Matthew 25:40

Interesting survey

2005-05-05T15:10:00.000-05:00

Found an interesting survey via this link at Off the Beaten Track... it attempts to determine which faiths are closest to your beliefs. Look what it came up with for me. Good thing I made that switch from Catholicism a few years back, eh?

1. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (100%)
2. Liberal Quakers (94%)
3. Orthodox Quaker (90%)
4. Unitarian Universalism (86%)
5. Neo-Pagan (78%)
6. Mahayana Buddhism (76%)
7. New Age (73%)
8. Theravada Buddhism (68%)
9. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (64%)
10. Hinduism (63%)

Of churches and community programs

2005-05-05T11:06:00.000-05:00

I just got ahold of a document published by the US Dept of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), available online. I haven't had a chance to read it carefully, but one stat jumped out at me as I glanced at it:

Only 57% of congregations report involvement in some type of service or community involvement (broadly defined).

Yikes. Here's the URL:
http://www.huduser.org/Publications/PDF/faithbased.pdf

Our group continues to work. We've met with community officials, and are working with them to create a "plan." Neighborhood cleanups are in the works, as are fund raisers, picnics and programs geared toward helping people get jobs (or better jobs). My mantra these days is that this is all about relationships. If we don't build and maintain relationships with our neighbors, this will go nowhere. Programs will get us nowhere without relationships. And frankly, even if programs alone DID work, our faith should still guide us to focus on relationships.

Enthusiasm

2005-05-03T15:22:00.000-05:00

I haven't been this excited about something since I got my first bicycle. Borg really has me thinking... And I'm especially thinking about the injunction in the NT we have the approach of a child (Matt 18:4). I wonder if being childlike includes the unbridled enthusiasm I have at the moment.

I did a search on Google for Borg, the book title and "Methodist" and got 508 hits. Looks like Methodists are talking about this book... I hope I eventually get a reply from one of my pastors regarding the possibility of doing a small group study of the book. I'm so pumped about this book.

Heart of Christianity

2005-05-03T10:08:00.000-05:00

I've been reading Marcus Borg's book "Heart of Christianity." My take: it is very well-written, and has spoken to me like no other book on religion (aside from the Bible, of course). Just incredible. I'm sure his ideas will seem heretical to some: he acknowledges that parts of the Bible are metaphorical, that it can and should be understood with a historical and metaphorical approach, and that other major faith traditions (Judaism, Islam, & Buddhism, to name a few) might well be advocating pursuit of "the Way" that Jesus taught... that is, one might be able to get to the Way via other traditions.

I like those ideas, but I realize others will likely reject them outright. I hope that even those who do will take seriously his other main points-- that Christianity is about more than believing the right things so that we can get to Heaven after we die. Christians ought to be about the business of compassion and concern for others in THIS life. Very powerful stuff. This is a book that I just want to shout from the rooftops about. It is also a book that I just knew, even as I was reading it, would end up offending many... that is unfortunate.

More ruminations

2005-04-06T10:11:00.000-05:00

O.k., I've taken another break. This one has reasons behind it... the reasons have become more clear over time. They are (in no particular order):

1. I have inadvertently "blown my cover"-- blogs are definitely different when one is writing with friends/family as potential readers. I strongly feel that this shouldn't matter, but I feel equally strongly that at the moment it does matter.

2. I have no real expertise in matters theological. I'm not a role model of any sort. Just a normal, average Joe with a few observations to share. So on occasion I feel "tapped out." I just don't feel like I have a lot of wisdom to share. If it ain't there, it ain't there.

3. The neighborhood work was slowed down a bit by the Easter holiday. Many of those in the group are clergy, and they are understandably busy around that time of year.

BUT, we are on the move again (and hence I'm blogging again).

The "big meeting" is on April 16th, a week from Sat. Very cool. I'm really excited. I'm eager to see things happen.

One thing that is happening in parallel, but not (I don't think) directly related is that there is an empty carpet store/warehouse across the street from my church. This is a relatively new building, and has a massive amount of space. It is currently empty. My church has started exploring the feasiblity of buying it. Part of the process is that we have formed a committee to explore potential uses. Some uses mentioned briefly at our last church council meeting include 1) providing health care services, perhaps by partnering with a local university medical school/clinic, and 2) Youth services/programming. There are many other potential uses, but I'm just ecstatic that this is happening. To be honest, I don't think the timing is coincidental. There is something positive afoot in the neighborhood; God is at work. And there are many good people who are listening hard to Him and working diligently to do His work.

This would be a major investment for the church, we'd incur

Blogger

2005-03-10T19:19:00.000-06:00

Wow, I've had two bad experiences recently trying to get into Blogger to post. They must be overwhelmed with traffic of late.

Not a lot to report... I'm still alive and carrying on the faith. The community outreach project is continuing apace. We are scheduling a big community meeting with the town leadership (including mayor, aldermen, police chief, housing authorities, etc.). Feels good to be making progress.

Prayer

2005-02-16T14:44:00.000-06:00

I mentioned in a previous post that I've been thinking about prayer of late. I think to myself "how can I possibly ask God for anything? He knows what I need, and to be honest, I'm horrible at knowing what I need." Let's be honest... how many times have you wanted something really badly, and then later find out that you shouldn't have wished for it at all? I feel presumptuous asking for just about anything-- except guidance and comfort, that is. I'm not talking about praying for a new car here, I'm talking about praying for better health or praying for the health of others. Even then I think "I don't know what "The Plan" is, so should I lobby for a particular course of events?"

But then a pastor and friend of mine mentioned that he believes that God wants to be involved, wants to be asked. That's an interesting thing. So if I pray for someone else to recover from cancer, or that someone find a job, do you think God finds that presumptuous? Or, is that something that God would find delight in, since by asking we are acknowledging that He is the Creator, capable of intervention? I guess maybe I should go back to asking for things again. Otherwise, my prayers are pretty short... variations on "Thy will be done Lord; please grant us comfort and the courage to handle what comes our way."

Walking with God

2005-02-14T10:55:00.000-06:00

This is only tangentially related to the theme of the blog (but there IS a connection):

So I've been on a mission to lose weight and become more fit. Like many who live in an affluent society, I've constantly tried to battle weight gain. I've been marginally successful over the years... my weight has never gotten "out of control." Yet, using the BMI as an indicator of healthy weight, I've been overweight. We all know the reasons that is not wise, eh? My weight was just enough of a problem to keep my clothes from fitting too tight (or not being able to wear some things at all), and reminding me from time to time that I wasn't as healthy as I should be.

On Thanskgiving Day last year I decided to get serious about this (again). While in the past I'd tried running as my exercise of choice, I'd finally come to the conclusion that with increasing age, running meant enduring aches and pains. So this time I've chosen walking. I'm walking 4 miles per day (that takes an hour, if I move at a good clip), and reducing portions. No magic diet plans here, just reducing portion sizes and making some wise choices (avoiding really unhealthy, high calorie foods for the most part, though I still endulge every once in a while).

So far I've lost 16 pounds! I honestly can't recall the last time my weight was this low. I feel great. A major benefit is that I can walk at a quick clip without getting winded-- that makes touring new cities on foot a lot of fun, and zipping through airports to make flight connections trivial. Every pair of pants in my wardrobe fits again (well, a couple are actually too big, but I'll consider that a victory). My BMI is now 24! So when I hear the endless stream of news reports about how society is getting heavier and less healthy, I can finally listen without cringing. I can't tell you how good that feels. AND I don't have aches and pains this time around.

And here's another benefit-- I spend an hour a day walking. That is a lot of extremely high quality thought time. While running, I often had a hard time keeping a train of thought (besides "how much longer? I'm really winded!"). Not so with walking. Lots of time for prayer and reflection. So I'm getting healthier AND making time for God. Wow, why didn't I discover this sooner? I feel great physically, mentally, and spiritually. Walking with God is indeed a wonderful thing.

Of Borg and viruses

2005-02-04T16:10:00.000-06:00

I've fallen off the new pace of posting... lots of family illness this week (gastro-intestinal variety... not life-threatening, but not pleasant, especially for kids!).

Well, after getting 80% of the way through the Borg book, I've stalled a bit (work and family can get in the way of one's reading). :)

I must say that while I have often thought that parts of the Bible almost certainly aren't factually true, it still looks odd seeing that statement in print. There's something a bit troubling about seeing passages described as embellishments or myths (though I understand the way he is using the word "myth" is a bit different from its use in vernacular).

I also find it interesting that he can dismiss some miracles while retaining others... He's the scholar, but it is interesting that the parting of the Red Sea couldn't have happened, but Jesus restoring sight to the blind by laying hands on them could. Loaves and fishes, no. Curing illnesses, yes. Seems a bit arbitrary. I'm not opposed to the idea that elements of the Bible are not factually true (I personally find that both reassuring and liberating, especially given his distintion between "truth" and factual validity). But some of those distinctions are bit more difficult for me to make. I guess when it comes to the life of Jesus, part of me wants to say "Yes, these things are incredible and miraculous... the fact that we have no corollaries in our direct experience is due to the fact that we have never stood in the presence of the Son of God." His litmus test seems to be that some things are just so outside of our experiences and what we know about the world as to be beyond reason. But God is beyond reason. The notion that Jesus Christ walked on earth and died on the cross is beyond reason. Isn't that the whole point? I don't even like to pray for specific things in life, because I know that I can't even begin to know what God should do. I sat on an airplane that had a frightening aborted landing due to a snowstorm 2 weeks ago, and I didn't even pray for God to protect me. I just said "I'm in your hands, Lord. Thy will be done. If you take me now, please help my family understand." So who am I to discern whether the loaves and fishes story is real?

ON THE OTHER HAND, I found his discussion of Genesis intriguing. I have always thought that scientific research makes the power of God seem greater. Every day, we learn more about the incredible universe we live in. All of that knowledge makes the Creator seem more amazing to me. So I've been troubled by those who so quickly toss out evolution so they can retain the Creation story as literally factually true. Evolution is yet another wonderful part of our world, and guess who made it? Great system. (Thanks, God!)

My favorite part of the book thus far is his discussion of the prophets as social revolutionaries. Wow, that has really opened up a whole new way of looking at the Old Testament for me. And his treatment of Ecclesiastes is really intriguing... I love the comparison to the Tao.

The discussion of the social context in which the Bible was written is very helpful and fascinating to me. No matter where you come down on the notion of the Bible as literally, factually true, I think it is important to learn about the context.

This book hasn't shaken my faith. I don't agree with everything Borg has said, but it has made me appreciate the Bible even more. It has made me want to reread whole sections anew (I'm already working my way through the NT, but I might have to shift to other sections just to explore what he says about them).

Enough for one day. Have a great day!

Borg

2005-01-26T14:52:00.000-06:00

I'm reading the Marcus Borg book, Reading the Bible Again for the First Time. I haven't read any reviews of this book, nor have I seen/read any blog posts about it. But here's a wild guess: I'd bet this author gets death threats. At minimum, I'd guess his name is dragged through the mud in certain circles. He tries to summarize biblical scholarship... and frankly, I think it is an awesome read. I can't put it down. I highly recommend it-- though it has been out for a couple years, so I'd guess (once again) I'm the last guy on the block to read it.

More later...

Whoa, someone is READING this stuff!

2005-01-24T10:48:00.000-06:00

Great thoughts, thanks for the comments about my earlier post.

I agree that there are bigger fish in life. Here's my take:

I consider a huge part of my daily walk with Christ to entail learning to appreciate, love and show compassion for others. All others. Some are harder to truly love than others... I have known many homosexuals who don't feel loved by many Christians. In fact, they don't feel welcome at all in most churches. What they feel is hatred. I'm not on a personal mission about this, just stating what I believe to be the truth.

I want people to reach out to the poor and show them compassion, but I also want people to show compassion for gays and lesbians too. It doesn't really matter whether they learned the behavior, whether it is an acquired biological condition, or whether it is genetically determined. It just doesn't matter. My job isn't to judge, my job is to love. Christ covered the gamut when He included "enemies" in that list. There are no exceptions. That's it, that's my take. I get a bit testy when I hear people pontificate about this issue from a perspective that justifies prejudice. That's all. How they came to be who they are doesn't concern me.

I hear people saying "I don't hate them, just don't want them to be my pastor." All I can say is that I hope we all continue really opening our hearts before God, being honest with Him-- He's the only one who counts. I suspect that for many of us, there are definitely people who we don't "hate," but toward whom we struggle to muster anything vaguely approaching the term "love." It is definitely true for me. In fact, I'm downright mean when it comes to one group that I've blogged about recently (today): people who are intolerant of others.

O.k., that's enough. I'm not on a mission about this, I promise. I'm still on the same theme in my journey. It is truly about seeing Christ in others, not judging... about building bridges not walls.

I know that we all come from different backgrounds, and I frequently say (and believe) "There but for the grace of God go I." That is, I realize that really wonderful, kind-hearted people who hunger and thirst for God's love and compassion, who seek to do His will, are in different places along the journey. I have SOOOOOOOO far to go, I'm the last guy who ought to be casting stones. I blogged a few weeks ago asking how Methodists could ignore the poor-- the obvious answer came to me within 10 minutes of posting: I should know the answer, because of course until very recently, I was one of those who ignored them (in terms of actual behaviors).

I love the Bible, and I appreciate more each day what a beautiful guide it is for living. I used to see it as comfort food for the soul (chicken soup?). It is becoming more of a challenge for me. Not a depressing, negative challenge... but a wonderful challenge to continually strive to become more engaged, to follow the past the Christ established for us. Have a great day.

Tough day at the office

2005-01-18T21:54:00.000-06:00

No details, sorry. Just a tough day today. Sometimes you feel appreciated, and things click. Seems almost magical. Other days, you take a kick in the teeth. Inevitably, you gotta get back up and go on... but today was a tough day.

Sorry, nothing pithy (is there EVER anything pithy in this part of the neighborhood?). No rants, no raves.

Oh, I did find out that an old college friend has a brain tumor. The form of cancer he has is incurable. I'm on a roll, if you've read my past posts. Lots o' people sick and dying. Must be something about getting older, I suppose. This particular person is only 39 years old though. I found out today that he's gay-- I never knew that. What a silly debate, whether homosexuality is chosen. I've known LOTS of people who have struggled with homosexuality, some have had thoughts of suicide, many have suffered depression, many have been scorned by friends and family. What an odd "choice." What is it with people who need to believe that these "sinners" are choosing their "lifestyle"? I don't remember choosing to be heterosexual. My gay friends tell me they don't recall any time in their lives when they felt attracted to members of the other sex. EVER. They recall a time when they were confused, because they weren't interested in them, but not ever attracted to them.

Doesn't matter, a wonderful human being, perhaps one of the nicest guys, most intelligent, warm, sincere, enthusiastic people I've ever known, is dying at age 39. He's a doctor, incredibly bright. He's touched hundreds, probably thousands of lives. And somewhere in the world tonight there are people who, in the name of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, will go to bed convinced that "God hates fags."

Couple that with the day I had at the office, and what do you get?
I gotta go to bed. Too much for one day. I think I'll go pray for awhile. The Jesus Christ I know and love reaches out to me and loves me no matter who I am, no matter what choices I make. His followers might occasionally try to paint people into corners, but He doesn't.

Follow up

2005-01-17T15:00:00.000-06:00

I started to write this as a followup to a previous post, but thought I'd better start a new one...

I was, of course, being facetious about which sins we should screen for among clergy... But just to clarify:

Homosexuality is not a choice; these people are being singled out because of who they are. Any protestations otherwise are misguided, and merely a convenience to justify the hatred felt their persecutors feel toward them. It is interesting to me how uncomfortable some people feel about their own feelings, and the distortions they generate to rationalize them.
Look at the Bible as a whole... how important is this issue, in the overall scheme of things? So important that Christ spent, well... how much time did he spend discussing homosexuality? How many parables?
While we are at it, which topics do continually come up? The issues of love, compassion, helping the less fortunate... Christ didn't say that you're more likely to get a camel through the eye of a needle than for a homosexual to enter heaven, did he? Maybe we're reading different Bibles.

My point is that there are many things that Christ brought to our attention, and we happily look away from. How many Christians fawn over t.v. preachers who live in opulent homes, drive expensive cars and wear fancy duds? These rich pastors aren't choosing their behaviors? We are ALL human, we all make choices, and all of us (including pastors) make some bad ones. Why waste time persecuting people for being who they are, when we could spend more productive time examining our own behaviors and comparing them with the teachings and example of Christ. Book of Matthew anyone? Life is short, place nice.

Welcome Googlers

2005-01-14T13:57:00.000-06:00

I shouldn't make this second post, 'cause it means that people probably won't read the other one I JUST wrote below it. :) BUT, I thought I should post and say "Welcome, Googlers!" I use SiteMeter, which tells me how many people have visited my blog, and where they were at on the web before they got here. WELL, it turns out that quite a few folks get here by Googling "Matt 25:40"! That is awesome. I'm am SOOOOOOO pleased that I chose that name for the blog. I was so happy about that I just had to write something about it. I hope that at least some of the folks who find it will stop by again, and post some comments (you can post anonymously, so don't be afraid!).

Have a good weekend.

Ah, purity

2005-01-14T13:45:00.000-06:00

So the ELCA is the latest church to be dragged through the media circus re: its policies on homosexuality and the clergy. Wow, I'll bet their work will make NO ONE happy.

Here's a new twist: since denominations seem to be driven to keep "sinners" out of the pulpit, I say we start a contest. What other "sins" should preclude clergy from being ordained? I mean, while we are expecting perfection of our church leaders, let's be specific. I'll start: my favorite is greed/materialism. How can we expect them to offer their coat when ask for their shirt, if they are coveting their neighbor's Lexus?

What's your favorite sin that we should stamp out among the clergy?

The divisions among us

2005-01-12T09:35:00.000-06:00

I spoke of the heaviness of the blog reading I was doing yesterday... here are a few examples that still have me a bit depressed and perplexed about the state of Christianity:

From A Religious Liberal Blog:
"I was struck by my conversation with a Southern Baptist campus minister. He informed me that he could never work with the local UCC Disciples campus ministry because of our open stance to gay and lesbians. "

From Chuck Currie:
This discussion of efforts to take advantage of the tsunami by turning it into an opportunity to evangelize.

And this nonsense about wasting time creating divisions instead of doing God's work.

From Fr. Jake Stops the World:
This discussion of the Episcopal Church (USA)'s discussion of homosexuality.

From The Faithful Skeptic:

We currently have five volunteer chaplains who are all non-denominational, conservative, evangelical Christians. Our chaplains have engaged in some of the following behaviors:

Couple these discussions with all of the sad news from Iraq and the region affected by the tsunami, and well, things have been cheerier in Godblog-dom, eh?

I suppose that the reality is that there are legions of ordinary, everyday laity who are simply trudging ahead with their lives, many doing great things in the name of Christ.

Here's a challenge... maybe we should attempt to gather a bit of news about the joys and accomplishments of Christians for a bit of a reprieve? There must be lots of great news to share about the courage of tsunami victims, the willingness of others to help (both in terms of donations and donating their time/efforts)...

Mark

Life is heavy

2005-01-11T13:52:00.000-06:00

Take a drive around the Blogroll on my blog, and you'll find a lot of heaviness out there these days. Must be something in the water. Torture has become a part of our lexicon again (after all of these years of believing that "we are the good guys, we don't behave like barbarians")... the tsunami news is enough to make anyone stop and ponder the meaning of it all... Christians are at each others' throats over politics, abortion, homosexuality...

I have nothing new or profound to add to any of it. I'll just take it all in and think about it. And in the end, the most productive thing I'm likely to do with it is pray. Just pray.

Time for an update

2005-01-10T09:34:00.000-06:00

Wow, I just can't seem to get back into the rhythm of updating the blog. First, here's an interesting read about someone spreading the Gospel with their actions [to paraphrase St. Francis]:
http://jesselv.blogspot.com/

On the Holy Ground project front, our next step is to gather together to make an action plan. We have a meeting scheduled for the end of the month. So far, so good.

One thing troubles me: why would a group of Methodists be so reluctant to embrace this sort of thing? Or Christians of any stripe? How utterly, painfully ironic. I'm praying for them heartily these days. But, we all do what we can-- some more than others, like my friend Jesse. Blog on.

Life changing experience

2004-11-22T21:28:00.000-06:00

Wow. I'm still coming down from my awesome experience Saturday. We held the neighborhood canvassing project, where members of 5-6 local urban churches got together and walked through the neighborhood meeting people, asking about their concerns, getting to know them. We worked in pairs, and tried to make sure that no pair came from the same church. I worked with a man from a Baptist church (which happens to be virtually across the street from my Methodist church). This was an incredible experience... I have a lot I could blog about. :)

For starters, it was a great situation. We introduced ourselves and our church affiliations-- we made it clear immediately that we were not selling anything, and that all we wanted was a chance to chat for 5-10 minutes so we could "learn about the neighborhood and try to become better neighbors." The fact that we came from different churches seemed to cause people to scratch their heads a bit... but sent a powerful message. If we weren't representing the Baptists or Methodists, who were we representing? Yup, the Big Guy. Neat eh?

The experience was really moving. We met some folks who live in pretty desperate situations. Some expressed concern for their safety in the neighborhood, though most did not (perhaps they just grow accustomed to the surroundings over time). Many were more than happy to point out the problem properties, especially ones that were being used to sell drugs. One man told us that drugs had been sold out of an apartment directly over his at one time, and that he had witnessed drugs being sold on the corner in front of his apartment. Many also complained of property crimes (mainly cars being vandalized or broken into). Several noted that there was little in the way of organized/supervised activities for youth in the neighborhood. In the end, we generated quite a list of issues that the churches and/or the city can begin to help neighbors address. Our group will meet again in the next few weeks to continue (finish?) the canvassing and start planning responses.

The best part of the process was knowing that I was doing God's work. More than once, people seemed really taken aback by the fact that we really cared, that we were honestly just there to find out what concerns they had. We didn't ask for money, and we weren't looking to add souls to our list of converts. But guess what? I think they got a healthy dose of evangelism. :) More than one asked what churches we were from, and wanted information about services. One man in particular said he hadn't been to church in many years, but knew that he needed God in his life. When we asked whether there were things we could pray about for him, his fought to hold back tears as he just opened up. At one point, he was apologetic, saying "I'm sorry, I don't mean to unload on you guys." As he pondered returning to church, he said what he really wanted to find was a church where he felt welcome, where people wanted him to be there. We certainly gave him a hearty invitation to our churches... both are large, so here's hoping that the folks he makes contact with make him feel welcome. I bet we spent 20-30 minutes talking with this man. I am very thankful that I got that opportunity to be there for him.

I could go on... it was incredible. And I'm the first to say that *I* gained more in this experience than anyone I talked to. Not because we were out solving the world's problems, but because in a very small and non-idealistic way we were just simply doing what I think Christ would want. We listened, we let people know that we care, we prayed for folks, we invited them to worship with us. I'm hooked, can't wait to do more. Thank you Lord.

Community outreach II

2004-11-19T11:19:00.000-06:00

Well, my adventure in living out the faith is on course. After discussing my plan with a trusted friend, I decided that my desire for a "Cabinet-level position" on this front might be a tad overly ambitious and premature. :) So, I settled for a heart-to-heart talk with one of the pastors, who thought that the church should indeed be more aggressive and/or deliberate in its outreach programming. We'll start with the program this weekend to walk the neighborhoods (along with folks from other area churches), meeting neighbors, listening to their concerns, and hopefully gaining some trust. That should (God willing) lead us to start to develop an agenda, the neighbors' agenda. And we'll go from there.

The next step might be forming a small group within the church to start the community outreach. Or, that group might decide pretty early on that part of our work necessarily involves actively lobbying within the church to get others involved. Either way, the Spirit is mightily at work in my life, and that is a very, very good thing. It feels awesome to know that in some very small way I'm becoming more of an instrument for God.

Community outreach

2004-11-15T09:45:00.000-06:00

Do most churches have a director or minister of community outreach? I'm not sure what the position is even called in most places, if it exists... I mean someone who guides and/or organizes the church's efforts to reach out to care for others in the community. We have an evangelization ministry, but they are about needs of the spirit. We also have a missions committee, but they basically support established ministry efforts (in contrast to mobilizing the congregation to get involved locally).

I'm still having my internal conversation about "what would Wesley do?" (see my earlier post) It strikes me that outreach is not a major facet of our congregation... looking at our website, I don't see any references to it at all! Odd for a church that is located in an impoverished inner-city neighborhood.

I've had several lunch conversations about my social concerns over the last year so with a member of our church's staff (youth minister). He has asked me several times "Where is the Spirit leading you?" I think this is the answer. I don't think the existing staff have the time to move this issue forward, and frankly I'd do it for free. We have a church council meeting tonight, and I just might suggest that. Don't know whether I have the guts to do it though. I'm already incredibly busy at home and at work... but this is something I feel so strongly about that I think it would be FUN to do. I really believe in it. I don't know what objection could be raised, but I'm sure I'm missing something.

I could use a few prayers about this one.

Repeating myself. Repeating myself.

2004-11-14T19:05:00.000-06:00

This [the stuff I've posted about in my last two posts] is silly. I have to stop stewing about it and posting about it endlessly. I just get depressed when I think about it. I suppose it does help to vent though. Here's my latest take:

There is a pretty large contingent of Christians that knows that they should be about the business of loving others.
Unfortunately, this group also consists largely of people who know that humility is a virtue; they keep a pretty low profile.
There is another pretty large contingent for whom Christianity is a cultural norm, a family tradition, a comfortable set of words and practices. They strongly believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, but are a bit less enthusiastic about his mission while on Earth. They are probably less than comfortable with that "Camel through the eye of a needle" thing, the whole Good Samaritan parable, the admonition to "take care of my flock," that sort of thing. Might be o.k. in theory, but let's not go overboard with it. John 3:16 sums up everything you need to know about Jesus and Christianity. Yeah yeah, He talked a lot about loving people-- neighbors, enemies, etc.-- but all I have to do is confess Him as my Lord and Savior, everything else is taken care of. [And apparently the louder I confess it, the better.]
And here's the rub: the first group is aware of the second, but tends to avoid confrontation with them like the plague. In some cases they just get worn down. In other cases, they simply realize that life is short and there is work to be done-- and that convincing the latter group that they should be about loving others isn't nearly as fruitful an endeavor as, say, feeding the poor or befriending the lonely.
I hate to add this one, but the 2nd group also has the money. What would happen if you hammered a congregation endlessly about the evils of greed, the Gospel of Matthew (money rusting and all of that), the need to give freely to those in need... ? I suspect that some pastors are afraid to do that, because either attendance or donations would go down. Probably both. So be it.
Here's hoping we can get the "loving/inclusive" group out of the trenches. We all need for that to happen... not to prove a point, but because together the Christian community could do so much good in the world. :)

I dunno, I just get so depressed about the whole state of affairs. I was thinking today, during services "We have a music ministry, a children's ministry... why don't we have a minister in charge of outreach to the community? Why don't we have someone who spearheads this type of commitment to others in the congregation? Someone who keeps this front and center for us?"

I liked the "What would Jesus do?" movement. As I sat in my United Methodist church service, I thought about that. I also thought "What would Wesley do?" He lived his life for connecting with others, not just his friends, family, church members. He tried to connect with sinners. He tried to connect with the poor, with the underpaid. He demonstrated through his actions that he cared about the lives of others.

Glass half full?

2004-11-14T14:18:00.000-06:00

I read yet another editorial in this morning's paper asking why conservative Christians have been allowed to define which issues dominate the "morality" agenda. The editorial writer asked "where are the liberal Christians?" Excellent question. He goes on to point out that Jimmy Carter is a good example of a Christian working to care for neighbors as a central element of his faith. Given the name of this blog, I obviously couldn't agree more.

One redeeming thing about the election is that people are apparently calling on their faith as a source of inspiration when casting a vote. I think that is awesome. Religion is alive and well in this country, and many people are looking to their religion as a way of addressing the issues they confront. This is more than a glass half full... that is truly a great thing.

My hope is that we can work to broaden the notion of what it means to be religious, even what it means to be Christian. As I've said before, abortion is a HUGE issue in this country, and it deserves to be. I'm completely confused by this issue, but I've been listening hard to what Christians are saying about it... and to be honest, I'm now finding myself leaning toward those who view abortion as morally wrong and to be avoided at all costs. This religious liberal is NOT towing the party line, but rather trying to live out his faith, wherever that might lead.

But the abortion issue aside, what issues deserve our attention as Christians? How should our faith inform our politics? Jesus Christ didn't spend any time talking issues of sexuality, to the best of my knowledge. Maybe he was prone to oversight? I don't think so. His ministry dealt a LOT with issues of poverty and social justice, lifting up the poor and downtrodden. I've already said that I am listening hard to what others are saying... here's hoping that conservative Christians hear this message as well:

Some people are social liberals not in SPITE of their Christianity, but BECAUSE OF THEIR CHRISTIANITY.

Christ calls me, in dozens of places in the New Testament, to care for others, to clothe and feed the poor, to embrace those who are not in my social circle. Nothing could be more clear to me. There is not one ounce of doubt in my mind. Does that necessarily mean we vote one way or another on social security (or any other particular bill or issue)? No, obviously not. But it should determine what issues I push hardest on, what issues I declare to be closest to my heart as a Christian. How we address poverty is open to some debate; that we declare as Christians that poverty is OUR problem is not. The same goes with conflict, war, loving our enemies. My interests should not focus only on my need to express my faith in school prayer or the Pledge of Allegiance. I can (and should) be praying in many, many other times and places. But the poor and powerless of our society need our help, and Christ is calling us to do that.

I attend an urban church. We are embarking on an endeavor to meet those who live in the poor neighborhood surrounding the church, to let them know that the church cares about them and stands ready to help them address important issues in their lives (crime, poverty, childcare, etc.). This is part of a larger movement, I believe it is called "On sacred ground." I'd guess that 97% of the congregation doesn't know the effort is underway. Many, to be honest, would give almost anything to have the whole church-- a beautiful, restored historic church-- simply transplanted to suburbia, so they wouldn't have to lock their doors and roll up their windows as they drive through the impoverished neighborhoods to get to the church. Nothing saddens me more. Reaching out to the poor and suffering in our midst should be Agenda Item Number 1, for all of us. Ironically, I see my church's location as a tremendous opportunity. Think of the good we can do. Some would have to travel quite a distance to get that kind of oppornity to have immediate and dramatic impact on the lives of others, the kind of impact that we should yearn for. We [the members of my church] need only open our eyes as we go to and from services.

Politics and religion

2004-11-10T07:46:00.000-06:00

What message do you take from the election? OH boy. I hate to open that can o' worms. But I suppose the one thing that really bothers me is that self-described Christians came away from the polling place voting overwhelmingly in favor of one candidate (Bush). Evangelicals came out in droves, pastors were urging their flocks to vote for Bush. I hear pundits saying the only hope for Democrats is to find someone who is comfortable talking about their religion (and Christian religion, of course) in public. Religion turned the election in favor of Bush, they say.

I know that abortion is incredibly important. You really can't be a fence-sitter on that one. And the issue of homosexuality seems to strike a chord in people; I've blogged about that before. But are those the only issues where Christians should take a stand?

If you take a stand on the sanctity of human life, if you protest in front of abortion clinics because the destruction of a human fetus is immoral, do you also express the same outrage at the taking of a human life in combat? I'm not there yet, but frankly I respect those who are. It is hard to take that commandment seriously, in all its ramifications. I know people who are adamantly opposed to the death penalty on the same grounds. A life is a life is a life. If it is wrong for a woman to abort a fetus, it is wrong for a soldier to aim his rifle at someone and squeeze the trigger. It is wrong to consume so much of the world's resources, at the expense of others. It is wrong that the things we buy at Wal-Mart are so incredibly cheap because a child in an impoverished country labored to create it. For that matter, it is wrong that there are thousands of Americans who work at Wal-Mart full-time and yet don't have healthcare or the means to make ends meet.

How about concern for people who are starving to death? World hunger should keep us awake at night too. How about the genocide taking place in Darfur? A life is a life is a life. Life is sacred, God-given. We ought to do all we can to protect it.

But that's hard, isn't it? Being against abortion is easy in many of our churches and communities. Taking a stand against war is "unpatriotic." If you lobby for the lives of the unborn endlessly, people admire your persistence. If you talk about the Sudanese endlessly, my hunch is that many of us would be scorned ("what's his deal?"). Want to feel like one of the martyrs of the early Church and really be scorned for your beliefs? Take the Bible seriously, even when it means you can't wave the flag and vote for the guy your pastor says you should. Take a stand, shout it from the rooftops. That takes guts. Fight for the rights of the poor, fight for the living wage movement. Urge your employer to make sure that everyone, from the gardeners to the janitors, receive adequate compensation and a reasonable chance to particpate in a healthcare plan.

Practicing Christianity when it is easy and convenient isn't bad, but I don't think it ought to stop there. Are there situations where our faith might lead us to vote against the party we usually vote for? Or do we selectively invoke it? If a vote could save more lives, but would allow those "immoral" gays to live in peace together, would we do it? Is it really *Christianity* that drives our voting behavior? Or is "Christianity" our shorthand for "Protecting/enforcing my view of the world"? I don't think those are one and the same. I suspect that some of us will learn, each in our own time, that Christ doesn't really draw a distinction between a Sudanese woman, Iraqi citizen and American fetus.

Priorities

2004-10-29T09:01:00.000-05:00

What does it mean when something that you enjoy so much seems to continually get pushed to the back burners? It means you need to realign priorities, I think. That is, I need to realign priorities.

I've thought about the blog and posting (or rather, not posting) and what it means. I usually think about it when I can't possibly get to the computer... when I'm in the car, or when I'm doing a family activity, or away from home.

I honestly enjoy blogging, reading the thoughts of others, musing aloud. My life is just crazy these days. Way too much work on my plate, way too many activities.

I actually do have things to blog about this time around. Here's a starter...

I can't wait for the election to be over. I cannot bear for another minute the silly, mindless name-calling that US politicians resort to. Why is it that people we disagree with must be seen as buffoons and/or evil? Can intelligent people have honest disagreements about policy? Of course they can, and the upcoming election is about many policy differences. But why, then, do we have to resort to claiming that candidates and/or voters who don't share OUR opinions must therefore be less informed, less worthy, less ethical?

I'm not a Pollyana, I believe there are lots of corrupt politicians. And I understand that the motivations behind legislative agendas are less than transparent, and often not official lines bandied about in the press. But does one party have a corner on that market? For eight years I listened to people talk about Bill Clinton as if he were scum, an idiot, an immoral person. Those same people look dismayed that someone would allege that George W. Bush would be accused of being less than intelligent, or that he has made unwise decisions. "Traitorous"? There is plenty of blame to go around, but isn't it odd how Democrats and Republicans can see so clearly the misdeeds of those in the OTHER party, but rationalize just about everything done by their OWN party?

Smacks of those playground interactions we had as first-graders, doesn't it?
"Sally has cooties."
"Do NOT!"
"Do TOO!"
"You guys are ucky!"
"No, YOU are."

Sigh. Let's hope it is over and done with next Tuesday, and that it doesn't get dragged into the Supreme Court this time around.

Good news

2004-09-27T18:43:00.000-05:00

Looks like things are being taken care of by the gun cabinet manufacturer... I'm pleased to see that they've decided to do the "right thing." Well done, Stack-On.

Let's hope now that all of the folks who need to see this information actually get it in time. I don't think this was released as a "press release" per se, but I think it has hit the wire nonetheless. Get those replacement locks, folks.

Life and death...

2004-09-25T21:25:00.000-05:00

Take a look at this article about gun cabinet locks that can be picked with a Bic pen. Remember the story that went around blogdom and mainstream media about a week ago, concerning Kryptonite bike locks that could be easily picked the same way? That made a huge buzz. So far, not so much as a peep about this spinoff story.

How many of these cabinets are out there? How many people keep guns in them, potentially loaded guns? How many children are in danger?

I hope this gets picked up and spread soon. Bad bike locks? Yes, it would be bad to find one's bicycle has been stolen. But imagine what happens when a twelve-year-old finds out that Dad's gun cabinet has the same kind of lock, and gives it a try.

Please, Internet community, work your magic on this one. I just visited a couple of stores in my area, and the company involved still has plenty of product on showroom floors... as though nothing is wrong. Someone is going to buy one of those cabinets today, and put weapons in it, and go to bed with a false sense of security.

Oy vey! A month has gone by...

2004-09-17T09:16:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the nudge, Osray. Yep, a month has whizzed by. Where does the time go? I have just been swamped with personal stuff, professional stuff... blah blah blah. I know, I know, you gotta make time for the important stuff. There has to be time for God in there... Sometimes the little fires in front of me seem more urgent... but urgent does not equal "important."

So I'm back.

Hopefully making this part of my daily routine again. I haven't anything worthy of posting at this very moment, but I've got a few things percolating.

Here's something that had me thinking this morning... I heard a report on National Public Radio about a court case involving a Christian student group at Washburn U. that has prohibited a Mormon student from assuming a leadership position. If I got the facts straight, the issue is whether the university should use student funds for organizations that discriminate based on religious beliefs. I'm familiar with similar cases that involve Christian organizations that discriminate based on sexuality (excluding gays and lesbians). In some cases, it isn't just leadership positions, it is actual membership. In the Washburn case, the Mormon student had volunteered to lead a group activity at the next meeting-- but that was taken away from him when the group leaders found out he was Mormon.

Why wouldn't Christian folks want "others" to be part of their fold? What are they afraid of? In fact, why not go out and deliberately approach those folks? Engage these folks in dialogue. His Truth is not fragile, it is robust and alive. Share with everyone. Share it *especially* with those who seem to need it most, not just with those who already endorse every creed you do. I dunno, maybe I'm missing something...

Have a great day.

Joy

2004-08-19T09:46:00.000-05:00

Jesus Christ is alive and well and living in our midst. How's that for a reason to have a great Thursday?! Isn't it wonderful when you have one of those overwhelming moments of joy, when you appreciate the fact that Christ is in your life? Well, I just had one and thought I'd share. :) Make it a great day.

Now back to our originally scheduled program...

NOT politics as usual

2004-08-18T18:24:00.000-05:00

So do we have to carry this "seeing Christ in everyone" thing all the way to politics? Does that mean we have to actually listen to people in the OTHER party? I'm not suggesting that loving people means you have to accept all of their opinions-- I love my kids but I certainly don't agree with all of their opinions (it just isn't healthy to eat candy for breakfast!). But I am not categorically dismissive of everything my children say either. And even if I find their opinions silly or absurd, I can still smile and feel affection toward them.

Yet I find myself dismissing just about everything that certain politicians say. I think the word "contempt" comes to mind. "Cynical" also fits the bill. I probably need to rise about categorizing people as "idiots" and actually listen to their positions. I think it is o.k. to dislike or even hate their positions or ideas, but not the people behind them. Ouch.

Wow, this is going to be tough. Sometimes wish I hadn't gotten on this train... would be easier if I hadn't.

I recently read some tips for good blogging on Bene Diction Blogs On. I think I violate them all. In particular, this stuff has gotten too heavy, too serious... don't you think? I promise I'm not always serious. This just happens to be the place where I come to do my thinking aloud about such weighty issues. I have kids to try out the low-brow humor on... but they are far less responsive to the Bible verses. :)

I'll be away for a few days, probably 'til Sunday. Someone mind the store for me, will ya? (Last one out, turn out the lights.)

Part II: I detect a pattern. You?

2004-08-17T12:04:00.000-05:00

The Great Commandments are clear: Yes, first and foremost, we should love God… But we must also learn to love others, even our enemies; and we must TRULY love them: serve them, meet their needs, forgive them. My take on this is that it is NOT enough to profess Christ as my savior, and then turn my back on His message. If you love Him, take Him AND His message seriously.

Matt 22:34
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they came together, 35 and one of them, a teacher of the Law, tried to trap him with a question. 36 "Teacher," he asked, "which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37 Jesus answered, " "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the greatest and the most important commandment. 39 The second most important commandment is like it: "Love your neighbor as you love yourself.' 40 The whole Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets depend on these two commandments."

Jn 13:14
I, your Lord and Teacher, have just washed your feet. You, then, should wash one another's feet.

Jn 13:34
And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

Matt 5:43-48
You have heard that it was said, "Love your friends, hate your enemies.' 44 But now I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may become the children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun to shine on bad and good people alike, and gives rain to those who do good and to those who do evil. 46 Why should God reward you if you love only the people who love you? Even the tax collectors do that! 47 And if you speak only to your friends, have you done anything out of the ordinary? Even the pagans do that! 48 You must be perfect—just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Mt 20:26-28
This, however, is not the way it shall be among you. If one of you wants to be great, you must be the servant of the rest; 27 and if one of you wants to be first, you must be the slave of the others 28 like the Son of Man, who did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life to redeem many people."

Mark 11:25
And when you stand and pray, forgive anything you may have against anyone, so that your Father in heaven will forgive the wrongs you have done."

Luke 6:27-38
"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If anyone hits you on one cheek, let him hit the other one too; if someone takes your coat, let him have your shirt as well. 30 Give to everyone who asks you for something, and when someone takes what is yours, do not ask for it back. 31 Do for others just what you want them to do for you. 32 "If you love only the people who love you, why should you receive a blessing? Even sinners love those who love them! 33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you receive a blessing? Even sinners do that! 34 And if you lend only to those from whom you hope to get it back, why should you receive a blessing? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount! 35 No! Love your enemies and do good to them; lend and expect nothing back. You will then have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God. For he is good to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful just as your Father is merciful.
37 "Do not judge others, and God will not judge you; do not condemn others, and God will not condemn you; forgive others, and God will forgive you. 38 Give to others, and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands—all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you."

Luke 20:46-47
"Be on your guard against the teachers of the Law, who like to walk around in their long robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplace; who choose the reserved seats in the synagogues and the best places at feasts; 47 who take advantage of widows and rob them of their homes, and then make a show of saying long prayers! Their punishment will be all the worse!"

Rom 12:9-21
Love must be completely sincere. Hate what is evil, hold on to what is good. 10 Love one another warmly as Christians, and be eager to show respect for one another. 11 Work hard and do not be lazy. Serve the Lord with a heart full of devotion. 12 Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times. 13 Share your belongings with your needy fellow Christians, and open your homes to strangers. 14 Ask God to bless those who persecute you—yes, ask him to bless, not to curse. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, weep with those who weep. 16 Have the same concern for everyone. Do not be proud, but accept humble duties. Do not think of yourselves as wise. 17 If someone has done you wrong, do not repay him with a wrong. Try to do what everyone considers to be good. 18 Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody. 19 Never take revenge, my friends, but instead let God's anger do it. For the scripture says, "I will take revenge, I will pay back, says the Lord." 20 Instead, as the scripture says: "If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them a drink; for by doing this you will make them burn with shame." 21 Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good.

Part I: I detect a pattern. You?

2004-08-17T12:01:00.000-05:00

Jn 8:31
So Jesus said to those who believed in him, "If you obey my teaching, you are really my disciples;

Jn 8:51
I am telling you the truth: whoever obeys my teaching will never die."

Jn 14:15
"If you love me, you will obey my commandments.

Jn 14:21 "
Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. My Father will love those who love me; I too will love them and reveal myself to them."

Jn 14:23
Jesus answered him, "Those who love me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and my Father and I will come to them and live with them. 24 Those who do not love me do not obey my teaching. And the teaching you have heard is not mine, but comes from the Father, who sent me.

Jn 15:10
If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.

Jn 9:31
We know that God does not listen to sinners; he does listen to people who respect him and do what he wants them to do.

Mt 7:21-23
"Not everyone who calls me "Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do. 22 When the Judgment Day comes, many will say to me, "Lord, Lord! In your name we spoke God's message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles!' 23 Then I will say to them, "I never knew you. Get away from me, you wicked people!'

Jn 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not have life, but will remain under God's punishment.

I love your blogs...

2004-08-17T00:43:00.000-05:00

Just did a quick tour of Fr. Jake's blog to catch up... Wow! I love his posts. He recently wrote about homophobia, something I've written about recently as well. He quotes comments by Desmond Tutu on the issue. Excellent post... The hatred that Christians feel toward gays and lesbians makes me shudder. He also passes along a post about a recent National Council of Churches "Christian Principles in an Election Year." Anyone who has read anything here will recognize that I was nodding the whole time I read that one. I thoroughly enjoy his blog.

I also tried to catch up a bit on Only Wonder Understands... Rev. Jay turned me on to thehomelessguy.net, a blog written by a homeless person living in Nashville. I obviously wish this blogger didn't live in his current situation, but very much appreciate the fact that he can dispel myths about the homeless and provide solid advice/suggestions regarding how one can help homeless folks in our communities. I found only one post on the blog, but his FAQ has a pretty extensive collection of questions and answers, including a transcript of an interview about his situation. I found that blog intriguing largely because I have been thinking quite a bit about ways to actively live out my faith-- in particular, my desire to see Christ in all I come in contact with. I think this necessarily entails taking an active interest in the lives of the less fortunate, but so far in my life this has manifest itself only in donations (which I consider a cop out, in my case). I think I'll be making some of the kits that Kevin describes and handing them out.

I love blogging, and it feels sooooo good to get back into it again. I've still got a number of favorite blogs to visit, but it is getting late. I'll have to read more tomorrow.

Behind the silence

2004-07-28T18:53:00.000-05:00

O.k., here's a confession. While I have taken a long vacation, part of my silence on the blog is due to self-doubt. Do you go through those periods? I occassionally go through "what is this all about?" phases. Luckily they are short lived, generally. But seriously. Do you remember the Talking Head lyrics that say (I'm paraphrasing here) "This is not my beautiful wife... this is not my beautiful house." Wow, every once in a while I just take a step back and think "is this whole thing crazy? or a sham?" It isn't, of course. But I find it impossible to write anything in this space when that happens. I'm just bereft of ideas.

I think this is born of self-doubt. And part of me believes that this is sinful, even if entirely human. Sinful because times of such intense self-reflection seem selfish. It is hard to live for God and others when I am so self-absorbed. I wish I could always feel the Spirit working through me, by my side, guiding me. I often do, but there are those bumps in the road.

How do regular writers do it? Or does everyone have to take time off? Do you stop writing in your blog because of these periods? If not, what is it? Of course there's always the time thing. Those who have lots of family/work obligations can just find it hard to muster the time/energy to get to the keyboard.

Because we are hypocrites

2004-07-27T12:55:00.000-05:00

I've heard quite a lot lately about the unchurched in our community, and the need to reach out to them. I'm all for it, I think it is a worthy effort. But I wonder...

Why are so many Protestants leaving their churches? Why are so many people without churches generally? Is it because they haven't yet heard the Word? Probably so, in some cases. But could it also be due to the fact that they have seen/heard too many "Christians" who talk a big game and yet fail to alter their behaviors accordingly? That has been my own personal experience. I went through a period in my life when I did not attend, and it was primarily because I got tired of being in the midst of a sea of people exclaiming "I love Jesus"-- and who would then shoot you a nasty look for having taken their seat in the pews. How many people attending church on a given Sunday make a thoughtful, deliberate connection between what they say/hear/do in worship, and the rest of their lives? Maybe that's too big of a leap... how many make a connection between what they say/hear/do in worship and how they interact with others in the same worship service?

I remain convinced that the basic commandment to love others is beyond many of us, and frankly we just too often lack the will/energy to carry it out. In my reading of the New Testament, Christ often chided the Pharisees and Sadducees for being ever-mindful of the Law, yet not honoring the basic notions of loving God and fellow man. Are we really that much different? Don't we spend a lot of our time judging gays, those of other political beliefs, those who have a different opinion about social issues, those who abuse drugs, criminals, etc.? Do we spend more time trying to love others, or more time trying to identify and condemn those who are violating the "rules and regulations"?

Good things are in store for those we seek out the Message:
John 8:31, John 8:51

What is the message?
Matt 22:36-39, John 13:14, John 13:34, Matt 25:40

If there are people who are cynical about the church because it seems we are lost in the minutiae at the expense of missing the big picture (loving God and all fellow human beings), I don't have an answer for that. I don't think we're going to reel them in with Bible verses or slick worship services. I think they need to be exposed to people who are honestly, quietly, purposefully living out the faith. Unfortunately, the Pharisees and Sadducees are a louder bunch.

How about gathering a large group of believers together to do public works projects? Give them t-shirts to wear that simply say "A Christian" on the back. Or better yet, how about a simple cross. That might bring them in. I don't think words will work anymore... words are probably what have pushed many of these people away.

Sloooooowing down

2004-07-17T14:15:00.000-05:00

It is summertime, and that means time for me to take a short mental health break from the cybersphere. That means fewer postings from me in the near term. :) I'll be back on a regular basis soon. Nothing else pithy (or even boring) to say at present. As Bene Diction says, "blog on."

Fame and fortune

2004-07-13T00:30:00.000-05:00

They seem to go together, don't they? I pondered that as I read the obituary of another Rockefeller who died recently. It was published in our local paper. The obit talked of his wealth, his ranking on the Forbes list of billionaires, his philanthropy. But I'm thinking "Why was this carried in papers all around the world, even in tiny communities like mine?" Lots of people die, why should everyone be particularly interested in the life of this man? Because he had a lot of money. There must be countless people who lead lives of exquisite sacrifice and contribution to their world, people who labor in relative silence. When those people die, little will be said.

I don't much care for the way society goes on about the "virtues" of wealth. Seems that someone once said we can't serve two masters, that it is easier to get a camel through the eye of a needle than for a wealthy man to enter heaven. Now where did I read that? Where are the stories about the poor who give all they have to help others? Unless they commit crimes, they are largely absent from the media. We thirst for information about the rich and famous. That turns my stomach.

Ouch

2004-07-08T23:32:00.000-05:00

I've been on vacation... I apologize to my readers (both of you) for the lack of writing. :)

Here's something that really made me pause recently. I returned home from vacation and read a story about a local youth who was killed in an accident-- he'd fallen off of a roof. The article gave some details, and included a statement about alcohol being involved. I read it with one eye open, as I tried to start my day. My first response (and this is painful to admit) was "yeah, no kidding... people do stupid things when drunk." That was the sum of my response. I spent perhaps 15 seconds reading the story, and then moved on.

I found out later in the day that this was the son of a colleague (the colleague's name is Jack)-- I hadn't recognized his son's name. I didn't know his son, but my colleague and his wife are unbelievably kind people, quality human beings, the sort of people you'd just want to be around. I went to the visitation today, and there was Jack. I hugged him, asked him how he was holding up. He said "o.k., sort of like a roller coaster, I have good moments and bad moments." Then he reached out to me, looked me in the eye and said "Go home and hug your children." And he started weeping, and virtually crumbling in my arms.

Needless to say, I was as moved by this as I could possibly be. I cried, as I thought about what it must be like to have to bury one's own child. Contrast that with my initial callous, righteous response when I initially read about his son's death in the paper. I'm ashamed to even think about that initial response. How can I do that? How have I become so callous about the lives of others? What if I'd NOT known his father? I don't know whether God places these things in front of us as some sort of lesson or not, but I took it that way. Lesson learned.

The difficulty of embracing others

2004-07-01T10:31:00.000-05:00

Found out recently that a priest who I'd known in high school was accused of sexual abuse of a teen. I was floored. I always had great respect for him. He was very kind, and went out of his way to help me. He never engaged in anything even remotely inappropriate in my presence-- he did hug me on occasion, usually when I was clearly either crying or near tears. I saw that as entirely appropriate.

Here's my question: can good people have weaknesses? Can otherwise good people engage in reprehensible behavior? Does one behavior (or series of behaviors) nullify any and all goodness in a person's life? Here's a less extreme example: Can someone whose politics we disagree with be a decent parent or spouse? Are we justified in completely "writing off" people whose behaviors or ideas we find reprehensible? Isn't it difficult to consider a political figure with whom we usually disagree and feel anything remotely resembling love? [insert the name of your least favorite pundit here, and try it yourself] How about the other people in your life that you find "offensive" or incompetent or disgusting or...

I'm struck by the outrage expressed toward priests who've gone astray in this way. Don't get me wrong, I'm not apologizing for their actions. Preying upon those who should be able to trust you is wicked, should be prevented when possible, and punished when discovered.

But where does Christian forgiveness fit in? I think we need to separate understanding a behavior from condoning it. Can we try to understand what might lead someone to commit such acts, even though we don't condone them? And can we move beyond "these people are evil and vile" as an explanation? Is it possible to love them, even as we despise what they've done? This one is trickier: can we move beyond theoretical "love," and appreciate any part of their being once they are "outed"? Is it possible that they have done good and worthy things in their lives?

Back to my less extreme example... if you dislike a particular radio talkshow host, is it possible that s/he has good things to contribute to the world? Can they be a good Christian? Parent? Human being? I find most people are polarized; once they determine that they dislike someone's politics, they become cynical about that person. Period. Seems a bit like passing final judgment, doesn't it? A bit like using "mental ad hominem attacks" when they come in contact with the person in question. Not too productive, and I'd hazard, not too Christian.

I suppose one could start a sort of "Hall of Fame" for the kinds of people who are hardest to love; these folks would be charter members. Christ anticipated this difficulty when he said, quite succinctly: "Love your enemies." This kind of love is harder for some than others; those who have been victimized themselves will clearly struggle in this regard. But I KNOW that God is aware of that, and understands. Nonetheless, even as a general proposition, it seems almost shocking to suggest that we should approach these folks with an attitude of Christian love-- but I don't think it is. I believe it is expression of Christian love at its best. If we can love sex offenders, especially who abuse the powers of their office as part of the offense, we are clearly listening to a voice that does not eminate from within ourselves. That is a healthy thing.

The Painful Truth about Gongs

2004-06-30T08:24:00.000-05:00

I read this comment just now on YBMT?. It is extremely painful to read, but I simply could not agree more.

"I knew if I brought an outsider into the church, they would immediately see through the facade of people "acting out a role". It seems that we're blinded to it until we are provided with this revelation of "reality". WAKE UP, CHUMP... SEE THINGS FOR WHAT THEY REALLY ARE!!! What a blast of cold air in the face that was for me! A bunch of people, acting out their role, putting themselves through the motions of religious obligation. Hating it, but pretending they love it (because it's the proper thing to do, so they think).

My son never liked going to church. Sometimes, I think our youth have an advantage over us because they have the maturity to recognize reality, but still hold on to some of their childlike innocence. What a combination for "truth discerning". In his mid teens, whenever we could get him to come to church with us, he was always polite about discussing it afterwards, but when pressed, he would reluctantly tell us that the church was a bunch of phonies and hypocrites. His thinking pained me for many years, but looking back on it, I see that he was right. It was simply a lot of "play-acting" to look good for God."

Couple this with Fr. Jake's recent queries about why we seem to ignore Christ's rather direct commandment to care for others, especially the poor... We do seem rather phony, I think. Reality is a difficult pill to swallow at times.

I guess I'd temper this reaction with an acknowledgement (apology?) that many of the folks in institutional churches mean well, and are genuinely nice people. They just need to be shaken out of their slumber. I don't think that getting dressed up and parking one's butt in a pew every Sunday means much to God... not unless it is coupled with a meaningful change in one's life-- and especially one's approach toward others. Otherwise, we are nothing but noisy gongs (1 Cor 13:1).

"Around the horn..."

2004-06-29T13:07:00.000-05:00

Some interesting things to ponder from the blogosphere… the are plenty of folks doing some excellent writing about the nature of faith and the world around us. So much to read, so little time.

Jimmy Carter is still sounding more wise and presidential than anything else that has come down the pike in the last 25 years. Found this via a post at the Gutless Pacifist.

The Faithful Skeptic considers democracy in Iraq, and includes a link to a Stanley Hauerwas interview. This is an incredible blog… truly good stuff to be found there. In another powerful post, the relationship between poverty and violence is given thoughtful treatment.

Chuck Currie considers the separation of church and state. This is again an excellent treatment of a dicey issue. He includes substantial text from the United Methodist statement on social responsibility, as well as text from a sermon Martin Luther King, Jr. gave on the relationship between faith and his political endeavors.

Richard at connexions recently blogged about the fact that we seem to need enemies, real or manufactured. A bit hard to argue that one. This simply isn’t part of political discourse—but should be. (And just as an aside, I love those Wesleyan hymns that he posts! I like seeing them as text.) WAIT! I just plundered Richard's archive a bit more... THIS has to be one of the best things I've read lately (yeah, I know it is stale news. Sorry!). Richard posted about this here.

Fr. Jake considers the relevance of the Bible to economics—capitalism in particular. Extremely thought-provoking, as are several other recent posts on his blog (check on the one on loneliness as well, while you are there). This post on capitalism really has me thinking...

Monday musings

2004-06-28T08:28:00.000-05:00

Does anyone else feel completely used by both terrorists and the media when we see media coverage of terrorist events? I suspect that networks LOVE to have their "live breaking news" coverage that attracts viewers; the reporters all seem to be experiencing quite an adrenaline rush. And terrorists of course love the attention. I'd mused in a previous post about what we could do... what if all of us organized and decided that when such coverage starts we will turn off the television and avoid the sensationalism? What if we collectively convinced the media that we don't want to inadvertently encourage terrorism any more by providing a platform and audience? What would the terrorists do if they really believed that people weren't going to be following their acts?

If we think "sure, this would probably work," how could one get the ball rolling in a grassroots sort of way, to band together? Could the Internet play a roll? Blogs?

Is this our duty as a Christian? If we do NOT, are we unwitting (well, "witting" now that I've called your attention to it)participants in acts of violence? How much of our interest in such coverage is concern, and how much is the "slow down to take a look while passing an accident scene" voyeurism?

I'm no philosopher, but...

2004-06-24T12:38:00.000-05:00

"Say to yourself in the morning: I shall meet people who are interfering, ungracious, insolent, full of guile and antisocial; they have become like that because they have no understanding of good and evil. But I who have contemplated the essential beauty of good and the essential ugliness of evil, who know that the nature of the wrong-doer is of one kin with mine-- not indeed of the same blood or seed but sharing the same kind, the same portion of the divine-- I cannot be harmed by any one of them, and no one can involve me in shame. I cannot feel anger against him who is of my kin, nor hate him. We were born to labor together, like the feet, the hands, the eyes, and the rows of upper and lower teeth. To work against one another is therefore contrary to nature, and to be angry against a man or turn one's back on him is to work against him." Marcus Aurelius

Wendell Berry

2004-06-22T12:48:00.000-05:00

Here's more thought-provoking material from Wendell Berry. Definitely worth reading. I like his take on the relationship between economics and the Gospels, as well as his views on what constitutes "progress." I always come away from his writings (or in this case, an interview with him) with something significant to mull over. There's an interesting parallel between his statements on this last topic and The Faithful Skeptic's discussion of declining church attendance (Do Numbers Matter?).

Thanks to The Faithful Skeptic.

Please, take just a moment to pray...

2004-06-21T22:17:00.000-05:00

... for these young people and their leaders who will very soon be doing a mission project. This coming weekend they will be traveling to an impoverished Native American (US) reservation where they will be doing important work for the folks there. If you could, please take just a second to pray for them and leave a comment to let them know you did? You needn't post your prayer, just an acknowledgement that you've been here-- I plan to print a copy of the list and send it to them (nice to get mail from home and kind thoughts when you are a teenager away from home, huh?). Remember, you can post anonymously if you aren't comfortable leaving your name. :) I just thought it might be nice to let them see that others know about them and have prayed for them. And if you have a moment, pass this on to a friend who might stop by.

Their names are: Meg, Pennie, Andy, Andrea, Kyle, Andrew, Ali, Paige, James, Devin, Trisha, Jon, Jessica, Jessie, Angela and Magy

God bless them and guide them as they do God's work. May they be strengthened by the experience!

Underground love cells...

2004-06-21T13:50:00.000-05:00

Anyone else afraid to pick up the papers these days? I don't want to know how many people were killed today. No more beheadings. No more kidnappings. No more carbombs. Please, not today.

What can we do about violence in other countries? I think Christ would say "start small." Have you ever heard the oft-cited example of butterflies in inherently unstable systems? What if each of us took it upon ourselves to deliberately make someone's life easier, less anguished, more enjoyable today? What if we demonstrated love of neighbor toward just 2 or 3 people? And what if those people did the same for 2-3 other people? And so on, and so on...

Maybe terrorist networks are onto something. Let's start a shadowy network of loosely affiliated, underground cells... we'll quietly and stealthily plot to spread the love of Jesus Christ across the world. We don't want to dominate the planet (or anything else for that matter)-- we want to give it all away! We are called to be servants, to wash the feet of others... whether those others are Muslims, Christians or atheists. (Maybe this stealth approach is what Christ had in mind when he said we should pray quietly in private.)

Show someone, with your actions, that Christians have a different solution to violence and anger today.

The differences between us...

2004-06-15T11:17:00.000-05:00

I'm interested in the apparent divisions in the blogospere. I know that when people have face-to-face conversations, we tend to want to talk to others who share our beliefs and opinions. That can be a source of comfort and support. But it is also nice to listen to and learn from those who don't share our opinions. [see this relevant post at connexions] I've gained a lot from doing that, but I still have to remind myself to do so. For example, I've gained a lot from listening to friends who are evangelicals, or friends who are adamantly pro-life... People who 1 or 2 years ago I would have thought had nothing to offer me, in retrospect I believe really had something worth listening to.

For this reason, I'm sometimes saddened when I stop by a blog and see an entire blogroll that is Catholic, or conservative, or evangelical. We have much more in common that we sometimes acknowledge. I was raised Catholic, and am now Methodist. I know there are important distinctions. But I feel so strongly tied by my beliefs to both camps. And it really does sadden me to see the divisions emphasized over the common beliefs and goals. We're reading the same essential story (I know there there are differences in translations, but an ENORMOUS amount of that story is common to us all), trying to live out the same basic teachings, confronting the same basic reality.

I'm going to continue to make a real effort to widen my blog reading. I want to hear what others have to say... Have a great day.

Got Christ?

2004-06-14T22:41:00.000-05:00

What is it about those smug evangelizing Christians who endlessly drone on about "confessing Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior?" that makes my skin crawl? Could it be that they seem to have nailed down all of the righteous stuff, memorized the verses, parked themselves in a church pew 8 times a week, but clearly have not read (or at least haven't thought through) Christ's message? Oh, they've gotten to the Great Commission "Go forth and make disciples..." But they've somehow missed the countless examples, parables and teachings that Christ provides about living a life of humility, compassion and love for others-- (and not just their smug evangelizing Christian friends).

I shouldn't judge, should I? Ouch. Did I mention it is a difficult path? I'm trying Lord, I'm trying. O.k., they are at a different point along the path, and doing what they believe is right. I should try to love them as well. I know they mean well. At any rate... Here's an essay on this that I found worthwhile. I mention it, because the author points out that (even if we LOVE those annoying smug evangelizers) their message can actually be counterproductive. Interesting point.

Radical? Difficult? Different?

2004-06-14T15:03:00.000-05:00

I saw on a post at connexions that Richard describes himself as a "radical Christian." I've thought the same thing recently.

If you take seriously this charge to love others, with all that goes with it, it does make you radically different. It begins to complicate your life immeasurably too.

Let's just say that life is easier when you can say/do things without always thinking about the welfare of others. :) Seriously. I don't think it should keep us from thinking critically, nor should we be accepting of everything-- certainly not. But it means that we must be careful about the way we react. I love my children, but don't necessarily like all of the behaviors they exhibit-- nor should I. Nonetheless, my words and behaviors should leave no uncertainty that I love them, regardless. And I know in my heart that I want only the best for them, that I want to make them happy and help them avoid pain and suffering. That is love. Christ tells us that our Father loves us NO MATTER WHAT. When we talk to people, or react to their posts on blogs, our words should be carefully chosen. The words you use to confront others, online or otherwise, are words spoken to Christ. (I think the verse is something like Matt 25:40) That's true ESPECIALLY if we've found some reason to dislike them. New translation?: "Whenever you blogged with people you considered small and unworthy, you blogged with me." Ouch. Imagine how responses would differ if each of us imagined that the recipient was Christ.

Viewing the call to love others as central doesn't make one a "wishy washy liberal" who goes on endlessly about love love love. I'll tell you what it does-- for me, it raises the hurdles about 15 notches. Avoiding sin in terms of the usual culprits isn't NEARLY as difficult as turning my back on this fundamental commandment from our Lord. I can pray, go to church, remain faithful to my spouse, avoid murdering people, etc. with no trouble whatsoever. But a single day of treating each person I come in contact with as if s/he were Christ... Personally, I pray most often for strength on this score. Of all the mysteries of the faith, this one has me baffled. It is, I am convinced, completely at odds with human nature.

Radical? I think so. Christianity should make us question these basic and instinctual responses to the "other." Focusing on "sins" in the usual sense allows one to avoid this central and for many, most difficult, hurdle of the faith. Loving others is a primary obligation-- to not continually work toward it is, I think, clearly a sin.

Wow, people read these things!

2004-06-10T15:19:00.000-05:00

Call it an epiphany. I'm glad to see that folks are making their way past my spot in blogdom. :) Blogging is such a great concept.

My life has been a blur the last few days, much to do and so little time. But it is all good.

I've come across two folks who are blogging about their journeys into ministry in the United Methodist Church: The Faithful Skeptic, and The Student Pastor. That is awesome, to be allowed "in on" such a interesting and important journey. I wish them both the best.

Got a call last night from a fellow in a Bible study group I'd recently joined. Nice older gentleman, who is very concerned about my well-being and interest in the church. No matter how many missteps you might have in the Church, one really dedicated and obviously caring soul can really make your day (or week even). Isn't that great?! I'm sure no one asked him to call, and he isn't doing that as part of an official "ministry." I wonder how many of us inadvertently brighten someone's day or bring them just a step closer to Christ without even knowing it?

I'm running on empty at the moment... more later.

Who has time to squabble?

2004-06-07T13:59:00.000-05:00

So I'm thinking about all of the issues that are tearing at the fabric of the Church (Christendom, not any particular church).

And my next thought is, I don't really have a bead on many of these issues-- most notably the issue of homosexuality that many large Christian groups are confronting. (The issue has clearly been the news quite a bit, and I've recently read posts on this topic by IreneQ and A Religious Liberal Blog, and others...) While I don't have a bead on it, I do know that I've had discussions with gay and lesbian individuals who are truly torn about reconciling their selves with their religion. I know that this is an issue that causes them great pain. I haven't talked to one who thought their sexuality was a matter of choice-- none could remember a time when they felt any other way about sexual matters. Many have experienced some pretty horrific depths as they tried to deal with the issue.

And what have we done in response? Who are the "least of these"? If I had a nickel for every person I've heard say "you can hate the sin, but love the sinner" I'd be rich. And frankly, in most cases I suspect it just isn't true. I'm not buying it, but that's between those individuals and their God. At some point, Christ will be divying us up into the sheep and the goats, eh? The LEAST OF THESE. Think about it. He didn't say to tolerate them, he said to LOVE THEM. That means that when they are plunged into depression about their sexuality (or more to the point, society's reaction to it), we should care. When they feel shut out of the church, we should care. We need to listen to their concerns. And love them.

I've heard many gay and lesbian individuals say they've experienced more hate, more prejudice and more discrimination at the hands of "Christians" than just about any other group. If there's shame to be felt in any of this, THAT should cause us to feel shame.

Maybe there's a caveat in the Bible that I'm not aware of-- "Love thy neighbor, unless thy neighbor is homosexual (or in any other way makes you feel uncomfortable). In that case, screw 'em." Hey, if you can't bring yourself to call them your "neighbors," how about "enemies"? (I think He covered that one too.)

Here's another thought. While, to the best of my knowledge, Christ spent roughly zero minutes on earth preaching about homosexuality, he did spend an ENORMOUS amount of time speaking quite specifically about loving others, compassion for the sick, and the sinners among us, and the poor. He spoke endlessly in terms that leave virtually no room for interpretation about how we should lead our lives and interact with each other.

I don't know about you, but I don't have my ducks in a row on that one. There are still many folks I'm struggling to love, and as far as I know the world is still full of the downtrodden and poor.

Why don't we get on with the work God has placed before us, and let Him make the difficult calls? I don't personally feel I've been put here as a Christian to be judge and jury for ANYONE. Yes, I am here to spread the Gospel. And as it says at the top of the page, I'll use words if necessary. But everyone should know we are Christians by our actions-- by the way we demonstrate acceptance, love and compassion for each other. Not just people who think like us. Everyone.

Sure FEELS better to judge others, to point out the flaws of others. But we won't be judged based on what OTHERS do, but based on what WE do. Talk about a difficult path and narrow gate, huh? Like I said, who has time to squabble?

Cynicism about the church

2004-06-04T21:45:00.000-05:00

One of the advantages of being new to blogging is that I get to go out and find the juicy posts that others have probably already read. Here's one I particularly enjoyed by the Real Live Preacher.

It made me remember an eye-opening experience of my own... I recall talking to a pastor, a young, energetic pastor who is perhaps to date the best I have ever known. He said he had recently been "taken down a notch" by the district superintendent because he (the pastor) suggested that it was time to go through and "clean up" his church's rolls. You know, delete the names of people who had moved away, left the church, died. "No, no..." he was told, "...it's all about numbers." So they cook the books to maintain "numbers."

I left that conversation wondering whether anyone on the planet really knows with any degree of accuracy the number of active church members. The hierarchy is so caught up in the numbers game-- what a strange place to focus one's energy.

Is it any wonder that people outside of Christianity are cynical? Organized religion can create some real PR problems for the faith.

In the immortal words of Monte Python...

2004-06-04T21:05:00.000-05:00

"And now for something completely different..."

We all need a bit of humor. All the better if it requires a bit of current events knowledge. :) These are really funny parodies of Diebold ads for voter machines.

Thanks to slouching toward urschleim, via bloggedy blog.

Powerful spiritual experiences...

2004-06-03T14:09:00.000-05:00

Have you had power spiritual experiences? I'm not one to have them often, but I've had one recently. What do you do with that? In my case, I wanted to share it with someone. It occurred to me that the last place I really felt I could do that was my church. We (the church I belong to) are too caught up in our individualized weekly "worship experiences" to actually take the time to listen to one another, or (God forbid) share life-changing experiences with each other.

That strikes me as perhaps the most bizarre thing in the world. What does it mean to have a church where people do not share their spirituality? I fault myself as much as the church... and I was immediately aware that others had likely had similar experiences in my presence in the church.

Why are Gog-blogs a good thing? Because I would IMMEDIATELY discuss such experiences in this format. The difference? There is something dysfunctional about the way we relate to one another in "real churches," at least in the churches I've experienced. Something that drives us to carefully filter the face we present to others, the conversations we have, the information we share... the kind of baring of one's soul and true sharing that could take place simply doesn't. But this kind of sharing is commonplace in God-blogs. Thank God.

I'm ecstatic I've discovered this medium.

In need of sleep

2004-06-02T11:46:00.000-05:00

The world looks a lot less friendly when I am seriously short on sleep... and I suspect I am less friendly in return. I'm not sure there is a solution to that one, other than getting more sleep.

And it tooks YEARS for me to arrive at those self-evident conclusions. :)

Taking the time...

2004-06-01T21:53:00.000-05:00

Two things that made me think about time and priorities today...

1) I've been working on my ability to quietly discuss my faith with others. Not a strong suit-- this blog is a bit of an experiment on that score. At any rate, today I ran into a woman whose child "C" is in my son's class at school. Apparently C came to school recently and told his class that his Dad has cancer. Yikes.

Well, for reasons not worth going into, I'd had a bit of a run-in with C's dad last year. No big deal, but our last conversation wasn't pleasant. Somehow the word "cancer" made me rethink that petty difference of opinion. And it made me pray, both for him and his family, and for help with my pettiness. Life is indeed too short for that sort of thing.

So when I saw this guy's wife today, I told her that I'd been praying for her husband. I don't think I've ever told someone that face-to-face. Her face lit up, and she spent the next 15 minutes or so sharing her family's ordeal with me. I'm SO glad I took the time to say those simple words, it clearly made a difference. It was clear to me that she needed someone to talk to about the issues she's dealing with. And it felt really good to be able to share my faith with someone.

2) I'm reading Bene Diction Blogs On this afternoon, and my first thought is "Where does Bene get the time to gather this information?" I'm so thankful that others have taken the time to put together blogs like this... it is such a great service to the rest of us.

Concern for others means taking an active interest in their lives, keeping up with world events, making one's voice heard. But it can be a bit overwhelming keeping up with the sheer volume of information coming down the pike. Thanks for what you do, Bene!

In praise of eBibles

2004-06-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

I'm a Palm user (well, actually a Sony Clie user). If you too have a PDA, or personal digital assistant, you might consider eBible software for it. I'm using BibleReader software by Olive Tree. I have two versions loaded, Today's English Version and NRSV. I tend to read the TEV, but it is nice to be able to bring up the same verse in the NRSV with the click of a button. What is more, I constantly use the searching feature to locate verses. It is also far more easy to navigate the Bible... I can find chapter and verse quicker than most people can find the right book. :)

And hey, you never know where you'll end up reading your Bible. Think long waits in the doctor's office. Think long waits for trains to pass...

What is THE message?

2004-05-31T23:59:00.000-05:00

I'm not a theologian (and I don't even play one on t.v.). But if I had to choose two main themes in the New Testament, they'd be 1) follow Jesus, He is the one true way, and 2) love others. Those roughly correspond to the two Great Commandments, right? There aren't many of them, just TWO. And they aren't Great Suggestions, they are COMMANDMENTS.

Love, love, love.

Love our family and friends, of course. But Jesus clearly said that that is NOT what He had in mind (even the tax collectors do that, He said).

Love who? Our enemies... the least of His followers... I'm guessing He meant everyone. And He meant all that goes with truly loving someone. That means caring for them spiritually and physically, meeting their needs. That means practicing forgiveness (ouch). And Christ demonstrated love for those who seemed hardest to love, didn't He? Sinners, people with physical afflictions, societal outcasts...

So who seems hardest for ME to love? Oh boy, let me count the ways. The store clerk who doesn't know the answer to my question. The person who took my order at the fast food restaurant and put the wrong food in the bag. The person who almost hits me in traffic because they don't use their signals. Unfortunately, the list is really endless, and seems to grow by the hour.

It is a journey. One step at a time. But I keep telling myself, there are TWO Great Commandments. Keep them both. Being a Christian doesn't make me perfect, but it means that I have taken on a solemn vow to give it all I've got, to keep those commandments.

Of course, we all stumble along the way, but then there's the corollary to message #1: Christ died so that our sins would be forgiven. So while I have to work like crazy to follow those two commandments, I know that in the end He didn't really expect us all to be perfect. And that's o.k. "Love each other, and forgive them. I'll forgive you."

In the beginning...

2004-05-31T23:57:00.000-05:00

Well, here it is... my first dive into blogdom. I have gained a great deal by "lurking" and reading what others have written, so I'll give it a shot.