Joel Osteen and Luis Palau both recently held meetings in Nashville. The Tennessean said: “Religious titans bring feel good message”. But is there something missing in a "feel good" Christian message ?

The Tennessean said: ”(Joel) Osteen’s message is upbeat: Believe God will bless you with a good parking space and he just might, he often says.” Osteen is also quoted as saying: “God is still in control. He’s got us in the palm of his hands and he’s got good things in store for us.” (Is God in control of this world or has man’s rebellion taken over?)

What about living right? What about obeying the commands of Jesus in our daily life? What about stopping our wrongful thinking and our wrongful behaviors and beginning to think and behave in a moral, wholesome way? What about personal sacrifice to live in daily obedience to Christ even when we are persecuted by our friends, family, and society?

The Tennessean quotes Luis Palau as saying: “Controversies produce a lot of heat and very little light. We want people to know what we are for rather than what we are against.” Do you remember when preachers used to boldly be against sin?

So what is the missing message nowadays? Jesus put it this way: “Repent and believe the Gospel”. In our modern day we tend to leave the “repent” part out of the message.

Biblical Christianity is not just mental or emotional adherence to a religious belief system. It is not just a religious good time. It is a lifestyle of consistent daily obedience to God and His commandments. It is a breaking away from our lifestyle of pride, rebellion, and self-destruction and a turning to God’s lifestyle of humility, submission to His commandment, and right living.

Another basic message left out of our modern Christianity is heart-felt concern for the poor. The Apostles in Jerusalem told Paul and Barnabas “to remember the poor”.

Not now! Not today! Not me! Not ever! Not my style! Not a chance! No way, no how!

The ability to say “no” is an important commodity that appears to be becoming much less common in our society nowadays. No wonder our conscience can put our stomach in a knot.

Sometimes the TV remote seems to have a mind of its own. It stops on a crude, vulgar program and we settle in to consume self-destructive trash, all because we have lost the words: “Not that! Not in my house! Not in my mind!”

When the levies around New Orleans quit saying not to the dirty water surrounding the city, New Orleans was destroyed. When we stop saying not to the invisible forces that are constantly trying to wash away our character, our conscience, and our morality, we will be flooded with inner misery .

Why "not"? Because without not you become like a pool ball, being kicked around by whatever whim crashes into your heart. Without not you are going to be knocked-under-the-table by self-destructive thoughts, behaviors, and habits.

Do you remember The nots?

It’s not right! Not with me you don’t! Not while I’m in charge! I’m not doing it! Not while you’re living in my house! Not on my watch! Not if I don’t say so! Not while you’re working for me! Not in my house! Not on your life! You’re not messing with me! That’s not allowed! You’re not getting something over on me! It’s not happening! Not here! Not you! Not that! I’m not interested!

Not in my backyard! Not while I’m working here! Not in my car! Not on my TV! I’m not going there! I’m not looking at that! Not with my money! Not while I’ve got my right mind! I’m not going to be part of it! I’m not lying for you! I’m not going to do self-destructive behaviors.

Pull out your nots today and give self-destruction and wrongful behavior a forceful not -- !!!

A recent "3 star" letter to the editor in the Tennessean (Nashville's newspaper) said: “We don’t need Bible thumpers to tell us that we are an immoral society?” Ok?

Then do we need sexual perversion thumpers to tell us that cheapo sex is the way to live? Do we need violence thumpers to tell us that watching scenes of people shooting and killing each other is wholesome entertainment? Do we need anti-religion thumpers telling us that any Christian symbol has got to go? Do we need abortion thumpers to tell us that the answer to an unwanted pregnancy is to kill the baby? Do we need war thumpers thumping the “surge” and/or invading Iran? Do we need evolution thumpers telling us that a belief in a Creator is “unscientific”?

Well, whether we need thumpers or not, our society was founded on thumping. It is even written in our Bill or Rights — freedom of thumping (uh, that is speech).

Now to attempt to declare some subjects thumpable and others (like the Bible or religious beliefs) as unthumpable is not fair. If you thump your thing, why don’t others have the right to thump theirs?

Motivation Quotation: “My country had shown me no examples of how to live a human life. All my life I had been full of hunger for a new way to live. I hungered for books, new ways of looking and seeing. It was not a matter of believing or disbelieving what I read, but of feeling something new, of being affected by something that made the world look different.” –Richard Wright

Comment: Richard Wright was an African American who grew under Jim Crow racism and in poverty and then became a famous writer. A key to his success was that he didn’t surrender to his environment. He was “full of hunger for a new way to live”.

Les Brown, a contemporary black motivational speaker mirrors Wright when he says if you want to succeed “you gotta be hungry”. One of the worst things that can happen to us is for us to become satisfied with our life — to have no positive ambition, no desire for self-improvement.

I work in a rehab that has a six month program. Many men come into our center hungry for a better life. However, after a few weeks, just about all of them have lost their hunger. Their family has accepted them back, their health is better, and they get satisfied.

But Richard Wright stayed hungry. He “hungered for books, new ways of looking and seeing” because he found that reading made made his world look different. He received hope from reading.

Libraries and book stores abound. Why not pick up and begin to read a positive book today? Read the biography of a woman or a man who has lived an upstanding life. Read a positive thinking, self-help book. Read the New Testament. Read a book about success. Read something that will challenge your thinking and show you new ways to live. But read! What good is the ability to read if we don’t read?

Recently, I saw the movie “Freedom Writers” — it moved me to tears. In the movie one teacher, Erin Gruwell, made a difference in the lives of a group of violent teens. Nashville, Tennessee has some Erin Gruwells making a difference for some of our inner city children and teens in a community center on Stockell Street.

One woman funded a program called “Bikes And Bibles” to give brand new bikes to kids who memorized a portion of the Bible. They gave away more than 70 new bikes this week.

Two men started, funded, and led a basket ball league for young boys this past winter. They taught the boys character, showed them love, and let them have some fun .

A senior at Vanderbilt volunteered 20 hours a week this year and mentored many teens. She is returning home to PA and some Vanderbilt students had a going away party for her at Lowes Vanderbilt Plaza yesterday. Many of her friends were surprised when about 10 black teens showed up at the party. The teens presented her with a plaque and many hugs in an emotional moment of gratitude for her service to them.

One man leads a “teen center” and sports programs. He has many men who volunteer as coaches for the teams. All the staff at the community center work hard to be personally involved in showing love and helping the kids.

A young man, who came to the U.S. as a missionary from India, lives in the neighborhood and works every day to befriend, mentor, and help local teens. A couple lives in the neighborhood and takes people into their home.

A church in Brentwood helped sponsor a talent show for the kids in the neighborhood. This church also sponsors regular outside events for the kids and some of their members help mentor the teens.

A small group of people prayer walk the neighborhood on Friday mornings. They pray for an end to the violence and for a better life for the residents.

Many agencies have programs at the center. There is a health clinic, a boys and girls club, a day care, and so much more. More people are involved there than I can mention, but there is still room for more volunteers.

Why not watch the movie “Freedom Writers”. Get inspired. Then reach out and personally help a person who is trapped in poverty and violence.