Worship 101

I constantly feel like the Sunday worship service is being turned into something it is not. People complaining about styles of music, songs, preacher, they didn't get anything out of it, etc. So, I wrote the following article for our newsletter. It probably won't help, but I needed to get it out of my system.

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When is the last time you walked out of a worship service critiquing some aspect (songs, sermon, communion time, etc.) or bemoaning the fact that you “got nothing out of it”? Or have you ever spoken to someone who didn’t see the need to go to church citing the superiority of their personal relationship with God over that of the body or questioning the spiritual state of the church, assuming that it was full of hypocrites? It seems that we all at some time or another lose sight of why we gather together as a corporate body. I know that I do when I get too caught up on flawless transitions and hitting every note correctly. So I came up with a few reminders that help keep our worship service in perspective.


It’s about the giving, not the receiving
All of us, at least once, have said to ourselves: “Worship is boring and long and irrelevant—what am I really getting out of it?” But that is the wrong question. A better one is: “What am I really adding to the service—am I helping others get something out of this?” We can reflect, meditate, pray, and even study the Bible alone. We can seek to be built up and encouraged by the body. But we can’t expect to only receive at the service. Simply, the church service is not about meeting personal needs, it’s about what we’re offering God and one another as a community of Christians.

God is the audience, not us
We call it a worship service, but a more accurate description for what most of us do today is something like a “spiritual show.” I think many people equate churchgoing with going to the movies. It’s a performance, and their role is to give it a thumbs-up or thumbs-down. We treat our worship service like our favorite TV program. As long as the show is entertaining and the characters and story capture us, we’ll stay tuned. But if it loses its edge, we’ll flip to another channel, another show, another church. In a consumeristic culture, we let us be reminded that God is the audience, not us. The choir, the minister, the instrumentalists, the servers, the audio/visual workers, and the people sitting in the pews are all part of the worship service, for which God is the point. When we become the audience we miss out on the purpose of gathering—to give God glory and praise.

Our commitments define us
Tony Campolo says we’re defined by our commitments. If we believe nothing and support nothing, we’re a part of...nothing. If we commit ourselves to the church, we define ourselves as part of the body of Christ. There, we can feel loved, supported, and part of something much bigger than ourselves. This mentality is far different from “putting in our time” or going to church because we are supposed to. Commit to the church and it will change from a burden to blessing.

We must learn to live with others’ differences and unify around our common commitments
The subtle and overlooked message of the “Wherever two or three of you are gathered...” passage is the directive to simply love one another through our differences by gathering. In this disconnected culture, most people have few opportunities to live and love with people who are radically different in age, interest, and perspective than them. Church offers them a chance to connect with others around a common set of desires and commitments. There is no doubt that this church contains people who have varying tastes in music style, song selection, etc. But why do we let such things cause a rift? If we are committed to building one another up in love and glorifying God why does it matter what songs we sing or what instruments we use?

We need others who can share our load
Central to the Christian life is “bearing one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2). If we are to grow into the image of God, we must move toward others whether they’re broken or blessed, through tears and through laughter. And we need others to help us lift our concerns to God. The last half of Hebrews 10:25 advises, “Let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” As we join together, committed to one another and to God, we will receive a blessing and an encouragement from the service.


May we be known not for the quality of singing or music, or for having a blending, traditional, or contemporary service, but for having a service of committed believers that are united in the singular goal of bringing glory to God.

So, I have been doing a lot of various things. Nothing major, but it has kept me busy. In addition, my laptop has been down, so I have not been able to multitask (i.e. watch Elijah and write blog posts). So, as you can see, my last entry has been a few weeks. But never fear - I wrote an article for the newsletter that I will post the next few days. Until then, reread something I wrote in 2004, quote it in the comments of this post, and mock it for its sophomoric viewpoint.

Acoustics—Day 4: The Cries of the Oppressed

Parents often become desensitized to the cries of their children. They are concerned but eventually know that things will work themselves out. So action is delayed, put off onto someone else, or frustration sets in. Yes cries can be tuned out somewhat easily. It is no different with the cries of the oppressed, the weak, the starving, and poor.

All is not well with the world as we would like to think on our best days. People are hungry, epidemic diseases are threatening entire generations in Africa, powerful people use cruel measures to meet their agendas and on and on we go. The troubles are not only a world away, but near to us. People are nowhere cared for as they should be.

Their cries have reached God and as the God of the widow and the orphan he is pained.
But it’s not the troubles that are so shocking. It’s the unconcern shown by those of us not affected. The cries of hurting people are rising to our ears, yet we are not hearing them. And we live on in oblivion. But these cries are God’s cries. It is God who is naked and hungry and diseased and alone. And only in our response of compassion and love can we offer God due reverence. The cries of injustice cannot be silenced save by Christians acting in God’s name to relieve their hurt and reform their oppressors.

It is our responsibility to care for our brothers and sisters. These cries will not work themselves out. It requires action. No amount of ignoring, putting it off onto someone else, or throwing up our hands in despair and frustration will help. And the impetus of our actions is not just to solve a problem, but to respond to the life of Jesus. As we seek to become more like Christ, to live like Christ, and to reflect Christ’s love for the world, only then can we begin to make a change.

“What ever you did for the least of these, you did for me.” –Jesus

Acoustics--Day 3: The Song of Creation (is a lament)

We live in the shadow of the Appalachian Mountains. It is a beautiful area of the country. Mountains. Trees. Blue skies. Creation is beautiful. God is good. And often we hear that God has created all of this for our enjoyment. But is that it? Is all of this just to make us happy? What is creation saying to us?

Scripture indicates that creation is more than just a passive pleasing sight for us to take in. The created order is actually making quite a bit of noise. Clapping, singing, shouting, praising and storytelling are just of few of the activities that the trees and forests and oceans are caught up in. And all of this activity has a greater purpose than just to please us. It all works together to bring glory to God. But there is a problem. The song of creation has changed over time. No longer is it this wonderful, beautiful song. The creation is crying out. Paul says in Romans that all of creation is groaning out in pain as if it were in childbirth. The song of creation is no longer a love song.

But the creation is not taking it lying down. The creation is lamenting. It is saying “God save me! I am not how I am supposed to be.” If you think Adam taking the fruit in the garden just affected our relationship with God, you have missed it. The creation feels the effect of the fall every bit as much as we do. It is suffering right along with us. It is wasting away right next to us. And it is seeking restoration as much as we are. It is crying out. Can you hear it?

Just as God heard the cry of the Israelites in their bondage in Egypt and acted, just as he heard the cry of his people in exile and restored them, just as he hears us crying out for forgiveness and brings his grace, God has heard the cry of creation and wants to see it restored. He’s reclaiming creation. He has entered into it and renewed his plans for the world. The day he sent Jesus into the world was the day restoration began—not just spiritual, but physical, complete, whole restoration.

Jesus is God’s way of refusing to give up on his dream for the world.
“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in [Jesus]. And through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” (col. 1:19-20)

In Jesus God is putting it all back together again.

The creation proclaims the glory of God. Yes, and we praise God for that. Creation also screams in pain as we abuse and rape it in our own selfishness. How can we praise God for creating the world all the while contribute to its destruction. How can we be attentive to the joyous sounds of nature without heading its agonizing cries? In short we cannot. Scripture testifies to God’s great power and beauty, but it also calls us to care for what God has made. Can you hear the song of creation? Can you respond to its lament?

Acoustics—Day 3: The Voice of Others

Consider your response when someone tells you they hear voices. Immediately we assum they are crazy, insane, ready for the nuthouse. It is just not a normal thing to hear voices. In fact, our society encourages isolationism—a removal of self from our surroundings. So even though voices ring out across the world, we only hear what we want to hear. After all, hearing voices makes one crazy.

And yet Christians are told to listen for God but few receive and audible voice. So how do you know when you have heard the word of the Lord? What does it sound like? How do you know for sure? Burning bushes are on short order. Angels aren’t delivering messages. Has the word of the Lord ceased?

And then there are those who think they have heard the word of the Lord. We all know that hearing without doing is worthless. So how do you know when the word of Lord has taken root in your soul? As we look around to those who have made great impact on our world they were listening and responding to the word of the Lord. Their lives reflected an inward appropriation of that word. They lived out what they heard. And we will know when we have heard the word of the Lord when we can’t help but live it out. When it is a fire in our bones. When our heart is united with the heart of God.

But that is just crazy talk. Voices? Words from heaven? Fit for crazy loin cloth garbed prophets. So what do we do with Jesus regularly ending his sermons with, “He who has ears, let him hear”? Jesus encourages listening and hearing voices, and perhaps that is what endeared him to people. He would take time to listen and understand people instead of dismissing and ignoring.

As persons made to live in relationship it is necessary that we listen to the stories of our friends. And as a people with a story to tell and an invitation to extend it is crucial that we pay attention to the stories of those we welcome. We might be surprised at what we hear. There are few challenges as great as maintaining godly interpersonal relationships, and yet it is through other people that God so often chooses to speak to us.

Can you hear the cries of those around you? It’s God speaking.

Acoustics—Day 2: The Clamor of Culture

We are bombarded by messages from our culture. The loudest reverberations in our lives come from the agents of popular culture. Granted many of the messages disseminated thereby are unwholesome and anti-Christian, but many are not. Most are promoting a lifestyle that you should engage in so that you are happy, fit in, and contribute to society. Companies tap into this ideology and sell products that ideally help you accomplish such a lifestyle. And most of us buy into it to some degree.

Sometimes unknowingly the agents of culture can be bearers of the Truth, for, as Arthur Holmes stated, “all truth is God’s truth.” Thus comes the regular debate of Christians: “What do we do with culture?” We can’t ignore it. We can’t just rebel against it. We can’t stop it by protesting. We shouldn’t buy into it. So what do we do?

As Christians we are responsible for sifting through the messages we hear and separating the light from the dark. Or as Paul writes in Thessalonians 5:21 “Test everything, hold onto the good.” Whenever and wherever we find truth, we must claim it; we must also respond appropriately to those messages we deem untrue.

The solution revolves around taking every thought captive and turning it over to God. We develop a filter that can see God’s truth in a variety of cultural places. Truth about God and our place in this world can be found if we just tune our ears to hear it. It may be unexpected. It will also probably not be in the trite Christianized versions of culture (I am talking to you Lifeway and Family Book stores). There is a lot of noise from our culture. It can be redeemed. It can be used to explain the gospel. Or it can be ignored and we can allow it to affect us unaware. What’s your filter like?

Acoustics--Day 1

Today begins camp and begins the task of both discerning and evaluating the influences in my life and the lives of the campers. The theme is “Acoustics.” There is plenty of noise floating through the air—TV, Radio, News, Music, etc. So do we as Christians have a filter for hearing properly what we hear, or do we take it in without another thought? And if all truth is God’s truthm then God’s word can be heard in many places. How are we hearing it? This is the question that will drive the week and challenge us to hear the important messages, discard the worthless ones, and then act accordingly.

An Update

Well, May is almost over, and I have to say, “Thank God!” IT has been a busy month--some expected—some not so much. Let’s run down the list, shall we:

Carrie finished her school year, and ideally two adults around the house full time would have made my load lighter. Instead, she is figuring out all sorts of new things for me to do.

The youth group summer is about to kick into gear, so I have feverishly been finishing up those details. Already we have made the big trip to Cedar point and back. And by the way, driving 9 hours only to find the Millennium Force broken down all day isn’t cool.

I officiated my first wedding this month. It went pretty well. But during the vows, I said to the woman: “Do you take this man to be your wife?” Stupid cut and paste. Everyone thought it would be fine since it gave them a memory. I was pissed at my stupidity.

I preached two holiday sermons—Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. I don’t particularly like “holiday sermons” since I feel tying stuff in seems forced or can become trite. But, that’s the way it goes.

I prepared and led to “praise services” that we call “Koinonia.” They are great times and I love doing them, but they are draining on me mentally and spiritually, which of course causes physical results.

I have been getting ready for the High school week of camp which will be next week (June 4-10). The theme is “Acoustics” and will tackle our ability and discernment when listening to different voices. My day will be Creation, and will focus on how our wastefulness, pollution, and general disregard for creation is causing it to lament.

Finally, I have been asked to teach 2 sections of OT Survey at Milligan College and 1 section at King College in the fall. I am excited about the opportunity, but those will be long Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

So, all this is to say, May has been skimpy on the posts. But hopefully you can give me some grace, and continue to support the blog. Maybe I will do a daily update from camp next week. They do have wireless.

In Other Words...Glory

“Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence.”
“When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai. When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever he entered the LORD’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out.”
--Exerpts from Exodus 33 and 34

Like many other words describing God, we throw this word “glory” around without really understanding what it means. We may have a general idea, but it is one of those words that is hard to define. This term “glory” often carries with it the idea of brightness and majesty. But the word for “glory” actually comes from the Hebrew word kavod which means “weighty” or “heavy.” You get the idea that God is full almost to the point of bursting. So what is God full of? I think God is full of awesomeness—another word that we have difficulty describing. We know what awesome is when we see it, but we can’t really define it. God is full of being awesome. I think God’s glory is awesomeness in action. When we see a sunrise or sunset, when we see the magnificence of God’s creation, when we see a baby born, when God helps us do something we never thought we could, and we respond with, “That was awesome” we have just seen God’s glory—God’s awesomeness in action.

The world is full of God’s glory. And we give Him glory by giving Him credit. In the theater, when something is important and deserving of your attention, what do they do? They shine a spotlight on it. There is this visual cue that says, you should focus on this actor, or this part of the stage. It is worthy of your attention. And many people like to be in the spotlight don’t they? People in Hollywood complain about the paparazzi, but they continue to put themselves in positions to be photographed and have stories written about them. They love being the topic of conversation and on everyone’s minds. And we give it to them. We give them the spotlight. We give them glory and praise for things they have done. But giving glory to these weak substitutes is idolatry. They aren’t worth it—only God is.

But before we are too hard on them, we should think about ourselves. Most of us have the intense desire to be recognized, seen, or complimented. We don’t necessarily want the full spotlight, but we want people to tell us verbally and through their actions that we are acceptable, that we are good, that we are pretty, that we are worthy. Here’s the problem—we seek validation from other people when we should be seeking it from God. We are seeking to glorify ourselves when we should be seeking to glorify God. Instead of turning the spotlight on ourselves, it is God who deserves and should receive the recognition.

Here’s what happens. We take God’s glory, that should be evident in our lives, and we put a veil over it, just like Moses. The veil was not a good thing. It showed that the people did not really want to experience God’s glory. Moses had come into contact with God of the universe, and they weren’t interested. And when we divert the glory of God onto something or someone else, we are veiling God’s glory. Paul talks about this in 2 Corinthians 3:13-15:

“We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when the Law of Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.”

It started with a physical veil—hiding the glory of God on Moses’ face. Then it turned into a spiritual one. Just as God’s glory was hidden from their eyes, then even when God’s Word was read He was hidden from their hearts. They couldn’t see him for who he was. And when Jesus came, they couldn’t see that the glory of God was being revealed in a man. But Paul goes on in verses 16-18.

"But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

We often become like the things to which we give glory. Think about it. You like a certain athlete, so you start wearing his/her jersey, liking his/her team, using the same equipment. When actors start doing something, a lot of people follow. Scientology and Cabalistic Judaism are big because stars in Hollywood have made them such. Certain singers dress and act a certain way, and so you do too. It doesn’t even have to be someone who is popular or well known. It could be a brother, sister, parent, or friend. The more you give glory to someone, the more you become like them. That is Paul’s point. If you are giving glory to God and focusing on Him, you will become more like him. You will be transformed into His likeness. That is what happened to Moses. He experienced God’s glory and he was physically changed. When we experience God’s glory, I don’t think we become shiny happy people, but we are changed on the inside and our actions changes as a result. We reflect God’s glory through the way we act. Jesus tells us to be the light of the world. Really, we are not a lighthouse, we are a mirror, reflecting God’s glory as it shines upon us. Giving God glory and experiencing God’s glory is not just about singing songs. It is about giving God credit for the things in this world, your talents, abilities, and blessings. God’s glory is all around us. Are we giving him the honor he deserves or are we stealing it, and shining the light onto ourselves or someone else?

Mother's Day Sermon Part 2

I want to look at each of those individually to teach us what it takes both to be a good mother and a faithful Christian.

First, a Spirit of Power. I don’t always think of mothers as powerful, but perhaps I underestimate them. They are a powerful influence on the lives of their kids. My mom has been here a few times and some of you have met her. I doubt any of you would term her powerful. She is of modest size, but I would put her in the category of powerful. She has strength that I wish I could emulate. When I was growing up, my mom would get up at the crack of dawn and go into work at 6:00 in the morning to do a job that she didn’t really enjoy, with people who were often lazy and lacksidasical, and then come home at 5:00, cook dinner, clean the house, take me to various practices, get back and work on some project from making clothes to crocheting, throw in some laundry, and then finally go to bed frustrated that she didn’t get more done. That is some strength, people. But it is not just physical strength and power, it is inner strength. My mom went through a lot. We moved quite a bit. There were some tough times as there always are in families. But she stayed strong. She had a faith that was bolstered on the promises of God so that she could live with the confidence that God was in control.

We all need such a faith. The weakest among us physically can be the strongest in the faith. God says it just takes faith as small as a mustard seed to move mountains. That’s power that comes from God.

The second characteristic is a Spirit of Love. My family is not a very affectionate family. You may have noticed that I am not all that huggy either. But all love is not touch. Love displays itself in a variety of ways, and though we weren’t a touchy feely family I always knew I was loved. My mom’s love reminds me of something I once read from John Killinger:
“I believe in the love of all mothers, and its importance in the lives of the children, they bear. It is stronger than steel, softer than down, and more resilient than a green sapling on the hillside. It closes wounds, melts disappointments, and enables the weakest child to stand tall and straight in the fields of adversity.”

That is the kind of love that kids need. And more and more children are growing up into adults still lacking such love. People will go to great lengths, seeking approval and love and they usually end up disappointed. Oh that we would all love one another as a good mother loves her children—mending wounds, encouraging through failure, standing by one another through our faults, forgiving when people offend us. It’s the kind of love that resembles Jesus, laying down our lives, pride, and selfishness for a friend—for a brother, sister, son or daughter in Christ.

The final characteristic is a Spirit of Self-discipline. And I have to say, fewer and fewer of us resemble this characteristic. We often need external motivation to get things done—a paycheck, a threat of punishment, a reward of some sort. Otherwise, we just don’t see the necessity of getting stuff done when it should be or how it should be. Or maybe we just give up. It’s like the mother of three notoriously unruly youngsters was asked whether or not she'd have children if she had it to do over again. "Yes," she replied. "But not the same ones." Sometimes, we just don’t feel like trying anymore.

I am not always self-disciplined, but my mom sure taught me that I should and could be. A lot of kids these days get rewarded for good grades. Say, $10 for an A, $5 for a B, and $1 for a C. That’s pretty good incentive to work hard. But I was expected to get straight A’s. That’s right, expected. There was no reward for getting an A, just punishment for anything less than that standard. This may seem harsh to some of you, but I learned a valuable lesson. Early on, maybe 5th grade, I got a C+. There were extenuating circumstances, as there always are, and when my mom berated me for this failure I replied to her, “But a C+ is average.” Do you know what she replied to me? “You are not average. You are not living up to your ability.” That stuck with me. She was right. God has blessed me with an acute mind, and not excelling in the academic realm was a direct result of a lack of self-discipline.

Spiritually, our world lacks self-discipline. We don’t resist sin like we should. We don’t cultivate our relationship with God like we should. We don’t glorify Him like we should. Plenty of excuses could be made, but it all comes back to us not living up to our ability. God has put a Spirit within us to do awesome things for His kingdom. The only thing that holds us back is us. God has not made us average. He has made us special. May we all live up to our potential.

A lot of things make a good mom—love, kindness, gentleness, patience. But the most important is a faithful witness. The same is not just for moms, but for all of us. As Christians we have a responsibility and a privilege to be a spark in people’s lives and to help fan into flame their faith. The challenge is there not just for moms, but for all of us to be what Eunice and Paul were to Timothy.

Mother's Day Sermon Part 1

Mothers do so much for us. And they are indeed deserving of recognition. But perhaps the most important responsibility of a mother is not just to change diapers or clean up messes, but to provide a spark that encourages and fosters faith in children. In the passage for today from 2 Timothy, Paul implores Timothy to “fan into flame the gift of God.” He wants to see Timothy on fire for Christ, sharing the gospel and glorifying God wherever he goes. But in order to do so, he must first fan that flame. The Greek here means literally to “rekindle.” We get the picture of embers or even the very beginning of a fire in its earliest stages. But we all know that a fire can’t start without a spark. And that spark often times is a faithful, loving mother. It definitely was in Timothy’s case. Look at 2 Timothy 1:5
“I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”

The faith of Timothy’s mother and grandmother were passed down to him. Paul says it lived in them and now lives in him. A little background on Timothy’s mother can be found in Acts 16:1:
“Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek.”

Timothy’s mother, Eunice, was a Jew who had converted and accepted Christ. But her life was not perfect. First, as a Jew, she probably would have been ostracized for marrying a Greek. Such a thing was forbidden. Then, she believed, but her husband apparently did not. We can only imagine the difficulty this caused her. He probably would not have supported her in her spiritual growth. Her life was not enviable. Ignored by her own people, possibly ridiculed and demoralized by her husband, yet her faith lived on and she passed it down to her son. Bruce talked last week about the role of a godly wife bringing salvation to the unbelieving family. Perhaps Eunice did just that. Obviously she did to Timothy. Her sincere faith lived on in her son. It’s a compelling story and a model for many to follow.

Her example and teaching produced Timothy, Paul’s right hand man; an integral part of many churches and in the spreading of the gospel. No matter how difficult her life may have been, her legacy was invaluable. As Abraham Lincoln says, “No man is poor who has had a godly mother.”

Paul goes on in verse 7 to describe just what sort of faith it was that was passed down by Eunice:
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

Paul talks of the same spirit that should be present in the lives of all believers. This spirit is not timid. The word translated here as “timid” is often used in battle contexts to mean “cowardice.” In other words, Christians are not cowards. We do not turn tail and run. We are not afraid of conflict because we have a spirit within us that empowers us to boldly live out our faith. And just what is this faith that Eunice clearly portrayed, sparked and passed down to Timothy, and that Paul encouraged Timothy to rekindle? This faith contains a Spirit of power, love, self-discipline.

I'm a Van Guy

Carrie and I finally did it. We joined the ranks of the millions of others in middle class America and got a mini-van. I suppose 2 parents, 2 kids, a 125 pound dog, and parents hundreds of miles away made us great candidates. So, we got a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan, 34,000 miles, stow and go seating. We are all pretty happy with the purchase, especially Shadow. He can actually stretch out now. The pics are below.

Gas

So gas prices are over $3/gallon in most places. Most people just want to talk about how atrocious thus situation is and how something needs to be done soon or we won’t be able to gas up our boats, SUVs, 4-wheelers, and NASCARs. And do you know what I say? GOOD! I am one of the few people who am somewhat pleased about this turn of events. No, I don’t like paying out the crack for gas. But I also don’t like state of the environment which is quickly deteriorating thanks to our exhaust and wastefulness. Hopefully, now that people are being hit where it hurts (their bank accounts), they will stand up and demand that the government does something.

The technology exists for cheaper, more efficient fuels and engines.
The technology exists to reduce emissions and exhaust.

And though I am not a conspiracy theorist, it seems very apparent that the government is delaying such technologies from becoming more prevalent because they have vested interests elsewhere. The environment and fuel technologies will be the big issues in the next election. And I hope that people don’t vote based just on the candidate whom they think will make life cheaper for them. I hope they consider what is best for our world.

I don’t know how soon the effects of global warming will really affect our world (as if hurricanes, mudslides, droughts, and flooding aren’t enough). But hopefully we can stop and even reverse possible consequences of our pollution and wastefulness. I am preaching this summer at camp about the creation groaning and the Christian’s responsibility in caring for the rest of God’s creation. There is so much I want to say, but at the same time I don’t want it to turn into a tree hugging ultra liberal rant. So, any suggestions or resources are welcome.

Enacting Change the "24" Way

I have just begun watching 24 this season. Though entertaining, highly interesting, and action packed, I've noticed an ethical and moral problem. Jack regularly puts people in situations that makes them choose the lesser of 2 evils, and if they don't choose the lesser one, they are going to destroy the world. Then there are other times when he switches reverses morality. The right choice becomes wrong, and vice versa.

For example, last night he expected the pilot of a plane to let him out of captivity so that he could save the world. When the pilot refused, Jack took control of some wires and attempted to try to bring down the plane to force the pilot's hand. The pilot said something to the effect of, "Stop that or you will kill us all." Jack replied with his pet saying, "With all due respect, if these people die it will be on your head." What? Did I miss something? Jack is trying to bring down the plane. Jack is forcing the Pilot to do something that is unacceptable by FAA standards, and it is the pilot's fault? What a manipulator. I know he has the save the world. I know he is doing what he thinks is best for the country. But his methods are devious.

I have regularly engaged some on the GLCC Forum about this issue--is something always a sin. An oft-used example is a man stealing bread for his starving family. I sort of waffle back and forth. In a perfect, non-fallen world, such situations would not come about. But that is not the case. There are poor people who should be taken care of but or not. On the other hand, don't such actions just perpetuate sin? And when I see a real example of this ideology in Jack Bauer's actions, I want no part of it, because those he is trying to stop are using the same logic. Both think they are doing what is best for the country. What about the individual they force into a moral dilemma? What about those they force into a life and death decision? Is that better?

But of course we do live in a fallen world that we are desperately seeking to restore. And I wonder if our little attempts to do what is right are enough? Is the Jack Bauer way the only way to enact real change? Or is being salt and light enough?

In Other Words...Gathering

There are clubs, organizations, societies, and groups of all kinds in the world. Some meet once a year, once a month, once a week, or even every day. There is a group called the Red Hat Society. Their motto reads like this: “The Red Hat Society is a social organization where there is fun after fifty (and before) for women of all walks of life.” Basically they all wear these gaudy red hats and go do fun stuff. Carrie and I went to the Barter Theater last year, and they were there with their purple dresses and big red hats. They just get together to have fun because they share a common trait—they are old and bored.

Like I said, there are groups of all kinds that meet together. And so is the church. We are a gathering. We are like-minded people. But here’s the question that I don’t think we always answer well:
Why do we gather together at church? What purpose does it serve?
Is it because we are bored? Is it because that is all we know?
A few answers spring to mind:
Obligation—God commands it, so we obey. But that doesn’t really answer the “what purpose” question.
Fellowship—we like one another and like to have fun with one another and help each other grow. But that doesn’t really answer the “why” question.
Worship and Proclamation—we give God praise and worship because he deserves it. Granted, but couldn’t we just do that at home?

This leads me to a final possibility—Preparation
The retelling and remembering of who God was and what he had done functioned as the means of transformation more than reminding. When we sing praises we say, “This is who God is, and this is who God wants us to be.” These dramatic encounters with God enhanced their memory and transformed their hearts and lives to be the kind of people God wants them to be. Practice generates reality.

The reason why the temple was so important to the Israelites was not because they thought God existed only there. But they knew that the temple gathering was a special experience that could transform them to be the kind of people God wanted them to be.

What happens next? What is the point of all of this? Other groups just gather to waste time, some to further their agenda, still others to accomplish some goal. So what happens when our meetings are over?
There is something about gathering that brings us into the presence and awareness of God. We celebrate together what God has done in all of us. And something amazing happens—we leave transformed into the temple. As the body of Christ we want to function in a similar way. We are now mobile tabernacles. We become the temple.

Now the temple, the place where people encounter the presence of God is within us. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 states, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.”

There is no separation of church stuff and regular stuff. This goes back to the discussion of holy and sacramental living. If we are a traveling, mobile temple, we have some responsibilities don’t we? As the temple of God, we invite people into our lives. We invite them into our gathering.

We see a problem when the gathering becomes an end in and of itself rather than the proclamation that stems from the gathering. We turn into just another club or society and not a group of people that has had their lives changed and wants to see the world changed. We don’t gather just to hang out. We don’t gather just to meet some time quota. We don’t gather just to listen to and sing some music.

We gather to be changed so that we can change the world. Wherever we go, people should see the presence of God in our lives. If we, the body of Christ are the new temple, we should give people the opportunity to see God’s faithfulness and praise him as a result.

In Other Words...Journey

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Life is a journey.” Or “Life is a marathon, not a sprint.” The metaphor of journey fills the Bible. Words like enduring, traveling, and racing all talk about some trip that ends with a destination. Even salvation and faith seem to be part of such a trip, not just a one-time occurrence. And to be honest, I think that many Christians have a skewed idea of what this journey will be like. Many churches paint a picture that the destination is like Cancun, and the trip is a wonderful experience. But let’s be honest—the Christian life is nothing like that. God’s salvation does not guarantee life without hardships.

Take the Israelite’s experience as an example. Here they had the promise of a land flowing with milk and honey, but their journey wasn’t all that wonderful. In fact, at the first sign of opposition some wanted to return to Egypt. Did you catch that? They felt that their life of slavery was better then where they were and where they were going. It is because they did not realize a very important fact—the world outside of slavery is also a world with dangers and struggles. And in the face of such difficulties, how did the people respond? They doubted God’s faithfulness and provision. Even with the Promised Land looming in the distance, they wanted to go back to slavery. Eventually they made the Golden Calf in hopes of getting somewhere. But none of these things helped the journey. They failed the test. Eventually, that generation was forced to wander around in the desert for 40 years because of their lack of faith.

Then there was Jesus. His journey was never fun and promising. His destination was the cross. How many of us would intentionally plan on making a trip so that we would die? None of us. Yet Jesus did. On the way, he too faced some tests and trials. There are many comparisons between what Jesus went through and what the Israelites faced. And there are huge differences. Jesus did not falter. He did not fail the test. Despite the difficult circumstances, Jesus remained faithful. Hardship is a given. Our journeys are not going be like a wild and crazy road trip to a Spring Break destination. They are not always going to be fun. It may or may not have a purpose. Faithfulness is the key – both having faith and being faithful.

With all that in mind, where are we going? What is my purpose? I am sure that many of you would respond, “Heaven. Heaven is our destination.” We are traveling to heaven, and we hope to get there with as little pain and suffering as possible. Can I let you in on something? I disagree with sentiment.

This whole “In other words” series has focused on God bringing peace to this earth. Maybe you’ve missed all of that, but all of the things I have been talking about is God’s way of bringing about that Shalom, that peace, that existed in the beginning. Many Christians think that this will only happen when Jesus comes back. I disagree. Jesus talked about how to live so that we could experience peace on earth. He didn’t say, just bide your time until I come back. He said go into all the world, love one another, be perfect and complete. In fact, when Revelation talks about heaven, it talks about heaven coming to earth.

The end is not heaven it is heaven on earth.
The Promised Land is not a street of gold, but the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
The route is not just squeaking by and biding our time, but practicing the Sermon on the Mount.
The reward is not gold or jewels in our crown, but Shalom—peace.

The destination characterizes the journey and dictates actions and attitude. Where you think you are going makes you act and live a certain way. The Israelites thought they were going to this great place, and as a result they couldn’t understand why they had to suffer or sacrifice on the way. If we view heaven as an eternal party, this will characterize our life now. We will live one way now so we can live differently in heaven. So we give up as little as possible so that we can still reap the reward in heaven. We often separate our life here and heaven there. In reality, we should live now as we will live in heaven. Heaven is not the “end” of the journey. It is not retirement. It is the fulfillment of our life on this earth. When Jesus prays, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” he is saying, may this world, this earth be just like it is in heaven. Everything glorifying God. People loving one another. No selfishness. No worrying only about ourselves. But perfect love and peace.

When we don’t live like heaven on earth is the destination, it is not a journey—it is wandering. We become like the Israelites who never really get there and struggle every step of the way.

So we have to wonder: “Are we journeying (living “as it is in heaven”) or wandering (living just to get into heaven)? The destination dictates the journey.

The Storm of God

We’ve had quite a few big storms as of late, complete with strong winds, thunder, lighting, and heavy rain. I personally love storms. Every aspect of them. After all, it is a complete package. Often times people like rain for the refreshment it brings, but don’t like the depressing gray clouds. Others like the beauty of the lightning, but the scary thunder and inherent danger of electrocution. Still other like the sun after the rain, but don’t particularly care for the howling winds that blow the clouds away. But we can’t pick and choose the parts of a storm that we want. They are what they are. It is the natural cycle for them to occur.

And as I lay in bed listening to the pounding rain, seeing the flashes of lightning, and hearing the thunder in the distance it occurred to me that many approach God similarly. We will take the love and mercy but could do without the wrath, judgment, and holiness. But God is a package deal. You can’t have the love with out the discipline. You can’t have the grace without the holiness.

And I don’t always know how to reconcile the paradox that is God, but I have come to understand that I can’t pick and choose what seems best to me. The passages of the Bible I would like to explain away still reside to paint a full picture of God. I think such writings exist because God wanted them to exist—in tension, forcing us to wrestle with them. Forcing us to accept Him not piecemeal, but as an entity that we can’t easily explain or easily acknowledge as the God of the Universe. Forcing us to have faith that the God we believe in, the God we serve, and the God whom we can’t explain entirely has necessary qualities that we must accept as part of the experience of who God is.

House of Selfishness

I am a big “House” fan. The main character (Dr. House played by Hugh Laurie) is a sarcastic, manipulative, egomaniacal jerk who shows glimpses of compassion and kindness when no one is looking. I suppose he reminds me of myself sometimes. This past week’s episode, “Sleeping Dogs Lie,” relay delved into the issue of bio-ethics, which is an increasingly more difficult field to traverse. Consider, what is appropriate to tell or not tell a patient or that patient’s loved ones? What should a doctor explain to the patient or should s/he simply perform procedures since most laypeople won’t understand anyway, and we just have to hope the doctor has our best interest in mind? Such issues are intricate and the gray area abounds.

Back to this past week’s episode. They needed a liver, and a woman’s life partner was perfect. But, the doctors found out some information – the sick girl intended to leave her. In other words, she was just going to use her for her liver. So the question was raised, should we inform the partner before she donates part of her liver? What is our responsibility to her? What is our confidentiality responsibility to the sick girl? House decided not to tell, because it was best for the patient. He is as Machiavellian as they come. For him, the ends do justify the means, and he will stop at nothing to cure his patients. On the one hand, his concern for the patient is laudable. On the other hand, curing the patient at the cost of hurting others just so he can be successful is condemnable. Over and over house struggles with his “inner demons” that make him the most lovable and hateable character on the show. He regularly butts heads on ethical decisions with Cameron. She portrays a real sympathy for the patients and acts as a balance to House’s apathy.

In all that there is a great exchange between the two that clearly contrasts a Kingdom mindset over a worldly one:

House: “You continue to be flabbergasted every time someone actually acts like a human being. Foreman did what he did because it works out best for him. That’s what everyone does.”
Cameron: “That is not the definition of being human. That’s the definition of being an ass.”

Selfishness is the anti-thesis of the human experience for which God created us. And until we all get that, our lives on this world will never enjoy the full life that Jesus promised.

A Lesson from a Mower

I decided to buy a mower this year. I have been using hand-me-down mowers since I left home, and I am tired of it. It usually takes me an hour to get the stupid thing started, then something breaks partway through and I have to deal with fixing it. I just want a mower that starts when I pull the cord. Period. So, I decided to bite the bullet and purchase my first mower. I had in mind just going to Wal-mart, getting some cheap mower for about $125, and going on my way. But then I read this article.

Basically the article is an excerpt from a book called The Man Who Said No To Wal-mart describing the unwillingness of Snapper (the lawnmower manufacturer) to “sell out” to Wal-Mart. Often selling out means diminishing quality in order to produce more quantity. They take pride in their product and would rather a customer keep a quality mower for 15 years rather than be forced to buy a new, shoddy mower every couple of years. Yes, you will have to pay a little more – the bottom model starts at $299 – but you are paying extra for longevity and the reputation of a company that refuses to sell a product that does not meet their high standards.

It really struck me that we have such a disposable society. We buy crappy products for cheap, and we expect too much from them. When a $100 mower breaks down after one year, why should we be upset? As the adage goes, “You get what you pay for.” But our culture has become so commercialized and shaped by an ebay mentality (get what you want for whatever price you want) that the thought of spending hundreds of dollars on a product when a much cheaper knock of exists would be ludicrous. And we get mad thinking that someone would expect us to pay for quality. As a result, we have all this crap that people buy, and many companies that have the quality product are going out of business because few have the foresight to see that paying extra will benefit in the long run.

My dad has a mower that he purchased at Sears – 36 years ago!! And he still uses it each weekend to cut his lawn. When I used it as a teenager I thought it was so lame. It wasn’t self-propelled. It didn’t include mulching capabilities. It had a choke!! But that old gray mower did the job and still does today. They just don’t make them like they used to. They make them with cheaper materials and build from a mentality of engineered obsolescence.

So what to do? Boycott Wal-mart? I haven’t gone that far but I have seriously reconsidered how I approach purchasing “big” items (mowers, cars, electronics, etc.). And, I am yet to fully institute such an ideology. I did not buy a Snapper for $300. I bought a Bolens 21" Cut Mulching and Rear Bag Push Mower with a 4.5 HP Briggs and & Stratton Engine from Lowe’s for $169. Hopefully it will last more than 3 years. I am hoping it will last until Elijah can learn to mow.

Victory in Jesus

Yesterday was of course Easter and ended the season of Lent. I gave up pop, soda, and coke (depending upon what part of the country you reside) as well as online poker. I really wanted to give up most online activities, but I am getting free high-speed internet service, so I decided to wait until that ran out. I learned a few things from the experience.

First, I was addicted to sugary sweet carbonated beverages. I loved drinking Strawberry Fanta for breakfast, Mountain Dew for lunch, and IBC Cream Soda with dinner. And for the first few weeks it was tough to refrain. There was still pop in the house, and not just the nasty diet stuff that Carrie drinks. There was a 12 pack of Strawberry Fanta sitting in the cupboard. I was tempted regularly to have one. And even though technically, Sundays are not included in the fast (they serve as a day of celebration), I decided to resist and be committed to a strict fast.

Secondly, as it went along, a strange thing started to happen—I began to stink. Literally, I had BO for no apparent reason. I wasn’t sweating. I was maintaining good hygiene. But I stunk. I suppose it was all the impurities oozing out of me. It taught me a spiritual lesson as well. Ridding ourselves of sin and addictions take a while and we though we may be pure in God’s eyes, we still deal with the consequences of our actions.

Finally, I need to give up more trivial activities. Instead of playing poker, my time was better used. Perhaps when my free internet runs out I will do just that. But don’t worry, I will still post here, because it makes me continue to think and process things. Yes, my one faithful reader will be pleased.