Blood Diamond Movie

I watched the movie Blood Diamond starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Honsou. It is a movie about the role diamonds play in fueling conflicts, in this case the civil war in Sierra Leone. It was an emotional roller coaster to watch and I nearly walked out a few times.

I would never be good as a movie critic. I always find myself on the wrong side of public opinion when it comes to determining what constitutes a good movie. I won't give a critique of this movie either because I have no idea what the general public will think of it. I have a feeling it will be a semi-flop but I am not a good one to ask. All I could think about was what my son was thinking. Did he realize that what he was seeing is why we left Sierra Leone when he was only four?

A few things in the movie bothered me a little only because I know better having grown up there. It was filmed mainly in South Africa and Mozambique so the terrain is not quite right. Many of the accents are not quite right either but those flaws are nothing to quibble about. Most people wouldn't know the difference anyway.

The general story is true. The film was extremely graphic in showing the atrocities but it could have been even worse. I knew people who had their limbs cut off and were killed for no reason by kids and the movie showed that. But I also remember going to church with a guy who had been caught by the RUF and had his ears cut off. All he had left were scarred over stubs. I also knew someone who had his lips cut off. It doesn't stop there either but I try to forget it.

They also did a fairly good job of showing the trauma caused to innocent people who were kidnapped by the RUF and forced to join them. Some were forced to fight while others would mine, carry loads through the bush or cook for the rebels. In the movie they portrayed kids who were being rehabbed and the stars own son also has to deal with it. They can never do it justice though. It is really hard for these people to go back to their villages. They are viewed with suspicion at best and are sometimes tortured and killed at worst.

I had a friend who was killed when he returned to our village. The RUF attacked our town not long after we had left. He says the rebels forced him to fight for them and he was seen manning one of their check points at the edge of town soon after they attacked. He was taken with the rebels when they left but returned several months later. Apparently the majority of the people in our town thought he joined willingly so they brutally killed him. He wasn't the most stable person in the world so I don't know if he joined on his own or not. I just couldn't believe the brutality of the town though. In the 12 years I lived there I only remember hearing about a few murders in the entire region and they were big, shocking news stories. Before we left they were executing rebels fairly often. Most Sierra Leoneans are peaceful and happy so this was really disturbing. (The capacity of Sierra Leoneans to still laugh in spite of horrific conditions has always amazed me. It's not that they are never serious, they just have wonderful personalities as a whole.) A beautiful innocence was lost and there are thousands of people who are now unable to go home.

The movie depicts mining operations in the Kono region on the Sewa river. This same river made to within 12 miles of our town many miles down river from there. All the rivers in Sierra Leone turn into raging torrents during the rainy season though so diamonds were found in the Sewa all the way to the ocean. I worked in villages on the river and so I was familiar with the diamond mines there. Miners would regularly offer to sell me diamonds but I never bought any. I know very little about diamonds so I always claimed that the stones they were showing me were fake. We would frequently engage in good natured conversations as they tried to convince me they had the real thing.

Diamonds do more damage than fuel conflicts too. Outside of rebel zones diamonds are mined in a free-for-all manner. A lot of people give up everything to go try their luck in the mines. Most come back even worse off than when they left. The hardest hit are the young people who have traded in the opportunity for an education for the slim chance of striking it rich.

Some of the mines are extremely dangerous. While most mining is done in shallow pits sometimes they will find a vein and dig deep shafts that are not structurally sound. Due to the illegal nature of the mining activity it is often done at night. Every now and then we would hear about one of these deep mines collapsing with a lot of people in them.

I kind of wish I hadn't seen this movie. I don't think I'll sleep to well for awhile. And, oh yeah, I'll never buy another diamond again. I don't buy this "conflict free diamonds" stuff at all. There is just no way they can control it no matter what they say. There is also a line in the movie where a local is glad that they don't have oil because that will just cause more hardship. Unfortunately he is right and there are rumors that they are currently exploring.

Relating To Jesus

I am a member of a website called Churchmedia and part of the website is dedicated to sharing media between members. I got this image from that site and while I like the image it was the comments about it that got me thinking.

It was noted that it is nice to see a nativity scene where the participants are not of Nordic origin. Very true. If one were to go by the evidence of all the religious art ever produced I think one would have to conclude that Jesus was from Sweden. It's not that I have anything against the Swedes, some of my best friends are Swedes. (I actually have really known only two Swedes well enough to call them good friends and both where wonderful people.)

Every now and then I see art that depicts Jesus of a few other ethnicities. There is a black Jesus, an Hispanic Jesus and an Indian Jesus to name a few. There are probably even a few Semitic Jesus' around. But most are Nordic.

Maybe we do that because it helps us relate to Jesus. We feel more comfortable falling in love with someone like us. Thinking of Jesus being a different race makes us feel uncomfortable. We are afraid of people who are not like us. There are too many unknowns.

Our preference for a Jesus of our own race is probably a reflection of the racial problems we still struggle with today. If there were no racial problems in the world maybe we wouldn't have all these different ethnic Jesus' around. We would totally comfortable with being saved by someone from a different race. Just a thought, anyways, and I won't even go into how we make Jesus pretty despite what the Bible tells us.

Why Do They Say That?

I had to get a shot before I went on our trip to Nicaragua. For me that is the worst part of traveling. When I was a missionary in Africa I had to get shots by the bucket full and I never got used to it. There is something about a needle approaching my skin that I just can't handle. It is an over-active defense mechanism I think.

When the day came for my appointment Adam and I rode down to the Health Department. Adam had to get a different shot that would hurt a little bit more while I had to get an easy one. Had my wife been in my place I'm sure she would have been wishing she could get the more painful shot in his place. I tried that but I couldn't get past thinking it was better him than me. How pathetic.

We both survived and something on TV yesterday reminded us of what they usually say when you get a shot. People who give shots usually tell you two things. First, they let you know that you are going to feel a little prick. I suppose this is a good thing. I prefer it when people are straightforward with me so if I'm going to feel it let me know.

(There are limits however. One time I had a nurse comment on how thick the gamma globulin was and how hard it was to load the syringe. All I could think about was how much that was going to sting as it got pumped into my backside.)

The second thing they tell you makes no sense whatsoever. After telling you they are going to stick you with a needle they tell you not to tense up and to relax. Yeah, right! As if I have any control over that. Sorry but my muscles refuse to obey my mind in those situations. I try to think happy thoughts but the sting of a needle forcing it's way through tight muscle reveals my failure. The only consolation I have is that at least the needle didn't bounce. It happens.

I wonder what people think when I tell them that life brings pain, be happy all the time.

The End of a Great Season

I took two of my sons down to watch our local high school football team play in the state final. They play all the finals at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis which is just under two hours away. Unfortunately they lost a defensive struggle 7-0. Our team certainly had their chances but the other team was definitely the better team today. It was Bishop Chatard, a Catholic prep school in Indianapolis who is a regular fixture in the state finals. They made few mistakes, had decent line play on both sides of the ball and seemed to consistently picked up 3-5 yards every play on offense.

I feel bad for our team. They went into the game undefeated and we had a huge crowd there at the game. We must have outnumbered the Chatard fans 5-1. They must feel like they let down the whole community. I think most people were proud of them though. They sure should be.

After the game I took the boys to a restaurant that has tons of arcade type games. They had a blast playing games while I had fun watching people. I got a kick out of a husband and wife who were playing air hockey against each other. He was working really hard trying to score while she spent most of her time defending patiently. She won much to his chagrin.

Woke Up This Morning

High School Bands

I was talking with Adam the other day and we agreed that "Woke Up This Morning" would be the perfect name for most high school bands. I was asking about bands at his school and he said there really weren't any good ones. Apparently a lot of them don't have that much musical talent. To make matters worse they seem to despise the idea of doing covers and insist on doing their own original music. The result is a lot of really bad music with really bad lyrics, ninety percent of which begin with the phrase "Woke up this morning" or a variation there of.

Of course there are some great high school bands. My friend Dan has a son that had a good band when he was in high school. Come to think of it they did mostly covers too. And I have to give credit to the rest of them. At least they have managed to get organized, find people to play and spend a lot of time practicing.


Did I Really See That?

I went to the hospital the other day and saw something that I thought was ironic. Not far from the various hospital entrances they have designated smoking areas. I often see hospital employees and a few visitors in these areas. This trip to the hospital took me to an entrance that I don't usually use. What shocked me was that the designated smoking area was filled with surgical folks.

There they were all dressed up in their surgical scrubs. There were probably 8 or 9 of them standing around getting their nicotine fix before the next surgery. I don't know why it shocked me. I don't even think twice about most other medical people who smoke. But for some reason I thought surgical staff would be more health conscious. I have always thought that the best way to lose weight would be to work for a plastic surgeon who did liposuction everyday. Maybe I'll have to rethink that.

Cruising Into Thanksgiving

Though I enjoy Thanksgiving there is one down side to it. I have to get everything done that I usually do in a normal week with one less day. I make up for that by just letting some stuff slide. It just isn't always worth it. Thus, I blog.

My son Adam helped rake the leaves at the church on Saturday. It is always a soul searching time for me because I start the process rather angry. We don't have any trees on our property so all those leaves are blown here from someone else. As I process this I begin to feel bad because it really isn't that big of a deal. In a sense I'm getting the opportunity to serve someone without them ever knowing it. That's good for my soul. I end up thinking that God blew those leaves onto the property just to teach me a lesson.

As a thank you to Adam for the help I took him to a movie. He chose the new Bond film. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'm not sure if that is good or bad. It had plenty of action and not that great of a plot. My kind of movie for when I'm trying to relax and not think too hard. It lost me a little bit when it transitioned to the ending. (Everyone knows that Bond will never fall in love and live happily ever after. The girl must die.) But other than that it was good. I like the new Bond guy.

We live next to a meat locker. Most of the time they process farm animals but at this time of year they are swamped with venison from the hunters in the area. They had a funny sign out on their building the other day. "We Are NOT Excepting Roadkill Deer." Is that great or what? I wondered if the misspelling had anything to do with their wanting to get an "EX" on their sign. I need to get a picture of it before they take it down.

We had a community thanksgiving service last night. A good crowd from our church showed up including a good number of our youth group. I was supposed to lead the sharing time (I think that was what I was supposed to do) and of course Adam had to give his two cents. I didn't mind his praise but the additional comment about needing a raise in his allowance was over the top. I guess I should be grateful that he had the courage to stand up and say something.

Well, that is all the meanderings I have for today.

Peeking Out From Under The Covers

It has been over 7 months since I've blogged here. As far as I can tell no one has even checked here except me. I check every now and then just to make sure this site hasn't been taken over by hackers who use it to spread vicious lies and rumors. Okay, so I'm a little paranoid.

Anyway, I think I may start blogging here again.

Bye!

For those of you have been wondering, I have decided to stop blogging for now. This sight will stay here until I figure out what to do with the stuff. I would kind of like to save it so I have to figure out the best way to do that. Thanks to those of you who have left some very insightful comments.

Shutting Down

I think the time has come to stop blogging. Most of my writing lately has been in a journal with pen and paper and definitely not for public consumption on any level. I'll be thinking about it for the next few days but I think the time has come to give this a rest.

Taking His Name in Vain

I have been following the recent story about the depiction of Allah with interest. When I was in Africa I remember a Muslim School that had put on a school play. A scandal was created when out trotted a grade school kid supposedly playing the part of Allah. Apparently the teacher who wrote and directed the play was a recent convert and wasn't aware of the prohibition. There was a lot of tension but fortunately no violence for the next few days as things got straightened out. But it seemed unfathomable that such a well known law wasn't known.

But we do the same thing. Every now and then I get someone complaining about how they heard someone violate the 3rd commandment of the decalogue while they were out shopping or something. I empathize with them but I am never really sure if I should say anything about their understanding about which prohibition they think was violated.

I usually don't say anything because it just doesn't seem worth it and I have other battles to fight. Besides this is the most common understanding of what it means to take God's name in vain. But the word translated "take" means to bear or carry. The word "take" works in the sense of taking something up, as in taking up a cause. It means to be doing things in the name of God. Therefore, doing something vain in the name of God is strictly forbidden.

The obvious examples of violations are things like the killing of thousands during the crusades or membership in the KKK who claim their actions are God's will. I might add that I wouldn't want to be one who fleeces poor people of their money in the name of Jesus.

Bringing it closer to home I think I need to be careful that my actions don't bring God into disrepute. It is very similar to the idea that one does not want to do anything that would bring disrepute on their family name. I am glad to be called a son of God, but with that comes an obligation to avoid doing things that tarnish His name.

I acknowledge that asking God to damn someone does indeed bring disrepute on God's name seeing that it seems to go against the ethics of love, mercy and grace. But that is not the common understanding. To a lot of Christians it's simply an issue of letting the wrong words come out your mouth that gets you into trouble. The sad part is that I think such an understanding shows that we lack substance. It's supposed to be about our heart.

So now the question becomes whether it brings disrepute on God's name to ask him to damn an inanimate object. Can I ask God to damn the hammer the next time it hits my thumb?

Greek vs Hebrew Thought

This little interactive flash file gives a good little overview of the differences between Greek thought vs Hebrew ways of thinking. I think there are a lot of similarities between modern and post-modern ways of thinking. It is helpful because a lot of the criticism about post-modernity is about baggage that it has collected and not necessarily about the epistemology per se.

Merchandising Jesus

I know that many have written on this topic and if I remember right someone even wrote a song about it. I don't necessarily think there is anything wrong with it in general. (Maybe I do.) But today I made a visit to our local Christian Mega-mart Book Store and left with a bad feeling about it.

First off, I must say that the staff there were extremely helpful and kind. I even asked for a book that I could only remember one word from the title and they found it. But that was as far as the good feelings went.

The first section I ran into was for computer software. I hate Christian software because I can get better stuff online for free. It just seems like there just out to make a quick buck on a poorly done interface. I didn't stay long.

A few shelves over I ran into an interesting end cap. The sign on the top said "Give the Gift of Love." The display consisted of three vertical rows of books. The two outer rows featured Hansi books which made some sense. But the center row (presumably the main attraction) was completely filled with the book "Condi." Now did I miss something here? Is a book about the person credited with inventing pre-emptive strike policy supposed to generate feelings of love?

I swiveled to my right and ran into a rack of "Birthday Scripture" which I searched through to find what Scripture was associated with my birthday. It was something about pride so I quickly moved on. No need to get a guilt complex because of my birthday, now is there.

The next time I looked up I was staring at an entire section of Joyce Meyer books. Apparently she can cure any type of psychological problem you may have but I wasn't interested. I had my fill of books so I headed off to the merchandise section.

Testamints? Please. I didn't even bother to read any thing that might have been written on them. I was afraid they might have some pithy little proclamation like "We're to blessed to be depressed" which, at that point, wasn't true. I thought I better go look at the art.

Whatever happened to the masters? Has Rembrandt been labeled satanic? Of course if you like Thomas Kincaid (which I don't) you're in luck. You can even buy a Kincaid tea set. I suppose I am being a little too hard on the rest of the art but it all looked to commercial for me. I want to know that the artist died dirt poor. That way I know that there was a lot of emotion that went into the painting. Hopefully the emotion was pain. Someone once said that pain brings out the best in an artist whether it is a painting or a song or a poem. I think I agree. If not you paint about light.

By this time I was at the coffee shop but decided to head back the other way. The ability of a barista to micro foam more than 8 ounces of milk is suspect anywhere, even at Starbucks and the like. (Tip: For this reason order a short cappuccino at Starbucks. Even though it is not on the menu they should make it for you.) This kid looked like he might be able to manage only 4 ounces and since I didn't feel like drinking warm milk I passed. I know I was being completely unfair to him but by now I was in no mood to take chances.

On the way back to the front I couldn't help but notice how patriotic everything was. I had to be impressed with the artist that captured an American flag with the Stature of Liberty in the back ground. Some of the book titles had me wondering if I had misread something in my Bible. Who were God's chosen people again? I can just imagine what it will look like in another 3 or 4 months.

I met back up with my wife who had found a children's book on a clearance table. I had stopped there too but didn't see anything I liked even though there were some good deals. I think that has to be one of the hardest things for a writer. Walk into a book store 6 months after your book is published and see them trying to dump your books for 90% off. That's got to be rough. I've heard that the main difference between a best seller and a book that goes nowhere is the marketing. If that's true that means there are probably a lot of great writers out there who are pretty discouraged. I don't think I'll ever write a book since Randy is the only guy who ever promised to read my book if I wrote one.

Have you ever felt like taking a shower after leaving a store? I did today. But I need to cut them some slack though. I think I just went at the wrong time. I was not in the right frame of mind. I wonder how many times people come to my church like that. They probably write about all the things they hate about my church.

To be uninspired

I ran across a curious phrase today, "the greatest of uninspired Jewish writers of old." Actually this phrase refers to an excellent writer that many no doubt find highly inspirational. But that is not the sense of the phrase. It is actually referring to Philo of Alexandria who may indeed have been inspired, just not by God. At least that is the orthodox view.

I got to thinking about that phrase and how easy it is to be excellent at something but not necessarily inspired by God. I might be able to become an excellent pastor. I may lead my church to astounding accomplishments. But if it is not ispired by God it is....

Now it is starting to sound similar to 1 Corinthians 13.

I think I'll seek some inspiration.

Discipleship & The Great Commission

The great commission found in Matthew 28 is widely used as a mission statement in evangelical churches in the United States. As I think about this it seems that to understand this scripture correctly one must understand what is meant by discipleship in an eastern context. What does it mean to become a disciple? How does one go about doing that? At what point does one go from being a disciple to making other disciples?

Perhaps the most common understanding is that any one who believes in Jesus is a disciple and is therefore qualified to make more disciples. Ray Vander Laan (of www.followtherabbi.com , one of my favorite sites) points to a difference between a student and a disciple that I think is helpful here. He says that a student simply wants to know what his master knows. A disciple wants to be like his master and do what his master does. A disciple is consumed by a passion to do this. We have a lot of students in our churches (even in the pulpits) today but probably very few disciples.

Perhaps today we are converting people to students and not disciples. This would be expected if the ones doing the witnessing are actually just students and explain why their seems to be little difference in our society in spite of vast numbers of convert claims. The question isn't how many converts do we have but how many disciples have we made.

Adopting an eastern understanding of discipleship probably also means adopting a similar timetable. We seem to emphasize getting new converts into the converting business as soon as possible, a favorite topic in the youth group movement. This is interesting because Jesus' disciples were probably similar in age - in their teens or very early 20's. Jesus' did send them out to preach about the kingdom but it was very much in a training environment. They weren't actually commissioned until after they had spent considerable time with Jesus.

Most of Jesus' disciple making took place in the context of life. It wasn't in the classroom. It took place in everyday activities. This allowed the his disciples to see how his yoke (interpretation of scripture) in action rather than simply hearing about it. I learned more about my wife from experiencing life with her while we dated than I ever would have had she given me an essay about who she was.

The conclusion. We need to become true disciples rather than students. We need to learn what it means to be a disciple in the eastern sense. We need to adopt an eastern timetable for discipleship. We need to focus on making disciples and quit counting converts. (One could argue that a convert is one who becomes a disciple but that definition is lost in our current understanding. I believe that most converts that are reported are not really disciples.)

Fair Share Contribution

Had an interesting conversation with a cashier at Menards today as my wife and I were checking out. She was complaining about her mom buying snacks which were causing her to gain wait. That was one of the downsides of living at home for her. She was twenty and had been living on her own before having to move back in. On her own she didn't have enough money to buy extra food to snack on so she stayed thin.

I commented on the great deal it is to live with your parents but she couldn't wait to be on her own again. Apparently there wasn't a problem with her parents, she just placed a high value on independence. She was proud of what she accomplished all on her own.

I felt a little bad for her. She was chasing the American dream but it seemed way to rushed and very inefficient. Independence means a great deal of inefficiency because everyone has their own of all they could ever need. It would have been much more efficient to share a roof, utilities, etc. with her parents. But in her mind she wouldn't be pulling her weight.

I think a fair share contribution to the community is the way to go. The element of responsibility is maintained but everyone in community benefits from the efficiency. I tease my kids that I'm kicking them out of the house as soon as they finish high school. I tell them we're going to move away in the middle of the night and leave no forwarding address. They counter with proclamations that they will never leave. The reality will probably be somewhere in between.

Our cashier was driven to be independent. I think it is sad that our society creates that kind of value for our kids. I'll be 42 years old in a little over an hour and it is too bad I had to get so old before I realized it was okay to rely on others. Our cashier seemed like a nice person. Hopefully she'll learn that lesson a little earlier than I did.

In Need of Grace

I like personally offering communion to each one who comes to receive it. We have used several methods with regards to the mechanics of partaking but there is something special about the personal contact for me. I get a little glimpse into the lives of those who partake.

Some come with a sense of wonder and awe. Others come with a sense of respect and honor. Unfortunately there are a few who come with a sense of obligation or duty. I am surprised at how easy it appears to read these things, especially since I'm not that great at reading people. Maybe it is something about what we are doing that tends to remove the masks.

But there are a few who come that I can't get out of my mind. I think it is because they present a need that I don't know how to respond to, or maybe can't respond to. These come with a look of desperation. Something is not right. They seem grateful for this connection they are making with God because they feel there is nowhere left to turn. Their pain is obvious as they force a slight smile at me as they receive the elements.

They are focused on what they are doing because they seem to be hoping for something magical to happen as they participate in communion. I wonder if they are disappointed or if they actually find what they are looking for. My guess is that their hope grows somewhat because they feel they have touched the Almighty. Their loneliness is alleviated somewhat. They have been touched by grace.

I'm not sure where to go from here. These folks need to know they are loved. That they are not alone. I probably can't fix what they are struggling with and I know these struggles sometimes take a lot of time. But it is an incredible thing to see God's grace at work and I want to be part of it.

Authoritarian Rule

The Parade section in last Sunday’s paper had their annual list of worst dictators in the world. Having live in Africa I have seen these types of leaders or at least had them at the fore front of my daily news for many years and I am familiar with how they operate. It has been said that the best leader in the world would be a benevolent dictator. I doubt one exists though.

Authoritarian rule is often highly regarded in the church. The assumption is that a man of God highly in tune with the Holy Spirit should be given authority to rule. Forgive me but I have a cynical view on this. No doubt the Bible gives us examples of this but I think such men may be as rare as the aforementioned benevolent dictator.

“The only time we see a democracy in scripture is when the spies reported on their visit to the promised land and the majority was wrong.” Unfortunately this widely stated opinion is wrong. Well, the part about the majority report being wrong may be right, but the idea that this is the only place a democracy appears in scripture is wrong. Take Acts 27:12, for example, when once again a majority made a decision. Okay, so they were wrong again. The point is that we do see democracy at work in more than one place in scripture.

Actually, I think the idea of consensus is inferred in several places in scripture. I would start with the “Let us make man in..” found in Genesis 1:26. Or how about Acts 6. Doesn’t it appear that the twelve had come to a consensus? Actually, I think the Bible is full of stories where decisions are made in community.

Probably my favorite example is found in Acts 13 when Saul and Barnabas where “…sent out by the Holy Spirit.” It obviously states that the lead was the Holy Spirit, yet they were actually “sent off” by a group of men who, after a time of fasting and prayer, must have come to a consensus that this was indeed the leading of the Holy Spirit.

I think pastors need to be careful about authoritarian rule. Power is one of the big temptations for pastors and it can be easily abused. There is something to be said about consensus among devout followers of Christ. It provides a very important measure of safety.

Communion

I like preparing the elements for communion. There is something... well, spiritual about it. For some reason I can't shake the feeling of the presence of the Holy as I prepare it. I come from a tradition that views the elements as symbolic yet there is the feeling that there is something deeper here.

We use regular grape juice rather than wine which in some respects lends to the ordinary nature of the elements. I'm not sure how wine would change that and perhaps it wouldn't make any difference. But in spite of the ordinariness there still seems to be something powerful here. Something sacred. There is juice left over after I am done but it doesn't feel right to just drink it. I get the feeling that I would be desecrating something. I can't wait to partake with our church family.

Communion is one of those things that get me in trouble with some people in my church. I let children participate. I make a general announcement that communion is for anyone who believes in Jesus and then invite people to participate. I don't rule out the kids.

The kids participate with enthusiasm and as kids can do they often get the giggles. Nevertheless, they participate with wide-eyed wonder. I think they feel like they are apart of something big. They have been invited to join in a wonderful activity right along with the grown-ups. It is an invitation that they readily accept. It seems to raise their sense of value.

Somewhere along the way "an unworthy manner" went from a wild orgiastic party (okay, maybe I'm going a little far here) to a few girls giggling. Apparently if Jesus where here he would frown on these girls as they participate with glee. Somehow I have a hard time buying that. Instead I think he would be less annoyed at their disturbances than I am. He'd probably even smile.

I will continue to let those kids partake because I can't stand the thought of turning them away. Rejecting them. Keeping them out. Instead I will welcome them, invite them to join in and encourage them to participate. I imagine that their views of communion will change over time. (It will probably become a mundane ritual to them as it is to so many adults I know.) But I want them to develop their thinking through participation not from watching from a distance. I don't want to destroy their spirit.

I admit that I could be very wrong on this. But I think it is important kids participate in the rituals of their faith community. I think a lot of learning takes place here and I believe it is something that they will carry with them throughout their lives. They don't have to grow up to be a part of the community. They are a part of it right now.

Should it really ought to be?

Wow, that title is confusing! Actually, I was thinking about my propensity to strongly believe that things ought to be the way I think they should and how that could very well lead me into huge mistakes. I think it was Rush L. who wrote a book entitled "The Way Things Ought To Be" which I find to be a terribly arrogant thing to say whether right or wrong.

I am not talking about absolutes here so I am keeping my thoughts on things that I strongly believe, feel I have supporting evidence for (although maybe anecdotal) and things I have reached conclusions about through reason and logic. But what if, after all things are considered, I am wrong. What if the way I think things ought to be is not the way things should be? Can I see that or am I blinded by my own stubbornness? Is there a way to monitor progress and recognize mistaken beliefs early so that corrections can be made?

On the other hand, decisiveness and consistency are usually good things. Indecisiveness will cause stagnation and I would probably never get anything accomplished. I would never learn anything either. I guess I just need to be aware that I may be wrong and willing to change if necessary.

Struggling with Dissent

It is a new year and we are going to be holding our first board meeting soon. We have several new members on our board and as I think about them I wonder how well they will handle dissent on the board. I think handling dissent in a healthy manner is one of the hardest things for a board member to get used to.

I think dissent is a good thing to have on a board. It makes us think carefully and keeps us from rushing into things just because it was proposed. It offers some protection from what they call "group think." Unfortunately the reaction to dissent is usually unhealthy. When the dissent is first uttered a look of shock will be seen on most of the faces in the room. Then all sorts of bad thoughts begin to percolate in people's brains. The dissenter just doesn't like progress. They're just getting in the way. They don't like the person who made the proposal.

It is also hard for the dissenter. The proponents, in most cases, will be shooting daggers. Even the rest of the members are left shaking their heads. It doesn't feel good and I think dissenters leave such meetings as soon as they are adjourned. The hostility feels thick in the air. There may be a few folks around who will try some superficial chit-chat in an attempt to break the tension but it never works. Any sense of being a team is gone.

My hope is that our new board will be able to create what others have called a culture of healthy dissent. Where we actually expect people to disagree and we don't hold it against them. We need a culture where the dissenters feel free to speak up but won't be upset when there objections are eventually overridden.

Hey, its my dream so I can dream if I want to.

Dealing with Sin By Mass Proclamation or Propinquity Effect Theory

Okay, never mind the title of this post as I have no idea what it means, but here's my theory. A significant number of pastors do not use an exhaustive approach to help people deal with sin.

I need to prefice this by saying that I believe there is a strong tendency to model pastoral ministry after very unrealistic expectations. Pastors are different in personality and ability yet we have a tendency to want all pastors to be one thing. I won't go into a discussion here about what that "one thing" is but I think each pastor's ministry will look very different and that's okay.

My theory is that you can break down how pastors help people deal with sin into a couple of very broad categories. On the one hand you have pators who use mass proclamation. These are the ones who preach fire and brimstone each week. They are constantly talking about the need to repent and they would never miss the chance for an altar (or alter) call.

On the other hand you have those who help people deal with sin at a very personal level. They do this out of a close relationship and they are more specific about the sin. There mass proclamation is more teaching and altar calls are few.

Many pastors are good at both and use both regularly. Most others use both but rely heavily on one or the other. However, I think there are a significant number of pastors who have the ability to do one very well but are very poor at the other. In other words some pastors are very good at fire and brimstone in a mass setting but won't say a word about sin on a personal level. Likewise, some rarely talk about it in a large setting but are extremely good at identifying sin and helping people repent on the personal level.

I know there are some who would insist on one over the other. And there are those who feel that a pastor should have expetise in both. But I think we need to be careful about asssumptions. I have heard people say, "Pastor So-and-so never preaches about sin and hell." The accusation is that he is soft and probably a liberal. But it might just be that he does deal with sin on a personal level all the time. Others might conclude that not dealing with sin is the way to go because they have heard that another pastor rarely mentions it on Sunday and his church seems to be thriving. In actuality that pastor might be saying a lot about sin in a different setting.

Anyway, just a theory.