Inclusion and Mother's Day

A belated Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. We spent yesterday with my wife's mother them both celebrate this special day. We went to church with her and experienced one of the best Mother's Day celebrations I've ever witness. Before I share my thoughts on that, let me take a moment to honor my own mom.

I'm the oldest of five kids, so I've witnessed my share of sacrifice on the part of my mom. I've seen household administration and organization done at its best. At an early age, I learned just how much work it takes to cook, clean, and care for a large family. Now that I have my own kids, I can look back and understand more fully the level of love, understanding, and occasional disappointment that goes into the job of parenting. As I watch the mother of my own children do a much better job than I at this gracious aspect, I appreciate more what my mother must have felt when I was growing up. Thanks for all you did and still do.

Back to yesterday. If you have ever attended church on Mother's Day, chances are pretty good that you have witnessed a service very similar to the one we were part of yesterday. The oldest mom, the youngest mom, and the mom with the most children present were given special recognition. Then, all the mothers were asked to stand. The ushers proceeded to give each woman a special token of appreciation. So far, nothing new, at least for me. Once all the mothers were seated again, the innovation came.

The pastor honored a few women who were not mothers in the biological or even the legal sense. One particular older woman was recognized for being like a mother to so many people in the church. Another childless woman was honored for her work as an OB/GYN nurse. Both of these women had wanted children, but through various circumstances had been unable to have any.

Being as sensitive to emotions as possible, the pastor then asked if there were any other women he had not included who wanted to be mothers and been unable to. Two women who had suffered numerous miscarriages came forward. It was all very moving, Through it all, I was very impressed by the way the church honored as many people as possible without offending anyone.

In my mind, I contrasted this with another Mother's Day celebration that did not go as well. In this church, the pastor did not want to offend any women, even those who had chosen to not have children. He changed the day to "Women's Day" and every woman was given a token of recognition. What happened is that more women were offended at this change then might possibly had been if the non-mothers had been excluded. The complaints I heard came from women who had children and those who did not. The complaint was the same, "This is supposed to be Mother's Day, NOT Women's Day."

All these thoughts began to be directed to the idea of inclusion in the church. In many churches, regardless of how progressive they might be, there are many exclusionary elements that make newcomers and non-church people feel out of place. The strange vocabulary we use is one of those. Unspoken habits and dress codes are another. It might be the style of music or elements of worship.

I think that church is supposed to be as inclusive as possible. I feel that way because I'm fairly certain that's the way God wants it too. I've been part of many churches that were not. When things were changed to make them a little more inclusive, people in the church responded much in the same way some of the women responded to Women's Day - negatively. I've been part of churches where people grasped the missional vision that God has for the church and dealt with it. They did not feel trampled on just because things were done to include the outsider.

In your faith journeys, where have you been excluded? Where have you felt included? How have you endeavored to include those around you that God wants to see journey with you?

BOGO

BOGO - an acronym in retail sales that stands for Buy One Get One. For example, "Buy One, Get One free" or "Buy One, Get One half price"

This past weekend I saw an advertisedment on the scrolling marquee outside a big box pharmacy that included the acronym BOGO. The marquee did not indicate whether the "get one" was free, half price, or any other price. It simply said, "BOGO widgets" and then scrolled to the next deal on hand cream or something.

I didn't think anything of it. I have seen BOGO used frequently enough that I know what it means. I wonder, however, what percentage of the rest of the population does? I first recall seeing BOGO used three or four years ago by national inexpensive retail shoe store chain. I don't know if they can take credit for making BOGO part of our everyday vernacular, but they are the ones who did for me.

New words get introduced into our language all the time, especially with technological advances. "Internet" is a pretty new word, despite it's widespread use. Words change their meanings over time. Keith Drury has written an interesting article here about that. The use of certain words can easily segregate us into groups. When I was a public school teacher, I was amazed at how many acronyms we had that were somewhat esoteric to our profession. All professions have their own core set of exclusive words.

Language can sometimes be a segregator when it comes to our faith journeys. For those of us who grew up in church, we know all the buzzwords. For someone who is new to faith and Christianity, it's easy to get lost in conversation, the sermon, or even in Bible study because there are so many words you don't understand. The saddest thing for me is when individuals get discouraged and never come back because of all these words they don't understand.

Without harping on the exclusivity issue too much, there are words that get introduced into our lives when we begin our faith journeys that bring positive results. Words like "grace", "hope", "forgiveness", and "love". We already know these words and their meanings, but when one begins a faith journey, they take on a whole new significance. They become more readily recognizable. BTW, BOGO has one other meaning. According to mybaby-name.com, it is a Slavic boy's name which means "receives God's glory", another thing which happens to us when we begin our faith journeys. That's a new word I'm definitely excited about introducing into my life.

Just a thought . . .

Whachis!

In case you've never seen the t-shirt, "Whachis" is defined as the last words said by a redneck before killed in some stupid stunt, i.e. "Watch This". We've probably all been guilty of this at least once, us guys anyway. While in the dentist's lobby today, I read an article in Sports Illustrated (Apr 21 edition) about the dangerous risks we take. The writer had signed up for a weekend bull riding school. He broke his collarbone. A fellow student was killed. This weekend my wife probably felt like I belonged somewhere in these categories.

Here's the story. If you are blood related to me, you were there when this happened. The other three people who read this were not, so bear with me as I share the details. We were gathered at my sister's house for my niece's birthday party. Her husband brought out his childhood go-cart for everyone's enjoyment. I got the second ride of the day, just to test the throttle and choke adjustments. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. On my last lap around the house, I turned the wheel sharply to pull into the "pit area". I turned a little too sharply. The go cart flipped. The upper frame landed on my forearm (I have a big knot near my elbow). This is a picture of the "road rash" I received as the cart and I slid for a few feet. My wife screamed. My oldest son, my brother-in-law, and the other fathers there for the party all laughed. Then all the wives sat around and talked about their juvenile husbands. The younger wives were warned by the older ones that it does not get any better.


This pic was taken the morning after. It doesn't do justice to how really cool the scrape looked when it first happened. When it first happened, I had red streaks all the way up to my wrist. The wound area was a bit wider. I was totally bummed the next morning when I saw how much it had healed. I was hoping to get a day or two of some really cool stories to tell about my great accident.

I have found that many of us treat our faith journeys with a "whachis" attitude or we glory in our accidents. We talk about how bad our lives were before we began our journeys. We do it for all kinds of reasons. We do it to remind ourselves how far we have come. Sometimes we do it to brag about how far we have come, forgetting the grace element. Perhaps we want to get some excitement back into our lives and we start walking down memory lane.

It becomes really dangerous when we say "whachis" with our faith journeys and allow ourselves to be put in risky situations where staying true to our faith can be difficult. It is true that God will always give us a way out of any temptation we may face. At the same time, it is our responsibility to avoid the temptation as much as possible, not go hunting it down.

Other times we want to hold onto our wounds. We may know that God can heal any wound in our lives. We know that it is through Jesus Christ that he does this. But the wound becomes such a major part of who we are, that we don't want to let it go. We are afraid of what life will be like if we don't have it in our lives. That fear is another one of those things God can deliver us from.

Which of these categories do you belong in? BTW, my son later turned over the minibike. We went window shopping for dirt bikes today.

Sci-fi and the Essentials

As promised in my hamburger post, here are some thoughts I have about science fiction and Christians. Incidentally, per suggestion of a friend, I will be testing out what happens when the burger starts out as an oval. But back to science fiction. I love science fiction. I've become an avid reader of fantasy literature as well. Both genres have been considered suspect at best and absolutely sinful and evil at worst by many people who consider themselves very conservative Christians. My profile states that I hope to publish the next great sci-fi or fantasy novel. Like many others, I do not see how being on a Christian faith journey is incompatible with a love for these genres of literature.

I've tried to discern why this disparaging view exists in some people's mind. I can certainly understand some of the opposition by Christian groups. Some fantasy literature does border on promoting the occult, but not all. References to multiple gods also trouble some. Science fiction (or science in general) has a reputation for being totally naturalistic, humanistic, and altogether anti-God. But these wide sweeping generalizations wipe out examples of this literature that come nowhere close to exhibiting these characteristics. And even if they exist, should a good story be ignored and not seen as just that, a good story?


C.S. Lewis and The Chronicles of Narnia are always the exception. These books are allowed in, but none other. It has been said, however, that these books would have never been "accepted" if published for the first time in today's society. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings have enjoyed a recent admission to the list. The funny thing is neither author claimed to have inserted overtly Christian themes into these, at least not purposefully. I'll admit that's hard to argue when reading Lewis, but not so with Tolkien. Could it be that Christians are reading into these stories that which they want to see, so they can justify liking them?


Before we go down a postmodern path where truth is relative and we begin pondering who really determines what something is saying, let's come back to the science fiction antipathy. Why are Christians afraid of it? Does the possibility that life exists in other parts of the universe really contradict God so much, just because Genesis does not mention it? Is the notion, even without extraterrestrial life, that humans might explore and colonize the outer reaches of our galaxy and beyond, hundreds of thousands of years from now so great a challenge to the predominant view of the end time as many interpret the book of Revelations?


These thoughts should not be construed as an attack on interpretations that disagree with mine. I'm just curious as to why the disagreement can become some energized. What is it about sci-fi and fantasy that scares many Christians, beyond those things I mentioned above? By the way, I think this will eventually lead us down the postmodern path. What do you think?

Ponderings on change

Insomnia, leg cramps, and a host of minor inconveniences kept my body from sleep at the early stages of this morning. Eventually, I gave up the fight and lay in bed pondering the larger host of thoughts running through my mind. They all seem to have a common theme - change, specifically change in the church. Among the various subpoints that garnered my mental energy this morning are the basic questions that we all ask, the what, when, where, why, and how of change in the church.

Several stories ran through my mind. I thought about Martin Luther and the history making change he initiated in the 15th century. I don't know if this is an actual event from Luther's life, but a particular scene from the movie Luther has always moved me (from what I know of that time in history, it is probably factual). In this scene, a young Martin Luther is serving as a monk, devoting his time to God in monastery. He was plagued with all sorts of spiritual and personal issues. His abbott decided that formal education and seminary would be a good path for Luther. The abbott asks Luther in this scene, "Have you ever read the New Testament?" I was floored - here is a religious monk devoting himself to God and reading the New Testament was not a given?! One of the most important changes wrought by the Protestant Reformation was the placing of Scripture back in the hands of the people.

Another story that filtered through my memory was an illustration I heard a fellow pastor use once. It's a story of pastor who came to a church and wanted to change the arrangement of the platform to make things look and work together better. It was obvious to him that the organ needed to be beside the piano, so he moved it across the stage. That first Sunday people were shocked. Within two weeks he was asked to leave and the organ put back into its original spot. A couple of years later, he was attending a meeting of other pastors at that same of church. He noticed the organ had been moved beside the piano. He asked the current pastor, "How did you do that? When I moved it, they fired me!" The other pastor replied, "I heard about that. Like you, it was obvious to me it needed to be moved, so I just moved it a few inches a week until I got it where it needed to be."

For someone like me who tends to be maverick in my doings, the most important thoughts I had fell into the "Why?" category. Why do we want to see change? Is it because things no longer work in their current state? Is it to satisfy a personal whim or preference? Is it because we are bored? Is it because we are genuinely inspired and motivated by something greater than ourselves? Is it because we have all been created with our own creative spark and for some of us, if we do not exercise and nurture that spark, we'll go crazy?

The funny shape of things

Last night I fell asleep thinking about science fiction, post modernity, and how people on a Christian faith journey should relate to these. I woke continuing that stream of consciousness. I really want to post some of those thoughts soon, but this morning another question begs to be answered. Why do my hamburger patties , which start out as nice perfect circles, take on an oval shape after they are cooked? This is a phenomenon I noticed a few weeks back. After grilling about twenty burgers for a cookout last night, this geometric and backyard culinary oddity snagged my attention again.

Applying the scientific method, I came up with several hypotheses. 1) It's the particular brand of pre-made patties. Perhaps they contain some sort of weird-you-don't-really-want-to-know ingredient that automatically conforms it to an oval when heated. 2) Maybe it's because I had the heat too high, causing rapid and uneven contraction, thus resulting in an oval. 3) Maybe the burgers have a mind of their own and they thought they were being prepared for a tailgating party. Assuming a football shape seemed appropriate. 4) Possibly, in conjunction with #1, there is a conspiracy and marketing relationship with the manufacturers of oval shaped buns. Once I realize that the burgers will always be this shape, I will begin searching for buns of a similar shape. 5) Again in conjunction with #1, these burgers are intentionally designed to assume this shape so that when placed on a round bun, there is a little extra place to accomodate condiment run-off. This assumes another possible partnership with the condiment industry. 6) If I try hard enough, I can probably blame the current adiministration, the opponents of the current administration, or even aliens.

Honestly, I don't know which of these thoughts is the most likely to be correct. I'm sure there are several more plausible explanations that I have not thought of yet. Humans have gone through this process for all of history. We have sought explanation and understanding for everything we experience. Mythologies are created, things considered scientific fact are established, and years later, we come into other data that debunks earlier myths and science.

I think the same thing happens in our faith journeys, at least in how we organize them socially and politically. The faith journey of Moses and its practices look strange next to Martin Luther's reformation or John Wesley's class meetings. Put the way we do church today alongside any other period of history and you get the same results. Even today, I am continually having conversations with people about whether the shape of church today even works anymore. Why does church look the way it does? What is the right way to practice our faith, individually and with others? Is there a better shape?

Maybe burgers don't have to be round. Maybe some other things can be different too.

Chiggers, the Price of Gas, and Other Random Thoughts

For those of you curious, I've not had a chance to further test the Peanut Butter diet theory. I ran out of peanut butter, at least the reduced fat kind. Some people are amazed that I like the reduced fat kind better - I just think it tastes better. The other day I was able to identify why. The reduced fat (at least in the Peter Pan line) tastes sweeter. I checked the labels, and sure enough, the reduced fat has more sugar - 5 grams vs. 3 grams per equal sized serving. I guess that's a trade off.

Last week I went on a few different hikes with the boys. My youngest son wanted to go on a long hike. He had asked to go on a six mile hike in order to explore a pond I had recently discovered. I convinced him of a shorter one. When we got back to the car, we still had done over three miles. I was very proud of him. The next day I took my other son and his friends on a hike to one of their favorite spots in the woods. They had a great time, so I did too. Sunday night I discovered two chigger bites that are driving me crazy right now. I suppose that is the price you pay for being in the woods.

I filled my car up yesterday. I paid $3.42 a gallon at one of the discount warehouses. I couldn't believe it. While driving around town, I noticed the average price in our area is about $3.5o per gallon. I never thought I would see these kind of prices in my lifetime. And there does not seem to be any sign of the prices to reverse any time soon. It's appalling. In a separate conversation, a friend mentioned the government should get involved. He said all it takes is the word "regulation" and we'll see the prices go back down.

As I paid way too much to fill up my Toyota Corolla I thought about that conversation and debated the merits of that idea. I'm pretty conservative when it comes to my views on how involved the government needs to be in our lives. I'm usually a proponent of "let the market handle things". When I tried to apply that principle to the gas prices, I'm not entirely convinced that would work. It would take the consumers - us - resorting to buying less fuel, using less fuel, and making the personal sacrifices necessary to see it have any effect. As a society, we have already demonstrated that we are willing to pay whatever it costs in order to do what we want. How many of us have said as express our frustration over the prices, "But we've got to have it"? So, I began to think about that government regulation idea. Am I willing to make the tradeoff in order to have lower prices? Would regulation actually lower the price or result in something else?

This blog is supposed to be about our faith journeys. What kind of tradeoffs do we make in our faith journeys, positive and negative? What ones should we make? I don't have a well thought out response for that yet, but I do have some ideas.

Community is one of those tradeoffs. When we enter a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, i.e. become a Christian, begin a faith journey, etc., we become part of a larger group doing the same. The Bible calls it the Body of Christ. It's not always easy, convenient, or even desirable to be part of a larger body. It requires us to put our individual desires and preferences aside. We are called to look out to the interests of others, not just ourselves.

Some tradeoffs are artificial ones we create, thinking them necessary and required. In our efforts to become changed people and more like Jesus, we establish systems of rules that have to be observed when they have little to do with being like Jesus.

There are plenty others. What are some of the ones you think of? Am I off base with the two I've started with? Just a thought - what are yours?

In only 8 days . . .

. . . I ate an entire 28 ounce jar of Peter Pan reduced fat creamy peanut butter (no crunchy was available). During that same time period I also lost three and half pounds! My initial conclusion is that by eating a jar of peanut butter every week I can lose weight. I will test that hypothesis this week by eating a second jar. If I can show the same weight loss results, I plan to publish a diet book called The Peanut Butter Diet of course. If it works for me, it has to work for everyone. At least everyone will think it will.

Of course, these are all faulty assumptions. They are the kind of examples used to teach statistical concepts like correlations or expose snake oil medicine posing as real research. It's not much different in the church. Throughout human history, we have given in to the tendency to codify, to the exclusion of everything else, how God is to be experienced, how we are to dress, how God is to be worshipped, what type of music can be used, which elements are to be used in a worship service and in what order. In the name of some unofficial authority, we have even codified what happens in the private lives of people in terms of their relationship with God - you must pray this many times a day, read this much Scripture, etc. Many of these are a result of something that worked for an individual or maybe even a small group of individuals that we assumed to work for everyone.

Thinking like this requires that God be static. It is true that God is unchanging - he will always be all powerful, all knowing, all loving, perfectly good and just, full of grace and mercy, etc. But God is not static. God is dynamic. He is always doing a new thing. Instead of sending another Moses to liberate His people from Babylonian exile, he used the kings of Babylon themselves to not only set them free, but finance the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Jesus reminded us that new wine is not put into old wineskins.

God is creative and creativity results in new things. God gave us creative power. When two dynamic beings enter into a relationship, that relationship will naturally be dynamic. The trick for us is to remember that God is the head of the relationship so he will have final authority over any newness we try to bring to the relationship.

I want my faith journey to be dynamic. I want to be ready to experience the new things that God may have in store for me. I don't want to be afraid to step away from something old and familiar in order to do so. And I want the grace and wisdom to recognize when it works for me but not necessarily everyone else.

Kissing Up

I heard a cover version of a 60's hit while in a fast food resturant today. The song was It's in His Kiss. The key line in the song is "if you wanna know if he loves you so, it's in his kiss". I pondered the truth in those words while drying my hands. I don't know if you have ever been the recipient of an insincere kiss, but I have. I don't know if you have ever been the giver of an insincere kiss, but I have. What the songwriter says is true - you can tell if somebody loves you by his or her kiss. Everything else can be faked.

U2 sang a song about a kiss too - In the Name of Love. The song talks about Jesus, among others who were also known for their tremondous capacity to love, and it references the incident in the Garden of Gethsemane when Judas identified Jesus for the arresting soldiers by kissing him. After listening to that other song and contemplating its truthfulness, I began thinking about this kiss. Could Jesus tell by the kiss whether Judas really loved him? We already know that Jesus knew what Judas was going to do - he wasn't surprised at all. But, how did the kiss feel?

My thinking naturally moved to all of us and especially me. If I were to give Jesus a kiss today, would he know how much I loved him? Don't freak out as you read this. I don't like the "Jesus is my boyfriend" feeling that much of today's understanding of a faith journey sounds like. You know what I'm getting at. What would my kiss tell Jesus about my love for him? What would your kiss say?

Just a thought.

Just one more bite

WARNING: This post contains references to my obsession with peanut butter.

Tonight as I kept sneaking back to the pantry for another spoonful (yes, I doubled dipped, but it's also my own personal jar), I reminded myself that I'm supposed to be losing weight. Peanut butter is allowed on the program, but not a cup a day. It also reminded me that much of the weight loss struggle for anyone is controlling the appetite. Read the diet books, join one of the diet programs (Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, etc.) and one thing they work into their systems is keeping you from going hungry. This enables you to partially control the eating. Your goal then becomes to not give into impulse eating.

Here's where people well versed in the Bible will immediately recognize a reference. Some will scoff at how I'm using it though. With each successive spoonful of peanut butter I ate tonight, one thing and one thing alone was happening. I was thoroughly enjoying myself. The taste and texture was incredible. It was a true pleasure of the flesh. It was pure sensual enjoyment. I know some of the people who will be reading this and I already know the less than pure thoughts going through your minds. Don't leave them on my comment board!

Eating peanut butter (or your own favorite food), getting a buzz whether it be from nicotine, alcohol, or something harder, and yes even sexual pleasures are all things that require our self-discipline to control. I wanted more peanut butter. I can safely say that for about five minutes, I was consumed by peanut butter instead of me consuming it. Before you label me as demented, how many times have you done that with a bag of potato chips? You know can't eat just one!

As I ate that last spoonful tonight, I contemplated how I just wanted more. I evaluated my self-discipline. I also thought about the Holy Spirit and my relationship with God. Do I view the experiential aspect of my relationship with God the same way? Do I seek, do I crave more of the presence I feel in worship? Do I desire to know him more when I experience the breadth, height, and depth of his love? Or is that the area where I choose to exercise self-control and limit myself to how much of that I can have? Just a thought.

Why?

As I was watching the movie Hotel Rwanda Saturday night, the night before Easter, that was question that kept running through my mind - Why?
- Why would people act so violently and cruelly to their fellow man, trying to kill an entire people group?
- Why did the world turn their head to this violence and not intervene?
- Why would God give his only Son, why would Jesus willingly die and suffer so, for the human race that had become so capable of this? Why do this when we would all reject this act of love without his grace that somehow enables us to respond positively to it?

The only answer is love. God's love has to be immeasurable. There is no other reason. Logic cannot explain it. There is no rational understanding that can be applied. It truly is unfathomable. It is unbelievable. Yet it happened.

Though we are not told this in the movie, I guess that answers another why question. Why would someone like Paul Rusesabagina risked his life the way he did, without any support from those who could have and should have helped? It had to be God's love working in his life, whether he realized it or not. I do know that his wife kept fingering a cross she had hung around her neck the entire movie. This cross seemed to always be prominent when she was in the scene.

I guess the next question we all need to answer is why we do what we do, good or bad. Just a thought.

Mikhail Gorbachev Admits He's a Christian!!

Here's the story. Just goes to show you don't really know what is going on in people's lives from what you see on the outside.

Going Green

No, this isn't a late St. Patrick's Day post nor will it be extolling the virtues of driving a Prius, using cloth shopping bags, or reducing my carbon footprint. It would be more accurate to say I'm shooting for a more organic lifestyle. And for my second set of disclaimers, that doesn't mean I will be buying a pair of Birkenstocks and shopping only at Whole Foods.

I want my life to be more organic and less mechanistic. When I say organic, I mean life is fostered. Contrast this with a mechanistic approach where production is the important metric. Our society is largely a mechanistic society. You see it in economics, politics, sports, even in agriculture (smile!), family life and religion. The key metric by which success is determined is what has been produced. I'm not campaigning for an anticapitalist revolution. But I do believe that our post-industrial revolution mindset has crept into areas where it shouldn't be. Areas that are relationship based and more organic in nature.

Organic living fosters living in others. When my family relationships are healthy, my children, my spouse, and my extended family members grow. I'm not trying to force some type of production - compliance with a certain set of behaviors or specific responses to my actions. Those are mechanistic. If we're living organically, then I am fostering my children's development into healthy adults because of their growing, not because they give me the conditioned response.

Our spiritual lives are definitely meant to be organic. If you read the Bible, all the key imagery of healthy living occurs in an organic mindset. We were created and put in a garden, not a factory. God is the gardener and his people are a vineyard. Jesus taught about producing healthy fruit, not about making the best pots or furniture. When our relationship with him is organically healthy, then we grow. Others grow around us.

Instead, we have tried to make our faith journeys mechanistic. If I perform A, B, and C in my faith journey, I will produce characteristics X, Y, and Z. If our church will implement this procedure, we will see that result.

There's a lot more that needs to be said. I'll have to leave it to this for now. Just a thought.

More cheese, please

Sorry, but yesterday's quote by Chesterton has really set my mind to thinking. Mainly, whether or not he really said what Lowes Food claims he said. A quick Google of "chesterton cheese" directed me to a sonnet written by Chesterton in honor of a Stilton Cheese. You'll have to forgive my infatuation with this subject. I guess it makes me feel a little less strange to know that even men of Chesterton's stature could be motivated to write on such mundane topics.

Believe it or not, I can relate this to your faith journey. Not that there are any similarities between cheese and having a relationship with God. But there are similarities to the strange things that some of us become enthralled by, infatuated with, inspired to write about, etc. and what motivates similar energy outputs for our faith journeys. I think we can also stretch things a little more and say that faith is supposed to be real and ordinary at times, affecting every aspect of our lives, even the mundane and cheesy things.

Somehow, I think Chesterton is probably rolling over in his grave.

Interesting Quote

I was in the grocery store picking up a gallon milk tonight when I came across an interesting quote. There, on the wall above the refrigerated dairy section, specifically the cheese section, was a quote from one of the last century's most influential writers, G.K. Chesterton. To quote the wikipedia article, his diverse output included "journalism, philosophy, poetry, biography, Christian apologetics, fantasy, and detective fiction." Among the many great things he is credited with saying, perhaps this is his most memorable. There in the cheese section, I came across these words:

The poet have been mysteriously quiet on the subject of cheese.

Thank you Mr. Chesterton for these provoking words and thank you Lowes Food for reminding us of his greatness.

Sacrifice

This past weekend was a fun one for the boys and me. We spent Friday and Saturday night on the USS Yorktown at Patriots Point in the Charleston Harbor of SC. It was part of an outing we took with their Cub Scout Pack. It was very, very cool. In addition to touring the Yorktown, we took tours of a submarine (USS Clamagore), a "tin can" destroyer (USS Laffey), a Coast Guard cutter (USCG Ingham), a replica of a naval support base during the Vietnam War, and Ft. Sumter. It was a lot to take in and we by no means got everything out of it that we could. The programming was supplemented by a showing of Tora! Tora! Tora! on Friday night.

One thing that really hit home with me (and I tried to convey to the boys) was the level of sacrifice that was given during WWII. We read about destroyers who steamed full speed ahead at the Japanese fleet, even though they were out of torpedos and other deadly ammo. They gave their ships and their lives for the rest of the fleet in order to give their comrades on other ships a fighting chance. We read about the forty plus submarines that were sunk in battle, taking all their crew down with them.

The sacrifice did not only happen on the warfront, although that is justifiably the most significant. We heard about how total annual plane production (civilian and military) went from 2100 in 1939 to over 100,000 in 1942 once we entered the war with Japan. After the original Yorktown was sunk at the Battle of Midway in 1942, it's replacement was built and commissioned in only six months. These kind of production marvels were only possible because of the material rationing and willingness of the American worker, male and female, to work long hard hours.

As I contemplated all these things on the ride home, I wondered what I would be willing to sacrifice for my country. Not just the esoteric, vague concept of "country", but the realization that my sacrifice was really for the millions of men, women, and children who live in my country. The sacrifice would be for millions of people who may not agree with many of the important ideals and views that I hold. My political leaders, perhaps even my commander in chief, may be members of that group with whom I disagree. I'm not sure if any of the men and women who gave sacrificially during these times ever thought about it in these terms or not. It may be best that they did not - it could certainly have been a cause to rethink one's actions.

I also could not help but frame these thoughts within the idea of my faith journey. What am I willing to sacrifice for my relationship with God? What am I willing to sacrifice for the sake of the faith journeys of others? I don't have any answers to those questions yet, and again, it might be for the best. It's probably best to go through life making sacrifices without counting the cost. The Gospel writer Luke might disagree with that notion. I'm still processing what it means for me. I'm also curious what it means to you. Anyone care to share?

Just a thought. I'm sure I'll have more soon.

Change

Life takes on a whole new spin for me now. Yesterday was my last day as pastor of New Life Wesleyan Church. Now, for the first time in over nine years, I am not pastoring a church. Even when I was working other places, I was still pastoring. It's a weird feeling. I'll take a few weeks off to take care of some transitional items and finish up some projects I've started before I enter the workforce. One of those will be finishing up one of the novels I've been working on.

A few people have asked what's next for me. I'll find a "real" job as some say. Eventually, I will be part of a group of people who are on a faith journey and want to start something new. I'm excited about all that lies ahead even though there are so many unanswered questions. I know that God will be with me every step of the way and he will provide. He's already proven himself faithful. Despite the uncertainty, the whole family feels good about where we are heading because we know God is going ahead of us.

It's what I've always dreamed about . . .

. . . .says about half of the people under the age of 21 who happen to be contestants on one of the star making reality tv shows (American Idol, America's Next Top Model, Girlicious, etc.). After hearing every single one of these people say this, the cynic in me had to say, "Is it really?" and "You've only been dreaming and thinking a handful of years. Is it really that major, yet?" Is it possible to be 18 and say that phrase with any real meaning?

Just to confirm that I know what you are thinking, let me see if I can read your mind. You think I'm a harsh, bitter person who has no compassion whatsoever and all I do is see how I can stomp on the ambitions and dreams of others. But I'm really not. You should be ashamed of yourself for accusing me of such things (smile!). Just because the cynical side of me may want to think those things doesn't mean I believe them. I think that when an 18 year old person says, "This is what I have always dreamed about" that it is probably true. Chances are he or she has been watching whatever show they happen to be on since season 1. It's all they've ever known. Who among us never wanted to be someone famous?

I think it's wonderful they actually get a chance to pursue such a dream. Take American Idol for instance. For those four contestants that will not get enough votes to continue this week, they can say what few others can say. "I sang on national tv. I was a contestant on American Idol. I got to meet Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest." Ok, not everything about the experience is all that great, but you get my point.

As we get older, our dreams often change. Sometimes they don't change but we modify them to fit our situation. Some folks might call it settling for something else. Others might call it seizing the opportunity in front of you. We eventually begin approaching and passing the dreaded midlife crisis. Then we begin to say, "Did my life amount to anything?"

I was reflecting on the dreams I had when I was 18 to 24 years old. I don't remember necessarily having any other than being rich without any plan on how to get there. Now that I have a family, my dreams are less about making my mark on the world and more about making my mark on my boys. I'm also more concerned about leaving an impression on the people within my immediate sphere of influence instead of everybody on the sphere we call earth.

What do we dream about when it comes to our faith? I've written about goals for our faith journeys before. Dreams are different than goals, at least I think so. Goals are things we can usually accomplish, even if they require help from others. Dreams have that loftier, more visionary and impossible feel to them. What are your spiritual dreams? If you faith journey could look like anything, what would it look like? How about sharing it with me - I'd really like to know.

Peanut Butter, the Super Bowl, and other important thoughts concerning our faith

I know I'm a couple of days late, but the New England Patriots dream of a perfect season capped with a Super Bowl win was shattered. I honestly thought they would pull it off. Of course, a record of 18-1 is nothing to throw sticks at. Unless the one loss is the big one. I bet if the Patriots could trade one of the regular season wins for a win this past Sunday, they'd take it. I'd take it. Who wants to win all those games and lose the championship?

I've been indulging on peanut butter again. After the big salmonella scare last year, Peter Pan peanut butter returned to the shelves a few months back. I had eaten virtually no peanut butter during my favorite brand's absence from the shelves. The regular stuff returned back in August, but I prefer the taste of the reduced fat stuff. That has finally returned. I have resumed my daily indulgence of spoonfuls of the wonderfully delicious stuff since my wife brought home a jar of Peter Pan reduced fat creamy. However, as good as that is, I cannot wait for the crunchy version to come out. Then I will be as close to heaven as I can get while here on earth.

Both of these thoughts are extremely relevant to our faith journeys. Specifically they have to do with the return of Jesus. That's right. In case you didn't know it, Jesus is coming back. He did not remain dead after he was crucified. He was raised to life by the power of the Holy Spirit on the Sunday morning after his death on Friday afternoon. A little more than a month and half later, he ascended back to heaven with the promise he would return to earth one day to get all his followers.

What's the Super Bowl and Peter Pan reduced fat crunchy peanut butter got to do with that? I'm glad you asked. Why would I want to live a perfect life, only to mess it up at the very end and miss my chance to go to heaven when Jesus returns. The Apostle Paul urged his readers to run the race so it could be won and they could receive the crown of eternal life. The Patriots were a great team this year. But they won't be remembered for winning it all. They'll be remembered for losing the big one when it counted.

And what about my peanut butter? I am waiting anxiously and excitedly for the return of my favorite brand. I know it will return if I'm patient. This other stuff is pretty good so far, but I want the whole package. I anxiously await the return of Jesus. I can't wait. Things are good right now, but they will be so much better when he returns. Why even be on a faith journey if it's not about waiting for his return?

Just a thought, a creamy, peanut buttery thought. Ummmmm.

Things I Never Tire Of

Snowflakes and mittens, warm cozy kittens . . . Oops, I'm sorry. Those are a few of my favorite things. Last week I made mention of how I never tire of reading the Bible. I asked readers to comment on those things they never tire of. No one commented. Maybe I seemed holier than thou by my statement on reading the Bible. I hope not. It's nothing I'm ashamed of saying. Several times last week as I was doing some pretty intense study I was reminded of how much I enjoy studying the Bible. I had lunch today with a friend whose job duties have taken him out of the pulpit and he commented on how much he missed the opportunity to do that kind of study each week.

Well, I promised to give my thoughts on why I enjoy reading the Bible so much. So here they are. WARNING: some may be tongue in cheek so withhold any harsh judgments on that basis.

1) I'm a pastor - I have to enjoy it
2) I'm a pastor, so I have learned to enjoy it
3) I'm a pastor, so I have developed the skills that help me enjoy it.
4) As a Christian, I had to read it so it grew on me
5) It's actually good stuff. You have violence, daring heroics, supernatural happenings, romance, and enough soap opera type material to fill a full season of The Jerry Springer Show (seriously!).
6) It really is applicable to my everyday life. Really, it is.

There is an element of truth in every reason above. The average person reading this may not think that all of these reasons would fit their lives. I'd argue that they would. Everyone can learn to enjoy it. Everyone can learn the "skills". If you read it, it will eventually grow on you. Coincidentally, after posting last week, I had a conversation that very same day with someone who made mention they don't enjoy the reading part all that much. Ideally they would like to, but they do not believe they will ever come to the same point as I. We'll see if that remains true. That person is actually putting in considerable effort.

There's nothing particularly insightful about this post. But it some serious thoughts about our faith journeys. Somewhere on our journeys, reading the Bible has to become part of it. No one has to become a Ph.D quality Bible scholar overnight. Any growth is growth. Give it a shot. I think you will find you also will never tire of it.

"These are a few of my favorite things"

Segregation anyone?

Today is the day our government has set for us as a country to officially honor the life and work of a true civil rights hero - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Not everyone is excited about such an observance. Personally, I wonder how much farther he could have led us if his life had not be tragically taken in Memphis on April 4, 1968.

I hate segregation. Always have. Yet I'm always amazed at the human creature's propensity to segregate itself. I used to teach high school math in Charlotte, NC. When you looked at a map of the city, it was amazing at how well we had segregated ourselves into black and white halves of the city. That would have remained true even if you had taken out all of the sections of public and low income housing that were "intentionally controlled" to "keep them in their place". Because we black and white folk decided to segregate ourselves, kids were taking one hour bus rides in order to ensure diversity in the student population.

You see it on a global scale as well. No matter how hard we work to destroy societal, economic, or even civic barriers to integration, the human creature will always retreat to its fall back position - self-imposed segregation. We really prefer to be with people like ourselves. It's not always race that decides that affinity. It might be economics, political ideology, or religion. The more areas you can find in common, the more likely you are to become a group, maybe even a closed group.

Today I was part of a discussion with some fellow pastors and denominational leaders about this issue of segregation. No, we didn't discuss Dr. King. We didn't talk about Sunday morning being the most segregated hour of the week either. We discussed things like church membership. How closed or sectarian should something like that be? There are a lot of good opinions on all sides of that issue.

It should be noted that segregation is not always a bad thing. I don't really want to sit on a plane full of TB patients if I can help it. Some would argue that some type of segregation in the church is appropriate. Of course, we don't call it that. We call it membership. What should be the appropriate requirements for membership? Is it appropriate to have another set of requirements for those in leadership?

If you read this blog and have never posted, this is one I'd like to have your thoughts on. Don't give the popular answer or the one you think I'm looking for. Don't worry about whether or not it's right "biblically". I'm curious about your thoughts. That's what this blog is all about - thoughts that influence our faith journeys. And just to make you feel better, I'll turn on the anonymous commenting just for this post.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Some of you may have been wondering where I've been, although that's highly unlikely. It's been three weeks since I last posted. I haven't been on vacation that long, although that would be nice. I've just been busy doing other things like teaching my boys how to skin and gut a squirrel, doing some offline writing for a change, trying to earn all 99 gold bricks on Lego Star Wars II, and just thinking about important things like purpose. I've been pondering the state of the church today and how to make it most effective at fulfilling its purpose. I've been thinking about my own purpose in life as a husband and father, and as a pastor.

I also been thinking about the Bible. The title of this post has double meaning. It asks the question that only my mother cares about. It's also the title of the George Clooney film released in December 2000. I love that movie and everything about it. The soundtrack is great and has some wonderful bluegrass music. I love how it is the most creative interpretation of Homer's Odyssey I have ever encountered. This is a great contemporary representation that stays true to the original story. I think that speaks volumes about the timelessness of the themes in the original epic.

The Bible is like that. Many people in my church are trying to read through the entire Bible this year. Some have shared with me how much better they understand its parts as they read it as a whole. Others have shared how amazing it is that stories and sermons written two to four thousand years ago can be so applicable to today's life.

During my fight with insomnia last night, I began to think about how I never tire of reading the same stuff in the Bible. Right now I'm studying a couple of different books in the Bible that I have pretty thoroughly studied several times before. I am amazed that I am seeing new things this time around. I am also struck by the fact that I never get bored with reading these same stories over and over again. I can probably count on one hand (maybe two hands) the number of other books besides the Bible for which I feel the same way.

I've got some thoughts as to why that paragraph is true. I promise I won't wait three weeks to post them. Before I do, I'd like to hear from you what things you never tire of and why. I'd like to hear why you think the Bible's that way for me.

And just in case you are wondering, I have 60 of the gold bricks. If I'm unable to sleep tonight, I'm going to turn on the PS2 and earn another one!

Seeking part 2

Last week while showing off my light sabre, I made mention of the assurance that if one was truly seeking a genuine Christian faith journey, it would be found. This week I'd like to go back to that same theme. Traditionally, the Sunday after Christmas is a day to focus on the Wise Men and their part in the Christmas story. Here are some thoughts I shared with my church on Christmas Eve about the Wise Men. Sorry for recycling, but I am on vacation . . . .

Two thousand years ago, a group of learned scholars set out from a country somewhere in the East, probably in the vicinity of ancient Babylon. To best of our estimates based on what we know about history, current scholars estimate that they found what they were looking for approximately two years later. I am talking about the Magi, the Wise Men, who followed a star looking for a king. At the end of their search, they found the child Jesus. I wonder if they ever wondered whether they would find what they were looking for or not.

We do not know with certainty a whole lot about the Magi. Throughout the centuries we have speculated and created a whole set of stories around them. At some point we began calling them the Three Wise Men because there were three gifts. Along the way, someone even gave them names. In modern representations, we have even insured the diversity of their representation as we typically portray them as one man of Asian descent, another of African, and the third of European. They have been worked into our traditional television Christmas specials like The Little Drummer Boy and in historical epics like Ben Hur. But all this is merely speculation.

There are some things we do know about the Magi that can help guide us in our search today. We know they were searching for a king. The child whose birth we celebrate at Christmas came so that he might be our king. He came so that we might give our allegiance to him and let him rule over us in love. This king is not harsh, demanding, or despotic in anyway. He is not absorbed by his power or position. In fact he gave up his position and power so that he might dwell with us. He is the kind of king that all of us would want to serve.

We know that in their search for this king, the Magi got a little off track. They began looking for this king in the obvious place – Jerusalem. When they began to inquire on the whereabouts of this new king, they learned he was probably in lowly Bethlehem. It may not have made sense to them, but they went on anyway. They would not give up the search no matter how long it took.

We know that these Magi were guided by a great light – a star. Even when they got off track and began to look in the unlikely places for the king, the star confirmed when they got back on the right track and went ahead of them, guiding the way. We know that they found what they were looking for. They found this king to be and presented him with precious gifts, worthy of a king.

Tonight as we ponder and celebrate the birth of Jesus, what are we looking for? Are we really looking for a king or are we looking for something that will give us warm fuzzies and make us feel good about what may still be a fractured relationship with our God? I can assure you that the same thing that drew the Magi to Jesus is the same thing that draws us. We call it many things – guilt, unfulfillment, emptiness, desperation. But it all comes down to looking for a great light to shine in our darkness. A great light drew the Magi and guided the Magi. A great light draws us to him, the one who would be our king if we would let him.

Like the Magi, we may get off track in our search for him. We might be looking where we think he should be instead of where he really is. But if we trust in the light he has given us and follow that light, we will find him. You might think you will never find him but I promise you that you will. He came so that he might be found. He has not hidden himself. He has given us a great light so that we might know where he is. You cannot hide in the light.

At Christmas we celebrate his birth. We celebrate the light he brought into the world and the light he shines into our lives. We celebrate the light that guides us in our search for him and the light that continues to guide us into paths with him. We celebrate the unlikely king, found in the unlikely places. We celebrate because he will be found.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas gift thoughts

It's the day after Christmas and I love everything I received. Among the many gifts I received, two stand out for very different reasons. The first notable gift is Optimash Prime. Now Darth Tater has a companion on the shelf. The second gift worthy of comment, and by far my favorite (but not for the reasons you expect), is my Obi-Wan Kenobi light sabre. The gift of the light sabre actually has a few spiritual applications. In order to understand those, you'll have to read the whole story.

Earlier in the fall as my family began making Christmas lists, the one thing I put on my list was the aforementioned weapon of choice by one of the greatest known Jedi knights. They only cost about seven or eight dollars, so I figured this would be a shoe-in. My wife knows I like to get toys and she also knows how Star Wars seems to dominate our family's life at times.

My hopes of getting this light sabre disappeared when a local sporting goods store began clearancing out its camping gear. We had the opportunity to buy a nice family sized tent for only 40% of the original cost. We gave our boys a choice. We could a) spend our entire alloted Christmas budget for Mommy & Daddy gifts on the tent or b) give the boys the money to buy individual gifts for us so they could have the opportunity to go shopping. They chose A, so my wife and I received our Christmas gift in early November. We bought a tent that is literally the size of our bedroom.

Now, it must be added that we reminded the boys they had their own money they could choose to spend on Mommy and Daddy if they wanted. Of course, we did not expect them to. In the meantime, I had been planning to buy a light sabre with my own money after Christmas so that the boys and I could have some Jedi fun whenever we needed to burn off some energy.

On Christmas morning I was surprised to receive the very thing I wanted most - my very own Obi-Wan Kenobi light sabre. It was a gift from my boys and it warmed my heart so. Not only was I surprised at the gift itself, but I was surprised they had managed to keep it a secret, especially my youngest.

While pondering this wonderful gift, two important lessons came to mind. First, the boys bought this with their own money. It was something they really wanted to do because they knew how much I wanted it. They actually demonstrated some level of selflessness and thinking beyond themselves for a change. For those of you who have wondered if your children will ever get there, take this as hope that they will. My boys aren't completely selfless, but this was a step.

In order to appreciate the second lesson, you must hear the rest of the story. My boys sent their mother out shopping for the light sabre. All she knew was it had to be a blue light sabre. Much to her dismay upon bringing it home, she was told very quickly that she had bought the wrong one. She had bought the Anakin Skywalker light sabre. As you can see from the picture above, they are vey different (Obi-Wan is on top, Anakin on the bottom). She was not aware that such a distinction existed. She was able to return the wrong one and exchange it for the proper replica.

Here's the lesson, and despite all premises, it's a deep and important one. Lots of people "buy" what they think is real Christianity. They find something that resembles what little they know about it. Sometimes that's not a risky choice; sometimes it is. Some people don't even know that light sabres come in different colors, let alone may have different handles. Some people don't know that Christianity is not just like all the other religions. All religions do not lead to the same place.

So what do you do if you are one of these people that knows very little about faith in general but you are searching for authentic Christianity? At some point you have to become familiar with the product. As I always say here, never do it alone. Go to the Bible to find out the details on the story. Begin your search with another group of people. Make sure there are people like yourself AND people who already have the answers in that group. Keep yourself open to the direction of the Holy Spirit. If you get off track and bring home the wrong model, the Holy Spirit will redirect you.

The most important thing to do is to do something. You'll never be a real Jedi by wishing you had a light sabre. You'll never know more about God or have a real relationship with him by just thinking it would be a good thing. And if you get the wrong color or the wrong handle, keep looking and keep open - he'll make sure you get it right.

A Survivor Christmas

Last night was the finale of the 15th edition of Survivor, the reality tv show where contestants must outwit, outlast, and outplay their opponents to win $1 million while at the same time being dropped off in a remote jungle. Last night's winner was Todd Herzog, a 22 year old flight attendant from Utah. In all my years of watching the show, he probably played the best strategic game of all.

One thing that is always a constant in this show is the scheming that continually takes place on the cameras but not always in front of the other contestants. Part of that scheming is trying to determine against whom you will have the best chance of winning $1 million. In the end, people you may have lied to, tricked, etc. have to vote on whether or not you get the prize compared to the other one or two final contestants. In previous editions, there has been much talk about which contestant's life demonstrated a greater need for the big prize. This year was no different.

Enter Denise, a 40 year old happily married mother of three who works as a school lunch lady for $7 an hour. Or at least she did work as a school lunch lady. Upon returning from the show and to work, she lost her job because her employers felt her presence might be too disruptive to the school. She now works as a janitor. Denise had made it to the final four. Those four contestants had banded together early and stuck together all the way to the end. However, Denise was always at the bottom of the totem pole of four. When it came down to deciding which of these final four contestants would be voted off, the one contestant who held the swing vote regarding keeping Denise in the finals and giving her a chance at the prize deliberated continually over Denise's financial situation.

As I watched the moral quandry this contestant went through and what I believe to be real anguish on her face when the decision making time came, I began to think about what I would do in her situation. I would love to give Survivor a try sometime. If I was able to make it to this point, what would be the major factor in my decision? A lot of folks say they want to go to the end with the best in order to be competitive all the way to the end. Then again, $1 million is a lot of money. Would I be willing to lose it to someone who may need it a little more than I because it would be a wonderfully altruistic or compassionate thing to do, especially knowing that millions of people would be watching and evaluating my every word and action? Or do I want to come home with a lot of money because that is after all why I'm playing the game?

Which brings me to Christmas, believe it or not. Jesus did what was best for us. I don't believe Jesus would have been a contestant on Survivor: Dead Sea had he been given the chance. But I do know that he gave up a pretty high position of power, prestige, and reward because we needed it more. He was motivated by obedience to his heavenly father and love and compassion for us. It did not matter how much he would miss out on; it only mattered that we might be given a chance at eternity with his father in heaven.

Merry Christmas!

K.I.S.S.

It's time of the year where I ponder the material wealth that I possess. I am not rich by any means, but my family has more stuff than should be legal in the 48 continental United States. This time of year brings about such ponderance because Christmas is around the corner and that means my children get more stuff. Yea! Everyone needs more stuff! (sarcasm implied and intended)

The storage and maintenance of our stockpile of stuff is a constant topic of discussion for the wife and me. Because of everyone's busy schedules, we celebrated Christmas with my side of the family this past weekend. It did not dawn on me until we were leaving the house for the two hour drive to my mom's that I forgot the rent a U-Haul because most assuredly I would need one to get all the new stuff home. Luckily, we crammed it all in the back of the van and did not have to leave anyone behind in order to do so.

Saturday afternoon I spent a few minutes at my grandmother's. As I sat on the couch talking with her, I gazed around her house. Not much has changed in her home in the last 38 years. Some of the furniture has been swapped out. The pictures get rotated each each year as the great-grandchildren get older. Everything is pretty much the same - even the smell (and I love that smell).

I sat there reminiscing of my childhood days spent in the house. I remember the smell of coffee in the morning. I remember the taste of my own weakened cup of java she would make for me in the Yogi bear cup that had to stay at her house. I remember the tastes of the homemade biscuits she would make on Sunday afternoon and how she would always make one for me shaped like a stick man. My favorite sensory experience was always the taste and smell of the fried shrimp she would cook up for us.

As I allowed that flood of memories to sweep over me, I finished my visual survey of her home. I was struck with how simple it was. The house is not big by any means - three small bedrooms, 1100 square feet at best (and she raised five kids in that house, without indoor plumbing for many of those early years). I was amazed most at the lack of clutter, i.e. stuff, filling her home. If my memory serves me well, it's always been that way.

K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple, Stupid. Those of us with too much stuff are probably stupid. I know I feel stupid. We need to be constantly reminded to live life more simply. I know that I wish I could squeeze my family into my grandmother's home and we all be happy about it. The simple life sure does look good.

Thank you Granny for the best gift I received this Christmas.

Excuses

Taking liberties with some movies and great works of literature, here's a burning question:

"O Blogger, Where Art Thou?"
"Bloggero, Bloggero, wherefore art thou Bloggero?"
"Are we blogging yet?"
"The Fall of the Blog: Star Wars Episode 7"

For the last few weeks, millions of people have not cared whether or not I have blogged. Tens of you have forgotten I even had one. Two of you have wondered when I'm going to get off my lazy butt and write something. For you two faithful fans, today is your lucky day. However, all I have are excuses for why I haven't posted very faithfully for a few weeks. These are in no particular order.

1. Too busy reading other people's blogs
2. After #1, I felt inferior to their witty humor, insightful societal or theological observations, or much more exciting lives
3. I've developed an allergy to Windows XP and unfortunately can't afford a new Mac right now
4. I'm just lazy
5. I decided to live my faith journey for a while instead of write about it
6. I'm recovering from my injuries suffered when the doors opened on Black Friday and I was trampled on my way to the half priced candy canes
7. I'm trying to watch as much tv as possible since the writers strike will force early reruns
8. I just can't seem to blog when the Panthers fall below .500
9. My fingers are too jumpy because of the increased sugar intake from all those candy canes
10. My brain is too dead because of repeated crashes after all my sugar rushes wore off
11. The weather is too crazy! It's 48 degrees one day and 70 the next!
12. Blog rhymes with eggnog and I just can't mix the two
13. Speaking of eggnog, I waited all night in the barn to see if the eggnog cow would see her shadow on Dec 2 and bring us eggnog this Christmas
14. Related to #12 & 13, I spent an inordinate amount of time wondering why eggnog is only on the shelves in December
15. I'm still trying to untangle all the stinking Christmas lights
16. Developed tennis elbow doing #15
17. Spent a lot of time wondering if what Tim Allen's character on The Santa Clause is true about Santa not visiting Muslim or Jewish children
18. Practicing Neptunesday really screwed me up for a while

If I can think of some more excuses, I'll put off writing for a few more days.

Just a thought.

To Choose or Not to Choose (part 2)

As promised earlier today, here are my second round of thoughts stemming from last week's After the Bachelor show. Be sure toread Al's, er, uh, I mean "Anonymous" comments for that post.
My purpose in writing this is not to bash Brad Womack, although he probably deserves it. I agree with Anonymous Al and all his comments. The little bit I've read about this guy confirms his cad status. I want to write about placing yourself in positions where making a choice, good or bad, is difficult and the situation could have been avoided.

Let's start with Mr. Womack, or anyone else playing the role of Bachelor or Bachelorette in search of a spouse. One has to take on a fairly selfish perspective to come along and choose from your own personal supermarket of potential spouses. It is preposterous in my mind to think that you can over the course of five or six weeks get to know one person over 14 others enough to seriously contemplate spending the rest of your life with him or her. The few times I've watched any of these shows, I've always been disturbed by the level of physical intimacy explored by the spouse hunter with every member of the harem.

Which leads me to a potential "blame the victim" label. The two women who were so hurt when Mr. Womack chose neither of them put themselves in a bad position. They committed way too much emotionally and physically to this guy, knowing full well that the other women were probably doing the same. He acted anything but gentlemanly with them, but they should had assumed the equal treatment going around.

Why do people put themselves in positions like this? This isn't about taking a risk in order to gain great rewards. Don't put yourself in a position where you can't make a good choice. When talking about a faith journey, there are so many ways to apply this. We tell people to flee temptation. The minute you feel like you could make a bad decision about anything, you should run the other way. Other people simply choose not to choose when it comes to faith. Of course, not choosing is still a choice.

Nothing profound here. I've probably waited too long to post again. Any profundity has grown cold. Moral of the story is don't put yourself in a position where you can't make a good choice.

Random thoughts for the day

I promise to post "To Choose or Not to Choose Part 2" within 24 hours (that would be 2:49 pm EST according to the time on the sanctuary computer, Thursday Nov 29) for those of you dying to read it. For now, here are some interesting and random thoughts I've been pondering today.

- Here's a link to a Brian Russell's sermon on compassion. I love the short prayer of Bob Tuttle he lists at the beginning. I really enjoyed hearing Tuttle's stories when I was a student, but this prayer is serious food for thought.

- Here's a link to Keith Drury's article on the extension of young adulthood. How much farther can it go?

- This morning our family devotions came from Ephesians 6:10-20. How do you talk about spiritual warfare with a 7 year old and a 9 1/2 year old? The warfare part was really cool to them - they are boys after all.

To Choose or Not to Choose (part 1)

This post is proof positive that it is better to go ahead and go to bed instead of channel surfing. Instead of making the better choice, I gave in to the temptation to watch a little tv before going to bed. I came across The Bachelor: After the Final Rose. Apparently, at the end of this season's matchmaking attempts, the producers were given an ending they never expected. Apparently, when the day of reckoning came, he did not choose either of the final two women. The links and comments on this are numerous. Here's a link to the Google search on "Brad Womack".

Having not watched the show at all and having only read about 30 lines of text regarding the show, I don't really have an opinion on the guy's decision. I did watch the final 30 minutes tonight where the two dissed women confronted him. And I did read enough after the show to find some evidence that the guy might be a cad.

Putting all judgments aside on this guy, I do want to address one thought I had while watching him squirm tonight. What an impossible situation to be in! First of all, there is nothing real about this reality tv show. The show's premise is that it's about how single men and women interact in the courtship process. But honestly, it looks more like the QVC of spouses. You have one person given fifteen possible mates that he or she has to narrow down to one over the course of about five weeks. It's hard enough to work through all the emotions of this with one person at a time, much less a dozen or more and to do so while the cameras roll.

I watched this guy struggle with justifying why he did (could not?) commit. How many times do we have difficulty making commitments when it comes to our faith journeys? Is it because we find ourselves in impossible situations or is it because of something else? How often do we put ourselves in "impossible" situations where our decisions impact our faith journeys?

I have a lot more similar questions and thoughts to add, but I really need to get around to making the right choice and get in the bed. Until I get around to posting part 2 of these thoughts, what are yours?

Give me a break!

I'm sorry, I just have to rant for a second. What should be a cause for celebration has turned into set of wacko advisories. The first two seasons of Sesame Street are now available on DVD. What could be better than that? Apparently, a lot of things. Those first two seasons have been deemed inappropriate for today's toddler - click here for the story.

Luckily, I can make up my own mind. I even bought my 7 year old son a real pocket knife for his birthday. Guess I'm either too stupid or too dangerous or maybe even both.

Who Cares?

Sunday the Houston Dynamo beat the New England Revolution to win their second consecutive Major League Soccer championship. Now let me say what 99.99% are thinking, "Who cares?" Probably none of you even knew there was a Major League Soccer league, much less that they had a championship game yesterday. I happened to come across while channel surfing during a football game. I saw it was soccer and kept on going. Only because it was a "by the way" comment during Sunday night's football game did I know the game was as significant as it was.

Neil Diamond has revealed the inspiration behind his number 1 hit Sweet Caroline. By the way, after forty years, it's working its way back up the charts. Who really cares?

A-Rod and the Yankees cut a new deal. He'll probably retire a Yankee. Even for die hard baseball fans, who really cares?

All of the above will make great answers for the 2007 edition of Trivial Pursuit or maybe win you a huge cash prize on the new game show sure to come out soon called Who Cares? . Perhaps the last two items are more noteworthy than the first because despite David Beckham, nobody really cares about soccer in this country unless their kid is playing it.

How many times have you oohed and aaahed over someone else's pictures of their grandchild when you really didn't care? How many times have you listened to someone spill their guts when you really didn't care? How many times has someone bored you with some story they though was just great but you thought, "I don't care!"? How many times have you been that someone?

I'll tell you who cares - good friends. Friends really do want to see all the new pics. Friends really do want to listen to you when you need it. I remember one time showing up unannounced at a friend's house at suppertime just to tell him some insight I had received while reading Ecclesiastes. It was during an especially vulnerable time in my life emotionally and spiritually. When it was over, I was pretty sure he probably thought "Who cares?" but I also know that he really did.

The best place to find friends like that is at church. They'll care about things that nobody else ever would. Friends at church will stick with you through things that no one ever would. At least they should.

God cares too. He may be busy keeping the universe going, but he also cares that your team won the MLS championship, that your favorite song was inspired by a president's daughter, and that someone with an overinflated ego may ruin the chemistry of your favorite baseball team. He cares about other stuff in your life too. While you're giving thanks for the many things in your life, remember he cares about everyone.

In Honor . . .

Today is when we take a day off to celebrate Veteran's Day despite what the calendar says the date is. Whether you honored the veterans Saturday, Sunday, or Monday, make sure you do. Saturday I was awestruck as never before on this holiday. My sons' Cub Scout Pack did their annual Veteran's Day project of placing flags on the graves of veterans. We began the morning with a short ceremony to honor the parents of any of the scouts who were veterans and paying tribute to all who have served our country.

After this very moving ceremony, the scouts dispersed to place the flags. I helped a group of the youngest scouts identify the appropriate graves for a flag. As we moved into an older section of the cemetery, the graves of veterans were more frequently found. We came across a whole section of WWII vets. Moving up the hill, the vets became thicker still. We had moved into a section of WWI vets. My older son was working in a newer section of the cemetery where the veteran graves were much farther apart.

It occurred to me why this is so. During the days of WWI and WWII, it was truly seen as a privilege and an honor to serve. It was seen as a duty to country. That's not the case anymore. It saddens me to view the current politicalization of how the military is viewed today. Since the Vietnam Conflict (is that PC term?), there have been many mixed feelings about how to view the men and women who serve in the Armed Forces and even more mixed feelings about the actions they are asked to take by their commanders. That's a shame. They deserve better. And we should still consider it our duty to serve. I hopefully will not die with many regrets, but having not served will probably be one of them.

To all the men and women who have served our country and are doing so, I salute you. Thank you for saying yes to the call of duty.

Broken Streaks

This has been the week for broken streaks. The Indianapolis Colts finally lost at home after 12 or 13 consecutive home victories. But even in their victory, the Pats were crying about "extra crowd noise" being pumped into the stadium. My streak of 8 consecutive wins at Free Cell on my office computer was broken as well. I was feeling like I was in the zone too, on my way to break my record streak of 16 wins. I guess I got overconfident and played a few bad cards.

Breaking a streak can have very consequential effects on our lives. Just ask people in the southeastern US what it's like to finally break the streak of rainless days and get some much needed water from the sky. Your checkbook can balance perfectly for months and then a careless error in the wrong column can crush your finances.

Sometimes the timing of the end of a streak is of more consequence than the actual ending itself. Just imagine if Cal Ripken, Jr. had suffered some injury that sidelined him just a few games away from breaking Lou Gehrig's record of 2,130 consecutive games played. Can you imagine being second on the list after almost twenty years of never missing a game? It would still be an accomplishment, but people would probably remember the injury more than the total.

Our ordinary lives are full of winning streaks that we don't notice until they are broken. We may not know that we have been happy for 187 consecutive days until something comes along to bring us grief. We usually don't realize that we have been "living on top of the mountain" of our faith journeys for 13 straight months until we have spent a week or two in the valley.

Honestly, we don't even think of our lives in terms of streaks so the metaphor may be a useless one. We do think of our lives in terms of good times and bad times, strong moments and weak moments. And we prefer for the good and strong to be longer in duration than the bad and weak. My thoughts for today are, "What do we do when the streak is broken?" What do YOU do?

The Not-So-Harsh Reality of Losing

Scan the television listings and you find 3 basic types of shows on the airwaves nowadays - karaoke gameshows, crime dramas, and reality tv. Several weeks ago while channel surfing in order to forcefully shut down all higher brain functioning for the day, I came across the reality tv show The Biggest Loser. The premise of the show is that between 15 to 20 extremely obese people compete to see who can lose the most weight. They are put into teams, given coaches and physical and dietary training. To make it exciting tv, they have to face challenges each week to make the process a little difficult and to also earn rewards. The show ends with the weigh-in. Each contestant steps on the scales to measure their weight change. The team that loses the lowest percentage of weight has to vote off one of their teammates, true to reality tv gaming.

I've never watched an entire episode of this show. I do, however, try to catch the weigh-in and voting at the end. They always show a picture of the person voted off today, compared to when they first came to the Biggest Loser complex. It's amazing the transformation each person has gone through.

Here's what I like about what little I've seen of the show. Unlike other reality tv game shows, the purpose of the game is to actually help someone out. You still have tempers flaring and interpersonal conflicts, but overall, the atmosphere is generally encouraging. These individuals have been selected because of their need to lose weight and their need for a better support system in order to do so. When it comes time for voting, there are genuine tears, unlike those found on those matchmaking shows. The rationale almost always given by the team as they explain the reason behind their vote is, "This person is strong and can make it happen when he/she gets home." It's like they do not want to put anyone in a situation where he/she won't succeed, despite how it might drag the team down.

Every time I have watched this happen, I have been amazed. I have been convicted. I have turned off the show wishing reality was actually like this, especially in the church. When you are on a faith journey, you want to be surrounded by people like this. Find a place where people can help you along your journey.

When you are on a faith journey, you also want to be that kind of support to others. You have a responsibility to help others on their journey. That's part of what Jesus meant when he said we had to lose our life to gain it. It's also what Paul meant when he said to look out for each other instead of looking out for ourselves. Losing doesn't sound so bad.

Just a thought.

change of thoughts

This morning I was going to write about marathons, Star Wars, and possibly misplaced squirrels. But something better came along. Together over breakfast, our family read the story about Paul at Athens. His description of what the Athenians called the "Unknown God" and who he knew to be the One true God really touched me. Here it is:

The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and
earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human
hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and
breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they
should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the
exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and
perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of
us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' Acts 17:24-28

Have a great day. I pray you come to know this God if you don't already.

Deep Fried Fun

Yesterday my family and I were blessed through the benevolence of someone to enjoy the state fair. For reasons I do not completely understand, nor care to, this year's theme is "Seriously Twisted Fun". I think it involves corporate sponsorship with Subway and a few other marketing ploys. I think the theme should have been "Everything Deep Fried".

Everyone knows about funnel cakes and elephant ears, at least I'm assuming you do. For you international readers, these are basically pieces of dough, deep fat fried and then sprinkled with powdered sugar, cinnamon, fruit toppings, and or chocolate. Pardon my grammar as I speak in the language of the common man, but who don't want some of that? Funnel cake is some good eating though I myself have not had one in thirteen years. My last funnel cake experience was at a county fair and ended with a not so happy stomach. I stood in line for one yesterday and though I wanted one very badly, I found an excuse at the last moment to forego this culinary delight.

Some of you may have heard about how you can now buy deep fried candy bars. Everyone who buys one says they are wonderful, but honestly, are they really? This year saw the addition of the following items to the deep fried menu - Oreos, Twinkies, PB&J sandwiches, and even Coke. Yes folks, they are now deep frying Coke at the State fair. I was unable to get a demostration or sampling of this new phenomenon, so I have little to share with you other than its existence.

Now you know what I mean when I say the theme should be "Everything Deep Fried". I joked with some people in my church that next year we need to host a booth at the fair and sell something deep fried. I don't think it really matters what it is - people will buy it and eat it. Perhaps we can combine two other fair favorites and begin selling deep fried cotton candy and deep fried candy apples. Let's go all the way and deep fry those guys who try to guess your weight or age. Who wants a deep fried teddy bear for knocking over the milk bottles? How about a ride in the world's largest deep fryer?

Two questions come to mind as I ponder this deep frying craze. First, have you notice the conspicously absent word in that phrase "deep fried"? What's it deep fried in? Ten years ago we would have said "deep fat fried" but the health consciousness of society cannot tolerate that three letter word to be used anymore, despite what type of fat it may or may not be. Don't forget that KFC used to be "Kentucky Fried Chicken" not too long ago. Did they think we would forget it was fried if we didn't say it?

My second thought is actually more relevant to the purpose of this post. (and you thought there wasn't one!) Again I ask, is it really that good? I've never tasted one, but can a deep FAT fried Snickers bar be an improvement on the original or have we bought into the group consciousness and/or peer pressure and said, "Omigosh! This is so awesome. You have to try this." while simultaneously ignoring our other consciousness that says "deep FAT frying is bad"?

Now for the spiritual application (drumroll please) - How often do we see similar situations played out in the church? How many times do we go with the flow despite how wrong it may be or counterproductive it might be, but we continue course because the group consciousness says it's ok? Or how about those times when we refuse to go along with the group consciousness but we should be? How do you tell the difference in those situations? How often do we practice state fair theology that says its okay to go against what we believe is right in normal circumstances because we only do so once a year?

I could give you lots of answers but no one wants to spend 45 minutes reading anybody's blog, at least not mine. However, I bet you have some good answers that others might want to read. What are they? I'll be anxiously awaiting them while taking some more Tums and refilling the fryer.

Hope and Holes

Last night filled me with a little more hope for the future of our society. The kids and I watched Kid Nation. For those of you unfamiliar with this show, it's reality tv involving kids. Forty kids between the ages of 8 and 15 have been dropped off in a ghost town out west and they have to make society work. They have a town council, division of labor, etc. They do all the work.

Last night's episode dealt with matters of faith. Through cunning editing, we got to see kids from all different faiths argue about whose faith was best. The town council was given instruction to make time during the day for faith observances and a time of rest. They were given the option of either planning one service of the "one size fits all" type or organizing several different services. When the town council decided to "force" everyone to attend one service in order to learn about the faith of others, there was rebellion. More arguments ensued. No one attended the scheduled service.

However, later that night, right before lights out, a couple of kids organized a prayer vigil on their own. They went around inviting kids to gather around the fire for prayer if they wanted to, no pressure. An amazing thing happened. Due to camera angles, it was hard to see how many actually attended, but there seemed to be a lot of kids - Christian, Jew, Hindu, and even self-proclaimed atheists. The scene was so moving that one 12 year old boy broke down into tears at the expression of unity.

Things got more interesting the next day. At the regularly scheduled challenge that determines the social class of each group of kids there is also a chance to earn a town reward. Last night the choices were a mini-golf course to provide some entertainment OR a set of holy books - the Bible, the Torah, the Koran, etc. Much to my surprise, the kids overwhelmingly chose the set of holy books.

Several thoughts come to mind. I value diversity and try to be intentional about incorporating it. So did these kids but they resisted a politically correct attempt to force it on them. Good for them! They proved when given the chance, they would actually reach out to those around them in respect and genuine interest, as proven by the prayer around the fire.

I'm still trying to process the choice of the holy books over the mini-golf. It's hard to judge how much the books were actually read because we don't get to see everything that happens, only what the producers allow. Yet, we saw all the kids taking some kind of interest in the books. At different times thru the day, a group of kids could be seen taking time to read them. Deep down I want to believe that what we witnessed despite all the careful editing is an attempt to fill what has been called the "God-shaped hole" within all of us. St. Augustine is credited with first articulating this concept, though he put it much more elegantly -

"What place is there in me to which my God can come, what place that can
receive the God who made heaven and earth? Does this mean, O Lord my God,
that there is in me something fit to contain you? ... Or, since nothing that
exists could exist without you, does this mean that whatever exists does, in
this sense, contain you? If this is so, since I too exist, why do I ask you
to come into me? For I should not be there at all unless, in this way, you
were already present within me."

Just a thought.