Whirled Views with Dan Burrell

A few weeks ago, I had lunch with one of our Dade Christian School graduates.  His name is Angel Garcia.

Angel grew up in the home of a single parent.  He’s a pretty typical Latino kid from South Florida.  One day, when he was in his mid-teens, a pretty girl invited him to Wednesday night “youth group” at New Testament Baptist Church.  In his words, I came to… “You know, get close to her, get a little action, try to get her to make out with me…”.  Instead, he heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ preached and before he went home – he didn’t make a decision, he experienced a conversion.  The Lord changed him inside out and he was never the same again.

This is a kid whose only religious experience was of Catholicism and we all know what that largely means to a Latino kid.  But when Angel trusted Christ, he caught fire for Jesus Christ.  Before long, he figured out a way to attend Dade Christian School which he did his last few years of High School.  When he graduated, he headed to Moody Bible Institute to get prepared to become a youth pastor for a couple of years and he’s now back home in his 3rd year of study locally and he works with a church plant in Dade County.

As we conversed over black beans and rice and Cuban sandwiches in a new Latin American restaurant a few blocks from our school, we covered the usual topics a couple of guys are prone to cover…. Schooling, future plans, his dating life, sports.  In the middle of this superficial conversation, he leans forward and drops his voice a little and with an intense urgency he said this:

“Dr. B – See that lady sitting over near the door dressed in all white?  She’s a Santeria priestess.  Look over to your left behind you a bit.  See those two guys talking?  They are closing a business deal.  Right behind you is a guy that’s been hitting on the waitress since we walked in the door.  He’s trying to get her to go home with him.  Over at the lunch bar?  See that old guy?  He’s all alone in the world.  Dr. B — look all around us.  This community is FILLED with people who are dying and going straight to hell and no one gives a crap about it!”

I fully realize that someone is going to post a comment or send me an email chastising me for using a word that I got in trouble for using when I was growing up.  But, a) I wanted you to hear the raw heart of this inspiring young man who cares about souls and b) if you are worried more about the fact that I just quoted someone who said “crap” than you are about the fact that our communities are filled with people who are dying and going straight to hell – then go right ahead and write your note.

I’ve got to tell you – it was like the Holy Spirit jumped on those words and has branded them on my heart.  Because after 25 years of being in ministry – I will confess to you that if actions speak louder than words – I’m afraid I’ve lost the passion for the mission of the Gospel that called me into Christian education and church ministry in the first place.

That mission was not about teaching kids how to conjugate verbs and diagram sentences.  It was not about arranging class schedules and meeting with the parents of prospective students.  It wasn’t spending hours in calendaring meetings and managing yet another “outreach program”.  It wasn’t about preaching to another group of bored and listless preachers at some fellowship meeting.  It was not about sitting in budget meetings and board meetings until I was in danger of slipping into a coma.  It was about seeing the lives, the futures, the souls of young men and young women transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ as they repented of their sins and abandoned any notion that they could save themselves and trusted the Son of God with all their hearts for salvation.  That’s why I went into the ministry a quarter a century ago – Because I gave a “crap” about their souls.

So, I’m not quite sure why I’m sharing this today.  It’s not simply a public confessional.  I guess it’s my hope that maybe someone who reads this will get hit alongside the head like I did when I had lunch with Angel.  Maybe it’s because I hope that when push comes to shove and we shake the foggy clouds of our own busyness away for a few minutes — maybe we’ll remember that we really DO care about the souls of those around us.  And maybe, just maybe, that realization will make us reset our priorities in the week to come.

One of the favorite fantasies of far-left liberals is dreams of playing Robin Hood.  As America prepares to elect the most extreme President in our history a week from tomorrow, it might be nice to see what we’re getting.  This shocking audio interview gives us a little insight into what Obama wants to appoint to the Supreme Court and how he wants them to take from you and give to others.  It is a tradition among liberals to use the courts to due what legislation will not support.  It’s called an “Activist Judiciary” and is one step short of an elite dictatorship.  I wonder how long it will be before Obama follows in the course of the last great activist liberal President (FDR) and tries to expand the Supreme Court by a couple more members so that he can force his agenda through.  Of course, it’s the greedy hope — that somehow an Obama administration might toss a little plunder our direction — is what is driving many to vote for him.

There’s a lot of irony in the fact that I’m going to be heading to C uba in a week where this whole “Redistribution of Wealth” thing has been such a stunning success.

Listen to it for yourself HERE…

If you are sick to death of RINO’s and Neo-con’s prostituting their endorsements for the hope of restoring their damaged “reputations” (Colin Powell) and demonstrating the reality that when you open the doors to the “Big Tent” you let in cockroaches and weasels (Hitchens and Buckley), then you should read what Charles Krauthammer says as he endorses McCain.

You can read it HERE.

As a not-altogether-unbiased observer of politics, I’ve been watching the flailings of my Republican friends – professional and lay alike – as they deal with the impending Age of Obama.  I can only describe what my Republican friends are experiencing as the Stages of Grief when one’s political candidate/party is going down in flames.

Consider what we observe:

Stage One – Denial

At this stage you find people doubting the pollsters.  This ranges from examples of how polls have been wrong in the past to suggestions that there is some vast left-wing conspiracy among pollsters wherein polls are used to discourage conservative turnout.  Other strategies include discussions of the impact of cell phones on poll accuracies (folks, cell phones have been around for nearly twenty years – they’ve figured out how to compensate for them by now) and the so-called “Bradley Effect” which suggests that a huge number of the electorate are closet racists that cannot bear the thought of answering a pollster honestly and so they say that they plan on voting for 50% brother Barak, but when they enter the voting booth, they plan on reconnecting with their “inner klansman” and voting for the lily-white, not to mention pasty-skinned McCain.  To all my Republican friends, find a mirror and say it slowly…. “President Obama.”  See, it won’t kill you.  If that doesn’t work, go find a member of the liberal media elite or a Hollywood starlet and ask them to slap you sharply across the left cheek.  That may bring you back to reality.

Stage Two – Anger

I think we’ve seen this one spill over at a few recent McCain events.  Often, it includes references to “communist pinkos”.  Occasionally, the angry conservative will launch into an incoherent rant in which they spend themselves shouting about Hussein as a middle name, Barak not really being a US citizen, Muslims, San Francisco Nancy Pelosi and Dirty Harry Reid.  Once they are exhausted, they will usually finish off with a grandiose declaration about a certain western democracy heading to “hades” in a handbasket or that we are about to get what we deserve. 

Stage Three – Bargaining

This is a fun stage.  In it we make all kinds of political “deals” in our heads.  Some still honestly believe that we are basically a conservative culture and that the seeming Osama surge is a conspiracy thrust upon us by the liberal elites and that surely, this country can’t be so far gone that we’d elect a left-wing, terrorist pal, baby killing, activist judge loving, most-liberal-senator-in-the-Senate, black liberation theology believin’, socialist to be our next President.  Surely the economy will miraculously turn around over night and the Republicans will be hailed as heroes.  The Iraqi war will be over and they’ll be erecting statues to G. W. Bush in Baghdad squares.  Conservatives will awaken on November 5^th to find that overnight not only has John McCain been elected, but he’s also become a born-again conservative who loves Ronald Reagan and Evangelical Christians.  They also believe that if they click the heels of their magic ruby shoes together they’ll wake up in Kansas and Toto will be licking their nose.

Stage Four – Depression

This stage gets really ugly.  We talk about preparing to move to France which will have a more conservative government than we have in about 2 weeks.  We consider moving to Montana and buying a ranch where we’ll raise goats and homeschool our children and await the coming plagues.  We decide to look into off-shore banking so there will be less for the Democrats to tax.  We look longingly toward the Eastern Sky speaking quietly of the Rapture.  We question the wisdom of bringing up children in a world controlled by liberals who want to normalize homosexuality, give felons subsidies from our tax dollars and tolerate Muslims while hating on Evangelicals.  Apparently, this depression erases the ability to remember the words to “Victory in Jesus” or “This World is Not my Home”.  Being “salt” and “light” were much more wonderful concepts when we lived in a salt shaker or a chandelier.

Stage Five – Acceptance

Finally – sooner or later, we’re going to have to get to the point where acceptance arrives.  Short of an incredible and unforeseen shift of public perception unlike anything we’ve seen in modern times, I believe that Barak Obama is our next President.  I’m not the least bit happy about this prospect.  Quite frankly, I wouldn’t be all that much happier with McCain and apart from my concerns over abortion and Supreme Court nominations, I probably wouldn’t vote for either of them.  We have two lousy choices (and please, all you third-party promoters, don’t spam me with your arguments – I have neither the time nor the patience to join you in chasing windmills) and either way, our country is going to change dramatically over the next 4 and probably 8 years.  So, let’s just sit back and accept the fact that God is in control and remember that we often see His hand in play while it is actually occurring.  Don’t interpret my pessimism as a challenge to avoid voting — absolutely, DO vote.  Just don’t make it “bigger” than it really is.  Keep things in perspective.  Give things the 100-years test.  In a hundred years, none of this nonsense is going to matter.

In closing, let me say this….most of the above was written with tongue thoroughly in cheek.  If you can’t laugh at yourself and poke at your own silliness, then you are taking yourself WAY too seriously.  I’m comfortably settled in Stage Five – but only after I’ve worked through the first four stages in a rather inglorious way.  I truly do believe that this election marks a point in which we can truly say, “We are now what we have been becoming.”  The election of what is going to be the most liberal administration in American history is not going to be due to the excellence of their ideas or the legitimacy of their philosophy.  It will largely due to the abject failure of the Republican party to do what it was elected to do with frustrating consistency from 1980 forward.  What limited successes Reagan may have had have been totally obliterated by the incompetency of two Bush Presidencies.  Republicans have an unsound philosophy that has caused them to court people that were NEVER really Republicans (Colin Powell, Arlen Spector, Olympia Snowe, “Arnald” and a host of others) and in doing so they have totally alienated their base.  How else can you explain that the ONLY electricity that the Republican nomination has garnered among even party loyalists was when they unleashed a grossly inexperienced, but full-throated social conservative on the scene?  And did anyone notice the response of the radical left?  Absolute, pure, vicious venom.  Make no mistakes.  You’ll see it in a few months.  THAT’S at the core of their agenda and you’d better rest assured that the new administration is going to put real conservatives in their crosshairs in short order. 

But in the end, we are free moral agents.  Abortion can be legal in every county in the country and it doesn’t mean that you’ve got to get one yourself.  They can make gay marriage the law of the land, but it doesn’t mean you’ve got to experiment with the option yourself.  They can throw me in jail and every other pastor committed to Biblical integrity and I’ll still preach Romans 1 the way it was written.  If all of us who claim to be believers stand united, what are they going to do?  Build a thousand new jails for all of us?  So what if they take our tax exempt status?  Do we obey God because it helps us every April 15^th?  Are we theological hookers who will change our message for a buck?  Opposition has the potential to strengthen us and it also has the potential to purify us.  Either way, on the other side of the time of testing, we’re going to be stronger and better off.

So whatever the election and its consequences hold – As for me and my house….we’re going to serve the Lord!

I believe that the Wall Street Journal is absolutely dead on in THIS editorial.

From Jon Acuff at “Stuff Christian’s Like“…

God is into numbers, but not the ones we think. I tried to define success with a certain attendance number. I estimated a massive number because my ego got caught up in it and I thought God was about big numbers too. And He is, just His number is different than mine. His number is “1.” Not 100. Not 1,000,000, but 1. He cares about the individual. He wants to reach 1 person. You. Me. Your dad. Your mom. That weird guy you work with. He has 1 person in mind. And I forgot that.

Read the entire post HERE.

In the State of Florida, proponents of Gay Marriage are viciously distorting a constitutional amendment which would add the historic state-held position on marriage to the Florida constitution.  All across the country, renegade activist judges are turning over the will of the people forcing them to recognize gay partnerships by classifying them as “marriages” with all the legal, social, cultural and practical benefits and privileges pertaining.

Passage of this bill would simply codify as part of constitution the historical and legal status of traditional marriage between one man and one woman in this state.  It would not impact social security, the ability to visit friends or partners in the hospital, change insurance status or any of the other ridiculous allegations that gay rights extremists are using to elicit sympathy.  It is important to note that while a majority of Floridians support traditional marriage, Florida law requires a super-majority of 60% vote for the passage of a constitutional amendment.  This is a difficult threshold in a state as diverse as ours.  Please copy and paste and email or simply send the link to this blog entry to all of your Florida friends asking them to vote: YES on Amendment 2.

Dan

Below are some facts to consider about Amendment 2:

Amendment 2 does one thing and one thing alone.

It defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman, but it does not prohibit the government or private companies from extending benefits to whoever they wish. The Florida Supreme Court has ruled that Amendment 2 concerns the “single subject” of marriage and simply takes the existing state marriage law and places it into the constitution having similar effect. Most amendments do something new. Amendment 2 does nothing new but simply protects something longstanding, something precious, and something beautiful.

Amendment 2 allows the people of Florida and not activist judges to decide how marriage is defined.

In Massachusetts and now in California, activist judges have re-written marriage laws and ignored the will of the people by legalizing same sex marriages. There is a national movement to do this all over the country which is why 27 states have passed state constitutional amendment to protect marriage. In the next six months, four of the seven members of the Florida Supreme Court will be replaced by Governor Charlie Crist completely changing the make up of the Florida high Court. What happened in California could easily happen here in Florida over the next year. Amendment 2 protects the definition of marriage from activist judges.

Amendment 2 will not take away any existing rights or benefits from anyone.

Amendment 2 does not take away any rights or benefits from Florida’s domestic partnerships or any other shared living arrangement. Homosexuals already have full contract rights under Florida law and access to estate planning tools just as every other citizen. Amendment 2 does not affect these existing rights.

Amendment 2 protects our children.

Amendment 2 protects our children from being taught in public schools that same-sex marriage is the same as natural marriage. If same sex marriage is legalized in Florida, public schools will be forced to teach your children and grandchildren that homosexual marriages are equal to marriages between a man and a woman. Since homosexual marriage was legalized in Massachusetts, public school teachers are now being forced to teach this very thing. NPR Interview, Massachusetts Schools Weigh Gay Topics, September 13, 2004.

Amendment 2 gives children the best chance for both a mom and a dad.

While we will always have death, divorce and other circumstances that may prevent the ideal, the best arrangement for children is to have both a married mother and a father. Single parents do the best job they can but a vast body of social science research clearly tells us that children are always happier, healthier and better adjusted when raised by a married mother and father.

It has been my privilege to get to know some outstanding sharp young leaders over the years who not only impressed me and challenged me, but who became great personal friends.  In addition, it was great to be able to team up with some of them as they joined the staff of ministries with which I was affiliated.  Others have become frequent lunch friends, email buddies and debate partners.  Among these are guys over the years who are or will soon be in the ministry like Ben Rudolph, Frank Shimkis, Steven Stinson, Steve Garcia, Derrick Marrs, Danny Rodriguez, Patrick Mitchell, Angel Garcia, Jake Kaetterhenry, Rigo Figueredo, Justin Facenda, Tim Decker, Eric Hill, Brandon Hiltibidal and a good number of others.

One of my very favorite young thinkers and rising young preachers is Ben Schettler.  I knew Ben’s dad  when I was a student at Pensacola Christian College and later.  I can recall sitting in the Crowne Room for meals at PCC seeing a little imp of a kid eating with his folks.  Little did I realize that he’d grow up to be a fine young youth evangelist and personal friend.

So when Pastor Pedrone asked me to compile a list of candidates for him to consider joining the team of New Testament Baptist Church to be our new Youth Pastor, Ben was an easy choice for me to put on that list.  Several weeks ago, Pastor Pedrone invited Ben to join our team and I look forward to working with him as a colleague and as his mentor as he joins our staff.

Ben is married to the extremely talented and sweet, Makenzie and together they are a dynamic couple with a passion for young people.  In my opinion, Ben is the perfect balance between someone who is committed to sound theology and yet has a “real world” connection to young people of this generation.  He’s an exciting leader, but a humble servant who is anxious to learn and not afraid to network with others who might enrich his ministry.  He’s committed to the important aspects of our spiritual heritage, but not bound by the traditions and expectations of others.  He’s his own man, who thinks independently, but he’s also a team player who’s going to be a huge blessing to our young people as we tackle a needy culture in South Florida.

Welcome to Ben and Makenzie — I’m glad to be on the same team with them!

A little over two years ago, I let myself get talked into moving all my retirement funds to a different company who was to manage them in such a way that I’d be able to retire comfortably at my desired target age.  My previous company hadn’t been doing a “bad” job, but I was hoping for “better.”  I guess I should have known I was in trouble when everyone I knew or had been assigned to at the company left (a rather major brokerage) the firm within months have me having moved all my funds.  Since that time, I can’t even locate the person who is supposed to manage my funds, not can I get anyone to answer my questions unless I call their “toll-free number” wherein I get connected to someone who either gives me lousy information filled with dead-ends or simply acts like I’m irritating them to death.  Just trying to liquidate enough funds to buy my house in Florida was like pulling teeth.  Needless to say, the last couple of months of economic free-fall have decimated my dreams of a reasonably early retirement and the hopes I had for spending the last decade of my career (Lord willing) on a mission field of some sort.

With this week’s bloodbath on Wall Street, everywhere I go, I have people asking me what I think is going to happen (an ironic question to ask ME of all people), where do I think it will end and what am I doing in light of this catastrophic scenario.  My reply?  “I don’t have a clue!”

But I’m not going to let it bother me either.

It’s only money and it was never mine.

For years, I’ve told a corny joke that I think is really relevant in a day like ours.  It goes like this…

A powerful and arrogant lawyer found himself at heaven’s gates about to be ushered in by St. Peter. (Yes, I KNOW the theology is wrong.)  As he waits his turn, he stands guards over two huge suitcases.  As he approaches the front of the line, he grabs them one by one by the handles and with much grunting and perspiration pulls them along with him.

As Peter checks for his name on the entry list, he informs the lawyer that he will be unable to bring any luggage in with him.  The lawyer begins to protest loudly.  “I simply MUST bring these in with me.  I won’t hear of leaving them behind.  Too whom must I speak to get permission?” He grew louder by the minute in spite of Peter’s calm explanation that rules were rules.  Finally, frustrated, Peter disappeared behind the pearly gates for what seemed like an eternity (Get it?  ETERNITY) and when he emerged, he said, “Apparently, you must be well connected or something because I’ve been given a special exception to allow you to take your suitcases in with you.”

Delighted, the lawyer began dragging them toward the gates.  Peter, stopped him, however and said, “Sir, before you can take those in.  I have to see what is in them.  Would you mind opening them for me?”  The lawyer immediately dropped them to their sides and began opening the heavy locks.

Finally, with a bit of a flourish, the lawyer lifts the lids to the massive suitcases to show Peter brick after brick of shining 100% pure gold!  Every nook and cranny of the suitcases was packed with it.

Peter has a funny look cross his face and then breaks out in hysterical laughter.  He’s soon laughing so hard that the tears are streaming down his cheeks and he can hardly contain himself.  As he holds his ribs, he calls for Gideon and a few other angels who were standing near by to come take a look.

As they look to see what the commotion is all about, Peter calls out, “Guys, you HAVE to see this.  This poor moron got a special exception to take anything he wanted into heaven with him and the idiot brings two suitcases full of….

(….wait for it, wait for it….)

….PAVEMENT!!!!”

So just keep in mind, it’s not worth getting all worked up over.  It need not be a cause for depression or despair.  God is still on his throne no matter who is elected President in 30 days or where the stock market stands at the end of the year.

And all the riches we think are so important today?  In a few years….it’s just going to be “pavement”.

As the old hymn says…

My hope is built on nothing less,
Than Jesus blood and righteousness.

One of my most requested workshops is called “Turbotalk — How to Speak with Power and Impact”.  I teach graduate courses on communicating and teaching the Bible and have a life-long interest in public speaking.  Last week, I gave a 50-minute seminar on communicating and I’m also blessed and challenged by the amount of feedback and the number of follow-up requests that I receive after I address this topic.

So today’s “Listomania” is a more serious one that gives you ten “tricks of the trade” that will help those of you who speak publicly whether it is occasionally or regularly — professionally or casually.

1. Use your first 30 seconds

You have approximately 30 seconds from the moment you step to the lecturn, pulpit or front of the room to gain everyone’s attention for the next 3 minutes.  Whether or not you have their attention with that first 3 minutes will determine whether or not you will be able to keep if for the next 30 minutes.  So think threes — 30 seconds to grab their attention, 3 minutes to earn their respect, 30 minutes to communicate your content.

2. Fake Confidence if you don’t have it

The worst thing you can do is to use your first 30 seconds lower people’s expectations.  Don’t announce you are nervous.  Don’t make excuses.  Don’t notify everyone that you don’t do this a lot.  Don’t complement everyone else who has spoken for you and lick their boots in the process.  Jump up and take charge.  Tell them with your confidence that you are worthy of the next 30 minutes of their life.  If you don’t have it naturally — then fake it.  Chance are they’ll never know the difference.

3. Avoid repetitive movements, words and phrases

Don’t pace.  Don’t pull at your tie or twist your hair.  Don’t stand on one foot and rock.  Don’t keep saying “um” or “as I said before.”  Don’t use pet phrases like “this day in time in which we live” or “at the end of the day”.  Don’t start every illustration with “I remember when/one time…”.  If necessary, have someone help you break the habit by counting how many times you do or say something. I once developed a penchant for touching my glasses.  I had one of my associate pastors literally count how many times in a sermon I would touch them until I had it reduced to a normal number.

4. Varying your speed

The mind works faster than you can talk for most people.  If you are slow of speech, you will frustrate intelligent people.  Pretend you are the little mechanical rabbit at the dog track that stays just far enough ahead of the greyhounds that they still want to catch him, but never lets them actually catch him.  Use bursts of speed followed by a sudden drop to a slower speed to capture attention.  If you chronically speak slowly, you can count on losing 30-60% of your audience to boredom.  You’ll simply wear them out as they wait for you to give them something to “chew on”.

5. Use inflection

Ben Stein parodies the boring speaker better than anyone I know, but let’s face it — monotone equals boring.  Practice pitch “runs” raising your voice and then dropping your voice.  Inflection includes tone, intensity, pitch and accentuation.  All of these are important tools for the effective speaker.

6. Leave them wanting more

When you end a sermon, seminar, lecture or speech in such a way that people are shocked, look at their watch as in “how fast did THAT go by”, seem to want a little more — you’ve done a good thing.  Don’t close your presentation 12 times and drag it on.  Remember that the average person has an attention span equal to about 1 minute per year of age capping out somewhere between 30-40 minutes unless the speaker is simply exceptionally gifted.  Make them want to come back next week and hear some more.

7. Gestures are your friend

Motion attracts attention.  By using your hands wisely and effectively, you will encourage people to watch you as you speak and to listen more attentively.  Motions should be gauged according to the size of the audience.  When conversing to one or two people, flailing one’s arms as if one is attempting flight is distracting and odd.  However, use those same motions in a room filled with 100 people and you’ll captivate the audience with your full-bodied presentation and enthusiasm.  Avoid repetitive, stiff or awkward gestures — they should flow naturally and comfortably.

8. Be a storyteller

The next time you are listening to an effective speaker watch the response of the audience as he/she speaks.  Note that any time the speaker uses an illustration, story or anecdote, the audience will often lean forward slightly, stop writing or wriggling and will tune in to what the speaker is saying.  Why?  Because everyone loves a story!  That’s why the Master Teacher, Jesus, used parables and stories.  He knows that many great lessons are taught through an effective morality tale.

9. Beat the Theme

What is the ONE THOUGHT you want your audience members to remember 30 minutes after your presentation is over?  We overload our audiences by trying to teach them everything in one shot.  Thus, we cover reams of material and they remember nothing.  But give them one pithy saying and they may well remember it for a lifetime.  Try to condense your theme into one memorable phrase and then say it over and over in your presentation.  They’ll remember you as effective.

10. Give them something to do

The objective of teaching is to change behavior.  So if you teach for thirty minutes and they students leave with nothing changed — then you’ve failed as a speaker.  Ask yourself, “What do I want my students to DO with this Truth/lesson/message?”  It should be practical and clear.  If they can’t identify how they can use what you taught — then you haven’t finished your job.

I’ve got loads of other tips, but ten’s enough for one day.  Public speaking doesn’t have to be a white-knuckled ordeal.  Give a few of these practical hints a try and see if they don’t just help you!