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.