Whirled Views with Dan Burrell

I’m on vacation for a couple of weeks and not writing much, but I read a tidbit in my friend, Charles Wood’s, daily missive and thought it worth reprinting here.  Take a moment and look at it…

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     A valued fried passed this article along to me, and I thought it made a point so valid that I ought to share it with my readers.
“A week or two ago I was sent an article.  It raised a question that is changing some of my thinking. He says that earlier in his life he taught in a ministry school where his students were truly hungry for God. He quoted a statement to describe the history of Christianity; it goes like this:
“Christianity started in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came to America and became an enterprise adding that an enterprise was a business.
“After a few moments Martha, an 18 year old, the youngest student in the class, raised her hand. Acknowledging her she asked, ‘A business? But isn’t it supposed to be a body?’ I responded in the affirmative. She continued, ‘But when a body becomes a business, isn’t that a prostitute?’

I’ve been rather gratified with the response I’ve received on Part 1 of this article via blog comments, Facebook comments (my blog articles are automatically posted on Facebook) and private emails.  It has actually been linked on several blogs and discussion boards as well.  So today, I’m going to continue with my thoughts on this topic.  If you haven’t read Part 1 as of yet, you may do so by clicking HERE.

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6. Your Pastor probably views you differently than you view him.

Being someone’s pastor is actually a very intimate experience.  If your pastor is a good one — he loves you.  He’s been there during some of your most difficult moments.  He’s caught tears, perhaps had to be the one to tell you difficult news, has seen you at your best and at your worst.  You may have confided some personal things in him that are known only to you, him and God as you work through the consequences of sin, personal tragedies and other pains.  He has invested his heart and soul in you by praying for you, weeping with you, perhaps even putting your needs ahead of his or his family’s at times.

Then a church down the street calls a new pastor, builds a new building or offers a service style that you find a bit more appealing and you switch as if you were changing from Wal-Mart to Target or finding a new chiropractor.  And of course, people are going to ask “why” and often excuses like “We’re just not being fed” or “Our needs aren’t being met” or “We just need a change” are offered.  For you, it’s a new adventure.  For him, it feels painfully like rejection.

That’s not to say that there are no good reasons for changing churches.  It doesn’t justify those renegade pastors who then grow angry and defensive and say unkind things.  It doesn’t mean that you are leaving God’s will for you life necessarily and are making the first step on a trek toward leaving the faith.  But it does hurt.  Pastors are human too.  And while you may see him as a distant leader or provider of services, if he knows you personally, he probably sees you more like family or a friend.  It’s simply a difference in roles and perspective and you might never understand that.  Sometimes where you stand on things depends on where you sit.  But I think you should know — pastors usually see their church members differently than they are viewed by their church members.

7. Pastors sometimes find it difficult to have friendships.

For better or for worse, there is a celebrity element to being a pastor.  If you don’t believe that then check out the New Testament account of those who were “Paul fans” verses those who liked Apollos.  A wise pastor resists being viewed as “special”, but this tendency is why humility in leadership is so necessary.  Any celebrity, politician or person of wealth will tell you that one of the greatest frustrations is that one never knows which friendships are genuine.  There is always the difficulty in knowing who is genuinely a friend or who is simply there to exploit their position or fame or influence.  Pastors struggle with this on several levels.  Some pastors purposefully choose not to be friends with people in their congregation — it’s too risky in their opinion.  Some pastors refuse to have friendships with their staff — they are afraid it will hurt objectivity, communicate favoritism or just simply be too complicated.  Some pastors have been burned by past friendships and thus become almost reclusive and over-guarded.  Some pastors naturally migrate toward friendships exclusively with peers — fellow pastors who can relate to the unique role and scrutiny being a pastor encompasses.

Several years ago,  a pastor of a large and prestigious church in the same city where I was a pastor had a very close friend as a church member.  A local seeker-sensitive church in town “caught fire” and all of us were experiencing mass migrations out of our pews to the new “cool/hip” church.  His church was among those hardest hit.  But then his very best friend, the person who had introduced him to the church before he was pastor, his closest confident, took him to lunch and let him know that he was leaving for the new “fellowship”.  The pastor said all the perfunctory things about following the Lord, etc… and then went to his already scheduled staff meeting.  After he opened with prayer, he looked at his team of pastors — broke down in wracking sobs, explained what had just happened, apologized and excused himself.  I wish that wasn’t the only story like this that I’ve heard, but I’ve got many more — people meeting privately for the “dismissal” of their pastor, people trying to arrange financial gain/business with the church, people who expected their sins to be covered and undealt with — all while claiming “friendship”.

I don’t have any solutions to this.  I’ve experienced it personally.  I don’t know of many pastors who haven’t.  It is what it is.  But maybe it will give you some insight into your Pastor’s world.

8. Your pastor may well be different out of the pulpit than when he’s in the pulpit and that doesn’t necessarily make him a hypocrite.

I’ve laughed over the years at how people often describe me — outgoing, super confident, “people person”, extrovert.  I can understand why they would say that, but they don’t know the “real me”.  The “real me” is actually rather shy, mostly an introvert, hopes that the people in the seat next to him in the airplane go to sleep and don’t want to talk, am a veritable cauldron of insecurities and often would rather have a quiet evening at home with his family or a book than be with a large group of people.  So why do they suddenly go “electric” when they walk behind the lectern?  It’s a God thing.  It’s His gift, His calling, His annointing — whatever you want to call it.  Moses experienced it.  Coarse Peter overcame his own proclivities.  Odd John the Baptist certainly got beyond his idiosycracies enough that he was heard.  The delivery of the Gospel is never about the man, but always about the message — so don’t get too enamored or distracted by the amplification system.

Some of my most important spiritual moments have regularly been before I preached on a topic that God had led me to address, but on which I was still struggling.  Your pastor probably doesn’t sleep in a suit, sing praise choruses before every meal and memorizes Spurgeon and the Reformers in lieu of watching Reality TV.  He has morning breath, he sometimes fusses with his wife, he yells at the kids when they forget to take the dog out and he steps in a wet spot on the carpet, gets frustrated in heavy traffic and might have a secret affinity for Roller Coasters or deer hunting or restoring old cars.  In other words — he’s just a regular guy.  He certainly isn’t perfect.  But if he’s a good pastor, he’s earnest and sincere and also man enough to admit his faults and make them right when he needs to do so.

Take time to get to know your pastor as a person before you make huge assumptions about him as a “professional”.  You might be shocked at how much like you he really is even though your callings are different.

9. Your Pastor has bills too.

This area is touchy.  There’s nothing like a conversation about money to get people stirred up.  Let me just say this.  Scripture is very clear that spiritual leadership should be supported by the tithes and offerings of the people who benefit from and need their ministry.  It’s God’s plan.  Paul referenced it as the “double honor”.  Someday, your pastor will need a home to live in that isn’t owned by the church.  There will come a day when he will need, because of age or infirmity, to transition out of being a full-time pastor so he needs a retirement strategy.  (There are few things sadder than a pastor who has faithfully served a congregation for years and years who can’t “afford” to retire and thus inflicts himself on a poor church or has to beg for “meetings” because he has no income.  Many pastors foolishly opt out of Social Security and when it comes time to fund their 403b retirement plans, they get cut because of tight budgets.)  Your pastor’s kids need to go to college.  There are weddings that need to be paid for, children that need braces, cars that need repaired.

Please don’t demean him by noting every purchase he makes, vacation he takes or gift he receives with a “It must be nice to be in the ministry to be able to afford that!” or “I guess that explains that special offering last month!” or some other witty little cutting remark that puts him on the defensive.  It’s unkind and petty.  Stop it.  Instead, show some maturity and say something like, “Wow….I’m so pleased that God has blessed you and provided that for you.  If anyone deserves it — you do!” and then notice how you are blessed for rejoicing with those who are rejoicing and how he is blessed in receiving your kind words.

If you think your pastor is a crook, given to filthy lucre, too wealthy — then confront him Biblically or shut up.  If you are a church leader and wonder what is appropriate compensation, may I recommend a study that is produced each year called the “Church Compensation Report” and HERE’s the link to it.

Finally, I want to state for the record that all three of the churches where I have ministered have been a genuine blessing to me and my family in this regard.  They very generously honored us with a living wage, they gave me freedom to write, teach and speak which allowed me to squirrel away money for life’s unexpected or bigger expenses as they came and provided me with the necessary tools for ministry.  I wish every pastor was treated as I have been treated in the matter of financial support.

10.  Your pastor loves the work of the ministry.

You might say, “duh” — but I would ask, how many people do you know who really, deep down inside, would like to be doing something else as a vocation?  If you are like me — a ton.  Preaching the Gospel, seeing people accept Christ, watching lives transformed by Truth, seeing healing and reconciliation occur in families — wow….that’s just the best.

Over the years, I have wearied over the administrative load of ministry.  I do not get excited about trying to get budgets to balance, dealing with maintenance issues, making sure that risk-management is taken into consideration every time we start a new initiative and dealing with governmental and even church bureaucracy and politics.  But that’s simply the price a pastor pays for being able to stand up, open the Word of God and share what the Holy Spirit has laid on his heart for that day.  I can be absolutely exhausted, frustrated, depressed or overwhelmed, but the moment I crack open my Bible before a group of people ready to hear — I realize once again that I’m doing what I was created to do.  Whether you pastor a mega-church, lead a Sunday School class, host a home Bible study or simply leading your family in devotions — when you are called to the ministry of the Word, everything is as it should be every time you get the chance.  It simply doesn’t get much better than that!

I’m going to stop here.  I know I have not exhausted the list, but I’ve probably exhausted you.  I would invite pastors to add additional points if you’d like to do so.  You may forward, link, print, copy or otherwise use these articles as they would bless you or others.  The purpose in writing this has not been to complain, but to explain.  Pray for your pastor today — or even right now.  I’m guessing he’s already been praying for you.

Expecting HIS Best……Dan

In the last week, I’ve spent time talking with three pastors who are about ready to throw in the proverbial towel.  Each case is different and no two pastors, churches, boards or any other “part” of church leadership is exactly the same, but what is common among them is a sense of deep despair.  Sadly, in the last week, I’ve also heard of two colleagues in the ministry who ended their ministry with a catastrophic failure — one of them a rising evangelical leader who admitted to an affair.  Not in every case, but in some cases, I’ve noticed a correlation to the thought processes between those who burnout in ministry and those who “flame out” due to sin.  But whether you burnout, flame out, drop out or rust out — out is still out.

I am now two years beyond my own decision to step away from the Senior Pastorate, so I hope I can be a bit more objective about a topic like this than I might have been 24 short months ago.  As for my own situation, I had my own reasons for changing the nature of my ministry and I am not looking back.  For the cynical or others, nothing I write in this article should be construed as anything more or less than what it is — an opinion piece from someone who has sat on both sides of the pulpit for the last 25 years of ministry and who is still engaged in pastoral ministry — just from a different perspective in recent months.

I don’t pretend to write for every pastor out there, but I spend a lot of time with pastors and former pastors.  There are some trends that are impacting pastoral leadership at this time that I think impact churches and their leaders.  There are some frailties and vulnerabilities that any man called to be a pastor is naturally going to carry into his responsibilities.  Add to that the spiritual warfare that is incumbent upon being a spiritual shepherd (or undershepherd).  It is with these realities in mind that I offer some things that I’m guessing your pastor wishes you knew about him.

1. Bible College and Seminary Weren’t Enough

I don’t care where your pastor went to school, they did not and could not possibly prepare him for all that a pastor faces.  Today’s pastor must be an extraordinary communicator, an effective administrator, somewhat astute to legalities and business procedures, a counselor, a therapist and a dozen other roles that today’s high-expectation church member often expects from their pastor.

Though many will say that’s what boards and staff are for, that thinking simply isn’t based in reality.  The expectation is that the Pastor should be able to protect the church, lead the church, inspire the church and manage the church.  Failure to function in those four primary departments may jeopardize the support level he enjoys from the congregation.

Much of the experience and expertise in those areas needs to be learned and earned over time.  That fact has lead me to a personal conclusion that we should discuss pastoral internships more seriously in seminaries and church leadership circles.

2. Good Sermon Preparation Takes Time

If your pastor is going to accurately and thoroughly present the Word to your congregation, he must have study time.  The best pastors and Bible teachers will tell you that for every one hour of teaching or preaching, about eight hours of study is optimum.  Your pastor may make it look simple, but it isn’t.  Typically, your pastor may need 3-4 fresh preparations in a week (particularly if he speaks outside the church a lot or if he is a solo pastor.)

It is not realistic to expect your pastor to attend every function, make every hospital visit, lead every meeting, make an appearance at every social, go to every shut-in and still be brilliant in the pulpit 2-3 times per week.  A pastor should be about leading and shepherding and equipping the church for the work of the ministry.  Certainly every pastor should attend “some” functions, make hospital visits on occasion, attend important meetings, drop in a socials when possible and take the time to minister to the shut-ins — but to heap all of those responsibilities (plus the administration of the church, personal growth exercises and other important tasks) is not just unreasonable, it is inhumane.

If each Bible study teacher, each deacon, each elder, each staff member took some of these responsibilities, everyone and everything would be covered and all would be blessed as they fulfill their spiritual giftedness in the work of the ministry.

3.  His Family is Important Too

Your pastor needs time with his children and spouse.  If his marriage fails, his ministry is likely over.  If his kids don’t turn out right, his grief will be deep, his regrets will be suffocating and his reputation will be diminished.  You will bless your pastor and your church by freeing him to be with his family.

For years, I’ve often told my pastors to look at their day in three parts — Morning, Afternoon and Evening — each comprised of about 4 hours.  On average, it is reasonable to expect that those in the ministry will work at least 14-16 “parts” over a week’s time.   That way, we should have at least 5 - 7 morning/afternoons/nights available for family time.  Remember that a pastor who preaches and teaches the Word is working — it isn’t the same as sitting in the pew.  It is physically exhausting and emotionally draining.  Most pastors go into “Sunday mode” on Saturday evening and aren’t much of a “family guy” then.  If they have a Saturday night service, move that “mode” to Saturday around noon.

According to that formula, your pastor needs one full day off and 2-4 evenings free.  If he can’t get those evenings free, then he should take a morning or an afternoon when he can to compensate for the lost evenings.

Another blessing you might share with your pastor is to give him a gift card for dinner out on his birthday or at Christmas or if you own a condo at the beach or a vacation home in the mountains, offer to let him take his family there for a few days.  These small tokens can be a fresh encouragement when relationships get neglected.  Being able to run to a restaurant with your spouse and pay for it with a gift card is a double blessing.

In cases of extreme crisis — a wayward child, substantial marriage difficulty — be willing to send your pastor to professional help, a retreat or some intervention.  If you don’t think pastors ever have family problems, then you are naive.  This is a great time to practice the Golden Rule and ask one’s self what they would appreciate if the roles were reversed.  The investment of giving your pastor a week or even a month off to deal with a family crisis is far cheaper than the process of kicking him to the curb and looking for a new pastor — not to mention more Biblical.

4.  Be Kind if You Have a Criticism

Your pastor is going to make some mistakes.  I certainly made my share of bone-headed decisions over the years.  And, if the truth be told, sometimes the pastor won’t see them as quickly as everyone else does.  No pastor has a corner on the Truth and no pastor is above criticism, correction or simple advice.  But when you approach your pastor with something you’re concerned about, address the problem without attacking the person.

Pastoring is interesting in that no decision a pastor ever makes is received positively by everyone.  That would also include no sermon, no vision, no counsel, no strategy, no hire, no building campaign and the list goes on and on.  So before bringing your offense to the pastor, it would wise to pause and ask yourself, “Is this important enough to complain about or to place on the pastor’s mind?”  Some things are — certainly things that deal with Theology, ethics, morality and legal matters should be addressed.  Some things simply aren’t — personal peeves and preferences, gossip, many traditions and irritations.

Some pastors, when faced with the cacophony of criticisms, suggestions, problems and hissy fits they regularly confront, simply shut down — overwhelmed by the torrent and unable to prioritize, distinguish and discern what is legitimate and what is simply whining.  Others will respond defensively at first, but after a while, the Holy Spirit guides them to acknowledgement of the validity of the issue.  A stiff-necked and unapproachable pastor will soon lose credibility and will probably require a confrontation initiated by spiritual leadership with the church.  But it is wise for all of us to measure our words correctly and to do as the Scripture tells us and “entreat as a brother” as opposed to rebuking an  elder with hostility, demands or threats.

5. Give Your Pastor Time to Grow

Sadly, the average term (depending on several factors) of a pastor in America today is somewhere between 2 and 5 years.  Yet, all the research tells us that a pastor’s most effective years take place after the 10th year of ministry at a congregation.  It is not until a pastor marries, buries, cries and works with a majority of his congregation that he can really “connect” intimately with them as a family member might.  Relationships simply take time — most of us who are married realize that the longer one is married the more we learn about patience, perseverance and unconditional love.

This is particularly true if you have a young pastor.  I was twenty-nine when I became a Senior Pastor.  Thankfully, our church was rather small (fewer than 300) at the time.  The Lord tremendously blessed and in short order the church doubled in size and then went on to triple.  But the growing pains that we went through together were extraordinary.  How they put up with me for a decade, I’ll never know.  I was so blessed to have some of the most wonderful and Godly elders surrounding me that I’ve ever known.  They encouraged, counseled, cautioned and sometimes just let me go and in the process — I learned and the Lord blessed.  They let me grow up and grow deep and though I was the youngest among them, they respected my position while offering me wise and Godly counsel.  I love them to this day.  I’m grateful for their patience.

Your pastor will make some bone-headed decisions.  Sometimes you’ll be frustrated with how he arranges his priorities or handles problems.  Sometimes you’ll have to clean up his messes and occasionally, you might have to speak earnestly and honestly with him.  But like rearing children, dealing with aging parents, settling in to married life or maintaining a life-long friendship — it takes time and patience and grace.

I’m out of time, but not out of thoughts.  I’ll pick this up in a few days with some more thoughts.  I’d encourage any pastors who read this blog to share their thoughts or experiences as well.  Until next time….

Tonight, I will watch my oldest daughter and second child cross the stage to receive her High School diploma.  She is the apple of her daddy’s eye — probably more like me than either she or I would care to admit.  She’s a reader, thinker, brooder.  She can laugh uproariously one moment and be in a dark corner of contemplation the next.  She’s beautiful and generally seems oblivious to it.  She’s conservative — not prone to spending money, wearing expensive “big name” clothes or demanding what is impractical or frivolous.  She sees things that others miss –whether it’s through the eye of her beloved camera or as she considers God.  She’s my baby and I’m so very proud of her.

I love you, Megs!

I just read something that my dear friend, Dr. Charles Wood, wrote in his daily musings and thought it worthy of sharing….

“ For three semesters I attended Faith Seminary in a suburb of Philadelphia.  On the first day of classes, we were given a one hundred question test of “general Biblical knowledge.”  Having spent my entire life in a Bible-preaching and teaching church and having done all of my college work in fundamentalist settings, I assumed I was being handed a “piece of cake.”  How wrong I was!  I only managed to get 49 out of the 100 questions correct (made a little easier to bear by the fact that only two others of my twenty classmates had better scores - both in the low 50’s).  I honestly think the test was designed far more to show us what we didn’t know than it was to find out what we actually did understand.  Whatever, it got my attention.

Were that same test (and I can’t find my copy) to be given today in the average local church, I doubt if there would be many, if any, scores higher than the low teens.  I am often utterly appalled by the lack of basic factual knowledge when it comes to the Word (I recently heard of a “church leader” who didn’t even know that a Pastor and an Elder were one and the same).  There are likely many reasons for this ignorance: too busy lives, too many demands on time and energy, lack of personal Bible study, shallow preaching, a steady pulpit diet of John 3:16, a reduced number of weekly services, and such.

Whatever the reasons, it seems to me that there is absolutely no excuse.  We have more Bible study helps readily available to Joe Average Christian than ever before.  There are enough translations and versions to cover every aspect of American dialect, study Bibles proliferate, study guides are available in abundance, computer programs(many of them free) make the most infant Christian actually able to check Greek and Hebrew meanings, and seminars and “satellite conferences” abound.  In addition, we have the excellent Bible teaching on radio and T. V. that is provided by men such as Charles Stanley, John Piper, Josh McDowell, Dave Jeremiah, Chuck Swindoll and a multitude of others, most of whom are solid exegetes, doing expository preaching in one form or another.

It isn’t really clear to me how the reasons and the lack of excuse correlate, but what is clear to me is that a great many professed Christians know little or nothing about Biblical teaching.  Ignorance is bliss?  Absolutely no way!  Ignorance is an open door to the enshrinement of human reason, the acceptance of false teaching and recruitment to the latest slickster seeking to lead God’s people in any given situation.

But, there is a step beyond Biblical ignorance, and that is the dismissive attitude toward Biblical teaching so often evident in our churches.  This phenomenon appears to take the form of, “I don’t really know what the Bible says about that, and I guess I really don’t care.  I let the Preacher or some loud-mouthed layman do the work (or, more often, the talking), and I just assume they must be right.”  The work of Bible study and interpretation is deemed not worth the effort when there is a sense that the individual won’t agree with what the Bible says when all is said and done.  Although this is an old note that I have often sounded, I think some preaching in our churches contributes to this situation.  We recently heard an otherwise excellent sermon on the need to move from Christian 1.0 to Christian 2.0 (with just enough computerese involved to make it “catchy”), but the sermon simply ended with the call for us all to download the newer version.  Not one word was said about how to do so.  It was like a Nike commercial, “Just Do It!”

When the Word of God is preached without application or specific instruction concerning how it applies to life, it seems to me that it leads to the kind of indifference against which I am speaking.  We are once again listening to others preach, and a couple of sermons we have heard recently have left me wanting to yell out, “So what?”  Ignorance may not be excusable, but it does tend to be explainable.  Indifference?  It seems to me to be more of a choice than an accident.

How I wish it would all stop there (if you’ve read this far, you likely do also), but it moves on one more step to deliberate defiance of the Word.  There are more than a few in our churches who would gladly eliminate any part of Scripture with which they disagree.  This deliberate defiance can be annoying or frustrating.  It can also be the source of intense conflict in a local church.

She sat across from me about fifty years ago.  She was a fine person with good background and greatly involved in the church.  She was talking with me about her impending wedding when I asked the “fatal” question, “Is he a believer?”  Her answer was rather convoluted, but it boiled down to a simple “No.”  I asked how she could be considering such when she knew the Bible taught otherwise.  She said that she knew what the Bible taught, but that God had told her that she was right in pursuing this relationship.  It took a while, but I finally got her to articulate the fact that she really didn’t care what the Bible taught; she was simply going to do what she had decided to do (without any participation on my part).  This is the annoying, frustrating part.

Unfortunately, however, there is more.  There is an attitude that says that the Bible cannot possibly mean what it appears to mean because it doesn’t make sense, doesn’t fit in with current trends in society, doesn’t take into account changing cultural customs and mores, etc.  This is embodied in The Jesus Project and the New Perspectives on Paul.  If you don’t like it, say it wasn’t so or create an imaginary division between Jesus and Paul or write The DaVinci Code.  Whatever!

The conflict part of this attitude often shows up in the church when there are those who know better (or have been informed of the correct Biblical position on an issue) press forward in a wrongful course of action with an attitude that essentially says, “I know (or have been informed of) what the Bible says about this, but I really don’t care because the Bible disagrees with me or with what I am planning to do.”  Pretty harsh words?  I could readily make them seem tame simply by revealing what I know about a couple of situations.

It would be extremely easy for me to cite any number of cases (by church name and location) where ministries have been destroyed or seriously damaged by this attitude of defiant refusal to obey God’s Word. The “new kids on the block” are very likely to run into something of this nature before they are far into their ministries because of the anti-authority attitude so prevalent in our society (and which has been allowed to seep into our churches while we have been jousting with windmills over matters that really don’t qualify as genuine worldliness).  The old catechism said that the Bible is the only infallible rule of faith and practice.  Instead, it has been turned into something resembling a guide book or even a series of chapters provided for us to select those with which we agree or those which support our desires, plans and programs.

Young graduate, “it will be worth it all when we see Jesus,” but there will be times when you will wonder.  You will help yourself a great deal, however, if you will decide from the very beginning what you will and will not tolerate regarding the Word of God.  I find myself, at least temporarily, without a church home, ministry opportunity, etc., on the basis of a decision I made more than fifty years ago.  It is not pleasant, particularly at this time of life, but I will stand before the judgment seat confident in my stance on the Word while those who violated it will be seeking to explain why they decided that they were exempt from Biblical obedience.

The Bible is the Word of God, and that means exactly what it says.  God has spoken.  It is mine to determine - as exactly as I am able - what it is that He has said.  Beyond that, I have no right to ignore, change, disregard, etc., anything that He has said, and if I do so, I do so at my own risk of eternal loss.  How tragic would it be if what the gates of hell could not accomplish was complicitly done by those supposedly in the army!”

Wow…it was a busy day in New York City.  We started off at Ellis Island, then on to Battery Park, a walking tour of the financial district and Ground Zero and then lunch at Seaport.  Then we went over to Chinatown where we spent a few hours negotiating for “stuff”, followed be a brief visit to SoHo.  Following a wonderful Italian dinner at Carmine’s, we went to the 67th floor of Rockefeller center and viewed the sun setting over Manhattan.  Then everyone went off to the movies and by everyone, I don’t mean me.  I decided to go back to the hotel to grade some paper and post these pics.  The kids will be a bit tireder (hopefully) when they get back after midnight and maybe we’ll get them to bed sooner.

Tomorrow is a movie/TV tour, visit to 5th Avenue, some more shopping and then off to the airport to get back home so we can get this class graduated.  It’s been a great trip and we have some super students and a fine group of chaperones.  Here are some pictures of our day….

On the ferry on the way over to Ellis Island with a beautiful view of the skyline in the background.

Megan and I with the gap left by the lost Twin Towers in the background.

Waiting for dinners outside of Carmine’s Italian Restaurant where we had salad, garlic bread, two kinds of pasta, chicken parmigiana and Italian ice cream.  If you left hungry, it was your own fault.

 Haydon, Manny and Brandon enjoyed their meal.

Christian and Alex made for great table mates as well.

Dad enjoying the perks of being a chaperon on the trip — dinner with his daughter!

I’ve enjoyed making friends with many of our fine students — particularly, Steven from Ecudor!

Thursday was a beautiful day in our nation’s capital and the DCS Class of 2009 had a jam-packed day.  We started the morning touring the Museum of American History, Ford Theater and then the Holocaust Museum.  We then traveled to Arlington Cemetery where we saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Lee Mansion and the Kennedy Graves.  After that we hustled back to the mall and took in the Lincoln, Vietnam and Korean memorials.  By 6:30, we were at the stadium to watch the Nationals play the Pirates.  I was able to enjoy a private dinner with Megan who was celebrating her 18th birthday at a restaurant that had a veranda overlooking center field.  The evening was beautiful and she even had her picture taken with one of the National mascots.  Then we hustled back to the hotel and let the kids go swimming for about 90 minutes to burn off any excess energy.

Friday was filled with our trip to the White House, the Capitol, the Pentagon Mall and several other monuments.  Saturday was spent all day at Six Flags in New Jersey before we drove in to near New York (we are staying in Newark, NJ).

This morning started with a church service at the hotel and then we drove to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Some also went over to Central Park to ride bikes or take a walk.  Then it was off to the Lion King which was a real highlight for many of our students.  After that, we visited Madam Toussand’s wax museum, at at Hard Rock Cafe and then did some shopping in a jam-packed Times Square.

Tomorrow, we start off at Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty before heading to Chinatown, Carmine’s for dinner and several other fun stops.  Apart from a few runny noses, the occasional bout of teen “drama” and having a bunch of tired people moving from place to place, everyone is getting along great and we’re having a super time.  Below are a few more pics for your viewing pleasure.

Waiting for the lecture to begin at Ford Theater.

Our Class Office with some of the soldiers who were placing 250,000 flags on the graves in Arlington.  Many of our students stopped soldiers that they saw and thanked them for their service to our country.

The name in the center, Richard F. Waterfield, is on the Vietnam Memorial Wall and is my second cousin.  I remember him spending a day with us at our family lot on the lake right before he left for Vietnam where he was killed a few months later.  The war memorials always remind me of how many brave young people are killed in wars that are often valid and other times the result of egomaniacs, twisted worldviews and a variety of other stupid reasons.  Freedom isn’t free and to see all these names is sobering as we realize their sacrifice.

My daughter, Megan, took this picture of one of our seniors, Brandon Rosado as he looked at the names on the walls.

The Seniors enjoyed a BEAUTIFUL night at the ballpark.

We had a bird’s eye view of the game.

Megan and I enjoyed dinner on the terrace as we celebrated her 18th birthday and “George” even came by to give her a birthday hug.

We had a long wait for the Marine Band and Parade.

The Iwo Jima Memorial was one of the highlights of our last day in DC and the students made friends with several marines who were there paying their respects.

Times Square tonight — wall to wall people!

I just spent the last hour trying to get pictures of today’s Senior Trip excursion up.  When I clicked on “publish”, everything completely and totally disappeared.  I’m sorry to all the DCS folks who were looking to see a chronology here and we’re working on getting things fixed.  Hopefully, tomorrow I can get something posted for everyone.  If you have facebook, I’m trying to upload an album over there, so you might want to check that out.  As of right now, it’s late and we have a 5:30 wake-up call, so I’m calling it an evening.

We’re are in Washington, DC with 65 of our Seniors from the class of 2009 and had a super busy day.  The trip was smooth, the kids have been great and the weather is perfect.  The only downside is that the city is PACKED with tourists.  Where’s the recession everyone is talking about?

I know some of you are frustrated with my blog website right now.  I’m having a host problem of some sort.  It is taking an extrodinarily long time for the site to connect.  If you wait long enough (which you know by now or you wouldn’t be reading this), it eventually loads, but the wait is maddening.  We’re working to get it fixed.

If you want to follow the kids through the day with text updates, you can “friend” me on facebook or Twitter (@danburrell) and I’ll update that throughout our trip.

Here are some photos from today’s journey….

Waiting for our luggage at Reagan National Airport after a quick 2 hour flight.  The skies were clear so the kids got a great view of the city as we landed alongside the Potomac.

We are using two, very new tour buses to get around the city.  The kids have as much fun on the buses as they do off the buses.

Our first stop was the mall area and the Museum of Natural History and the Air and Space Museum.  Both places were packed with Memorial Day tourists and lots of school groups.  We were scheduled to go the National Archives next, but the 2 hour plus wait was too much for our schedule, so instead, we headed to the White House for an exterior look.  We go inside on Friday.

 This is me with my own “personal” senior….my daughter, Megan, who turns 18 on Thursday.  I was able to take her older brother on his senior trip and I’m really glad I get to be an “administrator/chaperone” for her senior trip as well.  We’re standing, of course, in front of the White House.

Next, it was off to World-Famous Phillip’s Seafood Buffet where they lost some serious money on some of our guys who ate plate after plate of crab legs and other great seafood.

At the end of the day, we were off to the races…go-cart racing that is and there was some NASCAR like action as we worked off the last bit of energy before heading to our hotel.  We arrived there at about 11:00 and by midnight, everyone was settled in.  Tomorrow, we start off at the Museum of American History and end with a baseball game with the Washington Nationals in their new stadium.

Stay tuned tomorrow for more updates.

On Mondays, I often write a thought for the week for our teachers, administrators, pastors and support staff regarding worldview matters.  Today, I shared with them my thoughts on why absolutes and using your authority to transfer them are important.

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When was the last time you heard someone say something like this?

Well, who am I to say?
Who are THEY to say?
I’m not trying to be “preachy”
As long as no one gets hurt, who cares?
If it feels right, go for it!
Follow your heart!
Trust your inner voice.

These are just a tiny fraction of the phrases that are rooted in a philosophy called Postmodernism.  Postmodernism is a system of “thinking” that denies the existence of Absolute Truth.  Interestingly, often postmodernists will exuberantly declare, “There is no such thing as Absolute Truth!”

At which point, it is perfectly appropriate for one to respond with the question, “Is THAT an Absolute Truth?”

Sadly, in many Christian homes, schools and churches, we have bought into the postmodern political correctness which is anti-authoritative and anti-absolutist.  We are too often either silent or even apologetic about being dogmatic about the things about which God is very clear in Scripture.  We, by neglect or intention, misrepresent God as Someone who “goes with the flow” when it comes to truth and allows each of us to arrive at our own conclusions.  However, that is not the God of Scripture who spoke in absolute, dogmatic, declarations.

I am God and there is NONE else!
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, NO MAN comes to the Father but by me!
Unless a man is born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven!
There is a way which seems right to men, but the end is death!
There is NO OTHER NAME given whereby you can be saved.
Thou shall have NO OTHER Gods before me.

As pastors, parents and educators, it is important that we do not present truth as Wishy-Washy and optional.  All Truth leads to God.  That’s why things like order, decorum, authority, obedience, self-restraint, submission, civilization, respect and other traits, behaviors and habits are important.  It helps us to see His order in His Universe and our role in it.

Our children (and we ourselves) need to hear Truth.  Those of us responsible for communicating Truth need to do so with overtness.  We use our leadership and positions of authority, not for personal gain, but for philosophical clarity.  In our hearts, we need order, boundaries and absolutes on which to build our decisions and to determine our direction.

When we teach absolutes, we equip others to gain the confidence to pursue God without reservation and to know Him more intimately and completely.

Several years ago, a study was conducted at an inner-city elementary school.  It was visited by a group of progressive educational psychologists who noted that the children were confined in the play area by a large hurricane-wire fence.  The children could be seen running against the fence, sometimes climbing on it, leaning against it and peering through the loops of galvanized metal.  This was not good, the psychologists quickly ascertained.  The students weren’t allowed to roam and explore and felt caged even.  This reduced them to “animal-like” status and more than likely conditioned them to think of their life in terms of “boundaries” rather than freedoms.  So they ordered the fence removed to ensure a message of “openness” was achieved.

An interesting thing occurred immediately.  The children no longer ran to the very edges of the play area, but instead they clustered near the center.  They spent more time next to the teachers.  They rarely went to the previous locations of the fence and when they did, they often would hurriedly run back toward the center of the play area where the other kids were located.

Finally, the administration directed the fence be replaced.  The first day, the kids went back to the edges.  They climbed on the fences, used all of the play area and spread out across the entire playground.

The fences had not been about confinement to the children.  They had provided boundaries, order and safety.  The absolute parameters of what was acceptable gave them security.  The absence of those absolute values created confusion and fear.

As teachers, parents and pastors, we need to remember that part of our responsibility is to speak and lead with authority.  Speak clearly.  Direct without apology.  Stand for what is right.  Correct wrong actions.  Do not tolerate disorder.  Train behavior.  Explain consequences.  Respond to disrespect.  Reward genuine achievement.  Celebrate character.  Develop talents.  Don’t feel bad about using your influence and authority.

Absolutes.

Understanding them, respecting them and communicating them is part of our mission in developing a Christian worldview in ourselves and others.