Every Man’s Battle
For New England, this week’s been unusually hot. The leaves are supposed to be getting ready to turn colors. People are supposed to be breaking out their light jackets or at least sweaters. But instead I’m seeing T-shirts, shorts, and sandals. I drove home the other evening from prayer service. It was eighty degrees. Eighty degrees at night! As a man, eighty degrees is not a problem during the evening. The problem is eighty degrees during the day in a city full of young female professionals and college students. Being a bishop, there’s a certain risk in writing an article like this. A person who holds such a high ecclesiastical/religious position is not supposed to admit (let alone state publicly) that when the weather gets hot like this, his best defense is to simply stay in his office. We had a guest speaker at our conference who told us an interesting story. When a national ministry wanted to hire, he declined the position saying that he could not live in Miami or Los Angeles because his human nature prohibited him from living in an environment where he would have to constantly battle visual temptation. I wanted to jump out of my pew and yell, “Finally, a Christian leader who will at least admit that the challenge even exists!” Men have a hard time expressing deep mental, emotional, or physical challenges. It’s probably looked at as “being weak.” But when you add that to the fact that we are Christian men who should be able to “do all things through Christ who gives us the strength,” then it’s even worse. We’ve got God, the Big Kahuna, on our side, so we’re supposed to be able to handle our business (that is, our walk with God in holiness). Job’s statement, “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman” (Job 31:1) seems only to add to our guilt. And yet I think that our answer can be found in James 5:16. “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth (accomplishes) much”. Thank God I have a men’s small group and some very close pastor friends with whom I can be real and who cover me in prayer. But as one man to another, I ask, “Who do you talk to when it comes to this kind of challenge? Who’s covering you in prayer so that you don’t fail in the area of sexual temptation?” You know that on a subject such as this one, I invite your...
read moreThe Jena 6
Last Thursday a minister told me that her child was wearing black as an act of solidarity with The Jena 6. The Jena who? The Jena 6. I read about this case earlier this year in a magazine. Unfortunately, this is a very important issue of which most people seemed totally unaware until its recent rise in national attention. In short, it’s a court case involving six high school black male students from a small town in Louisiana called Jena. They were arrested and charged with attempted second degree murder after beating up a male white student in response to: (1) Three white male students hanging three “lynching nooses” on a tree warning blacks to not hang out there. The school officials simply deemed it a prank. (2) One of the black students being beaten up for attending a party deemed only for white students. No charges were brought. Race relations and racial tensions are subjects that people are usually very uncomfortable discussing. However, we must confront these very sensitive issues because I believe that racism in the church is alive and well. A Korean pastor friend of mine confronted a large organization regarding their Sunday School curriculum’s stereotyping of Asian people. He was basically told to mind his own business. I observe across our country that though many Blacks are willing to be led by pastors who are not Black, very few Whites are willing to have a pastor who is Black. Now racism in the church is nothing new. Even in the Bible, Peter had to be confronted a number of times regarding the manner with which he interacted with non-Jews (See: Acts 10 and Galatians 2:11-14). However, you’d think that after 2,000 years, the church would have made far more progress. I believe that God’s goal has always been diversity that reflects the make up of the community. As a Black pastor, it has always been my primary goal to lead a diverse congregation. However, situations like the “Jena 6” remind me that we as a nation and “The Church in America” are going to be dealing with the issue of race for a very long time. My hope is that at least the Church will face racism head on in a manner that does not ignore its existence in the hope that it will simply go away. As usual, I invite your...
read moreLessons My Dad Taught Me
Last week I was listening to a minister friend of mine on television share a series entitled “Lessons My Mother Taught Me.” This is the second time I heard a well-known minister share sermons on the same theme. The Apostle Paul made a very strange statement in 1 Corinthians 4:15. He said to the church, “You might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers.” Sadly, that’s still the case even today as we celebrate Father’s Day. Yet we should consider ourselves fortunate and blessed if we’ve had a great father or father figure in our lives. I am glad to say that I’m one of those fortunate children who has a great dad. My dad passed on four important lessons that I believe make for a good father. The first lesson he taught me was how to take care of my wife. Over forty years ago my mom suffered a panic attack which forced her to give up driving. From that moment on my dad had to drive her everywhere. Yet I never heard him complain while he patiently served my mom. This helped me when, due to a bad experience prior to our marriage, my wife did not drive for the first five years of our marriage. It was because of my dad’s example that I was able to patiently encourage my wife to learn to drive again. The second lesson he taught me was responsibility for taking care of my children. I’m the first third-generation Greene to have graduated from college even though my dad has eight brothers and sisters. I still remember my dad cashing in all his investments to make sure that I was able to go to college, something he did not have the privilege of experiencing himself. As my daughters approach their college years, I know that I will do all that is within my power to do for them what their grandfather did for me. The third lesson my dad taught me was how to be a loyal friend. This May my dad and mom celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary by renewing their vows. I was amazed that my dad’s best man and one of his main ushers in the wedding fifty years ago were not only in the renewal ceremony but are still his good friends. I’ve watched these men go through very difficult challenges and yet remain faithful friends. The fourth lesson he taught me was the importance of serving God and His House (The Church). As a child, I watched my dad play the piano, direct the church choir, be a deacon, teach Sunday School classes, serve as a trustee, and the list goes on. I asked my daughters one day, “How many ministries are you involved in at the church?” One responded four and the other said six. What struck me more than anything is that they thoroughly enjoy serving in God’s House. They have no teenage attitude of whining and complaining! Where did they learn that? They learned it from their dad who learned to serve God with joy from his dad. While mothers are very important, the longer I pastor the more I believe that the most important person in a child’s life after they become a teenager is their...
read moreTwelve
Twelve years! Do you remember when you were twelve years old? You were on the verge of becoming an adolescent. Soon you would no longer be considered just a “kid”—you would be a teenager! I remember being a star Little League baseball player as a twelve-year-old. Like Barry Bonds, I was in a race to set the single season home-run record in my city. However, in spite of my name being in the paper every week, I could hardly wait to turn thirteen because then I would be in the Babe Ruth League. There you played by the same rules used by grown ups. You could take leads off of the base and tag up on fly balls, just like the Red Sox! As far as education, twelve was the end of grammar school. It was time for junior high school, which meant I would be changing classrooms to go from English to math, rather than staying in Mr. Ferraro’s room all day since he taught all my classes. And yet, while twelve places one on the edge of a new stage in life, twelve also represents the end or the completion of the stage in which one currently find himself. As much as I wanted to be in the Babe Ruth League, I would miss seeing my name in the local paper every week. And as much as I looked forward to moving from classroom to classroom in junior high, I would miss being in the senior class of grammar school. I’m writing on the significance of twelve because on June 3rd I celebrate my twelfth year as senior pastor of Pentecostal Tabernacle. Much has happened in those years. In my family life, my oldest daughter will legally become a woman and my wife and I were finally able to purchase a home. At PT, our congregation has grown dramatically, paid staff has increased, renovations have taken place, and most importantly, many lives have been changed by the grace of God. So rather than look forward to the challenges and excitement of getting to my teen years as a pastor, I think I’ll sit back this week and appreciate God’s blessings in my life with regard to the last twelve years. I hope that you will take time out to do the same, no matter in which stage of life you currently find yourself. For, in spite of life’s challenges, God’s been good to all of...
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The World’s Most Influential People
One morning I was reading Time Magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. Of course this list contained what I would call “the usual suspects”: Oprah, Hillary, Barack, Leonardo, etc. However, I was struck by a number of other things such as: Osama bin Laden still being on the list after all these years The number of people of whose names I’ve never heard That President George W. Bush was left off of the list while Raul Castro (Fidel’s brother) was included The inclusion of only two leaders in the Christian faith: Pope Benedict XVI and Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria In his book, Discovering the Leader Within You, Dr. John Maxwell defines leadership very simply: Leadership is Influence, nothing more, nothing less. If this is the case, then these 100 individuals are not simply world influencers, they’re also world leaders. And whether or not I agree with Time’s list, one thing is certain: These are very important people whom I need to be aware of because they in some measure influence the world in which I live. As we ponder the reasons these individuals made Time’s list, I ask: Are you a person of influence? What kind of influence are you for God and His Kingdom? And finally, who are the people who have influenced your life (for better or worse)? The Bible says, “As iron sharpens iron, so people can improve each other” (Proverbs 27:17, CEV). More than likely, we will never make Time’s list. However, we all can make up our minds to accomplish something this year that will improve the lives of others for good. As usual, I invite your...
read moreWhat Men Want
The March issue of the magazine Men’s Health had an article entitled “What Makes Men Fall Love?” by David Zinczenko. Being a man who fell in love 29 years ago and is still in love after 24 years of marriage, I was curious about currently attracts my fellow males who are still involved in the pursuit of happiness. So I decided to read this article, and I discovered (according to a national Harris Interactive Poll) that “sixty percent of men deem friendship the most important thing in a relationship. Sex comes in at a skimpy eight percent.” The writer continued by stating four things a man wants in a woman. Ladies, are you ready to find out what your prince charming is in search of when he comes knocking at your door? Gentlemen, are you ready to discover what you did not know you wanted when you knock? Well, here we go: 1. Men want a woman with a passion in something other than her man. Wow! How humble! How selflessly not desiring to be the center of her universe! Sorry, I could not help myself on this one. 2. Men want a woman who has no problem with guy time. This means she needs to be ok with him spending time hanging out with his buddies from time to time. 3. Men desire a woman who has a strut. Now that’s a word I have not heard in a very long time—strut. However, this means that a man wants a woman with “attitude”, “sassiness”, “confidence”, “charisma”, “charm that shows she can be a little bold and a little daring.” Folks, I’m quoting what the article says. 4. And finally, drum roll please! Let’s open the envelope carefully. Men want a woman with a good taste in ties. In other words, he wants a woman who can provide him with a little gentle guidance in areas of life where he may not feel confident. Again, emphasis on the word “gentle”. So, ladies and gentlemen, are these the four qualities that top your lists of what you need to be to your man, or what you have to have from your woman? How do these four qualities compare to the capable woman found in Proverbs 31 (New Living Translation)? Is there really something to this list? For example, #4 resonates with verses 11 & 12, which say that “Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. She will not hinder him but help him…”. Part of this list actually sounds very Biblical, but hey, I invite your...
read moreAnna, Diana, and Sanjaya
Michael. Oprah. Mariah. Shaq. Diana. Tiger. Denzel. Elvis. Sanjaya. Sanjaya? They say that you’ve made the “It” list when people only have to use your first name to refer to you. “Michael” once referred to Michael Jackson, but now it refers to Michael Jordan. The others are Oprah Winfrey, Mariah Carey, Shaquille O’Neal, Princess Diana, Tiger Woods, Denzel Washington (smile, ladies!), Elvis Presley, and American Idol’s Sanjaya Malakar. This year marks the tenth year since Princess Diana’s death, and yet she’s still on our “It” list. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal (“The Summer of Diana,” April 26, 2007), at least fourteen new books on her life are set for publication this year. In his book Serious Times, Dr. James Emery White states that on the day before Princess Diana died, Mother Teresa, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, passed away. The sad fact is that Newsweek magazine dedicated forty-seven pages to cover Diana but only four to Mother Teresa, a nun destined for sainthood in the Catholic religion; the coverage proportion occurred in the rest of the media as well. Anna Nicole has been deceased two months, and yet she’s still one of the hottest news topics. Compare news coverage of her death to that of the death of former president of the United States Gerald Ford, which took place around the same time. Mother Teresa, Gerald Ford, even Elvis Presley have all accomplished something that makes them newsworthy. Princess Diana and Anna Nicole? What makes them so newsworthy? Is a woman who simply married into royalty more newsworthy than a nun who inspired 4,000 nuns to dedicate their lives to helping the poor in over ninety countries around the world? Is it more uplifting, educational, and inspiring for us to know the accomplishments of a former president or a stripper who married a ninety year-old billionaire? And what are we to make of Sanjaya Malakar? Is the news media reporting news to us, or simply telling us what should be considered news? More importantly, we must consider our young people. What is the effect of the media constantly telling them which people are to be considered important, at times offering individuals that are neither good role models nor newsworthy? How does this affect the way people think in view of the Bible, which tells us “Do not let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold (of thinking)”? (Romans 12:2, J.B Phillips Translation). Are we being squeezed and molded to think a certain way? I invite your...
read moreVirginia Tech’s Tragedy
Ryan “Stack” Clark. Paul Leone. One of these young people you’ve probably heard of already. One of them you most likely will never hear about outside of this blog. I was watching ESPN, catching up on sports news, when the announcer said, “You can hear more about the massacre at Virginia Tech University at our ABC station.” I was stunned. After hours of news coverage on this tragedy, the first face attached to a victim’s name was Ryan Clark’s. Ryan was killed during the first shootings at Ambler Johnston Hall Dorm. Like others, I discovered that Ryan was 22 years old, a member of the marching band, and a resident assistant. He was a psychology major with a 4.0 grade point average. Only one month away from graduation, Ryan probably had hopes for a long career after pursuing his PhD. And then there’s Paul Leone! Paul was a senior at my daughter’s high school. As he was enjoying the first day of a long awaited Spring break week, he was killed in a car accident. Paul was only two months from graduating. As a parent, my heart goes out to these parents regarding the loss of their sons and their seemingly unrealized potential. Whether by murder or accident, we just don’t expect to die young. We expect, and maybe even feel entitled to live out our entire life well into old age. But what if today was the unexpected last chapter and page written about your life? What have you accomplished? Have you maximized your potential? And who have you enriched or to whom have you added value? The Bible reminds us that we should regularly ask God to “teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom” (Psalm 90:12 NLT, 1996). Could part of this tragedy be that many of us will continue to live our lives as if we are entitled to tomorrow? As usual, I invite your...
read moreNappy-Headed Hos?
Last week I mentioned I would be writing about Anna Nicole Smith. However, that changed as I was driving home from my daughter’s track meet, celebrating her first victory. I turned on the radio only to hear the firestorm brewing over Don Imus’ comments about Rutgers University’s women’s basketball team. During a previous conversation on his radio show, Imus referred to these young African-American athletes as “some nappy-headed hos” (slang for whores). Wow! There are so many ways to examine this statement and its context. We could discuss how a father like me feels when a public figure makes comments that personally attack his daughters. We could discuss what this says about race relations in America when someone feels free to say something so outrageous about minorities. We could discuss the power of the conservative base in America considering a former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, can refer to Spanish as “the language of living in a ghetto” and barely draw a hiccup of response. These thoughts and others could provide a fifteen part series for this blog, which would certainly make doing this almost too easy. However, as I thought about this, I asked myself a simple question: What if everything (and I mean everything) I ever said was recorded for public consideration? Not simply my recorded sermons, but also my conversations. I’ve certainly said things in anger or taken a joke too far from time to time. What if all of it was caught on YouTube? The Bible says, “All of us do many wrong things. But if you can control your tongue, you are mature…” (James 3:2, Contemporary English Version). It’s far too easy for me to make Don Imus a target for society’s ills, but maybe God is asking me: “Brian, are you a mature person—better yet, a mature Christian?” As usual, I invite your...
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