The Blues

I've been watching the PBS series, The Blues. Tonight was the best film so far, just easing ahead of Martin Scorsese's first evening.The Road to Memphis was directed by Richard Pearce as an homage to Memphis, the city that birthed the blues. It followed B. B. King, Roscoe Gordon, Bobby Rush and others, ending with a performance at the Handy Awards. Some moments that struck me:

::. The radio station, WDIA in Memphis that became the station that hired and programmed for the Black population. B. B.'s memory of showing up for a job was wonderful. The station gave voice to a community that was truly world-changing for many.

::. The segment with Sam Phillips, the founder of Sun Records, known for his recording of a 19-year old truck driver named Elvis. Before that he had been recording the blues artists of Beale Street. His conversation with Ike Turner reveals a great deal of the world of the 1950s and the racism that was prevelant. Phillips did as much as any white producer could in his day to bring the blues to the greater culture.

::. But I would have to agree with Marin Scorsese in his introduction about the most profound moment in the show. The segment of the film is titled "Saturday Night, Sunday Morning." Independent touring artist Bobby Rush (at age 66, no less) is shown first in a rollicking, racy performance in a club on a Saturday night. He gets back on the bus for the overnight drive back home. Coming home to be at church at 9:15.

When I get to church , tired, I don't have to sing or anything what I did last night. Now I'm enjoying it. The same people we see on Saturday night are the same ones we see on Sunday.

[He then gets to the heart of worship]

I want Jesus to lift me up. On Saturday night I want my baby to lift me up.
Saturday night you're lifted up by your baby; Sunday morning you're lifted up by Christ.
There's no difference. You dance for Satan or you dance for Christ.

Needless to say it was not your average, sedate, white-American worsihp. There was power, emotion, passion!

Wednesday night will be Warming by the Devil's Fire. As it says on the PBS site for the show: Director Charles Burnett (Killer of Sheep, My Brother's Wedding, To Sleep with Anger) presents a tale about a young boy's encounter with his family in Mississippi in the 1950s, and intergenerational tensions between the heavenly strains of gospel and the devilish moans of the blues.

Sounds interesting!

Congratulations!
An announcement at Superblessed today! Let us all welcome Nathan James Deen!

Welcome Back
John Campea's blog is back up and working. Glad to have him back.

A New Web Site
Seems like Jonny Baker is involved in a new web site emergingchurch.info- A Touching Place for the Emerging Church. Here's how Jonny describes it:

it's a place for stories of what is happening, reflections on what is emerging, discussion on anything and everything related to emerging church on the sites discussion boards, a selection of blogs and the obligatory links. i am excited about the site - do visit, join in the discussion, bookmark it, tell others, blog about it, and if you are involved in something that might fall under the loose label 'emerging church' then please add your story to the site....

Lileks Likes It
But you may not believe what he likes! Go find out.

In the House of Ruth

On a beautiful Tuesday afternoon at Yankee Stadium,

     The Twins take on      the Yankees.


And the Twins are up one game to none.
Next game on Thursday evening. Go Twins!

The Wonders of Baseball- 2

Yesterday I blogged a bit on my lifelong love of baseball. I do fall into that group of people who believes that baseball can be one of the best sports metaphors for aspects of life. I probably do make more of baseball than it deserves. Yes, it is just a sport.

But I have a hunch that we make so much of baseball because there is something unique about it.

I ended yesterday with the over-the-top line:

Baseball. Everything else is just details.

Don't believe me?
:: Just watch Field of Dreams, The Natural, Bang the Drum Slowly, The Pride of the Yankees. (Or read the books by W. P. Kinsella, Mark Harris, or Bernard Malamud.)

Good and evil?
:: Check out Damn Yankees. Or even Joaquin Phoenix's character in Signs.

Those are only movies, you say. What about real life?

Well, then, how about "Going the distance?"
:: In the end there are no shortcuts in life. It's the bottom of the ninth, the home team is threatening with two outs, the bases loaded and only a two run lead for the visiting team. There will be no "next chance". The pitcher has absolutely no choice. He can't take a knee, or spike the ball, throw it out of bounds to stop the clock. There is no clock! Sooner or later (as I once heard Vin Scully describe it) you have to make a pitch. You have to throw the ball.

Or then there are "Sure things?"
:: Well, there are enough end-of-the-season slumps that lose a sure thing. Then there's a Bobby Thompson or Bill Mazeroski home run, that infamous Bill Buckner error in October, 1986, or Willie Mays over-the-shoulder catch.

Don't want to forget the "Real World?"
:: Two words: Jackie Robinson- racism powerfully challenged! Curt Flood challenging a feudal slave system called the "reserve clause." An awful, debilitating disease that is named for one of the all-time greats- Lou Gehrig.

What about "Learning to pay attention?"
:: Yes, even in right field I learned that you may stand there for a long time until someone finally does send one your way. Better be ready or you will make a fool of yourself, become the goat of the game, or even get hurt.

What about "Philosophy?"
:: Can anyone beat Yogi Berra for such profound statements that even the AFLAC mascot is rendered silent. "Cash is as good as money", "The game's not over till it's over", "It's déjà vu all over again", and the classic, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it!"

The sad thing of baseball, at least here in the northern world, is that it is a summer game. But perhaps that is part of its power and wonder. It always brings to mind the easier days of summer, the lazier days of childhood, the crack of a bat or thump of a glove on a night when the mosquitoes are more common than the fly balls.

Yes, professional baseball has taken some of the childlike joy out of it. Big money, a decline in "club loyalty", teams moving at the drop of a million.

The hidden lives of the ballplayers are no longer hidden. A Ty Cobb or a Babe Ruth might not be able to do what they did in this day and age.

But the game "between the lines" is still baseball. It is a pitcher against a hitter. One on one with back-up for defense. It is a curious mix of team and individual activity. It has moments of brilliance and moments of boredom. Once in a while it approaches perfection. There are 162 games in a season- an intentionally long and drawn-out season. Any team can win on any day. Some just win more than others.

But in spite of all the metaphors from which we can learn, let us not forget that it is still just a game. Grown men playing a boy's game. But that is where we all learn how to live in the world- playing games. That is where we get our first awareness that there are always winners and losers, that at times life is not fair and goes outside the lines, that things happen that can get in the way. I love the metaphors, but when the game is over, all I can do is take what I have learned and live with it- win or lose.

So, enough seriousness and heaviness about something we call a sport. We have a little more than three weeks left in the season. Get out the peanuts and Cracker Jacks, sit back and enjoy the Summer Game in its October glory!

The Wonders of Baseball- 1

Baseball has always been for me The Sport. I am passionate about football thanks to the Green Bay Packers. I can enjoy a good basketball game thanks to the Goslings of Watertown High School. I grew into wrestling with great fervor in the late-Sixties at Lehigh University. The Wild have got me at least dabbling in hockey. I even loved the sights and sounds of volleyball thanks to the Badger State teams my daughter played on. I have enjoyed Indy and NASCAR.

But baseball is still the champion.

How can it not be with a mother from Brooklyn who took me to my first major league game at Ebbetts Field as the Dodgers played the Milwaukee Braves. Or the father who could get tickets every year when the Phillies played an exhibition game against their farm club in Williamsport.

How can it not be having grown up with the Dodgers and Phillies. Became a Brewers fan while living in Wisconsin, until they left the American League. Now it's the Twins. Hometown excitement is really what counts, although, even as an old Dodger fan, I have a special place for the Yankees, the epitome of baseball both good and bad. This year's ALDS isn't a problem, though. It's the hometown first! (Go Twins!)

How could it not be when every August the world of baseball came alive at Lamade Field in South Williamsport and I would wander the hill and watch these amazing 12 year olds. Later, as an announcer at the radio station just down the hill from the stadium, I was given the joy of doing play-by-play for an inning as we sent one of the consolation games overseas on the Armed Forces Network.

How can baseball not be THE sport? I went to the World Series in 1980 in Philadelphia a couple of weeks after my consecration into the second order of ministry as a presbyter in the Moravian Church. The Sunday of my consecration would have been a difficult time if the Phillies hadn't clinched the division on Saturday. The Bishop would have wanted to watch the game, too.

I cannot play the game. In high school phys ed, my buddy Wilson and I would race to right field since there were few left-handed batters. We would enjoy the conversation and watching those better equipped than ourselves. (I played basketball one season and scored my only two-pointer in one of only two games we won that year. I then became a manager.)

I learned to keep score from a baseball record book that Gillette Razors gave away as a promotion when I was maybe nine or ten. I would sit at my bedroom window listening to a game on an earphone after I got my first transistor radio in 1961, keep score, and pretend to be Vin Scully broadcasting the Dodgers games or Harry Carey, then with St. Louis.

I have read and read and read about baseball. Roger Angell, Roger Kahn, David Halberstam, Joe Garagiola, George Will.

Baseball. Everything else is just details.

Bring on the Yankees






The regular season has come to a close. And these must be the End Times.

The Chicago Cubs are the NL Central Champions.

The Boston Red Sox are the American League Wild Card team.

Detroit did not set a new season loss record.





Tuesday afternoon at Yankee Stadium,

The Twins take on


the Yankees.

Two Baseball Items of Note

Roger Clemens, The Rocket, finishes with a win. >More<




And for the first time in 14 years!

The Power of Friends

Had breakfast this morning with a friend that we haven't seen in 18 months. He was back in town for a conference and my wife and I met him at our old breakfast location. He had been in a wilderness time when he and his wife moved from here. Things were not as he had hoped they would be.

It was great to see him today. He has regained his self and his soul. He looked younger and happier than when he left. What a joy!

He and his wife were anchors for my wife and me that God provided in the difficulty of empty nest and moving from our home of 15 years. They were a source of spiritual friendship and hope, keeping us grounded while at the same time not allowing us to get stuck.

Seeing him today was a reminder that when one is in a wilderness, sometimes the best thing is to just keep trusting and doing the next right thing. It is always in God's time, not mine. Oh, how I hate to say that! I want to be in control. I want to plan out all my directions and ideas. But it doesn't always work that way. One just has to do what is in front of them- while not giving up or giving in. I find myself tonight energized by the visit. Hopeful. I know that if I continue to be trusting and faithful, God will always lead me.

Isn't it neat when we have friends who can do that for us? Thank God I have many of those friends. If any of you are reading this- THANKS!


Twelve-Step Community

A series of comments from a 12-step meeting yesterday in a paraphrased combined format:

I have never found any group of people anywhere that gives me the love and support that I get here. Nowhere. Not even in the groups that think they do. Not at church, in the military, sports teams, in the bars. Here is where community is really lived.

These comments were made by a variety of people with anywhere from 1 year to 25 years in the program. And everyone around the tables nodded in agreement.

Angry at God

A fictitious but all too real case study…

      Jay has been sick since he was a child. Never anything serious. Asthma, allergies, skin problems as a result of the allergies. They didn't slow him down. Now as an adult in his late-40s, he still has his ups and downs. His wife divorced him a number of years ago because she was "tired of taking care of his illnesses." Jay lives with it. He has learned how to take care of himself. He has an incredible faith. He is ready and willing to help others. He never complains. He often says, "Yes, but I'm not as bad off as a lot of people."

      Jay's father is also a pillar of faith. At times it may sound like wishful thinking and at others like a crutch to keep from falling over from the concerns. But it is always there and always real.

      But then there's Jay's mother. She is angry at God. She attends church but pays no attention to the sermon, songs, or prayers. She just sits there staring, arms folded, challenging God to break through.

      "There is no reason to this," she has said many times. "If God really listened to prayers, why is Jay still fighting all his illnesses. He believes in God. He really trusts God. Yet God seems to ignore him. Why should I bother with God?" It's not that she doesn't believe that God exists, she is angry since this God doesn't bring healing to Jay.

     Tough questions. While the above is a conglomeration of many people I have known over the years, it is always a dilemma. It would be easy to say that differences in personality, or upbringing, or whatever else is the difference. Or we may be tempted to judge the faith of Jay's mother, the truth of Jay's faith.

     The rough, tough preacher wants to say to mom, "Why should God heal Jay's asthma and eczema when there are so many other real issues to deal with?"

     The compassionate pastor wants to put an arm around mom and say something nice and warm, "Yes, I can understand how you feel that way, but God's ways are beyond us."

     The rebel wants to agree with her critiques of God and say, "Right on! We have to live our own lives."

     But you know, I'm not so sure any of these are on target, and all of them are. Paradox is a difficult thing to live with. We are an "either-or" people when it comes to these issues. Read the book of Job and hear the theological shenanigans trying to explain why this godly man is suffering so. There has to be justice, say Job's comforters. There has to be reason and logic and tit-for-tat. Even Job himself wants answers for why this is happening for he, too, lives in the cause and effect understanding of faith.
     Until the end. When the all-powerful Creator of the Universe simply says (from the thunder and the clouds- no still small voice here!) Stand up like a man and just trust me. I know what I am doing! Even if it isn't what you think it should be.
     C. S. Lewis spoke mightily about free will. Others speak as fully about the fallen-ness of creation as a result of sin. Some will stick as mightily to cause and effect- your faith isn't strong enough or your prayers not worded right.
     In the end none of us is 100% right. All I can do for and with Jay or his parents or anyone walking into my office is to be there and offer them compassion, an ear or shoulder if needed, and the strength of God through me to say, "Yes, there are no easy answers. Let's instead just spend some time with God and see what he has to tell us about our lives."
     No, that is not a satisfactory answer, I realize, for many. They will turn away seeking someone who will give them what they want to hear. I do the same. Some will remain angry with a God they see as un-just. But it is just about all I am able to give. That and the grace of God that I myself have found and experienced when I asked the same questions.
     To close, I quote Real Live Preacher who summed it all up in a recent post about superballs and the healing presence of God.

I don’t know what goes on, really. The world is such a big place and we are such small people. Who knows how everything fits together?

Not I. And, when all is said and done, for that I am grateful.

At the Ooze
Spencer over at The Ooze has a good article posted this week about the church he is starting.

He started with thinking about why he left the professional pastorate:

The reality is that much of what we call ministry today is really administration. It’s about adding things—programs and strategies and rules. In my 22 years as a pastor, I often administered more than I ministered, if that makes sense. I’ve come to see that I was an add-minister more than a minister.

Okay. Well now he is starting a church, but not your average church-in-a-building:

It’s pretty wild, isn’t it? I mean, who would have thought I’d be starting a church with just one other couple and no budget? Who does that? Who says, “Hey, wanna start a church on Thursday?” and believes God could be in it?

Former add-ministers trying to unpackage ministry, I guess. I really don’t know how else to explain it. All I can say is that Lisa and I feel like it’s time. Time to try again. Time to start living out some of the ideas we’ve been talking about for years. Time to move away from the institutional church and toward a new kind of kingdom community—one where the voice of a homeless man is just as valid as the guy with the seminary degree.

As always from Spencer- great stuff that makes your head wrap around some really interesting thoughts.

At The Living Room
Darren Rowse has posted a response to critiques of the emerging church. There are some really insightful comments with it as well. One of them was that in "relating to the "mainline" churches, the EC would be better off to go after the one sheep that falls through the cracks then to try to convert others to a new way of thinking or doing things."
As I continue in the "mainline" church, having an emerging church personal approach, it is difficult! Is there a way that those of us still in the mainlines/traditionals to go after the sheep that have fallen and begin to bring the church alive? I have no answers, just frustrations most of the time.

At Radical Congruency
Justin has posted the following as characteristics of the emerging churches:

So here's the question: What are the universal characteristics of emerging churches?
Possibilities:
-Redemptive view of art & culture
-More organic than institutional (or more liquid than solid)
-Missional rather than products-and-services-oriented
-More postmodern than modern
-More holistic than cognitive (e.g. mainline)
-More cognitive than emotional (e.g. charismatic)
-More historical and traditional than ahistoric and antitraditional
-More symbolic and elliptical than propositional and direct

At Country Keepers and Reverand Mike
Gary at Country Keepers posted the following from Reverand Mike. It is a list of characteristics about our nation and people in 1903:

* Only 14 percent of the homes in the United States had a bathtub.
* Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
* There were only 8,000 cars in the United States and only 144 miles of paved roads.
* The average wage in the united States was 22 cents an hour.
* The average United States worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
* One in ten United States adults could not read or write. Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from High School.

The list is longer and quite interesting.

At The Internet Monk
Found a truly interesting article at The Internet Monk on Mission Trips. Here are two paragraphs:

As a constructive suggestion, I hope churches and youth groups will look for work that CANNOT be done without an outside group coming in. For example, my church is very small, and a group coming in to do a week of outreaches and ministries in the community and repair to our facility would be a legitimate help because much of this ministry is impossible for us to do ourselves. There is a great deal of practical ministry that isn't "missions" per se, but is simply serving the Lord by helping the weaker brother. These sorts of experiences have real value, even though they are more "service" than "missions."

I believe missions is a key part of a Christian's discipleship in this world, especially for American Christians living in such a blessed land and time. Short term trips can be part of that discipleship, but perhaps there are many ways to follow Christ around the world without taking money that could build churches and support local pastors and sending it to the airlines.

As one who has been heavily supportive of and involved in such trips, I also agree with the words of caution that Michael raises. If nothing else, he has some very good, thought-provoking questions that any groups should ask before going on a short-term misson trip. I will be giving this one some serious thought as I begin to look ahead to potential mission trips next summer.

...And to end on a unique note...
At Joshua Claybourn
As Josh says "Yikes....Have you ever noticed the similarities between Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and the evil Saruman?"
Go there to see the pictures.

Heroes
-and The Rest of Us

Have had an interesting juxtaposition of books on my reading list. First I finished the novel, The Cuban Prospect by Brian Shawver. It is the story of a second-rate baseball scout and former minor league catcher named Dennis Birch who is sent by The Organization to help the great pitching phenom Ramon Diego Sagasta escape from Cuba.

In essence the book and its incidents are a long meditation on greatness and superstardom. Throughout the book Dennis sees himself as "groundless" and is always looking for ways that when Ramon is in the Hall of Fame, some small part of Dennis will be there with him. At the same time, Ramon is clueless about anyone but himself. Dennis reflects that such is the stuff of the superstar- the world revolves around them and then can't understand how it wouldn't. That is the order of things.

I then began reading the truly awesome biography, Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy by Jane Leavy. Koufax was one of my heroes in the Sixties and is arguably the greatest pitcher in the history of the game. In a few years, few by any major league standard, he was almost unstoppable. Then, at the height of his career, he called it quits. He could go no further, remaining on the Olympus of baseball.

What is interesting is how Leavy uses people who knew and know Koufax as the center of her book. Of course you always do that with biographies, but Leavy uses the style to great impact. Tying the book together is the perfect game he pitched against the Chicago Cubs in September, 1965. In the pre-game chapter she just talks about where all the people were and why they came to the game or listened or whatever.

In a sense it is a real-life example of what Shawver talked about in his novel. Not that Koufax was self-absorbed or clueless like Ramon Diego Sagasta, but it is clear throughout the story that he was the center of the baseball world. It was almost destined. He didn't use and abuse people or take advantage of their friendship for his own personal gain. In fact, he was almost just the opposite. A caring, dedicated friend! But the way people around a superstar hero are forever changed by their relationship is real. Even just being in the ball park on that perfect night in 1965 changed people. It was proximity. For some it made a huge difference.

It caused me to stop and reflect on how any of us can be affected by those around us. It is no secret that many "good people" who have started hanging around the "wrong crowd" end up going the "wrong way." It seems to happen more than we care to admit.

Both books, in their own ways, raise that issue. Who we hang around may say a lot more about us than it does about them. Or perhaps, more to the point, the "heroes and superstars" we elevate to that status say more about us than it does about them. There are superstars who do seem destined to be great. People hang around them, seek to touch them, gain some of their aura and uniqueness, if only on an autographed scorecard or in a personally understood sacrifice for the other's greatness.

So who do I hang around? Who do I make my heroes and what does that say about me? Whose greatness and unique giftedness do I want to have rub off on me?

Isn't that what we talk about when we say we can have a relationship- a deep, personal relationship- with the God of creation through His son Jesus. Isn't that what being a follower of The Way is all about.

No, I don't think I am stretching the point too far. I think when we overlook this important aspect of our human personality and think we can't have that kind of relationship with God that we miss out and are underestimating the point.

Our proclamation is that we can have that kind of interaction with God. Why go following after the "heroes?"

Which, for me, was one of the lessons that Sandy Koufax taught me. The first game of the World Series in 1965- not long after his perfect game against the Cubs- was on Yom Kippur, the highest of the High Holy Days. He was not a particularly "observant" Jew. But this was what being a Jew mean- he would not pitch that day. He did not pitch that day. Whether he would put it in those words or not, he knew the path he needed to follow.

A year later he retired. Quite a man!

:: 5 :: 4 :: 3 :: 2 :: 1 ::
:: 2003 Division Champs! ::

Is Worship What We Are About?

Back in July I posted an outline from Justin Baeder of Radical Congruency. He had posted a wonderful summary of moving beyond worship. Here is his outline:

-Almost all churches, traditional, seeker, and postmodern, focus heavily on the worship service
-When we focus exclusively on the worship service, we ignore many other possibilities for our time together, from ancient spiritual practices to modern educational methods
-The worship service only allows a few people to exercise their spiritual gifts
-The worship service is not biblical, either in example or instruction.
-The worship service is expensive and time-consuming to produce.
-The sermon, the didactic portion of a worship service, is a terrible way to teach
-Worship services are mostly about music, which tends to divide people along the lines of their musical preferences rather than unite them in Christ.

Recently I was in a conversation with a church planter and we turned to the same discussions. To center on worship as THE place where the church is, cannot be justified from Scripture.

So why then do we do it?

Why then do we spend so much of our time and energy planning, developing, carrying out, and critiquing (and criticizing) worship?

Why does so much money go toward the maintenance and development of worship in either building space or salaries?

Some thoughts, but only in outline, since that is what I am presently thinking in….
1) Worship is meant to make us feel connected with the creator of the universe, to give us meaning and hope. We want (and need) that so deeply we expend incredible amounts of energy to get it.

2) Worship as we know it is easy- for the participants in the pew. It requires little commitment and response if you don't want to.

3) Worship services are an easy way to have a central location to be able to see who is in and who isn't.

4) For most people theology is a difficult and non-existent thing. Worship is how many describe and live theology.

5) It helps us feel as if we might get to heaven.

6) It helps us define who "we" are.

Some of these can be considered "good" and some "not so good" or even "bad." I think the issue is more of what we define as worship and not the fact that it is central to the life of the church. The problem becomes when a set worship time (or even times) are defined as THE life of the church. Everything else is at best secondary. A worship service becomes the whole reason for existence of the church.

So what are we to do? How do we make the shift that places worship in its high and still proper place?

First we have to know what THE purpose of the church truly is…

AND THEN put worship into the picture.

There are all kinds of ways to describe it, of course. Let me try one….

The Church exists to be the outward and visible sign of the Body of Christ in the world.    ::. That means that our purpose is to be Jesus in the world…
   ::. That means that we are to be preaching the presence of the Kingdom of God in our midst…
   ::. That means that we are to proclaim release to the captives…
   ::. That means to open eyes that are blind…
   ::. That means we are to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness…
   ::. That means that we are to sacrificial servants…
   ::. That means, in short, we are to be the place where salvation begins in people's lives.

Worship is what we do to keep us connected to God, our roots, and each other.
Worship is what we do as a result of seeing the power of God at work in and around us.
Worship is a reminder that it is not about us.

Many churches, small groups, house churches, missionary cells are doing just that. I don't know if we can turn our building-centered churches toward that too easily. But with Jesus-focused, outward-looking worship that consistently proclaims the Gospel, we may be able to do that. At the very least, we could begin to also introduce worship to other aspects of the life of the church. If it is so central, then it should happen ever time we get together. And I don't mean just to say a perfunctory prayer.

May we all continue to work toward this ideal where making disciples who help the church embody the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is at our heart and the heart of our worship.

Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Le Prete Noir has posted the first chapter of his doctoral thesis. It's about "Changing Times-Timing Change - The Rural and Small Town Church: Family Chaplaincy or Mission to the World? Dealing with the Inhibitors to Developing a Missional Church in a Family Church Ethos." As we move into the postModern world, there are real and profound questions that need to be explored and answered.

Real Live Preacher
Real Live Preacher has come back from a brief time of reflection on blogging. He has decided to stick with it...

So I’m back and ready to get into the blog schedule again. Write your guts out, take a breath, and write your guts out again. I love it.

...and I for one am looking forward to it.

And Speaking of Back to Blogging
I have gotten back my discipline for the postModern Journal. I will finish up the Book of Acts next week and then move to the Gospel of Luke on October 6, posting Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I missed the discipline, but then, I have never had much discipline on some things.

No, I Haven't Forgotten
The Twins had the night off.

The Royals beat Detroit 12-6 while the White Sox beat the Yankees 6-3 in 10.
The Sox and the Royals are still tied in second...

... and the magic number remains at 2. It could happen tomorrow.

I Think I'll Stick With Baseball for A While


Green Bay 13
Arizona 20 (Arizona???)

A Brief Rant
    Okay. I know I live in Minnesota, but I have been a Packer Fan since I lived in Pennsylvania (someone named Lombardi was the coach, then.) I bleed Green and Gold after 15 years in Wisconsin where the Packer's aren't life- they're more important than that.

I aso understand the need for local coverage of local teams (read Vikings). But when they don't carry the second game of the day when I want to watch the Packers, that just isn't fair. (After all, it IS all about ME.)

I also have digital cable where I can buy- pay/per/view NBA and NHL in season. But it would appear that the NFL has an exclusive agreement with DirectTV so I can't even buy a pay/per/view.

Bummer.

Sports Trumps Blogging-
Along with Friends
    This has looked as much like a sports blog in the past week as anything. There is something exciting about Pennant Fever as the NFL is starting, too. Especially when this is now the second season in a row that the team formerly known as The Twinkies are about to be Central Division Champs.

Along with that we had the son of my best friend visit this weekend. Of course, I took him to the Twins game! It's always neat to have visitors who are fun to share life with.

I am also reading the second book in a row about baseball- the biography of Sandy Koufax. I will be blogging about both baseball and the books I've been reading.

A Self-Aimed Quote

"The human heart is an idol factory." - John Calvin
found from Ian at Daily Random

Another Good Quote
Fred Peatross at Future Margins had this to say in a post last week:

Most of what I see in churches today has no fire. The satisfied, established churches, hopelessly divided, endlessly competitive, have been ensnared in a kind of institutionalism that wilts in its rituals and ceremonies, writhes in the labyrinth of its organizational structure and committees, stagnates under the spiritless homilies and meaningless exercises in religious terminology—defensive, fearful, threatened, intimidated, yet desperately hanging on to the appearance of life.

The End is Near!


   Detroit 4
   Twins 6 (Ninth win in a row!)


KC takes another from the White Sox

Magic Number is now 2

What a week. A week ago the magic number was 14.

It's Down to 4

Detroit 3
Twins 7

Royals beat the White Sox......So it's now...

4 1/2 games ahead and
4 is the Magic Number.

(I went to the game this morning. It started at 11:05 so the field could be turned around for the Gophers' game tonight. What a joy to be there for a pennant run!) They could clinch at home on Tuesday or Wednesday!

One Day Closer


Detroit 2
Twins 6

White Sox beat Kansas City

Games Ahead = 3 1/2
Magic Number = 6

A Reflection

Was asked after church one day about the choir wearing robes. "Doesn't that make it look more holy?" was the question. My answer was some typical pastoral comment. But later- it's always later, isn't it?- I realized the answer is – we are not supposed to look holy. We are supposed to be holy.

Who Gets the Credit?

Over at dtour.com, was this wonderful quote found on the wall in the home of Nelson Mandela.

There is nothing that a man cannot do...... if he is willing to let others take the credit.

Rules For Politically Active Christians

Thanks to Joshua Claybourn for the following. It's great!

1. God does not belong to your party: No country, no political party, no political ideology can own Him. He's the boss.

2. The ends do not justify the means: Stuffing ballot boxes, shredding public documents, etc. are wrong, and most people would agree to that. Sometimes, though, politically active folks seem to think it's okay if it's for a greater good. Not quite.

3. Faith does not lie in support: Too many Christians are turned off by liberalism and prone to conservatism simply because conservatives say nicer things about Christianity. While this phenomenon is generally true, be careful about the dangerous road it could lead you down.

4. Generosity does not mean compassion: Christianity teaches compassion. But cheap generosity, when it's at someone else's expense, isn't compassion. (You know what I mean.) Doing what makes us feel good is sometimes different from what really helps.

Some Ten Commandments Thoughts

I seem to remember hearing a CD of a conference where the speaker pointed out that the Ten Commandments are not the great high moral law that we should strive to achieve. Since they come at the beginning of the Law-giving, they are, in reality the baseline. They are the minimum standard for the life our Creator wants us to live.

They Roll On!!

   White Sox 3
   Twins 5


Games Ahead 3 1/2
Magic Number 7

All We Have is Our Witness-
Make of It What You Will

One more post on Leif Enger's Peace Like a River. Not about the content since to say more would give away some plot elements that are too special to reveal. In an American version of magical realism located in highly stoic and non-mystical Minnesota, Enger makes it possible to believe that there are people who can witness true miracles.

It is the idea of being a witness that makes the book ultimately so powerful. I found myself thinking a number of times: "Gee, what will these people think when they read about themselves like this?" only to catch myself short and remind myself that this is a work of fiction. So real was the witness element that I knew I was reading something true. Reuben Land, the narrator (and Leif Enger, of course) become spokespersons for things beyond explanation, beyond words. Reuben, over and over, dismisses his own power of storytelling. His sister, Swede, is the writer. But Swede writes poetry and westerns a-la Zane Grey and Robert W. Service. She is not the witness. Reuben is. So he must be the one who tells the truth of life as he has experienced it. It doesn’t matter whether you are the skilled writer when it comes to witnessing. It matters what you have seen.

So often in church, especially the modern-era church, we have valued the explanation, the exposition, the finely-tuned and –turned phrase. (Like that one?) We become so enraptured by education and erudition and exegesis that we miss the humanity and the divinity mixing right before our eyes in our own stories and The Story of God at work with humanity in Jesus. So we seek to place information into people's heads and end up with the potential for atheists or agnostics who know the Bible.

Instead let's introduce them to what we have seen and heard and experienced and learned from that Bible through Jesus Christ. Let us not be afraid to speak our witness to the one who has saved us. No, not with fine preaching and a list of memory verses. But with the simple trust that God has worked in my life and here's how I have seen it. We are not in a debate and a persuasion contest. We are in something deeper and more profound than that. We are in the story of life.

In the closing of the book (and I will be careful not to give anything away), Reuben is asked if he ever doubts. He is honest with us that he has had them. But then he looks around and remembers what he has been a witness to and "certainty enters…"

     Is there a single person on whom I can press belief?
     No Sir.
     All I can do is say, Here's how it went. Here's what I saw.
     Make of it what you will.
from Peace Like a River by Leif Enger, 2001, Atlantic Monthly Press

Which, in reality is all that any of us can say with any certainty. The rest is faith.

WhooHoo


   White Sox 2
   Twins 4


2 1/2 games in first

Magic number = 9

Jesus as Chief Elder

In September, 1741, the Moravian Synod gathered in London was having difficulty finding someone to be the leader (Chief Elder) of the world-wide Moravian Unity. It was only 14 years after the Pentecost-like experience of August 13, 1727. In the years since then the Moravian Church had sent out the first Protestant missionaries and were sending people to the ends of the world as they knew it. They had already had a significant impact on the Wesley brothers, although their fellowship had not remained.

So they suggested names and got nowhere. Using The Lot as the means of election, it kept coming back "No."

Finally it was suggested that maybe the Savior should become the Chief Elder. They put it to the Lot and the answer was "Yes."

That was September 16.

Due to the widespread nature of the church they decided that the announcement would not be made until November 13. Since then, however, Moravian pastors around the world gather around September 16 as a Day of Covenanting. We celebrate the Chief Eldership of Jesus on November 13 (and I will blog more about it then.)

But for today we covenant as clergy to remain true to our Lord and the ministry we have been called to. We are reminded that we serve under him. He is our Chief Elder, the Head of our church and our ministry. Our group here met on Sunday evening and shared in a Cup of Covenanting. This is different from communion. The Cup of Covenanting is just what it says, a covenanting time with a specific purpose. With my own ordination anniversary being September 15, it has always been a special time for me.

May God continue to guide us in our ministries and our churches work of living and spreading the Gospel.

Another Good Night at the Dome

First Place...
By a game and a half.

Yes!

What is sin?

Gary over at Country Keepers started an interesting thread last week. He is wondering in essence how The Law impacts Christians and how do we define what is sin and what isn't.

I personally see it as the 2000 year old struggle about the relationship between The Law and Grace in Jesus Christ. Paul struggled with it in a number of places and even compromised on the issue in how it is different for Gentile and Jewish Christians.

Gary listed these as his standards of discussion:

   1. Old Testament Law (or Levitical Law or Mosaic Law if you prefer) was a lengthy list of commands given by God to the people of Israel as instruction on how they should live lives that God would consider righteous.
   2. Old Testament Law does not have the same meaning to Christians today, in that Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law on our behalf. We are saved by grace, and only by grace. We cannot be saved by fulfilling the Law, because we are incapable of perfectly fulfilling the Law.
   3. Upon being saved, our lives are to be changed so that we desire the things of God and resist the temptation of the body and of the world. We are called to strive to sin no more.
   4. The Law defines that which is sinful.
   In short, we are not beholden to the Law, but by being beholden to Jesus Christ, we are called to not sin and the Law defines sin.

A good starting point. My biggest disagreement is in the # 4.

Paul says that without sin he (we) wouldn't know sin. The sin isn't breaking the "laws" but rather the simple fact that we can't stay "lawful". Jesus picked up on the same when he broadened the definition of the "sins" in The Law to the spirit of The Law. Just because you haven't killed anyone, you have still broken that law because you have hated your brother. Just because you have kept yourself sexually pure, you have still broken that law because you have known lust in your heart.

You see there are 613 commandments in the Torah (the word for what we translate as Law in Paul's letters.) If these are all the sins defined by God, then we really need to do some time on our knees for lots of things we don't even know we are doing. As far as the Torah is concerned, all 613 commands are equally important. The "Holiness" laws of Leviticus are because the Lord our God is holy. The only ones that seem to have been specifically overturned in the New Testament (and the actions of Jesus) are probably the sacrificial-based laws and the "kosher" laws.

So what then are we to do about the laws of The Law that have not been overturned? Do they all fall under the grace of God in Jesus' fulfillment of them? Of course. But what does that mean? Does that mean that we can ignore them? If not, why do we pick and choose which ones we observe and place higher than others.

For example, there are the first 10, so to speak. Nowhere that I know of, though, was there a breakdown of the Top Ten and The Rest.

Not that these 10 aren't important. But they are not different from the rest.

Or are they? And how do we know the difference?

As I remember my Biblical studies, Jesus did talk about there being two commandments on which depend all the Law and the Prophets (the Bible of his day.)
   :.: Love the Lord your God with all that you have and are
   :.: Love your neighbor as yourself.

That would be a starting point, I would think.

And the Laws would be a guideline, but as Paul would tell us, some of these are cultural. Remember that he agreed that the Jewish Christians should follow laws that the Gentiles didn't such as circumcision.

No. The Law is not abolished, something to be ignored. But it has been fulfilled in Jesus. It has been challenged by Jesus to no longer be seen as a set of legal items, but instead a way of life that centers on God and our neighbors.

Thanks, Gary, for setting this discussion going.

[Now, a disclaimer: Gary started this with a comment about tatoos being a sin, based on the Levitical code that such are against the law. I have a couple of relatively small tatoos. Now, I only got them after I turned 50, and struggled with the issue that Gary raises. The personal guideline I used, based on the Law, was that any tatoo I got would not be anything but Christian. Spirit but not letter, I hope.]

It's Also Good in Minnesota

All alone...
First Place.

29 Years

It was Sunday, September 15, 1974. I had been serving for a year as a student pastor at the small church outside Bethlehem, PA. It was now time to enter the "official" side of ministry. Ordination. The Bishop would give a charge, place his hands on my head and pronounce me a "deacon," the first order of the Moravian ministry.

The scripture charge that he chose was from Ephesians 4 - to build up the Body.

I have sought in many ways to do that over these past 29 years. I have had a pilgrimage through the late 20th Century and across half the country. My wife entered the ministry and we have been in team ministry for 15 years. I got sober and found life awesome and amazing.

Now I am in the midst of learning what the emerging church and the 21st Century have to do with each other. I am a "church planter"-type out of an existing small church. I am not sure of the place of ordination in this new world. I agree with Darrell Guder in The Missional Church when he says that baptism is our ordination to ministry. I am uncertain what to call the "ordained ministry" today. Apostolic calling? Some new, hopefully Biblically-based and Biblically-honest description?

Above all I am continuing to seek to be faithful in my calling. I know still that I am called. Where and what that will lead? Only God knows. I just seek to follow.

Thirty years ago, the mentor who died a couple weeks ago said that most of the time we know God's will only by looking back and realizing that we were led to where we are. Someone also has told me that at times it is only when doors open. Still another description is to do the next right thing.

All of these keep me going. I look back and see where God has undoubtedly been at work leading and guiding.

I look around and look for doors to open, knowing that closed doors are as much a sign of God's will as open doors.

I move thorough my days and life seeking to do the next right thing.

Finally, I remember, again and again that it is not about me. That is what ordination was all about. It was a witness to me- and from me- that it is not about me. It is about Jesus.

For that and 29 years of doing God's will to the best of my ability and his strength, today I give thanks.

Now That's More Like It







Detroit 6
Green Bay 31

This American Life

In line with the link to Connexions yesterday, I was surfing the web site of one of the HIGH quality public radio shows, This American Life. I checked out their archives of some of their favorite shows and was intrigued by program 77 from September 26,1997 titled, Pray. The description was even more intriguing:

Alix Spiegel tells the story of travelling to Colorado Springs, where Christians are coming together to form a "prayer shield" over their city. During her days there doing her reporting, they try to convert her into a believer. Alix finds she can't sleep at night until finally one of her interviewees admits that he's been praying that she won't be able to sleep, so she'll be more open to their attempts to make her a Christian.

It is a remarkable production by a non-Christian as she explores a spiritual world and understanding she never knew existed. She realizes that she is in a land where they speak a completely different language.

The first part of the show is about a husband and wife- one of whom is a Christian, the other is not.
The second part is the long section with Alix Spiegel.
The third is by a worker in Salt Lake City who finds himself in the middle of some strong, apocalyptic Christians.

The whole 59 minute, three-part show is worth listening to. (It's in RealAudio.) Check it out for a deeper insight into the different worlds we live in.

So That's Where the Money Goes

Pen at the Gutless Pacifist posted today in response to a fund raising effort of the Christian Coalition. He then talked about where we Americans spend our billions:

In 1996, this is how we spent money in American (in billions of dollars):
2.5 world missions
25 gardening
2.5 chewing gum
31 tobacco products
8 movies
34 state lotteries
14 cosmetics
49 soft drinks
21 pet food
58 Alcoholic beverages
22 hunting
24 eating out ($842 per person in the US)
From Ronsvalle and Ronsvalle, Behind the Stained Glass Window

And our schools are laying off teachers and social service agencies can't keep up with the case-load.

The Hard Truth

This one's from The .Plan. It is from an anonymous letter written by a Chinese house church leader, in response to a September 18, 2000 Time magazine article. In this article, "When the Smugglers are Working for Jesus", the writer profiles the actions of a group of American Bible smugglers whose tactic is to saturate a locality with the Christian Scriptures as a means of direct evangelism.

First, Jesus is not a book. In the article, the smugglers 'bomb' a town in China during the night with Scriptures, stuffing tracts into bicycle baskets and mail boxes so that, in the words of the smuggler, 'When the people woke up the next morning, there was Jesus everywhere'. Jesus was not everywhere, because Jesus is not a book. Jesus did not spread his own gospel by asking his many disciples to write scrolls and deposit them all over Galilee or 'bomb' the temple in Jerusalem with papyri.
...
There is something deeply wrong in assuming that because you have anonymously dumped a tract on someone's windowsill, you have given him or her Jesus. If you really want to spread Jesus, then come and spread the gospel his way -- live here, learn Chinese, love the people, incarnate yourself into the culture as Christ incarnated himself into humanity.
...
My challenge to American Bible smugglers is this: Why are they not satisfied at the amazing rate of growth in China? The church is growing here far more than their own. And this growth is not their doing. It's ours. The article seems to assume that the growth of Christianity in China is somehow the result of all the actions of foreigners. No. This growth is indigenous.
--Anonymous. Mission Improbable: A Chinese house church leader responds to American Bible smugglers. Brandywine Review of Faith and International Affairs, Spring 2003.

A Revelation

Over at Connexions, Richard posted his reaction to a radio interview:

I had a revelation the other night. No, really. I'm being serious.

Driving to a meeting on Wednesday I was listening to Radio 4 according to my usual custom. (I like to listen to The Archers when I get the chance -- Don't mock! We all have our weaknesses!) Anyway, on Front Row there was a piece about Dizzee Rascal, winner of the 2003 Mercury Music Prize. An interviewee was asked to explain the significance of Mr Rascal's music and give some insight into the UK Garage scene. I listened to what was said. I could understand all the individual words. It's just that, somehow, I couldn't make any sense at all of what he was talking about. He might as well have been speaking in Farsi.

That's when I had my little revelation. It struck me -- that's how it must be for non-Church folk listening to most of what we have to say about Jesus.

That's a scary thought.

It sure is. We wonder why people don't respond to Jesus when what we are offering them is words, words, and more words that make no sense. We need to turn to our modern prophets and poets to learn something.....

So we will then have...
Words to Ponder
Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on.

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he's a victim of the times.

I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me.

Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose,
In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes,
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought 'a be a Man In Black.

I wear it for the sick and lonely old,
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been,
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.

And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believen' that the Lord was on their side,
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died,
Believen' that we all were on their side.

Well, there's things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin' everywhere you go,
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You'll never see me wear a suit of white.

Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything's OK,
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
'Till things are brighter, I'm the Man In Black.

Man in Black by Johnny Cash
Thanks to Andrew Careaga for the links.

Johnny Cash
R. I. P.

The Second Anniversary Comes to An End

No, we cannot- and should not forget. It will always be a reminder- a Pearl Harbor for our era. It will always be a reminder- the world is never 100% safe. It will always be a reminder- fanaticism is always dangerous.

I cannot look at a picture of the New York skyline, or older pictures of the Trade Center, without that moment of sadness filling me again.

Yet, on the average, for me and for most of us the world hasn't changed much. We still get up in the morning and go to work or school or wherever. We still watch our TV shows and laugh at David Letterman when he makes fun of Osama bin-Laden. We still eat and sleep and go through life.

Yet, I am more convinced than ever that we human beings are able to turn anything into something good or something bad. The people of NYC made us all proud to be part of their country. The FDNY and NYPD were stupendous.

Yet, we will never wipe out terrorism without resorting to the same tactics as the terrorists. We can be safer and more secure, but we can never be completely safe. Not without losing our soul- and at that point we will have lost it all

I know that the trade-off between safety and civil liberties is a tough one. No president, politician or preacher in his/her right mind would ever say that we have to risk loss of life of innocent people to protect our freedom which would be lost if we gave up our liberties to protect them. Does that make sense? It is not that far a jump in thinking from "destroying a village to save it" and giving up our freedoms to protect our freedom.

I am more aware that America (the USA) is just as vulnerable as any other nation to terrorism. Remember that before Sept 11, the greatest terrorist attack was in Oklahoma City and was done by our fellow Americans.

That means that we need to concentrate on building as free and caring and compassionate country as possible. We need to build, rebuild, and then renew and rebuild over and over the community that can be the United States of America. Jealous people will still come after us. Religious zealots will still seek to impose their narrow values on all of us. But if we are a strong and caring community we will not fall.

If we can do that, the loss of life on September 11 will never be in vain for it will guide us into a greatness of life that will be a witness to the world.

For that I also turn to....

Father Mychal Judge
Number 00001

For me the witness of September 11 is Father Mychal Judge.


Father Mychal's death certificate listed him as victim No. 00001--
the first official fatality of the World Trade Center attack.

He was a compassionate AIDS activist. He had been an unofficial chaplain to the families of Pan Am Flight 800. He was many things to many people. At one of the websites in his honor, St Mychal,, are a series of articles and stories about him. One particular quote:

[A] pillar of Father Mychal Judge's spiritual philosophy was Alcoholics Anonymous.

Once, at the White House, he told Bill Clinton that he believed the founders of AA had done more for humanity than Mother Teresa.

"He was a great comfort to those with troubles with the drink," says author and raconteur Malachy McCourt, who usually saw "Mychal J" twice a month at AA. "He'd always say, 'You're not a bad person -- you have a disease that makes you think you're a bad person, and it's going to f--- you up.' "

McCourt pauses a moment. "He had no compunction about language. Not with me, anyway."

September 15, 2001, the day he was buried, would have been the twenty-third anniversary of Father Mychal Judge's sobriety.

Father Mychal was a remarkable servant. Some may not be willing to accept him, but I have a hunch that wouldn't matter to him. He seemed to have one thing in mind- following the Lord wherever he may lead.

This was Father Mychal's prayer....

Lord, take me where you want me to go
Let me meet who you want me to meet
Tell me what you want me to say
And keep me out of your way.

.
In memory of 9/11, no matter our politics or theology, may it be ours as well

Go read Lilek's Bleat for today.

And Glenn Reynolds.

And to Jeff Jarvis blogging from New York.

In Preparation for Tomorrow



Christopher Hitchens should be read today and re-read September 11.

Jeff Jarvis was not happy with the PBS program earlier in the week.

The Lemon has ceased humor in honor of 9/11- and a good article covers it well.

Tomorrow I will simply remember and continue to pray for a way of making sense of the new world that 9/11 brought to us as Americans and how my responses and reactions must in some way or another fit the Jesus Way I claim to be a disciple of.

How Rich Am I?

Whoa! Go to Global Rich List to see where you rank in comparison to the whole world. I am humbled that a basically middle class American like me can be in the top 1% of all people in the world. So are you if you earn more than US$33,700. Link thanks to Martens and Jordon Cooper.

REAL Miracles

We "moderns" have lived in a world without miracles for a long time now. When science and reasoning and logic and intellect rose to the top of the human way of doing things in the Enlightenment, we turned our backs on the supernatural side of miracles.

Even the church jumped on the bandwagon. I remember as a teenager hearing pastors say that miracles like we see in the Bible don't happen anymore. That was a different "dispensation." (No, I didn't know what dispensation was all about then- and I don't care now.) God, we were being told, deals with people on a more intellectual and "civilized" way today.

All of this came back when I started reading the amazing novel by Leif Enger- Peace Like A River. Reuben Land, the narrator of the story, was born not breathing. He shouldn't have survived, but through the healing power given to his father, he did. In the first chapter, Reuben sets out his thoughts on miracles…

     Let me say something about that word: miracle. For too long it's been used to characterize things or events that, though pleasant, are entirely normal. Peeping chicks at Easter time, spring generally, a clear sunrise after an overcast week- a miracle, people say, as if they've been educated from greeting cards. I'm sorry, but nope. Such things are worth our notice every day of the week, but to call them miracles evaporates the strength of the word.

     Real miracles bother people, like strange sudden pains unknown in medical literature. It's true: They rebut every rule all we good citizens take comfort in. Lazarus obeying orders and climbing up out of the grave- now there's a miracle, and you can bet it upset a lot of folks who were standing around at the time. What a person dies, the earth is generally unwilling to cough him back up. A miracle contradicts the will of earth.

Powerful stuff, then, these things we call miracles. Enger is right that we turn the word into a greeting card sentiment when in reality it is a power far greater than ourselves. It is God stepping into the everyday world and, if even for a brief moment, setting aside the very laws of nature that he put into place. Miracles break the cycles of the normal course of things. They stop death in its tracks, bring healing when hope was lost, allow people to be new creations when God knows none of us is able to turn from our greedy, violent, sinful, or even just plain apathetic ways. Miracles are how God gets our attention when we think we have it all figured out. Once we face a miracle, we can never be the same again. Reuben continues his commentary on miracles:

     My sister, Swede, who often sees to the nub, offered this: People fear miracles because they fear being changed- though ignoring them will change you also. Swede said another thing, too, that rang in me like a bell: No miracle happens without a witness. Someone to declare, Here's what I saw. Here's how it went. Make of it what you will.
from Peace Like a River by Leif Enger, 2001, Atlantic Monthly Press

As we see over and over in the New Testament, miracles are signs for the proclamation of the presence of God. They are given to glorify God. Why they happen at times to some and not at times to others is far beyond me. But when they do happen, and unlike my dispensationalist pastor 40 years ago, I do know they happen. Thank God!

Peace Like A River
Just finished the stunning novel by Leif Enger, Peace Like a River. It is set in the 1962-63 rural prairie of Minnesota. It is the story of a family facing difficulties after the eldest son, Davy Land, escapes from jail and the family - Dad, brother Reuben and sister, Swede - go in search for him. The incredible strength of the novel is the simple prose of Leif Enger's storytelling. He describes wonders of life and emotion along with fears and doom with a rich pastel palette. I will have a few more posts on the book later in the week. It is a remarkable meditation on life and miracles and hope.

So Many Books, So Little Time
Libraries are wonderful and dangerous places. You see the list of books at the right side of this blog. You see the books that are "on-deck." Well, I walked into the local library today and came out with two more to read. They are now on the "fiction" list. After all, with only three weeks time to read a borrowed library book, they have to move to the front. Oh well. The Cuban Prospect looked interesting about a baseball scout and a Cuban baseball player. Plus, after having read Neil Gaiman's American Gods earlier this year, I thought I would look into Neverwhere.

What We Take For Granted May Be Exciting
I loved the two posts by John Adams, now a college student in the Pacific Northwest. After being a "kid from the tropics," today he saw his breath in the coolness for the first time. Yesterday, he spoke of rain and wrong impressions.

R.I.P.

Warren Zevon, 1947-2003.
CNN.
Washington Post
MTV

An Ad in a Unique Place

Advertising is getting to be everywhere. In the Men's Restroom at a bar and restaurant is an ad for a blood center.
On the left:
     A nice picture of a Happy Father's Day card.

The text on the right:
     For over 50 years we have made sure that these have gone to the right people.

It was an ad for paternity tests.

This isn't about casual sex now is it?


Cleaning the Notes

Going through the To-be-posted-File, I found a few bits and pieces from the past summer that I haven't posted.

Thanks to Jason Evans at The Living Home for finding these quotes.

The day of the professional minister is gone.
The day of the missionary pastor is here!
The day of the churched culture is over.
The day of the mission field has come!
The day of the local church is over.
the day of the mission outpost has come!
- Kennon Callahan (via Jim Best )

And another one by Callahan:

"The congregations who do the best in church finances have a rich, full, abiding compassion for mission. They are motivated by a theology of service, not a theology of survival. Their compelling, driving spirit is one of giving, serving, loving mission."

Found the following quote at Corrigenda earlier this summer. It is from a book called Against Christianity by Peter Leithart.

Modernity refers to the civilization of the West since about 1500. Culturally, modernity is characterized by "value pluralism," which entails the privatization of religious institutions and religious claims. Every individual and every group chooses its own values, and civil society is the arena where those values enter into combat.

Though it has roots in the patristic period, Christianity in its more developed form is the Church's adjustment of the gospel to modernity, and the Church's consequent acceptance of the world's definition of who we are and what we should be up to. Christianity is biblical religion disemboweled and emasculated by (voluntary) intellectualization and/or privatization.

Christianity is not merely a haphazard embrace of the values and practices of the modern world. Worldliness in that sense has plagued the Church since Corinth and will be a temptation to the end of time. Christianity is institutionalized worldliness, worldliness accepted in principle, worldliness not at the margins but at the center, worldliness built into the foundation.

Christianity is worldliness that has become so much our second nature that we call it piety.

Yes!
We're Ready for Some Football


Update: But not this way.
Oh well, it's only week 1.

Here and There

A new video of the planes on 9/11 has surfaced. It is still as shocking and unbelieveable. Thanks to Jeff Jarvis at Buzz Machine for the link.

Thanks to Jordon Cooper for posting that Len Sweet has made his book Quantum Spirituality available for free as an e-book.

I haven't quite had time to look in depth at it, but Disseminary looks like an interesting development in seminary and beyond.

I had caught this elsewhere, but follow this link to Ecumenical Insanity's information on the killer icon in Russia.

A political endorsement not to be missed. Pat Robertson endorses Arnold. Why not..."I DO SOME PRETTY HEAVY WEIGHTLIFTING, SO I THINK THE WEIGHTLIFTERS OF THE WORLD NEED TO UNITE."

And finally, US daredevil suspends himself over Thames River without food for six weeks. Closing quote in the article from a doctor who could not condone it: "From a personal point of view I think he's nuts."

Thoughts I've Found (and Have)

Burn-out or Just Tired
Chad Canipe was getting some good coaching advice from Todd Hunter. It had to do with being a "tent-making" church planter. He was wondering how to prevent burnout. Todd's advice was good.

Understand the difference between tiredness and burn out. Burn out is not primarly related to being tired, it is more of a result of unmet expectations.

Good advice. It is a real challenge at times to keep expectations realistic- and still high enough that vision is guiding us. I would also add that sometimes the burnout comes when people are challenging the vision or we ourselves have our own personhood and sense of worth in our vision instead of the one who gives us the vision. The preventative for it seems to be to take care of ourselves and keep in touch with our God.

Church and Our Language
Kevin at Sakamuyo has a really interesting post trying to figure out how to keep the good of local churches while moving beyond the unhealthy aspects. He says at one point:

We use the word "church" to mean both the small, local gathering and the universal body of Christ. I would like to see us clear things up a bit by no longer using "church" to refer to the local assembly. There are plenty other words: assembly, gathering, knot, congregation. Choose away. Be the "First Baptist Congregation". Make a statement that you are only one particular group among many.

It's more than semantics. It's a way of looking at church. If I primarily look at church as just my local congregation, I naturally see other churches as something different and separate from mine. They become competition. It's survival of the fittest and I'd better do what I can to make sure I'm on top. But, when we change our language, we can change our paradigms. If our assembly is just one congregation, it is easier to see that the "church" is the extended family, not the nuclear.

He is picking up on a post from John Campea- Welcome to the Church of Amway. Both posts are worth reading and reflecting on. I have talked several times about the need to look at the 12-Step group movements as a paradigm to look at for the future of the church. It gets away from some of the issues that both Kevin and John are raising.

If You Want to Know More Than You Want to Know
About the Anglican/Episcopal Falling Apart
The Midwest Conservative Journal has been keeping up regular posts on what is going on post-Minneapolis in the Anglican semi-communion. While many may disagree with some of his style, it is a place to see what happens when the issues of our society become the central issues of our faith. While I am not an Anglican or Episcopalian, it is sad to see any group go through the seeming disintegration that is occurring. Sadly, they may be a significant test case for postModern denominationalism.

Bobby and Barry Bonds
Thanks to Randy McRoberts at Upward Way Press for this link to a Washington Post column by Thomas Boswell. It is titled A Son's Gift to His Father. Boswell, one of our truly great contemporary sports writers reflects on the son-father relationship of two great ball players- Bobby and Barry Bonds.

Reflections of a Small-Town Girl
Some of the neat gems around the blogosphere come when someone reflects on something in their life. IreneQ has unravelled a few of those this week. Thanks, Irene for sharing here and here.

A Thought or Two on Sin

I subscribe to a weekly e-mail that sends a Thought of the Week from the Desert Fathers and Mothers. Last week's concluded a series of quotes from sermons by St. John Chrysostom. I found the following quote particularly relevant. I have a hunch it expresses some of my underlying discomfort with making any hard and fast comments about some of the recent big issues facing some of the churches. Here's the quote:

-- When we see a person who has committed vicious sins and crimes escaping with impunity, we react with indignation. We want to see that person called to account and punished, and feel angry that this has not happened. But at such moments we should reflect on our own actions; indeed we should turn that sense of indignation inward against ourselves. Each of us should ask: "How many sins have I committed against others, when I have escaped with impunity?" There are, no doubt, many examples in all our cases. Recognizing this fact will cause our anger against others to melt away. More importantly, it will make us turn to God and ask forgiveness of these sins. Yet there is perhaps a difference between our own sins and the sins which we notice in others. Our own sins are probably quite subtle and inconspicuous, whereas the sins of others are obvious and gross. Should we, therefore, regard our own sins as less important or dire? On the contrary, we should realize that subtle sins are frequently the most harmful. Obvious sins, such as robbery and violence, are easily recognized, and so can often be guarded against by physical means. The more subtle sins, such as lying and slander and power-mongering, are frequently hard to spot, and so difficult to prevent. Van de Weyer, Robert, Editor, On Living Simply: The Golden
Voice of St. John Chrysostom, (Ligouri, Missouri: Ligouri Publications, 1996), pp. 58 – 61

I am always afraid of myself when I begin condemning someone else's sins too loudly. I am always afraid when I begin to think that one sin is oh-so-much-worse than someone else's. My subtle sins aren't hurting anyone. My subtle sins aren't as obvious. My subtle sins can even work in my favor.

That doesn't mean that they aren't sins. That doesn't mean they aren't as awful and sinful as say murder, sexual misconduct, or stealing. But some of mine are even socially acceptable… lying to protect your butt, for example… or greed and materialism… or an ego that really does seek to Edge God Out.

Before I then point fingers at those awful sinners over there, may I get down on my knees and listen to what God says about mine. As I listen may I also confess that these sins are real in my life. After all, do I really think I am kidding God? Then, once again hear what God says in return. As I remember the last time I had to do it, it was something like- "You are forgiven. Go and sin no more."

[Note: To subscribe to this weekly e-mail, send a blank e-mail to mailto:thoughts-of-the-week-request@innerlightproductions.com with this text in the body: subscribe thoughts-of-the-week]

Leaps and Thoughts

Carter -vs- Bush
Traveling on Sunday we listened to the autobiographical book by former President Jimmy Carter, One Hour Before Daylight. The longer we listened the more I became aware of how hard this guy worked to get where he was. From his early years in the peanut and cotton fields, working like any of the workers, hanging out with the share- and tenant-farmers, selling boiled peanuts on the street, he was a man who truly understood the problems and joys of hard work. He was truly a unique individual and may be among the last of a breed of politician. My I thoughts often went to the difference between him and our current president. In spite of his incredible intelligence, skill, and self-assuredness, Carter remained humble. He seemed to know it was not about him. I hope that it is possible for someone like him to become president and succeed.

Next Wave
Congrats to Jason Evans and crew for a new look to Next Wave, which is now up and ready to read. Among other excellent articles is one by Joel McClure, Is A Partial Gospel Really Good News?

I wonder what Paul would say were he to sit in on much of what is called ‘evangelism’ in America. Would Paul point out inadequacies with what passes for ‘good news’ in contemporary communities of Jesus’ disciples?... 1. A Renewed Idea of Salvation. The good news is not that we get to go to heaven when we die, but that we no longer need to live as captives in the land of sin. One significant shift that must be made in our thinking is to restore an appreciation for salvation as deliverance from captivity to sin.

2 Kingdoms
Yeah... has a wonderful post about the two kingdoms we face in living our daily lives.

What a novel idea it would be to actually learn what the gospel is, and preach it in the churches, instead of spreading some other gospel to the world that they don't even understand.

Worship-Centered Church
John Campea had this to say in a recent post..

How did the true church become so Sunday Service centered? Heck, we even spend unholy amounts of money on building bigger nicer looking places to hold our Sunday Services instead of other unimportant places like… oh I don’t know… help people suffering from aids or starvation. Doesn’t anyone remember that in the New Testament Jesus did 90% of his ministry AWAY from the synagogue. He did his work in peoples homes, in public, in crowds, in private, at weddings, and most of the time in homes around a dinner table.

Tied for First

The Twins are now tied for first in the AL Central with 20 games to go.

Just needed to say that.

Quick Bits and Pieces

It is late and I couldn't get into Blogger most of the evening. So I have little time to say what little I have to say.

Actually enjoyed a quiet weekend around the house and doing some special things...

:: A wedding reception for friend who were married a few months ago out of state and had all their local friends over this past weekend.

:: Saw Matrix Reloaded with my daughter who said it was better than Seabiscuit. Different, yes. But very good. I don't know what people were expecting from it that they didn't get. No, there were no answers given, just more questions to come. Now I am looking forward to Matrix Revolutions. Well worth the time to see, I think.

:: The difficult part of the weekend was Sunday- a long day down to Wisconsin for the funeral of one of my early mentors in ministry some 25 - 30 years ago. It was sad and felt the loss, but also a real celebration of a life dedicated to Jesus Christ. For that I give thanks!

:: Hope to get back to some serious blogging in the next couple of days. Reading Peace Like a River is an incredible experience. Will be posting about it.

:: Guess that's it. Not much else to add for tonight.