Tag Archives: temptations

The 100-year flood

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I mentioned this the other day as part of what I was going to present at the Leaders Conference in Daytona. But I wanted to dig a bit deeper. It’s the idea of being prepared for temptation.

I’m painfully aware of the ravages of sexual temptation, especially in the church. Few sins seem to impact a Christian community the way sexual sin does. I guess there are feelings of violation of trust that hit everyone. To some degree, there’s often, “Wow, if it could happen to them, it could happen to anyone.”

That’s part of the awareness that the church needs to have. It COULD happen to anyone. Especially in a close, caring community. People find themselves in vulnerable situations and reach out to people that show compassion… which is hopefully what church people do. That compassion needs to have safeguards around it, or good people can get into trouble.

My friend and colleague, Steve Ridgell, has developed what he calls “Ridgell’s Rules,” limits as to the interaction between people. These rules are too strict for everyday situations. And they need to be. We have to have limits in place that go beyond what is normally required.

My mom’s house backs up to a flood plain. Zoning restrictions limit what can be built there. We moved into that house when I was about to begin first grade, and I’ve never seen a flood come through there. But I respect the wisdom of the engineers who designated that as a flood plain. You don’t want to discover that your house is built in a spot that floods every few decades.

Engineers have to plan for the 100-year flood, the once-a-century rainfall that sends water where it doesn’t normally go. I think we have to do the same with our relationships. We need guidelines that seem overly strict to prepare us for those once-in-a-lifetime moments when an especially strong temptation comes.

Firm limits need to be placed on one-to-one contact with members of the opposite sex. (Admittedly, I’m not addressing those who experience same-sex attraction). For example, members of the opposite sex should not travel together alone. Exceptions would be made for close family members, but shouldn’t be made otherwise. When I started work at Herald of Truth I let them know that was a “deal breaker” for me. I wouldn’t travel alone with a woman that was not my wife. I feel strongly about that one, even for people who “don’t have trouble with that.”

Other similar restrictions need to be put in place. If someone says, “Isn’t this a bit legalistic?”, I tell them that I’m also legalistic about not sticking a fork into an electrical outlet. We’re talking precautions, not eternal judgment.

We need to have strict enough codes of behavior that someone will complain that they are too strict. If not, we haven’t gone far enough. And we’ll be swept away in the 100-year flood.

What do you think?

Love Not The World

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As I mentioned yesterday, I’m speaking this weekend at the National Preachers & Leaders Conference in Daytona Beach, Florida. It’s a gathering of leaders of Hispanic churches and others involved with outreach in Spanish. I’m really honored to get to speak. Besides the three classes I mentioned yesterday, I was also asked to give a keynote address.

The overall theme of the conference is love. My assigned topic for that talk is “Love Not The World.” I was encouraged to make the talk especially applicable to church leaders.

I was sorely tempted to do some of my presentations on citizenship and what it means to be strangers and aliens. But that doesn’t seem to fit the context of 1 John 2, which is the passage that was given to me along with the title. 1 John 2 is talking about the desires of the world: flesh, eyes, pride of life. I decided to be true to the text and discuss that topic.

I first want to use John 17 to demonstrate that “love not the world” isn’t talking about trashing the planet or even hating the people around us. “The world,” in much of John’s writings, refers to those who don’t follow God. It’s the idea of being “in the world but not of the world.”

From there, I’ll look at the three types of temptations John mentions. I’ll relate them to the temptation of Eve (saw fruit was good for food, was beautiful to look at, was to be desired to make one wise) and the temptation of Jesus (tempted with bread, “shown” the nations of the world, tempted to throw himself from the top of the temple).

From there I’ll steal something that Trey Morgan tweeted once, about the three G’s that plague preachers: girls, gold, glory. I’ll offer some practical advice that others have shared with me.

One thing that I want to impress on these guys is that reasonable safeguards are not enough. We’ve got to be willing to be unreasonably careful in these areas. I’ll use the example of civic planning. When considering the necessary zoning rules for floods, engineers can’t just think about a typical year’s rainfall. They have to be ready for the 100-year flood, that once-a-century storm that can wash everything away. In the same way, we can’t rely on measures that work 95% of the time. We need to be extreme in our care. (And no, I don’t expect everyone to agree, especially the younger guys who haven’t seen as many people fall)

Those are my thoughts for sharing on Saturday. But there’s still time to sway me! What modifications or additions would you suggest regarding this topic?