For quite some time, I have had a lament in my heart for the state of holiness in God’s house. I’m sure I’m not the only one. Surely, for countless decades and centuries, there have been those who decry the apparent lack of consecration of God’s people — from the days of the judges in the Bible until today.

The astonishing thing is that for all this time, the past until now, there has rarely been a consensus among God’s people that we need to repent of such unholiness. This is saddening, for even in my lifetime I have seen the church grab hold of other movements — the praise-&-worship movement, the prosperity movement, the teaching movement, the worship dance movement, the healing movement, the laughter movement, the arts renewal in the church  — you name it.

But a “holiness movement” I have yet to see get started, let alone, be sustained or gain traction. Those of us who make such cries to the body of Christ inevitably feel like John the Baptist. We feel like we’re crying out in the wilderness: the wilderness because we seem to be alone in our quest; the wilderness because we cry the same message as John the Baptist but few are coming to hear; the wilderness because even though current church leaders may hear (similar to the Pharisees who went to see what John was babbling about), the leaders do little to carry the message to their respective people in any great numbers or with any real conviction.

I have seen, more and more over the years, how similar the modern-day church is to the nation of Israel during her days of rebellion against God’s true worship. And the leaders are mostly to blame because we have not, in unison, cried out against unholiness in the body of Christ.

My current podcast series, “Acting Out,” sheds some light on some of the battlefields that are raging in the body. One of the battlefields is the issue of sexual lust in the body. Do you know that I cannot recall churches dealing with the sin to any sizable degree? And I’ve been saved almost 25 years. But sexual temptation and sin of lust wreak havoc in the churches in the U.S., probably on a weekly basis.

There was recently an episode in my life in which I confronted a brother in Christ for his inappropriate comments on the photos of females out on Facebook. I sent him a private message, sharing in a very concerned and tactful way that his comments were inappropriate for a Christian man. I was careful not to rail on him, but asked him to put me in his place, and consider if I was saying similar things to men, would he consider it to be acceptable? He never answered the question, but he went OFF. He was quite belligerent, and insulting of me. He would not even begin to consider that (a) what he was doing with the photos was ungodly, and (b) that his response to me was also ungodly. My only guess as to his behavior is this: men, in particular, are not accustomed to being called on the carpet for their sexual carnal behavior — PARTICULARLY by a woman.

So in my most recent podcasts, I am pleading with men of God who are church leaders — apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, bishops (whatever you go by) — to take up the sword of sexual purity with our brothers, for many of them have lost their way.

I don’t know who has read Kirk Franklin’s autobiography, “Church Boy” that was published in the 90′s. I was shocked to read what he shared about promiscuity and fornication in his life. He shared that no one had told him that it was wrong. He was active the church, professing faith in Jesus Christ, writing beautiful worship music, traveling and doing concerts and bringing down the house, yet fornicating like nobody’s business all the while. But no one had told him that it was wrong? I couldn’t believe that. In fact, I still have a problem believing it.

However, from the reaction I got from the brother I tried to share with, and apparently from the statistics we have of pornography use in the body of Christ, and from my lack of hearing much (if any) ministry to the men in church about sexual purity in 25 years of salvation, I now tend to believe he was being honest. Sexual purity is not being emphasized for men. Therefore when someone like me comes along and says, “Brother, you need to straighten up,” we are viewed as being out of touch or somehow out of place.

There were two recent incidents on Facebook where I found I had to confront sexual impurity concerning brothers. In both instances, I faced opposition. However, only a few days after those incidents, a local 30-something youth pastor was arrested for sexual misconduct with two of his teenage female students. His pastor turned him in to the police. And I guarantee you, those were not the only or last incidents that will arise “this” year.

A local pastor shared with me that he had instructed his men’s group leaders to come up with teachings that dealt specifically with men’s issues for the group’s meetings. I could see his puzzlement and disappointment as he shared the topics the men’s group leaders came up with: spiritual warfare was one that I recall, but the others were equally as “generic.” Apparently he wanted them to address things that he knew “men” struggled with. Yet they were satisfied to remain oblivious to their own issues. Maybe that’s why we don’t hear much about sexual purity from the pulpit: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, bishops, etc., are happily oblivious to the “male” issues they struggle with. It’s all a part of being a man and they don’t feel like they have to address it.

Peter the apostle states in our reference Scripture that we ought to be a people of holiness. And it is repeated over and over in God’s Word: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (Lev. 20:7, 1 Pet. 1:15-16)

When will it start to be emphasized in unison and with relentless conviction by His leaders, particularly as it concerns sexual purity for brothers? As many times as the Prov. 31 virtuous woman is mentioned, we should hear a corresponding cry for the virtuous man. And if you don’t know what qualities constitute a virtuous man, then that tells me you don’t believe there are any aside from taking care of your children and being the head of your house. And that is where the problem lies — please study your Bible, search your own heart, and find some more.

Leaders, God has sent you to cry aloud and spare not in the houses of God, to the people of God, about holiness. Will you? Or will you allow your sons to be like Eli’s sons, defiling the house of God with sexual sins, soiling their service to Him, all the while thinking there is nothing wrong with their sexual impurity like Kirk Franklin thought? For from the days of the judges until now, it’s still going on and few are saying anything about it.

But the way some Christian hip hop artists approach Altared Lives Radio for airplay, you’d think professionalism was indeed a sin.

I understand that this is the day of instant messaging, texting, tweeting and all the other instant communication methods we have. But if you’re going to send an email to a professional firm that you are not a bff with (in fact, the organization doesn’t know you from Adam), let me be so crazy as to make a few suggestions as follows:

1. Give your email a descriptive subject line, keeping in mind that you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
2. Greet the entity you are writing in some kind of way, even if you don’t know a specific name. “Good morning!” or “Hi!” (etc.) are generally acceptable.
3. Include more than one word in the body of your email.
4. Use the words please and thank you. They are also not a sin.
   

Just as an example (not to rail on anyone because no one knows who did this except me and the person who did it), I recently received an email with the subject, “hey, i need a password.” Inside the email it said, “password.” That was all. Nothing else. No name, no please, no thank-you, no explanation. Just “password.”

Now you know me. (Well, some of you do.) I have a pastor/teacher calling. I have a passion for seeing everyone grow and improve. But I sometimes can be facetious and mischievous in the methods I choose to teach, because I also love to laugh (and to make others laugh, as well).

So my first inclination after seeing that email was to reply with “yes” and that’s it. No further explanation, no signature, no passwords, nothing else. Just “yes.”

Imagine the recipient’s reaction to such a reply. I chuckle just thinking about it even now!

But instead, I sent a nice reply with the passwords. Then at the very end, I added,

“P.S. By the way, a professional attitude goes a long way. God’s business deserves the same kind of respect as a secular business would, I would think? How artists approach Altared Lives usually tells me something about their attitude toward ministry.”

That final admonition translates in my mind as this: if they are unprofessional in their primary contact with the station, they probably will be unprofessional in subsequent contact and in their general approach to music ministry.

Put this scenario in the picture. Do you think this artist, if he needed a job, would send an email to a local company with the subject, “hey, i need a job” and inside the email simply put “job”? I think not. What do you think the company’s impression of him would be if he actually did something that ill-advised? What would be your impression of him if it was your company that he wrote “hey i need a job” and put “job” in the body of the email, and that was it? (Yes, that’s what I thought your impression would be.)

Now, in all honesty, the subject “Passwords” would have been acceptable. Because also in this day and age, business people need to know what you want, and determine quickly concerning if they can oblige.

But no greeting, no gratitude, zero manners (an old school word — “What u know about dat?” sic) — that was simply unprofessional, plain and simple.

Of all the Christian hip hop music conferences I’ve attended, I have seen a gazillion artists bouncin’ and spinning all over the stages. But for the few workshops offered at the conferences for such music ministers, the scarce attendance is appalling. Everybody wants a microphone, but relatively few want to be taught and admonished on how to minister effectively and professionally.

I’d like to think that had Altared Lives Ministries conducted the conferences, I would have incorporated some kind of way to make specific workshops mandatory for all who wanted to emcee in the concert spotlights.

“We have to work during the day and we come at night to perform!” Cool. Work during the day. And come be blessed at night in the concerts by others who thought it not robbery to take vacation time to improve their knowledge and skills. I mean, it’s only in an area you tell all who will listen that God called, appointed and anointed you to operate in. It’s not serious or anything.

You have no problem taking vacation time to go to the beach. You take vacation time to go see Uncle Jed in Iowa and run around in the corn fields. You take vacation time to lay around the house and watch PG-13 and R-rated DVDs until the moon comes up and goes down. But you can’t take occasional vacation time to invest in your calling and ministry — or what you’re saying is your calling and ministry. That’s cool — watch others who invest in becoming better at what they do for the Lord.

Am I being cold or hard-hearted? No. I’m being realistic. Because God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Heb. 11:6) How can you operate a ministry of excellence when “unprofessional” is the first impression people have of you? Businesses and ministries have enough challenges without having people from the outside stepping up to their doors and email inboxes in an unprofessional manner.

Professionalism is not a sin. But when you’re a servant of God, being unprofessional most assuredly is a sin — at least you should treat it as such. This is because it smacks of an attitude of laziness and nonchalance. It undermines and contradicts everything you say you stand for, if Gospel hip hop music ministry is a “calling from God” for you.

So it makes us think, “what u in it 4?”(sic) when you can’t treat it with professional behavior.

R u feelin’ me? (sic)

Ok, so I guess you’re wondering what is piddle-paddle, and what does it mean that it’s perpetuated? You might even be wondering why I make up words anyway… there must be a gazillion words in the English language that I could use to express myself.

The fact is, there aren’t a gazillion words to express what I feel inside about folklore. conventions, old wive’s tales, Christian fiction, that we sometimes pass off as “wisdom.” Nope, those words that I just listed don’t express the sum total of what piddle-paddle is. Combined, they come close, though. But they are similar to what I’ve termed piddle-paddle. So there you have it.

perpetuated piddle-paddle: so-called axioms, folklore, Christian-fiction, conventions and old wives’ tales that are repeatedly taught as wisdom, but that really are unfounded beliefs which make us more comfortable with our failures, causing us to reject changing for the better

One of the triple P’s that I oftentimes find amusing is the idea that, when you’re ready for a mate, God will send you one. The idea is that, until you’re marriage material, God won’t send you a mate. There is an inherent fallacy in that — you see it, right? The perpetuated piddle-paddle — did you see it?

It is this: All the Christians who are married were marriage material, and those who are not married (but want to be) are not ready yet, in God’s eyes.

That, my friends, is perpetuated piddle-paddle. And I see that on singles forums a lot. But if it were really true, then the statistic for divorce for Christians wouldn’t be equal to the divorce rate (and multiple marriages) for unbelievers, now would it?

I’m not saying that divorced Christians are bad people. I’m not saying anything of the sort. What I am saying is that the idea that only those whom God sees as fit marriage material get “sent” a mate, but the others just need to straighten up and fly right, and if you shape up, God will send you a mate, too – that’s fallacious, my friends. I’m sure this world is full of Christians who were not marriage material but who have marriage partners, and those who are marriage material but are still single. Bottom line, truth be told. ‘Nuff said.

But we hear saints quoting this kind of rhetoric frequently, and it’s utterly unfounded, perpetuated piddle-paddle.

Here’s another one that I recently saw some saints posting on a friend’s facebook page — the idea that if God established a work, that the finances will be taken care of no matter what. Now, I do believe that the Lord speaks to people to found works of ministy. I also believe that He speaks to people to sow financial seeds into ministries.

But you know what places the “if He starts it, people will give” statement in the realm of perpetuated piddle-paddle? The fact that God has a will, but He will not override the will of His people.

Statistics show that 20% of God’s people carry 80% of the financial burden of ministry. Do you suppose that God intends for 80% of His people to benefit from the labor and sacrifice of 20% of His people, or do you suppose He expects every man to bear one another’s burden? I know of missionaries who were doing great works for the Lord who had to come back home because finances were not available for them to continue their work in foreign lands.

It is true that God can provide for His own. It is true that He can touch someone halfway across the world to minister to the needs of a local ministry. But the problem is, the person He touches has to say, “Yes, Lord.” In fact, God is “touching” people all over the U.S.  But still only 20% of them are saying “Yes, Lord.” The other 80% are saying, “No, Lord.” (In which case, He is no longer Lord to them. Ooh — that is a sermon in and of itself — will have to leave that one for another blog…)

Perpetuated piddle-paddle.

Oh, Father — please free us from the fictional frame of mind that so many of us live in, spiritualizing mediocre mindsets so that we don’t have to admit that we are in need of  cleansing and change. These mindsets come from pride, laziness, carnality and a myriad of other sins that we need to lay aside. Help us, Lord, to get past the surface to dig deep into our inner heart, to expose the works of darkness there, so that we might be free indeed. In Jesus’ name, so be it!

But in all “fairness,” which is another reason I titled the blog as such, it was many years, after some bit of fasting, before I understood what the purpose of fasting was. It’s pretty simple, but no one satisfactorily explained it to me prior to my gaining an understanding from the Lord for myself.

You see, some had taught me, “It keeps your mind on God.” Well, no, it didn’t. It kept my mind on how hungry I was, on how bad my head hurt, on how weak I was, on how I would have to take a day or two off from work during and after coming off the fast because I was so sick. That’s what it kept my mind on.

Some had taught, “It makes you better able to hear God.” No, it didn’t. All I heard was the throbbing in my head; the voices telling me I wasn’t going to be able to fast through the time I had set forth to fast through; and my stomach growling. That’s all I heard.

Some had taught, “It makes you more spiritual.” In the long run, I guess. But at the moment I was fasting, I sure didn’t believe so — because my mind certainly wasn’t on spiritual things. My body certainly wasn’t demonstrating that I was more spiritual at the moment. I’m sure I was more irritable, and my countenance was not pleasant as my stomach and head were hurting. And since I felt like death warmed over, as they would normally say, I’m sure I didn’t look spiritual.

Some had taught that you are to punish yourself with fasting. Well, that seemed to be what we were doing, but I do not believe that is God’s purpose for fasting.

But being the naturally inquisitive, and rational, person that I was, I wanted to know why — God’s reason why. Needless to say, we don’t always have reasons “why” we need to do what God has commanded. But it helps in the commitment to do so when there’s cause — even though we need to be obedient regardless of whether we understand or not. Faith does not require understanding, but it does require obedience.

Anyway, I believe the Lord heard my true heart’s cry, and gave me an understanding of why we should fast.

I do believe, in the long run, that fasting and prayer makes us better able to discern things in the spirit realm. But not at the time of the fasting & prayer. I believe that it happens later on, as the fasting and prayer become disciplines and by fasting, we learn to put our flesh under control in order to pursue spiritual things such as prayer and meditation on the things of God.

In other words, “prayer and fasting” is the discipline of denying ourselves a basic necessity — food — to pursue communion/conversation with God and meditation upon His Word or doctrines. It is willfully setting aside a natural and necessary discipline (eating), purposely placing it below spiritual pursuits.

The point is if we can crucify the flesh for a natural craving, which is necessary to live — eating — then we should be able to control our flesh and obey God, and place the things of God above other things that control us at times, such as anger, hatred, lying, lust, pettiness, unkindness, and jealousy.

Look at Matthew chapts. 15-17. In these passages, we see the Lord Jesus performing His miracles of feeding the 5,000 and the 4,000 people. A few days after that, He was transfigured before Peter, James & John. After they came down from the mountain, He cast the demon out of the lunatic boy. after the father of the boy complained that His disciples could not. That was when the Lord Jesus had uttered the words, “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting” when His disciples asked Him why they couldn’t cast out the demon (Matt. 17:21).

But during these events, the Bible does not indicate that Jesus was fasting at the time He cast out the demon. No, His times of prayer and fasting had been invested before the episode of casting out the demon. Thus He was already in tune with the Father — as Jesus’ entire life to that point (and beyond) had been spent communing with God and placing spiritual things above natural things. Prayer and fasting, of course, were part of that.

Therefore, in all fairness, fasting should be a part of our normal way of life as believers. I have, however, heard one Bible teacher state that we should only enter into fasting as the Lord leads. Many of us don’t hear God as clearly as we would like to, so I don’t know how effective that is. But at this point in my personal walk, that’s basically where I am. It does not lead me to fast “regularly,” whatever the definition of “regularly” is.

But I see areas of my life where I definitely have grown in obedience to the ways of God, and in understanding of His heart and will. Yet there are other areas where I still need more discipline and understanding.

So with all things in this walk, it’s a daily journey, to give a fair assessment. And fasting is one area where I need more discipline.

About 1.5 years ago, I purchased a handycam online. As part of the purchase, I apparently “won” a free subscription to Glamour magazine. Now, Glamour is probably the next to the last magazine I would ever subscribe to — the last one I’d ever subscribe to would be Sports Illustrated.

Anyway, I had forgotten about the deal when the mags started arriving in my mailbox. So I’m thinking, “why in the world am I getting ‘Glamour’?” Now I know you’re thinking, “OK, so she threw them into the garbage — glamour and garbage!” But hold up, that’s the end of the story. That’s not the garbage I’m talking about anyway — although that was the ultimate fate of the magazines.

So, when I started receiving them, I noticed how many of the article titles on the front of the magazine had to do with human sexuality. “Ah, so that’s the garbage!” you might be exclaiming. Well, I suppose topics on the subject of human sexuality are needed — so, although I perceived it as garbage to me because the article titles were so tasteless, it was not the garbage I’m talking about either.

Nope, I’m talking about something that seemingly is so commonplace, so ordinary, that people don’t even consider it to be garbage. It’s considered the norm. It’s expected, it’s normal, it’s sensible. And it stinks to high heaven like garbage.

Look at the name of the magazine – “Glamour.” Here’s the garbage – why are people — women, in particular — so obsessed with “glamour”? Why do we continue to perpetuate the misguided idea that “glamour” should be the end all pursuit of a woman?

Think about the much publicized awards shows for movies, TV and music. What are the reporters and photographers and media consumed with? It is this: who wore the most glamourous dress, who “tastefully” showed (in their view) all God gave them to keep private, and who was tacky showing all God gave them to keep private. “So-n-so was wearing blah-blah…” And “So-n-so wowed the crowd when she stepped onto the red carpet in a blah-blah-blah…”

Now, I don’t get sucked into the movie/music awards mania like may do. In fact, I haven’t watched one of those shows probably in over 2.5 decades. But the news shows that I catch glimpses of before work in the mornings cover all that garbage. So I can’t escape being exposed to it.

And on the particular morning news show that I usually have on the TV, I am always amazed that all the women look like models, while all the men look like somebody’s father. I mean a news show guest, Dr. So-n-So the female, looks like she stepped off the cover of that stupid Glamour magazine. But Dr. So-n-So the male looks like he was up 24 hours doing heart surgery, and then drank 4 gallons of expresso just to come on the show with bags under his eyes so large that he could carry a baby kangaroo in ‘em.

Why is “glamour” supposed to be a religion for women? Glamour magazine is consumed with articles about hair, nails, clothes, weight loss, accessories, how to get with a man, how to get a man to get with you, how to attract a man by your appearance… cover after cover, magazine after magazine. It just hit me like that as I grabbed a stack of them I’d thrown in the corner, still encased in their plastic sleeves — unopened.

Give me a break. Garbage.

Definition of garbage:

anything that is contemptibly worthless, inferior, or vile; worthless talk; lies; foolishness; meaningless or unwanted data; worthless or nonsensical matter; rubbish

Thank you, dictionary.com. Garbage. That’s where I put them.