I will always remember the first time I noticed the comma in the old Christmas carol God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen. For years I had pondered the question "who were these gentlemen, and why were they so merry?" Perhaps what they needed rest from was all that merriment.
Then, a few years ago, someone burst my bubble of ignorance, and pointed out that this was a blessing...very much like "God be with you." I don't know about you, but this time of year I could use some rest. Especially the kind of rest that only comes from God.
Ruth Bell Graham captured this desire beautifully in a short poem she penned many years ago. This poem has become my prayer for the season (and the rest of the year as well), and I think you might find yourself offering up the same prayer. She wrote;
God rest you merry, gentlemen...
and in these pressured days
I, too, would seek to be so blessed
by Him, who still conveys
His merriment, along with rest.
So I would beg, on tired knees,
God rest me merry, please...
May you have a merry, and restful Christmas.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
The Hope of Elizabeth Edwards
Over the last few days I have found myself strangely drawn to the life of Elizabeth Edwards. News of her death from breast cancer this past week at first became buried in the madness of the season. But a quote from Edwards' Facebook page caught my attention. Just days before her death, she wrote "The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. We know that. And yes, there are certainly times when we aren't able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like. It's called being human. But I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious. And for that I am grateful."
Knowing her story well enough to know the many challenges Elizabeth Edwards faced, I started reading the various articles and watching the video clips on her life. I guess what I was searching for was a definition of that "hope" that she spoke about so often. In fact, just after the announcement that her cancer treatment was no longer effective, and her liver was now fully involved, Edwards wrote again of that sustaining hope. "You all know that I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces -- my family, my friends, and a faith in the power of resilience and hope."
And yet, in all that I read concerning a rather impressive life, that hope that carried Edwards through cancer, the death of her son, a presidential campaign and a brutal public divorce...that hope is never defined as anything more than an almost desperate belief that things are going to get better. And I'm afraid I want more than that in my own life.
The apostle Peter tells us in 1 Peter 3:15 to "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." My prayer is that, in an exhaustive review of my life after my passing, the source of the hope that has carried me through trial and crisis will be evident. I don't want people to see a hope that is somehow contingent on my ability to muddle through, but rather, to have them see the "living hope" that Peter wrote of in 1 Peter 1:3.
Elizabeth Edwards led an exemplary life, and I am better for having taken the time to examine that life in more detail than just a Register Guard article on her passing. "In her life, Elizabeth Edwards knew tragedy and pain," President Barack Obama said in a statement. "Many others would have turned inward; many others in the face of such adversity would have given up. But through all that she endured, Elizabeth revealed a kind of fortitude and grace that will long remain a source of inspiration."
Knowing her story well enough to know the many challenges Elizabeth Edwards faced, I started reading the various articles and watching the video clips on her life. I guess what I was searching for was a definition of that "hope" that she spoke about so often. In fact, just after the announcement that her cancer treatment was no longer effective, and her liver was now fully involved, Edwards wrote again of that sustaining hope. "You all know that I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces -- my family, my friends, and a faith in the power of resilience and hope."
And yet, in all that I read concerning a rather impressive life, that hope that carried Edwards through cancer, the death of her son, a presidential campaign and a brutal public divorce...that hope is never defined as anything more than an almost desperate belief that things are going to get better. And I'm afraid I want more than that in my own life.
The apostle Peter tells us in 1 Peter 3:15 to "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." My prayer is that, in an exhaustive review of my life after my passing, the source of the hope that has carried me through trial and crisis will be evident. I don't want people to see a hope that is somehow contingent on my ability to muddle through, but rather, to have them see the "living hope" that Peter wrote of in 1 Peter 1:3.
Elizabeth Edwards led an exemplary life, and I am better for having taken the time to examine that life in more detail than just a Register Guard article on her passing. "In her life, Elizabeth Edwards knew tragedy and pain," President Barack Obama said in a statement. "Many others would have turned inward; many others in the face of such adversity would have given up. But through all that she endured, Elizabeth revealed a kind of fortitude and grace that will long remain a source of inspiration."
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Don't Feed the Trolls at FOX News
In the wonderful world of the internet, a Troll is someone who intentionally interrupts an online conversation with a post so controversial that others feel compelled to respond. The atheist comment posted to a Christian blog. The inappropriate racist photo posted on a chan site. The political comment posted just about anywhere. Online hell breaks out, and the Troll sits back and enjoys the mayhem he or she has initiated.
The current flap over President Obama's inclusion of Sitting Bull in his new book proves once again that FOX News is a Troll in the world of journalism. Make the on-air statement that is so absurd that people have to take the bait, and sit back and enjoy the ratings.
"Of Thee I Sing, A Letter to My Daughters" is the title in question. President Obama praises a number of famous Americans, including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller, Georgia O'Keeffe, Billie Holiday and Albert Einstein. But when he includes Lakota Chief Sitting Bull, FOX headlines read "Obama Praises Indian Chief Who Killed U.S. General." And in hot response, the salivating Obama-haters come out from under their respective rocks to accuse the President of delivering his "newest attack on America."
First, this statement overlooks the facts that not only was Sitting Bull too old to participate in the battle at the Little Big Horn (Crazy Horse lead the warriors), had Custer survived, he most certainly would have been court marshaled for disobeying a direct order not to engage the tribes camped in the Greasy Grass Valley.
Second, it implies that Sitting Bull was not an American. That is like saying the Robert E. Lee was not an American because he fought against General Grant.
And finally, if we are looking for faults in this list of famous Americans, we don't have to look far. Billie Holiday was a heroin addict who died as a result of her addiction. And why do so many of Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings look like female genitalia?
So the Trolls at FOX strike again. And we (this writer included) take the bait. And the Trolls feed and grow. Yes, the extreme viewpoints must be called out and debated. Otherwise too many gullible people will believe nonsense. But there are times when we should just call it for what it really is. A Troll looking to use the bait of the absurd to lure unsuspecting victims into an unnecessary dialogue.
The Trolls are fat enough already. Let's just walk away.
The current flap over President Obama's inclusion of Sitting Bull in his new book proves once again that FOX News is a Troll in the world of journalism. Make the on-air statement that is so absurd that people have to take the bait, and sit back and enjoy the ratings.
"Of Thee I Sing, A Letter to My Daughters" is the title in question. President Obama praises a number of famous Americans, including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller, Georgia O'Keeffe, Billie Holiday and Albert Einstein. But when he includes Lakota Chief Sitting Bull, FOX headlines read "Obama Praises Indian Chief Who Killed U.S. General." And in hot response, the salivating Obama-haters come out from under their respective rocks to accuse the President of delivering his "newest attack on America."
First, this statement overlooks the facts that not only was Sitting Bull too old to participate in the battle at the Little Big Horn (Crazy Horse lead the warriors), had Custer survived, he most certainly would have been court marshaled for disobeying a direct order not to engage the tribes camped in the Greasy Grass Valley.
Second, it implies that Sitting Bull was not an American. That is like saying the Robert E. Lee was not an American because he fought against General Grant.
And finally, if we are looking for faults in this list of famous Americans, we don't have to look far. Billie Holiday was a heroin addict who died as a result of her addiction. And why do so many of Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings look like female genitalia?
So the Trolls at FOX strike again. And we (this writer included) take the bait. And the Trolls feed and grow. Yes, the extreme viewpoints must be called out and debated. Otherwise too many gullible people will believe nonsense. But there are times when we should just call it for what it really is. A Troll looking to use the bait of the absurd to lure unsuspecting victims into an unnecessary dialogue.
The Trolls are fat enough already. Let's just walk away.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
When All Else Fails, Try Persecution
I own dozens of books that claim the secret to growing the Church in America. Looking up at my bookshelf and reading the first seven titles my eyes fall on, all we need for growth is to become the emergent, transformational, contagious, purpose-driven, upside down, simple, comeback church (I'm not making this up...those were part of the titles of seven books, in order). Its working great so far, isn't it?
Perhaps our brothers and sisters in Christ living in the Sudan have found a church-growth scheme that actually works. It's called "persecution."
The civil war that raged throughout the Sudan from 1983 to 2005 left over two million dead, entire villages destroyed, hundreds of thousands of refugees, and established a brutal Shar'ia-based government. Tens of thousands were executed or sold into slavery simply because of their Christian faith. And yet, despite the fact that Western missionaries were expelled from the Sudan in 1964, the country has emerged to boast a church twice the size of the Episcopal Church in the United States. (and that doesn't include the millions of Catholics living in the Sudan).
Earlier this week, President Barack Obama announced that the United States would renew economic sanctions against Sudan for another year. Our decision, in part, is the result of Sudan's continued support for Islamist terrorists. It may also reflect the genocide in Darfur. The conflict between the Muslim north and the Christian south will certainly continue. And the Sudanese government will still ignore its own slave trade.
But the growth of the Christian community in the Sudan rivals anything we see in the world today. Just as persecution of the early Church fanned the flames of growth and expansion, so have the incredible hardships and dangers imposed upon all who profess Jesus as Lord in the Sudan. On January 9, 2011 the country will vote on a referendum that could grant freedom to Southern Sudan.
As we pray this weekend for the persecuted Church, we should all lift up the upcoming election in Sudan. Let us pray for the freedom of those who have endured so much for their faith. The words of a Sudanese praise chorus go like this:
For I'm building a people of power
and I'm making a people of praise,
That will move through Sudan by my Spirit,
and will glorify my precious name.
While our own recent election was little more than clueless people voicing a rage that they are not able to define, the January election in Sudan could profoundly change the lives of millions of believers. If only we could be so blessed.
Perhaps our brothers and sisters in Christ living in the Sudan have found a church-growth scheme that actually works. It's called "persecution."
The civil war that raged throughout the Sudan from 1983 to 2005 left over two million dead, entire villages destroyed, hundreds of thousands of refugees, and established a brutal Shar'ia-based government. Tens of thousands were executed or sold into slavery simply because of their Christian faith. And yet, despite the fact that Western missionaries were expelled from the Sudan in 1964, the country has emerged to boast a church twice the size of the Episcopal Church in the United States. (and that doesn't include the millions of Catholics living in the Sudan).
Earlier this week, President Barack Obama announced that the United States would renew economic sanctions against Sudan for another year. Our decision, in part, is the result of Sudan's continued support for Islamist terrorists. It may also reflect the genocide in Darfur. The conflict between the Muslim north and the Christian south will certainly continue. And the Sudanese government will still ignore its own slave trade.
But the growth of the Christian community in the Sudan rivals anything we see in the world today. Just as persecution of the early Church fanned the flames of growth and expansion, so have the incredible hardships and dangers imposed upon all who profess Jesus as Lord in the Sudan. On January 9, 2011 the country will vote on a referendum that could grant freedom to Southern Sudan.
As we pray this weekend for the persecuted Church, we should all lift up the upcoming election in Sudan. Let us pray for the freedom of those who have endured so much for their faith. The words of a Sudanese praise chorus go like this:
For I'm building a people of power
and I'm making a people of praise,
That will move through Sudan by my Spirit,
and will glorify my precious name.
While our own recent election was little more than clueless people voicing a rage that they are not able to define, the January election in Sudan could profoundly change the lives of millions of believers. If only we could be so blessed.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Not My God!
The Supreme Court began listening today to testimony in the case between Albert Snyder and the fun-loving folk as Westboro Baptist Church. The case itself could make one vomit, but what outrages me even more than the trial is the fact that only 2 people (out of the seven I've spoken to) have ever heard of the Westboro Baptist Church. And while I'll be the first to admit that ignorance is often bliss, it is also often dangerous.
If you are asking the question "Westboro who?" I'll assume you still have a rotary phone, no cable or internet, and you avoid reading newspapers. Westboro Baptist Church is lead by the Rev. Fred Phlelps, and consists mostly of his extended (and thoroughly brainwashed) family. The good Rev. Fred routinely straps "God Hates Fags" signs on his eight and nine-year-old grand children and places them on street corners. Even worse, he and his merry band of misfit in-laws routinely show up at soldier's funerals with signs that say things like "Thank God for Dead Soldiers", "God Hates the United States", "Thank God for IEDs", and "Fags Killed Your Son."
After disrupting the funeral of Albert Snyder's son, who died in battle, Mr. Snyder filed a ten million dollar lawsuit, which was reduced by a judge to five million, and later overturned by a district court. The matter is now in the hands of the Supreme Court. The question is, does the freedom of speech cover harassment at funerals? It's a good question. Did Albert Snyder's son die defending the right for hate-mongers like Rev. Fred and his brood to spew their venom at his funeral?
What bothers me, however, is not seeing the Westboro gang standing on a street corner with signs telling us all the people God hates and is killing. What bothers me is the fact that there are never other Christians standing on the same corner telling the world just how far Fred's head is up his own backside. Where are the Christians shouting "This is not my God!"? Why haven't the American Baptist and the Southern Baptist Conference risen up and declared that this micro-cult does not represent ANY Baptist denomination other than their own.
In a perfect world you would not be able to even see Westboro's wretched signs, because for every one of them there would be fifty Christians with signs declaring the love of God. John tells us that God is, by very definition, the personification of Love (1 John chapter 4), and in the Gospel of John (3:16) we are told that God loved the world (which includes soldiers and fags) so much that He gave His only Son to die for the world.
This is the God I know. It is NOT the god Westboro puts on their signs. And I do believe they are listening to a god, but it is not the God of the Bible. So if the Westboro clan ever find reason to show in the Northwest, I'm going to do what I believe every other Christian should do. I'm going to tell people about the God of mercy, grace and love. I'll be the one with the "God Loves Fags" sign.
If you are asking the question "Westboro who?" I'll assume you still have a rotary phone, no cable or internet, and you avoid reading newspapers. Westboro Baptist Church is lead by the Rev. Fred Phlelps, and consists mostly of his extended (and thoroughly brainwashed) family. The good Rev. Fred routinely straps "God Hates Fags" signs on his eight and nine-year-old grand children and places them on street corners. Even worse, he and his merry band of misfit in-laws routinely show up at soldier's funerals with signs that say things like "Thank God for Dead Soldiers", "God Hates the United States", "Thank God for IEDs", and "Fags Killed Your Son."
After disrupting the funeral of Albert Snyder's son, who died in battle, Mr. Snyder filed a ten million dollar lawsuit, which was reduced by a judge to five million, and later overturned by a district court. The matter is now in the hands of the Supreme Court. The question is, does the freedom of speech cover harassment at funerals? It's a good question. Did Albert Snyder's son die defending the right for hate-mongers like Rev. Fred and his brood to spew their venom at his funeral?
What bothers me, however, is not seeing the Westboro gang standing on a street corner with signs telling us all the people God hates and is killing. What bothers me is the fact that there are never other Christians standing on the same corner telling the world just how far Fred's head is up his own backside. Where are the Christians shouting "This is not my God!"? Why haven't the American Baptist and the Southern Baptist Conference risen up and declared that this micro-cult does not represent ANY Baptist denomination other than their own.
In a perfect world you would not be able to even see Westboro's wretched signs, because for every one of them there would be fifty Christians with signs declaring the love of God. John tells us that God is, by very definition, the personification of Love (1 John chapter 4), and in the Gospel of John (3:16) we are told that God loved the world (which includes soldiers and fags) so much that He gave His only Son to die for the world.
This is the God I know. It is NOT the god Westboro puts on their signs. And I do believe they are listening to a god, but it is not the God of the Bible. So if the Westboro clan ever find reason to show in the Northwest, I'm going to do what I believe every other Christian should do. I'm going to tell people about the God of mercy, grace and love. I'll be the one with the "God Loves Fags" sign.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
The Appearance of Evil?
OK, so Calvin College cancels a concert by a group called The New Pornographers, solely on the merits of the group's name. Christian college..."pornographers"...what's the question here? We're not talking music, we're talking appearance. It shouldn't matter that The New Pornographers perform fluffy indie rock. It shouldn't matter that their name came from a cheesy Japanese film. The name "appears" to support something that Calvin College does not, and should not support.
So why are 90% of the comments on the internet trashing Calvin College for being a bunch of narrow-minded, judgmental bigots?
1 Thessalonians 5:22 warns us to "abstain from all appearance of evil." That doesn't seem like bad advice for a Christian college. I may have "Zoot Suit" by The Cherry Poppin' Daddies on my mp3 player, but I'm far more likely to book the Brian Setzer Orchestra for a Christian event than I would be the Daddies. Am I judging their music? No. I'm judging their choice of names.
Perhaps Calvin College should book the Nazi Kitten Killers. I hear their music is great. And after all, who cares about appearance?
So why are 90% of the comments on the internet trashing Calvin College for being a bunch of narrow-minded, judgmental bigots?
1 Thessalonians 5:22 warns us to "abstain from all appearance of evil." That doesn't seem like bad advice for a Christian college. I may have "Zoot Suit" by The Cherry Poppin' Daddies on my mp3 player, but I'm far more likely to book the Brian Setzer Orchestra for a Christian event than I would be the Daddies. Am I judging their music? No. I'm judging their choice of names.
Perhaps Calvin College should book the Nazi Kitten Killers. I hear their music is great. And after all, who cares about appearance?
Friday, September 3, 2010
Atheist, and Other Religious Fanatics
So I'm sitting on a plane making small-talk with the passenger across the aisle when the inevitable question is raised..."What do you do for a living?" I considered telling her that I herd cats (which to me is an accurate description of pastoral ministry), but instead, I answer honestly. There is a long pause, followed by "Don't take this personally, but I'm an atheist."
Now my first thought is "Why would I take that personally? After all, she didn't say she believed that I didn't exist. Only God." My first words, however, were these. "I'm always impressed when I meet an athiest. I only wish I had that much faith."
"Faith?" she replied, making eye contact with me for the first time. "I told you I DON"T believe in God."
I explained to her that by not believing in God, she was putting all her faith in the absence of anything greater than herself. And since almost every sociologist and psychologist I've ever read have stated that humanity has an inherent need to believe in some form of deity, Christians like me have it easy. We are just following human nature. Atheist, on the other hand, reject all human science, and that requires a level of faith I could only long for.
We never really made eye contact after that, although I did catch several sideways glances throughout the flight. Maybe I should have stuck to my usual response of "I'm sorry, but I don't believe in atheist."
Now my first thought is "Why would I take that personally? After all, she didn't say she believed that I didn't exist. Only God." My first words, however, were these. "I'm always impressed when I meet an athiest. I only wish I had that much faith."
"Faith?" she replied, making eye contact with me for the first time. "I told you I DON"T believe in God."
I explained to her that by not believing in God, she was putting all her faith in the absence of anything greater than herself. And since almost every sociologist and psychologist I've ever read have stated that humanity has an inherent need to believe in some form of deity, Christians like me have it easy. We are just following human nature. Atheist, on the other hand, reject all human science, and that requires a level of faith I could only long for.
We never really made eye contact after that, although I did catch several sideways glances throughout the flight. Maybe I should have stuck to my usual response of "I'm sorry, but I don't believe in atheist."
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Welcome (sort of)
One of my favorite things to rant about are bloggers...individuals who believe that what they have to say on almost any subject is so important that the rest of us have to log in and read their frequent posts. People who think they know it all really annoy those of us that do.
So why am I starting a blog? The best reason I can give is that while I may have the right to remain silent, I rarely have the ability. There are just things that need to be said, and whether or not you agree with me, you might find my ranting interesting (or at least amusing).
So here I go. I promise not to get too political (President Obama is NOT a Muslim). I won't be providing any answers to great theological questions ("beats the heck out of me" is often the best answer I have). I may comment occasionally on the emperor's lack of clothing, or ask a burning question or two. But most likely, I'll just complain about things that irritate me, and you can weigh in as well.
So check back once in awhile and let me bend your ear. All I can guarantee is this...it won't be boring.
So why am I starting a blog? The best reason I can give is that while I may have the right to remain silent, I rarely have the ability. There are just things that need to be said, and whether or not you agree with me, you might find my ranting interesting (or at least amusing).
So here I go. I promise not to get too political (President Obama is NOT a Muslim). I won't be providing any answers to great theological questions ("beats the heck out of me" is often the best answer I have). I may comment occasionally on the emperor's lack of clothing, or ask a burning question or two. But most likely, I'll just complain about things that irritate me, and you can weigh in as well.
So check back once in awhile and let me bend your ear. All I can guarantee is this...it won't be boring.
Friday, August 6, 2010
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