“This is not your grandmother’s TBN!”
~ Marvelous Mark, the M.C.
As I continue to work on a closer relationship with God, I had to ask myself, “Have you ever planked?” I think we all have, maybe even more often than we would like to admit. We have probably planked more recently than we would like to admit as well.
In the famous verse from Matthew 7:3-5, we are reminded about judging others:
3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” New International Version
Yikes, guilty! Guilty last week, as a matter of fact. Last week my church, Verve, was featured on the TBN show, Praise the Lord. This episode was different from the usual program. It featured the wildly extreme and wacky people in Vegas who have been brought to God through Verve Church, a church for people who don’t like church. It featured a former atheist, a fire-breathing clown, a homeless man, and a former pimp, all of whom were baptized at Verve. I think the episode shook up the viewers because it was not what they’re accustomed to.
Forty-five Ververs — myself included — took a bus from Las Vegas to the TBN studios in California for the filming last week. If you’ve ever watched TBN, you may know that most of their shows are quite conservative. I was excited that this show might shake some things up. The audience for TBN tends to be very conservative Christians.
Many conservative Christians think that they should avoid sinful places. My understanding is that, ironically, Jesus came to help the sinners, and so he spent much time with tax collectors and prostitutes. That’s why he came. We are not supposed to have “haughty eyes,” thinking that we’re better than other people.
Here is where I planked. I got so excited that this episode might show many viewers what it really meant to be a follower of Christ. Yikes! Who am I to judge the way someone else worships? I have recently learned that we are supposed to call out other Christians for not following the Word — but, when it comes to non-Christians, judgment is God’s job, not mine.
I had haughty eyes and planked! I write this blog to help you through my own examples, good and bad. Where do you plank? Let’s work on asking for help in this area and work on ourselves. It makes me think of the old Henny Youngman line,
“Take my plank, please!”
Thank you God for Truth, Love, and Laughter,
Darren
See the TBN Show, God for the Rest of Us…
You figured it out! Mazel Tov!
One of my favorite quotes is from a woman named Gertrude Behana who said she discovered that
“Looking down on people who look down on people is still looking down on people!”
I remember the first time I read the parable of the pharisee and the tax collector thinking thank God I’m not like that pharisee, which made me just like that pharisee! So, in answer to your question, Yes I’ve planked.
Thank you, Darren!
This is a message the whole world should hear.
May you be blessed outrageously, marvelously, abundantly, r
Love this Darren – i wondered as a side question if you ever do lay preaching in your church? As a Toastmaster this is a challenge I can hardly refuse to accept. But i struggle with the suggestion that I do this without notes even though I am honoured that pastors tell me I can do it.. just hate messing with the word of God in case I forget it and mess up.