Lord GOD, "when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight"'" (vv. 22-23).

After that, my next thought was: How do I profane the name of God? God, help me not to be marked by these words. Help me to see where I've profaned Your name among those I know, and how I can fix that in my own life as well as with them.

Sin & What We Love

Augustine's Confessions are a masterful look into the life of one man through his incredible ability to describe his thoughts, his desires, his heart to God.

Notice (you can read quote in context here at chapter X.16) how he links temptation to sin with what his friend loves:

There was one matter, however, which appealed to his love of learning, in which he was very nearly led astray.

His friend had a love, a desire for learning that needed to be satisfied. Learning is a good thing. There is nothing wrong with learning.

However, it was this good thing that was used by his flesh to almost cause him to stumble, which would've ruined the integrity Augustine was describing previously.

Lesson: Be careful. Even good desires can be used as a motivation for sin. Watch out for this. Thanks again Augustine.

Sin as Medicine

In Augustine's Confessions (Book 6, paragraph 9), he makes this very insightful statement about how past sin can be used for future good in the heart and life of his friend Alypius:

"But this was all being stored up in his memory as medicine for the future."

The "this" is referring to Alypius' fall into temptation after he trusted in his own wit, ability and power to fight the sins of going to and enjoying the gladiatorial games (click here to read Augustine's recounting of Alypius' "this").

I did some Bible study on Proverb 11:2 today where the first line reads "When pride comes, then comes dishonor." Alypius' dishonor, his falling into sin and temptation--even before his watching and unbelieving friends, let alone his watching God--came as a result of his pride.

However, when we fall into sin Augustine tells us how we can use past sin, not to further condemn ourselves which is what we typically do, but to fight it. Used wisely, this sin could become, and Augustine was sure it would become, "medicine" to fight future infections of pride in Alypius' heart.

Think of your most recent sin. Got it? Now, picture yourself walking into the same situation again. I hate thinking of this, but its important. Augustine taught his friend and is teaching us 1600 years later that past sins can fight future sins. A fall in the past can keep us from falling in the future. Use past sins to fortify you against future sins, which over time works to kill sin in our hearts.

In a word from those funny Guinness bear commercials, "Brilliant!"

Describing Temptation

Listen to this brilliant description of how temptation takes a Christian captive (with the help of unbelieving friends) from Augustine's Confessions. I give you the entry in its entirety here. It is from book 6, and it is worth taking the 2 minutes to read and another 10 at least to meditate on and apply to your own sin matrix.

He is in the middle of describing a friend of his when he writes...

He had gone on to Rome before me to study law—which was the worldly way which his parents were forever urging him to pursue—and there he was carried away again with an incredible passion for the gladiatorial shows. For, although he had been utterly opposed to such spectacles and detested them, one day he met by chance a company of his acquaintances and fellow students returning from dinner; and, with a friendly violence, they drew him, resisting and objecting vehemently, into the amphitheater, on a day of those cruel and murderous shows. He protested to them: "Though you drag my body to that place and set me down there, you cannot force me to give my mind or lend my eyes to these shows. Thus I will be absent while present, and so overcome both you and them." When they heard this, they dragged him on in, probably interested to see whether he could do as he said. When they got to the arena, and had taken what seats they could get, the whole place became a tumult of inhuman frenzy. But Alypius kept his eyes closed and forbade his mind to roam abroad after such wickedness. Would that he had shut his ears also! For when one of the combatants fell in the fight, a mighty cry from the whole audience stirred him so strongly that, overcome by curiosity and still prepared (as he thought) to despise and rise superior to it no matter what it was, he opened his eyes and was struck with a deeper wound in his soul than the victim whom he desired to see had been in his body. Thus he fell more miserably than the one whose fall had raised that mighty clamor which had entered through his ears and unlocked his eyes to make way for the wounding and beating down of his soul, which was more audacious than truly valiant—also it was weaker because it presumed on its own strength when it ought to have depended on You. For, as soon as he saw the blood, he drank in with it a savage temper, and he did not turn away, but fixed his eyes on the bloody pastime, unwittingly drinking in the madness—delighted with the wicked contest and drunk with blood lust. He was now no longer the same man who came in, but was one of the mob he came into, a true companion of those who had brought him thither. Why need I say more? He looked, he shouted, he was excited, and he took away with him the madness that would stimulate him to come again: not only with those who first enticed him, but even without them; indeed, dragging in others besides. And yet from all this, with a most powerful and most merciful hand, You plucked him and taught him not to rest his confidence in himself but in You—but not till long after.

Augustine has an uncanny ability to diagnose the methods sin uses to deceive us. What a blessing he is for all who'll read and meditate on what he says!

Lesson: NEVER trust in your own ability to beat sin. The moment you do, not only to do you commit the sin of pride, but you set yourself up to further commit the sin you think you can beat without the Spirit's power.

Applying Ted Haggard to Me

I want to publically thank Tim Challies for reminding me that "there is really no difference between you and Haggard or between myself and Haggard. We are all totally depraved with our sin extending to every aspect of our being. There but for the grace of God go I. There but for the grace of God go you. While I would not expect a reporter to approach me if I were to fall into similar sin, I can only imagine the pain of having to sit in front of my children, my wife, and answer questions about whether or not I have had sex with a man or admitting that I purchased illegal drugs. It's horrible. It's terrifying."

While some write, "I'm sick and tired of being associated with a 'Christianity' that does not seem to care one whit about holiness or obedience to God's Word. Let me say this as perfectly clear as I can: I believe that 'Christianity' in America is nearly totally apostate. Why? We have abandoned the vision of the Holiness and Fear of God. We've built a false god that will cater to our flesh and meet our 'felt needs'. Our real need? Repentance. But we don't want to go there. We live in Laodicea. No apologies. Cut and dried. Stuff like this can only happen because contemporary Christianity is rotten to the core."

However, remember it's not because Christianity is rotten to the core, but because we are, I am, rotten to the core, and I pray that God will keep me from falling.

Thank you Tim. You can read the totally of his very good post on the Haggard scandal here.

Sin Inside Me

I was hit hard the other night by something Kris Lundgaard wrote in his great little book, The Enemy Within. This is my fourth time through the book, and I don't know why it had such a profound impact this time, but it did.

He writes, "the better you know [indwelling sin], the more you will hate it; and to the length that you abhor it...you will grasp for grace against it" (33-34).

I understood the more I knew sin, the more I'd hate it, but I stopped there. It was a two-step process for me, instead of the three-step process of (1) knowing sin, (2) hating sin, and (3) the depth of my prayer for grace to fight my sin.

If I'm not praying for help against my sin, it's because I don't hate it enough. And, I don't hate it enough because I don't really know it like I should. Or, I don't hate it because I've made peace with my sin, and nobody fights what they're at peace with.

This is about praying against your sin and for grace as a preemptive strike before sin even shows up for battle.

Haggard Gay-Sex Scandal Conclusion

Mike Jones' allegations were true, and Ted Haggard publicly admitted it this morning when his letter was read to New Life Church. You can read his statement here.

His confession and apology was so refreshing to read. Here is a man who admitted to and owned his sin, which is so much different than the politicians and celebrities (has anyone of these home-wrecking celebs publicly apologized, or just live like they ate a sandwich and not ruined lives). I hope someone far more clever than me contrasts his apology with John Kerry's.

Please analyze this statement my Jones: "It made me angry that here's someone preaching about gay marriage and going behind the scenes having gay sex." Many gay people oppose gay marriage! What does the one (gay affair) have to do with the other (gay marriage)? Jones' motivation was PURELY political, and he freely admits it. I bet he gets a book and/or movie deal out of this.

I hope everyone who reads Ted's statement realizes that rebelling against a position you hold to be true (i.e., homosexuality is a sin) doesn't mean (1) he really supports the position (as his statement clearly shows), or (2) the position is false. His actions say nothing about the morality of homosexuality or same-sex marriage. They are morally wrong regardless of Ted Haggard, or anyone else. If same-sex marriage should be legal because Ted Haggard was having a gay affair, should it be illegal if he wasn't? When did Ted Haggard's private life dictate public policy? Am I missing something here?

In his statement, the part that impressed me most was this: "Please forgive my accuser. He is revealing the deception and sensuality that was in my life. Those sins, and others, need to be dealt with harshly. So, forgive him and, actually, thank God for him. I am trusting that his actions will make me, my wife and family, and ultimately all of you, stronger. He didn’t violate you; I did." Amazing! That anyone would say that, I think, shows the work of God on their heart.

However, I am most impressed with Gayle Haggard's, Ted's wife's, statement. It is clearly heart-felt and Christ-centered. You can tell she has a real relationship with God. Please read it here. What an impressive woman!!!

It's obvious from his statement that he was living a secret life of sin that consumed him. Unlike Mike Jones who flaunts his "lifestyle," Haggard was clearly conflicted and deeply hated the "repulsive and dark" things he's been "warring against" it all his adult life. There is a lot that needs to be fixed in his heart, so he still needs our prayers, as does his family and New Life Church.

The best line to end this series of posts on is the last line of Mrs. Haggard's statement: Ted "is now the visible and public evidence that every man (woman and child) needs a Savior."

Haggard Gay-Sex Scandal Update

The overseer board of New Life Church has concluded that Ted Haggard is guilty of "sexually immoral conduct," and have removed him as pastor, a move Mr. Haggard and his wife agreed with. Read their statement for yourself here.

I am confused as Haggard flatly denied having any kind of sexual relationship with Jones, but agreed to being removed for "sexually immoral conduct." What's the truth here? Will we ever know? Do we deserve to know?

Tragically, all the news agencies I've read (Breitbart, Rocky Mountain News, CBS 4 Denver) leave out the fact that they will "explore the depth of Pastor Haggard’s offense so that a plan of healing and restoration can begin" (I skimmed these sites, so I may have missed it).

Notice, the world ends with "he's been removed," but the Christians should pray for these things for some time. Though this will be out of the public eye after tomorrow (when a statement by Haggard will be read to the church), we need to be praying for him for some time.

Also, remember it's only by the grace of God that this story isn't about me or about you; "let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall." (1 Cor 10:12).

Finally, though the cause of Christ in our culture has taken a severe hit remember that Christianity is not ultimately judged by its followers, but by its Founder.

Two Kinds of People-Watching

I overhead a student say recently "Disneyland is the best for people-watching," and it reminded me of my once favorite pastimes.

I used to love people-watching. Growing up in Southern California, there is no end to the people-watching possibilities. One of the best places to people-watch was the beach. I spent most of my summer on the beach, and the one thing we locals resented most was "inlanders." They'd flock to our home, following the "Beach Cities" signs on the 57, and infest them with their pasty white farmer tans and cut-off jeans (with belts) for boardshorts.

But, the best place to people-watch was and still is Disneyland. I agree with my student. I've been there so many times that Disneyland got boring, so I'd just sit there and watch people with friends, especially dazed foreign tourists and overweight people with skimpy clothes. This was the fun within the fun at "the happiest place on earth."

However, when you're people-watching, what're you doing?

I remember chuckling at the German tourists dressed in the most unfashonable clothing. I remember pointing and laughing at the Japanese tourists who would take pictures of EVERYTHING.

No matter where I went it was "Hey, look at...," or "Check out the...," or "Did you see...." I laughed a lot, and had a good time, that is, until I realized what I was really doing: I was looking for things to laugh at or make fun of.

Each time I was people-watching, I was really people-mocking. I'd set myself over them as their weight judge, or their fashion police, or their activities director and then mocked them for not being cool...like me.

I realized I liked watching people because smacking them down like that penguin above helped me prove how great I was, which by the way is not a lack of self-esteem, but too much self-esteem, or better, too much pride.

Now, I don't think all people-watching is bad, but I wasn't admiring God's creativity if the myriad of people and faces and bodies. Nor was I people-watching like Jesus did who "seeing the people, He felt compassion for them because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd" (Matt 9:36). I want to be that kind of people-watcher.