My only regret with BrainWashing is that I didn't do it about five years ago. But one day last year I had a brief Facebook post on something along the lines of the sermon below and Chris Macedo told me, "We really need you to tell us stuff like that." So I did.  So I will.  For the next six weeks. Here's week one, a message with a bottom line inspired by I Corinthians 2:8:  When you realize the world killed God, you'll never trust its wisdom again. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back in the 90s, a story came out about a woman from China named Zhang Meihua who when she turned 20 started suffering all kinds of mysterious ailments.  First she lost the ability to move her arms & legs with any agility. Then she began to suffer chronic, debilitating headaches.  Ultimately, she began to lose the use of those arms and legs altogether.  Poor Zhang had to endure those symptoms for 20 years and a slew of doctors before the medical technology caught up and she was at last able to have a CAT scan.  You know what the scan discovered?              That she had a rusty pin – not a nail, not a pen, but a straigh, lodged in her head.  The head of the pin was on the outside of her skull and the shaft had penetrated into her brain.  After the discovery, the doctors were able to remove the pin surgically and VOILA! all those horrific symptoms vanished.  What’s interesting is that Zhang had no memory of having a pin stuck into her head; doctors speculated that it had entered her skull soon after birth and her skull had hardened around it.  She needed – and received – the ultimate brainwashing for lifelong brain damage.             And so I want to spend a few moments today – a prelude to several weeks, really – looking at the ways in which Zhang Meihua  is not alone. S he’s not the only one to have her brain invade and infected and influenced by forces she couldn’t name and can’t remember – but forces that had been negatively impacting her brain and her thinking from her earliest days.  Nope, not just Zhang and not just a rusty pin.  Zhang is joined by most of us and like her, we don’t even realize when our brain is being assaulted and soiled.    And the rusty pin that has infected your brain is behind so much of what beguiles you – those relationships you can’t figure out, the money issues that never get resolved, the sexual hangups you have, the desire you have to be famous, to the point you’d prefer infamy to anonymity, oreven the embarrassment you feel in some professional or academic settings when it comes out that you are a Xn.  You either hide from it or very quickly qualify it with, “I’m not THAT kind . . . “              And I’m getting all this from I Cor 2, sort of our home base for the BrainWashing series.  Here’s what’s going on: Paul is writing to the church in Corinth, and that church is a mess.  They are a mess because some self-styled elites were stirring up all kinds of dissension, claiming super-secret knowledge that no one else had.  And they’d get asked, “well what IS this super secret knowledge?”  They’d answer, “I can’t tell you.”  “Why not?” “Cuz then you’d know & it wouldn’t be secret!”  These same self-anointed elites held that their secret knowledge allowed them to engage in and encourage all kinds of sexual immorality as well.  And this is the A-Team of the Corinthian church!  So with that backdrop, and with the Corinthians church torn apart by a Christian Caste system based on secret wisdom, look at what Paul does in 2:6-7a: ⁶ We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. ⁷ No, we declare God’s wisdom   READ.  Oh, so he sets up this supreme contrast (VISUAL DISPLAY?) between God’s wisdom and the wisdom of the rulers of this age (which probably includes the Corinthian Brahmins).  And in Paul’s day, the wisdom of “the age” would also include the Roman government, the Greek poets, the Olympic athletes.  In our day, you could easily say it is ABC, CBS, Disney, ESPN, The Academy, the Deans of Harvard,Yale,Princeton, the DNC, the RNC, and hell, maybe even Run-DMC.              It’s the wisdom, the perspective, the “all the smart people think this way” mindset.  These are the governing classes, the ruling class, the chattering class, dare I say it . . . it’s the right side of history.  That’s who Paul is talking about there.  And then look where he goes in 2:7: ⁷ No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.  No – IN CONTRAST, in other words, we DECLARE.  We don’t apologize for, we don’t minimize, we don’t hide behind, but we believe and proclaim with confidence that Conventional Wisdom is actually the epitome of foolishness.  And then, in a brilliant maneuver, Paul brings it home in 2:8 with all the subtlety of a lightning strike: ⁸ None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.  Whoa.  Do you see what that is saying?  Look closely.  It’s saying that the world’s wisdom, the right side of history . . . look at how it responded to God’s visit to earth: they crucified the king of glory  The glory of God in Jesus was so blindingly bright that the best and the brightest had to put it out.  God – the one who gave us brains to think in the first place – visits his planet and the people there respond to his visit with murderous rage.  Sit with that: the world – its values, priorities, and mindset – killed God when he dropped in for a visit.  The wisdom of the world responded to the visit of God with murder. The world’s wisdom killed God.  Killed God.  I read that in v. 8 while in India and the implications of it completely bowled me over.             Because here’s how it connects with you, with me, and with the BrainWashing series:  When you realize the world killed God, you’ll never trust its wisdom again.  When you wrap your mind around the fact that the best and the brightest of the world’s thinking answered the doorbell of God’s visit with a shotgun blast to the head . . . then you’ll never trust its wisdom again.  And that’s so vital to know and to embrace because so much of the world’s wisdom seems not only to be wise . . . but to be loving as well.             Just think about what is accepted these days as what all the smart people think now:  Tolerance is the greatest virtue of all.  In fact, the other thing we can’t tolerate is intolerance.              It’s love that makes a family.              Appearance is the same as success.             The USA is above reproach in its foreign policy.             The USA is the locus of evil in its foreign policy.             You’ve earned your money.  Do with it what you want.             It doesn’t matter WHAT you believe, so long as you believe something.             As long as it’s consenting adults, God’s too busy to care what happens in the bedroom.             If it feels natural to you, it must therefore be good for you.             Living together is the best practice for marriage.             I can read my future by studying the stars.             Mankind is inherently good and if just given the right economic opportunity, he will make wise choices.             ALL THAT IS THE WISDOM THAT KILLED GOD!  It is!  Now: I am not a prude, I watch TV, I still listen to Led Zeppelin, I don’t hate the world, I’m not telling you how to vote (actually, I love making both Dems & Repubs uncomfortable!), BUT I have learned to listen to the world pontificate through the lens of biblical wisdom.  And biblical wisdom, unlike the “wisdom of the age” is upside down, backwards, odd.  It includes, as a friend of mine said, the “passionate ranks of the sexually restrained.”  Love that.  No one believes that anymore.  Except that odd group of ppl known as Xns.             Anytime you run across a world view, a way of looking at things that even though it seems nice has actually disregarded or moved beyond Scripture: remember: that’s the wisdom that was so offended that God dared to visit us that it killed him when he did so.  When you realize the world killed God, you’ll never trust its wisdom again.             And why is that?  Because minds that are not reconciled to God through Christ will naturally think in ways are not redeemed.  Those minds – again, heading up ad agencies, movie studios, and major universities – will think in ways that are seductive, alluring, sensible, and ultimately lethal.  In many circles of the church (though UMCs don’t talk like this much), this is called a worldview.  And as I developed this series and thought about this message I asked myself, “why have I waited so long to give messages like these?  Because the people of GS have fallen prey to the world’s wisdom on so many levels!  From the hyper-patriotic to the needlessly cynical.  From the sexually permissive to the financially stringent.  From the worship of celebrity to the desire for anonymity.  Even some people who have become so open minded that brains have fallen out.”  Well, even though I’ve waited too long I am so glad to be able to declare to you today as Paul did to the Corinthians so long ago: When you realize the world killed God, you’ll never trust its wisdom again.             I love 2:7 and 2:9 as well.  Both of those verses highlight just how ancient & unchanging God’s truth is. We need that.  In a world in which newer is better, in which products are designed to be obsolete in a matter of months, in which we think no one ever before has been as smart as we are, oh we need to reconnect with what is really, really, really old.  Listen: I’d much rather excavate ancient truth with you on Sunday mornings than invent new ones.  Being on the right side of history doesn’t concern me nearly as much as being on the right side of God!  Oh, I am so glad to acknowledge that I am not smarter than those who wrote the bible.  When you realize the world killed God, you’ll never trust its wisdom again.             So: what?  What is this a call to?  See, I want you to know that this truth –When you realize the world killed God, you’ll never trust its wisdom again – is not some esoteric teaching that’s disconnected from your life and your relationships.  Nope. It’s in the middle of them.  Because my great prayer is that as you grow in your suspicion of the world’s wisdom you will grow in appreciation of God’s.  And when you grow in appreciation of God’s wisdom, as you are saturated in it, you will think as God thinks and act as God acts – and in so doing you will protect yourself from some of life’s great landmines.  You’ll join the ranks of the sexually restrained.  You’ll embrace the truth that the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, and that includes the first fruits of your money.  You’ll understand that the greatest among you is NOT on The Bachelorette but is servant of all.  You’ll know that the first will be last and the last – the people most of the world overlooks – are in fact first.  You’ll be delighted that you know the truth and the truth as made you odd.  I love 2:10: The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.   It’s why we talk about moving to maturity here at GS.              Because I’ve learned that wisdom of the world people can turn out weird.  That those who killed God can themselves be resurrected.  I remember as a senior in high school, a new Xn and understanding that meant that I’d wait until marriage for sex, that I was sitting in the cafeteria for lunch one day.  And as is typical among high school boys – gosh, males in general – sex came up.  As did my abstinence.  And I remember a guy standing behind me – a kid I’d known since 3^rd grade – say with this sneer in his voice, “You just sit there and BE a virgin, Talbot.”  As if it was the worst insult he could ever hurl at me.  And God was so good – even though I was a new Xn, I was just odd enough to know that was a great thing to be insulted for.             But anyway, now that we are, um, not 18 anymore, you know who emails me all the time now. That same “kid” – now 53. And you know what he routinely sends me?  These updates from a ministry whose purpose is influencing American culture with the odd truths of the Gospel. IOW, infecting the world with the Christian worldview.  I don’t know exactly how or when my friend changed – but I think it had something to do with a journey to sobriety – I just know he did.  You know what happened?  He got that rusty pin pulled out of his head.  He got the ultimate brain washing.  Won’t you?   Then, during the closing song, we handed out this "Shower Swag" to any who wanted their brains washed:    

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cxok-EDlKc&feature=youtu.be   You wash your hands. You wash your hair. You wash your skin. But what if all that was secondary in importance to washing your brain? What if the residue that has built up inside our heads after years of bombardment from pop culture, the chattering classes, and conventional wisdom needs a thorough cleanse? And what if Good Shepherd is just the place to start? BrainWashing. Because what if the one thing that really needs washing is the thing you're using to answer these questions? May 17:    Wrap Your Mind Around THIS May 24:    That Don’t Make No Sense May 31:     A Dirty-Minded Church June 7:     When Every Silver Lining Has A REALLY Dark Cloud June 14:    The Filter Factor June 21:    Clearing Your Head

There are many times in which I don't know how in the world I could possibly preach if I hadn't majored in English in college. That's where and how I learned to read closely and write consistently, two skills that I have found more important than any others when it comes to sermon design and delivery. And I truly believe that a good novel shows you more about what makes people tick -- and self-destruct -- than any book of psychology or theology.  These days, I'll gain more ministry insights in something by Ann Patchett than in the latest "How To Grow A Major Mega Church" book. All that came home when I looked through my very own hard copy of Head Scratchers.   Chapter One is called "The Violent Bear It Away," which is a relatively obscure translation of a relatively obscure verse, Matthew 11:12.  In fact, it comes from a 1609 Roman Catholic translation of the New Testament called the Douay-Rheims version.  Which choose that over my trusty NIV? Because I'm an English major! My graduation project was a 122-page thesis on the fiction of Flannery O'Connor, a Georgia-born, Catholic-haunted, and lupus-afflicted literary genius. I think I've gotten a bit better at titles through the years; I called that thesis "Self-Reliance, Earthly Perfection, And The Search In Flannery O'Connor."  That lacks a bit of the snap of Head Scratchers, much less Solutionists. Anyway, one of O'Connor's novels is called . . . drum roll please . . . The Violent Bear It Away. As it turns out, the novel has a scene that crystallizes the interpretive ambiguity at the heart of Matthew 11:12.  Here's how Head Scratchers says it in a little literary aside that wasn't in the preached version: O'Connor had a reputation for creating bizarre characters who engage in incomprehensible acts, and The Violent Bear It Away is no exception.  The central scene in that particular bok is when a twelve year old backwoods prophet simultaneously baptizes and drowns a five year old boy with Down's syndrome . . . A baptism. A drowning.  At the same time.  The Kingdom advancing and the Kingdom under assault.  Violently.  A friend of the gospel is a foe of the gospel.  That's why O'Connor settled on The Violent Bear It Away as the title of her novel, and perhaps that's why I have been drawn to this particular translation of Jesus' words in Matthew 11:12.  To get the rest of that chapter, check here. I suppose all that is a way of saying I find it oddly appropriate that the first chapter of this book that has been such a pleasant surprise in my life comes from something I learned, not in kindergarten, but as an English major. I guess I would do it all over again.      

Here I am holding one of the many copies of Head Scratchers that arrived at the office this week. As you might imagine, it's a bit of a surreal experience . . . one that will repeat in September when Abingdon Press releases both The Storm Before The Calm and The Shadow Of A Doubt. Yet as I glanced through the book, I kept noticing how it's not my production; it's ours. See, scattered throughout the pages are the names, stories, emails, art, and insights from people I know and love at Good Shepherd Church. Just a few examples . . .

• On page 24, there's Jill Stuckey and Toby Hoving mentioned for their pivotal roles in the lives of my own children;
• On page 36 is a compelling photograph taken by Matt Crace, a Good Shepherd friend who first put in my mind the crazy idea that some publisher should pick up my work;
• On page 65 there is an email that April Geiger allowed me to re-print and re-publish; an email that demonstrates how millennials don't want Almost-Christianity, they want the real thing;
• And, of course, before each of the chapters in the e-book version you will find the Head Scratcher Video Sermon Bumpers, customized by Chris Macedo each week back in June of 2014 when the whole project was "only" a sermon series with no thought of it being a book.  Those sermon bumpers, incidentally, are what first caught the eye of the people at Abingdon and the rest is . . . well, trilogy history.

So I'll get some notoriety from these books. The church will throw a "Book Release Party" on June 3 (more on that later).  But the more you read the book(s) and the more you learn from them, the more you will recognize they are just one more way that all the people of Good Shepherd are about this ministry of inviting all people into a living relationship with Jesus Christ. The same Jesus Christ who said some of the head scratcheriest things ever.

With basketball dominating the sports landscape these days, I've been thinking about the role of the jump shot.  That perfect combination of size and strength, agility and fluidity, guile and accuracy. And sometimes -- as with Derek Rose's improbable buzzer beating bank shot on Friday -- just plain luck. So what are the five prettiest jump shots ever?  Those motions that look effortless -- meaning that behind each shot we'd find hundreds of hours of effort, energy sapping work that created the perfect muscle memory for the ideal shot. I'm not looking for the best jump shooter ever -- players such as Larry Bird and Oscar Robertson had shots that were deadly but not especially pretty. So here they are: my five best looking jump shots ever:   5.  Steve Kerr, Chicago Bulls.  While defenders were focused on a certain teammate, Kerr would park at the three-point line, receive a pass, and bam. 4.  Walt Frazier, New York Knicks.  I always loved the way his left hand rested slightly on top of the ball when he shot.  News flash: he was better at shooting than he is at commentating. 3.  Ray Allen, Boston Celtics & Miami Heat.  Was there ever a bigger jump shot than this series saver for the Heat against the Spurs in 2013? 2.  Jerry West, Los Angeles Lakers.  It looked the same every single time.  His autobiography is a tortured triumph. 1.  Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors.  Biased? Yep.  Not only is he a native Charlottean, but he went to the Charlotte Christian School with Taylor and Riley.  In terms of this list, #5 is now the coach of #1.