Heard in Church

Reaction to the Death of Jerry Falwell

2007-05-16T07:40:00.000-05:00

Here's a couple of quotes I've heard about the death of Rev. Falwell from non-Christians:

"The only thing I am sad about is that the death wasn't more painful and more embarrassing."

"This was a bad, bad man and keep that in mind when you see the President at his funeral."

"I heard him once say that he said hateful things because he knew he'd get on the news the next day."

"The very best was when he went after the teletubbies. 'It is purple and it has a triangle on its head for no reason!'"

"Like many people of his type, I think he will be very surprised about who gets into heaven."

"Don't get me wrong, it's not a religion thing. When Billy Graham passes I will be very sad. He is a great American. So, it's not about being religious, its about using religion for hate."

I understand that sometimes a prophet will bring a message that is unpopular. I understand that many of these things may not be true. I also understand that the darkness hates the light and will attack it. However, those in the light aren't supposed to appear to hate those in the darkness. If our love isn't obvious of what good is it?

I do remember Jesus attacking people with harsh words that could be labeled hate by those he attacked. I also remember that he saved those words for those within the religious establishment who were abusing it.

I wonder how many people Rev. Falwell drew to the Lord compared to how many he pushed away. I know the character of God, so I have no doubt that Rev. Falwell is with Jesus today. I also have little doubt that it has been a surprising 24-hours for him.

Virginia Tech Shootings - Resurrection

2007-04-23T07:32:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was an amazing day at church, as I'm sure it was all over the New River Valley. It was a time to remember that God is God and He has ultimate power over death. It was a time to celebrate the life He has given us and the hope we find in Him.

Rick reminded us, "We will not let circumstances determine our understanding of God's character." Robert reminded us that "We can offer comfort, but we don't have what people need. Only Jesus does. So, our lives need to point people to Him."

Daniel and Val, the youth pastors at the church, went through a similar shooting in Texas in 1999. And, they were able to share about their experience and recovery.

The service was summed up in a dance that was performed to a song that declared:

The enemy has been defeated
Death couldn't hold you down
We're going to raise our voice in victory
We're going to sing our praises loud

We will remember. We will proclaim the love of Jesus. We will prevail.

Virginia Tech Shooting - Forgiveness

2007-04-21T09:03:00.000-05:00

As my wife and I were walking towards the Drill Field for the noon moment of silence she made the comment, "I hope they ring the bell 33 times." There were 33 people killed on Monday. Thirty-two were innocent victims and one was a murderer.

I told Lisa I wasn't ready for that. I had prayed for his parents and sister. I had prayed for the men who sold him the guns. But, I didn't have it in my heart to pray forgiveness.

As we explored the Drill Field in front of Burris Hall there are stones laid out in memorial to the dead. These are Hokie stones; a unique stone from Virginia that all buildings are required to be built out of. Each one had an American flag, flowers and a VT with the person's name on it. On one of the stones was the name Seung-Hui Cho, the killer at Virginia Tech.

Convicted that the school was offering forgiveness when I wasn't, I attended a worship service last night with members of a variety of campus ministries hoping to offer something to the hurting. It was a sweet time with the Lord. A time of passion, emotion and glory to Him.

There was a speaker, Lisa, who came in from a local AME church. Most of what she said was addressed to the students. One thing she said was straight from the Lord to me. "We are people of God. We are not going to hate this young man!"

I came to comfort the students; instead she pierced my heart. I prayed for forgiveness for hurting God the way I did.

Here is a sentence I wrote in this blog two days ago: "No the media shouldn't have shown the videos of the monster who did this." This young man was not a monster. He was a troubled young man in need of a savior, just like I was, who fell into the grip of an enemy who would kill and destroy.

Lord, I ask forgiveness from you for my lack of love to Cho, and I offer forgiveness to him. I ask you to use his experience to bring greater love into the world.

Virginia Tech Shooting - Photos

2007-04-20T17:11:00.000-05:00

I have new photos from the last couple of days up on my Flickr page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/compassionmatt/

Virginia Tech Shooting - Day of Mourning

2007-04-20T14:27:00.000-05:00

We stood on the Drillfield at 12 noon today as the bells tolled and balloons were released. Being there made yesterday's bad day a little better.

What a week it has been around here. The ugliest face of evil showed itself and continues to taunt from the grave. Yet, God was here as well. It’s easy to think that He showed up in the aftermath, but it is more accurate to say He was always here. He prepared us for what the enemy was going to do. And while the preparation didn’t make the losses any less heartfelt, it gave comfort to know that He is still God.

The day before the attacks at Virginia Tech during our church service one lady, someone not given to flights of fancy, spoke up and said she felt the presence of a spirit of death. Our pastor compared the spirit of death to campfire smoke, the smell of which clings to you long after you have left. So, the spirit of death can cling and it was present and palpable to a discerning few.

During an intercessory prayer session that same Sunday everyone praying was continually and gently prompted to pray for the University. Over and over the prayers returned to Tech. So, God was there. Why didn’t He intervene? Why did He allow us to go through this? I don’t know. All I know is the character of God. His is a character of loving-kindness, mercy and grace. We cling to that character and let His love wash over us.

And, as a little time passes, the names of the dead and wounded are released, the reporters go home and we get a little distance from the event we can stand back and realize this is not a unique attack of the enemy. Yesterday in Iraq 120 people were killed in a single bombing. Yesterday 30,000 children died because they are poor. It doesn’t make the heartache over the loss of our 32 loved ones any easier. But it reminds us that God’s heart breaks over each of these deaths. And He wants us to have His heart too.

Virginia Tech Shooting - A bad day

2007-04-20T09:17:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a bad day. Maybe it was because I went back to work for the first time since Monday. Maybe it was because I didn't feel like I was doing anything. In the afternoon I really felt the need to go to the campus. As I walked out the door it started raining really hard. It was a bad day.

Part of the reason may have been visiting the news every couple of hours. This is what got to me most.

This photo from South Korea:

The father of Erin Peterson saying, "My baby is gone."

Standing in front of Norris Hall and seeing the bicycles that are still locked in a pile.

Hearing about the first EMT's who rushed into the classrooms, hearing the cell phones of the victims ringing; loved ones searching for some hope.

Remembering back to Monday night and watching and speaking with the loved ones of Jamie Bishop, Henry Lee and Reema Samaha as they prayed and hoped only knowing now that they were already gone.

A cross in front of a local church draped in VT colors.

Today is a day of mourning and orange and maroon effect. Please join us in remembering those we lost.

Virginia Tech Shooting - Video of a killer

2007-04-19T21:09:00.000-05:00

No the media shouldn't have shown the videos of the monster who did this. If nothing else for the sake of this community. I think there is a little bit of news value to it, and there were a lot of ratings value to it. But, most of the people in this area, if they weren't at work, were on campus or looking at news reports. For the last 24-hours all I saw was him. None of us needed that.

I think this has sparked some backlash. Most people in the area were tolerant of the media and understood their importance in getting this story out. Now everyone is ready for them to go. My wife walked across campus today with her head down and refusing to make eye contact with anyone just so she wouldn't be asked for an interview.

Virginia Tech - The enemy has visited

2007-04-18T14:45:00.000-05:00

Things are plenty tense around here. There was another bomb threat with lots of rumors on campus today. The shock is wearing off and grief and anger are on the rise.

The leadership from our church gathered today to pray and strategize about what the Lord wants us to do next. As we prayed there was a call for the Lord to show us where the enemy has a foothold in this valley. We prayed if we have given the enemy authority to impact us and how to end it.

Our church speaks frequently of authority and legal rights. God works under a system of perfect justice and allows us to participate. He will work within something over which we have authority when we give him the legal right to. The same works for the enemy, and apparently somewhere he has established a legal right in this area.

We look back to last Fall when another gunman escaped from police custody, killed a security guard and a policeman, and held the community of Blacksburg hostage until he was recaptured.

Last Sunday during service a lady who is not prone to wild flights of fancy spoke up during service and said there was a spirit of death present. Rick talked about that just as the smoke of a campfire clings to you, so does the spirit of death. And this discerning lady felt it.

During a session of intercessory prayer on Sunday the group was led frequently to pray for Tech.

Death then manifested itself on Monday morning.

If there is a sanctuary for the enemy, if he has established a legal right in the New River Valley we pray in Jesus' name that God will expose it and it will be vanquished.

Virginia Tech Shooting - Candlelight Vigil

2007-04-17T20:54:00.000-05:00

The vigil is over. It was short, and slightly more festive than earlier activities. The crowd was quick to start a chant of "Let's go Hokies!" when the speakers were finished. I think the shock is wearing off, which means the grief will truly set in. Students have the rest of the week off, so much of that grieving will happen outside the Hokie Nation. But, hearts are tied together in pride for the community and through shared tragedy. We will move on, but the grief will never truly go away.

I went to the vigil with Rachel. She was fine until we paid our respects outside of Norris. That was when she broke down. A 16-year-old shouldn't have to go through that.

We found out today that one of the victims was a friend of and classmate of Lisa and another attended a Bible study with my son. Please be in prayer for the Pryde and La Porte families.

Virginia Tech Shooting - Nikki Giovanni

2007-04-17T15:51:00.000-05:00

The speech will be up on You Tube soon, but in the meantime you can watch it at:

http://www.foxnews.com/video2/player06.html?041707/041707_giovanni_convocation&Studio_B&%27We%20Are%20Virginia%20Tech%21%27&acc&US&-1&News&206&&&new

It is short and worthwhile if you want to see how Tech is going to react to this tragedy.

A quick prayer request. I had put out on email to those of you I know that one of my wife Lisa's professor's, Professor Nowak, was scheduled to be in the area of the shooting at the time of the shooting. Authorities have released her name as one of the dead. Please pray for her family.

Virginia Tech Shooting - Part 2

2007-04-17T15:31:00.000-05:00

We just got back from the convocation. It was beautiful and just the right tone. There were way more people trying to get in than could fit, but we were fortunate enough to get good seats. It was a sea of orange and maroon, mixed with suits and ties and frat and sorority logos. There could be no doubt where you were. The conversation was subdued but consistent until about 20 minutes before two. Then a Corp of Cadets walked in with the flags. The building went silent as everyone rose to their feet. Eventually everyone sat again, but there was a reverent silence for the rest of the session.

The first of many moving moments was when Governor Kaine, President and Mrs. Bush and the families of the victims were seated. The silence didn't break even as everyone rose again. The next moment was when Virginia Tech President Charles Steger was introduced. The applause began politely, but when it would normally fade it only grew. Everyone again rose to their feet. There have already been not so quiet complaints about the way he handled the situation, and these complaints will only grow. Maybe what he did needs to be examined. But there was only one person to blame for the shooting. He was clearly touched by the support.

Governor Kaine spoke about community and President Bush spoke about giving in to evil. Both were passionate and comforting. The highlight of the convocation however was English Professor Nikki Giovanni. She used language that a professor and a poet would use to remind us that we were innocent, just as any victim is. But, the message was screw you if you think you won. You don't know who this community is if you think we're beaten. The place erupted with the chant "Let's go Hokies!" Event the President joined in. It was a need release of emotion. As she pointed out, we're not moving on. But, evil will not triumph!

Let's go Hokies.

Shooting at Virginia Tech

2007-04-16T20:09:00.000-05:00

I first heard when my daughter Rachel called from her school at about 9 am. "Have you heard from mom?" she asked. Rachel's high school was in lock down because of a shooting at Tech. She got worried and borrowed a cell phone to call home. No, I hadn't heard from mom.

I turned on the news and wasn't too worried. It was a simple murder, as crass and callous as that sounds. It was in a dorm mom had no reason to be in. They had arrested the guy. It was over and the police were just being careful. I told Rachel not to worry.

It started getting worse. They hadn't arrested the guy. There was another shooting in another building; it was possible Lisa was in this one but she saved me a really long day by calling. She couldn't get a cell signal, so she used the classroom phone. The sirens had been too much, so the professor cancelled the rest of class. She wasn't in that building. They were just sitting and waiting it out. Lisa complained that she was hungry and couldn't get to the cafe. She was surprised they were reporting this on CNN.

It started getting worse. They hadn't arrested anyone; the shooter was dead, meeting his judgement. The numbers jumped from one dead and seven wounded to one dead and 15 wounded. Then it jumped to 24 wounded. My son David called from his classroom. He had heard the campus was under assault from four directions. Just a rumor I told him and not true. Rachel called again. On the news they said every school in the county was under lock down. Some of the local reporters were struggling. They had family on campus too.

It started getting worse. The death toll jumped to 20 and finally to 32. Some were executed. Another 29 wounded, some critically. A friend was on CNN reporting from the hospital where she works. The closest hospital to campus was being overwhelmed so they were transporting to four other hospitals. There were 60 mile per hour winds, so they couldn't use helicopters. They finally started evacuating campus. Lisa made it home about 1:30. She didn't find out the totality of what happened until just before she left. She sounded stunned when she told me she was on her way home.

Once she was off campus I drove to the high school to get Rachel and David. No reason for them to sit in a classroom doing nothing all day. When I got there quite a few parents were ahead of me and the school secretaries scrambled to keep up. There was an overwhelming, shocked quiet in the room that I hadn't experienced since 9/11. The principal of school announced shortly after I arrived that school would resume a normal schedule. She said I didn't need to take the kids home though I could if I wanted to; it would be an excused absence. I looked once at Rachel; she so quickly takes the burden of other people's hurts on her own shoulders. I took them home.

With my family safely home I wondered what I could do. I drove to our church. Mitch said he didn't need anything there, but Rick was going to campus, maybe I could hook up with him. I drove to Blacksburg while I called Rick. He was on his way but wasn't sure what he'd find, so he suggested I go to the church.

Instead I stopped at the Inn at Virginia Tech. It was where friends and family were waiting for loved ones. Grief councilors were on site as well as the Red Cross. I was one of several "clergy" offering to comfort and pray.

Many of the people had been waiting a long time for word of their loved ones. Some had travelled a long way and just arrived. A man with a bluetooth headset had the main list. He'd get reports from the hospitals or police over the phone and search the list for the names. Then he'd call out for the family. They wanted to be called, but they didn't. I watched a woman being told her husband was dead. I watched a mother and father being told their daughter was alive and in the hospital. I watched another mother being told the worst. I spoke with some students who were seeking information on a cousin and a friend. No one could tell them anything because the immediate family hadn't been contacted yet.

I'd love to say I did a lot of good there. I didn't. Some people were open to speaking with me, some weren't. I wasn't going to impose myself on anyone, so I stood back and prayed. The longest conversations I had were with a reporter and another pastor. By the time I left several hours later many still waited for word.

I picked up Rachel from work and drove to church. A lot of students attend our church, and the church had invited other campus groups to a prayer service. Many students came, especially Asianbrothers and sisters. There were a lot of tears. One member of our church was waiting on word of his roommate. He was in surgery.

Mitch prayed for the families of the victims and everyone involved. He prayed that no one would offer up "religion and platitudes" but would simply love and comfort; they don't need scripture, they don't need church. They need Jesus. We worshipped. Rick reminded us that God is safe and this wasn't of God. He prayed against fear, against condemnation, against guilt. He reminded the students that though the shooter was Asian American this was not their burden to carry. It was all of ours. We loved on them and prayed for them and they let us. Then Rick opened it up "to ask the tough questions." We left. Rachel said she wasn't ready to hear tough questions.

We're all pretty wiped out emotionally. Everything in our area is wrapped around Tech. The school impacts everyone. The shooting impacted everyone. Tomorrow is a memorial service on campus. We'll go.

There are going to be a lot of finger pointing in the days to come. The anger will come; I can already hear it starting. But for now we are a community in shock and mourning. These are the times when it is hardest to say "God is good, all the time." These are the times when it is most important.

Contentment

2007-04-14T12:51:00.000-05:00

Paul tells us that he was able to be content in all things, and boy I am trying. But it is the middle of April, and we may get snow in the next day or so. Summer rules and winter lasting until April blows!

An Important Book

2007-04-11T15:17:00.000-05:00

I picked up a book today called The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. After quickly reading through a couple of pages I stopped. I stopped because I realized this is an important book and I wanted to wait for a time to read it when I could devote considerable attention.

There are lots of important books. They are important because they touch something deep and universal. It may be a lesson to be learned or an emotion to be felt. It may be a better understanding of who I am as a person or who we are as people. It may be the simple artistry with which the book is written, no matter what it talks about, raises it up to be important. It can be fiction or non-fiction. The topic isn't necessarily important but the consequences of having read the book are. That's what makes it important.

Some of the important books that I've read over the past couple of years (those I can think of off the top of my head) are Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller, Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster, Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson, Wild at Heart by John Eldredge. Of course the Bible is the ultimate example.

There are some important films too. Saving Private Ryan is important. So, are Schindler's List, Hotel Rwanda, American Beauty and Gangs of New York. And there are a handful of important television shows; I don't mean the one time documentary or movie, some of which are obviously important, but a series. Those are much fewer and further between.

But, it's the important book that is most important. Because it can explore ideas with depth and thoroughness it is more valuable than any other media. And, the important books today can be even more important than in the past. Because of the Internet, blogs and podcasts the discussion begun in an important book can continue once the last page has turned.

There are lots of reasons to read books, and it's OK to read books that are not important. But there is no excuse to not read important books.

As your kids get older

2007-04-07T09:42:00.000-05:00

My daughter Rachel is 16 and recently had her gallbladder removed. When we got her home we set her up in my bed because that was the best place to keep an eye on her and that's where the TV is. So, when it came time for me to go to bed I slept in her room.

Her room is full of bright colors; lots of green with red and yellow trim. There's also a HUGE poster of Orlando Bloom, which you may expect. But, there are also pictures of the Rat Pack and Audrey Hepburn. Rachel has eclectic tastes.

As I lay there falling asleep I realized how strange this room was to me. We have two other boys at home, but being boys they don't require quite as much privacy as a teenage girl, So I'd probably spent the least amount of time in this room than any other room in the house. The books on the shelf, the layout of the furniture, the pictures on the walls didn't give me the familiar feeling a home can provide. It could have been someone else's home.

Yet, this is probably the most familiar room in the house for my daughter. This is there room where she struggles to get out of bed in the morning, where her dreams take flight, where she goes for refuge, where she sheds tears, loses herself in books and music, writes her friends notes, reads her Bible. It is the place, as much as a place can be, that represents the person she is becoming and has become.

So, it makes me sad that this place is strange to me. It's natural and healthy that there is a separation beginning between us, and I couldn't ask for a better relationship. Still, there is a loss for me there.

She's recovering well from her surgery by the way.

The Hope that Lies Within

2007-04-03T06:55:00.000-05:00

The folks at Ransomed Heart have a daily reading from a John Eldredge book. This was today's, from the book The Ransomed Heart. It affected me a lot. It's a question worthy of contemplation.

A curious warning is given to us in Peter’s first epistle. There he tells us to be ready to give the reason for the hope that lies within us to everyone who asks (3:15). Now, what’s strange about that passage is this: no one ever asks. When was the last time someone stopped you to inquire about the reason for the hope that lies within you? You’re at the market, say, in the frozen food section. A friend you haven’t seen for some time comes up to you, grasps you by both shoulders and pleads, “Please, you’ve got to tell me. Be honest now. How can you live with such hope? Where does it come from? I must know the reason.” In talking with hundreds of Christians, I’ve met only one or two who have experienced something like this.

Yet God tells us to be ready, so what’s wrong? To be blunt, nothing about our lives is worth asking about. There’s nothing intriguing about our hopes, nothing to make anyone curious. Not that we don’t have hopes; we do. We hope we’ll have enough after taxes this year to take a summer vacation. We hope our kids don’t wreck the car. We hope our favorite team goes to the World Series. We hope our health doesn’t give out, and so on. Nothing wrong with any of those hopes; nothing unusual, either. Everyone has hopes like that, so why bother asking us? It’s life as usual. Sanctified resignation has become the new abiding place of contemporary Christians. No wonder nobody asks. Do you want the life of any Christian you know?

Eugene Peterson - The Sin of Self Sovereignty

2007-03-30T08:33:00.000-05:00

Radix Magazine had the following interview with Eugene Peterson (although I actually found it in Prism's Epistle). He makes some interesting comments about the American church. I don't agree with everything he says about "big" churches in the United States, as I've seen some very effective ones. However, I've also seen many of the things he is talking about, and what he warns about is looming just under the surface at even the effective churches.

As I walk hand in hand with churches as they explore their relationship with the poor, I am more and more convinced that a central understanding of God's heart for the poor and an active participation with the poor is central to overcoming the sin of self-sovereignty. With the overwhelming riches of the United States even the most diligent of us can't help but fall into the trap, which is in part created by the wealth the Bible warns us about.

Check it out:

[In EAT THIS BOOK (Eerdmans, 2006), you write that] "the text that seems to be most in favor on the American landscape today is the Sovereign Self." Do you think there are reasons why that's a special problem in this particular culture in a way that it wasn't in the past?

PETERSON: Well, the basic ingredients go back to Eden. But I think American culture with our combination of individualism and consumerism has taken it pretty far. We've got the money, most of us do, to do whatever we want to. With our post-Enlightenment individualism and consumerism, combined with the total erosion of community, which we're all experiencing, I think America has almost perfected the self-sovereignty sin.

RADIX: Do you notice a difference when you travel in other countries?

PETERSON: I don't do that much traveling, but when I talk to friends who are in Third World countries, it's very different. The little bit of travel I do is usually in Scotland and Ireland, and Christians are such a minority people there, they don't have that same sense of self-sovereignty - they're more marginal to the culture. So I think it's an American problem, although some of the Asians might be catching up with us - the Hong Kong, Korean, Japanese Asians.

RADIX: Toward the end of the book, you say that when the Hebrews were at home in the Canaanite culture, they knew how to say "no" to the culture when they needed to. So I'm wondering, at what points do you think we American Christians need to be saying "no" to our culture? Are there any points that are especially important?

PETERSON: Well, yes. I think the identification of the culture with the church, with the evangelical church, makes us prone to an idolatry of nation. That's so pervasive it's almost impossible to carry on a conversation about it. America's founders left Europe because of nationalized churches. Now we've got one of our own, and we aren't even aware of it. So the nationalism combined with the pervasive consumerism are big problems for the American church.

We go church-shopping; we demand services of the church. The scary thing about this for me is that the vocabulary stays the same. We use all the right words, and we still keep all our doctrines in the evangelical church, but the context has changed so radically that they no longer mean anything. I don't know how the Devil works, but if I were the Devil, I don't think I could have devised a better way of destroying the congregation than talking about "big" - you know, the bigger, the bigger, the bigger, the more glamorous. And that destroys congregations. Congregations aren't glamorous; they're comprised of sinners.

But we've got these poster pictures, glamour shots of what churches ought to be. It can destroy pastors of small churches - they feel always inadequate, always inferior. And it destroys the people in the big churches, because they're no longer dealing with community; they're just part of a crowd. In the vaunted small-group movement - which certainly has some good things going for it (probably earlier on, more than now) - people say, "Well, we take care of community by having small groups." Well, those aren't communities - those are people you like. And, you know, a community has to have people you don't like in it.

RADIX: Yes, actually, my small group is made up of people I like.

PETERSON: They all are. If you don't like them, you just drop out. Good things happen in these groups, but it's not community. Congregation is God's way to give us community.

Productivity and Multi-tasking

2007-03-27T06:48:00.000-05:00

Since I've started working for Compassion five and a half years ago the ministry has doubled in size. The growth of my responsibilities have more than kept pace. Not because I've been shooting up through the hierarchy; I still have the same job I started with. Instead it's because we've added more and more responsibilities to the position.

Lately I've realized I need serious help with productivity, so I hit the books. David Allen's book Getting Things Done has been a tremendous help, as has Merlin Mann and his site 43 folders. I'm just getting going on this process, but it's been exciting to see things change for the better right from the start.

43 folders recently had a post about multi-tasking that is worth reading (including the comments that have some interesting counter points). It sites science confirming his long held theory that multi-tasking hurts, not helps, productivity. It reminded me of the simplest, most obvious, lesson I've learned so far: just because I receive an email doesn't mean I need to read the email!

They Like Jesus but Not the Church

2007-03-19T20:03:00.000-05:00

I heard a great interview today on the Relevant podcast of Dan Kimball who is promoting his new book They Like Jesus but Not the Church. He talked about his move from the East to the Bay Area in California. He was warned that people were rabidly anti-Christian and it was a very difficult place to minister. He found that this was very true; people were anti-Christian. They had great things to say about Jesus, just not Christians.

He sites six things that non-believers say about Christians and the church:

1. The church is an organized religion with a political agenda.
2. The church is judgmental and negative.
3. The church is dominated by males and oppresses females.
4. The church is homophobic.
5. The church arrogantly claims all other religions are wrong.
6. The church is full of fundamentalists who take the whole Bible literally.

Kimball blames this attitude on the church. He says we live in little Christian bubbles that excludes those outside the church. So, many non-Christians don't actually know any Christians who might not fit their stereotype. So, while these stereotypes may or may not be true for a given individual all the non-believer has to go on is what they see in the media, or the blanket statements they hear.

So, Kimball exhorts Christians to step outside the bubble. Be involved in individuals lives and in your community. But, if you do, don't fall into a stereotype you are trying to overcome. Humility, service and love; maybe that is what we should be known for?

This book is next on my must read list.

Express Yourself

2007-03-16T18:01:00.000-05:00

I love how God made each of us different, and I love watching the creative mind at work. My friend James is a very creative person, and the way he processes and expresses himself fascinates me.

James, another friend and I were sitting around talking this afternoon about some pretty serious stuff. As we prepared to part my friend asked James if he was doing OK.

He nodded and answered, "I'm like a boat that's well built and tight, cutting its way through the water." Most of us would have said, "I'm fine."

Another time he wanted to express that he was having trouble focusing on one thing. He said, "It's like I'm on a bus driving through a city street. I'm looking straight ahead but out of the corner of my eye I keep catching glimpses of these little scenes that pass by the window. It might be a flower shop, or a store, or some people standing on a street corner. It's not enough to know what is going on, but just enough to make an impact."

Sometimes brevity is called for and such an explanation would wear. But, James is not like that. He's quick to listen and slow to speak. But, when he has something to say you need to listen as the picture he paints will be fascinating because he takes his time to truly express himself.

God made us to be creative. Sometimes we may miss out on that just because we're in too much of a hurry.

Alzheimer's and God

2007-03-15T15:58:00.000-05:00

There's an interesting article in the LA Times about a study that was done concerning alzheimers disease. The study says that about one-third of people who care for loved ones with alzheimers feel "more religious" as a result of their work.

The article quotes Frances Chavis of Crenshaw, CA as saying, "I have to realize that when it's too hard for me, it's just right for God."

So often I despair and sit in confusion about why God allows some bad things to happen. This is a possible clue that may be true for some people. And, I think it applies across many acts of "charity" and good works. I've long said that God commands us to reach out to the poor not for their sake; He doesn't need us to help the poor. But, instead it is for our sake. We need the poor more than they need us.

If you want to live a life of meaning, with the fullness of God's presence, you must reach out to someone who needs you and give sacrificially. As always Compassion is a great way to do that.

Global Warming and the Church

2007-03-14T10:01:00.001-05:00

This is becoming a real hot button in the church and that makes me sad.

On the one side are those who believe the Church has ignored environmental issues long enough. They believe that God was serious when He said creation was good and that we were to be stewards. On the other side are those Christians who worry about the Church falling into a pattern of worshiping the creation and not the creator, and who tend to be politically conservative and are sceptical about the science of global warming.

Where do I fall? On both sides. The Church has ignored the environment too long and God was serious. We should be environmentally conscious. At the same time I worry that global warming alarmists are basing their claims on political and social and not scientific reasons (as an alarmist Congresswoman recently said claiming this was a reason to not worry about the science).

What makes me sad is who is taking control of the debate in the Church. There is no reason this can't be a reasonable debate and there is no reason one can't be on both sides. However, if the church starts to polarize, as Jerry Falwell and others would like, then the Church will be forced to choose sides. My preference is to stop letting these people speak for the Church and make up my own mind.

The Lost Tomb of Jesus

2007-03-12T11:00:00.000-05:00

I haven't commented on the "documentary" because other than the Discovery Channel and "news" outlets no one thinks this is anything other than silly, especially archaeologists.

However, I will point you to a useful editorial in the USA Today written by Michael Medved. His conclusions are right on with one exception. He is especially correct about James Cameron. What happened to that guy?

Where he misses the mark is when he says, "At the moment, major media outlets certainly seem to grant more publicity to academic efforts to challenge religious orthodoxy than they do to countervailing evidence to confirm it. " While this is certainly true, it is also true that confirmation of the historical claims of the Bible is not really news. Confirmation of a long standing claim, other than something very dramatic such as the return of Christ, may be worth a brief mention, but not necessarily more than that. While findings that a long standing claim is false is much more newsworthy.

Still the main point, that this blatant attempt to make a bunch of money is not evidence of anything other than greed, is worth the read.

Godspell

2007-03-12T09:20:00.000-05:00

My daughter Rachel was in a production of Godspell put on by her high school over the weekend. I saw it three times, which I would have done anyway since she was in it. But, it was really good! I'm disappointed I don't get to see it again. It was set in a high school classroom with all the cliques represented. Rachel played the Goth (don't ask me about the purple hair!).

I teared up every time the students carried the body of Jesus up the aisle through the audience singing, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord." I teared up every time I saw Rachel walk on stage. I teared up every time she sang her solo. And I teared up every time Jesus approached her to say goodbye.

Her character was really shy so she sat with her head down, and he reached down to lift her chin. She would smile and threw her arms around him. It made me so grateful that God has done this for her in real life; that she loves Him with all her heart.

She still has a little work to do on her acting. She was fantastic, but though her character was supposed to be shy she had such a joy on her face the whole performance that she appeared to be having nothing but fun.

I am so proud of her.

It was a very emotional weekend.

Lent

2007-03-06T12:09:00.000-05:00

So, I'm a couple of weeks late, but I need to comment on Lent. I don't celebrate Lent. I grew up in the Episcopal church, but didn't become a follower of Jesus until I was an adult, and that was in a contemporary non-denominational church. For me Lent has always been of historical interest, but not of spiritual interest.

However, God has been putting Lent in front of me over and over. I listened to a couple of podcast sermons about Lent and read some articles, so I knew I needed to consider it.

The idea of giving up something for Lent is appealing. When we give up things it helps us not be addicted to it, it helps us appreciate it more, and it helps us see how we've placed our hope in things and not Him. That's the idea behind the tithe.

It's also the idea behind helping the poor. While the relief of suffering is important, it's the change in those of us who reach out that is the most profound.

So, I think this is a tradition that non-traditional churches should bring back. Here are 40 ideas for Lent from Ship of Fools.

February Misc

2007-03-05T17:00:00.000-05:00

Friday Night Lights is the best show on television.

I'm really tired of the people appearing of television for the purpose of talking about how we shouldn't be talking about Anna Nicole Smith on television. If we shouldn't then don't.

The worst part of fasting for me isn't being hungry. It's my foggy brain and slower processing.

If I was on a desert island and only was able to listen to one singer the rest of my life it would have to be Francis Albert Sinatra, but only if the music was arranged by Nelson Riddle. If there was no Nelson Riddle, I don't know. Herb Alpert?

I wish Mark Martin had won Daytona.

I wish Arsenal had won the Carling Cup.

My Ipod is my favorite thing I've bought in a really long time.

Discernment at Mars Hill

2007-03-01T22:08:00.000-05:00

I heard one of the pastors at Mars Hill give a great definition and explanation of discernment. It fits in well with what we are doing here, and I couldn't have described this blog any better than he described discernment.

He said, "Discernment is simply the practice through which we get at the questions we all seem to ask. 'God, who are you? What are you doing? Where are you? And where do I fit in the story?'

"Discernment is living with your radar on. Awareness. Being fully present. Watching the news differently. Reading the newspaper differently. Driving through your neighborhood differently. And seeing the world with new eyes. Eyes that see where God is, what is He doing, and how He might be inviting me to join in on that.

"And, one of the key purposes of discernment is not always to seek answers, but to sit with our questions. To sit in the tension. And as we sit in the midst of those things to get a sense for what God's heart might be for us."

Dr. Jerry Falwell Environmentalist?

2007-02-28T21:15:00.000-05:00

Below is an advertisement Dr. Falwell sent out for a seminar concerning global warming (the event was last weekend in case you were interested in going). My question about something like this is who is the intended audience?

It's clearly not intended for those on the fence on the subject. Anyone who wants to explore this issue will realize this isn't a balanced presentation. Obviously anyone who disagrees with Dr. Falwell wouldn't be interested. So, the purpose is to educate those who already agree with Dr. Falwell on ways to win the argument.

That's certainly Dr. Falwell's right and if he feels this strongly about the subject I'd say it is an acceptable thing for him to do. But, it made me really sad to get this. Should the Church's goal be to win the argument and prevent "great damage to America"? Or should it be an attempt to love people into the Kingdom? Is anyone who disagrees with the church going to think, "Wow, they have something I really want."

Spend Sunday Morning and Evening, February 25, at Thomas Road Baptist Church

11:00 a.m. - Pastor Jerry Falwell will confront one of the world’s most controversial issues in his message entitled:

THE MYTH OF GLOBAL WARMING

* Is there incontrovertible scientific evidence of global warming?
* Will the curbing of greenhouse emissions affect the global climate?
* Do Christians have a moral responsibility to commit time and resources to the so-called
“green evangelical movement?”
* Should America submit to the international Kyoto Protocol even though China,
India, and most of the third world have refused to do so?

Pastor Falwell will expose, from a Biblical perspective, this international global warming fraud. He will explain why global warming is not due to human contribution of Carbon Dioxide. He will reveal why Al Gore and others are promoting the “earthism” movement and why this clandestine effort will eventually do great damage to America, unless it is unveiled, opposed and stopped.

Donald Miller in Relevant Magazine

2007-02-27T22:08:00.000-05:00

I heard Donald Miller tell a story on the Relevant Magazine podcast. There was a church in the Dallas area that became concerned about a Hooters opening in their neighborhood. Things started off well enough but obviously the Hooters had no intention of not opening, and the church wasn't interested in backing down. Soon it became almost a battle of wills and a pride thing.

The pastor started to question the actions of some of his congregation. He wasn't seeing Christ in their behavior, so he called a friend of his, Adam Bivy (I'm not sure if that's how his named is spelled. Sorry Adam.), and asked his opinion. After hearing the story Adam asked, "Do you want me to take care of it?" The pastor said, "Yes."

Adam bought a billboard in the same neighborhood and then approached the management of the Hooters. He asked them to start a campaign to raise money for children living in poverty in Africa. Then he went to the elders of the church and told them what the Hooters was doing, and he said each week he was going to post on the billboard how much the Hooters had raised and how much the church had raised.

I imagine a stunned silence, but the church did take on the challenge. Eventually the Hooters won, but as Don Miller summed up, "It changes everything at that point, because all of a sudden both of them are focused on an issue that does matter, and is more important than the other issue.... It was this sort of thing to say, 'Hey pull the log out of your own eye.' It was a beautiful deal that redeemed these people in the eyes of the church. They were no longer this enemy group of people."

What is your church unhappy about? Is there a log that needs to be examined first?

Sex in Church - Tim Kade and Epic Church

2007-02-26T15:33:00.000-05:00

The church no longer has much of a voice in issues of sexuality in society, other than that of the nagging, old-maid aunt sitting in the corner that no one listens to.

Tim Kade is a pastor at Epic Church in Michigan who is trying to give his church a voice in a creative way, and he's getting a lot of flack for it. My guess is that the flack is coming from within the church not from without.

If people can't come to the church for answers they will go somewhere else. What do you think?

This reminds me of the story of the lady who shyly approached her pastor to ask a question. In a small voice she said, "My husband and I have been having an argument, so can you settle it for us? Is it OK to have sex on Sunday before church?"

The pastor responded, "As long as you don't block the aisle."

The myth of Muslim support for terror

2007-02-24T21:16:00.000-05:00

The Christian Science Monitor had an interesting editorial the other day. When asked if they agree with the statement:

"Bombing and other attacks intentionally aimed at civilians are never justified."

Forty-six percent of Americans said they agreed, while in the four most populace Muslim countries 76-86 percent agreed.

They go on to point out that while this doesn't mean Americans secretly support terror, it does mean that we need to examine stereotypes and how foreign policy may be influenced by it.

I think that is a fair point, and other points they make in the article are legitimate as well. I'd encourage you to read it.

At the same time, I would be interested in hearing the whole survey and how questions were specifically worded. For example in the question above I would probably answer no, I don't agree. During World War II bombing of civilian areas was an important part of the Allies strategy.

I think their is a significant difference between bombing a factory manufacturing tanks and a marketplace full of women and children.

Habits

2007-02-24T20:40:00.000-05:00

One thing that fasting helps me realize is the power of habits. I have been hungry many times when I chose not to eat simply because I was too busy or focused on other things. I didn't really think twice about being hungry and ignored it. But, when I am fasting the hunger sometimes becomes overwhelming. It's not because I am starving. I am too much an American to have reached that point. Instead it is habit. If I really examine the desire coming from within me I understand that I have reached a time in the day when I habitually eat. I don't need it. I just act out of instinct.

This has also helped me understand that I also do this sometimes when I go to bed. I'm not terribly tired, but it is "bedtime" so to bed I go.

What if instead of following habits we followed the leading of the Spirit within us? What if we ate when we were truly hungry? Would we be healthier and spend less on food? What if we went to bed when we were really tired and arose when we were rested? Would we have more time in the day? What other habits can we break? How about TV watching? How about negative thoughts? What if we trained ourselves to ignore habits and turn them into positive habits? Would our lives be more productive and useful to the Lord?

Doing v. Planning

2007-02-23T23:02:00.000-05:00

One of my biggest challenges in ministry is the balance between doing the everyday tasks of ministry and spending time dreaming/planning about the bigger strategies of ministry. I could easily spend all day answering emails and returning phone calls and never spend any time thinking through the direction I am going and where I want to end up.

Obviously this is a common issue not just for ministry but for business and any big on-going endeavour. There are a million books written about just this topic in any business section of any book store.

My church has recently been going through an "identity crisis". The leadership of the church is not sure the direction we have been going is the direction we have been called. It's been only slightly off, but over time that puts us pretty far from the correct path. They examine the fruit and don't see God's hand in it.

It would be easy to miss that if you aren't looking at the big picture. Where do you start to change that? Our church has called for a 21 day "Daniel" fast, where people give up sweets and meat for three weeks. We hope to draw ourselves to the Lord and then He will provide the answers.

I'm grateful for leadership that took the time to look at the overall picture. Without that it would be very easy for the church to just plug along, one day at a time, until it is too late to go back.

A Childlike Approach

2007-02-22T22:48:00.000-05:00

My daughter works at Jimmy John's, a sandwich shop. When I picked her up tonight she told me about a man and his son who had came in to pick up dinner. The boy was about three and when he entered the shop he marched straight up to the counter, put his hands on his hips, and said, "Do you have any chocolate milk?"

Rachel responded, "I'm sorry honey we don't."

The boy turned incredulously to his father. "They don't have any chocolate milk!"

"That's OK," the father said. "We'll get you some when we get home."

The boy was satisfied until he came up with a better idea. "I know dad. You can get a sandwich and I can get ice cream!"

The father compromised and decided on a chocolate chip cookie instead. When Rachel handed the boy the cookie he held it up, gazing at it in wonder. "Look at all the chocolate dad!!

Rachel's story reminded me about Jesus' admonition. "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

Do we enter into God's presence with the same wonder and joy as this little boy? How about church? How about acts of service?

18,000 children will die today of malnutrition

2007-02-20T13:27:00.000-05:00

James Morris, the head of the United Nations food agency said Friday that 18,000 children die every day because of hunger and malnutrition and 850 million people go to bed every night with empty stomachs, a "terrible indictment of the world in 2007." (The total figure is 30,000 children a day, but that also includes those who perish from disease.)

When people hear statistics like this we have a tendency to be overwhelmed. How in the world can I help with a problem like that? There is more than enough food in the world for all these people. The problem is access. Corruption, greed, apathy and poverty all contribute to keep too much food in the United States and not enough in the developing world.

The best way I know for an individual to contribute to the solution is to sponsor a child with Compassion International. Compassion works through the local church, so the food these children need isn't sitting in a warehouse, it isn't contributing to the increasing wealth of an already wealthy elite. It's on a plate at the church waiting for the child.

Morris said, "The little girl in Malawi who's fed, and goes to school: 50 percent less likely to be HIV-positive, 50 percent less likely to give birth to a low birth weight baby. Everything about her life changes for the better and it's the most important, significant, humanitarian, political, or economic investment the world can make in its future."

You can contribute to that change today. Click here to sponsor a child. It will change your life too.

You can also bring this message to your church. Click here to learn more, or let me know you are interested and I'd be glad to help.

What's your goal? - A story from Bill Handel

2007-02-17T12:52:00.000-05:00

I heard a story on a radio talk show, Handel on the Law, this morning. Two men in Florida were standing on a public street and passing out Bibles. The police told them to stop, they refused and were arrested.

My eyebrows raised at that and I waited to hear more. As the host explained, it turns out they were passing them out at a public school and several times walked on to the school grounds. The police warned them several times that they couldn't do that, but they continued to do so. So, the police ordered them to leave. They went to their car, which was illegally parked, and sat watching the police, clearly waiting for them to leave. The police again told them to leave, they refused, so they were arrested. That sounded much more reasonable to me.

I asked myself what kind of witness these men gave to the police and the school officials, but it was the reaction of the talk show host that gave me the most pause. Handel is a lawyer, and he said it would be illegal if the police stopped these men from passing out Bibles on the public street, but not on school grounds.

However Handel also said, ignoring the legal issues, as a parent he is in favor of these men being dragged to jail, tortured and shot (that's just how he talks. He doesn't really mean it literally, but it shows his emotions about it). He said, "I don't care if they are passing out the Bible, the Koran, the Watchtower, or whatever, these men have no business approaching children to try to influence their religious views without their parents consent!"

I imagine these men are pretty proud of what they did. But, what was their goal? Was it to bring people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? I wonder how many people, like Handle, want even less to do with Christianity than they did before the men did their work? Was the ultimate result that fewer people will know Jesus than before?

What's your role?

2007-02-15T22:05:00.000-05:00

In 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a lawyer from Braintree Massachusetts stood to address the Continental Congress. This group of men was an illegal group who had gathered to navigate through the issues and conflicts the colonies in America had with England. By this time the dispute had almost reached the point of armed conflict, and while some still held out hope for reconciliation, many if not most believed a complete break with England was not only necessary but inevitable.

This lawyer who stood was named John Adams. He had been involved with political issues for some time, but not as much as his second cousin, Samuel Adams, who also was in the room. Samuel Adams was one of the key leaders in the build up to this point, and it is possible that without his efforts the initial spark of rebellion that began in Boston would never have happened.

John Adams proposed to this group that the Congress create a Continental Army to face the British. Samuel Adams agreed with his cousin's appeal, and he was confident that his name would soon be put forward to lead this army. However, an incredulous look came over his face as his cousin spoke; as his cousin proposed the name of a Virginian to lead the army.

George Washington had a genius and humility that only came out in the conflict and the early years of the United States. He held together the rebellion by shear force of will, he understood better than anyone else how to ultimately defeat the world's most powerful nation, and when he was in position to and could have easily taken power for himself, he shocked the world by stepping down into retirement.

It is clear that the world would be a very different place without Washington. It is also clear that the world would be a very different place had Samuel Adams been given command of the Continental Army. Despite what Adams wanted, that was not his role.

Do you have a deep desire for a specific role in your job, church or life in general? What if that is not the role God has for you? Isn't it better to step aside for the right person and the right time than to step into a role you want but may not be the best thing for you or anyone? Be in prayer that God will show you your true role and just as important that He will show you what is not your role.

New pics

2007-02-07T11:58:00.000-05:00

Check out my new photos and let me know what you think.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/compassionmatt

Liberty Part 3 - The Jarhead

2007-02-04T23:39:00.000-05:00

This morning I visited the graveyard at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. There were lots of graves, including that of my grandfather, who served in World War II. They fought and defeated Hitler, one of many evil megalomaniacs of the Twentieth Century who never attacked the United States, but slaughtered innocents and threatened the world's stability.

This evening I saw the film Jarhead. Jake Gyllenhaal plays a self absorbed, whiny young man who volunteered for the Marines and then was very upset when he had to serve. His character was in Desert Storm, fighting Saddam Hussein another of the Twentieth Century's evil megalomaniacs who never attacked us except peripherally, but who slaughtered innocents and threatened the world's stability.

I don't want to underestimate or dismiss the horror of war and the heroism of those who serve in combat. I never have served in this way, so those who have owe me no obligation to listen to my words and they should have the first and last word on this matter. At the same time, it diminishes the sacrifice of those who secured our liberty and who fought against evil when the nobility of a sacrifice is completely ignored just to expose the horror.

John Adams once said (I paraphrase), "We study government and politics so our children can study engineering and architecture, and so their children can study art and music." Much to my dismay I believe that is exactly what happened to our country despite the evil that encroaches from many directions. We expect a generation who is raised to worship comfort and superficiality to understand honor, courage and nobility. I sometimes despair our future to withstand the evil as my grandfather did.

Liberty Part 2 - The Queen

2007-02-04T10:34:00.000-05:00

I saw the movies The Queen the other day. It was a terrific movie with amazing performances by Helen Miran as Queen Elizabeth II and Michael Sheen as Tony Blair. The story was set during the week following Princess Diana's death when the culture and morals of post-war Britain came in direct conflict with the changing society of the 1990's. I highly recommend this movie.

However, there was one part of the film that I found particularly interesting. A survey, cited at the height of the crisis with the Queen, says one in four Britons wanted to abolish the monarchy.

At first glance this may seem a no brainer. The British government gives the royal family more than 30 million pounds a year, not to mention all the property they possess. As an American I obviously don't have the same emotional investment in the monarchy that a British citizen might have, so when looking at the balance sheet of what the royals bring and what they take it's an easy decision.

But, I am against the abolition of the monarchy. Why? Tradition and history are disposed of far too easily these days. In an era of fifteen minutes of fame, anything more than a decade old is deemed irrelevant. The monarchy is an institution that dates back more than 1,000 years, and it is an institution that has adapted and changed over the centuries to embrace (admittedly sometimes not very willingly) the trend towards liberty that was birthed in Britain.

While there have been comments in the past, there hasn't been a significant call to abolish the monarchy until the last fifty years. I think it is unwise to eliminate a thousand year old institution after a relative handful of years debate.

When we ignore history and tradition we don't see our own society for what it truly is. The present is too close to judge who we are. We need the lens of history. For example, we wouldn't know how wealthy and privileged we are without looking at the average person in the past. We wouldn't know what true despotism is unless we look at the despots of the past. Looking backwards at a monarch that can and does randomly kill its subjects, or pull girls off the street to abuse helps us recognize a person like Saddam Hussein and his sons. On the other hand, remembering the past helps us see that what these days is often labeled tyranny is simply an annoyance.

Of course some very old institutions needed to be abolished; slavery is the best example of that. But even that tells us something about ourselves. There is something to learn from a society that ends an institution like slavery that has lasted thousands of years and still exists in many places.

No one asked me, and of course I have no voice in the debate. But, if I were a British citizen I would be very careful how I dismantle the past. Without an understanding of the past tyranny may appear and never be recognized until it is too late.

January Miscellaneous

2007-02-01T20:25:00.000-05:00

Does anyone tell a story in music better than Meatloaf?

Does anyone make a short story long better (?) than Meatloaf?

Is there ever a more disappointing dinner than meatloaf?

I’m not sure if I am more disgusted or offended by eating competitions.

There isn’t a better name in college football than University of Texas quarterback Colt McCoy.

Do the people who have Grand Oil Party bumper stickers see the irony of putting those on their cars?

There is no better dialogue on TV than on Friday Night Lights. When the coach and his wife are arguing it is perfect.

I love watching TV shows on the Internet. An hour long show is only 45 minutes with barely any commercials.

KROQ is the greatest radio station in the world.

I wish I could get Internet radio in my car.

I just heard a caller to a radio station say, "I was just flipped off by a guy whose license plate says 'What would Jesus do?'" Probably not that.

The Souper Bowl of Caring

2007-01-31T09:53:00.000-05:00

I'm a huge football fan, and I will be watching the Super Bowl on Sunday. But the economics of the game are a little out of hand. Let's look at some stats:

--Depending on who you ask the game could bring anywhere from $40 to $400 million dollars to the Miami area.

--Commercial time will cost somewhere between $1.8 to $2.6 million per thirty seconds.

--In addition, companies will spend tens of millions just filming the commercials.

--CBS paid over $600 million dollars for their NFL rights, and the NFL made more than $3 billion for all broadcast rights this year.

Now, I am a capitalist that believes that corporations making money is good for everyone. However, the ultimate source of all of these dollars is the individual who are buying the products that are advertised, and it represents a distortion of our priorities. Consumerism and discontent drive all this money.

So, here is one way to turn Super Bowl Sunday into something more than a worship of football and spending. The Souper Bowl of Caring is a great way to engage young people in service, and best of all, the Souper Bowl of Caring will send you everything you need to make it happen. And, you can do this and still see the game!

It’s not too late to sign up! Please click here to join thousands of others in making Souper Bowl weekend the nation's largest youth-led weekend of giving and serving!

Liberty Part 1 - A Rabbi's Warning to U.S. Christians

2007-01-26T13:56:00.000-05:00

I have been thinking a lot about liberty lately. I'm going to start an ongoing series on the topic. I think it is a topic that needs to be addressed by the church for two reasons. One, there are a lot of threats coming in the near future, and two because Christians need to respond appropriately and I don't always know what that response should be.

Here is the first entry, not because it is most important or an introduction, but because I just read it. I found it at:

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53748

A Rabbi's Warning to U.S. Christians

By Rabbi Daniel Lapin

I am certainly not a Churchill. I am not even a Revel. I am having enough trouble just trying to be a Lapin. But I am issuing a very serious warning about deep consequences, just as they did. It is a warning about the earliest stages of what could become a cataract of disasters if not resisted now.

During the 1930s, Winston Churchill desperately tried to persuade the English people and their government to see that Hitler meant to end their way of life. The British ignored Churchill, which gave Hitler nearly 10 years to build up his military forces. It wasn't until Hitler actually drew blood that the British realized they had a war on their hands. It turned out to be a far longer and more destructive war than it needed to be had Churchill's early warning been heeded.

In 1983, a brave French writer, Jean-Francois Revel, wrote a book called "How Democracies Perish." In this remarkable volume, he described how communism's aim is world conquest. For decades he had been trying to warn of communism's very real threat. Yet in January 1982, a high State Department official said: "We Americans are not solving problems, we are the problem." (Some things never change.) A good portion of the planet fell to communism, which brought misery and death to millions because we failed to recognize in time that others meant to harm us.

Heaven knows there was enough warning during the 1980s of the intention of part of the Islamic world to take yet another crack at world domination. Yet instead of seeing each deadly assault on our interests around the world as a test of our resolve, we ignored it. We failed the test and lost 3,000 Americans in two unforgettable hours.

I am not going to argue that what is happening now is on the same scale as the examples I cite above, but a serious war is being waged against a group of Americans. I am certain that if we lose this war, the consequences for American civilization will be dire.

Phase one of this war I describe is a propaganda blitzkrieg that is eerily reminiscent of how effectively the Goebbels propaganda machine softened up the German people for what was to come.

There is no better term than propaganda blitzkrieg to describe what has been unleashed against Christian conservatives recently.

Consider the long list of anti-Christian books that have been published in recent months. Here are just a few samples of more than 30 similar titles, all from mainstream publishers:

"American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America"

"The Baptizing of America: The Religious Right's Plans for the Rest of Us"

"The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason"

"Piety & Politics: The Right-wing Assault on Religious Freedom"

"Atheist Universe: The Thinking Person's Answer to Christian Fundamentalism"

"Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts the Faith and Threatens America"

"Religion Gone Bad: The Hidden Dangers of the Christian Right"

What is truly alarming is that there are more of these books for sale at your local large book store warning against the perils of fervent Christianity than those warning against the perils of fervent Islam. Does anyone seriously think America is more seriously jeopardized by Christian conservatives than by Islamic zealots? I fear that many Americans believe just that in the same way that many pre-World War II Westerners considered Churchill a bigger threat than Hitler.
Some may say that today's proliferation of anti-Christian print propaganda is nothing to become worried about. To them I ask two questions:

First, would you be so sanguine if the target of this loathsome library were Jewish? Just try changing the titles in some of the books I mention above to reflect anti-Semitism instead of rampant anti-Christianism and you'll see what I mean.

Second, major movements that changed the way Americans felt and acted came about through books, often only one book. Think of Rachel Carson's 1962 error-filled "Silent Spring" that resulted in the pointless banning of the insecticide DDT and many unnecessary deaths. Other books that caused upheavals in our nation were Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle," many of Ayn Rand's books and of course "Uncle Tom's Cabin."

No, I would advise you not to underestimate the power of books to alter the behavior of the American public, and I fear for an America influenced to detest Christianity by this hate-filled catalog.

It is not just books but popular entertainment also that beams the most lurid anti-Christian propaganda into the hearts and minds of viewers. One need only think of who the real targets of the recent hit movie "Borat" are. The brilliant Jewish moviemaker Sacha Baron Cohen, as his title character, using borderline dishonest wiles, lures some innocent but unsophisticated country folk, obviously Christians, to join him in his outrageously anti-Semitic antics. Cohen then triumphantly claims to have exposed anti-Semitism. In fact, he has revealed nothing other than the latent anti-Christianism of America's social, economic and academic secular elites.

Even the recent PBS documentary, "Anti-Semitism in the 21st Century: The Resurgence," managed to do more attacking Christianity than defending Judaism.

Richard Dawkins, an Oxford University professor, is one of the generals in the anti-Christian army of the secular left. American academia treats him with reverence and hangs on his every word when he insists that "religious myths ought not to be tolerated."

For those with a slightly more tolerant outlook, he asks, "It's one thing to say people should be free to believe whatever they like, but should they be free impose their beliefs on their children?" He suggests that the state should intervene to protect children from their parents' religious beliefs. Needless to say, he means Christian beliefs, of course. Muslim beliefs add to England's charmingly diverse cultural landscape.

The war is against those who regard the Bible to be God's revelation to humanity and the Ten Commandments to be His set of rules for all time. Phase one in this war is to make Christianity, well, sort of socially unacceptable. Something only foolish, poor and ugly people could turn to.
We have seen how a carefully constructed campaign pretty much made it socially unacceptable to drink and drive. For years, there had been stringent laws against drunk driving. They achieved little. In the end, the practice was all but eliminated by groups allied with Mothers Against Drunk Driving and their effective ways of changing the way Americans thought about it.

We have seen how a carefully constructed campaign has pretty much made it socially unacceptable to smoke. In the face of a relentless campaign (dare one call it propaganda?), Americans became docile and forfeited the right to make their own decisions. Nobody was willing to stand up to the no-smoking tyrants. Nobody even asked whether health was sufficient grounds for freedom to be reduced. Now, entire cities and even states have banned smoking, not only in public places but even in privately owned restaurants.

Tyranny comes when citizens are seduced into trading freedom for the promise of safety and security.

Considerably more intellectual energy is being pumped into the propaganda campaign against Christianity than was ever delivered to the anti-smoking or anti-drunk-driving campaigns. Fervent zealots of secularism are flinging themselves into this anti-Christian war with enormous fanaticism.

If they succeed, Christianity will be driven underground, and its benign influence on the character of America will be lost. In its place we shall see a sinister secularism that menaces Bible believers of all faiths. Once the voice of the Bible has been silenced, the war on Western Civilization can begin and we shall see a long night of barbarism descend on the West.
Without a vibrant and vital Christianity, America is doomed, and without America, the West is doomed.

Which is why I, an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, devoted to Jewish survival, the Torah and Israel am so terrified of American Christianity caving in.

Many of us Jews are ready to stand with you. But you must lead. You must replace your timidity with nerve and your diffidence with daring and determination. You are under attack.

Now is the time to resist it.

Practicing Social Justice

2007-01-26T09:50:00.000-05:00

I found this in the Prism epistle. These are some good tips, though I don't agree with all of them (can you guess which ones?). Still it is a good place to begin a discussion of putting feet to your faith!

Practical ways to practice social justice from the mischievous folks at Simple Way and GEEZ Magazine

--Go out to eat with someone who is homeless, or invite them to your home or cafeteria to eat with you.

--Leave a random tip (and - why not? - a thank you note) in the restroom at your place of work or study for the folks who clean them.

--Find out who makes your favorite brands of clothes and if those companies reflect the values of Christ. If not, write the CEOs a letter asking them to change.

--Start tithing 10% of all income directly to the poor [Note from Matt: I included the link from the original article, but I of course also recommend sending donations to Compassion!]

--Connect with a group of farm workers who grow food for your restaurant or favorite restaurant (such as Taco Bell's Immokalee workers).

--Give your winter coat away to someone who is colder than you are.

--Ask to see the budget of your school, child’s school, or place of employment, etc. What do the workers get paid compared to the administrators? Make sure folks know: if you are proud of the way things are done, affirm the folks who make those decisions; if not, begin a conversation with both workers and administrators about how to improve.

--Ask where your campus/place of employment/church gets its energy. Is it renewable? If not, propose a plan for moving toward renewable energy (talk to folks at Eastern University about how they have done it by an optional ecological tax that is tacked onto tuition - it's only a few dollars per student).

--Write one CEO a month - affirm or critique the ethics of their company (you may need to do a little research).

--Try sitting in silence for 15 minutes a day.

--Kill your TV (consider gutting your TV and turning it into a pot for a plant) - or go TV free for a year.

--Go down a line of parked cars and pay for the meters that are about to expire. Leave a little anonymous note of niceness. [Note from Matt: While I believe this is a great thing to do, it may not be legal in all communities. So, watch your back!]

--Beat a war machine into a plow, without hurting anyone of course (Isaiah 2:4) - NOTE: you might want to plan on a little sabbatical after this one, a little reading and writing retreat - in jail.

--Write to one social justice organizer or leader each month, just to encourage them in their work.

--Experiment with a post-oil era by going fuel-free for a week - ride a bike everywhere, carpool, walk or hitchhike.

--Try reading only female writers for a year (since many of our problems seem to be stemming from men).

--Go to a retirement home and ask to visit a few old folks who don't get any visitors.

--Spend some time with someone who cleans your campus/place of employment/church, get to know each other, share your stories.

--Invite one of the college/office cafeteria staff to your home for dinner.

--Track to its source one item you eat regularly.

--Try flushing your toilets with dirty sink water (for a little guide, check here).

--Buy only used (thrift) clothes for a year.

--Cover up all brand names, or at least the ones that do not reflect the upside down economics of God's Kingdom.

(Hang out with the Simple Way folks and the GEEZ folks.)

Christian Meditation

2007-01-24T15:45:00.000-05:00

I finished reading two books today. The first was Into the Silent Land by Martin Laird. It is subtitled "A guide to the Christian practice of contemplation", and it is essentially a how to book about Christian meditation. Drawing on scripture and the writings of Christian contemplatives he walks the reader through the practice and the benefits of meditation. He also offers several real life scenarios of people who have been helped through difficult life-challenges by beginning the practice.

The second book is titled Catching the Big Fish and it was written by director David Lynch. In this book he discusses creativity, film making and his life-long practice of Transcendental Meditation. He credits meditation for helping him tap into a universal field or consciousness, which helps him generate ideas and maintain creativity. He also credits it with creating an atmosphere of peace and bliss. He offers several real life scenarios of people, including himself, who have been helped through difficult life-challenges by beginning the practice of meditation.

It struck me how much the two books had in common. They often used the same language and when they didn't it was easy to understand what would have been said by the other author. For example, Laird wouldn't talk about transcending into a consciousness, but would talk about God. Many of the techniques they espouse and most of the goals are the same as well.

It also struck me that many Christians would be blessed by reading Laird's book and would never pick up Lynch's. I've heard Christians say that TM opens ones mind to the workings of demons. And, admittedly Lynch promotes something that is very much about "self"; self-focus, self-enlightenment, self-transcendence.

But, so much of what Lynch talked about could benefit any Christian trying to be more like Christ, or live a life of creativity. Can't we look at something like TM and fill in the blanks based on the complete truth we understand? Or maybe there is truth we don't fully understand yet?

Scripture says God is written on the hearts of all men. I think we have something to learn from those who have been searching for God even when they don't know His name. And, as a follower of Jesus, I don't need to fear the different or unknown.

Five Streams of the Emerging Church

2007-01-23T10:10:00.000-05:00

Scot McKnight has written a terrific article in Christianity Today about the emerging church. If you are curious, interested, scared or peeved at the emerging church movement it is a great entry point for learning more about it.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/february/11.35.html

Answered Prayers

2007-01-21T22:38:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning in Rochester, NY and immediately flipped on the Weather Channel. I was headed to Cincinnati by way of Chicago, and a big ol' storm was moving from Kansas all the way through the Ohio valley. I was pretty convinced it was going to mess up all my travel plans.

I prayed as I got ready and periodically until I was sitting on the plane to Chicago. I asked God, who once calmed a storm on the Sea of Galilee, to keep the weather from impacting my flights. The pilot had told us that we were on delay for about 45 minutes, but as I was in the process of speaking my prayer in my mind he came on and said, "Please prepare for immediate takeoff." Turns out, he later explained, there were a couple of spots open and the planes in front of us had turned off their engines. So, we got the spot instead.

The flight was very smooth to Chicago until we began our descent. The pilot told us that we needed to stay in our seats for the rest of the flight as it was about to get pretty rough. It never did. He came on a while later and said, "I know I told you it was going to be a bumpy flight and it isn't. I can't really explain it as every other flight on the same path is complaining of the rough ride." I smiled as I knew why our ride was smooth.

In Chicago one flight to Cincinnati had already been cancelled, but I didn't worry about it. I knew the Lord was going to get me where I was going. He did and I arrived after another very smooth flight.

Today was one of those days that I really felt the Lord's presence. It was a small thing. It didn't impact anything except making me happy. I think that was all the Lord wanted to accomplish.

Sponsor my kid!

2007-01-20T12:00:00.000-05:00

I must admit it is frustrating when I am standing at a table covered with pictures of children in need of sponsors and a parent says to me, "My kids are the ones who need sponsors." Typically they are joking, but it comes from a heart that doesn't understand poverty or stewardship.

I'd love to ask them to let me see their car (or car payment statement), their home, their credit card bill, their food budget, their entertainment budget, etc. Of course, there are many people who could look at my budget and tell me how much more I can do, so I just smile and look for an opportunity to educate.

Now, however, thanks to the people at Geez, I have a place to send them! What a great idea! Check it out here.

So, if you want to sponsor a child in need click here.

If you need to find a sponsor for your child, click here.

Another trip

2007-01-19T19:05:00.000-05:00

I leave again in the morning. My next trip:

6 days
10 flights
7 airports
5 rental cars
7 states

Yikes! I could use some prayer for good weather!!

Survey Results

2007-01-18T10:35:00.000-05:00

I heard the results of a survey on the radio this morning. This was a survey of eight-year-olds asking, "What is the very best thing?" You'd expect answers like ice cream or staying up late. Instead here are the top three answers:

1. Being famous
2. Being good looking
3. Being rich

These are eight-year-olds. They are kids who are watching too much television, exposed to cultural that is inappropriate to their age, exposed to adults with wildly misplaced priorities, allowed to be influenced too much by a materialistic society, and without spiritual guidance.

I'd be interested how the answers would differ in and out of the church. I fear they wouldn't differ much.

Is this your household? It probably is if your eight-year-old,

1. Knows who Paris Hilton is.
2. Sees a People, Us or In Touch magazine in your home.
3. Can name the person any celebrity is dating.
4. Can name a single show on MTV or VH1.

If that's you, then it is probably time to turn your television into a planter.

New Year's Resolutions Revisited

2007-01-17T11:05:00.000-05:00

It's only been two weeks and my resolutions are in shambles. Well, shambles isn't the right word, but I haven't kept to the letter of the law. But, that was part of the point of my last post on the subject. You don't have to keep it perfectly; if it was that easy to change your life everyone would do it. Instead, when you want to change something go for it, and when you stumble pick yourself up and try again.

So, here is the update:

--My wife and I are going into "boot camp". For the next 40 days we are exercising each day, eating in moderation, no desserts and no alcohol. We've been pretty good about working out and eating right, but in the busyness of the fall and the holidays we've slacked significantly. The idea of the boot camp is to get us into the habit again, so we can move into a more manageable lifestyle after that. And, I figure I can do anything for 40 days.

This has gone pretty well. Moderation at mealtime and I haven't had alcohol at all this year. I've had a couple of desserts when I was eating out and it was served without me asking for it, but nothing too bad. I've missed a couple of days working out when I was travelling, but I've been consistent for the most part. Saturday will be half way on this one.

--I want to improve my ability to memorize scripture, so I'll be working on that this year. Each week I'll choose a short passage of scripture and a poem that I am going to memorize.

Abject failure. I started the first week and let busyness overcome intentions.

--I want to improve my discipline in writing, so I'm committing to writing a blog entry every day for a year. I am pretty sure I'll fall short of this one; when I travel it can be pretty difficult to find time to write. And, some will be much shorter than others. But, that's the goal.

I made every day for about two weeks, and then my travel schedule got to me. Even though I had Internet access I haven't posted since last week. Time to get back on schedule!

--Making quiet and prayer time a habit.

Moderate failure. I've been good in my ongoing relationship with God, but not setting aside consistent time.

--Spending more time with my wife talking about life instead of the tasks of life.

Doing pretty well with this, but travel and school are starting to get in the way.

So, overall a pretty poor performance. But, today is as good a day to regroup as the first of January, so let's see where I go from here!

Wealth, Poverty and Home schooling

2007-01-10T07:59:00.000-05:00

We home schooled our kids, the first two until junior high and the second two until high school. In fact my youngest son, who turns 15 in a couple of weeks, just entered "school" for the first time in his life this year. I still get a tug on my heart when I realize the house is empty, missing that my kids aren't upstairs.

One of the things home schoolers talk about is how education as it has developed is a relatively new thing. In the past a son would be educated by working alongside his father and a daughter would be educated working alongside her mother. They would learn the skills they needed to be a father and mother as well as the skills they needed to pursue a trade. That's why we assume Jesus was a carpenter; Joseph was a carpenter, so it is assumed that he taught this skill to his oldest son.

That all changed with the Industrial Revolution when families would go their separate ways for a factory job. Because democracy depends on an educated population, because of the changes in necessary knowledge, and because children were no longer being educated by their parents the public school system that we know (at least in the United States) developed. The system that so many of us think of as normal is really less than 100 years old.

When home schoolers talk about this, they often compare themselves to a farm or skilled labor family of the 19th or 18th century. However it occured to me today that this is not really a valid comparison. The average middle class American is not the equivilent of the average middle class American of the 1800's.

We are the richest people in the history of the world. I live in a fairly modest area of the country. In 2004 the median household income in the county where I live was $32,330. If that’s how much you make you are in the top 5% of the richest people in the world.

In Starr County, TX one of the poorest areas of the United States. The median household income is $16,504. If that’s your income you are in the top 12% of the richest people in the world.

Last year, my oldest son was a full-time student and delivered pizza part time. He made about $600 a month. That puts him in the to 14% richest people in the world.

If you have clothes in a closet and food in refrigerator you are richer than 80% of the world.

Now often we’ll hear stats like that and think, “Yes, but things cost more here." However, even adjusting for price differences we are still the richest people in history. And keep in mind that we don’t have more money because things cost more. Things cost more because we have more money. If you lived on $1 a day your housing would cost less, but it would be a shack made out of mud.

So, when we compare ourselves to the people of the past, we need to compare ourselves to the wealthy and to the royalty. We are the elite, and when we read in the Bible about the dangers of wealth we need to realize that God is speaking directly to us.

If you want to see how wealthy you are click here.

If you want to use a very small portion of your wealth to help a child who is not one of the elite click here.

Invincible and the poor

2007-01-09T09:14:00.000-05:00

I found it interesting watching the movie Invincible yesterday that it did a pretty good job of driving home an important point about poverty.

Poverty is typically thought of as a lack of money. But, after working for 50+ years among the poor, Compassion realizes that is not what poverty is. It is a symptom of poverty. Poverty is really about two things: a lack of opportunities and a lack of hope. Invincible was set in South Philadelphia in the 1970's. Many of the factory jobs were ending and those that weren't struggled with labor issues putting families on strike. The characters barely made enough money to survive, picking up whatever work they could find.

Yet the poverty that existed there, and still exists in some places in the United States is not the same thing as the poverty that exists in the developing world. People in the United States as a rule do not lack opportunity. There are always challenges to overcome, but between government and charitable programs and educational opportunities almost everyone in the United States has the chance to make their lack of resources temporary.

However, the aspect of poverty that does exist here and was well portrayed in the movie was the lack of hope. This definitely exists in the poor in the United States. Several times the main character in the movie was told that he shouldn’t try because he wasn’t good enough to succeed. This message wasn’t coming from those “above” him, but instead from those who were his peers. The message was, “There is no reason to try to improve. You can’t do it, because I can’t.”

This is a self-perpetuating cycle that makes it difficult to break the poverty cycle, and it is a real problem for those in poverty both in the United States and overseas. So, there are two conclusions to draw from that. First, the poverty in the United States where there is not a lack of opportunities but there is a real hopelessness is very different than the poverty overseas and therefore needs to be addressed in very different ways. Second, the poverty in the US, even though the economic poverty is not comparable to the poverty in the developing world is no less real poverty.

It is one thing to say these things academically, but what is nice about a movie that represents this well is it helps you understand the human impact on individuals. Invincible did that well.

I made it!

2007-01-08T17:17:00.000-05:00

I made it to Colorado without any problems. It is pretty amazing the problems we can invent in our head and anticipate, yet here I am without a hitch.

I saw the movie Invincible staring Mark Wahlberg. It's about a Philadelphia bartender who does a walk on try out for the Eagles and makes the team. It is very predictable, but I really enjoyed it. It is worth seeing.

We'll see if we have Internet access at our retreat center. If not I'll be away for a few days.

Headed for Colorado

2007-01-07T22:12:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a record high in my town; it hit about 65, and I considered pulling out a pair of shorts. Tomorrow I head for Colorado, where it is currently 17 degrees. Here is a part of an email I received over the holidays from someone who lives there:

We got 48 inches here last week that never melted but at least compressed to about 30”, then another 8 inches on Christmas eve night, right now we have another 18 or so inches on top of that today with another 25 inches yet predicted between now and Sunday afternoon. And it is not letting up at all!

They got another 8 inches yesterday, and it is forecast to snow on Friday when I am supposed to be headed home.

So, I am praying I don't spend more time in an airport waiting for delayed flights this week than I do taking care of the business at hand!!

The Christian and Alcohol

2007-01-06T10:26:00.000-05:00

Tall Skinny Kiwi has an interesting conversation about drinking alcohol. Can't say there is anything there I disagree with, especially his points at the end.

My wife and I drink alcohol, primarily wine a couple of times a week, though we both like an occasional beer. We'll also pick up some brandy when we're sick. (We are currently in the middle of a 40-day alcohol ban, though that is for health and weight loss reasons and not spiritual ones). And, even though we live in the South (US) we know lots of Christians who drink.

Our church sends very mixed messages. As I mentioned before, a primary theme of the church is our freedom in Christ, and I know at least one elder who drinks. But, the main teaching pastor is very much against any Christian drinking. He has a tremendous heart for college age students and runs our internship program that is full of these young adults, and he has seen the impact of alcohol on that age group. He has even gone so far to say that anyone in leadership at the church should not drink. He was voted down because the other elders asked if leadership should be overweight as that is a sign of gluttony? What about envious? What about self-righteous?

My pastor's point is, why drink if it potentially will cause a stumbling block for someone; it is not worth it. He tells the story of a group of interns from the church holding a pizza party where they had beer. We live in a pretty small town and people know each other, so when the pizza delivery man came, he saw the beer and went back to the pizza place and said, "Those people call themselves Christians, but they are nothing but hypocrites. They're just like everyone else." It grieves my pastor that this young man was pushed away from the Lord just so the interns could have the freedom to have a beer.

While I certainly understand my pastor's point, I obviously disagree. He starts with an a priori assumption that a Christian or someone who is different from the world doesn't drink. I don't think that is true. Is it hypocritical for a Christian to drink? Only if one assumes that Christians don't drink. If you don't start with that assumption, then it is not hypocritical. (Being drunk and drinking are a different things to me). Would it be a good witness to demonstrate, especially to a group of college students, that it is possible to drink responsibly? I think so.

If I am with people who don't drink I usually don't, I don't drink too much, and I don't drink if I am driving. I think the ban on alcohol in most churches is a cultural issue, and not a spiritual one. What about you?

I was meeting with a pastor in his office a couple of months ago. As we sat down we had this conversation:

"Can I get you any coffee or water?"

"No thanks, I'm good."

"How about some Jack Daniels?" He asked with a smile.

I looked at him with confusion and said, "You're not Episcopalian."

Fortunately he laughed!

Love and Scripture: Will pets go to heaven?

2007-01-05T08:08:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine recently had an experience that to me highlights a significant problem in the church today.

But, before I start let me give a disclaimer. I understand the importance of the Bible. I understand the dangers of relativism and the need to be able to define and defend the basic orthodoxy of the faith. So, please don’t think I am dismissing those things. It’s just when the word is raised above The Word that I have trouble.

My friend, which I have mentioned before, had to put a beloved family pet to sleep. My friend isn’t sure what she believes concerning animals going to heaven, so seeing the grief my friend was going through a loving and well-intentioned friend of hers put together a list of scriptures that defend the belief that animals will be in heaven. My friend read these with interest and found a compelling argument in many of them (though she said many were a stretch and taken out of context). Still, she is weighing these scriptures and is still not sure what she believes.

As my friend was describing this incident I made several dismissive kinds of noises as I am apt to do when I am in judgment (of which I repent of now and ask forgiveness!). She interpreted this and said, “Well, you obviously don’t believe animals go to heaven.” I responded that I absolutely believe they do. What I was dismissing was the need to give a grieving friend a theology lesson.

Here’s the problem I have. I don’t believe animals, especially pets we love, will be in heaven because of scripture, and my grieving friend at that time didn’t need a lesson on the Greek root that is sometimes translated soul. I believe it, and so should she, because we know our father and His love for us. Can you imagine a loving father who would deny his child this simple pleasure? If so, it is not our heavenly father that I know.

Now, I may be completely wrong. I come into the presence of the Lord, my pets aren’t there, I ask why and God explains in a way I don’t understand now but will then. Fine. But, in the mean time, I will base these beliefs on the relationship I have with Him and my understanding of His character.

The Bible is a great and important book filled with many, many instructions and directions by which we should guide our lives. Word studies, interpretations, and a thorough understanding of scripture are good things. However, it is not an instruction manual. It is a love letter. It should lead us to Jesus, His love and His desire to fellowship with us. It should not lead us to a microscopic dissection, as a junior high school girl will dissect a note from a boy, to figure out exactly “What did he mean by that?”

What my friend needed was a hug and assurance, not time in the classroom. Jesus loves you. Rest in that love, try to comprehend it, feel His arms about you, His pleasure in you. Then open your Bible. You’ll learn much more about the nature of God that way.

Thoughts on church hopping

2007-01-04T06:16:00.000-05:00

I read somewhere that when a lion is trapped in the wild to be studied or tagged and it is put in a cage for an extended period of time, even when the cage is opened the lion is reluctant to move out of the confines it has grown accostomed to. The handler needs to tranqualize the lion and carry it out the cage then leave, removing the cage completely. I don't know if that is true, but I believe it likely. I see the same thing in other animals and I see the same thing in people. Once the bars are put in place, people stay inside them whether the bars remain or not.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing. It is easier to remain faithful or clean and sober out of habit than out of an ongoing fight against temptation. But of course, for those who struggle in these areas, infidelity or alcohol and the habits that aquire them make these vices the bars within which they are trapped.

The same can be true in a church. I have found that churches often have themes. The church I attended in California had a theme of love. Most of the teaching and ways to express the teaching came out of the pastor's strong conviction that without love we are just clanging gongs or chiming symbols. My first church in Virginia was all about salvation. Most sermons were about what Jesus did for us on the cross and the eternal life that awaits if we just believe. Every sermon ended with an alter call. The church I now attend comes back again and again to the theme of freedom; our freedom in Christ and how to get rid of the bonds that keep us from living that life in fullness and following Jesus completely. Each church had a theme, a box, that was not necessarily intentionally, but was in practice, returned to over and over again.

Once again this is not necessarily a bad thing. One reason there are individual congregations is to provide for the specific needs of the members and the local community. I came to the Lord in the California, so I was very much in need of a body that would unconditionally love me as I worked out many of the issues in my life. And, at the same time, it taught me to love in a way that equipped me for my future service. Of course we all need that, but sometimes we need an extra dose. That was me. Now, I am a bit beyond the need to be constantly loved on, but the theme of freedom rings particularly true.

So, while healthy, mature churches provide many of the same things: fellowship, corporate worship, accountability, teaching; the expression often has a different slant or theme. So, I've begun to question a little my thoughts on church hopping.

I have always been averse to church hopping. I've seen the negative aspects where people never make deep connections and never find accountability. I've believed that God puts us in a church as He puts us in a family, and it is our duty to stay there and make the church a better place even through the hard times.

I still believe that. And, I think most church hopping is out of fear of exposure of their innermost person, or out of a self-centered desire to stay disconnected and not take on responsibilities. But, aren't we as Christians called to grow over time? Don't our needs change? Don't the things we have to offer the body change?

If so, maybe there are times, more frequently than we expect, where God is calling us to a different church. Often when someone changes churches it is out of dissatisfaction, and I'm not sure that is what the Lord wants. It is through dissatisfaction and trial that we grow the most. But, maybe when we feel comfortable and satisfied in our church it is time to start praying and asking the Lord's direction. Is it time to grow at a different level in a different place? I don't know. That would mean leaving the church where we feel content in. But, if we hear the voice of the Lord we obviously have to go.

In actuality people who frequently change churches often do so because they are looking for external solutions to internal problems, and changing church may be taking them away from the place they need to be. But, maybe we need to rethink our ideas about staying in a church for a lifetime or even a longtime. There are people at my first Virginia church who have been there fifty plus years. They should be really good at evangelism by now, but what about the other areas they need to grow?

That brings us back to the lion. When our cage doors are opened and we see a different life available to us, do we sit back until we are forced to move into this new world? Or, do we step boldly into the wild adventure that God still has in store for us? What do you think?

Once again I don't have answers, just a lot of questions. Maybe this isn't really about church hopping, but about complacency, and I'm asking the wrong questions all together. But before I thought I had only answers to this specific question, so hopefully the questions are an opportunity for me to grow.

Kennedy Center Honors

2007-01-03T22:52:00.000-05:00

I watched some of the Kennedy Center Honors on CBS the other night. Here is what I saw and what I know. What I saw was the ceremony honoring Steven Spielberg. Five veterans of World War II came out to tell Mr. Spielberg that they truly appreciated what he had done to help the world remember their valiant efforts to keep Europe and the world free. One said he was the one who had painted a star of David on his uniform when landing on D-day; an event commemorated in the movie Saving Private Ryan. He then thanked Mr. Spielberg for "telling it like it truly was."

After these men spoke a woman who had survived the holocaust in Chekoslovakia came out. She said that many survivors worried that their story would be forgotten, but after the movie Schindler's List, they knew their story would never be lost.

Here is what I know. Another of the honorees was Dolly Parton. As part of her ceremony Jessica Simpson was to come out and sing the song 9 to 5. During her performance her dress started to come off, she forgot the words to the song, and she bolted off stage mid song.

Jessica Simpson is easily more famous than Steven Spielberg and far more people are interested in her life than his, let alone the soldiers who saluted the director. Does our generation, or the generation of the future have hope if these are the people that are idolized?

Art has such tremendous power. But what does it do to a society when sophomoric and banal art, and the people who make it, are lifted to this level of adulation?

2006 Wrap Up

2007-01-02T10:31:00.000-05:00

Mark Hollingsworth inspired me. While I am not nearly as thorough as he is and while I mocked him for his detail, here I am doing the same thing. So, thanks Mark! Now, I'm going to start writing down everything on my calendar just in case I need to know how many times I cut the grass. If I am up all night trying to remember, I am calling you!

So, here are the stats I kept for 2006!

Work:

6,000+ kids sponsored through the efforts of the advocates and church relationships in the Northeast. I am very proud to be a part of this tremendous effort, and know that the life of these kids will be changed forever!

This represents more than 11 million dollars raised over the next five years for good
health, education, nutrition, clothing, and opportunities for these kids, plus an immeasurable amount of love and encouragement passed on to these kids.

17 Advocate interviews

28 Conference calls (I thought that was a lot until I saw Mark's 100+. Yikes!)

12 in person advocate meetings

23 Pastor or church leader meetings

5 Speaking opportunities

Travel:

25 separate trips

81 flights covering about 82,000 miles

20 states and 3 countries

My wife Lisa was able to take four trips this year including two to Africa. That wasn't me, but I believe I contributed, as they wouldn't have happened without me. This is also to point out that all my trips would have happened without her!

Leisure:

97 movies in theaters, planes, or DVD's.
6 Virginia Tech games
1 weekend men's retreat
4 kid's concerts

Happy New Year!!

New Year's Resolutions

2007-01-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

It is somewhat fashionable, at least among my kids, to say, "I don't make any New Year's resolutions because I never keep them." I completely understand the sentiment. I weigh more than I said I would last New Year's and I didn't make it through the Bible in a year. I've made enough resolutions over the years that I haven't kept that I have also committed to no resolutions on many a New Year's Day.

However, this year I started thinking about resolutions in, for me, a different way. As Christians we are all called to grow and improve over our lives. I've often said, "If God were finished with me I wouldn't still be here." Paul talks about running the race to completion, and I don't think that's just about faith; I think it is striving to improve your ability to work and serve God and others.

So, I think resolutions are important. It helps us focus on and improve those areas that we need improvement. You don't need to make them on January 1st in the flurry of regret over holiday eating. But, New Year's does make a convenient time to reexamine and adjust.

Here are some things to keep in mind when making resolutions:

--Choose some short term and other long term goals. That way you are likely to reach at least some of them.

--Don't make too many. You are going to eliminate every bad habit in your life in a day or a week.

--Have some accountability. Make some resolutions with a partner.

--If you fail once in a resolution, don't completely give it up. Just because you ate that piece of cake on Martin Luther King's birthday doesn't mean you have to abandon all your diet plans for the rest of the year.

--Understand that even if you don't change forever, it doesn't mean you have failed. It is the striving that improves us not the finish line.

Having said that, here are some of my resolutions for the coming year.

--My wife and I are going into "boot camp". For the next 40 days we are exercising each day, eating in moderation, no desserts and no alcohol. We've been pretty good about working out and eating right, but in the busyness of the fall and the holidays we've slacked significantly. The idea of the boot camp is to get us into the habit again, so we can move into a more manageable lifestyle after that. And, I figure I can do anything for 40 days.

--I want to improve my ability to memorize scripture, so I'll be working on that this year. Each week I'll choose a short passage of scripture and a poem that I am going to memorize.

--I want to improve my discipline in writing, so I'm committing to writing a blog entry every day for a year. I am pretty sure I'll fall short of this one; when I travel it can be pretty difficult to find time to write. And, some will be much shorter than others. But, that's the goal.

--Making quiet and prayer time a habit.

--Spending more time with my wife talking about life instead of the tasks of life.

Those are the big ones I'm going to work on. Have you made resolutions this year? What are they? Share so we can help each other!

Death

2006-12-08T23:24:00.000-05:00

A close friend of mine had to put her dog down today. Destiny had been a part of their lives for 11 years, and she wrote, "Death is a difficult thing to handle. It just is so permanent." I can't agree more; I hate death.

When we had to put my cat Abigail down because of cancer I wrote:

My sweet little kitty lies dying
And while she doesn't care being so far gone
It makes my heart beat slowly
While I feel a stone lying in my stomach
That I want out with the pools on my desk
under my face I want gone
And I want the vet to call and say
He has it all figured out and it was a big mistake
And my sweet little kitty will come home
And lie in my chair while I try to work
But I can't sit all the way back
Because I don't want to disturb her
But I won't get what I want and I
Don't know why God doesn't listen to me about my kitty.

Destiny and Abby are pets, and I know the difference. I've lost loved ones, people, that were very close to me. But, the pets still hurt. Sometimes I wonder why God made death part of His plan.

Yes, I know in the Garden of Eden Adam wasn't destined to die. Yes, I know that God hates death too. But, I believe he made it part of His plan. He designed lions to kill gazelles. He designed birds to kill insects. Even when we eat bread, we've killed something living.

I don't have a problem with that. I don't want to be a hunter; I think I'd like everything about it but the killing. But, I know when I eat a hamburger, all I did was have someone else kill for me. I understand that and I don't have a problem with it.

But, I still hate the dying part, and I wonder why God made it that way. I was sitting on my deck on a warm fall day when our cat JB, the outdoor cat, caught a rabbit. I saw him dart into the bushes. I heard the bunny scream. He came out with the rabbit still struggling in his mouth. It was too far to go to help the rabbit.

I don't blame JB. That's what he was designed to do. That's how God made him. But, sometimes I blame God. Why is that how He made things? Why is death part of life?

When Abby died I was really pissed at God. I know my friend has far more faith than me, so she wouldn't say she is mad at God for Destiny. But still... It hurts.

Lord, I trust you. Lord, I love you. Lord, I believe in you. Lord, I know I don't have to understand, but simply to obey and follow the oath I have made to you. But, sometimes I wish you'd explain yourself a little better to me.

New Pictures

2006-12-08T22:32:00.001-05:00

I have some new pictures up. I'd love to hear what you think!

I Like To Make Things

2006-12-04T20:53:00.000-05:00

I like to cut and glue and hammer and nail
I like to write stories and letters to mail
I like to paint pictures, craft songs to sing
The only trouble is I never finish a thing

The yard holds a shed without any walls
The garage, a dollhouse with no floors at all
I have chairs without legs, a clock with no spring
As you can see, I never finish a thing

Stones to be polished, pictures to frame
A garden half planted, a game with no name
Decks without varnish, the doorbell won't ring
One of these days I'll finish these things

I'll start a mosaic but run out of tiles
I’ll go get some more, after a while
But first, a glider with feathers for wings!
I'll get to the rest after I finish this thing

But, of course, I don't finish, it sits with the rest
Piles of junk I once looked at with zest
But now they remind me of the trouble it brings
Whenever I start even one of these things

But now I'm determined to finish each one
I'll start with this poem, I'll work till I'm done
Then to the next project I'll jump with a spring
And I won't stop till

Champaign lives and caviar dreams

2006-12-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

I'm off to Champaign Illinois for the weekend to meet with a church mission's committee. It is supposed to be 20 degrees there tomorrow.... I'm ready for summer.

At the same time, I can praise the Lord that I wasn't flying yesterday. I am transferring through O'Hare and pretty much every flight out of O'Hare was cancelled yesterday because of a blizzard freezing out the Midwest.

There is always a bright side!

Horele's Corn

2006-12-01T08:44:00.000-05:00

Here's another great post from Mark Hollingsworth. Be sure to check out his Myspace.

With each passing generation, the rugged surface of Haiti's Massif De La Hotte Peninsula has produced increasing frustration for the humble farmers that have tilled it. Ever since the French raped the land in the 17th and 18th centuries, sending nearly every timber of felled mahogany back to Paris to make luxurious furniture without replanting anything, the once rich volcanic dirt that made this island a tropical paradise has been washing away. And since the primary energy source for cooking is charcoal based, what little wood remains if often cut down to create the slow-burning fuel source. As a result, the topsoil has been eroding into the surrounding Caribbean Seas, leaving much of this nation barren.

This legacy, along with incredibly harsh and uncaring dictatorships that have dominated the political landscape for nearly all of the past two centuries, has compounded the situation. And with a lack of any other decent natural resources, Haiti has deteriorated into the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and the second poorest on earth.

Born into these harsh circumstances, the infant mortality rate is often as high as 50% in some regions. It's not until the kids reach their fifth birthday that many of them are strong enough to mature. But due to often intense malnutrition, many are physically and mentally stunted for the rest of their lives. Average life expectancy is about 25 years less than those of us in the America.

It was in the midst of this scenario that Horele Georges was born as the third son of a meager dirt farmer near the town of Miragoane. Hector Georges supported his family of 7 on a rocky plot about 1/2 of an acre in size. He toiled with one emaciated cow at least 12 hours a day trying to squeeze every ounce of productivity out of that earth as was humanly possible.

When Compassion International came into the region in the early 70's, several projects placed into long-established area churches began giving children health care they could've never received before, extra nutrition, skills training in things like carpentry, auto mechanics, and baking that gave them other options, and additional education. When Horele was registered into the program at age 6, he began learning new agricultural techniques that showed how yield could be increased dramatically with the help of better seeds, certain fertilizers, irrigation techniques, and so on.

A year passed as he observed through a couple of growth seasons how the corn at the project was markedly bigger than what was growing on all the area farms. Horele started asking Hector if they could try these processes on their crops. At first his father just ignored him, but Horele persisted. Eventually Hector said, "Son, I've worked this land in this way my entire life. My father before me did the same, and your grandfather and great grandfather before them. There's nothing that can be done that we haven't tried."

But Horele knew that some of these ideas had not been put into practice...or at least he wasn't aware that they had been while he helped his father every day before and after school. So, he continued trying to explain to his poppa what he had been taught. As it was just the beginning of a new planting season, Hector finally relented, and said, "Alright, Horele. I'll let you have one row of this section where you can try your silly tricks. I'll be surprised if whatever it is you try even survives the first heat wave."

Taking what he had learned at the Compassion project, the little boy eagerly set his attention on that modest row of newly planted seeds. Each morning he tilled and watered as best he could. Each afternoon he blended in the fertilizing techniques he was being taught, pulled weeds, and watered more.

8 weeks passed, and lo and behold, Horele's row was 2 feet taller than the rest of the plot. His daddy had certainly noticed, but kept waiting for the stalks to wither. When it was apparent that indeed his little son's crop was going to be substantially better than his, he sheepishly said "So, son, ummm…what is it exactly that they are teaching you to do?"

By the time the next growing season was finished, Hector Georges' little farm was producing 40% higher yield than it ever had.

I look back fondly on this story, because Horele was a boy I sponsored for 11 years. If he hadn't been sponsored, he would've never learned what ended up helping his father and family so much. I finally met him less than 4 months before he was to graduate from high school, near the top of his class. His dad became so good at the farming techniques his little son had taught him that he became a regular volunteer assistant with each new class at the Compassion project. Skepticism and even fatalism had been superseded by the youthful zeal of his child. Hector eventually ended up on staff at the project.

Its little victories like these that give me hope for Haiti.

Horele in his mid-thirties now, with a family of his own. He's a leader in his church and in his community. And on the same tiny scrap of land he's still raising some of the best corn on that side of the island.

New Photos

2006-11-07T18:03:00.000-05:00

I put up some new photos on Flickr. Check 'em out.

Have you voted yet?

2006-11-07T13:44:00.000-05:00

This might be an old one, but I like it:

A Montana cowboy was overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous pasture when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced out of a dust cloud towards him. The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, Ray Ban sunglasses and YSL tie, leans out the window and asks the cowboy, "If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, will you give me a calf?"

The cowboy looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, "Sure, Why not?"

The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer, connects it to his Cingular RAZR V3 cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite navigation system to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo. The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg, Germany.

Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot that the image has been processed and the data stored.

He then accesses a MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Excel spreadsheet with email on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives a response.

Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP LaserJet printer and finally turns to the cowboy and says,

"You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves."

"That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves," says the cowboy.

He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on amused as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car.

Then the cowboy says to the young man, "Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give my back my calf?"

The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, "Okay, why not?"

You're a Congressman for the U.S. Government", says the cowboy.

"Wow! That's correct," says the yuppie, "but how did you guess that?"

"No guessing required," answered the cowboy. "You showed up here even though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked. You tried to show me how much smarter than me you are; and you don't know a thing about cows...this is a herd of sheep.

"Now give me back my dog."

Festival Food

2006-10-28T08:05:00.000-05:00

The center of my summer itinerary are Christian music festivals; Creation East is now a staple. If this is also part of your plans please be aware that unless something drastic is done this upcoming summer may be the last for all festivals.

It won't be ticket prices, or weather that kills them. Nor will it won't be the dearth of quality artists to play, or a clearing, with whip in hand, of the merch tents of all the "Jesus crap". No, what puts an end to this summer rite will be the food.

You see festival goers are an adventurous lot, so when something new is introduced they will give it a try. If it is a ridiculous, coma-inducing creation like batter-dipped Snickers bars, they won't typically go back. So, as long as they survive the festivals are safe. But I am seriously afraid that the festival goer won't survive this coming summer. Here is an description of the latest festival food coming this summer:

A view of a new fast food making its debut at U.S. fairs this fall. Ping-pong-sized balls of batter made with Coca-Cola syrup are deep-fried, then served in a cup, topped with more Coca-Cola syrup, whipped cream, cinnamon sugar and a cherry on the top.

Some of the more timid festival goers may survive this concoction, and festivals may stagger along for a few years. But, as the hearty, regulars pass on it will take the life out of the festival scene. I thought you should be warned so you can enjoy them while you can.

Is it Friday?

2006-10-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

I now know the Internet can do anything. If you are wondering if it is Friday, click here.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - Part 2

2006-10-20T11:46:00.000-05:00

It's been five shows, and I'm still watching. Because Aaron Sorkin is such a good writer and such a smart guy, I am enjoying dissecting the show as much as I am watching the show. It's an interesting study in how Hollywood views us all.

There are two primary storylines on the show. One is centered around Jordan McDeere, played by Amanda Peete, who is the president of NBS, the fictional network that airs Studio 60. The focus of this storyline is McDeere trying to bring intelligent and entertaining shows to television. In one episode she says, "I don't think those who make TV shows are smarter than those who watch TV shows," and in the latest episode she turns down a sure-hit reality show simply because it is too sleazy.

Clearly this is Sorkin's point of view. I believe he is saying TV has an obligation to try to put on smart shows, and he is putting his money where his mouth is by putting on three in a row. If the people who run TV would have more confidence in the American public and be less concerned with getting every dollar possible, television could possibly become not just a pervasive media but an important one. A reporter on the show says, "I think popular culture is important and I think this show is important." That could be Sorkin talking. He thinks Studio 60 is important because it will show if smart TV stands a chance.

The other storyline involves Matt Albie played by Matthew Perry and Harriet Hayes played by Sarah Paulson. Hayes is a born-again Southern Baptist and Albie is atheistic and very anti-Christian. Of course the two are in love with each other and struggling to overcome these obstacles.

I believe this is Sorkin's other primary point of view: Christianity is a problem in this country to be solved because most Christians are ridiculous and not very loving. There is a passing attempt at a balanced point of view in the show. But for the most part the anti-Christian attitude prevails while Hayes responds with forgiveness and humor confident in her faith, as she should.

I've already discussed my thoughts on the anti-Christian point of view. I find it interesting that the show is well written and entertaining. At the same time the ratings aren't very good. It is an expensive show, so if they don't draw a large audience it won't last.

There are other issues to the show, such as taking itself too seriously, but are the ratings down because it is too smart? Is the premise they discuss on the show that there is an audience for intelligent entertainment on a popular scale wrong? Or, are the ratings down because popular American doesn't want to discuss whether their religion and faith is ridiculous? To have a hit show you need to grab an audience outside of urban LA and NY. These people tend to be at least nominal Christians and they don't want to be made fun of.

I'll go back to the quote, "I don't think people who make TV are smarter than those who watch TV." I'd ask do they really mean that? And, do they really think that people who make TV and are anti-Christian aren't smarter than Christians who watch TV.

This is far from the first intelligent show to be cancelled. It's not even Sorkin's first intelligent show to be cancelled. But, if and when the show is cancelled (and I believe it will be unless they change the Christian storyline) both issues will play a role, and those who attacked Christianity will be able to say that it was just too smart for most people. But, it isn't smart to be mocking and dismissive of something that is very important in many, many people's lives. At the same time, Christians should be able to examine themselves and identify the ridiculous. But most people don't want to do that when they are looking for entertainment so without a refocus the show won't last the year.

And even more photos

2006-10-20T09:34:00.000-05:00

Alright, I think I am done. But, there are more photos up. Go to my profile, to My Web Page and click on photography under interests. Or, click here to get to my Flickr page.

Let me know...

New Photos

2006-10-19T22:01:00.000-05:00

I put a bunch of new photos up. Click on my profile, then go to My Web Page. On the left under general interests click on photography. I'd love to hear what you think!

Envy, BJ Novak and The Office

2006-10-19T20:32:00.000-05:00

So, I really like the TV show The Office. I loved the BBC version and I came into this one with real skepticism, but after giving it a fair chance I think I may like it even better. While I love British humor, the Americanization of this one is much to my taste.

Having said that, I see envy rearing its ugly head in my heart when I think of The Office. Why? Because of BJ Novak. Novak is a graduate from Harvard, he is one of the co-stars of the show, he wrote tonight's episode and he is a supervising producer on the show. Oh, did I mention he is 27.

Now, I realize it is a TV show, so while society may place great importance on that it is not real importance. But, it is tremendous success in a highly competitive field. And, while 27 is not tremendously young in show business, it is in real life.

Ah, to have achieved so much at an early age. It's at times like this I understand the phrase, "Youth is wasted on the young." It makes me feel old. I guess the only thing to do is not to allow myself to someday look back on this time and wish, "If only..."

A New Look to Church - Pastor Karen Ward, by Rocio Ibarra

2006-10-18T05:25:00.000-05:00

I found this in the Prism epistle, an often frustrating and always challenging e-zine from Evanglicals for Social Action:

AS ONE WHO SERVES: Pastor Karen Ward, by Rocio Ibarra

In a generation and a city where church attendance is dwindling, Pastor Karen Ward gives the idea of “church” a whole new spin. Founder of an Episcopal-Lutheran church plant, the Church of the Apostles in Seattle (COTA), Ward longs to see people connect with God in nontraditional, postmodern ways. “God gave me the desire for a church community that my generation could see as speaking their cultural language and could therefore issue God’s invitation to them to reorient their lives in the way of Jesus.” Ward realized that she and her peers were meeting consistently to discuss the Scriptures, but there wasn’t a church that appealed to them. As she prayed about it, she sensed the Holy Spirit leading her to Fremont, an artsy suburb of Seattle that, until Ward arrived, was home to a single church.

Calling COTA a “future church with an ancient faith,” unrestricted by conventional approaches, Ward reaches out to her congregation through creative means. Whether using paint or poetry in the Saturday services, leading a discussion on faith at the regular “theology pub” nights at various watering holes around town, or sharing herself through her dynamic weblog, Ward is evidence that, while the essentials of the faith remain the same, God is not confined to traditional expressions of faith.

On any given day at COTA, members’ faith might be expressed and celebrated through a drum circle, soul food feast, film night, Taize worship service, mediation session, or service to the community. “All our activities are expressions of church,” explains Ward. “Church for us is not a place you go but a life you live; nothing we do is outside the realm of God. All things done with God’s kingdom in mind and Christ at the heart - whether eating, playing, working, or resting - help order our days and deeds in God’s peace.”

Although she has garnered great support and inspiration from her family and from writers such as Paul Tillich and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the lack of female leadership in the church hasn’t afforded her a mentor of her own. This lack is something she addresses directly by making herself available to mentor other women and by encouraging her youthful staff. She finds one advantage of living in a profoundly secular population is that the community is very accepting of a female pastor.

Ward brings to her work a mischievous sense of humor and an ability to “culture surf, to be at home with many kinds of people. We gain wisdom from those with a variety of life and cultural experiences,” she explains, describing herself as “a world citizen.”

The community is enriched not only through her courageous, outside-the-box thinking but also through the church’s mission to the surrounding neighborhood. Alert to local needs, the congregation lends a hand any way possible, volunteering at the local nursing home and feeding the homeless. Slowly but surely Christ’s love is shared.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Ward’s leadership is her apparent lack of ego, intentionally placing herself last on the list of staff. “I can only ‘lead’ as one who serves,” she says. “We do not have a hierarchy, really. As pastor I’m an overseer and spiritual director for our community, but the Holy Spirit is the true leader of our community. As spiritual director I’m here to help the church discern the movements of the Spirit so that we - as a community - can participate in what God is doing.”

(This profile was originally published in the March/April 2006 issue of PRISM Magazine, as part of a cover story on female pastors and the work they are doing across the country – look for more profiles from upcoming issues of the ePistle. Based in Los Angeles, Rocio Ibarra works as a media planner and a freelance writer.)

The Hands of God

2006-10-17T20:07:00.000-05:00

Have you see the Compassion video Extremes? It probably shouldn’t be used any more as it is a bit dated; a youth group might focus more on the hairstyles than the message. But, in its time it was one of the most powerful videos Compassion ever made. I have probably seen it 50 times and it has been used to find sponsors for thousands of children since 1992.

Extremes is the story of a youth group from Colorado who travels to Ecuador to see the work of Compassion. They begin their journey in Guayquil and visit the slums built on stilts along the river. The youth group is greatly impacted by the tremendous poverty they see such as kids playing on a riverbank as raw sewage flows by. One of the youth sums it up by saying, “It smells worse than it does on TV.” Several of the youth meet their sponsored children and the group is thoroughly trounced at soccer by a group of Ecuadorian kids.

One of the girls on the trip shares what the youth group is learning on the bus back to the hotel. She tells the story of one of the American’s giving a gum wrapper to one of the kids at the project. The child used the wrapper to make a toy and began to play. She said, “He was content with just a gum wrapper, and I know I wouldn’t be content with just a gum wrapper.” God was using interaction with the poor to begin to change hearts.

The youth group continues on to Quito and into the jungles of eastern Ecuador, suffering a bus stuck in the mud and another trouncing at soccer, to visit more projects and more kids. However it was when the group got to Otavala that God showed this group why they were there.

During a visit to a project, set on a hillside overlooking a beautiful lake, the group visited the home of another Compassion child. As they spoke to the mother they asked about the children in the home and were told that one was very ill. The child lay in a bed covered in blankets and burning up with fever. He was emaciated and clearly close to death. The group asked the mother if the child had been to see a doctor and the mother said no, they couldn’t afford it. It cost about $10 for a doctor visit and this family couldn’t afford it even as they watched their child die.

The collective heart of the youth group broke. They pooled their money and agreed to take the child, Enrique, into Otavala to the hospital. The group leader, Rich Van Pelt, made arrangements for the child to be cared for. At the hospital the doctors found Enrique to be suffering from chronic malnutrition and parasites, and while he would eventually stay in the hospital for a month he completely recovered. Rich also arranged for a procedural exception to be made and for Enrique to be immediately enrolled in the Compassion project. One of the chaperones on the trip, Melanie West, sponsored Enrique on the spot.

On the video, a doctor at the hospital said, “I didn’t think that American boys cried, but now I know they do.” One of Compassion’s buttons at the time said, “40,000 children a day.” Melanie began to wear one that she had modified to say “39,999 a day”. Enrique was a victim the enemy wouldn’t get.

Fast forward 14 years to October, 2006. A group of sponsors and people interested in Compassion had come to visit Ecuador. On the trip were several people who had been on the Extreme’s trip including Rich Van Pelt and Melanie West, who share stories and reminisce about the trip so many years ago. Melanie’s husband, Ken West, had passed away from cancer about a year before. Ken was a very good friend of Compassion and very close to many of the staff who work in Colorado, so it was an emotional trip for Melanie and many others.

It was also a short trip, only four days long, over a long weekend. On Saturday, the group went to visit projects in the Otavala area including Enrique’s project though Enrique has long since grown up and now lives in Columbia with his wife and daughter. As we walked around the project the Extremes alumni point out places where “God moments” had happened and shared how so many lives had been changed.

Later that evening the whole group gathered in the sanctuary of the project church. Rich got up and shared with the group, the Ecuadorian Compassion staff and the project workers about Extremes and the important roll it has played in Compassion’s ministry. Then he played Extremes, showing it to many for the very first time, so that everyone would know the important thing that had happened in that place.

At the end Rich got up again and shared that the impact of this project had gone far beyond what anyone could have imagined. He said, “We thought it would be fun, 16 years later, to come back here and show you this video in the place where it happened.” He then paused and smiled. “We also thought it would be fun if you had a chance to meet Enrique.”

From the back of the room Enrique walked up. Enrique looked like a version of the boy we had seen in the video, but not the same person. He was now grown, healthy and strong. Everyone in the room began to clap and yell. Melanie, who had no idea this was going to happen, crumpled with a combination of joy and tears. The two moved to the front of the room and clutched one another for long minutes as everyone in the room wept.

Enrique shared with the group his appreciation for what Compassion and Melanie had done in his life. He knew he was special because he had been saved. He also shared that as a boy he had often mocked God, but the moment caught on video had been the turning point not only in his physical life but his spiritual life as well. Today he is a strong believer, living out his love of Jesus and active in his church. Enrique shares his story often. His wife has asked him if he ever thought he would again be able to meet the people who had saved him. He replied that he prayed for that day all the time.

That day came on an October Saturday in a rural village along a lake in Ecuador. It is easy to understand in the horrendous conditions he lived why Enrique might have thought God wasn’t present. Today Enrique realizes God had been there all along. Enrique just hadn’t seen Him until He showed up in the form of a youth group and Melanie West.

This story is a reminder to all of us that God is always present, but that sometimes we don’t see Him until we do our parts. It was an encouragement to me to make sure I am allowing God to use me as often as possible so others can see Him as well. I’d encourage you to go out today and be the hands of feet of God on behalf of all the Enrique’s who are still waiting.

The Gathering - Emergent Village

2006-10-12T16:12:00.000-05:00

I spent the last few days at The Gathering. This is an annual event put on by Emergent Village for those interested in the emerging church. Emergent Village is a group of folks who want to help guide and form the church as it changes to accommodate society in the 21st century and beyond.

It depends what the typical church gathering looks like to you, but I doubt most would consider this typical. The conference itself is very different. Emergent Village provides the space and the logistics, but the conference is created after people get there. Anyone who wants to host a conversation posts a notice describing the topic, the time and place. If anyone is interested they show up. Anyone can host a conversation, knowing that if it isn’t something many want to talk about they won’t attract a crowd.

There were many terms thrown around over the three days. A missional life was praised, the vibe of an experience was described, you were encouraged to talk about your story and to define the stream your thoughts came from. One speaker described himself more as a guru than a pastor. Post-modern, deconstruction, new-monastic, and a Jesus dojo were some of the other topics that frequently came up. There was a mix of serious theology with an emphasis on application and what it looks like to live a life as a follower of the Jesus.

It sounds somewhat new agey and a lot of it was relatively new to me. Some of it was pretty confusing. But, to a large extent that was the point. It was about learning a discussion. It was about asking the hard questions that are often discouraged in traditional church and coming up with the answers that please Jesus.

I didn’t agree with everything I heard. There was some significant disparagement of traditional church, the suburbs, and modern analytical thought. But, it wasn’t in anyway mean spirited. These people truly loved Jesus and it showed in their lives, behavior and speech. One person describing what he considered the destructive environment of suburban American life made the point that these were good people who were doing the best they could to live lives of significance. It wasn’t an attack of people who were different, in this case traditional. It was an effort to explore something new that could possibly be better. It might not be, but unless you look how do you know?

If you are interested in learning more check out www.emergentvillage.us, one of many books by Brian McLaren, or ask me; I'd love to discuss it.

The Devil and Mrs. Clinton

2006-10-02T05:49:00.000-05:00

Dr. Jerry Falwell recently sent out the following mass email:

From: Jerry Falwell
Date: September 29, 2006

Noticeable Media Double Standard

Earlier this week, the so-called mainstream news media were up in arms over a statement I made last weekend at the Values Voters Summit. During my speech, I remarked that if Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton were the Democrat presidential nominee in 2008, it would induce evangelical Christians to oppose her more than if the devil himself were running.

Oh boy, the liberals don't like that kind of talk.

Of course this was a tongue-in-cheek statement, made to emphasize the fact that the Clintons serve as a motivating factor with conservative people of faith.

But Christians aren't supposed to have senses of humor. Watch a network or cable TV show depicting a Christian and you'll see a morose individual on the verge of breaking out in a fire and brimstone sermon at any moment.

Conservative Christians are continually defined by the media as humorless individuals who want to convert the world into mindless Christian zombies. So if someone like me utilizes irony or utilizes a whimsical phrase, it is taken as a threatening statement.

On the other hand, Hollywood personalities can make far more malicious statements and nobody questions it.

Take, for example, actor Alec Baldwin's proclamation on Conan O'Brien's late-night talk show a few years ago in which he called for the stoning of pro-life Congressman Henry Hyde.

On the broadcast, Mr. Baldwin stated: "I'm thinking to myself if we were in other countries, we would, all of us together, all of us together would go down to Washington and we would stone Henry Hyde to death! We would go to their homes, and we'd kill their wives and their children. We would kill their families."

Funny stuff, huh?

But Baldwin got away with it because he later said he was joking. So the media largely excused him with a yawn.

Actor Ian McKellen, who plays Gandolf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, was quoted on Salon.com as saying he routinely rips up Bibles in hotel rooms.

"Whenever I stay in a hotel I always check to see if they have a Gideon's Bible, and if they do I tear out a page. I turn to Leviticus 18:22, which is directed against homosexuals; it is one of the Leviticus Laws. I don't know if anyone ever even notices, but I really take exception to that section and I think by now I must have ripped out a few hundred pages. Who knows? There might be someone who has insomnia who stays awake all night who reads the Bible because they have nothing else to do and who might be especially vulnerable to what I really think is Leviticus' pornography, so I just remove it."

But Mr. McKellen was not condemned by the mainstream media because its members have largely adopted a stance that is defensive of homosexuality, even when it means the destruction of the Holy Bible.

Imagine if Billy Graham or Dr. James Dobson stated that they frequently go to Barnes and Noble and rip up homosexual publications. The outcry would be rightly thunderous. But there is no media objection to a prominent actor destroying Bibles.

I guess, like flag desecration, this is a free speech issue for liberals. But what about the free speech of those who print those Bibles? Apparently they don't matter.

The double standard here is obvious, except to those in the mainstream media and their dutiful defenders.

We will continue to see the American mainstream media and Hollywood depicting evangelical Christians and conservative Catholics as objects of ridicule. There is no level playing field or even marginal attempt at honesty when it comes to the portrayal of conservative people of faith.

And so we return to my statement on Mrs. Clinton.

I certainly don't believe her to be the equivalent of Satan. I simply believe that if she is the Democrat presidential candidate, her nomination will truly energize the evangelical community, just as the possible presidential candidacy of Newt Gingrich or Sen. Sam Brownback or Gov. Mike Huckabee would galvanize liberal voters.

Maybe I'll call for the stoning of someone in my next speech and really get the media in an uproar. And then I'll tell them I was just teasing. I'm sure they'll let me off without objection.

He is right about all that he says. There is definitely a double standard in the media. I quickly recognize the Christians on television-- they are the prissy, uptight ones--and the other side is never called to task for their behavior. At the same time, I'd ask the question, is comparing Mrs. Clinton to the devil a way to draw people to the Lord? I'd say no. Instead it is a way of drawing people to the Republican party. That's certainly Dr. Falwell's right, but is it what is best for the Kingdom?

If he could choose, would Dr. Falwell hope to sit with Mrs. Clinton and talk to her about Jesus (assuming she doesn't know Him) or remove her from office? He would probably say that the harm she does as a public official impacts so many people it would be best to remove her from office. But, does that come from a starting place of love? Is there enough love in the Church for those that disagree with us?

Jesus' calls us to love our enemies. Too often we see those who simply disagree with us as the enemy, and we don't love them enough any way. Dr. Falwell is well aware that all he says is under the microscope. I would hope he would focus that attention to reflect the love of Jesus and not just the policies of the GOP.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

2006-09-26T06:30:00.000-05:00

I love Aaron Sorkin's work. I wish I was as creative as he is and I wish I could write like he does. Sports Night was brilliant, and West Wing after Sorkin left was good but before he left it was also brilliant. He writes great characters and great dialogue. So, I was excited to hear he had a new series coming out.

The show is an ensemble (it's Sorkin after all!) cast set in a Saturday Night Live type show, the centerpiece of the network NBS' lineup. The main cast includes the heads of the network, Bradley Whitford as the executive producer of the show, Matthew Perry playing his brother and head writer, and the ensemble cast within the ensemble.

I can tell that Sorkin and I don't agree on much politically or socially. I would love to have a chance to talk to him to find out what he really believes about lots of things. He writes a lot about politics and religion, and while his politics aren't much of a secret his religious views intrigue me.

Studio 60 is no different. While it isn't a political setting, in two shows he has managed to make lots of political statements. However it is into religion he has charged headlong. Perry's character has written a sketch called "Crazy Christian" that is pulled by the network in fear of offending the religious right, causing a tremendous shakeup. When people take a moral stand for freedom and free speech and put the sketch back on the schedule, exceedingly uptight and prissy Christians take a stand and organize a boycott. The end of last night's episode was a very self-congratulatory new beginning for the show as they move forward in the face of such open bigotry.

All of this would be the typical liberal, Hollywood, anti-religious claptrap on most shows, but Sorkin is better than that. The lead woman on Studio 60, played by Sarah Paulson, is a sincere, likeable born-again Christian. She makes no secret of her faith, she comments on the difficulty of being a Christian in Hollywood, and as the cast prepares for their first show she leads them in a beautiful prayer. She is also the star of the skit Crazy Christian.

A lot of the show made me really mad, and if it wasn't a Sorkin show I may have left already. Characters make unchallenged comments about Christians that are unfair at best and mean at worst, and there is very little balance despite Paulson's character. But, leaving would have been a mistake because the show has me thinking, and how many TV shows can claim that?

I'm thinking about why I'm getting mad. I'm thinking that while we have an enemy who would attack Christians at any opportunity, that enemy is not Hollywood. Why do unbelievers think of Christians in this way? If it didn't ring true, it wouldn't have been included. It's our fault if that is the image the church has in the world.

Think of a group of people who are well thought of. Maybe people who work with terminally ill children such as those at the Ronald McDonald house. Would there be a show attacking these people? Probably not. The face the world sees of them is one of kindness and Compassion. If the church is being attacked much of it is because we have given reason to be attacked. A show like this is a mirror for the church to examine itself. There are lots of people who have the same opinion of the church as these characters. How many of them are we drawing in?

If we want TV and movies to reflect the image of the church we have in our hearts, then we have to show that heart to the world and not just to each other.

Only two episodes have aired, so there is a long way to go before we call this another success. And, the show isn't perfect. As in the West Wing the characters give the impression that what they are doing in really, really important. The difference though is that in the West Wing what they were doing was important; they worked in the White House for goodness sake. On Studio 60 they are making a TV show, and while there is importance in the creation of art it's not quite the same thing.

Still I'll be back. I am counting on this story line being one of many, and that Sorkin won't beat this horse until it is dead. But, while it's not all feel good for believers it is a mirror worth examining. Now, if Joss Whedon would just create another show...

What's with this life we've chosen?

2006-09-26T06:22:00.000-05:00

How crazy does life get? We have plans, schedules, and routines but sometimes it takes the slightest thing to knock it all off balance. We're sprinting at a breakneck speed and a change in the terrain causes a stumble that changes it all. We don't stop our progress; instead we simply do what we can and let the rest go.

I try to be disciplined and it's all important. There isn't much in my life that doesn't mean something to me or to someone else. I don't have time for the trivial. Yet, when I travel or even a minor crisis comes up the too much gets pushed aside.

I guess that's why it is always best to focus on relationship and not task. If I make sure I'm taking care of the people around me, serving and enjoying, then even the important tasks can sometimes drift away without too many consequences.

9/11 - Part 2

2006-09-14T15:04:00.000-05:00

9/11 - Part 1

2006-09-14T12:10:00.000-05:00

I just got back from a trip to Connecticut and New York, and I was fortunate enough to be in Manhattan on Monday, September 11th. I had not yet been to Ground Zero, so I wanted to go and see for myself.

The President was there in the morning, but wanting to skip the crowds and security I went later in the afternoon. It was a powerful experience. The size of the empty space among the tall buildings was overwhelming. Being the anniversary, I am guessing there were more people than typical. There were lots of reporters, protesters, firemen and policemen, and the curious like myself.

There is a tall, steel fence surrounding the destruction site, and posted on the fence were many pictures of the reaction to the event. Hung on the fence were memorials and tributes. Some were personal from friends, family and colleagues, others were general tributes, of flowers, pictures, drawings and balloons.

Americans as a group tend to behave very informally whether it is appropriate or not; in Washington DC there are even signs asking people to show proper respect for the memorials. But, that wasn't the case here. There was a sense of reverence over the group, while I was there anyway. It was a sense of grieving, yet a recognition of the heroism the site represented.

There were demonstrators with many different points of view. The typical turn or burn preachers were there, but not in force. And, there was a Muslim handing out brochures that answered the question, "Why Islam?" He also answered any questions that were put to him, about Islam or about 9/11, with calmness and respect for the place.

The largest group of demonstrators represented the different points of view on the war on terror. While passions sometimes ran a little hot everyone seemed to maintain a respectful conversation, unlike so much of what happens in the public square. I think the location really helped in that. The people who were claiming the US government engineered the 9/11 attacks were a little hard to take, but they spoke their mind without trying to be overbearing (with one exception) so it wasn't disruptive.

The discussions about the war and the attacks made me kind of sad; there were lots of police and firemen for whom this was much more personal I'm sure, and they didn't need to hear some of the comments. But, I remembered that this is what Islamic fascists would take away: the right to peaceably assemble and debate ideas, even ideas that you disagree with. So, I while I wish there was more consensus, I am grateful for the freedom to be in opposition. One statesman put it that more than anything America is an idea. That idea was well represented in all different shades that day.

There are a few pictures on the next post.

Sunday Service

2006-09-10T19:16:00.000-05:00

Dwelling Place Christian Fellowship
Christiansburg, VA

I am traveling today, so I had to go to the early service at church. I was surprised to find out, because the service is much shorter, that they were doing a completely different sermon series. The topic was tribulations. I don't have my notes but as best I can remember the main points were:

--Tribulation means to be pressed.
--Other than a passage in Revelation that happens when Jesus returns, tribulation is never associated with God.
--However, while it has a number of causes, tribulation happens to everyone; it's a part of living in this fallen world.

One of the most interesting points was when Rick talked about a moth coming out of it's cocoon. It must struggle to come out, but it is the process of that struggle that finishes its wings ad prepares it to fly. If the moth is helped so it doesn't have to struggle it can't fly.

It struck me and I said in church that the tribulation we have to go through in the US for the most part is insignificant compared to the tribulation other believers must endure. So, I wondered if our struggle is enough to finish our wings. Is this why it is so important to God that we interact with the poor and oppressed? So, that by association we can overcome our poverty and finish our transformation that wouldn't happen in our wealthy society?

Office Max

2006-09-09T18:06:00.000-05:00

Let me tell you about my experience at Office Max. I had to run out to pick up a 79 cent report cover. During my time in the store I saw four employees. One appeared to be changing the price cards, another was walking the floor presumably to be able to help someone if they needed it (though I never saw him help anyone), another was helping someone with a large purchase and the fourth was at the one (of four) cash registers that were open.

There were five people in line ahead of me at the register, which is a lot in a store that size. As I waited I watched the guy post prices and the other walk the floor. A teenager was ahead of me in line buying a dictionary. When she paid, the cashier told her he had just ran out of pennies, and that he'd have to get more. She was welcome to wait for her one penny if she wanted, implying she really didn't need to. She didn't.

When it was my turn, the cashier first called into his little microphone that he needed more pennies, then he rang me up. The total came to 83 cents. I gave him a ten and he counted out the change, but said, "I still don't have pennies, but you're welcome to wait for your two cents if you want."

I said, "You could just give me another nickel."

He chuckled, but when I raised my eyebrows with a gesture of "see what a good idea that is," he said with a smile and just a touch of shock, "I can't do that."

"But, you can make me wait here for two more cents?" I asked.

He just smiled politely and said, "Sorry." I left without my two cents.

What does this have to do with church? It reminds me that organizations make rules and policies to help reach a goal efficiently and cost effectively. But sometimes, over time, the goal takes a back seat and the rules and policies become the point.

In my time in the store, I had noticed the other two employees who were helping the store but not the customers while the customers waited in line. And, I had noticed that the cashier hadn't anticipated running out of pennies, but didn't ask for more until they were gone. All this added up to a bad shopping experience, but it could have all been fixed if the cashier had said, "I am out of pennies, so here's a nickel instead."

The cashier couldn't give me an extra three cents because at the end of the evening when the money was counted it would come up short. The rules, to help protect the business, say that can't happen, and that's probably a good rule. But the goal is, or should be, to cost effectively supply the customer with office supplies in a way that makes them want to come back. In this case the rule got in the way of the goal. They have a disgruntled customer who is on a blog ready to tell everyone. It would have cost them two cents to prevent that.

Does your church have rules and policies that get in the way of the goals when they are being applied? Does your staff and your volunteers know how to apply them without missing the point? If not, how can you fix that?

What are your sermons about?

2006-09-08T09:25:00.000-05:00

I saw this post on Church Marketing Sucks website (which is a great site by the way, although this has nothing to do with that), and it got me thinking. Do pastor's keep track of themes and topics that they preach on? Can you look back and see that you've preached on a given topic a certain number of times in the past year?

For those that do verse by verse this probably isn't applicable, but for topical sermons I'd think that it would be a good idea. I'd be interested in how many times in the past couple of years churches have taught about our obligation to help the poor, our responsibility to children, issues of justice.

Of course you want the Holy Spirit to lead you to sermon topics and not rely on a database or a schedule. But, with the prevalence of these topics in Scripture I'd assume the Spirit would lead a pastor to these topics regularly. And, if these topics aren't coming up regularly I'd imagine that would be a good topic for prayer and contemplation to ask why.

Memo to pastors

2006-09-07T09:43:00.000-05:00

Last summer I helped host a four-day conference for Compassion that included advocates, pastors, and other interested people. As part of my duties I was up front as people got off our shuttle from the airport to check in. Many, many times I had this conversation:

"Is there Internet access here?"
"No, I'm sorry there isn't."
"Is there somewhere nearby where I can get online?"
"No, I'm sorry there isn't."
A pause while they look at me waiting for me to come up with a solution.
"I'm going to need to check email."
"I'm sorry there isn't any way to do that. I guess you're going to actually have a retreat this weekend."

Keep in mind we were in the suburbs of St. Paul, Minnesota and not out in the middle of the woods somewhere. The phones worked perfectly fine, including cell service, so no one was completely cut off.

After our interchange, most people kind of laughed and realized that God had something else for them to focus on that weekend. However, a few were REALLY stressed about it and they brought it up a whole bunch of times throughout the weekend. Every single one of those people who were upset were pastors.

Seth Godin wrote in his book Small is the New Big:

There is no longer a correlation between success and hours worked.... There is a huge difference between working in a mine or a factory and doing what you do for a living. You don't make stuff. You make decisions. And the thing about making decisions is that you don't make better decisions when you work longer hours. You don't write better code when you work longer hours. You don't create better business development deals, make better sales pitches, or invent cooler interfaces when you work longer hours either.

I'd add to that you don't write better sermons, have better counseling sessions, make better strategic decisions, teach better classes, have better study sessions, or build stronger, deeper relationships by working longer hours.

Yes, there is lots to do and I know how busy pastors are. But, is it possible you are so busy because you aren't letting go? Is it possible you are relying on yourself to hold everything together instead of relying on God to do that? Is it possible that you are so busy because you aren't attracting excited, passionate people who are anxious to work alongside of you? These people don't want to work with someone who tries to do everything himself. They want to work with someone who provides inspiration and direction and let's them run.

So, unplug, set specific hours and stick to them, honor your day or days off, and let others make decisions (and support those decisions!). You'll be a better pastor.

Are Americans self-centered?

2006-09-07T09:20:00.000-05:00

I suspect it is true for many, but I can only speak with authority about me.

I really like historical fiction, and I've read a lot of Bernard Cornwell's books. I read the first book of his Saxon stories The Last Kingdom and I enjoyed it. By the time The Pale Horseman, the next book in the series, came out I needed to read the first one again to remind me of the story. So I read both books back-to-back.

Then I went on-line to see when the next book in the series was due. To my surprise I found out that it had already been released, but only in the UK! It wasn't coming to the US until February 2007!

What was my reaction? "Why is it available there, but I have to wait?"

Is it in only the US where we assume we'll get what we want before anyone else, and where we assume that is perfectly normal?

Advice from Ted Haggard

2006-09-06T14:58:00.000-05:00

I read an interview of Ted Haggard, pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, CO in Discipleship Journal. Two answers in particular struck me.

DJ: What advice has shaped your life and ministry?
Ted: I've received five pieces of advice that are simple but effective: (1) Read the Bible and pray every day, and you'll grow, grow, grow. (2) Everything will take longer than you think and cost more than you plan for. (3) It requires no wisdom to be an expert about someone else's sin. (4) The local church is your family. Value it. (5) Humility is better than the alternatives.

DJ: Complete this sentence: I feel God's pleasure when I...
Ted: ...Love my wife.

Good answers!

Tammy Bruce and the Truth - Part 2

2006-09-05T09:38:00.000-05:00

Along with Tammy Bruce, Rob Bell and his book Velvet Elvis got me thinking about truth. Here are some rambling thoughts:

Critics of the church often say that it is arrogant for Christians to claim to have the one truth no one else has. Christians have some pat answers to why it isn't arrogant. "I don't say it, the Bible does," or "God said it, I believe it, that does it." But, I think it is arrogant. The church is arrogant because we are quick to add to the truth God gave us or to ignore the truth that doesn't fit the way we'd like.

Can we find truth outside of the circle of Christianity? Do Muslim parents love their children? Do Hindus do good work with the poor? If that is truth, then there must be many paths to truth. Otherwise there would be no truth other than Christian truth. Jesus is God and Jesus is truth. So there must be many paths to Jesus, right?

No. Where this line of reasoning breaks down is that there aren't many paths to truth. This isn't the same as saying that anything that is not Christian is not true, because truth isn't a path, it is a person. Jesus is truth. So, truth can be found everywhere because God is everywhere.

Rob Bell says the Bible backs this up. In the book of Titus, Paul quotes a Cretan philosopher and says the philosopher is right. The word of God contains the words of a prophet from Crete. In Acts, Paul quotes Greek pagan poets, and Paul calls it truth and makes it about his God. He claims truth wherever he finds it.

Bell puts it this way, "If it is true, if it is beautiful, if it is honorable, if it is right, then claim it. Because it is from God. And you belong to God....

"So as a Christian, I am free to claim the good, the true, the holy, wherever and whenever I find it. I live with the understanding that truth is bigger than any religion and the world is God's and everything in it."

He then goes on to describe a trip he took to Turkey where he noticed many half built houses. He questioned his host who explained that the Muslim religion doesn't allow debt, so these people will continue building when they have saved up enough cash. He continues, "I was struck with how different Western culture would be if we had a similar aversion to debt. How many people do we know who are crippled with financial debt? Having less debt is a better way to live. I affirm this value of the Muslim people of Turkey because it is true. It is good, and it is a better way to live. It doesn't matter where I find it, who speaks it or lives it, or what they believe. I claim and affirm the truth wherever I find it. All things are mine."

So, when we limit the truth based on where we find it, we are limiting God. If science discovered tomorrow without a doubt that the theory of evolution was true, what would that do to the church? What if science proved that homosexuality was genetic? Would you be able to reconcile all these things with your faith? If so, then how high a priority should the church place on these battles?

Keep in mind I'm not saying any of these things are true, and I'm not saying these things don't matter. I'm saying they don't have to be not true for us to be Christians. I'm saying that when it comes to the truth the church should be humble and quick to listen. Ask most non-Christians and you'll find that is not the reputation we have.

What assumptions about truth is your church making? Are there sources of truth you dismissing or even shunning? Even if the source of truth is a gay, pro-choice woman?

Tammy Bruce and the Truth - Part 1

2006-09-05T07:53:00.000-05:00

I think Tammy Bruce is one of the most important voices in America today. If you're not familiar with Tammy, she is a writer and radio talk show host based out of Los Angeles. Here is some background:

--She was the youngest president of the LA chapter of the National Organization of Women, calls herself a feminist, yet is openly critical of today's feminist movement leadership.
--She is openly gay, is against gay marriage (although she favors civil unions) and frequently speaks about the "gay gestapo."
--She is pro-choice.
--She is a strong supporter of President Bush.
--She supports the war in Iraq as part of the war on terror.
--She is pro death penalty and pro gun ownership.
--She worked for both of President Clinton's campaigns and says the biggest threat to liberty in America today comes from the political left.

So, she doesn't fit very well into any categories you may want to create.

Why is she such an important voice? Because she knows why she believes what she believes, because she has thought the issues through and believes not because she was told what to believe or because she has a secondary agenda, and because she articulates her beliefs very well. When discussing social policy today, this is very uncommon.

For example, gun-control advocates for years worked to eliminate "cop killer" bullets from the market. The National Rifle Association fought vehemently against the ban. Why? Partly because they understood that the goal of the gun-control advocates was not to just eliminate these bullets, but to use it as a stepping-stone to further bans. So even if, hypothetically, the NRA thought this was a good thing to do, they couldn't cooperate or acquiesce without harming their overall position. The discussion revolved around bullets when the agenda was something completely different.

Tammy doesn't do this. She doesn't come with a hidden agenda, but thinks through the implications of her position and advocates what she thinks is right. Then she is willing to listen and have a conversation. For her, it seems, it is about truth and not "winning".

I think Tammy's voice is the kind of voice that should be heard in the church. Keep in mind, I said she is openly gay, pro-choice, and pro civil unions. That's enough to keep her out of most churches. She supports the war in Iraq, President Bush, and the death penalty. That's enough to keep her out of the rest.

The church is too quick to dismiss people with whom they disagree. Because she is pro-choice many in the church would say she has nothing to say to them on any subject. The same because she is gay. But, she does. She has important things to say, not only about other subjects, but about being pro-choice and being gay.

If you can't understand another person's position how can you say you've thought through the position? How can you take an opposing position with any confidence? Most Christians will say their confidence comes from scripture. "Living a gay lifestyle is a sin because scripture says so." But, what about the Christians who say this is a misinterpretation of scripture? Do you say they have misinterpreted scripture, just as they said of you? This very common argument typically devolves into a break in communication at best and name calling at worst.

I'm not saying scripture shouldn't be our ultimate guide, and I'm not advocating a relativist point of view. I'm advocating an open mind and real thought, not just parroting a position. But, it takes humility to listen to someone with whom you disagree. It takes humility to try to understand. This lack of humility doesn't just come from the church. It happens in all areas of life; just watch ANY political talk show. But, if it it takes humility, shouldn't the church be first in line to show it?

Would Tammy Bruce be welcome to speak at your church? Maybe not on a Sunday morning, which should be focused on Jesus anyway. But, what about a weeknight seminar with a discussion time led by the church leadership? If not, why not? Isn't a better understanding of the world, the issues we face, and a Christian's response part of discipleship? And, if we can find someone who disagrees with us and can explain why with respect, shouldn't we listen?

Victimless?

2006-09-04T08:33:00.000-05:00

Michael Foster on Gaslight Gospel has this entry called Price of Porn.

Whenever I am speaking in a church in the US, I try to remind the congregation of all the little boys and girls that are just getting off work throughout Southeast Asia. Next time you are leaving church lift up a prayer.

Sunday Service - Part 2

2006-09-03T18:27:00.000-05:00

Dwelling Place Christian Fellowship
Christiansburg, VA

So, even though my heart was in the wrong place, I was still there. I couldn't tell you what the worship was like, and there were two dances, but I didn't see them. So, let's get right to the sermon.

Last week Pastor Rick began a series on sin. He talked about "the debt of sin" and how it is cleansed by the blood of Jesus, and walked us through four areas, the cause, what Jesus did to deal with the problem, how we receive what He did, and the result.

Today was about the "person of sin". He defined that as our nature of sin that we inherited from Adam. The sin nature is that
--which causes a person to sin - Col 3:9, Rom 5:19
--is separated from God and will not serve God - Eph 2:1, Rom 8:7-8
--follows and is enslaved to the course of the world - Eph 2:1-3
--uses lust to influence us - Eph 2:1-3, 1 Ptr 2:11, Rom 6:12

To deal with the nature, you have to deal with the birth. A pig is a pig because he was born a pig. We are sinners because we were born with a sin nature. Because of our nature man is transformed from reflecting God to reflecting sinful man. God's process is to transform us back into His image (1 Thes 24).

Through God's process:
--Our spirit is instantly transformed - 2 Cor 5:17, Eph 4:24
--Our soul (mind/will) is transformed through a process - Rom 12:2, 2 Cor 3:18
--Our bodies will be transformed - 1 Cor 15:49, Rom 8:23

So, to transform us we have to have a new birth (John 3:3-7). To have a birth you must have a seed and the Word of God is the seed (1 Ptr 1:23). But, it is the resurrection that allows the seed of God to make us born again. (1 Ptr 1:3, Act 17:31, Rom 10:9). We receive the new birth through belief in the resurrection (2 Cor 5:17, Eph 1:13).

So, to put it into the four part outline, the cause of our sin nature is our descendency from Adam, Jesus dealt with the problem through the resurrection, and we receive what Jesus did for us through belief. The result, we are new creations in Christ Jesus.

Next week, the push or drive to sin.

Sunday Service - Part 1

2006-09-03T18:09:00.000-05:00

Dwelling Place Christian Fellowship
Christiansburg, VA

Church is obviously very important to me, otherwise I wouldn't be talking so much about it. I often find myself empty after a long week of ministry, pouring myself out to others, and church is where I get my long, cool drink of water that refreshes and renews me for another week. Working out of my house, most of the people I speak with on a daily basis live in other states, so church is where I go for fellowship. The emotions of worship and the intellectual challenge of the teaching all bring me a great sense of renewal. I know that's not much different than many people, and it's probably more important for those not in Christian service as their full-time job.

However, when church goes badly I come out of Sunday drained and not ready for the coming week. And, church often goes badly because we have an enemy who wants it to. When I say church goes badly, it has nothing to do with the church but simply me. Today, we got there late after some unusually difficult conflict at home, and we had to sit on the periphery so it was difficult to see because of the way our church is set up. I wasn't able to get rid of the negative thoughts and emotions running through my head, and all I wanted to do was leave.

Now, of course it could have been a perfectly nice service no matter what the circumstances; the people around me had no problems. But, my heart was in a bad place and it was me that made church go badly for me.

So, the lesson I draw from this is that I can't make church an idol. My refreshing, my renewal, my long cool drink of water is Jesus, not the church. Fellowship isn't a replacement for him and neither is worship or teaching. That can happen any time in any place, and praise God that He hasn't moved so all I have to do is move back. I'll be fine this week, because I have a relationship with Jesus, not because of church.

Put me in coach!

2006-09-02T11:25:00.000-05:00

When my son started playing football in high school he was surprised by the intensity of the practices. But, he quickly understood the purpose of the yelling and the slaps on the butt.

One day he came home and told me about some 100-yard wind sprints they had run. "The first one I ran in about 13 and a half seconds. I ran as hard as I could. We ran against another guy and the loser had to do push ups, so I ran as fast as possible. But the coach really lit unto us. It made me really mad, but the next time I ran 12 and a half seconds, which was as fast as I could go. The coach yelled some more and the next time I ran it in 12 seconds."

That's a coaches job; to push you to your best performance. And a coach is supposed to push you to do more than you ever thought you could do. Even when you think you are doing your best a good coach can get even more out of you.

Is one of the roles of the church similar to the role of the coach? Is your church pushing its people to be more than they ever thought they could be? Sometimes that takes a little yelling and sometimes it makes them uncomfortable if not outright mad. But isn't bringing the best out of their people the job of a good pastor and church? Is your church doing this?

On the inside?

2006-09-02T10:56:00.000-05:00

PMPilgrim posted some important comments about being in or out of the church. Do people want to be in your church? Are they insiders, or is the church also attracting outsiders? Is it is place outsiders want to be?

http://pmpilgrim.blogspot.com/2006/08/inside-out-or-vice-versa-its-been-over.html

House Church

2006-09-02T10:23:00.000-05:00

Here's an interesting report from the Denver House Church conference on Housechurchblog. I am encouraged by the challenge issued by George Barna to focus more on children!

House church post

What Pastors Dream About

2006-09-01T19:32:00.000-05:00

This is about the funniest thing I've heard in a long time. And, what pastor who regularly wears a wireless mike hasn't had this nightmare!

As reported by Yahoo News:

NEW YORK - CNN anchor Kyra Phillips, whose ladies room chatter found its way onto her newscast, bounced back two days later with a "Top 10 List" of excuses on the "Late Show with David Letterman."

The mishap had happened Tuesday when Phillips, still wearing her wireless microphone, visited the loo while CNN aired President Bush's speech from New Orleans. For a minute or so her voice commingled with his, as she was heard telling an unidentified woman how great her husband is, then mentioned that her sister-in-law is "a control freak." Only then was she alerted that her mike was live.

How could such a thing happen? A game but still embarrassed-looking Phillips set Letterman (and his CBS audience) straight — or at least, left them laughing.

Top Ten Kyra Phillips Excuses Presented by CNN Anchor Kyra Phillips:

10. "Still haven't mastered complicated On/Off switch."
9. "Larry King told me he does this all the time."
8. "How was I supposed to know we had a reporter embedded in the bathroom?"
7. "I honestly never knew this sort of thing was frowned upon."
6. "Couldn't resist chance to win $10,000 on 'America's Funniest Home Videos.'"
5. "I was set up by those bastards at Fox News."
4. "Oh, like YOU'VE never gone to the bathroom and had it broadcast on national television!"
3. "I just wanted that hunky Lou Dobbs to notice me."
2. "OK, so I was drunk and couldn't think straight."
1. "You have to admit, it made the speech a lot more interesting."

Intercultural Ministry Partnership Models - Part 2

2006-09-01T19:30:00.000-05:00

Compassion uses three metaphors to describe intercultural partnership models. First is the horse and the rider. The horse does the work, but the rider provides the barn, the hay and tells the horse where to go. The rider has all the resources, gives the all directions and and is mainly concerned with how the partnership benefits the rider. This partnership will go until the horse is burned out or until the horse bucks off the rider.

Obviously the horse is the church in the developing world, and the rider is the American church. Evidence of this kind of partnership is when the flow of instructions and benefits is one way, from the American church to the "field", while the developing world church only "reports on progress." Roughly 60% of all partnerships work under this model.

The second model is the farmer and the cow. The cow has the resources and the farmer wants to get as many of those resources as possible. The farmer knows that eventually the cow will dry up or get bored and wander off, so he trys to get as much as possible and as fast as possible.

In this model the developing world ministry is the farmer and the American church is the cow. The farmer's experience is that the cow will be there for a short period of time as eventually something else will grab its attention and it will be gone. Evidence of this model is when the ministry in the developing world is pressuring the American church for resources to buy capital goods, such as a bus or a building; something they know will not leave when the cow is gone. Or, if an American church is bouncing from ministry opportunity to opportunity without a long-term commitment to relationship. Roughly 20% of partnerships work under this model.

Finally, the model Compassion suggests is the model of equally yoked oxen. In this model the two oxen are pulling in the same direction with the same goal in mind. Each oxen contributes equally to the work, but it is particularly helpful if one ox has experience and can keep the plow moving in a straight line, teaching the other as it goes.

Evidence of this kind of partnership is when the benefits flow both ways. Is the church in the developing world offering as much to the American church as it is receiving? Obviously they can't offer the same level of resources, but they can offer experience, prayer, teaching and exposure among many other things. Is the American church approaching the relationship with the idea of learning first and serving second? Is the church in the developing world approaching the partnership for relationship first? Are they leading the direction of ministry looking for what is most effective in that context? Are they looking for resources to help them do the work they are called to do, or are they looking to do work that the resources enable?

What model is your ministry operating under?

Intercultural Ministry Partnership Models - Part 1

2006-08-31T15:30:00.000-05:00

With 50+ years of working with the poor all over the world, Compassion has gained significant experience in what works and what doesn't. One of the biggest challenges in ministry is creating the appropriate environment for God to work without damaging relationship. This is particularly true when the relationship is between and American church or organization and a church in the developing world.

It is SO easy for an American church to overwhelm the developing world; it is often described as an elephant in a garden. And, typically one of two things can happen. One, the overseas church will start to think that the solution to all their problems is the American group, and if they still have problems it is because the American group has not done enough. Compassion President Wess Stafford says, "A ministry in the developing world often gets caught up in equating building with ministry. So, when they get resources they build more and more, when you can have a perfectly acceptable child development program under a tree."

Or the other thing that can happen is the American church intentionally or unintentionally sends the message, "We really know how to do this, and you don't. All you have to do is look at our two ministries to know this is true. So, you really need to do things our way." There tends to be a paternalistic attitude that makes true partnership and effective ministry impossible.

Tom Mullis, Director of Global Outreach at Perimeter Church in Duluth, GA says that what we need is not paternalism but a sibling relationship. And, it shouldn't be just brother to brother, but older brother to younger brother, where the church in the developing world is the older brother and the American church is the younger brother coming alongside asking to be taught. What are you asking your ministry partners to teach you?

Next time, three metaphors for partnership.

The Salvation Army takes on human trafficking

2006-08-31T15:04:00.000-05:00

The Salvation Army's First Annual International Weekend of Prayer and Fasting for Victims of Trafficking, September 29-October 2

The Salvation Army’s vision is for Christians to organize one day in the workplace and one Sunday to focus prayer and intercession on behalf of people who are trafficked, enslaved and exploited. Petition God to change things, to free the captives, to end these evils, and to guide and empower Christians to serve, to prevent, to rescue and to restore. Register online here.