Losing Old Church Buildings

I’m hearing that the court case against the Virginia CANA churches may not go well. Truro, Falls Church and others may be forced to leave their historic buildings. I’ve never been a fan of the “defend the property” strategy, but this is still very sad news. Turning these buildings over to heretics is akin to the North African Church falling to Islam a long time ago.

With that said, it occurred to me today that one reason that it is such a blow to lose these venerable buildings is because there is so little chance of replacing them in our lifetime. Our theology of architecture is so impoverished, and the buildings that we typically build as Protestant churches are generally so awful, that losing these old buildings is a great tragedy.

Most new church buildings are ephemeral, not durable. They are ugly, functional, “multi-purpose” facilities where people worship in the gym. There is generally no art, no stained glass windows and nothing that would really differentiate these buildings from the prison-like school buildings that we build today. On the other hand, places like Truro have a simple elegance and exude a sense of tranquility and “churchiness” that is lacking in most modern Protestant facilities. It seems that Catholics have kept their senses and are producing some great buildings even today. I live down the street from one and I’ve seen many others, such as the gorgeous Holy Apostles in Meridian, Idaho.

So if we are going to continue to think that buildings don’t matter or that we need to build the cheapest, ugliest thing we can get away with and call it good, then losing the old places like Truro (and the many, many United Methodist parishes in Virginia that are gorgeous and given over to heresy) is a very sad event indeed.

Mark Horne Needs to Chill Out about John Piper’s Veteran’s Day Post

I think Horne should have heeded his suspicions in his first words, “Perhaps I’m over-reacting”. Read Piper’s brief post: http://desiringgod.org/blog/posts/thankful-they-embraced-the-risk

And then compare with Horne’s reaction. You woulda thunk Piper gave an apologetic for WWI from Horne’s response. He honestly sounds like he is ranting and raving and it is way out of bounds for him to take it out on Piper. Piper was merely giving a brief historical background of how we got Veterans Day, something that we can all benefit from in a historically illiterate society. Piper’s last words show proper empathy with the soldier,

“There have been agonizing choices the veterans have had to make. May they (and we all) turn to the cross of Christ for the final resolution of what we have done. I am thankful they embraced the risk”

This simple empathy– acknowledging complexities, horrors, and sacrifice, without seeking to pretend to know such plight firsthand, nor qualify thanks according to one’s notions of just war contrasts Horne’s tone:

“There may be a time and situation in which to thank veterans for defending our freedoms. When someone from Mexico or Canada tries to invade and we have to rise to the defense of the homeland, it would be totally appropriate.  But rather than thanking them, we usually need to tell them how glad we are that they survived the attack on freedom that regularly comes from our overlords and their volunteer cheerleaders in the Church of King Jesus.”

These qualifications on when to either thank veterans or inform them of the corrupt system that placed them there makes Horne sound like an arrogant, ungrateful elitist. BTW, the only scenario he provides as meeting his litmus test for thanksgiving would deny gratitude to just about everyone who has died in battle.  Mr. Horne simply needs to say, “Thank You”, and instead reserve his vitriol for the corrupt government if he is so convinced. Don’t deny thanks to our vets because you disagree with Wilson’s foreign policy or that they happened to lay their life down in a battle that didn’t involve Canada or Mexico.

Piper wrote a very brief piece expressing his personal thanks. Piper is well aware of the complexities, as is most of the readership, and the veterans themselves. Our vets don’t need a lecture on just war theory or be enlightened by the profound news that the poweres that be may have missed the mark in foreign policy. Horne’s expose of failed foreign policy and pointers on when to give thanks to vets fails my litmus test for the decency that is required on this day for our vets. Horne intends to be prophetic, but the weary soldier simply needs our quiet empathy.

Honoring John Piper

Justin Taylor and Sam Storms served as editors of a book that was released at the 2010 Desiring God “Think” Conference. The book is titled, “For the Fame of God’s Name: Essays in Honor of John Piper”. Check out the lineup of contributors and the video of John Piper being presented with the book here.

I add myself to a great multitude of grateful saints for the ministry of John Piper. I was gifted on Christmas 2001 with the book, “Pleasures of God” from Pastor Ty Van Horn of Cornerstone Christian Fellowship in Manhattan Beach, where I served as a Pastoral Assistant/Intern. I have forever been changed by that and subsequent books and sermons by John Piper.

Here is a list of things I most admire about Pastor John Piper:

1. His Godliness. Some fault Evangelicals for being overly pietistic, and John Piper confirmed in me that we are not pietistic enough in a Godward sense of emoting. Whenever folks accuse me of just being a pietistic Evangelical, I gladly bear the criticism. John Piper taught me, through the voice of C.S. Lewis, that our emotions are not too strong, but rather too weak. Piper’s words are forever branded in my heart and mind, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him”.
2. His Exegesis. Piper wants everyone to see his preaching as the result of careful exegesis. Piper is committed to Holy Scripture and is captivated by it. Piper said that the best advice for a preacher is to be incredibly excited about the Bible. I may not agree with everything Piper says, but I don’t doubt for one minute that his convictions flow from hours of burning the candlelight before Holy Writ.
3. Preaching as Exultation.  ”The Supremacy of God in Preaching” is the greatest book I have ever read on preaching. Piper taught me that preaching is worship. Piper models this. He is known for often looking upward in a heavenly gaze when he preaches and I can’t help but think he is preaching to God’s glory above all else, before an audience of one. I have learned that the most important person to please when I preach is God Himself.
4. Arcing. For more on arcing, visit http://www.biblearc.com/web/
5. Love for the Unborn. Piper is a champion for the dignity of human life as reflecting the image of God. He has been arrested for protesting for life and has been bold enough to call out President Obama on the abortion issue. See this clip. I have taken up Piper’s tradition of preaching on Life every year during Sanctity of Life Sunday. I also walk in the annual Boise Walk for Life along with my family.
6. Love for the Afflicted and Suffering. My theology of suffering was non-existent before I devoured Piper’s resources. While I affirm that Satan and his minions are at work in much suffering, I know that it is all sifted through God’s loving hands. I had the opportunity to attend The Bethlehem Institute and had some preliminary correspondence with Piper about starting a ministry for the disabled at Bethlehem Baptist. He was excited about such prospects. God closed that door and I never did go, but Piper’s love for the disabled, afflicted, and suffering is a healthy antidote to the “Health and Wealth” crap that passes itself off as Christian. Our family walks in the annual Boise Buddy Walk for Downs Syndrome and my pastoral care to the afflicted and suffering is much indebted to John Piper.
7. Love for Global Missions. “Missions exists because worship doesn’t” says Piper. It is no secret that Piper loves the lost, was a friend of Ralph Winter, wrote a book on missions,  and has featured missionaries to his annual conferences.
8. Racial Harmony. Piper has retained his residence in the “dangerous” urban area of Minneapolis. He has adopted Talitha, a black girl, and has reached out to the African immigrant community in the Twin Cities. Rather than “white flight”, Piper has embraced ministry to all who surround him.
9. A Kinder Glorious Calvinism. Piper could care less if the “Truly Reformed” label him “Essentially Reformed”. I couldn’t care less as well. When Piper labels himself a 7 point Calvinist, he does so to see God’s glorious creation before, and God’s glorious consummation at the end. The glory of God bookends the doctrines of grace. Like Piper, I am an unashamed “Calvinist”, but I wear such a label as a humble  sinner who seeks God’s doxology above all else. Calvinism must be stirred within the broader framework of Scripture and the Glory of God.
10. Theological Honesty. Love him or hate him, Piper is an eclectic dude theologically. His thoughts on Law and Gospel have evolved, he believes in the continuation of Spiritual Gifts, and his eschatology always seems to be intentionally ambiguous. He has fought against Open Theism in his own denomination, is complementarian, and supported an amendment to the bylaws of his church that would allow those baptized as infants join the membership of the church. He has caused a stir by inviting the likes of Doug Wilson, Mark Driscoll, and Rick Warren to his annual conferences. Don’t confuse this charity with theological indifference, but a canny discernment to be inclusive of those who keep the main thing the main thing. He even moderated an eschatological roundtable not to long ago between Sam Storms, Doug Wilson, and Jim Hamilton. Piper models charity to those within the broader Evangelical church, seeing the strengths among those he might disagree with on other issues. I try to model this healthy ecumenical Spirit. I am also an eclectic Evangelical, holding convictions on a host of theological issues that wouldn’t place me perfectly into any one circle. It’s better to be Theologically honest than a cross-fingered Evangelical who affirms doctrinal elaborations on paper that they really don’t believe. Theological credibility is important and I hope to be bold enough to state what I believe the Bible to be teaching and also humble enough to admit that certain things are a work in progress. This discernment that Piper has modeled teaches me to keep the Gospel front and center and to be gracious on secondary issues. My friends in the current pastorate consist of colleagues from the Foursquare Church, Nazarene Church, United Reformed Church, CREC, PCA, and OPC.

Well, I was teary-eyed seeing Piper accept the book on stage. I am grateful for him and am convinced that he will go down as one of the greatest Pastor-Theologians our country has ever seen.

Books on Death

Since my Mom died, the subject of death interests me in more than an academic fashion. I have pulled out some books on death, grief and the afterlife that I plan to read or skim in order to solidify in my mind what is going on. One thing that is key to remember in this situation is that my Mom is now experiencing life after death but that it isn’t the goal or the end of the story. The final act is what N.T. Wright calls life after life after death – the resurrection of the dead. That can get lost in all our talk about heaven. Our future isn’t a disembodied state in the clouds. It’s in our body, perfected and raised, in a new heavens and new earth. Mom was buried (as I believe all bodies still are) with her feet facing east. Why? Because Jesus comes from the east and when we are raised, the presumption is that we will face his glorious appearance.

So, the books I am looking at so far are:

1. C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

2. N.T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God

3. Philippe Aries, The Hour of Our Death

If I can, I’ll share some things I find interesting out of reading these texts. Hopefully they will help me deal with my Mom’s death. As great as the Christian hope is during the death of a loved one, the inability to communicate with that person over the gulf of death is (I think) one of the cruelest parts about death. I am thankful for the example of Jesus, who wept at the death of Lazarus, and for the fact that the Bible calls death an enemy, although a defeated one. We don’t have to be pie in the sky, happy at the time of death. I’m not in favor of trying to “celebrate” at death. I want a grim funeral with the 1928 Book of Common Prayer liturgy when I die. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Yes, we have hope. Yes, the future will be glorious. But yes, the pain is real and the loneliness in the midst of a world that keeps turning and doesn’t care that you are here today and gone tomorrow is real. It all has to be worked through somehow.

Thoughts on Death

One thing that strikes me in thinking about death is that when someone dies, their way of ordering the world is gone. There is something about the things that they touched, wrote, painted and so on that we are inclined to preserve. I was looking at some cards from my Mom that were fairly insignificant, but now they mean a lot to me because that’s her writing on the paper. Her thoughts are expressed and they are now inaccessible to me going forward.

What I mean by ordering the world is the way that we keep our things. Mom placed articles and books in certain places in her house. Everything in the house was a certain way. Clothes were here, pictures there. Boxes were put in this closet, the old high chair in that one, etc. You might cut your grass and trim your hedge a certain way. These are very tedious and in some sense, minor details, but as soon as you die or are struck ill, they begin to evaporate and vanish from the world as if you had never been. This is probably one reason behind why some people keep rooms exactly as the deceased left them and refuse to alter them. Altering the room would break apart some of the last remaining traces of the dead person’s affect on the world. Taking this further, it is easy to see some of the motivations behind preserving the relics of saints in the form of pieces of clothing, bone, teeth, hair and so on. I’m certainly not agreeing with that practice, just seeing a possible origin for it.

As soon as you die, the way you kept your house and trimmed your hedge begins to fade. Someone else may be left living in it and decide to change things to the way they want it. Or it might be sold to someone entirely different and all traces of you living there will be gone. For those in nursing homes this uncaring process starts earlier. The world does not care about you or I and it will keep right on turning without us.

But traces of us (and our ancestors) linger on if our own children do things the way we did them. Perhaps they organize their things in similar ways to us, make the same recipes or like the same authors. A hundred little things pass from generation to generation, most of them unconscious and hidden in plain sight.

The urge to preserve something of who we were is a primary motivation for writers of history and seekers of glory who want to emblazon their memory onto the wax of history. Unfortunately for many of them, the vast bulk of people couldn’t care less for what happened five days ago, much less five centuries or millenia ago. Anna Comnena admirably summarizes the urge of the historian to preserve:

The stream of Time, irresistible, ever moving, carries off and bears away all things that come to birth and plunges them into utter darkness, both deeds of no account and deeds which are mighty and worthy of commemoration; as the playwright says, it ‘brings to light that which was unseen and shrouds from us that which was manifest’. Nevertheless, the science of History is a great bulwark against this stream of Time; in a way it checks this irresistible flood, it holds in a tight grasp whatever it can seize floating on the surface and will not allow it to slip away into the depths of Oblivion.

I think this is also the motivation of the family historian, researching genealogy. It is often a lonely task and you wonder why you are doing it. But that is why: to try to preserve some slim reed of what was against the overwhelming tide of time which sweeps on ahead.

The ultimate hope for the Christian is that these small things which make up the essence of who we are will be continued in the future age. Perhaps when we are resurrected our way of doing things, perfected and renewed, will be carried on in the new heavens and new earth. When I walk into wherever my resurrected Mom “lives” – if such a concept makes sense then [and I think it will] – it will be recognizably her space as her way of doing things will be obvious to me. At least, that’s my theory.

Blessings on Ken Jones as he accepts a New Call

Ken Jones has been a pastor at Greater Union Baptist Church in Compton, CA. He has accepted a call to Glendale Missionary Baptist Church in Miami, FL. Ken has also served as a panel guest on The White Horse Inn.

I have had the chance to attend some of Ken Jones’ noon Bible studies in Compton when I lived in Torrance, CA and chat with him. I rejoice that his labors at Greater Union have not been in vain, but that the Church has grown by the grace of God. I pray the same in his new call.

@least 30 Things that you can do while in a recliner chair, recovering from surgery…

Since my surgery, not being able to lay down flat on my back or side, I found myself  living out of one of our recliner chairs in the living room corner for the last of almost 4 weeks.  It hasn’t been too bad actually.  I’ve got pillows stuffed all around me, my feet up, a little table next to me with the bare essentials: a water bottle, pain meds, chapstick, vicks rub, tissue, and handy laptop.  My pace has been really slow, and recovery, well, slow.  But I’m thankful for my family’s support and many helpful ways they have made this time a blessing.

So, without further adieu, on to the list (in no particular order)…

1. pray
2. sleep
3. read, read, read
4. eat/ have snack (kind of nice to be served, but for a wife and mom who’s not used to it, uncomfortable)
5. give lots of hugs
6. give kisses
7. leg lifts
8. arm raises
9. sing
10. blog
11. facebook
12. catch up on emails
13. make those phone calls you’ve been procrastinating and catch up with some ol’ friends
14. make a list of what you need to do when you’re better
15. delegate chores, nicely
16. daydream
17. appreciate the help and love you’re getting
18. count your blessings
19. write a letter
20. write out thank you cards (or ecards even)
21. take a nap (does that count as sleep?)
22. order take out (but not too much) 
23. text
24. knitt
25. crochet
26. play games online (not condoning gambling though)
27. expand your vocabulary and explore dictionary.com
28. watch tv (i didn’t do much of this b/c it gave me a headache after a little while but still an option)
29. listen to radio, news
30. renew your mind
31. homeschool (it’s possible! you likely won’t get everything done, but still could get some. This, I did do.)
32. play cards with someone (in my case, war w/my 5 yr. old. one of her new fav card games)
33. shake someone’s hand
34. chat w/someone
35. have a heart to heart

I also want to add, these are things to be thankful that you can still do, even though you may feel like a bum and useless during a time or healing.  because after being in a sense, crippled for so long, one may get the feeling of forgetting what it was like to be “normal” again, whatever that may be for each person.  I’m pretty sure there’s more one can do in a recliner chair but these were the spontaneous ones off the top of my head.

I may add to this again, one day.  Stay tuned…

thanks for reading.  =)

The fool says in his heart there is no God. — Psalm 14:1

courtesy of heartlight.org

I liked this thought so much that I wanted to share it.  I hope you enjoy it and are blessed by it as I was.  May we all grow in His grace and knowledge and love, not to remain on milk, but mature with ‘solids’ each day (or week, or month, or year, as long as we’re continually pursuing growth).

THOUGHT:

At one time or another, most of us raised an angry fist to fate and cursed the darkness. Each of these actions is about as equally effective. But to deny there is a God is something else altogether.

To rob heaven of God is to rob ourselves of grace, hope, and future. How foolish indeed to forget that behind a Creation of wonder, order, variety, beauty, power, and pattern is the Creator.

He is far greater than his handiwork and we dare not ignore, deny, or dismiss him.

Gotta Love John Piper

John Piper shares a journal entry from years ago about contemplating whether he should step aside from ministry. What is shocking is that the reason wasn’t because the Church was dying, but was rather growing. Only a John Piper would look at a growing ambitious Church and pray whether he should remain a part of it.

There is a humbling wisdom to his petitions of years ago. As I approach the completion of my second year of the pastorate here at Sovereign Grace Fellowship of Nampa, I am now finally comfortable with the prospects of a growing Church. I want growth in His timing and according to His will. I want lasting growth in the lives of our people. I have said over and over again that if we don’t grow the right way, I want no part of it. We’re not trying to fill the “theater” and feel happy that our production was a success…we are trying to disciple big-hearted, faith-venturing followers for Christ.

Here is Piper’s article. Thanks Pastor Piper for your honesty, transparency, and humility. Your intended encouragement in sharing this story is received by this young ambitious pastor who always needs to assess whether my ambition is for the glory of God above all things or for feeling good about myself and vindication by a growing Church.

Keith Olbermann and Dan Savage’s Response to Brit Hume, My Appeal to Olbermann and Savage to Embrace the Gospel

Dan Savage is openly gay and a pronounced atheist. Having said that, I do appreciate his qualified criticism of Hume. I don’t agree with everything he said, but I did find insightful his suggestion that Hume’s comments were an offense to Christianity. Savage mentioned Hume’s omission of Jesus as being the Son of God along with other major tenets, and sees Hume as simply offering the Jesus who takes care of adultery, etc. Savage asked where the “moderate, progressive” Christians were who would denounce Hume’s comments. Interestingly, it is the conservative Christian crowd on the blogosphere that was uncomfortable with Hume’s comments coming off as a Joel Osteen version of the Jesus who offers, “Your best life now”. I already posted on my thoughts of criticism for the lack of objective emphasis in Gospel proclamations that often accompany “evangelizing” today (link). I would actually proclaim a loud “Amen”  to Savage’s criticisms if Hume understood the Gospel strictly in a pragmatic paradigm. The fact is, as Olbermann and Savage pointed out, that “Christians” are plagued by marital unfaithfulness, etc. What Jesus did on the cross offers forgiveness, not as a cop out, but as great news.

The Gospel saves imperfect Christians as much as it saves sinners. Christians are perpetually in need of grace, which is why Paul denounced the Galatian heresy of starting in grace, but then proceeding in works for our salvation. The cross also purchases our sanctification, which means that the Christian WILL fight against all sin in their lives, but will never attain perfection in this life. The Christian does receive the Holy Spirit and is called upon to put to death the deeds of the flesh, adultery included, but some will stumble. Though God is grieved, His name brought under ill repute, because of the sins of His people, the good news remains good because it is never predicated upon our performance. The genuine Christian will not view this grace as a motivator or as a covering for sin, but rather as a motivator towards a life that glorifies God in all things. The genuine Christian will plead for grace so that they might NOT sin, so that they might not defame the name of Christ with outrageous sin.

While I appreciate some of the criticisms of Olbermann and Savage, they are trying to define the whole by a few rotten examples. At the same time, Christians invite this sort of criticism when they loudly declare that the major tenet of the Christian faith is, “Your Best Life Now”. When the Christian faith is emphasized for its subjective derivatives, then it will stand or fall based on how rich, how happy, how successful its adherents are. If Christians can reclaim the objective emphasis of the Gospel as being our counted righteous in Christ because of our “Worst life now”, in spite of who we are, then we would do well. Of course, we ought not ever be cavalier about sin, nor excuse our sinful behavior. We, of all people, must have a hatred for sin.

We walk in the footsteps of Abraham, the man of faith, and yet the coward.

We walk in the footsteps of David, who had a heart for God, and yet committed adultery.

We would do well to rejoice with David, who proclaimed the blessedness of not having God count our sin against us (Ps. 32:2) AND we would do well to mourn and grieve with David the sinner who was physically crushed and chastised for His sin (Ps. 51).

Luther taught that we are “Iustus et peccator simul” (Simultaneously a Saint and Sinner). The true Christian, the regenerate man, is at once a saint and a sinner. Therefore, our rejoicing is also mingled with remorse. We rejoice that we are forgiven sinners, but we mourn because we are still sinners. I would dare “proselytize”  this good news to Keith Olbermann and Dan Savage because they both know that they are sinners. While they are amused at the sins of professing Christians and are offended that an imperfect Brit Hume would dare suggest that Tiger Woods turn to Christ, and would even criticize their perception that Hume is offering a Jesus who will give Tiger a pass, these are no excuses for their own refusal to turn to Christ. Jesus Christ doesn’t guarantee moral superiority (though Christians should progress in sanctification), but offers forgiveness. Forgiveness for prior sin, present sin, and all future sin.

Mr. Olbermann, the good news is that you needn’t  be morally superior than everyone to feel forgiven. The good news isn’t that you might be morally superior in unbelief over those who do believe. That, you might be in many regards, but we are all sinners. The Gospel is what God does in us, no doubt, but it rests in what Jesus did 2000 years ago on a cross. It is historical, it is earthy, it is deeply practical, and it happens outside of us, apart from us first, before we enter into it.

Brit Hume Says that Tiger Woods Needs “Redemption”, Should Turn to Christianity

On Fox News Sunday, Brit Hume made mention of Tiger Woods’ Buddhist faith and offered a suggestion,

“I don’t think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So my message to Tiger would be…turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.”

I know that Hume didn’t mention Jesus in specificity and seemingly highlighted a theology of glory, an emphasis on the subjective derivatives that come from “trying” the Christian faith. At the same time, I acknowledge that Hume was redactive and not lecturing on Christian theology. I think Hume’s approach to Tiger is in many ways similar to how Jesus invited others to follow him:

“I am the bread…”

“I am living water…”

“My peace I give you…”

And on and on. Yes, Jesus came to objectively forgive us through the miraculous work of justification, where we stand righteous in the Father’s eyes by faith on account of Jesus’ all-sufficient sacrifice alone. However, there are many accompanying fruits that flow from justification. One of the greatest is to cry out “Abba”, knowing and feeling the intimacy we have with the Father because we have been objectively adopted as His child.

I must admit that I am usually uncomfortable with the press offering religious commentary. Hume defied PC by actually dissing the Buddhist faith and making an appeal to the redemption that is found in Christ alone. The Christian faith gets dissed enough on the major networks and I would actually welcome a robust debate on the competing “gods” of various religions and for everyone to see that we all DON’T worship the same God, but that belief has huge consequences.  Buddhism offers incarnation, the perpetual process of getting better. Tiger will perpetually be playing out of sandtraps in the hope that he will make par, only to find out that with each shot, the hole gets further away.

“I am just one shot away”. The mantra of all works-based self-improvement religious faiths, whose “gods” heartily encourage, “Yes, just one shot away”

Instead, Christ offers us complete righteousness in Himself. Jesus says,

“Stop shooting, you will never get it. You can try for all eternity and be reincarnated a billion times and yet, you will never attain it. I have already attained it. Drop the club and draw near to me. In me you will be counted as righteous. I have played the course perfectly, none can match me.

I know the Christian faith is too good to be true and seems like foolishness to some, but this is the good news…keep your life and lose it or lose your life and find it. You must cease from works righteousness and trust completely in Jesus Christ, who is the wisdom of God, the power of God, the righteousness of God, our sanctification….and YES, our JOY!!!

Joy

One of the puzzling facets of the Christian life as I live it and see it lived is the lack of joy that we have. It seems to me that many Americans are living lives of quiet desperation, under layers of regret, hopelessness, frustration and outright depression. This applies to the unsaved as well as the saved, but in our case it is puzzling because of what Jesus has told us.

Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” I imagine that the joy of Jesus is of such an infinite magnitude that it would be wonderful to experience. Furthermore, God sternly rebuked Israel for not serving him with joy. He said, “Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and lacking everything.”

That seems to summarize our American condition succinctly – an abundance of things but no joy or gladness of heart. I’m sure that the reasons for this condition are many, “you must realize the depth of your sin and the reality of God’s sacrifice” I can hear someone saying. But I have some ideas on why we feel down in the middle of everything, or sometimes in the face of great actual suffering. In no order they are:

1. We don’t do what we should due to fear of man, i.e. we don’t suffer because we are too worried about our reputation. I often hold back in public situations when I think I will be mocked for Christ, I don’t identify with him when I should. Jesus said that in this world we will have suffering and he is the prime example of it. The Apostles rejoiced to be counted worthy to suffer with him. The mockery, beating and death they endured was a liberating cause of great joy for them. I avoid this kind of suffering and therefore my joy is not full.

2. Church isn’t what is should be. I don’t mean this in terms of a primitive, “New Testament” church or in terms of doctrine (thought it might be that too), but rather in terms of love, relationships, care for the poor, missions mindedness, and so on (think about the ‘one anothers’). To me, this is a huge factor in joylessness. Our relationship with Jesus is supposed to be lived out horizontally amongst God’s people. Instead, churches are full of people with clue about how to be hospitable, how to love, how to eat together, talk to each other, or otherwise be the body of Christ. When your church situation is good, the rest of life coheres and is easier. When it isn’t, the rest of life suffers from isolation, alienation and depression.

3. Debt. Our society is structured around debt slavery. Because we are in debt, we cannot contribute like we should, help those in need like we should and so forth. In my case, there aren’t good church options around me and I can’t move close to a good church due to the housing situation which essentially boils down to a debt situation.

There is a certain grim determination to put one foot in front of the other that gets many of us Christians through life and I think that is fine in a sense. The lie of “happy all the time” positive-thinking Christianity is a nauseating answer to legitimate suffering and depression. That’s not what I’m advocating at all. We will all suffer. Until recently, when I though of suffering I thought of persecution, medical problems or death. But now I think suffering includes (and perhaps primarily includes) the daily grind, boredom, Groundhog Day like repetition, rejection from the Church you are part of, not being able to exercise your gifts for God, things like that.

There are many other legitimate reasons for this lack of joy. I don’t have the answers, I just know the dilemma. Thank God we do have Jesus, for without him this joylessness would be truly overwhelming. The world if full of people numbing themselves  with movies, consumption, hobbies, family activities or whatever and all for nothing. Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. Fear God and keep the commandments, this is the whole duty of man.

Ministering to Returning Soldiers

Yesterday I listened to a podcast of a great episode of Speaking of Faith, originally from 2006.  Krista Tippett interviewed Chaplain Major John Morris about his role in ministering to soldiers during and after war (listen to the program or read the transcript here).  He started out with a very evocative description of Easter 2004 in Fallujah:

Maj. Morris: I was at a camp with the Marines, the 1st Marine Division. I was supporting Army special operations soldiers, psychological operations soldiers, who were supporting the 1st Marine Division as they began to lay siege to and take down that city. At Camp Blue Diamond, it’s the headquarters of the 1st Marine Division, and we had an early sunrise service, which actually was dangerous because the camp was being mortared occasionally. But, nonetheless, the Marines showed up in great strength, with a few Army personnel there.

And I celebrated with Father Devine, the 1st Marine Division Roman Catholic priest. And it was particularly memorable because, you know, it was the only service I’ve ever conducted where we were — we all knew that, by the end of the day, people who were worshipping in that service would no longer be on this planet. And so we talked about the hope of the Resurrection with a sense of fervency and urgency that I had never experienced before.

The walls of the chapel were adorned with posters with the name of every Marine that had been wounded in the Anbar province, and every Marine that had been killed. And I couldn’t help but think of that verse in Hebrew[s], as it talked about being surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. You know, we were, and we knew that very quickly many of us could be on that wall.

So there was a sense of joy, and expectancy, and dread all meld [sic] together. All the Marines had their weapons. They were ready to go out on their mission. The place was packed. It was loud, as Marines can be. It was a participatory service. It was a beautiful, sacred privilege. And the service ended. And I went on my way to do my rounds of conducting Easter services for Marines and Army personnel all over that area. So it was an amazing time. A lot of Marines were killed, a lot of Army soldiers killed.

Morris gave a perspective on soldiers’ lives from a close perspective, which is welcome amid the rampant politicization of our wars by politicians and political media.  To me, it’s become clear that our political discourse has very little space for soldiers’ actual experiences.  The soldiers must be righteous executors of a righteous foreign policy (for supporters of the wars), victims (for mainstream opponents of the wars), or criminals (for far left opponents of the wars).  It’s sad that very few seem to be really interested in understanding what soldiers go through, but instead seem more interested in using the soldiers as political props.  There doesn’t seem to be a lot of room in any of those characterizations for a real human experience in war.

To lay my cards on the table, I believed that the Afghan war was justified in 2001, although I don’t know what to think now.  I opposed the Iraq war in 2003.  Although there have certainly been egregious actions committed by the soldiers from time to time, I have to say that I very much admire the military men and women’s patriotism and commitment to fighting as humanely and justly as possible in two awful, nasty, largely unconventional wars.  By and large, it seems to me that our military strives to fight the wars justly even if I’m not convinced that the wars themselves are just (which, in a civilian-controlled military, isn’t in the soldiers’ power to decide).

Morris is a United Methodist minister and now runs a program in Minnesota to help National Guardsmen, who have served and sacrificed much in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, to reintegrate into society.  He said that the active duty soldiers have an intentional reintegration program, whereas soldiers in the National Guard don’t have any such program.  He argues because war is inherently terrible, it doesn’t do the soldiers any good to ignore the fact that they are asked to kill, which is spiritually damaging.  He wants churches to step up and minister to returning soldiers.

For churches tempted to sidestep this reality of war, he and Krista talked about the importance of recognizing it:

Ms. Tippett: It seems to me that in congregations, where the choice is to support the war and to welcome our military personnel back as heroes, even there that healing might not take place because there might not be that nuanced acknowledgment still of what a difficult and damaging experience that is, even if it is deemed to be morally right.

Maj. Morris: Yes, you’re right. And we don’t have a lot of rituals, and we need one for this….

In Medieval days, in some parts of Europe, the priest would go with the soldiers, raised from the villages to go fight, and you know, hear their confession prior to going to battle, give them last rites, and send them to war. So that’s a very stark psychology. ‘Hey, you may die, so we need to make things right with God.’ Then when they came home, they were stopped before they entered the village. The village went out to meet them. They were not allowed in the village. Stripped off their clothes that they had fought in, bathed, heard confession again, celebrated the Eucharist, and then allowed back in the village. Now, what were they saying there? ‘You know, there needs to be some business done with God and with the community prior to allowing you to rejoin us. We need to leave the old out here.’

My Girls Are Hillarious

Brief post here, but wanted to share a couple funny things that happened with my girls today.

• This morning as I was packing up my book back, Kira (5 year old who is learning to read) saw my commentary on Romans and was asked by mom to read the title. She struggled through the word “epistle”, but continued quite well on the proceeding words “to the”. She paused at the word “Romans” and proceeded to say quite boldly…”Mormons”.  “The Epistle to the Mormons” she says…maybe she is on to something. She knows more of what she knows not what she speaks.
• Later in the afternoon, while watching the news, Lexi perks up at the appearance of President Obama and exclaims “Dada”. She doesn’t talk like a baby but pretends once in awhile. Surprised, we asked here if Obama was her daddy and she nodded yes.
• The girls provide laughter on a daily basis…what a blessing they are!!!

Making Mother’s day last

For those of you who take joy in celebrating mother’s day, may I encourage you to appreciate your mother/sister/gramma on an ongoing basis?  Should our appreciation for our moms shine one day a year?  We should intentionally acknowledge this day, this occasion more than once a year.  Let her know how much you love her.

Just some pointers for husbands, from a woman’s (me) point of view:

Tell her how beautiful she is.  Present her flowers at random moments, even if it’s one rose.  There doesn’t have to be a “special occasion” to give flowers.  You give them b/c you are thinking of her, you love her, you care for her.  Offer to do the laundry once in a while.  Offer to take the kids out and give her some ‘alone time’.  Play intently with the children, enjoying their youth while you can, since all parents know so well how fast children grow.  Make the bed without her asking.  Plan a special dinner or night out for just the 2 of you.  Remember how you used to glare or steal glimpses if her whenever you could?  Remember when you’d call just to say “i love you” or just to hear her voice?  Remember when you cared what you looked like to impress her?  Be spontaneous!  Lead the way in romance.  Sweep her off her feet, again, and again, and again.  Don’t let the fire die.  You will be rewarded in how you treat her.  Especially as a Christian, this analogy may work:  Just as you should pursue your relationship with Christ, enduring til the very end, with faith & JOY, so also would you pursue your wife who longs for you to cherish her as a treasure & handle her as gently as a rose?

It’s NOT so much the QUANTITY, IT’S THE QUALITY of time she receives or that’s given & cherished.  It’s the quality time spent with the children.  It’s the quality of time spent in remote places, family vacations.   Turn off your phone(s).  Turn off the computer, the tv.  Don’t think about work, or emails, or chores.  Look at her with sincere interest when you are sharing a conversation.  Take a walk.  Talk.  (*NOTE: this is not an exhaustive list.  BE CREATIVE!)  REMEMBER- QUALITY, QUALITY, QUALITY.