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.

Your Thoughts are Requested

I am working on a paper/presentation/ideas on the theme:

Pastoral Ministry and Practical Theology in the 21st Century.

    >> What will the "pastoral ministry" look like as we move further into the 21st Century and the postModern world?
    >> What are the varied ways that Christian Education will happen?
    >> What will be the effective means of youth ministry?
    >> How will preaching change?
    >> What will mission be?
    >> How will we do evangelism?
    >> How will we keep the church from disintegrating?

I'm look for some feedback and discussion from the blogosphere whether you are in the "emerging" church, the traditional church, house church, whatever. Post a comment or send me an email if you want to go deeper than a post might be able to. Take a shot at any or all of the list above. Will keep you posted here as I move along.

And thanks for your thinking about it.

Add Another Movie

Rented Spirited Away this evening. A truly beautiful movie. The animation and art work is stunning. It does run a little long, but you know from the start this isn't your average American animated film. The movie is originally from Japan and Disney imported it with a dubbed English soundtrack. Didn't lose a thing in beauty. It has a lot of your standard mythic fare- dragons and monsters and true love overcomes evil. Except there are a lot of Japanese mythic characters and spirits. The tone of the film seems to take those spirits seriously and while making jokes with some, the seriousness is not a whole lot less than you might find in a PG version of the Lord of the Rings. I would guess that some would be wary of the film because of the Eastern spirituality, but it is a beautiful movie worth seeing for the craft if not the story.

Slow Weekend

Not doing a lot of serious thinking this weekend. It is non-Labor Day for me. Well, I did have to do some work around the house and run some errands. But I am not thinking too deeply at the moment. Will probably have one more post in a little while looking for opinions. Sunday I am doing a 600-plus mile round-trip for the funeral of the mentor I mentioned earlier. Am helping a couple drive down and we just felt like we should do it in one day. Oh well. Then on Monday will finaly get to see Matrix Reloaded. But we will be seeing it at the bargain theater instead of Imax as previously mentioned. Hey, $12/ticket is a lot, even for the gazillion foot tall Keanu Reeves.

Sex, MTV, and the Video Music Awards

I didn't watch the Video Music Awards Thursday on MTV. But Walt Mueller of Center for Parent Youth Understanding did. He is the editor of a bi-weekly e-Update on youth and popular culture. (If you want to subscribe, click here.) After watching last evening he sent out a special edition of his musings on the VMA and what we can learn from it about youth and culture. I didn't find any link on the web site yet, but will probably be there. He starts out:

The VMA's - like all popular entertainment - function in our culture as both a map and a mirror. As a map, the VMA's direct and shape the developing worldview of vulnerable children and teens who look to the music industry for guidance and direction. In that sense, viewing the three-plus hour broadcast puts me in the same "classroom" as our kids. For those of us who want to know what the kids we know and love are learning from these teachers, the VMA's give us a front row seat in the classroom. It's imperative that we know what our kids are learning. That way, we can affirm or correct where necessary. As a mirror, the VMA's allow us to gaze at ourselves to see what we look like and what we've become. The show is an accurate reflection - although many of us won't admit or believe it - of how we've changed, what we think, how we live, and who we are as a culture. Granted, the reflection I saw tonight was not something I liked. Nor was it an accurate reflection of me as an individual. But collectively. . . . I can't argue with the fact that what I saw is a reflection of what our youth culture has become.

He then talks about thirteen different observations. In light of the issues of sexuality and homosexuality that have been flying around the blogosphere these past months, I found two particularly appropriate.

First was his reflections on the overtly sexual and homosexual opening five minutes with "Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera singing Madonna's Like A Virgin" while dressed in white wedding 'dresses'." They were joined then by Madonna and the gay cast from Bravo's hit show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Mueller says:

...homosexuality and lesbianism are no longer stigmatized or seen as sinful. In fact, they are celebrated in the mainstream...Remember, 'map' and 'mirror.' We've got to be addressing issues of sexuality with our kids.
[As if to highlight what I just wrote from Walt, Channel 4 just showed the kiss between the three singers as the closing item on the 10:00 news.]

In a later insight Walt says:

When it comes to sex, there are no rules. If you were an alien sent to watch this year's VMA's from a sociological/anthropological perspective, what would you scribble on your notepad? What kept running through my mind is that the sex act and all things sexual are the reason for living, boundary-less, and sacramental. Our kids are growing up in a world where the hedonistic and unbridled pursuit of pleasure is integral to life. Fornication, adultery, and homosexuality aren't even seen as naughty enough to be pursued in a sneaky way. Again, we've got to do a better job of teaching our kids about issues related to modesty and a Godly sexual ethic.

A lot is said between the words and lines of Walt's brief musings. When I was younger, I always thought that it was the conservatives who got upset about all the sex on TV and the liberals who got upset about all the violence. I have the sinking feeling that, as in so many things, both sides were right. Watching Bowling for Columbine reminded me of the violence that is just beneath the surface of so much of American life. Then you turn on the news and see the latest list of killings and things that we are to fear even if they are unfounded. Reading Walt Mueller reminds me of the easy and free sex that now seems to be everybody's right and privilege and don't tell me how I should behave is the ethic of the day. Putting the two issues together there is a sudden awareness of talking about the same things. NRA says it is my right to own and use guns. No one should be able to stop me. The videos and movies and TV shows say it is my right to have sex when I want and with whoevery I want. No one should be able to stop me.

Now, I am not a prude or censor who wants all these things to be taken off TV and movies so that we go back to the Leave it to Beaver days which were no more realistic than today's shows. Violence in movies may be important to the story as in Saving Private Ryan, The Godfather, Taxi Driver,or even Sling Blade. Sexuality, stated or unstated may be important to a storyline as in The Crying Game, Midnight Cowboy, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, or Young Frankenstein. My point is that we need to be talking to our kids-- and each other-- about the healthy and unhealthy aspects of all of these. We need to be talking in our communities about the impact of violence and the many different causes that bring it forth. We need to be discussing with our teenagers the benefits to them, to us, and to the community of living disciplined and healthy lives.

We can't do that unless we first have a healthy and disciplined view of these issues. Extremes are very seldom healthy or disciplined. Extremes, by nature, are in fact undisciplined in the area they are extreme. We are celebrating the extremes in society today- extremes of sexuality and of violence. We are experimenting with the extremes of both in our society and world. Indiscriminate sex is as personally deadly and potentially as physically deadly as indiscriminate killing.

I am not sure that all the screaming we do, whether liberal or conservative ever really gets heard beyond those who already agree with us. Perhaps it is time to scale down the rhetoric and scale up the compassionate approach of speaking in love with logic and hope and grace. We must not ignore what is happening around us, but be astute observers, like Walt Mueller was while watching the VMAs on Thursday. We must not recoil in angry horror, but with a caring awareness that these issues are deep and people have deep, intense emotions about them. Like Walt said about the VMAs, TV, movies, the News are both a map and a mirror for us of our culture. It may not always reflect what any of us as individuals may be, but it sure lets us know what is around us so we may be better informed observers and builders of a healthier and, I would add, God-affirming, life-affirming world.

<>< PS-While surfing the Rotten Tomatoes web site of the "best" all time movies, I was amazed how many, relatively, were violent, or war related and how few were sex related. I was also happy to see how many were life-affirming! ><>

Another Mentor Passes On

Earlier this summer I said goodbye to a well-loved bishop who taught me a few things about ministry and tenacity. Today I must say goodbye to another mentor.

Thirty-two years ago when I entered seminary, new to the Moravian Church, positively certain that I was never going to be a parish pastor, I met a District President who never minced words, let you know what he thought, and cared deeply about the people he worked with and around. My wife worked in his office for a year after I was done with seminary and he was my immediate "boss" as District President and I was serving as a parish pastor. He kept on caring. And letting you know what he thought. He told me what to look for- and look out for- in parish ministry. Some thought he was too honest, not political enough (meaning not a political schmoozer). He had been a mission worker among the Yupik in Alaska, pastored several churches, and then moved into the administrative side.

When I was ready to move to a new call a few years later, he made sure I knew where he stood. "You do what needs to be done there, or I'll come out and personally kick you in the rear." I moved, he retired.

Then, eight years or so later I was serving in my next congregation, one where I would stay as pastor for 15 years. He had been one of my predecessors, and the one everyone still talked about even though he had left 20 years before. One Sunday he came to visit and worship in the church he still loved. As I walked into the sanctuary before worship, he saw me across the room. He stopped the conversation he was in and made a beeline for me. Knowing that everyone was watching, with a huge grin, he gave me a big bear hug. His stamp of approval. And more. Letting the congregation know that I was their pastor.

I spent some time with him through some difficulties when his son died. I didn't stay in close contact as he lived across the country. But I always knew that his home congregation was the one I was serving and that one day he would return there to go home.

I left that congregation four years ago with the same sense of its being home that he had. Much of that was thanks to him.

He died on Thursday just a few short weeks after moving back to that same town that he loved and who loved him. We pastors don't often have a place we can truly call home. We move, we make friends in many different places. But I learned from this wise and wonderful man that you can have a home. All you have to do is love and let yourself be loved. Then, when it is done and we go to the other home, we can know what home is all about.

Well done, good and faithful servant. God's blessings, my friend!

Another Movie or Three

Finally. I rented (and watched) Signs this week. I can see why some of my friends said it was a must see for its spiritual themes. The scene where Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix discuss miracles and signs is a classic. Too bad the acting left a lot to be desired. There was never a moment when I felt scared- and I was watching at night, home alone.

I actually jumped more a few times watching Skins, an independent gem about two brothers on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Pine Ridge is the poorest county in the United States. And is loaded with alcoholism and no sense of hope. Graham Greene won a number of awards for his portrayal of the alcholic older brother and it is great. The acting was better than Signs and the story was engaging and sad and humorous. Yes, it was schmaltzy and understated at times, but it was worth the evening. Caution: The R rating is well deserved for language.

Tonight watched Bowling for Columbine. Finally. (Yes, I am behind!) Also well worth the rental. Michael Moore's passion for his subject was evident and his understated documentary style kept me intrigued. Why is is that there are so many Americans killing other Americans? Why? (For a review that points out the reasons for disagreeing with Moore's approach, check out Scandal of Particularity. I agree with her thoughts about the movie and some of Moore's cheap shots. I also agree with her closing thoughts:)

What kind of a society is this, when a child can be shot standing on his own front porch? This happened to my colleague's son last year. Darius was fourteen, shot in a drive-by, and he was not in a gang or involved in anything that would have brought this upon himself, in case you're wondering. You might say he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but how can your own home be the wrong place?

Don't tell me "guns don't kill people, people kill people." Sure, people strangle each other or stab each other or drown each other. But there are too many bullets whizzing around our streets killing our children. Maybe we disagree on gun control, but can't we do something to make our society safer?

Looking ahead: Hope to get to see Matrix Reloaded on Monday. Finally. The neat thing is that my daughter and I are planning on seeing it at the Imax at the Minnesota Zoo. I can't imagine seeing a gazillion foot tall Keanu Reeves with bullets running through four walls of speakers!

Living Up to One's Reviews

Bene Diction blogged about this pmPilgrim today. Now I have to live up to posting eloquently. Thanks for the link, BD.

House of the Spirits
A Critical Message

Just finished the truly incredible book by Isabel Allende, The House of the Spirits. It is without a doubt one of the most remarkable books I have ever read. It is the saga of Esteban Trueba's family and the women who are its soul- Rosa- the first love; Clara- the clairvoyant; Blanca- the rebellious daughter; Alba- the granddaughter who brings his redemption; Transito Soto- the prostitute who seems to always be there. It is a saga over the ninety years of Esteban's tumultuous, violent, anger-riddled life. He is this roaring lion, going through the 20th Century maintaining the conservative values and aristocratic outlook that he knew, he just knew, was the foundation of his country.

There are also the men. His sons- Nicholas and Jaime. His foreman- Pedro Segundo Garcia and Pedro's son, Pedro Tercero Garcia. His daughter's suitor- Jean de Satigny and her lover- Miguel. His unclaimed, illegitimate son- Esteban Garcia. They are all real, passionate people. Fiery in their own ways.

The writing is rich, fluid, alive, even in English translation. It is the genre of magical realism at its Latin American best populated as much with the spirits as with the people, some of whom may also be of the world of spirits. It is a romantic saga, it is an historical saga, it is great literature that is moving to read. Did I say that I liked it?

But it is far more than any of that. It is also the saga of the nation of Chile through the 20th Century ending in the years after the coup that ousted socialist president Salvador Allende, Isabel's uncle. Esteban is himself the embodiment of Chile. In truly well-crafted allegory and metaphor (I never remember which is which, but this is both) Allende has encapsulated the nation in this one man. As he seeks to maintain what he sees as the foundations of the nation, he is mean-spirited and romantic, autocratic and caring, repressive and searching for acceptance. The softer, gentler side never seems to be able to come through when needed.

In the end he sells his soul to maintain the tradition. The military is brought into the picture in order to save the country from the communists and ends up stealing the country from Esteban. It doesn't turn out the way he hopes. It never does if we lose our soul.

Which is the truly important cautionary part of the tale. Early on in the story the church, in the form of the traditional Roman Catholic Church is marginalized. Esteban never cares about the spiritual dabblings and powers of Clara. The compassion of charitable spirituality shown by Blanca is dismissed. The secular spiritual view of Marxism is defeated. The soul is gone, eliminated in order to preserve values instead of living them. It is then that the nation is open to being invaded from within by the very powers the tradition calls in to save itself. It is a pact with destruction, if not the devil. Neither law, nor the rule of law can ever substitute for the real soul that is alive and allowed to practice.

The lessons are many and those on either side of the political spectrum can certainly use the images I have listed to their own understanding. Sometimes it is the force of change that brings the counter reaction. Sometimes it is the establishment of values themselves as ends in themselves that bring pressures. Sometimes it is just the pace of life and change around us that make us want to push back. But when the act of the upholding of values begins to become an end in itself, when we worship the values instead of living them, when we ignore the soul of life we are in great danger.

The book ends. The saga doesn't. I say that pointedly. Often when reading a great saga like this you wonder what happens next to the people or circumstances. I did not wonder that or want to go on in my reading of the story. It is an ongoing saga. Circular with new characters and new circumstances, but the same underlying message. At the end, the House of the Spirits is still there. What will we do with it and how will we maintain the soul-gifts we have been given.

Probably Just Another Baby Monitor

Watching the movie Signs I came across this one scene when they are picking up signals with the baby monitor. It's a joke in the midst of the tension. But don't underestimate the power of a baby monitor.

We had one in our daughter's room twenty-some years ago. Actually, it was just a Radio Shack two-way intercom radio that we put in her room and turned it on so we could hear here in the other parts of the house. It worked really well.

One evening, just at supper time, the doorbell rang. A couple of very informally official men were at the door. The one showed his badge or card or something official.

"Do you have a little child?"

    "Uh, yes we do."

"Do you sing to the child once in a while?"

    "Well, yes."

"Do you have a monitor of some kind in the baby's room?"

    "Yes."

"Could we see it, please?"

Well, the story was that we had recently rearranged the room and moved the broadcasting monitor to a new place. A little higher on a different shelf.

Right up the road from us, on the hill that happened to be one of the highest spots in the county, was an emergency radio repeater. Each evening, after we moved the monitor, as I would sing Jesus Loves You to our daughter, I was also jamming the local emergency radio system of the county. This had been going on for about a week and was driving everyone in the emergency system crazy.

It's a good thing, considering the way I sang, that this was long before the movie came out.

The Missional Church
Just started re-reading portions of what may be one of the most important books of the last ten years, The Missional Church by Darrel Guder, et. al. Watch for some posts here as I work on this book as a primer for some thoughts I am working on about the church in the 21st Century and the pastoral and practical implications of all that. Will be tying some of that together with material from Robert Webber's excellent book, The Younger Evangelicals.

Get Rid of the Crosses
Came across this link at Country Keepers.

Tear Down Those Crosses (From The Great Separation)
The American Clergy Leadership Conference, founded by the Unification Church is calling for churches across America and the world to tear down their crosses.

Here's why:

"'Jews, Christians and Muslims must come together to heal divisions of the past, to stand together in a moment of repentance and reconciliation, and thus, tear down the walls that separate us as people of faith,' said Archbishop George Augustus Stallings, Jr., of the independent Imani Temple African American Catholic congregation in Washington, D.C."

Here's what The Great Separation had to say…

The claim is that the cross of Christ stands in the way of reconciling all these differing religions. And you know what, that claim is true.

Read the whole post. It's worth it.

Left Brained::Right Brained
Well, not really brained, just a thought. Why is it that we so often have to come up with labels for ourselves or others? For me alot of this has to do with how I'm feeling on any given day. I like to think of myself as a Right-Wing Liberal... or was that a Left-Wing Conservative... or since I am left-brained does that mean I am in my right mind? Perhaps we need a whole-brain politics that reminds us that it is all in God's hands anyway and that what counts- on either side of the political spectrum- is how faithful we are truly being. No resolution here, just a thought late on a Monday night.

More on Moravian History

    A couple weeks ago I talked a little about the Moravian Pentecost experience of August 13, 1727. One of the human channels that The Holy Spirit used to get the people prepared was Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf. Zinzendorf was a young Lutheran Pietist. He was born in 1700 and died in 1760. From the earliest days he was surrounded by the pietistic thinking of the Europe of his day. Nicholas was not your average young man. He had been raised in a deeply devoted Christian home, sent to deeply devoted Christian teachers, been taught and enriched through some of the greatest Christians of his day. When Nicholas was not quite 19 he graduated from our equivalent of High School and was on a trip around Europe.
    One day in these travels he was wandering through an art museum and came across a painting that he couldn't get away from. It was titled- Behold the Man and was a depiction of Jesus wearing the crown of thorns. Nicholas was stunned. He stared at the picture, then read the caption below it.

    This I have done for you; what have you done for me?

    Tears came to his eyes. He later remembered his thoughts at that moment, his answer to that world shattering question: "I have loved him for a long time," Nicholas thought, "but I have never actually done anything for him. From now on I will do whatever He leads me to do."

    Eight years after Nicholas made his pledge to Jesus in the art museum, God used him in powerful ways.
*** At age 27 his faith and understanding of God's love and grace led him into spiritual leadership of a group of immigrants from Bohemia and Moravia who had built a town on his land.
*** He began a prayer meeting that went 24/7/365 for 100 years.
*** Nearly 300 years later his early action of choosing a daily "watchword" from scripture for the community has inspired millions with a Daily Devotional book called the Daily Texts.
*** At age 27 his discernment and insight helped bring together a group of these Moravian refugees on an August morning for prayer, confession, and communion.
*** At age 27 he was there as the Holy Spirit came upon the disagreeing and disconnected pilgrims and taught them how to love.

    He was there 5 years later when they sent the first protestant missionaries to the West Indies.

    This I have done, what about you?

    As I reflected on this history in church around August 13, I realized that Zinzendorf did not allow this to make him feel guilty. Instead it opened him to the possibility of being a disciple.
    So today, instead of giving us a guilt trip, it should propel us forward. Instead of making us turn inward, it should push us out the door of our churches and homes and places of work or recreation as people with purpose. Not to get to heaven, but to be disciples. Not to feel guilty about what we haven't done- because God knows there's always more to be done than we have time to do and often the good is the enemy of the best. In grace, depending on grace, following Jesus in grace, we turn to him, asking the presence of the Holy Spirit. We then look back at Jesus and say-

Lord thank you for what you have done. What, now, can I do for you?

Letting the Imagination Work

    Just finished reading a book on writing by Terry Brooks, author of the Sword of Shanara series, among others. One of the chapters in this book was on the importance of imagination. Brooks had been playing with his grandson who wanted to put animals together in a make-believe zoo that would kill each other in real life. Brooks kept trying to tell his grandson that you didn't do that. Finally the boy got fed up and said in his sternest grandson's voice, "Papa! We're pretending!" Brooks goes on:

    I was telling Hunter that he shouldn't do things if they weren't already accepted as feasible. I was closing off the faucet of his imagination so that he would conform to what everybody else believes.

    One constant in life is change. But change does not happen without imagination. Progress occurs not because we remain satisfied with what is, but because we hunger for what might be.

    I must encourage, not discourage, his use of imagination. I must remember that not only must I not close off the possibilities he chooses to explore- whether I believe them realistic or not- but I must encourage him to find a way to open the locked doors that bar his way.

    Using the imagination can stir up trouble. Challenging the status quo of things sometimes evokes unnecessary concerns about what we've always accepted as true…. It is so much easier just to let things be. - Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life by Terry Brooks. pp 152-154.

    As a preacher and non-fiction writer most of the time, I would still give a hearty Amen! to that. To crush the imagination is to lose hope in the many possibilities of what life with God can be. To say, "That isn't the way we do it around here" or "That's not possible here" or "Get real!" is to close off the work of God. The church, and we who call ourselves Jesus' Followers must not lose the imagination that God has placed within us to be living, acting disciples.
    After all, if things were possible, if we could do them ourselves, we wouldn't need God!

Here and There on a Saturday Night

::.:: Joshua Claybourn reflects on the recent issue with the Ten Commandments in Alabama. He rightly says that the removal of the monument does not need to be a sign of the fabric of our nation coming apart. He ends:

Rise up and disperse among everyone, demonstrating on a personal level the love and grace of God. That, more than a stone slab, will leave a lasting impact.

::.:: (CNN) -- John Geoghan, a defrocked Roman Catholic priest and convicted child molester, died Saturday after he was assaulted in prison, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Corrections told CNN This is not a surprise. It is sad, but the whole issue is sad and hurtful to everyone concerned.

It was forty years ago today.
     JFK was still president. There was an air of hope throughout the country even as the civil rights marches continued and a little known place called Vietnam was barely a household world.
     Thousands upon thousands gathered in Washington to make their presence and dream known.
     I was an idealistic young man just having turned 15. I was about to enter High School (which began in 10th grade then in my school) I knew three African-American families in my small town in rural northern Pennsylvania. I do not remember hearing the words of Dr. King that day. I probably did since watching the news and reading newsmagazines was one of my favorite hobbies. But I know that the words soon became implanted in the depths of my social and religious psyche. They ring out today with as much passion and hope and promise as they did then. I wish they didn't need to, but they need to be heard. We have not gotten as far as we could. We have found new groups to stigmatize. We have managed to keep racism an issue.
     On this 40th Anniversary may the words ring out again. May our dreams be lifted to the heavens and the work of God on earth not be confined to simply feeling good about getting to heaven someday. The making of disciples is for this world as much as the next. The making of disciples will send forth the words of hope that Dr. King so profoundly spoke for all of us that August day.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today, my friends, that even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow. I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed. We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and every mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plains and the crooked places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.

And when this happens, when we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every tenement and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old spiritual, "Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last."

Click here for complete text.

Strong Words These Be
As I commented earlier in the week Andrew Careaga is back and blogging again. For the moment he has changed his style:

You probably won't be seeing much talk about Christianity, church and religion for awhile. Frankly, I'm tired of blogging about it. Tired of the factions, the petty debates, the inchoate chorus of "God-bloggers" who bully and belittle one another, the church, the faith, and the faith of others. The telegraphic posts. The flotsam of links. The attempts at wit and irony. The caustic, know-it-all, soapbox speeches. I'm tired of being a part of that crowd. I wish to wash my hands of it all. For the time being, anyway. Of course, as soon as I say this, no doubt I'll read a posting somewhere, or a news article, that intrigues me or angers me, and off I'll go, into the fray, arms flailing like nobody's business, adding to the confusion and muddle of the blogging hoard.

Andrew, we'll hardly know ye.

Bits and Pieces At the End of a Week

::.:: It has been a "vacation" week at home and none of the writing I wanted to do has happened. I did take some time goofing off and taking a few naps more than normal. The back porch has been a great place to do some extra crossword puzzles. I have gotten back to my reading of The House of the Spirits by Isabell Allende and am even more amazed as I get further into the book. It is truly a remarkable work of literature- and I'm reading a translation.

::.:: Went to a Twins game tonight with some friends and had a wonderful time together- even though the Twins lost. :>( Haven't been to any games for years and now two this summer in far flung parts of the country. Yes, baseball is a summer game.

::.:: I continue to watch the unfolding story of the Ten Commandments in Alabama wondering why the religious group trying to save them are the Christians who follow another section of the Book that says that the Law (of which the Ten Commandments are just 10 of 613 commands) has been fulfilled and is not what we need to be following. Anyway, the headline is now: Ala. Judge Relents on Monument - Chief Justice Is Suspended for Defying Federal Order Go here for an update.

::.:: Then there's the headline that Clean Air Rules will be relaxed:

The Bush administration has decided to allow thousands of the nation's dirtiest coal-fired power plants and refineries to upgrade their facilities without installing costly anti-pollution equipment, as they now must do.

::.:: Scientists are also telling us that Mars has always been cold and frozen.

The idea that Mars was once a warm place, awash with oceans that could harboured early life has taken a knock - new data suggests it was always cold, frozen and probably lifeless.

Which is of course different than Minnesota which once did have oceans.

::.:: And something to remember and perhaps blog on this weekend:

Groups Gather to Commemorate March on Washington (By LYNETTE CLEMETSON)
WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 — Under a thematic banner of jobs and justice, a coalition of groups dedicated to civil, human and economic rights have converged here this weekend to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the March on Washington, the mass protest that helped bring about some of the most critical social legislation in the nation's history. (more)

To Further Debate
A previous post I did had a link to Alan Brill's summary and response to a series of "outdated" gods as James Fowler explained them.

Someone who has been reading my blog felt that I shouldn't have done that and had a post on his blog which is also one I read and appreciate.

One of the main reasons I blog what I do and at times link to what I link to is to further the type of debate that this one managed to bring. Whether we like it or not we are living in the midst of a great deal of postModern thought. Such thought is neither good nor bad in and of itself. What does it tell us about the world we are living in? What does it tell us about the medium for our message? What is at the heart of who we are? How much of what we have is culture and how much is Gospel? These are critical issues in our world today for the church. These are issues that will bring more people to Christ- or turn more people off- depending on how we face and handle them.

A look at the list of blogs on my blogroll will show some quite liberal and some quite conservative blogs. If you wander into this pmPilgrim's site you will have the opportunity to see what is happening around us in our culture and even within the church. I feel it is essential that we learn to speak to the culture where they are. Not where we want them to be. Paul did not quote the Bible on Mars Hill. He quoted their own Greek poets.

Yes, perhaps too many "Greek poets" are being quoted in some churches today- and perhaps not enough in others.

Yes, perhaps James Fowler and Alan Brill have gone to an extreme- and others of us, myself very much included, get stuck in not being able to speak to those issues. What Brill and Fowler have done is to raise issues. As I said then, it is a good thought provoking post.

To my former readers from the other blog, I hope they return and will continue the debate. I know that they are thinkers with an important point of view- not all of which I would agree with, but all of which I need to continue to hear and be in dialogue with.

Above all and in all, I pray that whoever comes to this site will find a vision of Jesus and of a God who loves us so much that he sacrificed his most beloved Son so that we could be forgiven and have life and hope for this life and the next. All the rest is commentary on that. Some of that commentary is essential, some is non-essential. But it all is given here in love of Him who has loved me and given himself for me.

Strategies for Soldiers of Shalom
This came with today's SoJo Mail from Sojourner's Magazine. It is from the book "Transformed by Love: The Vernon Grounds Story," by Bruce L. Shelley. Discovery House Publishers. Thirteen strategies for Soldiers of Shalom:

1. Pray daily!

2. Keep informed regarding the development of international and national affairs: Be concerned about the world, not just the church.

3. Unambiguously denounce and renounce war.

4. Study and ponder biblical ethics.

5. Critically examine traditional and prevalent viewpoints and doctrines with respect to military policy - e.g., the just war theory, pre-emptive strike, the pacifist and non-resistant options.

6. Recognize that Christians, while grateful citizens of a particular country, belong to a kingdom that is global. Refuse to be an uncritical nationalist or an idolatrous American.

7. Support the historic right to dissent.

8. Take seriously the New Testament demand for Christian nonconformity.

9. Recognize that obedience to our Lord Jesus is the master-criterion of discipleship, not political effectiveness nor pragmatic success.

10. Use whatever political and propaganda resources are available to oppose those forces, ideologies, and institutions that foster an anti-peace mindset and a pro-war mentality.

11. Stress the interconnectedness of justice and peace. Battle injustice insofar as that is possible.

12. Collaborate with all peace-lovers in peacemaking regardless of theological and ideological differences but within the limits imposed by conscience.

13. Seek to be an agent of shalom in all personal relationships.

Alan Brill's blog, The Right Christians as also mentioned.

Andrew's Back Blogging
Good to have Andrew Careaga back blogging over at Bloggedy Blog. He was on a self-imposed exile from blogging.

Deep Sea Preacher
Real Live Preacher is one of my regular reads. He has a way with words and faith that is remarkable. Here is the beginning of a recent post.

There is a deep vent on the ocean floor of humanity, a place of creation between belief and unbelief. On this living ridge is the sacred spot where faith takes its first deep breath. This is the womb of grace.

Go read and be grateful for one who can write this well and is willing to share it.

Huh?

Just spent 15 minutes typing a truly profound thought and

one wrong move with

one misplaced finger

and it's gone.

Just like life at times, I guess. Maybe I'll get it back into my thoughts later.

A Lazy Guest Blogger

Pen at The Gutless Pacifist has invited me to join a distinguished group of bloggers in his guest house. Our task is simply to blog- and not mess up the place too badly. Would seem like a fairly easy thing to do. But I seem to get Blogger's Block when I go to write something for him. Fortunately my guest house blogmates are keeping up their end of the blog. Alan Brill of The Right Christians has a post with a list of the gods that modernism worshiped that are now being moved aside. It is a list from James Folwer of Stages of Faith fame. Alan ends with a question:

Are we ready to let go of all these "gods"? Even if we are, what about the Christians who sit next to us in the pew on Sunday or to whom we preach the Gospel?

Good thought provoking stuff!

Sacrifice in a Non-Sacrificial World

I had a huge "A-Ha" in church the other day. My wife was preaching away about covenant and the importance it has for our relationship with God. She talked about those old standard comments that a covenant is between two parties and that both sides make a commitment. You know- Be my people and you will be as countless as the stars in the sky and all people we be blessed through you. Or- Follow me and I will make you fishers of people. Both sides have a commitment to make.

Then she said it. The key that I have been struggling to find for years. Nothing new, you see, but it was how it was said. She said, "Covenant always includes a sacrifice."

If you never had one of those biblical classes that explain all this ancient stuff, the act of a covenant was a bloody one. (Graphic example coming--->) Animals often lost their lives over it. You didn't "make" a covenant; you "cut" a covenant. You might slaughter an animal and then the two parties would walk between the cut halves. (I warned you it was a bloody process.)

But sacrifice also came to symbolize the act of repentance for sins. A sacrifice was needed when you no longer sacrificed people to some distant angry diety. So the Passover Lamb was slain. It became a powerful image of the freedom from the Angel of Death and of the forgiveness of sins. It was so powerful that a phrase used only twice in the Gospels (John 1:29, 36) became one of the most prominent descriptions of Jesus- The Lamb of God.

But we did away with sacrifices for sins a couple thousand years ago. What we know of it is found in the Bible or books of anthropology. The concept is beyond our experience and therefore our understanding. "So, tell me again," a pre-Christian might say, "Jesus had to be sacrificed because a sacrifice was needed for sin and nothing else would do. That makes no sense."

Unless you also look at it from the view of covenant.

Covenant always involves a sacrifice. The covenant of marriage involved (biblically) the husband leaving his family and being joined with the wife, for example. A sacrifice on his part and perhaps on the part of the parents.

A covenant always involves a sacrifice. Both sides making a commitment and that means a sacrifice of some personal choice, perhaps, or personal autonomy, or of time and energy and love.

A covenant always involves a sacrifice on both sides.

But in this great covenant between human beings and the creator of the universe, what is it that God could even think of sacrificing. God cannot sacrifice his place on the Throne of Heaven. God cannot sacrifice a planet or a star or a galaxy. The God who has everything, made everything, and watches over everything could only sacrifice one thing.

Himself.

So he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became a man.

So he took on himself the form of a servant.

So he humbled himself to death on the cross in the form of Jesus.

If the Trinity is more than some intellectual mind-game (as I believe it is far more than that) and is in reality a poor, human attempt to explain the Father-ness, Son-ness, and Holy Spirit-ness of One Eternal God, then we see what God sacrificed for his part of the covenant just to show us how serious he really is.

And I argue about giving a dime out of each dollar.

Anyway, this was- and is- a great revelation to me. As I said, there is nothing new anywhere in it. But it is a new way for me to put it all together in a way that may open up some doors for the witness I may have to those with a postModern mindset or who have long ago left behind even a hint of human memory of the need for the sacrifice for sin. God sacrificed to show, among other things, how serious he really is about his love for you and me. I am truly humbled!

Thank you, God. Thank you!

Seabiscuit

Went to see Seabiscuit this evening. Wonderful movie, wonderful theme, well done all around. The amazing thing as you watch it is that it is a true story. You don't have to have made-up stories to have the feel-good ending. They are all around us- as are the stories that make us feel bad and afraid. These are all the stories of being human. It is neat when anyone of them is made into a good movie. I was amazed at how Chris Cooper could be Tom Smith here and that bizarre orchid thief in Adaptation. Quite an actor.

Now my daughter thought it went on too long. It had too many times when you expected it to end. She said it felt like a Robert Redford movie. I guess that isn't a bad thing since she mentioned one of my all-time Top Ten movies- A River Runs Through It as another example. But perhaps that also what life is like. Just when you think you've reached the end, you get more and hopefully better.

Seabiscuit, Red Pollard, Tom Smith, Charles Howard are us in many ways. Seeking redemption from the worries and pains and broken legs and souls that we have suffered. "Maybe," as Red says at the end, "we help heal each other."

Promise Keepers Note 3

Mentioning to several people about being at Promise Keepers yesterday, they all mentioned the protesters that were there. They saw it on the news. Now I wasn't watching the TV the past few days so I don't know what they showed. But my comment was "Protesters? I didn't see them." Which is true. Now on Saturday I came in by the parking ramp and across a skywalk. But I never saw the protesters. I have at previous conferences. At one it was those who felt that PK was trying to take away all the advances women have made in society and the church. Sometimes it has been gay activists. Last time it was the atheists association who were protesting the Christian orientation of the conference saying they don't need power from anyone other than themselves.

Now I don't agree with everything that was said at the conference. I especially didn't like the angry tone of some of the comments. But I could set that aside and see the hope of faith that was under it all. As people in 12-Step groups sometimes say, "Take what you need; leave the rest." I cannot take with me the anger and judgmentalism that sometimes comes across from some of the speakers. I would rather take Erwin McManus's call to compassion. There is power in both, but in anger it is not a healthy power or one that can help people see Jesus as one to follow.

Another Serial Sniper?
High in Terrorism?

Just saw a brief report from West Virginia that there may be another serial sniper at work there. Not good. It was followed by a story that the US ranks fourth highest in the threat of terrorism.

The Headline

Friday's headline on the St. Paul Pioneer Press atrracted the attention of many of the recovering alcoholics leaving their meeting at a local restaurant. It was a simple, one word headline that expressed what had happened on the east coast. For the alcoholics it was a word of hope:
Powerless!

That is always and forever the First Step to finding hope-
as an alcoholic- the personal powerlessness over alcohol...
as a human- the personal powerlessness over people, places, things....
as a sinner- the personal powerlessness over sin.

Promise Keepers Part 2
Was not disappointed with Promise Keepers today. The envelope they are pushing seems now to have moved from being men of integrity and doing the right things at home, being a good husband, father, etc. to evangelism. There seems to be a direction toward being the church in mission, picking up on the church as what we are instead of the place we go to. They are still strong on accountability, being the role model of righteousness for one's family, getting free from porn and other addictions. They certainly gave the Gospel message many, many times over the two days in ways I didn't remember from last time I went two years ago.

There also seems to be a movement toward the GenX/Millenial generations. The closing talks were by Greg Stier of Dare 2 Share Ministries and Erwin McManus of Mosaic Church in LA. They both brought a newer and younger face to the stage. Stier had a wonderful method of sharing called 2.6.2 Evangelism. He even talked about working in a local coffee shop for hours. McManus was exciting, challenging, and just plain wonderful! His closing challenge was a call to be global Christians. The friend I was with noticed the differences between McManus and most of the other speakers.

Overall, and I will be blogging more from my notes over the next few days, PK this time was a good and growing experience. They said that over 1850 decisions were made Friday evening of the 8000+ that were there. I can see movement being made into the Gen X/Millenial worlds both from the stage and in the audience. There is still a lot of the "modern world" styles, but they seem to be working on bridging the worlds. My guess is that we will see more emphasis on evangelism and mission as the obvious outgrowth of becoming men of integrity in the world.

A Night at Promise Keepers

Went to Promise Keepers here in the Twin Cities this evening. They seem to have turned up the heat a little since the last time I was at a PK event two years ago. I remembered what a friend of mine said five or six years ago after attending an event. He didn't like being yelled at. I felt like that part of this evening. Not that it was bad. It was good stuff. Real challenging. The first evening of a PK event is always that way- presenting the Gospel and a call to turn from sin.

They started with a dramatic representation of the three crosses at Calvary with the preacher acting out the two thieves and Jesus words as he put the crosses together. Powerful.

He used the cross on either side of Jesus' cross as symbolic of the ways we can respond or not respond to God. His repeated line was:

When it all comes down, the most important thing will be what side of the cross are you on.

The second speaker took us into the fact that church is not a "go-to" place. It is something to be. He challenged us to turn from sin, leave the Devil behind and become the church that the Devil is afraid of us becoming.

But it does seem that they have begun to push the envelope some. They are really making the message stronger than I remember- and it has always been strong!

It was a powerful evening in St. Paul.

More tomorrow. It looks like St. Paul is the only PK event where Erwin McManus is speaking. He's scheduled for Saturday afternoon. Will post more thoughts later.

(Note: I know that I promised more on the Moravian Pentecost, history, and Power from on High. I haven't forgotten. Will get to that next week. I am on vacation at home next week and hope to do some more writing.)

What Would Jesus Drink?

Starting with a post at Signposts and a link to Christian Counterculture Newsletter the question of alcoholic beverages was discussed.

Now, a disclaimer before I go any further:
:: I am a recovering alcoholic and have been so for 15 years.
:: I come from an alcoholic family.
:: I am a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor.
:: My earliest faith experience was as a non-practicing Jew and the appropriate use of wine at meals and rituals like a Seder.
:: My faith experience when I became a Christian was in a non-drinking fundamentalist faith.

I see nothing wrong with the idea of using wine in worship settings where appropriate.
I see nothing wrong with people gathering at places where alcohol is served for religious groups, small groups, discussions, etc.
I whole-heartedly agree that too much of what has been seen and used and done in relation to alcohol use is un-biblical. It is cultural.

But so was Jesus' use of wine. Wine was a major and important part of the culture.

So let us not make the same mistake in the opposite direction. Let us not make wine anything more than it was or is- an alcoholic beverage of great antiquity. Let us not elevate the use of alcoholic wine to a requirement.

Be careful that alcohol (or any beverage) not become a central tenet of the faith.

Yes, I agree that Jesus would probably drink wine. Yet, he would probably also be at the bar inviting the alcoholics into new life without alcohol. Yes, we should not allow the cultural taboos to set our agendas, but neither should we allow our cultural desires to set them either.

And please, remember that alcohol abuse and addiction is a very serious issue around the world. Remember that there are many who are alcoholic and who have a great spiritual yearning. Remember that alcohol is a powerful drug that can be a harsh mistress and take one into depths that any who are not alcoholic cannot even begin to comprehend. It is a disease, not a matter of will power.

Why Start a New Church?

Leighton Tebay has a good post on why he will be involved in a new church. He ends with this excellent reason:

Ultimately we want to start something new because we have hope that we can become part of something much bigger and more powerful than ourselves. Our convictions about the scriptures lead us in the direction we’ve taken. We find accountability, strength and encouragement by opening ourselves up to a number of different relationships.

Power From On High

On an August morning in 1727 the group of refugees in Herrnhut, Germany, gathered at the nearby Lutheran Church in Berthelsdorf. Their community had been in difficulty. They were a mish-mash of theological and other groups and factions. They had originally arrived on Count Zinzendorf's land looking for refuge and a new place to practice their 250 year old Protestant faith expression. But they also attracted others looking for the same freedoms.

Earlier in 1727 their young patron, the Lutheran pietist Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf, had the brainstorm of visiting all the homes in the community and finding out what it was they agreed on. He wrote them down and then had them sign what he called The Statuten, now called The Covenant for Christian Living They then started to pray. A 24/7/365 Prayer Meeting that lasted for the next 100 years.

Then came that day in August. They started with confession and a message followed by Holy Communion. Then it happened. The Holy Spirit came upon them and all they could later say was:

"We learned to love."

It was the Moravian Pentecost and the Renewed Moravian Church was born. The ancient faith founded by followers of the martyr Jon Hus had found a new expression.

August 13, 1727. May August 13, 2003 be a renewal of that same faith and faithfulness.

[More later]

A New Quiz to Take...
What Country Am I?....

You're Spain!

You like rain on the plain, as well as interesting architecture and
a diverse number of races and religions.  You like to explore a lot, but sailing,
especially in large groups, never really seems to work out for you.  Beware of pirates
and dictators bearing bombs.  And for heavens' sake, stop running around bulls!
 It's just not safe!
Take
the Country Quiz at the Blue Pyramid

I love Spain. I just wish I could habla espanol. Thanks to A Minor for the link.

An Outsider's View of AA

Thanks to StumpJumper at Resurrection Song for a truly moving and spiritually accurate report on Alcoholics Anonymous. Maybe it's time for me to get back to some blogging about what the church can learn from AA.

On Church and Superballs

Only Real Live Preacher can make sense out of all this- and what sense he makes.

When life seems chaotic, you don't need people giving you easy answers or cheap promises. There might not even be any answers to your problems. What you need is a safe place where you can bounce with people who have taken some bad hops of their own.

You need love and understanding and lots of room.

That's what church should be.

That's just the tag line. As a preacher, I find his insights into the world of the preacher and church are nothing short of remarkable. Of course, his "anonymity" helps him to be able to speak of things that are deeper than any outside the church may realize.

The Value of Dialogue

Fellow Moravian blogger, Athanasius, over at Ecumenical Insanity is bringing a number of our "family disagreements" into the open. But he is doing it while allowing for dialogue. As I wrote to him, blogs are by nature personal places to post ones own opinions. While we may have comments on our blogs where differing opinions get posted, Athanasius has been posting some emails of differing opinions right in the posts.

The modern Moravian Church has been known as a church that values dialogue and diversity of opinion. Sometimes that diversity brings tough questions and even tougher challenges. Dialogue is threatened, fellowship undermined, unity broken. While Athanasius and I will probably disagree on some of the critical issues and agree on others. But I think it is essential to link to his blog (there on the right) and continue the dialogue. Thanks, Athanasius.

Pray for Peace

Thanks to Pen at The Gutless Pacifist for the link to this story that makes me stop and feel very sad and angry at what can happen in my name as an American. It seems that the US did use a new and improved version of the banned weapon, Napalm, in Iraq. (Of course, the US never signed the treaty that made banned it.) Here is one part of the story:

Marine pilots and their commanders have confirmed that they used an upgraded version of the weapon against dug-in positions. They said napalm, which has a distinctive smell, was used because of its psychological effect on an enemy.

A 1980 UN convention banned the use against civilian targets of napalm, a terrifying mixture of jet fuel and polystyrene that sticks to skin as it burns. The US, which did not sign the treaty, is one of the few countries that makes use of the weapon.

"We napalmed both those [bridge] approaches," said Colonel James Alles, commander of Marine Air Group 11. "Unfortunately there were people there ... you could see them in the [cockpit] video. They were Iraqi soldiers. It's no great way to die. The generals love napalm. It has a big psychological effect."

I am not surprised. Any war, even one that may be needed, will still lead us into places and situations and actions that we cannot be proud of.

A Good Word on Minnesota

Joshua Claybourn quotes from James Lileks Bleat on Minnesota small towns as he drove from Minneapolis to Fargo:

Well. The Interstate isn’t the only road in town, you know. There’s Old Highway 10, which for decades was the main highway from Fargo to Minneapolis. It began as a two-laner, but now it’s all grown up - mostly four lanes from here to there. Best part: instead of avoiding towns like plague sites, it walks right up, knocks on the door, and saunters through every burg on the road. Four lanes narrow to two, the speed limit drops, and you’re strolling in the center of a map-blip, looking the locals square in the face.

To the modern small town in Minnesota, a lake has the value a railroad line once had. They bring the tourists, and the tourists like to golf, too. They like to eat. They like to hunt. They buy bait in the summer and bullets in the fall and Miller Beer all year round. Add the needs of the local farmers - insurance, implements, hospitals, groceries - and you have a petri dish of urban life. If the town’s big enough to have a north side and a south side, you have rivalries and reptuations. You can't imagine how much you'd learn if you stopped and spent a year.

He has more coming this week as he has made a trip to Fargo. Lileks really does have one of the great blogs around.

Jordon Cooper Blogs On...
and we are all better for it!

The last couple weeks Jordon Cooper has had to figure out what to do with his blog after some nasty responses and comments. I am glad he is continuing! Just today's posts alone are worth the price of admission. He has a really good review of and insights from the book, Liquid Church. There are also various church, religion, political and other issues. Keep blogging, Coop!

In Exile

Andrew Careaga has been on a self-imposed blogging exile since last Wendesday.

The Truth of the Bible

Ken Pierpoint has a wonderful illustration of the truth of the Bible. Truly wonderful.

Back on Track-I Hope

Well, last week is over. Thank goodness. By the time I returned from the last action of the weekend- delivering the last group to the airport, I was wiped. A lot of emotional and theological and spiritual wrestlings took place for me. I will probably blog on some of my thoughts over the next few days as they sort themselves out. To say the least, it was interesting.

Probably the scariest thing had nothing to do with the meetings. I found out what choking is like.

Sunday morning I was taking my vitamins and the big, honkin' C got stuck. Sideways.

It wouldn't go either direction. I panicked and am not sure whether I could breathe or not. I tried in the panic of the moment to remember the Heimlich maneuver, but just wanted to get the thing out. I finally managed to gag it up, and then started really coughing.

The thing was -- I was all alone.

My wife was away for the weekend at a wedding. The "what if...." question went through my mind.

After coughing awhile, and re-gathering my senses, I head off to church with a raspy throat. I pushed it all to the back of my mind until getting back home at 4:30. I then realized I was really freaked out by it all. We all know how quickly accidents happen. We all know that some of them are dangerous or even fatal. I guess the vitamin would have dissolved or broken in two fairly quickly. I know it wasn't far enough down to block the air-tube.

Yet it threw me into a real scary place. I am now more aware of what people who live alone might face. And it is one of those events that in its own small way reminds me that I am mortal.

A Shortage of Blogging

I am noticing that many in the blogosphere have been slowing down recently. Vacations (or holidays in some places), church camps, power outages, and just plain old life seems to have been spreading. My personal stuff that came down on Monday, two days of continuing ed seminars to keep my counseling licenses were yesterday and today, and now two 12-hour days of denominational meetings coming on Friday and Saturday. I have been scribbling a little and doing a lot of listening and reading about the Bishop Robinson affirmation. I have been trying to get ready mentally for the meetings that promise to be long and potentially uncertain.

In the midst of all this, the worship team rehearsal tonight was awesome. I am the pastor this Sunday since my wife will be away at a wedding. So it was neat to sit and listen as they rehearsed and truly worshipped together. We had a few of the out-of-town-visitors for this week's meetings show up. They loved it! Considering we are doing an uncommon style of worship for many Moravian churches, that felt good.

Did take good personal time last evening. My wife and I went with two old friends to the movies. First time since New Year's. After the ups and downs of the past week or so, it was great to be with friends for dinner, the movie and then dessert. We saw Pirates of the Caribbean and really enjoyed it. Johnny Depp was wonderful and there even was a message about greed and evil and being compassionate. Who would have thought that a movie inspired by an amusement park ride would have been so good. Gotta get back to the movies. Have missed too many.

So, I may try to catch up a little on by leap-blogging and my own reflections. Until then, we'll just keep on keeping on.

No Comment- Just the Confusions

Bishop-elect Robinson was confirmed tonight.

I wish there were easy answers to all of this, in spite of what people on both sides will say.

May God grant us all wisdom as we seek to find the answers to our own questions in ways faithful to the God we all say we know and trust.

When Life is a Roller Coaster

The past few days have been a major roller coaster. Without all the details, it boils down simply to having things go differently than I had planned, hoped, or wanted.

Don't you just hate it when that happens?

It becomes a real challenge to my understanding of what I am doing and why. It causes me to stop and take another inventory of what I want to do and where I want to be. It causes me to get on my knees and talk things over with God. Well, maybe a little bit of heated discussion with God. Or as a friend would tell me, a little bit of Job-like rantings.

Job does become a major source of inspiration and direction at a time like this. He wants answers, and he wants them now. In spite of the mis-translation of the passage in James, he is not "patient." He perseveres in his faith. He rants through the feelings of loss and fear and anger. And through gritted teeth he can still say that he believes. This is not the mamby-pamby, let God abuse me approach to faith. It is a faith that is willing to challenge God, even when we know that God is right and we have no way of seeing the answers ourselves.

"Stand up like a man!" God then says to Job. "Look around and tell me if you can do what I have done." God will not give Job the answers. God will only reaffirm that GOD is God and Job is not. Answers are not always easy to see or understand. They take a much bigger view of world and life and salvation than any one of us is able to have. Job as God? Me as God? Would that mess things up or what?

So, I will get back on the roller coaster. There will be more ups and downs. I will continue to seek God's will and direction each day. I will report in to God each morning as a humble servant waiting for the days directions. In the end it is always about trust... trusting God for the right direction and guidance and experiences... trusting God for being God and thankful that I know that I am not God.

Some Catching Up

Gee, what a difference a whole week makes. I missed a bunch of stuff while I was at camp.

Pen at Gutless Pacifist got himself into the thick of things with a post on the Kobe Bryant situation.

Justin Baeder at Radical Congruency 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.

Bene Diction posted a great mini-video that isn't to be missed.

Bob Hope died. Ian's Messy Desk has a neat collection of quotes.

Fred Peatross posted some thoughts about the emerging church as an Acts 29 movement.

John Adams is ready for college. (Good luck, John)

And Real Live Preacher has come back from vacation.

Back from Camp

A great week with 90 soon to be high school freshmen and sophomores. Wonderful relationships, good weather and lots of time to reflect on life. More coming in the week ahead- unless life gets in the way of blogging again. More later.

Building the Kingdom

As I was finishing up this weeks class session on evangelism, I came across another section in that challenging book Jesus With Dirty Feet: A Down-to-Earth Look at Christianity for the Curious and Skeptical by Don Everts. Since we had dealt with Matthew 13 and all of Jesus' images of sowing, netting, planting, growing, and planning for the Kingdom of God, it appealed to me and what I have just finished doing at Camp.

One time Jesus talked about

    the secret of the kingdom

…and when he spoke,
    the words he spoke
        the message that he had for the
            hundreds of wide-eyed faces turned out to be…

a plain story about a farmer sowing seeds.

The hero of the story was
the good soil.

The good soil received the seed,
took it in,
responded to it.

It was a simple story. Agriculturally sound…
But these folks weren't interested in an agricultural refresher course!
    They wanted some easy answers-
    at least some familiar boxes to fit ideas into!

So most just walked away disappointed.

But a few were intrigued. And after the dust settled,
It was just Jesus and these few people.

Jesus looked around at that intimate group,
    smiled
        and said,

"You just figured out the secret, the mystery
of the Kingdom of God."
They had responded to Jesus. They had gone to Him.

You see, to have a kingdom…
you need a king and a people.
    Once you have a king who will rule
        and a people who will respond to the king…
    you have a kingdom.
Jesus With Dirty Feet by Don Everts. IVP, Copyright 1999

So simple. We have a King.
     ~~ Do we recognize Him as such?
We are part of the people.
    ~~ Are we responding?
    ~~ Are we inviting others in order to help the Kingdom grow?

O great and awesome High King of Heaven and Earth- I give you thanks and praise for the possibility of being in your kingdom with you. I will seek to respond this week in humble love and loving service to your call. Thank you, thank you. For your grace and love, Amen.