"The Envelope Please..."

Well, it turns out that Paul is a liberal.

Okay, a "progressive."

I scored a 66 one time and a 68 another (After reflection, I changed my answer to a question). It seems that Andrew wins the lunch. For the record, I really wanted to give it to SJW because her husband is a good kisser AND she was the first one gutsy enough to guess my score-- and was pretty darn close. But she did give a range, which felt like a copout... and Andrew guessed right between my two scores. So Andrew it is. (But I will invite SJW, her husband and daughter over for dinner as a constellation prize when we all stop being sick. And Beth gets honorable mention for the line, "I smell chicken." She ought to get something for that!)

I was honestly surprised about falling in the "progressive" camp. I'm still not sure I would define myself that way, or, that if held up to a someone who claims to be progressive, I wouldn't appear like a conservative. I guess it is all relative. Looking at the questions, there is a REALLY big difference between someone who scores a 68 verses a 90. Huge. But I did score higher than a couple of my colleagues who I thought much more liberal than me... which I found interesting.

This has been my story for a couple of years now. I often feel like a man without a theological home. The conservatives don't want me because I'm too liberal. And the liberals don't want me because I'm too conservative. I find myself standing with people in both camps, and sometimes repulsed by both camps. And to be honest, I often feel isolated among my colleagues who fit in these nice, neat little boxes.

On top of that, for some reason anymore, I really resent being labeled. I don't like to be put in boxes.

I spoke at an event in the fall, and when I went to register, I told them I was one of the speakers. They said, "Okay, are you conservative or liberal?" And I said... "yes."

[long pause]

[strange look]

[awkward pause as she waits for me to say more]

I mean, it does depend on what you are asking, right? I'm liberal in my use of chocolate, pizza toppings and love for my wife. I'm conservative in my use of mayo, my dress and anything having to do with Yanni. We actually got into a little fight because I refused to be put into a box so that they could put me into a discussion group.

But as much as I don't like to be labeled, I honestly think I have a particular fear of being labeled "liberal." Largely because all my life I have been taught that "liberal" is a theological cuss word.

Theological Liberals don't love or believe in Jesus.

Liberals don't believe in the bible. Liberals are "them."

But... see, here is the thing: I DO love Jesus and I DO believe in the bible... maybe more now than ever. I think I have a MUCH higher reverence for the bible than many of my more conservative colleagues. I just don't use the same words to describe it as I used to use.

My journey since seminary has been trying to reconcile what I read in the bible with...well...uh... what I read in the bible. I mean, we are all okay with reading James. Phillipians makes us generally feel really good. But then there are those tricky things. The "problem passages."

As Scot said, I'm fascinated "with the portions of the Bible we don't tend to read, passages like the story of Jephthah. Or how God was on the verge of killing Moses for not circumcising his son, and his wife stepped in, did what needed to be done, and tossed the foreskin at Moses' feet, and God let him alone."

"I have become fascinated with what goes on in our heads and our minds and our traditions (and the latter is far more significant than many of us recognize) in making decisions like this. What decisions? Which passages not to read as normative. The passages we tend not to read at all."

For the record, I still don't think I'm in the "theological liberal" camp. I know theological liberals, and I'm not one of them. I feel very comfortable in the moderate camp. In fact, in many ways I'm still a theological conservative.

But why does the Bride of Jesus Christ have so much fear? Why are we so afraid of having the wrong answers? And does this fear say something more about our faith, than which theological box we are stuffed into?

P.S.

I am thinking of going through some of the questions and talking about why I answered the way I did. If I get enough encouragement, I may do that. But I think I have said what I wanted to say.

Where are you?

Take the hermeneutics quiz. It is designed to give you some insight into how you read and understand the bible and to place you on a continuum from a more conservative understanding to a more liberal. Please be honest. If you don't mind, please post your number result.

And if you want to be bold, you can try to guess my number. Closest gets lunch.

Fresh Blog Meat!

Hey everyone, here is some fresh blog meat. Heather finally started a blog. (You get to figure out which Heather, but if you surf around you will see how I randomly found it and HOW I figured out who's blog it was.)

So if you would do me a favor and surf on over there and just tell her "hi"... I would be most appreciative.

Click HERE for Heather.

(wow... that picture almost makes me want to join Sarah)

Just too cool

I was a Public Relations major in college and really into advertising. I honestly thought I was going to make ads for a living. I am still very intrigued by advertising, maybe now for a different reason (they create need for stuff we don't need). But I think ads often tap into the most creative minds in our world today. And I would love the team process!

BTW, I think the ads are the best part of the superbowl. Back in my youth ministry days I used to have anti-superbowl parties... we would mute the game and watch the ads. Dozens of kids would come to not watch the superbowl. Yea, it was weird.

Anyway, I just think this ad is really, really cool.

Welcome!

Come one, come all to the Central Baptist Church!

Copied from their promotional link: "Central Baptist Church of Amarillo, Texas - "Where there's always a place for you."

Except on their web site

Can we password protext OUR website so that no one can actually get to it? Nice idea.

Faithful Word Baptist Church

For those interested... this is the church website of the Faithful Word Baptist Church. As you can tell from the picture, pastor Stephen Anderson is NOT preaching to a wall, but to an actual congregation of people. Go figure.

You can also subscribe to the podcast, and videos are available on the site (I predict the Central postcast subscriptions will plummet due to all of you switching churches.)

Sorry, the picture wouldn't upload. You will have to search the site yourself to find it.

This should be my last post about Mr. Anderson. I'm sure there are more wonderful preachers I will post on in the future with just as interesting theology... but I'm done with this guy.

3 services... we are wimps

Living Hope Church... 15 services... 6 campuses.

6 at the main campus: Saturday 3, 5, 7 pm and Sunday 9, 11 and 1 (with a video venue at 6.)

wow

The 7 deadly sins... and exactly who is committing them.

Well, not really.

I found this article interesting. It is obviously bogus as it would be impossible to measure this per city... but the concept is interesting. I think I need to do a series on the 7 deadly sins, as they touch of things we often want to overlook as sin.

But first I need to lose 100 lbs.

MORE!

From the same pastor who taught us to piss against the wall...Election advice.



"We need to pay for everyone to go to college... We need to have free health care."

Not a bad idea.

"I work my fingers to the bone and stay up all night [writing those sermons?] so that people who are lazy and deadbeats can benefit from it."

Ah... yea.

Who do we think he is voting for: ah... maybe... Ron Paul?

Excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom now. I feel like sitting.

On Vacation

This is the view from where I type these words. I'm at my parents house in Florida. We spent the evening yesterday setting up wireless internet for them so now they can "surf in Florida." And... well...so can Laura and I so there was a side benefit. (Although my email program is closed, and will remain so, until I return. Blogging is not work.)

By the way, the weather here was great yesterday; 82 and sunny. Today is a bit overcast and right now it's cold (well, it's just shy of 70, so "cold" is relative), but that is often the case in the morning. Today is suppose to be the worst day of the week... then it promises to pick up. Laura actually has a conference call today, so I will just lounge around the pool and read my latest novel. Here's hoping my friends in Athens enjoy their day at work. I hear you had snow. Sad. So sad.

(Now come on, half the fun of being on vacation in a warm climate is gloating to those of you still stuck in Ohio... so let me enjoy my fun here. :)

Okay, nothing profound to write... just wanted to say hi. I suspect I will post more as the week goes on (as I'm on vacation) but for now, I think it's back to Grisham.

Please say it isn't so

Warning: the following clip is not a joke. This is part of an actual message, given to an actual church, by an actual pastor (although that last point is debatable).

I have so many reactions to this, I can't begin to tell you.

I am soooo temped to use this at Central. Maybe sjw can work this into our new policy?



BTW, the number 5 equals death? "You know, Genesis 5:5, Acts 5:5."

Oh my.

Come Lord Jesus, Come...

By now you have probably all heard of the shootings at Northern Illinois University. I guess we should not be surprised at this, with Virginia Tech, the shooting in Colorado, etc. But for some reason, these hit me hard.

I watched the interviews of the students. There is one interview ("Thinking I was going to die") where this girl talked about laying on the floor and then getting up to run and being afraid she was going to get shot... and I just got just a glimpse of what that must have felt like.

I'm not a person who lives in fear a lot. I don't even think I'm all that afraid to die. But for the record, this world really sucks sometimes. And the older I get, the more the hope of a new earth seems more and more real.



From Revelation 21-22. You might want to read these words slowly...

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away..."

I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. The angel said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true."

The problem with rules...

The problem with rules -- then they have sex on Feb 16?

Rick Warren and Stephen Colbert

I like Stephen Colbert. I like Rick Warren. I thought if you put them together, it would be amazing. It actually fell a little flat. You can watch it here

Now, I'm not a "talk about Jesus at every moment and make sure you mention the cross" kind of person, but in all honesty, I feel that Colbert was trying to give Warren an opening and Rick didn't take it. Now, Colbert may of thought of a good laugh line to what he thought Warren was going to say and was baiting him, but I'm not sure Rick was all that witty or took any risks. Anyway, comment if you would like. How should Christians handle this kind of thing (in case they ask me next week).

Corporations take over the Church

From the same guy who brought you "Cletus take the Wheel"...

Corporations take over praise and worship music.

take the... ah... wheel?

Carrie Underwood took the country music by storm with her hit "Jesus, Take the Wheel". In fact, I've heard it has been played on many Christian radio stations (although those same stations passed on her next hit single, where she talks about carving her name into her ex-boyfriends "pretty little souped up four wheel drive's" leather seats. -- Imagine that.)

Well, watch out Carrie... Cletus is in town...

Love...

True love.

Perspective

LONDON (Reuters) - Retired hospital porter Steve Smith, who is suffering from a potentially fatal heart defect, won almost 19 million pounds ($38 million) on Britain's National Lottery -- but said he would give it all up if he could spend a few more years living with his wife Ida.

"I have a one in 10 chance of living. It's like a ticking time bomb," said the 58-year-old Smith, enjoying a bittersweet glass of celebratory champagne with his wife Ida.

Smith, who has an aortic aneurysm, told reporters when collecting his check: "It's Ida I worry for, it's leaving her behind. I would give all that back if I am allowed to still be with her because there are no shops in the cemetery are there?"

Smith landed the giant prize with an extra stroke of luck -- the couple stopped off on the way home from a family visit to buy some lucky dip tickets and it was one of those which hit the jackpot.

"He's just mostly dead."

There is a sermon illustration in here somewhere.

sin

"Every sin is the distortion of an energy breathed into us."

CS Lewis

Significance

Do you struggle with significance? Feeling like you're are making a difference? Your level of influence?

In my 40 years of life, I have met people who don't struggle with this or ask these questions. Maybe it is personality, maybe it is career choice, maybe it's maturity... maybe they have "learned to be content in all circumstances." but these people genuinely don't want more.

I do. In SOME ways, I'm very rarely satisfied.

I sometimes think I'm greedy.

Which is funny, because I really don't think of myself as "materialistic" (of course, does anyone?). I'm content with my car, my house, my salary and my stuff. I really don't need the latest and greatest (although I do lust after certain people's iphones.)

I'm greedy for influence.

I want to make a difference. And I'm sure that a lot of my motives are mixed on this... but I think some of them are pure.

As a pastor, I'm constantly bombarded with leadership magazines that tout the "50 most influential pastors" or the "100 fastest growing churches." Today I was flipping through a magazine and came across an article, "The 5 most influential up-and-combing pastors." You've heard my rants before about celebrity pastors But the truth is, I think I want to be one of those.

Now, it's funny. When I'm given recognition or when my colleagues brag on me... I'm honestly uncomfortable with it. (I think) I'm being honest when I say I don't want influence for the perks or status. I guess I want to make as much of a difference in this world as I can.

People say that no one gets to the end of their life and says, "I wish I spent more time at the office." I wholeheartedly agree, of course. I spend a lot of time with my family...not a lot of guilt there. My greatest fear in life is that I will get to the end of it and feel I didn't take enough risks. I didn't dream big enough dreams. I played it safe.

Job posting from Hell

So... if I were to die and go to hell, this is the church I would be leading...

_________________________

Post Date : 1/15/2008
Location :

PASTOR:
Pastor centered congregation, Reformed Church in America, Fishers, IN, 150 in worship, seeks a pastor who enjoys being with people of all ages and backgrounds. Our pastor leads us in worship, preaches, and equips us as followers of Jesus to reach out to our community.

Contact Information:
Christ's Community Church
John DeKam

_______________________

Translation: Church is looking to pay someone to do it all. You are the Dancing Bear. You must lead everything from children's ministry and Senior Citizens. You will plan worship, lead singing, do all he readings, preach (probably Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night) and don't ask us to do anything because the answer is no. And the offering is after the message so if the message sucks, we won't give.

Sign me up.

The Best Magician in the World

Okay, so here is an "out-of-the-blue" post. I actually wrote it and saved it as a draft back during my leg surgery. Now, it goes public.

Most of my readers probably know I'm a magician. I have been doing magic since I was five. I used to have doves and rabbits, and I still have several large tricks packed away in my basement to make people appear, disappear and move to random places.

Now, as a magician, I'm rarely (never?) fooled by stage magic. I have never seen an illusion I didn't know how it was done; but that's okay as that is not the point. The point is that I love magic. I love the "show."

So let me chime in.

David Copperfield is the best magician in the world.

Now, if you haven't seen him, you ought to spend some time watching the links I'm providing in the following post. If you have seen him, then in my humble opinion you have seen the best. I have had the good fortune of seeing literally hundreds of magicians live or on TV.

Copperfield is the best, hands down.

Now, why am I writing this? Well, I have a friend who is a music snob. He really knows rock. He owns a recording studio, a coffee shop, what he touches turns to gold. And he knows music. And he says the Beatles were the best band in the world.

I don't like them.

Now, there are a number of reasons for this, which I won't get into right now. But here's the thing... I can't give you a good reason for why I don't like the Beatles other than personal preference. Chris, on the other hand, will tell you they were innovators, used different recording techniques, he will drone on about their musicianship, etc. And he is right. It is pretty much undisputed that the Beatles were the best band ever. Even if I don't personally like them.

David Copperfield is the best magician in the world. Now, don't drone on to me about David Blaine. I know I have been in a "positive post" mood lately, but let me just say this for the record, David Blaine is to magic what the Spice Girls are to music. You may like them, just don't tell anyone who knows anything about music. David Blaine is not a good magician. Yea, he's fair, but he doesn't do anything that any magician worth his salt couldn't do. He just has developed this personality that Gen X and Gen Y (for some reason), like. The street magician. And don't even talk to me about Mr "Mind Freak" Chriss Angel. No thanks.

Now, these guys are fine for what they are. You can even like their style more than Copperfield. But please, don't try to convince anyone the Backstreet Boys are better than the Beatles. And don't try to convince magicians that Blaine and Angel could stand in the same room as Copperfield.

What makes Copperfield great:

1. He is an inventor. He is involved in the creation of most of his illusions on some level. It's the difference between someone who sings, and someone who writes their songs as well. The singer can be really good... but it helps to write.

2. Copperfield is the MASTER of showmanship. Every illusion he preforms is flawless and perfectly timed. Every move is thought out. Every light perfectly placed. Smoke doesn't drift without him knowing where every smoke particle goes. He knows exactly how the crowd will respond when. And trust me, as someone who does magic and speaks before people, etc, this takes a TON of work to pull off. Now, when people criticize Copperfield, it is because of this. But he leaves nothing to chance.

3. Copperfield has done more to promote magic than anyone else alive or dead. He ushered in a new era of magic. Although he was not the first to do a TV special, he certainly opened more doors and make it commercially successful.

4. Copperfield also does amazing closeup magic. He is known for his stage stuff, but he is certainly no slouch when it comes to doing the smaller stuff.

5. Project Magic is pretty cool.

So I'm limited in what I can show you... much of the stuff I really like is not on utube, but...

This first trick is called, Elevator or "Heaven on the 7th Floor" and it is one of my all-time favorite magic tricks. It is one of the best opening illusions you could ever want... a magicians dream. I love the music, the timing and the lighting. (I love how the light seems to push up the curtain at the beginning in an explosion of light.) It is, in my humble opinion, a perfectly executed illusion. (I saw this live and yes, it is just as good live.)

This is the same trick, done by Tobias and Jared.

This is another favorite called origami. I actually did this trick for a while. Copperfield makes it look so smooth.

blade This is just an incredibly unique trick. It is actually a really hard trick for the assistant, and she does it well. I love the way he rides the blade to the top of the illusion. And how the music fits the trick so well, especially when the box splits.

Laser is one of the most original effect in magic and one of the only tricks that involves a "new" principle for magic. It's weird, but I really like it.

Water is what makes Copperfield unique. Okay, it's a levitation. Everyone does this. But he turns it into a show. Fire, smoke, water and a really unique twist to the illusion (the woman wrapping around him) makes this "common" illusion, uncommon. For the record, what I don't like about Copperfield is how his illusions often have a sexual theme... and I think his assistants are always painted in a certain sexual light. Yea, that could be toned down. But I will say this... the assistant from origami has worked with David for 15 years and makes a ton of money. I think he treats his people well.

So this post was a bit off from the normal. Hope it was educational and fun for you.

Now, back to writing about our new theological statements. Now where is that KJV bible?

Guarding faith

"Really, a young Atheist cannot guard his faith too carefully. Dangers lie in wait for him on every side."

C.S. Lewis

No, no, no!

Okay, back to Central's new doctrinal statements. Sort of prompted by Tevor, I too went to the main church website for the author of our new doctrinal statements for Central.

And again, this can't be real. I mean really, can it?

I don't think this guy is sincere, I think he is dilusional. I mean, he is not mentally all there. "KJV, the words spoken by Jesus?" - WHAT?????

But I did find our new doctrinal statement about women. I'm sending this to our Administrative Board for approval next month. I'm sure it will get a warm reception. Let me see, who is on Ad Board? Talinn, Serena, Sandy, Becky....

[insert horse sound]

Still trying to figure out what he is going to do with that whip and bridle. (Proverbs 26:3 )

Moments like these...

You need moments like these to make it through parenting. This picture was taking in my childhood bedroom. It is really strange to see my three-year old-daughter sitting in the same bedroom I sat when I was three.

I have been up with her since at 4:30 am cleaning up vomit... the whole time she is crying how she doesn't want her daddy, she wants her mommy (who is also sick with a cold and I'm trying to serve her by letting her sleep. Also my wife doesn't like vomit all that much... not that any of us do, but I generally take this task from her.) When Laura came down, Lydia gave all her attention to her... I didn't exist anymore. So I put on the caretaker hat again and went to made breakfast for my wife... did some cleaning, etc.

This is my day off.

Now, it's tempting to turn this into an illustration of our relationship with God... as I have learned a lot about God wanting a relationship with us through being a parent. But here are my more raw feelings...

Lydia is definitely a mommy's girl... and where someday that might change, it is really hard now. I work really hard to be a good dad. I try to spend a lot of time with her. I do a lot of stuff for her and with her. So it's hard when she rejects me. Yes, I know she is only three and doesn't know any better, but it's still hard.

I think the deeper issue here is that I sometimes feel I'm at the bottom of everyone's priority list. (And for the record, this sounds a lot more pathetic than it really is, as I guess that most everyone feels this way at times. But this IS my blog -- kind of an journal for me -- so I tend to be more raw and in the moment). But my job requires me to give, and to serve, and to listen...etc... my role as a husband and dad the same. As a dad, I often feel that I give a lot more than I get back at this stage... which honestly was not how I imagined it would be. (My wife certainly does not feel this way. She gets a lot positive strokes from being a parent. Lots of "I love yous," cute moments, and stuff like that. Parenting is very fulfilling to her at this time.)

And, for as much as we both know it's not the way it's supposed to be, the reality is that my wife's primary attention goes to Lydia as well at this stage of Lydia's life. I often feel that Lydia is a priority over me. We both "know" this is not the way it should be... especially long term... but it makes sense: Lydia is 3 -- and if she needs something, she needs someone to get it for her. I guess I can take care of myself. But this really makes me face my self-centeredness.

Here is the point: When I was single, I always imagined that marriage was primarily about companionship. That if I was married, I would never feel alone again and I would have that "special someone" who always put me first. To a MUCH lesser degree, I felt this way about becoming a parent as well (although I was much less naive about this one). I figured that being a dad would mean someone who would always think I was the greatest (at least until she became a teenager!).

And in a perfect world without sin, that may be the case. But in THIS world, marriage and parenting become tools that God uses to make us holy. To teach us patience. (And yes, even to show us His love and grace at times.) So the primary outcome is not that I get attention from Lydia... or even Laura... the primary outcome is that God uses marriage and parenting to refine me. And the companionship piece... or the warm fuzzies... is secondary. A nice bonus if it happens.

______

I have been working on these thoughts off and on throughout the day. This evening, I was sitting on my couch (actually writing this post) and Lydia walked over to me, gave me this very cute "can I climb into your lap" look, and climbed into my lap. She snuggled into me... let out a sigh and gave me a little kiss. I almost hit the delete button on this post, but these feelings are still real and they are still there and they are still a part of who I am at this stage of my life. But a glimpse of grace is always nice.

I love my job but...

A 17 hour workday is a bit excessive.

Starting the clock at 6pm Saturday night, I've worked 70+ hours this week.

Which is not bad... except that this is only Thursday (oops...it's Friday).

And I took the entire day Tuesday off.

And I have a full schedule all day tomorrow from 7:30 until 6 pm.

And all day Saturday from 10:30 until 8 pm.

And then there is Sunday morning.

But Sunday afternoon... you will not find me.

Until Tuesday.

TGIM

In honor of our Revelation series... the Number of the Beast

We all know that 666 is the Number of the Beast. But did you know:

· $665.95......................Retail price of the Beast
· $699.25......................Price of the Beast plus 5% sales tax
· $769.95......................Price of the Beast with all accessories and replacement soul
· $656.66......................Walmart price of the Beast
· $646.66......................Next week's Walmart price of the Beast
· 00666.........................Zip code of the Beast
· 1-666 .........................Area code of the Beast
· 1-900-666-0666 ............ Live Beasts! Call Now! Only $6.66/minute.
· 670............................Approximate number of the Beast
· DCLXVI.....................Roman numeral of the Beast
· 666.0000.....................Number of the High Precision Beast
· 0.666 .........................Number of the Millibeast
· / 666 ..........................Beast Common Denominator
· 666 ^ (-1).....................Imaginary number of the Beast
· 1010011010..................Binary of the Beast
· Phillips 666..................Gasoline of the Beast
· $6.66 9/10....................Price of a Beast gasoline
· Route 666....................Way of the Beast
· 666 F.........................Oven temperature for roast Beast
· 666k..........................Retirement plan of the Beast
· 6.66%........................5 year CD rate at First Beast National Bank, $666 minimum deposit.
· i66686........................CPU of the Beast
· 666i .......................... BMW of the Beast
· DSM-666.....................Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the Beast
· 668............................Next-door neighbor of the Beast
· 666 mg........................Recommended Minimum Daily Requirement of Beast
· Lotus 6-6-6...................Spreadsheet of the Beast
· Word 6.66....................Word Processor of the Beast
· 6 h. 66 min....................Beast Standard Time (BST)
· Boeng 666....................."A jet for the Beast Age"
· Beverly Hills 66666..........Beast's favorite TV show
· 6/6/66..........................The birthdate of the Beast
· 666-66-6666..................The Social Security number of the Beast
· 6666............................The PIN of the Beast
· 25.806975.....................The square root of the Beast
· Motel 666......................Beast Western
· Windows 96 ver.666.........OS of the Beast

New Doctrinal Statement for Central

To heck with the Apolstles Creed! Down with vision statments! I have discovered the PERFECT doctrinal statment for Central!

"As you can see, we are truly as King James Only as one can be!"

Oh my. But it gets better! Other quotes:

"I don't believe nor will I preach supporting the Great Commission."

...

"We don't preach Jesus' teachings unless they are through Paul."

...

"As an added bonus, please note that I am a former music teacher and have written and preached many sermons on the crumbling of music in our churches today. We sing the old hymns - we will sing no modern wishy washy cartoon oriented fableistic spiritual songs and will sing a few Psalms properly, as we learn of them.

In fact, I doubt you can talk me into having your family sing or have you or your wife sing or play any specials. I would be glad to tell all the particulars to that statement when you are here, but suffice it to say, if you are bringing along a music ministry with you, you probably won't be able to present it here - ESPECIALLY if you are from the South, North, East or Western part of this country. It seems that God's praises are being polluted in all parts of our country today."

...

"We love guns - we use guns - we shoot guns - we carry guns - the pulpit has a loaded one all ready for post-911 use. If that bothers you, get one and try it - you may like it. We even have a few "Preach-n-Shoots" throughout the year - you are welcome to inquire about them. A full day of preaching, shooting, eating and fellowship - can it get any better than that? Well, yes it can, but for now, this works for us!"

...

Okay, this HAS to be a joke, right?

New Strategy for Sermon Prep

Thanks mdog.

A hermeneutical problem

The prayer a mother will never forget (as told by the mom): 

"This particular Sunday the minister began, 'Dear Lord,' with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. 'Without you, we are but dust.'

He would have continued but at that very moment my very obedient daughter (who was listening!) leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little girl voice, 'Mom, what is butt dust?'"

Strippers, Jesus and the city of Athens

VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS POST, LIKE ANY OTHER POST ON THIS BLOG, DO NOT, IN ANY WAY, REPRESENT ANY OFFICIAL POSITION OF THE ORGANIZATION OF WHICH I AM A PART. [Also, please note I'm writing this referring to women stripping for men. I fully realize that men also strip and that woman have a reaction to stripping that may be the same or different than a man's reaction. Also, I fully realize that I'm only one man, and therefore do not speak for all males.]

So, it might not be news to any of you, but there is a strip club petitioning to come to Athens. The plan is to move into the old, "New-To-You" building on Stimpson, across from China Fortune. I'm sure Sandy is overwhelmed with joy. (That was sarcasm if you couldn't tell.)

Now, for those of you who know me well, you know I'm not into the, "I'm against this!" brand of Christianity. I think protesting against stuff is easy and shows little creativity. It also doesn't seem to be the primary MO of Jesus. But I have already gotten several phone calls, letters and requests to picket the city building and write letters to important people... bla, bla, bla. And I'm not sure of my reaction to all of that at this point... and some of it may even hold value in this case.

But, just so you know... just to make it clear: I'm against a strip club in Athens.

Totally.

I'm not against it JUST because I'm a pastor, or even because I'm a Christian (although my faith certainly informs my values). I'm against it because I'm human. And I'm a part of the human family. And there is something about objectifying people that makes people (in my opinion) less than fully human.

So, seeing I haven't written a blog post in a while, it's time to let it fly. Here are some of the many reasons I don't think a strip club should move to Athens (or anywhere else for that matter).

1. I don't buy the idea that stripping is somehow "empowering to women."

Okay, so I've heard that line all my adult life... and I just don't buy it, sorry. I don't buy it because I'm a guy, and I know how guys think. I don't buy it because it runs against what history has shown us. I don't buy it because it runs against what I believe it means for us to be made in the image of God. And whether or not a woman or man is a believer, I believe we are all made in God's image... even if we don't acknowledge it.

2. I believe stripping (or pornography) causes a person to compartmentalize another person.

The objectified person is not seen as a whole person. No one, while looking at a stripper, is asking themselves, "Gosh, I wonder what her hopes and dreams are for the future and how can I help her become all that God intends?"

3. I don't buy the "you can't legislate morality" line.

Sorry if this offends you... I'm sure this will offend some... but I think that is stupid, bumper-sticker-logic. (So please don't use that line around me if you are tying to persuade me, as honestly, I will most likely just write you off as someone who doesn't think all that deeply.) Every law is, by definition, a legislation of morality. That's what laws are. Laws say what we will, and will not accept as a community.

Now, I believe it IS true that laws don't change the heart. So, a quick exception to the above "write you off rule" -- if that is what you mean when you use that phrase, than great! Laws don't (necessarily/automatically/always) change people's heart. It may even be true that laws can't change or deter behavior (the anti-capital punishment argument). 

But laws DO say what behavior we accept and reject as a society... and that if you are doing that behavior, we find it "unacceptable" (and in that way, "immoral.") They legislate what we see as moral, almost by definition.

4. I don't think strip clubs help make a community the kind of community in which I want to live. Having a daughter, I think about this a lot more than I used to, but I have always found myself asking, "Does a strip club help in the formation of community? When men leave a strip club, do they leave wanting to enter into a fully-orbed relationship with the women around them? Do they really now see them as equal community members? Really?"

5. Honestly (and this is a lame reason) but a strip club just does not seem very "Athens-like." Yes, I know we have college students, but really...come on! Is this what we want? When you think "Athens," do you really think "Ah yes... strip club?" (Well, people often think, "Halloween party!" so maybe.)

POLITICAL ALERT (and I can't believe I'm going to say this on a public forum): For the record, I'm very disappointed at Paul Wiehl's reaction (or non reaction) to this petition. I like Paul. I like him a lot as a person as well. I would go so far as to say I respect him. As our new mayor, I honestly just expected more. At this point, I think he is being spineless and is not acting like the leader I was hoping he would be for Athens. I'm just very disappointed.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS CONTAIN THOUGHTS THAT MAY SURPRISE SOME OF YOU THAT A PASTOR MIGHT ACTUALLY THINK. YOU ARE WARNED. IF YOU WANT TO HOLD TO THE UNREALISTIC IDEAL THAT PASTORS ARE PERFECT, PLEASE STOP READING!

Okay, you've been warned.

Really, it's not too late to turn back!

Okay, too late.

I like naked women. I think (in part) because God wired me that way (and granted, in part, because that wiring has been corrupted by the fall.) I think female bodies are beautiful. And, like most guys (and I know you women don't believe this, but it's true), despite what Hollywood is telling you, I think most men have a very wide range of what we find attractive. Have ANY of those women take off their clothes and dance in front of us... and we will want to look.

Sorry if that disappoints you all. I'm being honest.

I say that because I don't write this post looking down on men who want to go to strip clubs. I certainly don't see them as "evil perverts" (a phrase from a letter I have read). As men, we want to look at naked women. Even if we don't, we want to.

But here are the other truths: truths I have found much more compelling:

I have found that whenever I allow myself to objectify a women, I make her into something less than I TRUELY BELIEVE she is in God's eyes. AND, I make her into something less than I truly want her to be in my eyes as well.

I struggled with porn a lot in college. (Okay, there wasn't much of a struggle!) I found that when I looked at women after looking at porn, I saw something less. There is no other way to say it. It took me many years to break free from that bondage. But now, I think I see more in women than I used to see. Sure, I still notice beauty. Sure, I still can notice that a woman is physically attractive... but it is no longer consuming or the first thing I notice. And women are now more to me. They are co-image bearers of the image of God.

As a dad, I want to live in a community that looks at women the way I want men looking at my daughter when she is older. 

Most of all, as a husband and dad, I want to love my wife the way Christ loved the Church. I want to "give myself up for her." Part of that "self" I need to give up is the broken, sinful part of me that keeps me from being the kind of man I want to be... that I'm created to be. I want my wife to be the sole receiver of those "looks" (and believe me, she gets a lot of them!). I want to guard my heart and offer her, and only her, that part of me that God created as good... but the enemy wants to exploit and tell us is bad. That part that God created for her and me, but the enemy wants to exploit and say that it is for anyone and everyone.

I think a strip club will make us less human. Less real. Less alive. I think there is a better life available.

12 Days of Christmas

I'm not sure most people know this, but the Christmas season actually doesn't start in October as the retailers tell us. Christmas starts on... ah... Christmas. Then there are 12 days of celebration and gift giving that lead to Epiphany. Hence, the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas."

So... a bit more Christmas cheer while all my neighbors all put their Christmas decorations back in the box until next October.

We will be leaving ours up for a while. Merry Christmas!

Thanks to MJ

Happy New Year!

I have a wonderful wife, great daughter; I pastor the best church in the world. I have some great friends... many whom actually read this blog. I consider myself blessed. Happy New Year.

For mdog

Well, I have been laxed in my posting lately... and I should post something profound as it is New Years Eve day. But at this point I have nothing profound to say. I'm storing up all my profundity and one day... it will all ooze out.

I have been spending time with my parents... I feel time is short. I'm not sure if they are coming back next year... they might stay in Florida. So time is precious. But I wanted to post something...seeing I'm getting near death threats from the meanie mdog. :)

Hopefully more later... if not... happy new year.

A bit too late

I really could have used this BEFORE I left for Honduras. Oh well, at least I will be prepared for next year.

Wow....how... ah...

Relevant?

I wish I could say otherwise, but this one is real. Central could never be so cool.

Back to Ohio

Was it really just two days ago I was in Honduras? Was it really this week that we were building a cafeteria for the children in Neuva Esparanza? Was it really this week that I spent a week without a cell phone, watch, computer, commitments other than loving and serving. I'm having a harder time reflecting on this experience this year for some reason. It could be because it was harder in some ways than last year. But it could be that I enjoyed it so much more than last year. In many ways Honduras felt like home.

I guess it is impossible to put into words all the feelings have or things we experienced. I'm not sure I'm even willing to try. But the posts will unfold as I work through all that I have to process. So I will blog for me... when I'm ready.

Until then... please feel free to go to my Flickr and see the images that might help capture a few thousand words. If you are really into it, you can go to the MDL Flickr I set up and look at hundreds of them as I post them over the coming weeks.

Some things, people and experiences change you forever.

iPhone jerk

Well, this is an appropriate post to make before I leave to fly to Honduras. I hope you all have a good week, and if you think about it, pray for our team as we spend the week at Montana De Luz.
.
The story is a "Squawk" from the tracking web site, Flight Aware. Many thanks to Tyler, who was watching his wife fly to her destination during my sermon on Sunday, and subsequently pointed me to this site.

And now... for you iPhone users...how NOT to use your iPhone.

One of our subscribers sent me this story today. We all knew this one was inevitable when the latest iPhone commercial rolled out -- now didn't we?

"Oh joy! I can't wait for the next ground delay or long taxi due to weather somewhere to get a smart ass with a freakin I-phone shoving it in my face saying "It's NOT raining there... SEE !" Too late ... already happened to me. We push back, get advised of a ground stop in MEM due to storms in the area. Go to the penalty box and wait. My Captain does the lecture over the PA... not one minute later, we get dinged from the F/A "Some guy with an IPhone says the weather is good, and wants to know what the real reason is for the delay. Is something wrong with the plane?"

I want to tell this clown what he can do with his IdiotPhone - but the Captain does it even better. He gets on the PA and makes the following announcement :

"If the passenger with the IPhone would be kind enough to use it to check the weather at our alternate, calculate our fuel burn due to being rerouted around the storms, call the dispatcher to arrange our release, and then make a phone call to the nearest Air Traffic Control center to arrange our timely departure amongst the other aircraft carrying passengers with IPhones, then we will be more than happy to depart. Please ring your call button to advise the Flight Attendant and your fellow passengers when you deem it ready and responsible for this multi-million dollar aircraft and its passengers to safely leave."

Needless to say, the pax was pretty embarrassed. The F/A later told us the rest of the plane was outright laughing at this dude. What a clown."

Technology...

You just got to love it.

glumbert - The Most Perfect Technical Glitch

Dustin and Jennifer

Thursday I did a photo shoot of Dustin and Jennifer. Honestly, I was disappointed because it was raining. I had all these ideas for a fall/outdoor shoot. I even scouted some locations. Wrote some ideas down in a notebook.

Rain and cold.

And the light was terrible.

So we spent the majority of the time on the couch.

Which brings me to a question: You photographers out there... how do you choose your best shots? I am going to post more on my Flickr than most people would post... pretty much a series of shots I took. I like them for different reasons. I guess if I were a pro, I would given them all of them as proofs and let them pick, but as I look at the shots, I like them for different reasons: light, composition, expression. So I plan ask you to vote. Also, I don't process my pictures much... so any ideas on exposure, cropping, etc, fire away.

Sorry to be so photography oriented lately... I just find it relaxing. And I'm really at a point right now where I need a hobby. :)

If you are interested in this kind of stuff, surf on over to my Flickr account and tell me what you think.

Car Phone Salesman

America's Got Talent. American Idol. Yea, does anyone else find Simon annoying? But it is always surprising to me the people who come on these shows and actually think they have an ounce of talent. I mean, how deceived can you be? They are giving away a million dollars! Come on!

Then you have Simon who gets to tell them they suck (and you are actually on his side for once). And you know it's coming. You know when you see them walk on the stage that this is really going to be bad. And you can see it in the faces of the judges. I mean, you don't want to judge someone before they even sing...but really...

Meet Paul Potts.

Paul Potts sells car phones and has a life dream of singing... wait for it... opera.

Help for parents

Oh my.

Just some rocks

My daughter has been having a difficult time adjusting to pre-school. For the most part, she does well with adults, but she just doesn't relate to kids. She doesn't like new places or new situations. And it's really hard, as a parent, to see her struggling with adjustment... and at age 3. Funny, a friend and I were talking about this a while back, but there is a lot of subtle pressure on parents for their kids to be "normal" (whatever that means). "Well, my child walked at [age]... well my chid can write her name... well my child knows the Periodic Table of Elements..." There is a line in "Beauty and the Beast" where Bell's father says, "What, my daughter, odd?" None of us want our kids to be "not normal" -- and there is always this pressure to compare.

Last week, I went to pick up my daughter at pre-school. All the kids were out playing on the playground. They were sliding down the slide. Playing tag. Laughing together.

My daughter was off by herself.

She was alone; laying on the ground, examining some rocks very closely. She looked so lonely... but more likely, she was just "lost in her own world" of concentration. But the scene seemed pitiful to me. I almost cried.

"What, my daughter? Odd?"

She saw me, ran to me and said, "I want to go home, Daddy!" So I picked her up and we went home.

Later, we were sitting around the table, talking about her day. "So, what did you do you do today, Lydia? [response] Why didn't you want to play with the other kids? [I don't know] Why were you laying there alone?" And she reached into her pocket, and pulled out these rocks. She said, "I was picking out these rocks for you, daddy, because I love you. Here you go."

So they are just some rocks. But they remind me of this amazing gift of a very thoughtful child. My daughter. No, she is not "normal." But I am not sure what normal is... and I love who she is and who she is becoming.

I can't believe...

I can't believe I'm about to post an email forward. Now nobody get any ideas. I generally hate it when people forward stuff to me. I use email largely for work and I don't need any cute stories... especially if they end with "Forward this to 10 of your best friends." And the truth is... these didn't come from email, but they sound like they should.
________________________________________

I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.

Garden Rule: When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.

Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?

How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?

Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here and drink whatever comes out?"

Who was the first person to say, "See that chicken there? I'm gonna eat the next thing that comes outta its rear end."

If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?

Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?

The Laura S shoot, the sequel

Well, Laura was a real sport, I needed the practice, and I actually had an hour of time free...so I grabbed my camera, ignored the rotten light and we made the best of it.

I am learning more how to tell people to move... and although I gave one direction pretty poorly (which caused lots of laughter and will remain between Laura and me) I think I did better this time. I came up with some new ideas, tried some new things, and am feeling more comfortable giving direction.

And Laura did a fantastic job.

Maybe it will just take me shooting tons of pictures and working with lots of people.

Again, if you don't mind, surf on over to my Flickr account and tell me what you think.

The Laura S shoot

Surf on over to my Flickr account and tell me what you think. I'm still really new at taking pictures of someone other than my daughter or wife. And to me, most of my pictures look the same... like I'm shooting senior pictures! My goal over the next couple of months is to get more creative with posing people... to bring out more personality.

Now for something different

I've been a fan of Julian Beever since 1999. I saw one of his chalk drawing in Chicago a number of years ago... and it is really stunning. His work has been the subject of email spam for a couple of years, but to see it live is something you will never forget.

He uses a technique called anamorphosis - which is a way to do perspective art so that something "abnormal" looks "normal" when viewed in a strange or different angle. Done well, anamorphosis can create the illusion of three dimensions. I actually studied this process taking some art classes and as a magician... it's actually used a LOT in magic (but don't tell anyone!).

So... I think Julian's work is a feast for the eyes. I have included some pictures here, but for more of his work, you can surf the web and find a bunch of stuff.

The "gospel"

"I guarantee there isn't a homeless person in Portland who couldn't tell you the gospel verbatim. They've had to listen to it three times a day to get a sandwich. They've heard about Christ, but they haven't seen Christ. Who will sit next to them while they panhandle, who will enter their world? I've had friends doing that for 15 years. That is seeing the gospel."

-Rick McKinley pastor of the Imago Dei Community in Portland, Oregon.
Taken from "Dei Laborers" in the Fall 2007 issue of Leadership journal.

You've heard of road rage?

Now... it's water rage.

Sometimes you really have to wonder about people.

______________________________________

Man faces court over water-rage attack

1:24pm: Grandfather dies after being punched and kicked for watering his lawn.

Ken Proctor, 66, was watering his front lawn on Formosa Street in Sylvania, about 5.30pm yesterday when another man, 36, who was walking past the house, allegedly challenged him about water restrictions. The two argued and Mr Proctor turned the hose on the other man, wetting him,
police said. The 36-year-old allegedly attacked Mr Proctor, punching him, pushing him to
the ground and then kicking him.

Mission and Masturbation

How's THAT for a blog title! (I've been gone way too long!)

So I don't always agree with John Piper (sorry Jeff), but I really like this quote from Christianity Today:

"So many young people are being lost to the cause of Christ's mission because they are not taught how to deal with the guilt of sexual failure. The problem is not just how not to fail. The problem is how to deal with failure so that it doesn't sweep away your whole life into wasted mediocrity with no impact for Christ. The great tragedy is not masturbation or fornication or pornography. The tragedy is that Satan uses guilt from these failures to strip you of every radical dream you ever had or might have. In their place, he gives you a happy, safe, secure, American life of superficial pleasures, until you die in your lakeside rocking chair."

Yea... what he said.

"The tragedy is that Satan uses guilt from these failures to strip you of every radical dream you ever had or might have."

I often wonder how many people are stripped "of every radical dream" they have because of past sin. I wonder how many people don't go into full-time ministry because they don't feel they are "good enough." And so, rather than fulfill their calling in full-time ministry, they become "successful" in some other field.

Now, to be clear -- all jobs are equal and all jobs can be ministry. A Christian accountant is no less holy than a Christian pastor. UNLESS, that accountant is called to be a pastor and didn't respond.

So... as a pastor, let me ask you... if you are reading this and you have sinned (which should cover just about everyone, right?); the question I have for you is how do you view that sin? Are you being beat down by it? Is it keeping you from "every radical dream you ever had or might have?"

The gospel is not about sin avoidance. Yep, it's good to avoid sin. But the gospel is this great news that a new way of living is available. A radical dream. And we should willingly, excitedly, arrange our lives in such a way as to live in that God dream.

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.

Create a Caption

Yea, I'm a bum

Yea, I know I haven't been posting much. I will try and work on that. But I have been reading all of YOUR posts! (For you bloggers out there).

Nothing right now, but if you don't mind... surf over here. Read and comment. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Prayer

This is from a seminary professor of mine:

A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island.

The two survivors, not knowing what else to do,agree that they had no other recourse but to pray to God. However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.

The first thing the first man prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit.

The other man's parcel of land remained barren.

After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land.

On the other side of the island,there was nothing.

Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The next day, like magic,all of these were given to him.

However,the second man still had nothing.


Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that his wife and he could leave the island.In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island.

The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings,since none of his prayers had been answered.

As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from Heaven booming,

"Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"

"My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them," the first man answered. "His prayers were all unanswered, and so he does not deserve anything."

"You are mistaken!" the voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings."

"Tell me," the first man asked the voice, "what did he pray for that I should owe him anything?"

"He prayed that all your prayers be answered."

-----------

For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone, but those of another praying for us.

I'm so sorry.

No really, I'm so sorry for sending you to this link. I really am. It's in bad taste. In fact, you really don't need to click here. Because if you do click here, you will be really sorry. I'm warning you. Don't click here. Jeff D. gave me this link if that helps you not to choose it. But really, don't click here.

You did it, didn't you?

Time

Tomorrow, my daughter goes to her first day of pre-school. My wife and I were just talking about how it just doesn't seem like it has been three years. Time is flying by so quickly. It's funny, as you are going through life, sometimes days seem to stretch on... time can feel like an eternity. But it really is just a blink. A dot on a page. Often we don't see this until hindsight; until it's too late.

I suspect, three years from now I will be typing on this keyboard, posting pictures saying, "I can't believe she is in Kindergarden. I can't believe she is already 6."

I wonder what my daughter will be like when she grows up? I wonder what our relationship will be like? I wonder if she will walk with God? I wonder if she will think of her childhood with the same warmth that her mom and I do?

I'm lucky to be her dad.

Tired

What sustained me...

From one of the books Mdog lent me to get me through the "post surgery days," I give you:

"Great Lies to tell Small Kids."

Rain is Jesus' wee-wee
Wine makes mommy clever
Milk feels pain
A slice of cheese will play a short film about cows if you insert it into a DVD
One in ten fish are afraid of water
Mugs are just cups who've been to the gym
If you try a vegetable, you might like it
It was grandpa who burned all your Barney videos, not us
Most birds wear parachutes in case they suddenly forget how to fly
You know the mug in the Kitchen? The one that says "World's Greatest Dad?" There are only 3 in existence. They are awarded just once every 100 years.

... a plot

...When I came to ask them I found they had really no proof of this unavoidable repetition in things except the fact that the things were repeated. Now, the mere repetition made the things to me rather more weird than more rational. It was as if, having seen a curiously shaped nose in the street and dismissed it as an accident, I had then seen six other noses of the same astonishing shape. I should have fancied for a moment that it must be some local secret society. So one elephant having a trunk was odd; but all elephants having trunks looked like a plot. I speak here only of an emotion, and of an emotion at once stubborn and subtle. But the repetition in Nature seemed sometimes to be an excited repetition, like that of an angry schoolmaster saying the same thing over and over again. The grass seemed signalling to me with all its fingers at once; the crowded stars seemed bent upon being understood. The sun would make me see him if he rose a thousand times. The recurrences of the universe rose to the maddening rhythm of an incantation, and I began to see an idea...

A man varies his movements because of some slight element of failure or fatigue. He gets into an omnibus because he is tired of walking; or he walks because he is tired of sitting still. But if his life and joy were so gigantic that he never tired of going to Islington, he might go to Islington as regularly as the Thames goes to Sheerness. The very speed and ecstasy of his life would have the stillness of death. The sun rises every morning. I do not rise every morning; but the variation is due not to my activity, but to my inaction. Now, to put the matter in a popular phrase, it might be true that the sun rises regularly because he never gets tired of rising. His routine might be due, not to a lifelessness, but to a rush of life.

The thing I mean can be seen, for instance, in children, when they find some game or joke that they specially enjoy. A child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony.

But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we. The repetition in Nature may not be a mere recurrence; it may be a theatrical ENCORE...

I had always vaguely felt facts to be miracles in the sense that they are wonderful: now I began to think them miracles in the stricter sense that they were WILFUL. I mean that they were, or might be, repeated exercises of some will. In short, I had always believed that the world involved magic: now I thought that perhaps it involved a magician. And this pointed a profound emotion always present and sub-conscious; that this world of ours has some purpose; and if there is a purpose,
there is a person. I had always felt life first as a story: and if there is a story there is a story-teller.

[Orthodoxy, GK Chesterton]

God gets sued

God, according to the Bible, is omnipresent. God is everywhere.

This means, according to State Senator from Nebraska, Ernie Chambers, God can be sued, since he resides in all the United States. Specifically, Senator Chambers is suing God for what the insurance companies usually call "acts of God"-- namely natural disasters, such as the tornadoes that recently struck Kansas and Nebraska.

Check out the story on msnbc.

Of course the Senator is going to have a difficult time getting God into court, one would think. Those of us over 30 all learned that this is a bad thing to do from the movie, "Oh God!" with George Burns. In fact, God will have a much easier time getting Senator Chambers into court, in due time.

But the story raises an important issue, which one of my seminary professors pointed out: "To what extent should God be blamed for what might be called random natural disasters? I am not talking about specifically targeted judgments like those depicted in Exodus or Revelation. I am simply talking about your average generic twister that causes mayhem for God's people and everyone else in its path. Think of hurricane Katrina and the mayhem on the Gulf coast, not just on sin city in New Orleans, but also on the First Baptist Church in Biloxi."

I met with a pastor friend of mine today... he son has Cerebral Palsy. Is this God's fault? Is it God's will?

Recently, John Piper had a post about the disastrous collapse of the bridge over the Mississippi in Minneapolis. His view was that, however random it might seem to us, this actually was the will of God...and, in essence, we should just suck it up. God is sovereign and he disposes things as he will, and according to his sovereign pre-ordained plan.

Is this really what we believe about God? Does God's sovereignty REALLY mean that God causes everything?

You are welcome to post your thoughts, or, for a slightly lighter view on this story, go here.

Trade in

Tonight I feel like a failure as a parent. As I write this, my daughter is eating...finally. But this was an evening of temper tantrums, screaming, whining... and that was just me. Then there was my daughter.

If you have never had kids you can't understand the frustration. I'm sorry. I used to hate when my friends would say that before I had kids... but it's just true. There are some things you can't appreciate until they happen to you. But the frustration of hearing your kid screaming... and you can't stop her... wow.

The problem is it is a mix of things. She is hungry (but won't eat). She is tired, but can't go to bed. She missed her mom... can't do anything about that. And probably a good deal of it is around my limited mobility... I can't direct her or play with her or even pick her up.

Yep, parenting is a joy, but it can be hard.

Brat

My wife is about to leave for a multi-day conference. I'm not very good at being alone, to be honest. We have been married 14 years and a still tear up when she leaves (I used to go into weeping spells, so tearing up is an improvement).

Her boss called her to tell her that the agenda was sparse tonight and she could come in the morning, rather than tonight. Which means she would have to leave at 6 am. But my wife is not a morning person (now THERE is an understatement). And I know it would be best for her to go tonight, even though MY preference would be for her to stay.

But I want her to stay so I decide to pull out the big guns.

I wake up my 3-year-old from her nap, and she and her daddy have a private meeting. The next thing you know she walks into our bedroom, walks over to mommy, wraps her little arms around her leg and softly says, "Mommy... stay?"

[Insert sound of my wife's heart breaking]

Now, if that were the end of the story, I would not be sleeping alone tonight, but unfortunately, there is more.

My wife says, "Aww, that is so cute." [at this point I still think I'm going to win]. Then she turns to my daughter and says, "Did daddy put you up to that?" and without missing a beat, my daughter smiles and says, "yea."

Brat.

Holy People

"The truly holy people I’ve met in my life are really interesting people. They’re a mix of the most incredible godliness and at the same time, the most unbelievable earthiness. I know a woman who curses like a sailor, but she’s the most holy woman I know. She is! I’m not kidding.

We’ve created this image of what holiness looks like that’s just nonsense. Good holy people probably drink too much some times, and have colorful language, and there’s plenty of room in the Bible to see people like that. We have to see life for what it is, entirely more complicated then simple. Spirituality is not simple; it’s complicated. It gets messy sometimes."

Mike Yaconelli - Founder of Youth Specialties.
July 24, 1942 - October 30, 2003

Profound

For one of the most profound things I have read all month, go read Kevin's September 13th reflection.

Shameless Begging

I'm going to be doing a message on forgiveness in a couple of weeks. I would like to include some real stories of people who have experienced forgiveness: either you forgave someone who offended you, or received forgiveness from someone you hurt.

Would you take a moment and share your story of being forgiven or forgiving someone?

These need to be kept to a paragraph or two. It would include some details of why you needed to forgive (or be forgiven), and a bit of the struggle to forgive. A key to them is to have the concept of "Before I forgave (or was forgiven I felt...)" and "After I forgave (or was forgiven I felt..." ) So, as an example... as a part of your story it may read something like:

"Before I forgave him, I carried around a lot of anger and resentment. It affected not only my marriage, but my relationship with others and, ultimately, my relationship with God. Now I feel the freedom to love again... not only him, but also God and my husband."

I would really appreciate your contribution. It may or may not be used.. but in any case, reading them will inform my thinking as I write. The key is that there is a time crunch of only a couple of days -- really the sooner the better. I need these by September 17 at the latest.

Feel free to reply anonymously.

Okay, time to post again

First, thanks for all of your comments. If I could just get you all to comment all the time, we would have quite a blog going here! But then again, I would feel pressure to say something interesting all the time. That's way too much pressure. But it is nice to know people keep in touch.

To the (at least) 8 readers I know who read this thing but STILL didn't post...

pfffftttttttttt

:O)




So, I have a couple of post stored up that I will unfold in the coming weeks. I enjoyed my sabbatical, but it's nice to be back.

Break

So I'm on a study break/sabbatical of sorts. It's impossible to do what I need to do as I can't leave the house... and it is way too noisy here to work. So I have no idea how this will work out. But I'm going to take some time away from the computer and email... and yes... even blogging and checking blogs. I say that, but I might use my blog to work on sermon stuff... as I have done in the past. But for now... I'm taking a bit of a break.

But you can offer me a sabbatical gift.

Okay?

I know a lot of people read this thing. Many of you email me. So, for my present, you can all post and just say "Hi, I actually read this once in a while."

Now, I know you won't. I have found that when I ask people to post, they never do... but I thought I would try this... I would love to know how many people read this thing.

So, stop by and just say hi.

And for you... just something to remember me by as I take a break. Enjoy.

Saint

Thomas Long defines a saint as follows: "Saints are figures out of the Christian past whose lives have been insufficiently researched."

The bill

I just got the bill for my knee surgery. Actually, it's not that bad, or at least as much as I thought it would be. The total was $19,455.30.

If you are interested, this includes several charges, including, but not limited to:

Operating Room Services = $12,315
Anesthesia = $1,454
Recovery Room = $4,743 (This seemed really high to me, but I slept through most of it.)
And $104 for "Physical therapy" -- a person who spent about 10 minutes teaching me to use crutches.

We will have a special offering Sunday. I expect all of you to "reach in them jeans and pull out them greens."

What do people do without insurance? A good blog post itself.

Life on the couch

As a part of my recovery from surgery, I can't use my quadriceps muscle in my right leg for 6 weeks. Basically, what that means is, if I want to move, someone must move me. This can be quite humbling and even a bit humiliating, as I am dependent on everyone.

In the midst of this, there is a certain amount of trust that must take place. For one: I have to trust that people won't drop my leg. But there is yet, even a deeper trust. People can wonder around my house and I can't see them. They can play with your stuff when you are not looking. You can't get to, or even keep an eye on your stuff... so you have to trust that your friends, for example, won't play with your camera.

Quote of the Week

"The modern, essentially atheistic mentality despises mystery and considers enchantment and befuddlement an affront to its democratic right to know--and then use--everything for purposes of individual fulfillment. This flattened mind loves lists, labels, solutions, sweeping propositions, and practical principles. The vast, cosmic claims of the gospel get reduced to an answer to a question that consumes contemporary North Americans, though it's hardly ever treated in Scripture: What's in it for me?"

-Will H. Willimon, bishop of the United Methodist Church, Birmingham (Alabama) Area.
Taken from "Power Pointless: The way we distill the gospel for presentation can take the life out of it" in the Summer 2007 issue of Leadership journal.

Celebrating what is right with the world

Although, it seems that they should have figured this out earlier.

Celebrating what is right with the world

Since I was about 5, my family has owned a cottage on a lake in Northern Ohio. It's not fancy, it's not big, but it is one of my favorite places in the world. I have so many memories of that place that I could write a hundred blog posts on just them alone. But I will spare you that!

This picture was taken just after sunrise on the morning of my injury, basically from my front porch. For a few more, see my flickr account.

Celebrating what is right with the world

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."