Crucified

When Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ..." he was talking about the crucifixion of his old life and not his suffering. Yet Paul suffered greatly and I imagine there were many times he felt crucified. Maybe that is not a bad way to think of it as we try to be imitators of Christ.

I have a friend who I think has been crucified. That comparison gives hope in light of the resurrection. After some dark days there is new life. I think that is a good thought when going through suffering. New life is just around the corner.

The harder part for me is reflecting on how Jesus responded to the people who crucified him. "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Okay, so I have a hard time with that. They are adults so they should be responsible to know what they are doing. But Jesus' response is profoundly good.

Desperate To Get Married

In 1960 the average age for a woman in America to get married was 20. By 1990 it was raised to 23. In 2013 it is 27. That's quite a jump since 1990 and I have read pluses and minuses to the increasing age of first marriages. But at this moment I can name four young women that I know who are younger than that and seem desperate to get married and I wonder if they are caught in the middle of this shift.

Desperation can lead to poor choices and I wonder if there are any statistics on the marriage success rate of marriages born out of desperation. I'm not even sure how you would measure that. It just stands to reason that you would be starting out on the wrong foot. 

Of course it may be just my judgment that these women are throwing themselves at bad situations and maybe these relationships are better than I suspect. I am not really saying that these guys they are chasing are losers either. I'm just saying they don't really seem ready for that level of relationship.

This got me thinking about why these women settle when they have so much to offer. I don't claim to know anything about biological clocks but I wonder if the late average age for marriage is part of the problem. It seems that in past decades there were a lot more people thinking seriously about marriage at a much earlier age. That would mean that for someone looking to get married they would find plenty of possible partners. In 2013 that pool of partners is significantly smaller and I would guess that that is frightening for someone desperate to get married.

The fear of missing your opportunity is strong but I think making sure you have a solid foundation for a relationship makes up for it. I have a strong urge to yell "relax and be patient" but I don't think they would find it very helpful.

One last thing, There could be just as many desperate young men out there as there are women. Ijust don't know any.

Cool Tool

Well, after using it for about a month I have to say that I really like using Scrivener for writing. It really doesn't do anything special but it works in a way that really fits how I work, and that makes all the difference.

It is really geared to someone writing a book which is not something I am doing. I can see why it would work well for that though. They also recommend doing final formatting in another application but I haven't bothered with that so far. It is good enough for me as is.

I think the best way to think about it is as a 3-ring binder with subject dividers. Anything you would organize that way would probably work great with Scrivener. Right now I am working on my summer sermon series. So inside my binder I have one folder for each week. Inside each week I have one file each for my scripture, order of service, announcements, kid's sermon, big's sermon, and research. (I do use a separate research file in the binder for general research that is not week specific.)

All of this is easily done with any word processing software and file system. The thing I like about Scrivener is how easy it is to switch back and forth between ALL the documents in the binder. That may not seem like that big of a deal but it just makes a huge difference to me. Like I said at the beginning, it just fits how I work. It feels right, comfortable, and it makes me smile, which isn't something software does very often.

There are a lot of other cool little features that it has, including some they make a big deal about that I think are cool but don't really use too much. And there are a few annoying quirks that leave me scratching my head. But for anything that would fit in a binder that you would use text on, rather than numerals, it is simple elegance.

Going Wild

On a regular basis we see people going wild when they make a decision to cross a line. Sometimes it is the result of new found freedom like when a child reaches adulthood and is no longer under parental restriction. We all probably know of someone who went from a "well behaved and respectful" kid into a wild, party animal when they got out from under their parent's wings. What I am focusing on here is the extremes.

While probably most kids open up a bit they often retain a good deal of the characteristics of their upbringing. But why is it that some seem to try and run as far away from everything they have known? Do they really reject EVERYTHING they have known or is there something else that goes on that makes it difficult to accept even a portion of their past belief?

I think there is a psychological reason for the total rejection. There seems to be a need for validating their rejection so the brain works overtime finding reasons to reject everything. They find it difficult to mesh some of their new ways of seeing the world with their established ways of seeing the world so they can only choose one or the other. My guess is that these people have difficulty with gray areas and uncertainty and like to see things in black and white.

This doesn't happen only with young people either. I have seen people leave their faith and become some of the harshest critics of their former faith. Most would probably say this is because they have seen the inside and don't like what they saw. My guess is that this has more to do with their personal struggle and uncertainty. I have also see this with people who were once politically conservative but are now quite liberal. They consistently attack conservatives while defending liberals. My guess is that they really don't feel that their liberal side is always right but they have spent so long living in an unbalanced, conservative view that they subconsciously feel the need try to put it back in balance.

The sad part about all of this is that it stifles honest discourse. Our ability to have constructive conversations seems to be disappearing. It isn't safe to say anything because it will probably be taken the wrong way or someone will read something into it that was never intended. That's sad.

Missional (Again)

As I have mentioned before, I am concerned about how missional is defined because I think it is one of those words that is starting to mean a lot of different things and will soon become useless. I also think there is a real danger of people mistaking missional activity for being missional. Before long a person thinks they are missional, not because they are using what God has given them to serve in His redemptive mission, but because they help out once a week at the local community center. Working at the community center may very well be missional but it could just as easily not be.

I want to find an accessible definition that makes it clear that there is a difference between being misisonal and missional activity. There are two scripture references that help for me. The first is Colossians 1:13-23

Colossians 1:13 "For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant."

I almost don't know where to start on this passage.
- Rescued from the dominion of darkness into the Kingdom. (verse 13)
- Redemption and forgiveness of sin. (verse 14)
- The supremacy of Christ. (verses 15-19)
- The reconciliation of all things. (verses 20-22)
- A servant of this gospel. (verse 23)

I'm not fleshing all this out here but I see Paul presenting the gospel here which speaks of our redemption as well as His mission to reconcile all things. Then I see Paul saying that he is a servant to this gospel. To many, the servants part is to proclaim this gospel to the ends of the earth and we see that Paul fits this description. But I do not believe that being a servant of the gospel simply means verbal proclamation. At this point I go to another passage, 1 Peter 4:10.

1Peter 4:10 "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."

So then, we are to use whatever gift we have received to serve the gospel of redemption and the reconciliation of all things to God through Christ. That means a missional person is one who:
- Is aware of his gifts and seeks to develop them.
- Studies the world in which he lives seeking the Holy Spirit's to places he can use his gift to bring    reconciliation and restoration.
- Lives out this mission in community as a part of the body of Christ.

One of the dangers I see is that our in our western world view we tend to like everything neatly organized. That is why I see "Missional Communities" organized around a single task. I'm not sure that should be the norm. It is good that a Christian work together with others from their community but a truly missional person will not limit themselves to just one task or need. They will be constantly on the look out for opportunities to be a servant of this gospel in everything they do, whether it is volunteering at a local community center or at the store buying groceries. Being a servant of the gospel is not like a job that you clock in and out of. We are to be slaves to the gospel in a way that it encompasses our whole life.

Accountability

One of the major issues in denominations is providing accountability for pastors. In my denomination that is done on two levels. I am accountable to my local church's governing board and I am accountable to my denomination through my cluster leader, the Pastoral Ministries Leadership Team, and our Bishop. But there are problems with all of these relationships.

The governing board has the closest relationship with me and that is both good and bad. I am not sure how effective it is in a small church setting. It is difficult to keep it effective and healthy at the same time. The denominational structures are based more on numbers rather than relationship and that is very misleading. So is it possible to have an accountability structure that is highly relational but also free from some of the conflict of interest that can occur in a small church?

I have a friend who works for a company that employs over 200,000 people worldwide and in some respects the employees operate similar to pastors in that they don't punch a clock and work in a wide variety of contexts. So I talked with him about their system and this is how I think it might work.

Each pastor needs to have a ministry counselor (MC). In our case it would probably be the cluster leader. The MC would keep track of everything the pastor is involved with; my church, denominational teams, mission trips, and other boards, committees, etc. Obviously a system would need to be developed to keep track of this. The MC would also communicate weekly with the pastor to develop their relationship, learn what the pastor is trying to accomplish in the immediate as well as long term future.

Once a year the MC would also contact several of the groups the pastor has been involved with. For example, the MC might contact the chairperson of a board the pastor was involved with and ask how effective the pastor was as a member of the team, what were the pastor's strengths and weaknesses, and what skills the pastor needed to develop. From year to year this feedback would be used to help the pastor improve his skills and lay out a direction for the coming years.

The MC would also insure that the pastor is practising a lifestyle that is healthy for ministry. This would include volunteering in the community, a healthy amount of leisure time, vacations, etc.

Obviously the MC would have a huge commitment to this and there would need to be a strict limit on how many pastors an MC would be responsible for. It might also need to be broken out of the cluster system so that every pastor has an MC and most pastors are an MC for another pastor.

Got to run so I will need to finish this later.



Addition:

Okay, so I don't like the idea of the cluster leader being the MC for all the pastors in their cluster. An MC should consult with the cluster leader but an MC should have no more than 2 or 3 pastors that they counsel so that would make it impossible for the cluster leader to also be the MC for every pastor in his cluster.

Okay, time to flesh it out a little more.



Assumptions: - Accountability is necessary. - Accountability must be highly relational. - Pastor's are in a unique situation that requires a unique approach to accountability. - Current systems usually focus on data that is often ineffective at measuring a pastor's performance.



How It Would Work

The MC and the Pastor would have an initial interview that would cover strengths and weaknesses, ministry philosophy, educational goals, family, community involvement, physical health, spiritual health, etc. This interview is designed to help the MC understand where the pastor is and where he feels led. These can, and most likely will, change but that can evolve as the relationship with the MC develops. The MC also helps the pastor develop goals for the next week as well as longer term goals.

Each week the MC communicates with the pastor to discuss progress being made, obstacles encountered, etc. The MC may also suggest resources that could help the pastor reach educational and career goals. Those resources could be books, seminars, conferences, experts, veteran leaders, etc.

Once or twice a year the MC will assess the progress of the pastor by compiling information from personal contact, interviews with the pastor's cluster leader, interviews with the local church board chairman, chairman of boards or committees that the pastor serves on, etc. The MC will ask about the pastors effectiveness, weaknesses, relational skills, etc. Once he has completed the assessment he will discuss the assessment with the pastor and his cluster leader.

The pastor has the option of selecting another MC if he does not feel he has a good fit. This should not be taken personally and it may be the case that the pastor may return to his original MC at a later date. It is very important that the MC/pastor relationship be one that is functional.

After a year or two the pastor should take on the role of MC for another pastor while maintaining his relationship with his own MC. Eventually, every pastor should have an MC, including denominational officials.



Implementation

The first step would be to bring together a small group of pastors who have experience and vision for such a program. Experience might include coaching, mentoring, counselling, etc. This group will develop the initial policies and procedures and begin a pilot program. They will closely monitor the program and make necessary adjustments

All for now.

Tri-UNE

Just a brief note to remember something. When we talk about the Trinity it seems that we go to great pains to talk about each person of the Trinity and how they are different from the other. We have a formula that says that God the Father is not God the Son or God the Holy Spirit, but he is God. Likewise, God the Son is not God the Father or God the Holy Spirit but is God. Then we do the same for God the Holy Spirit. It seems to me that we spend most of our time showing how each person is NOT the other and very little time focusing on the IS God part.

I think one reason for that is that we look through the lens of a Western (Greek) worldview rather than an Eastern (Hebrew) worldview. We seem to be focused on separating and not so good at thinking about things as a whole. There is probably some good reason for this and it probably is helpful for a lot of people. But I also think it is helpful for us to focus on the IS God aspect of our formula too.

Probably the hardest person of the Trinity for us to think of as God is the Holy Spirit. Maybe that is because of how Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as a comforter, guide, and helper. Yet we do make the connection when we use the terms "God's leading" and "lead by the Holy Spirit." We see that as one in the same but in other instances we somehow see the Holy Spirit as less than God.

The incarnation probably gives us the best example of looking at it both ways. John 3:16 tells us that God (father) sent his Son (Jesus). That would be the focus on the separation of the Trinity. Yet we also read in Matthew 1:23 that they will call him Immanuel- which means 'God with us." That would be a focus on the whole of the Trinity.

This probably makes little sense to most people but it popped into my head this morning that we don't focus on the wholeness of the Trinity very much and that sometimes it is helpful to do so.

Contending

"In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love: they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock." --Harry Lime, “The Third Man”

Was this Orson Welles character on to something? James 1:12 says, "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." It seems that the refining that comes with trial brings out our best.

It seems to me that we spend an awful lot of time trying to figure out ways to avoid trials of any kind. Some have put forward the idea that we need to be challenged in order to grow. I believe that but I really don't think challenge is the same as trials. Maybe we need trials to bring out our absolute best.

Do we do ourselves and others a disservice by trying to avoid trials? How does management deal with this? Don't we try and manage our way to perfection?

What would happen if we turned the line into, "In 30 years the persecuted church produced ______________. While the church in North America produced _______________." If we filled in those blanks honestly would we be embarrassed?

Doctrine of the Hymn

Warning: I'm going way out on a limb here.

One caution that is thrown out about church music is its doctrinal components. We hear that we should check our music for accurate theology. We also hear that we need to be careful that we don't lose the doctrine that has been taught through the hymns down through the years. But how much doctrine is really taught by the hymns?

I wonder what the studies say. I don't mean the obvious doctrine that is obvious to any believer. I would assume that any believer believes that God is great. Songs reinforce that but I think you would be stretching it to say that such doctrine is really taught by music. What doctrine is there that is primarily taught through music?

I believe there is a lot of doctrine in the hymns we sing but I am not so sure that it is really the primary teaching medium that some claim it to be. In fact, I think there is great danger in relying on hymns to teach despite the efforts of Luther, Calvin, and the Wesley brothers. If you are counting on them you may be disappointed.

I have been trying to think of doctrine that I primarily learned through hymns. I have discovered several brilliant nuggets of doctrine in hymns that became apparent after the fact. "Oh, so that's what that line means."

When I arrived at my current church I had a bunch of 18-20 year olds. I asked them about the hymns we sang in church. They could hardly remember the words to them, where not aware of the hymn's doctrine, and were very bored with them. Something isn't adding up.

You are going to have to show me. I don't feel guilty for not singing more hymns. I am not worried that the people in my congregation are missing some key doctrine. And I am not convinced that music is the primary medium for teaching doctrine. Reinforcing, yes, teaching, not as much as we think.

Buzzzzzzzzz

A friend of mine was explaining to me the objectives of a new role he was taking on. That makes me nervous because I just used the words "objectives" and "role" in that first sentence and I figured I was about to get a whole lot of buzz words. He didn't disappoint. How's this for one of his objectives? "To provide assistance in increasing ministry objectives each year."

That makes me chuckle every time I read it. i don't know what it means other than it sounds like someone is keeping busy, or at least trying to look like he is keeping busy. I also like how it is always good to "increase" something rather than decrease it. Wouldn't it be nice to be recognized for decreasing something for once? "Hey, I decreased our objectives this year. "Good job man. Keep up the good work."

It is amazing to me how accurate the Dilbert comic series was. I guess I thought it would fade over time but it hasn't. We have one idea of success and it is all tied up with more, bigger and better. Since most people can't compete with that we make up buzz words to cover the deficiencies. We may not really produce but if we have the right words we can fake it.

I have a friend who is sure I am failure simply because I have been the pastor of a small church for almost 15 years. I don't think the thought has ever entered into his head that I like ministering in the context that I am in. He always asks me if I am going to move on soon. But I think his hope for me is about gone. I'll have to hit him with some great buzz words next time I see him so he'll know I am doing okay.

I am planning on going to a conference this week. I can't forget to check out my friend Jim's Buzz Word Bingo tool and print out some cards to take with me. I'm sure I'll hear tons buzz words.

The Conversation

My kids tell me they are unique. We were talking with 3 of them last night and two of them say that they have asked their friends and not one of them have ever had "the talk" from a parent. The other one said a few had had "the talk."

The interesting thing is that this is true for both Christian and non-Christian homes as far as they can tell. I suppose that should be expected from non-Christian homes. They probably figure that they would rather have the school have the talk or let them find out in some other way. But Christians often complain and worry about sex ed in schools so it seems that they would be very quick to make sure they had the talk.

The main reason I think parents neglect to have the talk is because it is awkward and embarrassing. But if we really believe that sex is a beautiful gift from God, and that sexual intimacy is a core element of a strong marriage, it seems we would be much more inclined to have the talk. Apparently our churches are lacking a good theology of sex and it probably is because we don't address it enough in our churches.

I also think that it is unhelpful to refer to it as "the talk." The questions should not be when you had "the talk" it should be, "when did you begin 'the conversation.'" You can't explain it all in one talk and your kids can't process it all in one talk. It needs to be an ongoing conversation.

Literature

A few days ago I posted about my dislike of non-fiction here. As I thought about it, it occurred to me that I never said why. Well, it is because it isn't good art.

We all use graphic art to get a point across. Pictures have the ability to communicate so much better than words. But when I use graphic art it usually isn't that great. It still communicates, it is useful, and I don't have a problem using it. But I would hate to do away with great graphic art from the past or what is being created now. The great stuff speaks at an even deeper level. It also encourages, inspires, and even teaches us who can't produce great graphic art to at least improve what we do have.

The same is true for great fiction. It encourages, inspires, and helps me produce better non-fiction. Unfortunately I think a lot of non-fiction writers don't really think much about the quality of their writing. We aren't as careful as we should be with language. We take too many liberties in the name of efficiency and I think non-fiction suffers because of it.

I think being around the quality use of language rubs off on us. I am not aware of any studies on it but I would guess that children who are raised in homes where good grammar is the norm in every day language do better in school when it comes to grammar. (I imagine this has to have been studied.) Likewise, being around good writing has to make us better writers.

That's why I think great fiction is important and why we should all be partakers of it.

Leadership?

For the last several decades the western world has been infatuated with leadership. Go to any bookstore and you can find bookshelves full of books on leadership. The western church has the same infatuation. A quick search of the word "leader" in my librarything catalog returned 40 books and I probably have more than that that aren't tagged right or not cataloged yet. Apparently everything would work if we were better leaders.

I read that a survey of pastors showed that a high number of them believed that leadership development was one of their most pressing needs in their churches. I have no doubt that that is what they believe but I wonder if it is truly what they need most.

If you asked me what I would like to have most in my church it would be people who are totally in love with Jesus, who are filled with the Holy Spirit, and have the gift of evangelism. Just a few of them would be far more productive than dozens of new leaders.

Leaders build great institutions. The Holy Spirit builds a movement of God. The picture I see in scripture and down through history is the Holy Spirit on the move and leaders working like mad trying to keep up. When they do manage to catch up you find that they were filled with the Holy Spirit too.

In my tribe we talk about the Holy Spirit but we are cautious about it because so often the focus is on speaking in tongues or prophecy or the like that has ended up causing division instead of growth. But if you look carefully at scripture you see repeated occurrences of the Holy Spirit helping people share Jesus with the world boldly, courageously, and wisely. And that is what my church needs.

Raising Kids (Not the Goat Kind)

The most frightening adventure I have ever undertaken has been the raising of my 4 children. Though child rearing takes place in public there is also a lot of secrecy about it. A lot of it takes place in the home and out of the public eye. The end result, however, is there for the world to see. There is a lot of pressure not to screw it up.

I was reading about one study about kids transitioning to adulthood that said that kids now days aren't used to using their hands for much other than typing, texting, and driving a car. I was one of those kids who loved doing things with my hands. I was pretty good mechanically because my parents let me tear stuff apart. I tore apart countless lawnmowers and motorcycles and even got a few of them put back together again. I got a watch for my birthday when I was about 13. Two weeks later I had it torn apart ostensibly to clean it. It never ran again. I also loved working with wood and later used to follow a mission maintenance guy around working on cars, generators, and water pumps.

My oldest son worked a little bit on a lawnmower once and I guided my second son through the rebuilding of a snow blower. All my kids have played musical instruments to some degree too. But I wish I would have had them work with their hands more.

Another study pointed out the importance of a lot of multi-generational contact in helping kids transition to adulthood. Being a small church has helped that. We don't have a youth worship band, the kids fit right in with the regular worship band. We don't have very many youth work projects, the youth join in with the rest of the adults with work and mission projects. They also are very involved with church services. They are up front a lot and are used to speaking in front of the church. I feel that this is one area where they have a lot of experience and I don't regret for a minute that they haven't had the large church youth group experience. I think they are way over rated.

One study talked about a disconnect between what kids transitioning to adulthood believe to be right and their actual behavior. This is especially true when it comes to sex. It also showed that there is an increasing number of reports from kids, especially girls, of sexual experiences that have now left them devastated. I have been very straightforward about talking sex with my kids. They jokingly tell me that when they have kids and the time for "the talk" comes, they are going to just bring them to me. I wouldn't steal the privilege from them. We have also been very clear that there is a good reason that the Bible calls for sex to remain within the bounds of marriage and that it isn't just a rule for rules sake. We have also tried to emphasize that dating takes a pretty heavy amount of maturity to handle and our kids have been cautious about dating. Our oldest is in a strong marriage now and I pray that the others transition well into adulthood in the area of sex and relationships.

Some people tell us we are doing a good job. Others think we are too strict. And yet others say we aren't strict enough. Probably all of it is true. I do know this. If you are serious about parenting (I assume there are a lot of people who don't really give it much thought.) it will stretch you as a person and it will stretch you in your faith. I am hesitant to give anyone advice about raising kids. I agree with the guy who said he would know what a kind of a job he did raising his kids when he saw how his grand kids turned out. Parenting has been everything from frightening to exhilarating, and everything in between. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Non-fiction

Sadly, most the of the reading I do is non-fiction. It's sad because most non-fiction is really badly written. I have to read it because I need the information. Or at least I think I do.

Every now and then an author will try to use a fictional story to deliver information. I applaud the attempt but most of the time these guys just aren't writers. It is more embarrassing than anything.

I read an article recently that said there was a national effort that was aimed at reducing the amount of fiction kids read in school and increasing the amount of non-fiction they read. Apparently this will help them with their reading to learn. I can't give you a reason why but somehow I think that is a bad idea. Maybe if we had better writers non-fiction would get better. This approach just seems to make it likely that in the future non-fiction is just going to get worse.

I am especially surprised at how many of my colleagues seem to hold fiction in contempt. They seem to take pride in the fact that they don't read fiction. That attitude can't be good for fiction.

I think we should have regular fiction weeks, like maybe once a quarter. Everyone should be encouraged to read fiction that week. Maybe we could get professionals to put down their "latest trends" non-fiction and pick up a really good story instead.

Lamentable

James1:2-4 tells us to, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

I imagine that this is why we Christians have taught that when we face trials we should endure them in silence and be patient. But, though James is encouraging those who are facing great hardship, is he really saying that it is wrong to lament and ask "why" questions?

Lauren Winner, in a book review of Ronald Rittger's The Reformation of Suffering, spends a paragraph dealing with how the tradition of lament has been lost. Winner explains that Rittger feels that this loss in the (very) long run might even undermine the plausibility of the Christian faith.

Several years ago when scrutinizing hymns for sound theology was at its peak I had a teacher say that "Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior" was not theologically sound. Would the Savior really pass by one who calls on Him in a time of need? I suggested that it was simply a reflection of a persons lament but was told that we really didn't want to be singing that in church.

The Psalms are filled with lament. (Most do end with a statement of God's soveriegnty.) It seems to be the natural response to suffering and the fact that there is so much of it in scripture it seems that it is a legitimate way to express suffering.

Obviously, lament needs to me handled with care. It shouldn't be allowed to spiral down into the depths of despair. The recognition of God's sovereignty is important and the the reminder from James is also important. But, though I am not sure about Rittger's concern about the undermining of the faith, I wonder if it isn't a mental health issue. By not giving space for lament are we making it more likely that suffering will lead to ongoing mental health problems?

Gun Control

I am really disappointed with the debate that has gone on since the Sandy Hook tragedy. It seems that the debate quickly ended up in the weeds. Occasionally a mention gets made about what caused it but those seem to be rare and a token nodding of the head to the issue. Instead the focus is on gun control.

All the talk about gun control has brought up the usual statements of incredulity even though answers, whether right or wrong, have been given many times in the past. It has also shown that we are changing as a nation to one that isn't rooted very deeply in our history and really doesn't care about our distinctives.

Guns have played an important role in our country and we wouldn't be the country we are today without them. There is a lot of talk about what the 2nd Amendment says but there seems to be some confusion as to why it says it. Make no mistake, it is there to protect the people from a government, foreign or our own, who threatens our very existence. The amendment isn't there so we could enjoy shooting sports. That is why the argument against assault rifles and large capacity clips doesn't hold up. A lot of people wave that off saying that our government would never do that in this modern era. I think they are right but not so sure that I would dismiss those who think otherwise.

Another argument I have heard is basically that it is fine if good citizens want to have guns but let's make sure that the bad guys can't get them so easy. This leads to the idea that all gun owners should have thorough background checks. That would be good except for the fact that it is the government who keeps the list, which, again, doesn't help against a tyrannical government. To make matters worse, some media outlets have foolishly started publishing names and addresses of legal gun owners. Great, give people one more reason not to want to register their gun.

We already have gun laws. Somewhere between a daisy BB gun and a howitzer there is a line. Undoubtedly that line upsets people and now everyone is fighting over where that line should be. The problem is the whole argument misses the real issue. It is like someone said, "It is like seeing someone kill a bunch of people with a shovel, taking away all shovels, and thinking you've solved the problem."

I know there is a difference between a shovel and a gun but more gun control doesn't really deal with the problem. Once again we are only giving a brief acknowledgement to the role media, video games, abortion and other cultural problems play in this issue. I read an article the other day about why President Obama should appoint a woman to head the FCC. It was important because media had such a profound affect on our culture, according to the article. How come when it comes to mass killings, even killings where the killer dresses up like a movie villain, all we hear is that media doesn't really have that big of an impact on people?

Mass killings are indeed very sad and ones involving children really shake us up. (Thinking about all the abortions that take place every day has the same impact for some people, btw.) It seems like we would be driven to get to the bottom of what is really causing these tragedies. But apparently out of sight, out of mind takes care of it. We really don't care how sick our society is as long as there isn't any mass killings.

I really don't care if they tighten gun laws. But I think it is a shame that guns have become the scapegoat so we don't have to address the real issues.

BMV

I went to the BMV to get my drivers license renewed. My old one doesn't actually expire until the end of the month so this was kind of new for me. I usually find out my license is expired when I have to show it to someone and they happen to notice. Luckily, that someone hasn't been a police officer at a traffic stop.

I usually put off getting my license renewed because it involves a trip to the BMV and I would rather get a splinter under my finger nail than go there. The lines are long, half the hoops you have to jump through make absolutely no sense, and an apparent qualification for working there must be the ability to turn the most glowing optimist into a brooding pessimist with a single glance.

Wow, was I surprised with my latest visit. I waited just 8 minutes before my number was called. The employee was friendly but got right down to business. Before I knew it I was getting my eyes checked and my picture taken. He asked if I wanted anything changed from my old license (unfortunately my weight is still the same) and if I wanted to keep my motorcycle endorsement (Yes. One day I hope to be responsible enough to own a motorcycle again, though it remains doubtful.). I signed my name 3 times, swiped my credit card, and was soon on my way. Total time for the transaction: 3 minutes, 50 seconds. Total time I was in the building, including time for me to walk in, up to the counter, and back out: <15 minutes.

Someone as been working at major organizational change. Now I suppose that someone will tell me that my experience was an aberration or maybe confined to one branch. But that isn't the way it felt. It felt like someone decided that the BMV was going to be efficient, friendly, and make sense... and they pulled it off. I was impressed. Maybe there is hope for churches.

Silence

When I was in high school and college I liked to have music or the TV on while I studied. I didn't pay any attention to it but I guess I just liked the background noise. The other day my wife and daughter were in my office and commented on how quiet it was. I guess I like silence in my old age and I'm not even 50 yet.

I never thought about how quiet my office is until my wife was mocking me by pointing out to my daughter how loud the ticking of the clock was on the wall. It is the predominant sound. They both shook their heads and left. The silence never bothered me enough to turn on some music. It's quiet and I'm just fine with that.

I also started to notice that I like silence in other places too. One of the great joys I have every morning is turning off the bathroom exhaust fan after my shower. It's just a normal fan but flipping that switch puts a smile on my face. Silence is golden.

I think that is a small part of the reason why I like being the pastor of a small church. I suppose that is exactly why some people hate small churches and I suppose there is a lot of silence in larger churches too. But somehow complexity equates to noise in my mind so I have this desire to keep it simple... and quiet.

Well, that's all for this meaningless post. I'm going to go plug my guitar into my amp and turn it up as loud as it will go. Distortion here I come.

Religion

I'm sure this has been pointed out many times before but it also happens to be one of my pet peeves. I hear a lot of talk today about how bad religion is. Jesus good, religion bad. Or "I love Jesus but hate religion." But it just isn't that simple.

James 1:26-27 "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (NIV84)

So there is good religion and bad religion. Let's not throw out the whole word. Let's practice good religion. Sometimes it is better to recover a word rather than throw it out just because of all the baggage it has accumulated over the years.

Worship

Yesterday a pastor friend posted on Facebook that he wondered about the trend in a lot of new worship music toward long repetition. He noted that pastors are taught to be concise and quit when they have made their point instead of rambling on. He wondered if that wouldn't be good advice for song writers too. Of course I disagreed with him.

First let me say that from what I know of my friend he probably has a well rounded view of worship. But he also likes to push buttons and if ever there was a place to push worship buttons it is Facebook. In other words, we probably agree a lot more than it may seem. He's just a troublemaker. :)

But it got me thinking about how annoyed I get with the worship wars. Every year it seems that some Christian university is adding a "Worship Arts" degree so there is a ton of stuff written on worship now days. I've read and listened to a lot of it and in my view the scope of opinions is still a cluttered mess. Maybe in time there will be more consensus.

For this post I want to stick with the music we sing on Sunday mornings at church and call worship. Yes, that is only a fraction of what worship is. Yes, there are a multitude of aspects to worship. Yes, even our work is worship, or should be. But I am just talking about the music on Sunday.

For me, that worship is simply giving honor and glory to God through an art form that a lot of people can participate in. I do have a friend who can't sing or keep time to music and this worship does absolutely nothing for him. But for the most part the majority of our society does engage in the art form on a regular basis.

That makes music a great form for worship. It allows us to engage with God in a way that we can express ourselves beyond what we can with words alone. It involves not just our minds but also our emotions. It can push us to raise our hands or fall on our knees. It helps us express our gratitude to our Lord and Savior.

Sometimes I think the Wesleys did a disservice when they came up with the idea of using music to teach theology. It was brilliant, of course, because it works. Even in primitive cultures music is still used to teach. But teaching is not what worship is about for me. I don't mind that we learn while we worship but that is not even close to its primary purpose. Go ahead and use music to teach, just don't call it worship.

One of the keys to worship music is recognizing that it is an art form. We engage with art differently than we do oral communication. Unfortunately, a lot of people try to engage them in the same way. Art is something we soak in over time. I love to read but I have read even my favorite books only 5 or 6 times. Most books I read only once. It's not the same with music. I have listened to my favorite songs hundreds of times. Henry Nouwen wrote a book on Rembrandt's painting "The Prodigal" and he spent days looking at it in the St. Petersburg museum as he wrote, soaking in all the details and nuances that are missed with a brief glance. That is the nature of the art form.

So I get annoyed when I hear people say they don't like all the repetition in worship songs just as I get annoyed when I hear people complain about our classic hymns. I get the feeling they are not considering the art form. They are just basing their opinion on what they like. Yes, we do that with popular music too. But I think that if most people put some effort into it they could learn to appreciate a wide range of musical genres, even if they aren't their favorites. I think we can do that in worship too.

I can appreciate the complex orchestration of some of our greatest hymns of the past. But I can also appreciate the repetition of a deep, heartfelt, expression of praise. We need to learn to engage in worship in a way that allows us to soak in the art form and let it help us offer up our sincerest honor and praise to God.

Knitting

I asked my son Adam who he wanted to see win the Super Bowl this year. It's not that I really care who he wants to win. (Texans) Or that he gave a logical reason for his choice. (He figures the Lions will be the last team to win a Super Bowl so he roots for any team in the playoffs who haven't won one yet.) I was just trying to inject a little testosterone into the conversations in our home.

It all started at Thanksgiving when Adam (He is a sophomore in college) announced that he was going to knit a scarf for his girlfriend for Christmas. I endured Thanksgiving week watching my 20 year old son knitting like mad while watching TV. A little disturbing.

The next thing I know his 22 year old, married, older brother, sees what he is doing and starts asking questions. The conversation gave me a queasy feeling in my stomach. My two oldest sons were having a conversation about knitting.

Adam came home for Christmas break with some knitting looms and plans to knit bigger and greater things. His older brother, Ben, started getting into it too. The other day Ben came over and as soon as he walked in the door he and Adam had a 20 minute knitting discussion about the hat and scarf Ben had just made.

It never stops. My two oldest sons are constantly in conversations with their mom about internet articles on knitting, new kinds of knitting knots (is that what they are called?), various kinds of knitting needles and sizes, and a host of other knitting topics. I just stare in disbelief and wonder where I went wrong while repeating, "This too shall pass."

I did get a new scarf out of the deal that Kim knitted for me. It is even my favorite color green. Unfortunately that nice understated green turns into bright lime green outdoors in the sunlight. Kim doesn't see a problem with that.

Sick

I hardly ever get sick. Everyone in our house can be dealing with any number of evil viruses or bacteria and I usually just ignore them. No such luck this month.

It started 6 days before Christmas with a fever that reached 103.9 and wouldn't drop below 102.5 for 2 days. I told Kim I thought it was a probably an assassination attempt using some sort of radioactive poisoning or an evil plot by the cat trying to fulfill its life-long mission to eat me for lunch.

The fever slowly went down in the following days but I told Kim to keep an eye on the cat. By Sunday the fever was gone but I felt pretty washed out. Fortunately we had a Christmas program at Church so I didn't have to preach.

By Tuesday I had developed a cough so I had to change things up for the Christmas Eve service. Adam read my sermonette and Kim read the Christmas story. I did as little talking as possible and managed through.

The rest of the week the cough just got worse as a result of a sinus infection. By Saturday night I pretty much guessed that there was no way I was going to be able to preach so I called Larry and had him dust off a good one. Larry did a good job and I survived another Sunday.

The sinuses are slowly getting better, along with the cough, but I'm still not there yet. I'm trying to take it real easy and get lots of rest. I do better in the mornings but I still feel pretty miserable in the evenings. I do see a light at the end of the tunnel.

It is now 2013 and it looks like I will survive. I still don't trust the cat though.