Cynicism: Highs and Lows

Continuing from "Cynicism: Broken Wisdom."

Joseph, of Technicolor fame, seemed to get the idea that human wisdom is broken and that no human can imagine God’s wisdom. He exemplified the humility of a man whose wisdom was broken. When the Pharaoh called Joseph, saying, “I have heard that when you hear about a dream you can interpret it,” Joseph replied, “It is beyond my power to do this.” (Gen 41:15; cf. Dan 2:27)

What can we know? Can we live wisely at all? The existential despair of this position seems unbearable. Am I doomed to stupidity, indeed, insanity? Gloriously, no! I was reminded of a great promise. How had I forgotten these verses I had memorized in junior high? “If any of you lacks wisdom, let his ask God, who gives freely to all without finding fault, and it will be given him” (James 1:2). Paul affirms that we humans are not doomed: “No one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit, … so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.” And “those who are spiritual can evaluate all things…. We understand these [truths from God’s Spirit], for we have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor 2:11-12, 15-16). Joseph, too, seemed to understand this. After he admitted that he could not himself interpret the Pharaoh’s dream, he said, “But God can tell you what it means” (Gen 41:16; cf. Dan 2:28, 30).

The Pharaoh, upon hearing Joseph’s interpretation, is advised to “find an intelligent and wise man and put him in charge” (Gen 41:33; cf. Isa 29:14; 1 Cor 1:19). Cue Joseph. The Pharaoh, impressed by Joseph, says, “Can we find anyone else like this man so obviously filled with the spirit of God? Clearly no one else is as intelligent or wise as you are” (Gen 41:38-39).

So now I’m hearing two different things: As a fallen man, my own wisdom is broken, and I cannot grasp at God’s; as a man being redeemed, I “have the mind of Christ,” enabling me to “understand the truths of God’s Spirit” and to “evaluate all things.” In one extreme, I’m so low and broken that I’m unable to distinguish anything good or bad. In the other extreme, I’m raised to such ability that I can make every judgment.

How do I reconcile these two extremes? How do I live this out practically?

Continue.

What is it with winning?

I am in a big losing streak right now.

 

Both of my soccer teams are on 3 game losing streaks.  I occasionally play on some Sundays and last night we got smoked by a bunch of high schoolers.  (I recognize some of these kids from substitute teaching so maybe they were motivated to get revenge from the test I handed out on Thursday!)  The previous game my team was clearly superior and clearly was playing selfish and clearly got beat.  I also lost the Oscar contest at a friend's house last night.  Although I showed up late (which had me in the hole) I couldn't pick a winner for the life of me until I rattled off 6 in a row. 

 

In watching the Oscars I noticed there are significant more "losers" than "winners."  One person "wins" something at the expense of others losing.  My team loses at the expense of the other team winning.  In the larger realm one team will win the league and all the other teams will loose. 

 

Why is it that winning is defined from the perspective on the end? 

 

It is like the modern view of salvation that says the winners and the losers are separated at the end, when people are divided between heaven and hell. 

 

Why can't we "win" now?  Why can't people experience salvation how?  Why is salvation only official when in the end we are given an Oscar to hold?

 

If winning is more than a final result and a prize given than maybe I'm not on a losing streak.  Perhaps I "won" our game last night because I was able to celebrate the gifts and skills God has endowed me with.  Perhaps I was victoriously because I played well with my teammates.  Perhaps I was the conqueror of the Oscar contest because I shared fellowship with friends and enjoyed the joy of laughter and community.

 

Guess I'm a winner.  :)

Relationship Advice

If you are single and need relationship advice check out www.danlugo.com.  More proof that the best, brightest and most clever American Puerto Rican independent musicians from Florida who read Dr. Seuss and Robert Weber go to Northern Seminary 

Cynicism: Broken Wisdom

Continuing from "Cynicism: Name It and Claim It."

I was thinking about my critical attitude when I read 1 Cor 4:6: “If you pay attention to what I have quoted from the Scriptures, you won’t be proud of one of your leaders at the expense of another.” For me, I’ve realized that the leader I am proud of is an ideal I’ve set up in my imagination; I’ve set up a glorified ideal Christian leader (and community) and criticized everyone by measuring them against that.

In some ways, that ideal is a projection of myself, proud and pathetic as that is. (I suspected as much in my last post: [believing I have license to criticize everything] is a few small steps from setting myself up as the standard . . . and the judge . . .) Maybe not the person I am now, but who I think I could be if I truly lived by my values and beliefs. As I compare, I do this “at the expense of another,” judging them and finding them lacking some essential by measuring them according to my fallen concept of perfection. But my ideal is a nobody, nonexistent, unreal.

But Paul offers some hope, that “if [I] pay attention to what [he has] quoted from the Scriptures,” I could possibly avoid this proud pitfall and a subsequent judgmental attitude. In the chapters preceding this verse, Paul does in fact quote a number of passages: Isa 29:14; Jer 9:24; Isa 64:4; 40:13; Job 5:13; Ps 94:11. In all these verses, we might find a common theme: Human wisdom is broken, and no human can imagine God’s wisdom.

Here I'd used my own imagination to create some clever ideal, but these truths blow that apart. The Scriptures he's quoted certainly accomplish Paul’s purpose: so “you won’t be proud.” Not only am I wrong to establish myself as judge, but the ones I am judging are in this boat with me. There's nothing for me to be proud of. Together in our community of stupidity, we decide what’s cool or valuable or true or legitimate (is this “culture”?), but even if we set about to think it through carefully, our wisdom is broken. Even if we set about to imagine what God’s values are, we can't.

Paul seems to back me up: “It matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide.”

With broken wisdom and impotent imagination, can I even obey Paul’s instruction to “question everything” and “keep the good”?

Continue . . .

Laundry 101

This month is black history month.  At the school I sub at they have a quote a day.  I liked today's quote:

 

"Laundry is the only thing that should be separated by color."

 

I agree with the spirit of the quote.  I disagree that laundry needs to be separated by color. 

 

Future college students everywhere take note of this simple advice.  You just need to know two things:

 

1) Cold water wash

2) Cold water rinse

 

If you do that than you can mix the colors up like a bag of Skittles.  I have heard this does not get the clothes as clean.  However, realize the important word as.  This means the clothes still get clean, they just don't meet some uber-Tide-commercial-whiteness-standard of cleanliness. 

 

These thoughts logically lead me to the church.  :)

 

The popular quote is that Sunday morning is the most segregated hour of the week.  In talking with fellow seminarians and friends many of them admit they find it hard to imagine a segregated church.  One confessed to me that she thought it was better to just worship in our isolated communities because it was so much easier and created less problems. 

 

I couldn't disagree more.  Many Churches will worship in all white (or Asian, black, Latino, etc..) congregations because of their geography.  My home church in Michigan couldn't be racially segregated because we didn't have racial diversity in the community.  However, where there is the opportunity to worship in diversity we must seek it.

 

Worshiping in diversity brings us to an awareness of the creative beauty God bestows on all people.  Diversity helps us celebrate our uniqueness and gives us opportunity to learn from each other. 

 

Let me use the laundry metaphor some more.  I don't mean to use the words light and dark in a derogatory or offensive manner.) 

 

If "light" clothes and "dark" clothes are going to worship together we will have to start with some "cold water" rinsing and washing. We will have to learn how to worship together with gentleness (the gentle cycle).  But cold water and the gentle cycle can only get us so far.  This cycle has it's time and place.  But we want to use hot water, we want to use water that will get us to that uber-Tide-commercial-whiteness-standard of cleanliness.  That level that will get us closer to God.  Why settle to be "as clean" when we can be fully clean?

 

When we use hot water to wash and rinse the colors will start to bleed and mix and appear ruined.  But what might appear to be a loss of identity on the outside is really a deepening of our individual mosaic.  We might loose a little bit of our identity but in that process we gain the identity of the other.  What looks like a mess to the world is the most fashionable thing to God. 

 

 

Christ is not Sympathetic.

Adam wasn't the only one convicted at that conversation. Let's be a little more honest! Sarah said, "You guys (both of us) are cynical."

I'll be the first to admit that I'm pretty cynical. I remember in my sophomore Advanced American History class my friend had just learned what the word "pessimist" meant. He was quick to tell me I was a pessimist. He was like a little kid who just learned a new word and he delighted in labeling me. I delighted in telling him to quit talking because I was sick of listening to his voice (I know, I'm so kind!)

I think our generation is inherently cynical. Our parents lived during a time where education and hard work could provide financial and family stability. They grew up with the values of the 50s and in a world where things were somewhat secure.

But they also grew up during the time of the World Wars and human failures. Thus we were birthed into a time where families split up, there is no authority in Christianity, violence in schools is typical, violence overseas is the norm, one educational degree means you just have one, and the minute you get a job it could be outsourced to India. Our President's have lied, our athletes cheated, and even reality TV is scripted.

Overall we are a generation of cynics. We find it difficult to trust. If I am speaking too broadly I apologize, perhaps I am projecting my feelings too generally. But I think I would find some sympathizers.

I am challenged because I find no sympathy for cynicism in Christ.

I find that cynicism is diametrically opposed to the kind of hope that Christ ushers into humanity. Despite our failing and sin there is a reality to live in that is not of this world. A reality that came (Jesus incarnated as sent by the Father) is here (as witnessed by the Holy Spirit), and is yet to come (the culmination of history, when "Jesus returns").

That is the real reality. That Jesus redeems the brokenness of this world and calls us to live in the hope of love. Not a distant future hope but a budding hope that blossoms everyday.

Cynicism: Name It and Claim It

Recently a friend spoke to me as the voice of conviction. I had gone to IHOP with Mike and our friend Sarah. We were discussing things that we all deeply care about, things we want to see change, things that we hope for. In the conversation, I had drawn a conclusion with grave finality, punctuated by the silence as we all absorbed it, myself smug and unhappy. Sarah broke the silence with “You seem really cynical.” She wasn't being mean. I didn't feel judged. She said it like she was telling me how her meal tasted. Perhaps it is that I am someone for whom words are not taken lightly. Or perhaps it is that her words staked out a place for the truth where only an unspoken haunting had hung. I knew she was right—I was critical and cynical—and I didn’t like it.

One of my mantras is “Question everything. Keep the good” (1 Thess 5:21). I hold it high and proud as license to critically evaluate everything. The drawback is that this thinking is a few small steps from setting myself up as the standard by which I evaluate anything and the judge for all that I criticize. In this spirit, I can easily become focused only on the failures and miss the good things in what I’m judging. Another mantra I live by is the belief that “the danger is in the extremes.” While I’ve spent a lot of time questioning everything, I failed to balance that by “keeping the good.” My friend Sarah distilled all these convictions with her terse observation over pancakes, bacon, and orange juice at IHOP.

Since then, this conviction has taken root, and I’ve been struggling to find some direction or corrective. The question I’ve come to ask is “What’s the difference between being discerning and being merely critical or cynical?” Discernment seems to have a more positive, proactive nature, whereas criticism or cynicism only sees what is wrong. But beyond seeing what’s wrong, what else does discernment offer?

Continue with "Cynicism: Broken Wisdom"

Compulsion

I read Adam's post and felt compelled to write one as well.  I realize staring blankly at the blank Word document that compulsion is so agonizing.

 

I feel compelled to write something, to produce something, to give a token of thought to this blog.  Compulsion is effective, just like guilt is effective, to creating change.  But it is only effective for a short amount of time.  Guilt is like a New Years' resolution.  I have a cd Learning Spanish from my resolution two years ago and I don't know hardly any Espanol.  Last year I was going to memorize a Bible verse every week but that lasted only about 2 months. 

 

So guilt can drive me to write this blog post but not develop it anymore.  And you know what?  I'm not going to write anymore!  I'm just going to wallow in this guilt...

 

Hasta luego   :)

Paper Clip 3

The analogy of a paper clip certainly need not be confined to the discipline of prayer alone. The paper clip (oh small and unimportant paper clip!) could represent any number of spiritual disciplines that an individual incorporates into his or her life. Still, the bent posture of prayer and the openness, expectancy, and trusting implicit in the act of prayer are valuable pictures of how we might rightly approach any discipline we undertake—not for the value innate to any discipline, but for the infinite worth of the one for whom we undertake them.

It is an easy conclusion to draw that practicing spiritual disciplines like prayer makes us spiritual people or that doing so will bring us closer to God or make us holier or more righteous. Those things are possibilities, but not inevitabilities.

Mike’s “Paper Clip 2” post reminded me of an insight that revealed to me that I’d believed this falsehood. I trace it to Richard Foster’s book, Celebration of Discipline. Actually, I’m not sure if it was his book at all, although my memory recalls it as such. Do you ever have that experience? Where you try to recount your memory through a book or a place only to find that it was nothing like you remembered, in other words, not nearly as good?

No matter, I found the passage that captures that informed my thinking about the purpose of spiritual disciplines: “By themselves the Spiritual Disciplines can do nothing; they can only get us to the place where something can be done…. The Disciplines allow us to place ourselves before God so that he can transform us.”

Think of it in terms of the paper clip. Laid out straight and proud, the piece of wire might masquerade as a key or suffice as a toothpick, but it was not made for that, and those other things do it better. Bent as it was meant to be, it is ready to be used for any two or more papers. Does its form ensure that it will be used immediately? No. But it is available and prepared for use when that purpose might arise. In the same way, spiritual disciplines like prayer prepare us. They make us ready to be used by God, in his time, at his disposal. But if we are not bent, we will not be ready. Certainly we could do other things, but we were not made to. John the Baptist knew what it meant to be bent.

He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!”

Fred Flinstone....backstabber.

I heard some funny stuff today because I was around my friends and they are funny people. 

 

This is the conversation.

 

Guy 1 "Isn't it kinda messed up that Fred Flinstone ate a big rack of meat?  I mean he worked on a Brontosaurus all day and then went home and ate a dinosaur.  How could he betray his co-worker-kind like that?"

 

Guy 2 "Well look at farmers, they work with cows all day and they eat hamburgers."

 

Guy 1 "That's not the same.  This is like a cowboy eating his horse."

 

Maybe you had to be there but I thought it was gold.  I just got a mental picture of the Lone Ranger barbecuing Silver over an open fire!  (If you dont' get that reference it is probably because you are cool.)

 

If you think Guy 1 is funny check out his blog: http://joshsabo.blogspot.com/

Paper Clip part 2

One of the first things I do when I arrive to sub at school is look for paper clips.  Each class has handouts, tests, or work to turn in and it must be "sectioned off" in the folder.  Heaven forbid, if the 2nd period algebra worksheets get mixed in with the 5th period!

 

For me a paper clips represent boundaries.  Going out on a limb here...I think spiritual disciplines can be thought of as boundaries.  They keep us in right relationship with God.  They keep us balanced and aligned with God's work. 

 

Discipline has such a negative connotation, which is unfortunate.  The disciplines of prayer, fasting, fellowship, etc, aren't to be "endured" but rather celebrated. 

 

For Lent I too decided to take up the practice of prayer.  By not surfing the net, or purusing endless info. I am better able to free my time.  Now this was intially hard because I don't have a set time everyday where I "surf" the net. 

 

So after the first couple of days I was not very obedient in re-orienting my prayer life.  I found that I wasn't able to naturally subsitute my "surf" time for "prayer" time.  What I have done in response is set aside time for purposeful prayer.  I realize that by actually making an effort to pray it happens! 

 

Even though I freed up the time before it wasn't happening.  Why?  Cause prayer is hard.  Prayer doesn't happen in removing priorities.  Rather, prayer happens by making it a priority. 

 

 

Meditation on a Paper Clip

I push a lot of paper at my job. Thus, there are plenty of paper clips roaming about looking for work. I have a drawer full of them, big and small. I have one in front of me right now. I turn it over in my fingers as I’m reading at my desk. The paper clip is this simple little piece of wire bent three times into a useful tool.

Sometimes, for whatever reason, I unbend a paper clip so that all I have is a long, straight metal…nothing. The only uses I can think of for a straightened paper clip are to pick a lock, pick your teeth, or poke through that little hole to reset your PDA. These are functions for sure, but even if you try to bend the metal back to form, it just is never quite the same.

I mentioned last week that during this Lenten season, prayer is one of the disciplines I’ve committed myself to. It’s going okay. I admitted to myself last night that I really don’t know how to pray much at all. I mean, I can do prayer and I can say some words and bless a meal, but I can’t pray for much more than 10 minutes. I confess that one inspiration for me is this general impression I have of some of the famous spiritual men and women of centuries past having spent long hours in communion with their Lord. Perhaps that betrays the truth most of all. I don’t know what it means to pray; I’ve idealized it. It all appears very spiritual until your sitting there, kneeling there, wondering, “Okay, now what?”

The man who inspires my prayer most is Daniel, of lion’s den fame. His story has taught me the few things I believe about prayer. That’s where the paper clip comes in. Like the paper clip, Daniel was bent at the knees, probably again at the waist, bowing before his God. He was not about his own goals, straightened out and useless. A man does not pray who has things to achieve. This bent posture of reverence showed Daniel to be available to God’s purposes, not because he prayed outwardly, but because inside his will was bent like a paper clip. His prayers were so regular, Daniel so committed, that even his enemies depended on them in their plans to destroy him (and they were proved right, or Daniel proved faithful, for he faced the lions as a result).

There is much more to heed from Daniel’s disciplines and practices—well worth your time. Prayer is still largely a mystery to me—in purpose, method, results. But for now, I think it suffices, and perhaps is God’s own clever means to his end, that I come like a paper clip, like Daniel, regularly, openly, honestly, determined, asking God, “Okay, now what?”

Continued here, then here.

Jesus:contradiction

Note: This blog continues a series that started with Jesus:counterculture.

Jesus’ teachings baffle me sometimes. Consider a few scenes from his life.

First, in the temple. Jesus and the disciples are loitering about, when Jesus pauses. Look. Quick, look! The disciples scramble, looking about. What is Jesus pointing at? Where? There! That old woman? Yes! Why? She just gave her last two pennies. So? She gave her last two pennies. It was everything she had. (Lk 21)

Then in a home, while Jesus is eating, (Jn 12) a single woman, of no status in that day, brings some spendy Calvin Klein Eternity and douses Jesus’ feet in the perfume. Judas, of betrayal fame, couldn’t believe it: That was a year’s wages! That money could’ve gone to charity! But Jesus blows him off, “Leave her alone….You’ll always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.”

So Jesus watches a poor, old widow give up everything and then accepts a year’s worth of cash poured on his feet?

In his famous “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus warns his audience, “Unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of the religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 5:20).

But on another day, Jesus is having lunch with these Pharisees and said, “You crush people with impossible religious demands, and you never lift a finger to ease the burden” (Lk 11:46).

Jesus accuses the pastors and leaders of demanding too much from the Jews, but then he calls the people to even higher standards. Isn’t that hypocritical?

On another occasion, hoping to catch Jesus in a subversive mood, someone asks Jesus, “Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar of not?” Finally, let’s hear it straight from Jesus about the government.

You know the rest (Lk 20:20ff). Whose image is on the coin? So then give Caesar his money. Jesus the revolutionary isn’t sounding too rebellious at the moment. Strike that story for the cause. So what’s the deal? Is Jesus for or against the government?

Two more scenes. The first is the woman at the well (Jn 4). She was a Jewish half-breed and a slut. To her, Jesus offers a life worth living for, the “living water…giving [her] eternal life.”

The second is an obscure story (Mk 7). The woman is a Gentile, an outsider like the first woman but subject to less racism. “Her little girl was possessed by an evil spirit, and she begged [Jesus] to cast out the demon from her daughter” (7:25-6). Jesus responded, “It isn’t right to take food from [the Jews] and throw it to the dogs.” Yes, he was referring to her, a Gentile, a dog. (But see how it ends.)

This countercultural Jesus offers life to a half-breed no-status slut but disregards the needs of a humble Gentile widow. Was he only compassionate if you caught him on the right day?

Doesn’t Jesus make you mad? Not like angry mad, like insane mad (well, maybe that last one would make you angry mad too). He seems so evasive. At every turn, his words seem to contradict themselves.

This question of the countercultural Jesus strikes at deeper problems; these scenes paint a maddening, apparently contradictory, picture of Jesus. It’s not just a question of whether Jesus is countercultural but whether he lives by any principles at all. It’s about something more than (or other than) being subversive or countercultural. But what is Jesus about then?

Do you believe in Miracles?

I have about 15 minutes here at work and I don't have access to my Bible.  But I remember reading in Hebrews early this week about miracles.  It got me thinking about the lack (or our lack of what we call) miracles.

Al Michael's is famous for his often played quote, "Do you believe in miracles" when the United States hockey team upset the Russian giants during the 1984 Olympics. (I think that's right, I can't quite verify this stuff and lack of internet access makes it difficult!)  Was that a miracle?  An underdog hockey team full of college kids defeating the Goliath of international hockey?  Maybe.

Maybe a miracle is simply a surprise.  Or an anomaly.   Something  unexpected.  Something we didn't predict.  Better yet, something we didn't expect.

Our expectations tend to determine our reactions.  For instance, when somebody gets cancer we expect the worse.  Rarely do we expect healing.  And when healing does occur it is "miraculous!"   It shatters our expectations of what can happen, or what should happen. 

So perhaps miracles would be more prevalent if we re-orient our expectations.  Or better yet, if we don't have any!

The WikiBible!

Adams post made me think about how we read the Bible, how we "filter" the text.

 

About two months ago I heard Scott McKnight speak on this topic.  I don't remember the entire lecture but he was detailing how people study the Bible.  I recall two ways he cited people read the Bible.

 

1) The Hallmark Method:  Here we read the Bible for an encouraging word or clever phrase that will energize us for the day.  For example, we are feeling anxious so we read all the verses from our concordance that correspond with being anxious.  This isn't bad but it is problematic because it tends to subject the Bible to our repetitive state.  There is a good chance we might suffer from anxiety consistently and thus we devoid ourselves of rich material to read.

 

2) The "To Do" Method:  Here we read the Bible for instruction for how to live and act.  The Bible becomes a rule book that simply prescribes how to live. Of course the Bible does provide this for us but it is more than just a list of rules.  There is context, culture, characters that interplay with the practices and principles God sets out in the Bible.

 

McKnight suggested that we read the Bible in a Wiki method.  Like the popular website Wikipedia the Bible is a collection of information (that is a crude way to put it) that constantly changes each day because people can contribute to it. 

 

What McKnight means (what I think) is that the Bible takes a dynamic role in people's lives and forms them each day.  The "reader" participates in "re-writing" the text as they interpret it within their life.  The cool thing about Wikipedia is that it has to be legitimized in community.  Your interpretation must be confirmed and affirmed within the body of Wiki readers and gains validity as it is worked out in dialogue. 

 

None of that is my original ideas and maybe Scott has posted these thoughts on his blog.  Check it out, I can't think of the site but if you search "Jesus Creed Blog" it will come up! 

 

 

God's words > RSS feed

Jumping off of Mike's thoughts. He wrote:

People live with "mental blinkers" that help them filter their experiences. Because of overload we let a lot of information pass through without noting its significance.

The danger is that we live with a short memory. We let the information hit us and than we discard it. Not because it isn't significant but because we are bombarded with so much information we need to prepare for the next wave.

I know I deal with this on a daily basis. Mike can attest. I'm constantly sending him links of articles to read, sometimes 3 or 4 in a day. I'm constantly sifting through my RSS feed for new valuable thoughts and ideas.

In a sad irony, one of the things I've committed to renewing during Lented season is meditating on the revealed words of God. For all the time I spend sifting through the ideas of men, I am spending nearly no time taking in the words that God would speak into my life. He's spoken, but I'm busy listening to other voices.

But even then, when I am reading God's revealed words, am I sifting through it for good content the way I do online magazines and blog posts? Would I email my friends, saying "read this!" or judge it worthless and move on to another feed?

I must practice reading it differently than I do when I filter through the internet content providers'. I must dwell there in the time and place set apart (made "holy") by the reading of the words God spoke. I must meditate, wandering through his words like a lost man looking around for any sign that will point him in the right direction.

Rememeber this Information!

If I had access to the Internet I would look up some statistic that cites how much information we are bombarded with everyday.  I'm sure it's a lot.

 

Much of this is due to our inter-connectivity.  75 years ago I wouldn't have access to the weather in Hong Kong or hear about the new CD my favorite band is going to produce.  I don't think that technology is bad, after all it enables me to write this post and some random guy in Texas to read it! 

 

I'm reading a lot about Urban Ministry and one author cites that people live with "mental blinkers" that help them filter their experiences.  Because of overload we let a lot of information pass through without noting it's significance. 

 

The danger is that we live with a short memory.  We let the information hit us and than we discard it.  Not because it isn't significant but because we are bombarded with so much information we need to prepare for the next wave.

 

I think that is true of our lives in Christ.  It is easy to forget God's faithfulness.  It is easy to forget God's grace.  It is easy to loose perspective.  It's hard to remember.  It's hard to pause.  It's hard to be steadfast.

 

But all it takes is a moment.  A moment to remember what God has done and will do.  And that change what we do. 

 

So our ordinary lives are transformed into extraordinary worship.  Through something as powerful as memory our simple acts, like sharing table fellowship, have cosmic power.

 

do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.  For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

 

1 Corinthians 11:25

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jesus: counterculture

This is the second Adam. (No, not Jesus, although Adam might have a Messiah complex! Just kidding!) What I mean is this is Adam's second post. It's an insightful look into what it means to be a Christ follower in American culture. Enjoy!

I recently finished Niebuhr's Christ and Culture and am currently reading a new book, unChristian, which considers what Christianity's reputation is currently in young culture. In some ways, these two books are dealing with the same issues, the same issues that people have been dealing with since Noah stood alone before God as a righteous man, or perhaps even before that. More recently, Christ became the ultimate example of what it looks like when God interfaces with culture.

Some Christians, following their reading of Jesus, have chosen to distinguish themselves from their surroundings by taking the countercultural approach. In Niebuhr's terms, this paradigm is "Christ Against Culture," and their hero is Jesus the revolutionary. This is very much in vogue, as it is already in the larger culture. For example, Shrek is the counterculture of Disney and its modern retellings of popular fairy tales. The rise of the emo kid or the punk in contrast to the athletic jock is a victory for outsiders everywhere. In like fashion, some Christians have chosen to define themselves by what they're not. This is where unChristian chimes in its insights: the foremost concepts that come to mind when young culture thinks of the Christian faith are hypocritical, conversion-focused, antihomosexual, sheltered, too political, and judgmental. Predominantly, these concepts are negative and define Christians by what they're aren't, what they don't, or what they're against. So, if countercultural is the target, we certainly appear to be succeeding.

Yet, I challenge this belief that because Jesus was countercultural, we should be also. I am not saying Jesus was not countercultural. He certainly disregarded social norms, religious traditions, and governing powers in dramatic fashion. But Jesus was countercultural in relation to a specific culture in a specific time and a specific place. Yet, because culture is always changing, we do not face the same culture that Jesus did. Certainly there may be some parallels, but by and large our cultural landscape is far different—economically, socially, religiously, politically, you name it. That Jesus was countercultural in that Jewish-Roman culture means only that. To say that Jesus is always countercultural in all cultures at all times and in all places is to misunderstand what motivated his intentional and specific disregard for authority.

What motivated him is much more exciting than simply the prospect of having the reputation of being a rebel.

Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday

Tomorrow is Lent.

 

Today is Fat Tuesday.

 

What are you doing for 40 days? 

 

Me?  (Well thanks for asking)

 

I'm giving up Internet access for 40 days except e-mail.

 

This has meant the last 3 days have been spent paying credit cards in advance, making reservations, canceling online subscriptions, getting directions for trips weeks away, renewing library books, printing off soccer schedules, downloading articles I have to read for future classes.

 

I use e-mail to communicate with people so that is all I am going to use the Internet for.  I found a way to post via e-mail so that's what I'm going to do. 

 

Giving up Internet access and I'm substituting reading and prayer. 

 

 

24 turn 25

So I am at the mid-mid life crisis.  I turned 25 on Sunday.  Yeah, that's right.  I had a Super-Bowl-Birthday!  Jealous? 

 

I don't feel 25 years old.  In one vein I feel a lot older. 

 

In a lot of ways I'm fortunate and spoiled.  Not many people my age have had such a vast array of jobs and relationships.  Not many my age have my unique education or travel experiences.  But I don't highlight those things to bolster myself, rather it reminds me to be thankful.

 

On the other side of the spectrum, I'm not so fortunate or spoiled.  I think I have experienced some things that have aged me well beyond 25.  My cross-cultural experiences have brought me face to face with a lot of poverty, brokenness and pain.  Working at the hospital ushered me into places of death and despair.  I don't highlight those things for empathy, rather it reminds me that God goes deeper than pain.

 

The things that use to make me laugh, (Family Guy, the Simpsons, certain humor) doesn't anymore.  I don't think that is necessarily a lack of joy but my humor has matured.  I find joy and laughter in more intricacies in life.  Recently I really feel like God has just restored a sense of joy in my life, thanks to the people I'm around.

 

Still I don't feel 25 years old.  In the other vein I feel a lot younger.

 

My friends are getting married or are married.  I'll admit I'm just too selfish with my time to be prepared for marriage.  Other friends are having or have kids.  I have a hard time keeping track of my work schedule and fiances let alone worrying about raising a family!  I'm not ready for a full-time job and I still laugh when one of my friend farts. 

 

As for this next year I don't know what is going to happen.  In recent years I always have a concrete plan or timetable (1 year volunteer service, 8 month interim job, 3 month summer job, hospital work for 5 months, etc)  But now I am just walking forward without knowing. 

And I get a feeling that God is preparing me for something big.  I'm ready.  Bring it on.

 

 

 

 

The American Church Government

So I'm off to Atlanta to participate in the New Baptist Covenant. They are estimating at least 10,000 people will gather as an informal alliance of more than 30 different Baptist organizations, that claims 20 million members.

My classmates and I are getting credit for the conference and are reading some Baptist books, one in particular, Bill Leonard's Baptist River.

Leonard writes “Baptist denominations expanded their organization systems, with structures that mirrored those of American corporations.” I find this issue fascinating because it alludes to the way our the American church is similar to our government. In America there is high regard for individual freedom and liberty. This freedom is obvious in the Baptist life that has often times produced fragment groups and sub-denominations.

In maintaining our Baptist identity how much of our current life is shaped by “American values?” (Like capitalist ventures, consumerism, and freedom of the individual.) We must be aware that often times the strongest voice in our church is not God but the society. Instead of the church transforming society the church is transformed by society. The business models and organization structures of America have their negative and positive facets. The problem begins when we organize the church from American principles, not Godly principles.

I believe there needs to be proper engagement with our surrounding world. Obviously Baptist in America will be influenced by America, but what is the appropriate way to enter this land? To be the church requires cultural aptitude but we must look beyond the culture and find God bearing qualities in being the church in that specific context.

The Death of Celebrity

It's good to have friends. This post is compliments of my roomate Adam. He is an editor so you might notice a significant upgrade! Anywho, I'm a fan and so should you!

In the wake of Heath Ledger’s death, I found myself thinking something like “What a pity! What a waste!” He’s not the first nor the last to suffer an ultimate end like that. I found myself, given my convictions, wanting to make an example of him: an example of how success, celebrity, money, and fame are worthless in the cold light of death. I think many Christians will want to as well. His life, that apparent emptiness, are easy prey for Christians with conviction that there’s more to life than accomplishments, that there’s emptiness even at the top, that meaning is not necessarily found in obtaining all your dreams.

Certainly those conclusions could be reached and preached, but to my mind, Christians, myself included, are wrong to descend like vultures on the corpses of broken lives and squawk, “See! See! We’re right! Material success isn’t what life is about!” To tear the flesh from their limbs and cannibalize it as evidence for what we believe is disgusting. To moralize on the carcasses of men seems quite irreverent to the lives God graciously breathed into them.

To bolster our claims on the death of a young celebrity in fact only undermines our perspective. Who would trust a man who uses another’s death as an opportunity? But who would not trust the man who grieves? What credibility have Christians, who are intent upon proliferating Jesus’ eternal life, when they prey upon death rather than mourning life? Compassion cannot be sacrificed for the sake of conviction. We should not make a mockery of a celebrity’s hopeless end. We should be grieving the end of a life that God saw fit to bear his image

The Poor Suburbs

In December of 2006 AP released this report:

The suburban poor outnumbered their inner-city counterparts for the first time last year, with more than 12 million suburban residents living in poverty, according to a study of the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas released Thursday.

Where I live, suburbs of Chicago, I don't see a lot of poverty. There are few visible homeless people but, as this report shows, poverty runs deeper than not having a home.

I mentioned this to a friend and he told me about several people in the suburbs who have an immaculate house on the outside while the inside is complete bare! Imagine the beautiful lawn and suburban-perfect design. On the outside they belong to the neighborhood and meet all the cultural codes. But you walk inside the house and it is a mess. It's like the line from a Denison Witmer song

"Outside the homes line up straight
But inside they aren’t that way"

I imagine this is what the poverty in the suburbs looks like. Pleasant on the outside but empty on the inside. We are so clever with hiding our needs and dressing up the things that don’t really matter. It reminds me of what Jesus told the Pharisees,

Luke 11:40, "Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness."

It’s sad but as I drive by the suburban houses I pray for them. I don’t know how many of those houses are bare on the inside. But I’m not praying for IKEA furniture, I’m praying for a heart that releases it’s façade of self-sufficiency. The real poverty of our nation, in the suburbs and the city, is our denial of a need for God.

Got to get 3...

I promised 3 posts this week so I feel a little obligated to write.

All I have is an insight to offer from today. After having some car issues I realized that problems in life are opportunities for other people to intercede. If somebody is struggling that is a chance for me to bless them and vice versa. I'm grateful for the blessings in my life.

Derek Webb and Prophecy

One great part about living near Chicago is the music scene. I was happily overwhelmed with a bevy of live music this past fall and winter. Rosie Thomas, Over the Rhine and Anathallo to name a few. More recently I've had a chance to check out some lesser known more local bands and am looking forward to some more live shows.

Another show I went to with some friends was Derek Webb. He has garnered a lot of attention for speaking out against the church. As Christianity Today writes,

"He has taught us about the church, expounded on the paradoxes of the faith life and written about freedom in Christ, all in a way that's provocative, sobering and, most of all, necessary."
(An Unfiltered Webb by Andree Farias)

After watching him perform live, with his wife Sandra McCracken, I walked away from the show feeling troubled. I agree that we need a "prophetic" voice that calls the church into repentance and reform. But Webb's message just doesn't harmonize with me. Don't get me wrong I completely agree with his critique, for example in one song,

"there are two great lies that ive heard: the day you eat of the fruit of that tree, you will not surely die and that Jesus Christ was a white, middle-class republican and if you wanna be saved you have to learn to be like Him”

Where I find myself frustrated with Webb is the lack of care spoken alongside the truth. Many of his songs end with a clear denouncement of Christian/church behavior. There is no hope or encouragement for reform.

The prophets spoke the truth, just like I think Webb does, but they always did it with the intention of bringing people back to God. In many ways, when I listen to Mockingbird (Webb's latest release) the lyrics come off as abrasive condemnation, not truth spoken in love.

Look at the prophet Jeremiah in chapter 3

20 But like a woman unfaithful to her husband,so you have been unfaithful to me, O house of Israel," declares the LORD. 21 A cry is heard on the barren heights, the weeping and pleading of the people of Israel, because they have perverted their ways and have forgotten the LORD their God. 22 "Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding." "Yes, we will come to you, for you are the LORD our God.

Jeremiah told it like it was but it was coupled with a call to "return" to God. In speaking difficult words there needs to be direction for where we need to return to. We can't just say, "this is wrong. This is bad." We need to provide a hope for reform that encourages people towards repentance.

I probably am being a little unfair but I figured it would be fun to share how his music has impacted me. All in all I like Derek Webb and his music. I hope he continues to challenge the status quo and does it in a way that uplifts people.

Sports and Identity

I learned an important lesson. If you want a way to get people to not read your blog than don't write anything. It is very effective. So I'll write at least 3 times this week. Thanks Rachel :)

I have a hate/love relationship with professional sports. I "hate" how we idolize athletes, pay them a gross amount of money to play a game, and provide a different judicial system for their infringements. But I love sports. I love the competition, the way it brings people together, the challenge of pushing limits and the possibility of achievement.

In one moment I am enthralled and captured by sports. But then the next moment I roll my eyes because we have ESPNEWS and a bounty of shows (PTI, Around the Horn) that talk about the same issue over and over again. (Do I really have to hear about Tony Romo and his vacation with Jessica Simpson, again?)

Something I have noticed in my own life and with friends is that we become passionate about sports. Some people become "overly" passionate. I'm sure you know the type. Their day, week, month, or year is ruined when their team looses. They go from a mild-mannered-civilized human being to a cussing-rage-filled-gladiator.

I get embarrassed when I see people defend their sports team like it is a life or death matter. I don't recommend this but if you want to know what is important to somebody, insult something they connect with.

For instance, if you insult my shoes I really won't care. Some people might but for me, shoes are shoes. I don't invest a lot in my shoes. If you insult Denison Witmer I'll be a little more perturbed because he is a musician I really respect and like. If you insult my parents I will became angry because there is some obvious identity there!

A buddy in college was, and still is, a huge OSU fan. If you criticized the Ohio State University, he erupted. Now there is nothing wrong with defending your passion and loves but we need to hold in careful balance with what we identify with.

There is a place for becoming upset and angry. Jesus did this when he walked into the temple and saw people using the temple as a platform for selling their goods. He was righteously angry because something he identified with was being attacked.

When we become irate I think we need to dissect the validity and cause of our anger. I'll admit sometimes I become overly irate when people attack my likes and passions. But day after day I shrug off the ways people misuse the name of God, marginalize the poor, and neglect opportunities to speak words of love.

Above all of the things we identify with we need to identify with God.

I'm a child of God - He is my Father - 1 Jn 3:1,2
I am Christ's friend - Jn 15:15
I am a fellow citizen in God's kingdom - Eph 2:19
I am born of God - 1 Jn 4:7
I have been adopted by God - Rom 8:15

On Call, for hope.

I'm on call right now. Working at the hospital means having my pager turned on during the 3rd shift. When I get a page I get 30 minutes to get to the paging unit.

I never sleep too well these nights. When I do get lulled to neverland there is the possibility, and a good one, the pager will wake me. It's odd but I do like the prospect of adventure and challenge that comes with the job. Of course, I don't delight in responding to traumas and deaths, but I do find appeal in having to triage and act in an unknown situation.

I'm reminded about the call to always be ready, to always be on call, in 1 Peter 3:15, "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect."

This make me wonder two things. First, are we really prepared to give an answer? I hear people quote this verse as a reason for Christians to study apologetics. So when we argue with atheist we can convince them of the existence of a Creator, etc, etc. There is value in that and it is important to understand what we believe. I find it troubling that most Christians are just illiterate in reading the Bible and understanding what and why we believe.

But in re-reading that verse I am more intrigued by the latter part of the verse that often goes unnoticed, "to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."

I do not get many people asking me that question. Rarely do people ask me about the hope I have.

Why do we ask certain people questions? Well, simply put, because we think they have the answer. (If my car isn't running I'm not going to ask a heart surgeon, I'm going to go to a mechanic.) Perhaps the reason we don't get asked these questions is because we don't live in a way that radiates this hope.

I don't have any conclusions but I wonder what does it mean to live with this hope?

Congratulations?

Here is a verbatim from a conversation two of my acquaintances had about a month ago. We'll call them Sue and Bob.

Bob, "So I went out the day after Thanksgiving and found some great deals!"
Sue, "Me too, what did you get?"
Bob, "Well there was this grill, marked for $2,500. I bought it for $950.00!"
Sue, "Wow! Good for you! Congratulations!" (All the others agree and applaud the buy!)

I couldn't help but laugh. Does anything seem weird about this conversation? Here my friends were congratulating and commending my other friend about his purchase. I wonder, what kind of world do we live in where we pride ourselves on our spending habits?

I don't have a problem with what he bought or how much he paid for it. But I find it funny that he was commended because of the "great buy" he found. Bob proceeded to justify the purchase based on the reason it was such a great "sale" and he couldn't pass it up! This is part of the problem, we don't need but we buy. We don't really need to spend but we justify it.

I don't know if Bob needed the grill and I probably am unfairly being cynical. But if we looked for opportunities to help others as much as we look for opportunities to save money I think the Kingdom would be closer.

So this is the New Year...

Brief Corny Personal Reflection: This was a year of change. I worked 5 different jobs, lost two close family members to death, gained two family members through birth, another gained through marriage. Finished my first year of Seminary and was so incredibly blessed with new relationships.

There are so many things God has taught me. Chief among them is that all this business does not equate fruifulness. We reap that harvest of God’s righteousness only in faithfulness. And even though my life might change God remains.

Follow Me

So this post isn't as entertaining. I hope that doesn't deter you from reading. At times short posts are just easier and other times I like to put the work into developing something.

On my drive back from Ohio I was thinking about Jesus in Mark 2. He tells Levi to "follow me," and Levi gets up, leaves everything, and follows Jesus without any questions.

Jesus makes some tough demands. Like in Matthew he says, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (Matt. 16:24-5)

That's a pretty steep order. To follow somebody and volitionally give up your posessions, security, and life! But I wouldn't want to follow anyone else who would demand less. I wouldn't want to follow someone who only wants a part of my life, a half hearted committment, a bit of my self, a sliver of my time.

It might sound bizzare, but that is the attracation of Jesus, he requires everything.

Best of 07

I hope you like Vin Diesel representing 2007! (If you have any questions let me assure you it is there for comic relief)

I've never done a "Best Of" list so I thought of things that people seem to be interested in. Off the top of my head came, movies, music, sports and some other random things. Some e things maybe didn't come out in 07 but I discovered them this year so for me they make the "Best Of" list!

Maybe I'll get more creative and think of other categories later on. Honestly I have a hard time thinking back to the beginning of 07, it has been a long year! :)

Best Movie in Theatre: Dan in Real Life

I just saw this in the theatre about a month ago. It was surprising, well written, clever, and clean. I saw a lot of movies (thanks to my roommate working at AMC and a Cinema class at Seminary) but this one stands out.

Best Movie I didn't See in a Theatre: Stranger than Fiction.

I love the idea behind this film. Will Ferrel does a good job acting and the script is just written really well.

Best Scholarly Book I read (For a class, I don't read this stuff on my own!): Christianity in a Pluralistic Society by Leslie Newbigin.
This book tackles how Christians live in a post-modern world where truth is relative and religion has no credibility. It is a hard read but well worth it for scholarly pursuits.

Best Ministry Book I read: Engaging The Soul of Youth Culture by Walt Mueller.
This book surprised me because it isn't just about teenagers. It is a cultural look at the Western world and specifically the influence of media on youth. Mueller also engages the role of the church in transforming the culture through shared life.

Best Sports Moment: (3 come to mind)
College Football: Boise State Upset 2007 Fiesta Bowl
This game is utterly ridiculous. Huge underdogs end up beating Oklahoma 43-42 in overtime. They go for 2 points instead of the tie and win. If you aren't familiar with this than use YouTube.
College Football: Appalachian State upsets Michigan
This game set the tone for the entire college football season. It was a crazy year where the parity of college football dominated and the need for a playoff system became obvious

MLB: Players use Steroids (Shocking, I never would have thought!) Surprise, surprise, MLB players used steroids! You mean Barry Bonds didn't go from a leadoff hitter to home run champ by hard work and discipline. I can't believe it! Next your going to tell me Michael Vick was involved in dog fighting and Pete Rose bet on baseball.

Best Band I discovered this year: Sleeping at Last and Anathallo
Sleeping at Last is local for me, Wheaton, Illinois. I had one of their cd's lying around and finally listened to it on my way up to camp this summer and was hooked.

Anthallo is also local, based in Chicago. I'll admit I'm not the biggest fan but I saw them live 3 times this year and by far they are the best live band I have ever seen.

Best Music Project: Denison Witmer Happy Birthday Denison
I'm a big DW fan. On his 30th birthday he put out 30 tracks for free on http://www.happybirthdaydenison.com/ That is a generous and creative. Better yet all the proceeds, (gifts for his birthday) went to charity.

Best CD:
Sleeping at Last: Keep No Score.
Umbrellas: Illuminare.

Best Song:
Cool Hand Luke: The Balancing Act off of the CD The Balacing Act

Best Website: http://www.pandora.com/
This is a great site for listening to music where you make your own radio stations. Pandora polled people about their music tastes. So for instance if you like Denison Witmer you can make a radio station with Denison Witmer as the "root." It will then play other similar artist like Denison Witmer based on the massive amounts of people interviewed. The next artist to come up might be Sufjan Stevens. If you like the song/artist you can add Sufjan as another "root" for the radio station.

Best part is they play original and unique songs. I was listening to some Pedro the Lion and they were playing a track from a 2000 EP. It isn't like they only play the artist/band's well known songs, they play the entire gamut.

2nd Best Website: http://www.mapmyrun.com/
Too cool. Want to know how far you ran just map it out.

Best Blog: Colossians 3:16 http://www.colossiansthreesixteen.com/
I started to read more blogs this year. This guy is a machine, pouring out a blog entry everyday almost. It is described as a "Collision of theology, culture and Music." Right up my alley

Merry Christmas

Christmas has new meaning for me this year. A main reason is my exposure to infants.

At the hospital I’ve encountered some real sorrow; the devastation and pain of losing a child before and after birth. I’ve also been blessed to share in the joy of a newborn.

This Christmas break I have spent around my two 8 week old nieces. I drove them down to visit my family and spent a lot of time with them. Simply put; they are beautiful. (Look at that photo!) I have a new appreciation for parents. My sister and her husband never stop. I rarely see them spending a second of solitude, leisure, or escape. Day after day, cry after cry, burp after burp, they love these girls. It also gives me new appreciation for my parents, who had to put up with my twin bro and me.

This is the joy of Christmas, a child enter time and space to redeem humanity. The man known as Jesus Christ, was God, and born in Bethlehem 2000 years ago. In thinking about this I realize an error in my thinking (imagine that!) I tend to think of Jesus as a super-human. Sure, I reason, he’s human but with an unfair advantage. After all he was perfect because he was God. It’s not hard to be perfect if you are God. It’s not hard to submit to the Father’s will if you are God’s son. But you see, it was hard. Jesus was a human.

It wasn’t like Jesus was a pre-molded human that was plopped down into the world. He was a distinct human. He was original material. Imagine this; if Jesus was born today he would be different.

If Jesus was born to a single African American mother in Chicago he would be different.
If Jesus was born to a family in Nazi Germany in 1950 he would be different.
If Jesus was born during the apartheid in Africa he would be different.
If Jesus was born during the Spanish revolution he would be different.

Take the first example. His name maybe would not be Jesus. He would maybe be a she! He would not be a 1st century Middle Eastern man. He would not look like a Middle Eastern man but more like a 20th century African American. He would speak English, not Aramaic. Read left to right, not right to left. His ministry would involve the contemporary religious bodies, not the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Zealots. There would be no tax collectors or fisherman. There would be no Roman government. Jesus would have different quirks. Different dreams. Different hopes. Different fears. Different friends. Different frustrations. Different family traditions. Different shoes. A different diet.

But none of these worldly differences would change him. He would still be the Son of God. Still be the perfect human. Still be the way through which the fallen humanity is restored. Still be the child who brings salvation to the earth. That is why I still follow and celebrate.

Thanks Jesus. Your first trip to earth was incredible. I’m looking forward to when you decide to make another visit. Come soon.

Merry Christmas all.

Goodwill Blue Jeans

This picture is hilarious! Chuck Norris and denim; a killer combination. I would not want to get a roundhouse kick from somebody wearing those lethal jeans!

Clothes are funny. They identify people and I find it humorous how much time we spend with them. Shopping. Coordinating outfits. Critiquing each other's style choices. Somehow we justify a need for 20 t-shirts, 14 pairs of shoes, 5 winter jackets, etc. I wonder, is this really the best way to spend our money?

In high school my parents thought it was comical how I always shopped at Goodwill. Since I loathe shopping, second-hand shops bring in a tinge of fun. Regular shopping is just too easy; go into the store, find the size, try on the clothes, pay in any form.

Ah, but go to a thrift store and the game changes. You want a green sweater. First, hope they have sweaters, and green ones. Chances are it what you were looking for; unlikely. Chances are it fits; slim. And if you hit the jackpot there might be a dressing room! Depending on the tag it might be 1/2 off (I find that comical, half off clothes at second hand stores) Ready to buy it, well better have cash, a small bill, or a specific credit card. Man, all this talk makes me want to go leafing through moldy, attic, smelling clothes!!

To my point....I still shop primarily at Goodwill for clothes. Actually, I have bought one item of clothing not at a thrift store in the last three years. Beside socks and boxers that is where I go. Recently all my jeans have ripped or torn and I have had no luck finding any. I could easily find some at any department store. But I also realize I could easily go without for awhile. Yeah they aren't in the best condition but they'll do.

My logic is that I can drop 20 bucks for a pair of jeans, or maybe find three or four pairs for that much at Goodwill. Even though it isn't as convenient this is a way I try to practice good stewardship. Instead of buying outrageously marked up clothes I can just re-use what somebody else doesn't want anymore.

If it comes down to an easy $20 pair of jeans, or taking a month to buy a $4 pair, I'll gladly take the latter. Especially if I can use that $16 for other needs I might have in my life. Or better yet, I can use some of that leftover money and bless somebody. I'm convicted to try to do more blessings and less hording.

Give a Cow

I'm going to try to mix it up with this blog. A little from everyday life observations, what is going on in the world, thoughts from personal study, musings on popular culture. I have really felt a need to think more about stewardship, and in this holiday season, specifically about giving.

There are a lot of ways to spend money this season. After doing most of my Christmas shopping this year I added up how much money I spent. I don't have a lot of people to shop for, and my family doesn't ask for anything.

(Literally, they don't give me ideas, they ask for nothing, so my Mom is getting a power drill and my sister a supscription to Men's Health...i'm joking about the drill and magaine, not their obsolete requests.)

I was surprised at how much money I droped in just a few hours of shopping. I am not under the shcool of thought that Christians should absolutely not celebrate gift giving. Yes, we loose the reason for the season, but there is nothing wrong with exchanging gifts as a token of appreciation and love.

Yet, I believe we do need an alternative way of gift giving. We need a radical form of spending that aligns our priority with Jesus, not Sears and Roebucks. Think about this, according to American Research Group the average family is going to drop $859.00 this Christmas. (That is the average! Meaning a lot of poor families that spend under $100.00 are being averaged with the families who are dropping $1,500.00)

If we just took off $100.00 for each family we could do some amazing things. Here are three suggestions.

1) Feed My Starving Children. This is a great organization that provides food for malnourished children, look at these facts
$15 provides 100 meals
$30 provides 200 meals
$60 provides 400 meals
$100 provides 667 meals
http://www.fmsc.com/

2)Heifer International. What a cool idea. I was talking to a friend and their family does this every year. You can buy a cow, goat, chicken, pig, etc...that will continue to be a source of nourishment for a family. A cow cost $500, which is quite a bit, but you can give $50 as part of a team. Goats cost $100. Sheep $120.

What I love about this is that it is a gift that is so practical. A cow provides milk and as they write, "Better still, every gift multiplies, as the animal's first offspring is passed on to another family-then they also agree to pass on an animal, and so on."

The gift that keeps giving! http://www.heifer.org/

3) Probably my favorite practice during the holiday season is to just bless somebody. Take some money and give it away to somebody you know in need. I love what the Salvation Army does with the bell ringer. For me, there is a bit of a disconnect with dropping change in a bucket. But I love surprising somebody and seeing how that gift affects their life.

4) Money obviously isn't the only gift. Give time, patience, friendship, a cup of coffee, wisdom, a smile and love.

Empty Seats

I drive in my car by myself a lot. I’m guessing 90% of my driving around is in a car by myself. That is incredible inefficient. I imagine if we all carpooled or just relied on public transportation more than the world would be a much more healthy place.

One thing (of many) I miss about Scotland is the public transportation. For one thing it wasn’t that convient. Walking to a bus stop and waiting for the driver to fight through traffic was not ideal. But that is the point. We are so use to personal convenience and a customized lifestyle that we shriek at the idea of something like carpooling.

Owning a vehicle, or having a vehicle, means that we can come and go as we please. What public transportation/ carpooling does is make us accountablie to and reliable on other people. Unless I could bike or walk to my destination in Scotland I always relied on other people. Many times the buses didn’t go to my intended destination so I relied on other people's genorosity. When you come to rely on others you recognize how helpless and meager we are without others. It comes back to community.

I need an outlet

I am most unproductive, or should say, I don't grow as much, when I don’t have a ministry. I have had some kind of ministry during the past 1.5 years. I was a youth pastor for a bit and then did a summer stint as the Assistant Director at a Youth Camp. I find that when I am shepherding a flock and teaching people I am growing the most. Currently I am going to school full time and have a 15 hour week internship at a hospital.

As a chaplain about 1/2 of the work is “me” focused, as I learn about my gifts, passions, and traits to care for people. The program is a great balance between personal discovery and practical ministry. I can simply say that never before have I questioned the character, meaning, and purpose of God.

But the reason I re-started this blog is because I need a consistent outlet. (Hospital chaplaincy can be random and sporadic) I don’t expect that I will be exactly shepherding anyone during this time. But I need an outlet to get my ideas out and to get feedback. In my mind I am sharing about my life, my thoughts on God, and all for the purpose of edifying and encouraging others.

The way I am wired it is important for me to take my thoughts and meditations and articulate them. By putting them into written form it makes me conclude them. Most of the time I have these ideas but I just let them be. Or God lays something on my heart and I give it a cursory thought and immediately forget it. This blog is for me! When God impresses something on me this blog will give me a chance to explore that idea more and continually process it.

So if you like to read it, go ahead. If not, that’s fine. If I decided to do this on my own it would’t happen. By putting it on the Internet it causes me to be accountable. I suspect some people will read it and even if just one person stumbles across it once a day then it gives me a drive and pleasure!

Baseball, Idolatry, and a reluctant Prophet

So in my mind I made the connection between Roger Clemens and Old Testament literature. This is the progression of thought…

Yesterday the Mitchell Report came out, listing names of MLB players connected with the abuse of substances (HGH and Steroids). This just further makes me skeptical of professional athletes. Growing up I loved baseball. Soccer was always my favorite sport but baseball was right next to it. Each summer I looked forward to going to Pittsburgh to root for the hapless Pirates. Even though they haven’t had a winning season in 15 years, yeah 15 years, I’m still devoted.

But the cheating has started to ruin the beloved pastime. What is even more disappointing is the failure/inability to enforce any punishments because the player union. Enough said about that.

How does this connect with Jeremiah? While reading Jeremiah 10, I was pondering what are the idols in my life, and in our specific Western culture?

It is a common assertion that movies stars, celebrities, and athletes have achieved a form of idolatry in America. Professional sports have become the opiate of the people, and chief among these worshiped individuals are baseball players. I am too aware that professional sports have merged from game to entertainment. From the love of sport to the love of money. Sports are the sacred and elevated to an unhealthy point.

Idols serve a purpose, albeit a frivolous one. But they do serve a purpose for the time being. Jeremiah uses the analogy of a scarecrow (10:5). A scarecrow serves a purpose, it has a utilitarian nature. Sports serve a purpose, they have a utilitarian nature. But that isn’t what makes them idols….

Jeremiah 10:11 reads, “These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.”

Using Jeremiah’s train of thought, an idol is temporary and ungodly. Idols are fleeting and have no eternal nature. They hold some power but in comparison to God, their utility is meager. So God is to be worshiped because God is all-powerful and eternal. But what also marks an idol is the way it pales in comparison to the standard of God. It is a character issue.

Part of God’s omnipotence and righteousness is God’s character. God is righteous, just, pure, holy, good. Idols are not. They fail to hold any power to redeem humanity. We worship God because the entirety of God’s character. Yes, God has more power than all idols, but that power is just another beautiful element of God’s wholeness.

Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite, Lenny Dykstra, Miguel Tejada, all the other MLB players…what is their character? When we look at what we elevate in our life we must ask about the character, the integrity, the fidelity, of our time, worship, and attention.

The only thing worth all that is God.

Roger Clemens and Jeremiah

So the Mitchell Report came out today, revealing MLB players who are linked to using steriods and HGH (Human Growth Hormone). So this got me thinking about the prophets in the Bible. More to come tomorrow.

Mike

New time to write

Working at the hospital has made for some great experiences. Every week I get to lead meditations in the psychiatric unit. 4 different meditations with 4 groups that each have a different psychological problems. The outpatient unit is quite independent but the ITU section is quite intense and extreme.

The one thing I love about working in the hospital is that patients there are willing to be cared for. I would rather lead a meditation in the psychiatric unit, or talk about suffering with a cancer patient, than discuss these issues in most churches. Why? Simply because these people know they are in need.

In the psych ward they know they have problems. In the rest of the hospital the patients obviously know they are in need...that's why they are in the hospital! And that is very refreshing because they are ripe for conversation and dialogue.

In the church, on a Sunday morning, in suburban Chicago, how many people there actually know they are in need? If you have a six figure salary, a cookie-cutter house, picture-perfect family, your basic physical needs met, than how do you come to the realization that you are in need?

A lot of people in the world, in the church, just don't know they are in need. The broken people in the hospital are so aware of their needs and so willing to receive care. That's why I like working at the hospital. There is a need. And it is great to get to do ministry where people know how much they are in the need of God.

More to come hopefully...

cheers Scotland

I leave tomorrow. Just in case you were wondering, yes, I am looking forward to a 7 hour plane ride devoid of reading material! As long as the movie choices aren’t Dirty Dancing or A Walk to Remember I think I’ll survive.

I’ve been meaning to write this entry for a long time. There are a lot of things I could mention, fond memories, highlights, etc…but those have all been captured in past entries of this blog.

I anticipated that I would have mixed emotions upon returning to the States, and I was right. However, I did not expect to find it so hard leaving Scotland. To be honest, there is no place I am really able to deem “home.” Sure, I tell everyone I am from Chicago, but, in reality, I have only spent a few months there every year for the past four years.

More or less, Naperville, was my parents home and just a long stopover for the summers (where I spent two of them hardly in Naperville) and breaks. Bluffton (Ohio) is more of a home to me because of the amount of time spent there, but, I have obviously graduated and moved on. Charlotte (Michigan) ceased being home to me when I graduated high school, although my fondest memories are in the Great Lakes state. So….what does this mean?

I am leaving a place where I have become very comfortable. I have a big group of friends, a flat that I love, a job I enjoy, a city I can’t get enough of, and a church I feel at ease with. Those are a lot of things to be giving up. When I move to Lombard I am going to an area where I really only know my brother, sister, brother-in-law, and a few random acquaintances. Whereas all my friends here are close and near, in the U.S. they are scattered across the Mid-west and even from coast to coast.

This isn’t to say that I don’t want to return. I am just realizing how much I will miss Scotland.

Things I’ll miss…

Fish and Chips
Bicycle lanes
Strong Currency
Mild winters
Football (soccer)
Friends
Pubs
Pickle spread
The Scottish accent


There are more, but that is more or less just a random list

Well, I think that is all for now. I am not sure if I will write in this blog anymore. It is just as popular to make in fun of blogs as it is to write them! I admit before I poked fun at blogs but justified this one because I was away from many friends and family. However, I realize this is a good way to keep in contact with people and let them know what is going on in my life. I won’t commit to retiring it yet; rather, it might just slowly whiter away. However, I hope that I post some more entries and let you know how I am adjusting to a strange weird lifestyle in the U.S.A.! Thanks for reading my ramblings this year.

long overdue

The reason I have not wrote since July 25th is because this is only the second time I have been online in the last two weeks. I thought I would get a chance to catch up on some things when I came back to Edinburgh, but that hasn't been the case.

Quick filler on what has been going on....

Mel and Eric came and visited for a couple of days, actually the day after I flew in from Glasgow I went back to Glasgow to pick them up. We had a great time and took in a lot of the city.

The day they left I put them on a train and then helped move one of my friends into his flat. An all day chore!

The next day I went car shopping! Not for myself, but with another friend. So that was an experience, the first time I've ever done that and in Scotland no less. Not really anything to write home about but we heckled down the price! That night my small group had a nice dinner/sending off party for me.

I worked the following days, Saturday I went on a day trip to St. Andrews. When we got back at the city around midnight we went to a show for the Edinburgh Festival.
Let me say that this city is offically crazy, there are so many people here and so many things going on.

Yesterday I got up and went into the city to watch a small show and then walked up the Royal Mile. The best thing is people will come up to you and try to sell their show, I was able to get a couple of free tickets for things this evening!

I saw an interesting drama about American humour and then was able to score some free tickets to a one man comedy play. Both were quite interesting and good!

Every public building, pub, open space, Edinburgh University room, hotel function space, open courtyard, coffee house, church, (whatever!) has a play, drama, comedy, music, art display, street performer. They estimate that at peak times there is a show starting every 6 seconds!

You can walk down the street and on one side there is a guy playing four games of chess, two guys on one unicycle, a small parade of Chinese dancers, and a group of Irish blokes singing accapella. The atmosphere is great and amazing!

All that being said I really haven't stopped since I came back. There are so many things I need to do but a lot of things I would rather do in terms of entertainment.

After going to shows yesterday we had a going away BBQ with my co-workers and this morning we managed to squeeze in 9 holes of terrible golf, although the weather was great.

More to come hopefully, I fly out next Tuesday to Ireland and then on Wednesday from Ireland to the U.S. Time is running out, but I'm making due.

Mike

A long post...take some time and read!!

So this is my chance to write a fairly long entry. I am still in Germany although Dan and Ben have left for their final conference in Amsterdam and then are heading to the United States for good. We had some scheduling conflicts so I am here hanging out in Germany for two days by myself.

It is nice and odd to be in a town where absolutely no body knows me and where I have no responsibilities! I was able to fill the day with a nice run, a trip to the supermarket for some groceries, an hour bike ride, a trip to a coffee shop (where I had a hard time but was able to order an ice coffee), a lot of reading (a lot of reading), some cleaning up, some writing, and took considerable time making my meals (egg tortilla=good, homemade banana pancakes=not so good!)

Tomorrow I am heading to Wittenberg to see the stomping grounds of Luther. It is a quick 30 minute train journey and since I have the time I’ll be able to engross myself in the all the fanfare the museum and town proclaims about the reformer.

The following day I fly back to Edinburgh and attempt to get back on my schedule. It has been very strange to be in countries the past 2 weeks where no body speaks English as a first language. I miss being able to understand simple conversations or being able to read newspapers and signs.

I was going to save the details of my travel for later since I hadn’t told my family about my travels yet. However, I can’t get the phones to work here and I have the time to write.

On July 10th, Dan, Ben and I set out for our trip. To summarize we would go to a city or an attraction and then at night find a campground to sleep at. There are a lot of campgrounds and each night it only cost us around an average of 7-8 Euros. That included a bathroom and a shower at most places. Since I am on the subject of the campgrounds it should be mentioned that it was always fun looking for places to stay. Some of the campgrounds were quite typical, some RV’s, a lake rope off for swimming, a little shop to get some food. But the best were the campgrounds that were isolated. We found one in Germany that was pretty much a guys backyard that lead to a dock with a spectacular view of the German Alps. The following night was at a campground in Austria that was pretty much a football field that smelled of waste!

Ok so where did we go and what did we see and what did we do? Everywhere, a lot, and travelled! I don’t want to list places and countries in an effort to impress people. However, that being said, I will mention our rough circle to give you an idea.

We headed from Germany through Holland to Belgium. We hit France briefly, just for one town and spent a significant amount of time in Switzerland, Southern Germany, and Austria. We went through the Czech Republic on our way back just to make a quick stop in Prague.

We did visit a lot of big cities, but as we predicted before the trip, a city is a city. There are only so many churches, statues, and waterfronts you can look at. Sometimes we would have a purpose when going into a city, (like Munich to visit the main site of Oktoberfest or Luxembourg City to see the walls ) which made it meaningful. However, other cities, like Prague and Vienna we didn’t have anything in particular to do, so we left in a hurry.

The best part was the scenery and of course the company. I would mess up the names of places but we were able to go swimming in some great lakes, hiked some nice trails, we explored small castles, big castles, and became experts at going to bed around 10 and up before 7!

There are a lot of little events I could share but will keep it down to just two. First, while in Belgium I sliced my finger in the car with a knife. We wrapped it up and decided to just press on into Luxembourg. When we got to the campsite the lady told us to definitely go to a hospital. So from the time I cut my finger to getting to the hospital it had been about 6 hours! Let me say this, the hospital in Ettlebruck, Luxembourg is great! I forgot my insurance card but they didn’t care. Within an hour I had 7 stitches in my left index finger and was out of there! They weren’t sure about making me pay but I would have felt guilty dodging it and it will give me a chance to use my insurance at least once this year!

Second event, we were rear ended in Austria by a man who claimed to be a musician and was happy that Dan and Ben were working for a Christian organization. He was on the phone and we were stopped in traffic when he rear ended us. The trailer hitch save our car, expect for a little crack, but his car took the brunt of the damage. We exchanged info but nothing else happened. Although the half empty bottle of beer in the car made us suspicious!

Ok this is a lot and I will write more tomorrow since I will have the time. Until then, chow

back

I am back from my trek with Dan and Ben around Europe. I would say more but I haven't spoken to my family yet and I suppose they deserve to know some of the details first. I have two more days left here in Berlin and then I am flying back to Edinburgh. Some family visits and then I fly back to the United States....


Hmmm... I feel some deep reflection coming on but I will wait until tomorrow to write more and share about my ventures in Europe.

Stay tuned

quick post

I have wanted to write more but just have not had the chance. Everytime I get online I have been doing research for trying to find tickets back home and preparing my travels.

Tonight I leave from Glasgow and fly to Berlin. So I will be gone from July 9th-July 27th! Dan, myself, and another volunteer working with Dan are going to do some exploring. We don't have any hostels booked and we don't have an exact route to follow. We are just packing a station wagon, a tent, some belongings and hitting the road. It sounds like one of those soul-searching-deep-meaningful explorations. However, it is more of a chance to see the world and spend time together.

The best way to get a hold of me will be via e-mail. I'm sure there will be internet cafe's that we can use. We will be visiting Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Belgium, and some other places!

When I come back I only have 4 days of work before I start to wind things up here. I hope to write more in detail when I return. Until then, take care

Mike

time is coming to an end...

what's new?

Well I am posting less and less, it's not because I'm getting lazy, rather I am just busy. This past weekend I went to the Isle of Skye with Lauren, Amanda, and Danny. The weather was amazing and Skye is an outdoor paradise. We went hiking, seal watching, and rented a little paddle boat. All in all a really good weekend. I've had a chance to do some new things here in Edinburgh. I went to a church service and gave my testimony which went rather well. Because the World Cup has been on I have had a lot of opportunities to watch matches, not only at work, but with friends. On Saturday I am going to a friends wedding and my first formal Scottish Cehdhli. July 9th is fast approaching, (when I leave for Germany again) and then I come back on the 25th. I'll have some family visit and then I fly back home in Mid-August. The reality of my time here is becoming more real but still appears quite distant. Another flatmate left to go home so it is down to 2! Four more volunteers will be gone at the end of this week! That's all for now.