Tonight my heart cries for Jill Carroll, the young journalist kidnapped in Iraq. i try to understand the point of desperation that the "terrorists" feel as they watch their world collapse around them. Imagine if America as we know it were to be dismantled for "something better".
Even more i try to feel the sense of desperation that Ms. Carroll must be feeling. Her life's end hanging in the balance, and the end is not likely to be quick, clean or painless (if history has taught us anything).
Would any of us do anything short of cry ourselves to sleep and mourn our position were we in her shoes?
Would we take stock in the glorious promise that is just beyond the veil of death?
i can't answer. . . i am not there. i am sure that i would tremble with fear, and that i would mourn leaving my family and friends. i hope that i would go out with some sense of excitement though also, perhaps looking at the bigger picture. But i don't know, i am not there.
Pray for Jill. . .
Monday, January 30, 2006
Starting over. . .again.
Well, i have done it. . . mostly.
i have just written my letter requesting my removal from a "structured" churches membership roster. This is the first time that i have had to write such a letter, but really the second time that i have seceeded from the "structure". After the first time, it seems years ago, i swore that i wouldn't "join" a church again. Then i did. It was a means to an end really. My wife and i had come to a church that was in need of a youth pastor, and we fit the bill. So we joined in order to fill the role while we could.
Like all churches it has it's problems. i am sure that we contributed to some of those, and i know that we contributed good things too.
It's hard, because people just don't understand. Some people take it hard. Some respond with spoutings of the mouth withoutt examining the facts. What we often fail to remember is that we are nothing more that a mist that comes and goes. Here on earth we are temporary, even in each others paths. In Heaven though, there we will be forever. Never again will we part. How great will that be?!?!
i have just written my letter requesting my removal from a "structured" churches membership roster. This is the first time that i have had to write such a letter, but really the second time that i have seceeded from the "structure". After the first time, it seems years ago, i swore that i wouldn't "join" a church again. Then i did. It was a means to an end really. My wife and i had come to a church that was in need of a youth pastor, and we fit the bill. So we joined in order to fill the role while we could.
Like all churches it has it's problems. i am sure that we contributed to some of those, and i know that we contributed good things too.
It's hard, because people just don't understand. Some people take it hard. Some respond with spoutings of the mouth withoutt examining the facts. What we often fail to remember is that we are nothing more that a mist that comes and goes. Here on earth we are temporary, even in each others paths. In Heaven though, there we will be forever. Never again will we part. How great will that be?!?!
Monday, January 23, 2006
God and man
There are a lot rules and laws governing many of the "Christian and para-Christian" groups and denominations. i have been meeting for some time now with a couple of missionaries from the church of latter day saints. i have been listening with the intent to learn more about their beliefs. Whether i believe them or not is a different story.
Tonight as i was driving into work i found myself wondering about my own relationship with God and whether or not i was in good standing and following all of the rules.
In my thinking i was reminded of the importance of just relating to God. For you to be my friend there are no rules except for the rule of love. Jesus reminded the Jews of the most important of commandments; Love God, and love each other. No rules, or rituals. Simply love.
During the time of temple worship the seat of God was with the ark of the covenant. It was kept in the center most room of the temple kept behind a veil so it could not be seen and only the head priest could go into that room. He was only allowed into that room one day each year.
After the crucifixion that veil was torn exposing the seat of God to all of the people and eliminating the need for the separation of God and man. God wants us to be his friends. To love him. Not jump hoops, or please someone else, or follow someone else's rules. There are no rules to be my friend except love. Likewise i would wager there are no rules to be God's friend except to love him!!!!!!
Tonight as i was driving into work i found myself wondering about my own relationship with God and whether or not i was in good standing and following all of the rules.
In my thinking i was reminded of the importance of just relating to God. For you to be my friend there are no rules except for the rule of love. Jesus reminded the Jews of the most important of commandments; Love God, and love each other. No rules, or rituals. Simply love.
During the time of temple worship the seat of God was with the ark of the covenant. It was kept in the center most room of the temple kept behind a veil so it could not be seen and only the head priest could go into that room. He was only allowed into that room one day each year.
After the crucifixion that veil was torn exposing the seat of God to all of the people and eliminating the need for the separation of God and man. God wants us to be his friends. To love him. Not jump hoops, or please someone else, or follow someone else's rules. There are no rules to be my friend except love. Likewise i would wager there are no rules to be God's friend except to love him!!!!!!
Thursday, January 19, 2006
A healthy deathwish
There are only two reasons to fear death:
1. You don't believe in life after death and are afraid of losing your influence, control and being forgotten. 2. You believe in God, Heaven and Hell and are afraid of the consequences of your choices, but choose to defy God and rebel against his love. Someday i hope to be like my friend Tom who has what he calls a "healthy death wish". There are things he would like to do in this life, but when his number is called, he wants to be at the front of the line! The first to taste the joy that waits.
Rest in the gentle love of God.
1. You don't believe in life after death and are afraid of losing your influence, control and being forgotten. 2. You believe in God, Heaven and Hell and are afraid of the consequences of your choices, but choose to defy God and rebel against his love. Someday i hope to be like my friend Tom who has what he calls a "healthy death wish". There are things he would like to do in this life, but when his number is called, he wants to be at the front of the line! The first to taste the joy that waits.
Rest in the gentle love of God.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
On a mission. . .
Here are two of Webster's Definitions for the word Mission -
2 a : a ministry commissioned by a religious organization to propagate its faith or carry on humanitarian work b : assignment to or work in a field of missionary enterprise c (1) : a mission establishment (2) : a local church or parish dependent on a larger religious organization for direction or financial support d plural : organized missionary work e : a course of sermons and services given to convert the un-churched or quicken Christian faith
4 a : a specific task with which a person or a group is charged.
(All color and emphasis mine).
Webster's definition for Missionary (noun) -
:a person undertaking a mission and especially a religious mission.
America may be one of the most missionary rich countries in the world (as far as i have seen). Of course that depends on what i mean by missionary. We tend to attach the word religion or religious to the word missionary, and rightly so we should. We should not however confuse religion and doctrine. We train ourselves up and polish our Christian vocabulary and blow the dust of off our bibles and then we, as good religious folk, go out on mission trips.
i would wager that when we leave to go on our trips we leave 'religion free'. It is on the trips that we find religion. James told us this is so: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in there distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
Religion is not the gospel that we spread or the rituals or rules or programs that we share. Religion is what we do or in some cases learn to do. It has been my experience that we often leave with doctrine and discover religion when we enter places that are impoverished. Lands where sorrows abound.
This thinking has just opened my eyes to a brief passage from Ecclesiastes, "Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart."
Now i am willing to offer that i am stretching the intended meaning of this verse, but based on events of the past year, i would wager that sometimes the suffering of some is good for realigning the hearts of many. When people suffer there is something deep inside of us that prompts us to run to the rescue. To offer aid, to mourn with those suffering. Disaster often brings out the best in people. In the "mission field" i have yet to meet a person that has gone abroad to work in a foreign country especially a third world country that was not moved to the point of tears, and their thinking about life changed.
So now consider this. . . why are we always running halfway around the world to help people, when there are so many here. What is there about people of other cultures that we can have pity on them and help them, but we view our own poor as a curse and a threat? We will send money to a child starving in Kenya, but we will not offer to buy a homeless man lunch.
"Well, he might rob me, or hurt me, or break into my home" you say.
Poverty, dare i say even life, will always present an element of danger. Have we forgotten that God is always looking out for our best interests?? If our car gets stolen do you think God doesn't know about it?? Did we really need that car anyway (i mean in the scope of the bigger picture)? Funny how all of my conversations keep coming back around to possession which brings us back around to greed (or selfishness).
So here we are, missionaries in our own neighborhoods. Who would have guessed?
Now this doesn't mean you should give money to every poor person you meet. In fact if i am not mistaken you will find that Jesus never gave anybody money. . . he provided for there needs and tells us that when we do this for others we are doing it for him. "I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."
So you don't feel called to be a missionary? Well we all are! Deal with it! Some of us just don't have to jaunt half way around the world. The harvest is ripe, lets get to work. . . here abroad or anywhere!
2 a : a ministry commissioned by a religious organization to propagate its faith or carry on humanitarian work b : assignment to or work in a field of missionary enterprise c (1) : a mission establishment (2) : a local church or parish dependent on a larger religious organization for direction or financial support d plural : organized missionary work e : a course of sermons and services given to convert the un-churched or quicken Christian faith
4 a : a specific task with which a person or a group is charged.
(All color and emphasis mine).
Webster's definition for Missionary (noun) -
:a person undertaking a mission and especially a religious mission.
America may be one of the most missionary rich countries in the world (as far as i have seen). Of course that depends on what i mean by missionary. We tend to attach the word religion or religious to the word missionary, and rightly so we should. We should not however confuse religion and doctrine. We train ourselves up and polish our Christian vocabulary and blow the dust of off our bibles and then we, as good religious folk, go out on mission trips.
i would wager that when we leave to go on our trips we leave 'religion free'. It is on the trips that we find religion. James told us this is so: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in there distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
Religion is not the gospel that we spread or the rituals or rules or programs that we share. Religion is what we do or in some cases learn to do. It has been my experience that we often leave with doctrine and discover religion when we enter places that are impoverished. Lands where sorrows abound.
This thinking has just opened my eyes to a brief passage from Ecclesiastes, "Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart."
Now i am willing to offer that i am stretching the intended meaning of this verse, but based on events of the past year, i would wager that sometimes the suffering of some is good for realigning the hearts of many. When people suffer there is something deep inside of us that prompts us to run to the rescue. To offer aid, to mourn with those suffering. Disaster often brings out the best in people. In the "mission field" i have yet to meet a person that has gone abroad to work in a foreign country especially a third world country that was not moved to the point of tears, and their thinking about life changed.
So now consider this. . . why are we always running halfway around the world to help people, when there are so many here. What is there about people of other cultures that we can have pity on them and help them, but we view our own poor as a curse and a threat? We will send money to a child starving in Kenya, but we will not offer to buy a homeless man lunch.
"Well, he might rob me, or hurt me, or break into my home" you say.
Poverty, dare i say even life, will always present an element of danger. Have we forgotten that God is always looking out for our best interests?? If our car gets stolen do you think God doesn't know about it?? Did we really need that car anyway (i mean in the scope of the bigger picture)? Funny how all of my conversations keep coming back around to possession which brings us back around to greed (or selfishness).
So here we are, missionaries in our own neighborhoods. Who would have guessed?
Now this doesn't mean you should give money to every poor person you meet. In fact if i am not mistaken you will find that Jesus never gave anybody money. . . he provided for there needs and tells us that when we do this for others we are doing it for him. "I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."
So you don't feel called to be a missionary? Well we all are! Deal with it! Some of us just don't have to jaunt half way around the world. The harvest is ripe, lets get to work. . . here abroad or anywhere!
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Ramblings of a tired and occasionally self righteous dweeb
"Do not store up treasures on earth. . . "
A phrase that violates the very spirit of capitalism, one of the foundations of the American way of life. There is a lot of power behind this simple phrase. The rest of the passage goes on to talk about the fact that things here on earth eventually decay, and besides, you can't take them with you anyway. They are temporary at best. In the past i have read this and interpreted it as accumulation of wealth and possession on this side of life corrupts, that it is unfair that some have while others do not, that the hunt for more distracts from our pursuit of God, that possession creates a false sense of security and self reliance. i would like to add one more item to this list. Possessions are time consuming. They eat up so much darned time. Amy and i just bought a house last spring. Things seemed well, and i had grand plans of my paradise and how productive it would be and how i would use it to fulfill my plans. Intro nature. . . 9 months, two flooded basements (a finished basement mind you), a mildew issue, a broken furnace and a slew of other fun things later. . . i am still trying to attempt to order a few spare moments into life. Don't let me scare prospective home buyers away. It really is a joy. i love my castle. However, with two kids and number three on the way, i wonder what i could do with all those weekends that are spent doing demolition and maintenance. All that being said, with possession comes responsibility (or sometimes there is consumption of time for the good of no one - ask someone with an X-box). Possession in and of itself is not evil - but be mindful of how it consumes your time, and ask yourself what could i have been doing with my time to make the world a better place. How could i have been helping the poor, feeding the hungry, loving the sick, encouraging the fatherless. . . and so on. It may feel good to own things, but ask yourself why it is that you were born into such priviledge while others are starving, or without a home. It is good to keep life in perspective - not one of us is better than anyone else. We may be better educated, or funnier, or better spoken, but in the end we are just alike.
A phrase that violates the very spirit of capitalism, one of the foundations of the American way of life. There is a lot of power behind this simple phrase. The rest of the passage goes on to talk about the fact that things here on earth eventually decay, and besides, you can't take them with you anyway. They are temporary at best. In the past i have read this and interpreted it as accumulation of wealth and possession on this side of life corrupts, that it is unfair that some have while others do not, that the hunt for more distracts from our pursuit of God, that possession creates a false sense of security and self reliance. i would like to add one more item to this list. Possessions are time consuming. They eat up so much darned time. Amy and i just bought a house last spring. Things seemed well, and i had grand plans of my paradise and how productive it would be and how i would use it to fulfill my plans. Intro nature. . . 9 months, two flooded basements (a finished basement mind you), a mildew issue, a broken furnace and a slew of other fun things later. . . i am still trying to attempt to order a few spare moments into life. Don't let me scare prospective home buyers away. It really is a joy. i love my castle. However, with two kids and number three on the way, i wonder what i could do with all those weekends that are spent doing demolition and maintenance. All that being said, with possession comes responsibility (or sometimes there is consumption of time for the good of no one - ask someone with an X-box). Possession in and of itself is not evil - but be mindful of how it consumes your time, and ask yourself what could i have been doing with my time to make the world a better place. How could i have been helping the poor, feeding the hungry, loving the sick, encouraging the fatherless. . . and so on. It may feel good to own things, but ask yourself why it is that you were born into such priviledge while others are starving, or without a home. It is good to keep life in perspective - not one of us is better than anyone else. We may be better educated, or funnier, or better spoken, but in the end we are just alike.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
The will to live. . .
Tonight i spoke with a woman younger than i that is dying of cancer. She has the same cancer that my father had, so you can imagine that it hit home for me. It took a little time to process the information from the call. . . not the location where the ambulance needed to go or the phone number or her age or anything. . .but the weakness in her voice, the chill of the spark of life cooling. She told me that she just wanted to die at home and to not be prodded any longer. One might say that i have what is called a healthy death wish. Which is not to say that i am in any hurry to get out of here (although there are moments), but that i don't fear death. i am confident of my fate and my next home. i have not been in her shoes, though i weep for her pain, but i can not imagine being in a place where i would want to rush death. i weep for her pain. i hope that were i, or when i am in her shoes that i would approach death with a reverence. i think about the pain that would be felt and as my body fights to keep my spirit, and the calm that my spirit will feel as i slip into a body a bit more appropriate. Something more comfortable and everlasting. God willing i will sit alongside a spring fed stream beneath a forest canopy. i don't know that this is what heaven will be like, but i can dream. . .
To the woman that i spoke with tonight. Peace is coming. . . trust in the one who created you and you will dance again.
To the woman that i spoke with tonight. Peace is coming. . . trust in the one who created you and you will dance again.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Witness what you see, and hear. . .
. . . . and feel, and experience.
We are called to be witnesses not of what we haven't seen or know nothing about, but of what we have seen and know. We all know God in different measures. Don't try and prove God, He will prove himself. Just tell what you know. As importantly live what you know. Do as Jesus did. Why experience love and not live it? Granted we all have trouble with people. There are those who upset us, there are those who are hard to forgive. But still true love supersedes all of these things. So don't just speak - do. Above all, love!
We are called to be witnesses not of what we haven't seen or know nothing about, but of what we have seen and know. We all know God in different measures. Don't try and prove God, He will prove himself. Just tell what you know. As importantly live what you know. Do as Jesus did. Why experience love and not live it? Granted we all have trouble with people. There are those who upset us, there are those who are hard to forgive. But still true love supersedes all of these things. So don't just speak - do. Above all, love!
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Kill your Bible - Burn your church
Imagine you live in Eritrea - a predominantly muslim country. you have no Bible, but you believe in God.
Now ask yourself, "Why do i believe in God?"
The Bible is a very valuable tool. The words of God to our ancestors and to us preserved, and a good reference. When the Bible superceeds the living power of the living God it becomes a crutch. Like checks and balances the two must co-exist hand in hand. God is the god of now!
Do not believe just to believe in something! That is of no value. God is not looking for mindless worshippers anymore than he loves mindless worship. Why do you believe what you believe?
Who is God? Do you know? Really know??
. . .because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. . . (Part passage 1 Thessalonians 1:5)
Now ask yourself, "Why do i believe in God?"
The Bible is a very valuable tool. The words of God to our ancestors and to us preserved, and a good reference. When the Bible superceeds the living power of the living God it becomes a crutch. Like checks and balances the two must co-exist hand in hand. God is the god of now!
Do not believe just to believe in something! That is of no value. God is not looking for mindless worshippers anymore than he loves mindless worship. Why do you believe what you believe?
Who is God? Do you know? Really know??
. . .because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. . . (Part passage 1 Thessalonians 1:5)
Finding God in the quiet times
This may be too much information for some, but i have found that i best connect with God during my quietest alone times. Unfortunately because of a certain degree of lack of discipline my quietest times are in the shower and in the car.
Its at these times that i seem to have the clearest of thoughts. The problem is that i often want to write things down, or my thoughts seem to be the starting point of something cool and "big" that i want to follow up on. You can imagine how entertaining it would be to try writing in a journal in the shower, and even more scary (especially for those of you who have ridden with me) imagine me writing while driving to work. eeeeek!!!
i have two thoughts on this problem. Number one, make a point to set aside a time to be quite, to meditate, to clear your mind. A lot enough time to clear your head, and really quiet your mind. Secondly, sometimes the best thing you can do is just enjoy the moment. Much like the days my sons were born, i can try to save those moments and make them last forever, or. . . i can enjoy the moment, and remember it. There will always be other days of equally intense joy. With God though, one day we will no longer have to try to cling to past joys, or long for future joys. We will live with God and be in constant joy.
Until then, make the most of your time with God.
Its at these times that i seem to have the clearest of thoughts. The problem is that i often want to write things down, or my thoughts seem to be the starting point of something cool and "big" that i want to follow up on. You can imagine how entertaining it would be to try writing in a journal in the shower, and even more scary (especially for those of you who have ridden with me) imagine me writing while driving to work. eeeeek!!!
i have two thoughts on this problem. Number one, make a point to set aside a time to be quite, to meditate, to clear your mind. A lot enough time to clear your head, and really quiet your mind. Secondly, sometimes the best thing you can do is just enjoy the moment. Much like the days my sons were born, i can try to save those moments and make them last forever, or. . . i can enjoy the moment, and remember it. There will always be other days of equally intense joy. With God though, one day we will no longer have to try to cling to past joys, or long for future joys. We will live with God and be in constant joy.
Until then, make the most of your time with God.
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