Big time hurrahs for Sandra Bullock, who has donated $1-million to the Red Cross for tsunami relief!
There are probably at least a thousand Hollywood figures--actors, producers, agents, executives, key grips (okay, scrub key grips from that list)--who could make similar donations. I expect that the Hollywood-connected Bill Clinton will be hitting Tinseltown up pretty big in his new role of co-chairing the raising of private donations for relief efforts.
I also expect that his opposite number, George H. W. Bush, will be working his friends in the energy and Blueblood worlds.
One can further expect that both former Presidents will work hard to get other major donors to their respective parties' to pony up, along with corporations and foundations.
When added to the private donations of Americans as well as the contributions of the government, American support for tsunami relief efforts could be enormous. I hope that it will be.
Here are four reputable organizations to which you can send your donations (even those less than a million dollars can be a huge help):
Lutheran World Relief
American Red Cross
Catholic Relief Services
World Vision
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
What About China Now? In the Future?
Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit links to a piece from the International Herald Tribune which says that China's paltry response to the tsunami tragedy is proof that the nation is not yet ready to be a major player on the world scene.
Reynolds' post also cites an article from The Weekly Standard that points to China's long-term threat to the world. Several recent articles, appearing in a variety of paper and online publications, have reached the same conclusion. Over time, many experts and observers agree, China will be America's greatest adversary, not terrorists.
Reynolds' post also cites an article from The Weekly Standard that points to China's long-term threat to the world. Several recent articles, appearing in a variety of paper and online publications, have reached the same conclusion. Over time, many experts and observers agree, China will be America's greatest adversary, not terrorists.
McCain v. Feingold in 2008?
Admittedly, I'm a political junkie, but I found this post from The Daily Kos interesting. Russ Feingold running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008?
What an interesting---and civil---debate could emerge if the Wisconsin senator's co-sponsor of campaign finance reform, the conservative Republican, John McCain ended up with the nomination of his party and opposed Feingold in the general election.
While most activists and observers seem to agree that the latest McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform has opened up new ways for the political process to be manipulated, both of the bill's sponsors are decent fellows who have great integrity and respect for one another.
What an interesting---and civil---debate could emerge if the Wisconsin senator's co-sponsor of campaign finance reform, the conservative Republican, John McCain ended up with the nomination of his party and opposed Feingold in the general election.
While most activists and observers seem to agree that the latest McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform has opened up new ways for the political process to be manipulated, both of the bill's sponsors are decent fellows who have great integrity and respect for one another.
Prayer: The Essential Conversation, Part 1
[This is the first part of a series of blog articles I'm presenting on prayer. I hope that you find it helpful.]
An old story has it that two men were out fishing in the ocean when a fierce storm came along, turning their boat into splinters. They clung to to two of them. After the storm died down, they were washed onto the shore of a small island.
There were no people on the island. They had no food or supplies. And they didn’t have any means of communicating with the outside world.
They were desperate and so, they thought, it might be a good time to pray. Maybe, they reasoned, God could help them. The problem though, was that neither of them really knew how to pray.
They’d both thought long and hard about this when one of them finally had a “Eureka!” moment. “You know,” he said, “when I was a kid, I lived next door to a church and sometimes I heard them. Maybe if I just talked the way they did, that would be prayer and God would help.”
“Sounds good to me,” said the other guy. “Anyway, what have we got to lose?” So, he fell silent, letting his companion take the lead.
He did. He called out with a loud, clear voice, “B-7, O-45, N-22...” Apparently, the guy had never been awake on Sunday mornings to hear the prayers lifted up during Mass.
Actually, I don’t think there’s reason for any of us to feel embarrassed about not knowing how to pray or for not understanding just what prayer is.
Prayer has been an integral part of my life now for about twenty-eight years, ever since I moved from atheism to faith in Jesus Christ. I try to make it daily part of my living. Beyond more extended periods of prayer each day, I talk with God while I’m in the shower, taking walks, driving (eyes open at all times, of course), working in my office, participating in meetings, speaking to groups of people, working out, and so on. My life has been blessed through prayer many times. But I still can’t call myself an expert on prayer. I don’t always know how to pray and I can’t always describe what prayer is. I’m still learning about it.
But I can say that prayer is one of the most exciting things we can be learning to do, as well as among the most meaningful and rewarding.
There are lots of ways to pray. E. Stanley Jones was a missionary to India in the middle part of the twentieth century and a good friend of Mohandas Gandhi. Jones also came to be well known in this country for his inspiring writing and for the spiritual ashrams, weekend retreats, over which he presided and at which thousands of people got to know God intimately. Once, Jones wrote, that at the end of one gathering at which he spoke, an obviously well-to-do woman approached him:
That changed spirit was the result of turning in desperation to God the best way she knew how.
You see, God isn’t interested as much in how we pray as He is in that we pray. This, frankly, can be a hard pill for some Christians, the kinds of Christians who think that form is everything, to take. These Christians seem to want to out-holy God Himself!
I once heard Texan Gerald Mann talk about the coffee shop in the small town where he served as a first-time pastor. There was a bunch of guys who gathered there every morning. Their language was coarse and their outlook on life could be crude. The “good” Christian folks wouldn’t have much to do with them.
To his credit, Mann decided to frequent the coffee shop, not to preach at these guys, but to be their friend. Maybe he also was tired of the high and mighty talk that passes for “Christian” communication in some churches; maybe he was looking for people who were real and not walking cliches.
In any case, most weekday mornings found Mann hanging out with these rough characters over cups of coffee. Eventually, they came to see him as a friend. One day, someone among their group had a question about God for him. Mann says that inside, he cringed a bit, fearful that his new friends would be so turned off by his preaching that he would not only lose their friendship, but also the chance to help them to know God.
But that went well. As time went on, Mann’s coffee shop friends brought more of their questions and finally, asked if some mornings they could all pray together. That began to happen.
Mann’s times at the coffee shop did not go unnoticed by the people of his church. One of the “elders,” as they’re called, asked Mann about the meetings and Mann invited the elder to come with him on a day when the group was to pray.
That morning, the group had apparently gotten word about a neighbor who was sick and in some other trouble. So, as they started to pray, one of the coffee shop denizens began, “Lord, you know what’s going on this S---of a B----’s life. This poor ol’ ba---rd sure needs your help...”
The guy’s prayer went on in this way, devoid of any consciousness that his words may have been a bit “colorful.” It was only after the prayer time had ended and the coffee shop group had dispersed that the elder from Mann’s church expressed rage at the language his sensitive ears had been forced to hear, language that he also apparently thought too vivid for God's dainty ears.
Mann tried in vain to point out to the elder that just a few months before, the fellow whose words had so offended wouldn’t have even considered praying. Instead of judging the man for failing to speak with something appropriate language, Mann hoped that the elder could be happy that the guy had grown desperate enough for God to want to pray.
Forunately, God doesn’t listen to our prayers with the celestial equivalent of Diana Hacker’s A Pocket Style Manual next to Him, knocking off points if our grammar is bad, our words unlike those used in the King James Version of the Bible, or our phrasing “colorful.”
In fact, some giants of the faith have used very colorful language in their prayers, the kind of language that we often use in our most intimate interpersonal conversations.
This past week, I watched the 2003-release, Luther, starring Joseph Fiennes. It tells the story of Martin Luther, the Roman Catholic monk, priest, and scholar who set out to reform the Church back in the sixteenth century. In one scene, it portrays Luther at prayer. Luther’s prayers, as any student of that period can tell you, were robust affairs in which he could sense the devil as well as the evil inside himself and in the world trying to pull him away from God. The movie accurately showed Luther, in God’s Name and power, turning his attention to the devil and calling him, “You sh-t!”
Some dainty church folks might consider that inappropriate and I think, in public settings, it would be. But is there a more appropriate nickname to give to the devil than that? Or a more accurate description of anyone who would try to prevent us from enjoying intimacy with God.
The point is that if concern about whether your prayers will be in the right form to please God is keeping you from praying, don’t let it stop you any longer. During the course of this blog series, I hope that you'll find encouragement either to begin a prayer life with God or, if you already enjoy one, the inspiration to deepen it.
Jesus, Who was God in the flesh, once said:
The best way I know to begin to learn to pray is to simply start praying. Maybe between this installment and the next one in this series, you can do that. You could do it in a letter or in a few silent sentences uttered while you shower. Again, don’t worry about form. When it comes to prayer, my advice comes straight from Nike, “Just do it!”
And if you feel incompetent to pray, start out by telling God that. He loves it when we’re honest with Him.
[E. Stanley Jones tells the story of the wealthy woman who wrote a letter to God in his fantastic book, How to Be a Transformed Person.]
An old story has it that two men were out fishing in the ocean when a fierce storm came along, turning their boat into splinters. They clung to to two of them. After the storm died down, they were washed onto the shore of a small island.
There were no people on the island. They had no food or supplies. And they didn’t have any means of communicating with the outside world.
They were desperate and so, they thought, it might be a good time to pray. Maybe, they reasoned, God could help them. The problem though, was that neither of them really knew how to pray.
They’d both thought long and hard about this when one of them finally had a “Eureka!” moment. “You know,” he said, “when I was a kid, I lived next door to a church and sometimes I heard them. Maybe if I just talked the way they did, that would be prayer and God would help.”
“Sounds good to me,” said the other guy. “Anyway, what have we got to lose?” So, he fell silent, letting his companion take the lead.
He did. He called out with a loud, clear voice, “B-7, O-45, N-22...” Apparently, the guy had never been awake on Sunday mornings to hear the prayers lifted up during Mass.
Actually, I don’t think there’s reason for any of us to feel embarrassed about not knowing how to pray or for not understanding just what prayer is.
Prayer has been an integral part of my life now for about twenty-eight years, ever since I moved from atheism to faith in Jesus Christ. I try to make it daily part of my living. Beyond more extended periods of prayer each day, I talk with God while I’m in the shower, taking walks, driving (eyes open at all times, of course), working in my office, participating in meetings, speaking to groups of people, working out, and so on. My life has been blessed through prayer many times. But I still can’t call myself an expert on prayer. I don’t always know how to pray and I can’t always describe what prayer is. I’m still learning about it.
But I can say that prayer is one of the most exciting things we can be learning to do, as well as among the most meaningful and rewarding.
There are lots of ways to pray. E. Stanley Jones was a missionary to India in the middle part of the twentieth century and a good friend of Mohandas Gandhi. Jones also came to be well known in this country for his inspiring writing and for the spiritual ashrams, weekend retreats, over which he presided and at which thousands of people got to know God intimately. Once, Jones wrote, that at the end of one gathering at which he spoke, an obviously well-to-do woman approached him:
and as we shook hands, [she] said, “If I had what you have, I wouldn’t be in the mess I’m in.” I asked her to wait, and as we talked, she laid bare her tragedy: Her home was going to be broken up after Christmas--they would hold together till Christmas so as not to break the children’s hearts. We prayed and I asked her to pray when she got home. But she said afterward: “I belonged to the country club cocktail-gambling set and didn’t know how to pray. So I wrote God a letter: ‘Dear God, life has dealt me a very bad hand and I don’t know which card to lead. Please show me which card I am to lead.’ And I signed it.”Reports Jones, “God heard that prayer expressed in the only language she knew.” Somehow, that woman and her husband were able to stay together and become reconciled. Jones says that the woman was able to hold her home together “by her changed spirit.”
That changed spirit was the result of turning in desperation to God the best way she knew how.
You see, God isn’t interested as much in how we pray as He is in that we pray. This, frankly, can be a hard pill for some Christians, the kinds of Christians who think that form is everything, to take. These Christians seem to want to out-holy God Himself!
I once heard Texan Gerald Mann talk about the coffee shop in the small town where he served as a first-time pastor. There was a bunch of guys who gathered there every morning. Their language was coarse and their outlook on life could be crude. The “good” Christian folks wouldn’t have much to do with them.
To his credit, Mann decided to frequent the coffee shop, not to preach at these guys, but to be their friend. Maybe he also was tired of the high and mighty talk that passes for “Christian” communication in some churches; maybe he was looking for people who were real and not walking cliches.
In any case, most weekday mornings found Mann hanging out with these rough characters over cups of coffee. Eventually, they came to see him as a friend. One day, someone among their group had a question about God for him. Mann says that inside, he cringed a bit, fearful that his new friends would be so turned off by his preaching that he would not only lose their friendship, but also the chance to help them to know God.
But that went well. As time went on, Mann’s coffee shop friends brought more of their questions and finally, asked if some mornings they could all pray together. That began to happen.
Mann’s times at the coffee shop did not go unnoticed by the people of his church. One of the “elders,” as they’re called, asked Mann about the meetings and Mann invited the elder to come with him on a day when the group was to pray.
That morning, the group had apparently gotten word about a neighbor who was sick and in some other trouble. So, as they started to pray, one of the coffee shop denizens began, “Lord, you know what’s going on this S---of a B----’s life. This poor ol’ ba---rd sure needs your help...”
The guy’s prayer went on in this way, devoid of any consciousness that his words may have been a bit “colorful.” It was only after the prayer time had ended and the coffee shop group had dispersed that the elder from Mann’s church expressed rage at the language his sensitive ears had been forced to hear, language that he also apparently thought too vivid for God's dainty ears.
Mann tried in vain to point out to the elder that just a few months before, the fellow whose words had so offended wouldn’t have even considered praying. Instead of judging the man for failing to speak with something appropriate language, Mann hoped that the elder could be happy that the guy had grown desperate enough for God to want to pray.
Forunately, God doesn’t listen to our prayers with the celestial equivalent of Diana Hacker’s A Pocket Style Manual next to Him, knocking off points if our grammar is bad, our words unlike those used in the King James Version of the Bible, or our phrasing “colorful.”
In fact, some giants of the faith have used very colorful language in their prayers, the kind of language that we often use in our most intimate interpersonal conversations.
This past week, I watched the 2003-release, Luther, starring Joseph Fiennes. It tells the story of Martin Luther, the Roman Catholic monk, priest, and scholar who set out to reform the Church back in the sixteenth century. In one scene, it portrays Luther at prayer. Luther’s prayers, as any student of that period can tell you, were robust affairs in which he could sense the devil as well as the evil inside himself and in the world trying to pull him away from God. The movie accurately showed Luther, in God’s Name and power, turning his attention to the devil and calling him, “You sh-t!”
Some dainty church folks might consider that inappropriate and I think, in public settings, it would be. But is there a more appropriate nickname to give to the devil than that? Or a more accurate description of anyone who would try to prevent us from enjoying intimacy with God.
The point is that if concern about whether your prayers will be in the right form to please God is keeping you from praying, don’t let it stop you any longer. During the course of this blog series, I hope that you'll find encouragement either to begin a prayer life with God or, if you already enjoy one, the inspiration to deepen it.
Jesus, Who was God in the flesh, once said:
“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father Who is in secret; and your Father Who sees in secret will reward you.Jesus wasn’t condemning public prayers. Although the lion’s share of Jesus’ praying was private, He engaged in public praying Himself. But He didn’t do so to call attention to Himself; His aim was share His intimacy with God the Father with others.
“When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words...” (Matthew 6:5-7)
The best way I know to begin to learn to pray is to simply start praying. Maybe between this installment and the next one in this series, you can do that. You could do it in a letter or in a few silent sentences uttered while you shower. Again, don’t worry about form. When it comes to prayer, my advice comes straight from Nike, “Just do it!”
And if you feel incompetent to pray, start out by telling God that. He loves it when we’re honest with Him.
[E. Stanley Jones tells the story of the wealthy woman who wrote a letter to God in his fantastic book, How to Be a Transformed Person.]
Monday, January 03, 2005
Americans Raise Millions for Tsunami Relief...But Osama Still Doesn't Lift a Finger to Help Muslims in Indonesia
President Bush enlists his father, former President George H.W. Bush, and former President Bill Clinton to lead an effort to raise millions of dollars from private American contributors for tsunami relief.
Already, ordinary Americans are giving by the millions of dollars to this effort, expressing solidarity and sympathy with people in twelve different nations who have been victimized by the tsunamis.
Meanwhile, Osama bin Laden, who styles himself as one who cares about the well-being of his fellow Muslims, has said and done nothing to help or encourage people in the world's largest Islamic nation, Indonesia.
Curious, isn't it, that Americans and others care about the needs of those orphaned, widowed, and made homeless by this tragedy; but bin Laden remains squirreled away in a hole somewhere, clearly not caring about the people he could help with his millions?
Already, ordinary Americans are giving by the millions of dollars to this effort, expressing solidarity and sympathy with people in twelve different nations who have been victimized by the tsunamis.
Meanwhile, Osama bin Laden, who styles himself as one who cares about the well-being of his fellow Muslims, has said and done nothing to help or encourage people in the world's largest Islamic nation, Indonesia.
Curious, isn't it, that Americans and others care about the needs of those orphaned, widowed, and made homeless by this tragedy; but bin Laden remains squirreled away in a hole somewhere, clearly not caring about the people he could help with his millions?
More on Preparation for Mount Kilimanjaro Climb
Nancy Beck, preparing to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and raise money for the Clermont County Boys and Girls Club in the process, has posted some new items on her blog. She reports that it's all a "hodge podge," but it's all cool stuff because it lets us all feel as though we're a part of her adventure!
Tsunami Ravages World's Largest Islamic Nation; Where's Osama Now?
While tooling around today, listening to The Diane Rehm Show, I heard an interesting point made by Norman Ornstein. He said that one question which people in tsunami-ravaged Indonesia, the world's largest Islamic country, and those in all other Islamic nations should consider is this: What help is Osama bin Laden and his band of terrorist thugs providing to the Muslims of Indonesia?
Perhaps the official US government response to the tsunami disasters was slow. But a response has come. While its commitment of $350-million was not immediate and is second to that of Japan's government, which has ponied up $500-million, the official US response is not insignificant.
And the private contributions of Americans, Britons and other Europeans, Canadians, and others have been extraordinary!
Osama and crew haven't emerged from their hiding places to express compassion and concern for the pain of their fellow Muslims. They haven't sent any of their stores of cash either.
Yet bin Laden's statement of a few months ago, the one in which he sat at a desk, a plain backdrop behind him, clutching his speech as though he were the President in the Oval Office, indicates that he views himself as a world statesman, as a landless equivalent of a chief of state or head of government. His non-response to this tragedy in the world's largest Islamic nation puts the lie to that pretense.
As if to underscore Ornstein's point, a Palestinian-American telephoned Rehm's show to say that the US is the most generous country he has experienced.
He also wondered where the financial support for relief efforts that he expected to come from the oil-and-cash-rich Gulf States might be.
He further expressed the hope that President Bush and the US government would become actively engaged in the Middle East peace process and not remain bystanders.
Are Americans selfish and stingy? We can be, of course. I'm alarmed by the seeming decrease in charitable giving over the past few years.
Could the US government have responded more quickly to the tsunami tragedies? Probably, although I think that the President has been subjected to far more criticism than was warranted. The scope of the tragedies was not immediately present, nor was it known what infrastructures were needed.
But a response is coming from both the US government and from ordinary Americans as we well as from compassionate people around the globe.
That response says simply, "We don't care what your religion or your skin color or your nationality may be. We share this planet together. We share our griefs and our joys. Just as certainly as that French headline proclaimed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks that, 'We Are All Americans,' today we are all Indonesians, all Indians, all Filipinos, all brothers and sisters, and we are going to help the victims rebuild their shattered lives!"
I doubt that Osama would make such an all-inclusive statement. After all, he hasn't even bothered to say anything or throw a few crumbs at the Muslim brothers and sisters whose interests he claims to represent.
Perhaps the official US government response to the tsunami disasters was slow. But a response has come. While its commitment of $350-million was not immediate and is second to that of Japan's government, which has ponied up $500-million, the official US response is not insignificant.
And the private contributions of Americans, Britons and other Europeans, Canadians, and others have been extraordinary!
Osama and crew haven't emerged from their hiding places to express compassion and concern for the pain of their fellow Muslims. They haven't sent any of their stores of cash either.
Yet bin Laden's statement of a few months ago, the one in which he sat at a desk, a plain backdrop behind him, clutching his speech as though he were the President in the Oval Office, indicates that he views himself as a world statesman, as a landless equivalent of a chief of state or head of government. His non-response to this tragedy in the world's largest Islamic nation puts the lie to that pretense.
As if to underscore Ornstein's point, a Palestinian-American telephoned Rehm's show to say that the US is the most generous country he has experienced.
He also wondered where the financial support for relief efforts that he expected to come from the oil-and-cash-rich Gulf States might be.
He further expressed the hope that President Bush and the US government would become actively engaged in the Middle East peace process and not remain bystanders.
Are Americans selfish and stingy? We can be, of course. I'm alarmed by the seeming decrease in charitable giving over the past few years.
Could the US government have responded more quickly to the tsunami tragedies? Probably, although I think that the President has been subjected to far more criticism than was warranted. The scope of the tragedies was not immediately present, nor was it known what infrastructures were needed.
But a response is coming from both the US government and from ordinary Americans as we well as from compassionate people around the globe.
That response says simply, "We don't care what your religion or your skin color or your nationality may be. We share this planet together. We share our griefs and our joys. Just as certainly as that French headline proclaimed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks that, 'We Are All Americans,' today we are all Indonesians, all Indians, all Filipinos, all brothers and sisters, and we are going to help the victims rebuild their shattered lives!"
I doubt that Osama would make such an all-inclusive statement. After all, he hasn't even bothered to say anything or throw a few crumbs at the Muslim brothers and sisters whose interests he claims to represent.
Tod Bolsinger on the Christmas Light the Tsunami Tragedies Cannot Put Out!
Tod Bolsinger's Sunday message from yesterday is excellent!
Tod is a gifted communicator and an insightful thinker. I love reading his blog nearly every day.
Tod is a gifted communicator and an insightful thinker. I love reading his blog nearly every day.
Not Just Meager Thoughts on the Tsunamis from Mark Sides
He calls them "a few meager additional thoughts," but Mark Sides' reflections on the recent tsunami tragedies are not meager. He discusses the statement on the tragedies by the Archbishop of Canterbury, a statement of which I had previously read an inadequate summary. He also makes suggestions about how to respond the Indian Ocean disaster.
Mark has a wonderful web site. This is a devoted family man and lawyer striving, humbly, to reflect Christ's light in the world.
Mark has a wonderful web site. This is a devoted family man and lawyer striving, humbly, to reflect Christ's light in the world.
Sunday, January 02, 2005
About US Private Donations to Tsunami Relief
Adrian Warnock points out that tsunami-relief donations from the British public have now exceeded the initial pledged aid from the British government. He wonders if such is the case in the US by now. A Google search has led me to believe that has happened.
So far as I can find, there are no totals from all private relief agencies in the States. But the magnitude of the private contributions that are known is pretty huge. Toledo Blade columnist Jack Kelly says that as of last Wednesday, contributions to seven US relief agencies totaled more than $34-million.
This article from the International Herald Tribune gives some totals for private giving around the world that are quite interesting.
So far as I can find, there are no totals from all private relief agencies in the States. But the magnitude of the private contributions that are known is pretty huge. Toledo Blade columnist Jack Kelly says that as of last Wednesday, contributions to seven US relief agencies totaled more than $34-million.
This article from the International Herald Tribune gives some totals for private giving around the world that are quite interesting.
The Light of the World!
John 1:1-18
[message shared with the people of Friendship Church, January 2, 2005]
Not many days ago, two tectonic plates below the earth, under the Indian Ocean, shifted. The result was a 9.0 earthquake on the Richter Scale and massive tsunamis that killed at least 120,000 people in twelve different countries.
It's difficult to even understand the enormity of this natural disaster. This past Friday, on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, columnist Mark Shields said that on September 11, 2001, had our country suffered loss proportionate to that experienced by Indonesia with the tsunami, we wouldn't have lost 3000 people, but 706,000 people!
In the wake of such tragedy, we look for explanations and there are some people more than willing to accomodate us in that search. One Christian web site says that the tsunamis victimized more people in Islamic and Hindu countries, proving that God was angry at them for persecuting Christians. Some in India claim that the tsunamis are punishment for the arrest of a Hindu leader and a rabbi has written that the massive death toll is indicative of God’s great anger with the world’s wickedness.
These "explanations" remind me of the words of a Christian leader who, after the 9/11 attacks, claimed that they were God's punishment on America for countenancing homosexuality. He later retracted that statement.
From a Biblical perspective, all such explanations are, at the very least, highly suspect. Jesus says that in this world, the sun shines and the sky rains on the good and the evil.
This morning, I’m called by God to speak Jesus’ Good News to the world's often indescribable pain. But I have to say that I have no definitive answer to the simple question of, “Why?”
I can tell you a few things though, that might help us all to cope not only with this tragedy, but with all the tragedy that can beset us in this life.
First, I can tell you, as I have before, that this isn’t heaven. God created this world, including you and me, to be very good.
But things are not as they should be. The singer, Sting, once said in his song, Consider Me Gone, “To search for perfection is all very well; But to look for Heaven is to live here in Hell.”
The Bible agrees. In the New Testament, Paul writes that since sin and death invaded our planet, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now...,” just waiting for a second chance at new life.
Even, Paul says, those who follow Christ, groan under the weight of a world where sin and death exist. Followers of Jesus, he says, “groan inwardly while we wait for...the redemption of our bodies.”
So long as this world exists, tectonic plates will shift, malevolent people will plot terror, disease will claim innocent victims, and sin-tinged human beings will dismiss the suffering of others as only being what they deserve. All of that will happen because this isn’t heaven.
But here’s the second thing I want to share with you. There is hope. We are not alone. We can have a different future.
I love the opening lines of the New Testament book of Hebrews where the preacher says, “Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by a Son...” God has broken the silence and spoken to us in words and in actions. He did that through Jesus Christ.
That’s what our Bible lesson is all about. It says: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...All things came into being through Him...What has come into being in Him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it...And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen His glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth...”
On the first Christmas, two-thousand years ago, God didn’t offer explanations as to why every tragedy happens. I'm not sure such explanations would enable us to cope any better with tragic events anyway.
Instead of issuing an explanation, God became one of us to help us see and experience His good will for us, His love for us, His desire for us, His promise that, thank God, the darkness of this present age is not all there is for those who follow Christ.
Jesus, the Word, speaks a message to us, “If you let me, I will light your ways clear to eternity!”
But there’s a problem, as there always is when the human race is involved. Do you remember the movie, The Shawshank Redemption? When Red Redding, the character played by Morgan Freeman, was released from prison, he could hardly adjust to life on “the outside.” In one scene, he approaches the supervisor at the grocery store where he’s a bagger and says, “Boss, permission to go to the rest room.” He doesn’t know what to say when the supervisor, with a kindly voice, tells him that if he needs to go, he should just go.
We’re like Red, you and I. We’ve gotten so accustomed to the darkness and the confines of this world, that it’s hard for us to accept the goodness of God, the depths of His love for us, the eternal dimensions of the life He offers to those who follow Christ, or the permission that He gives to us to dare to be our best selves!
Writer Clark Cothern tells about the Christmas that a squirrel fell down his chimney and into the wood-burning stove in the basement. Cothern says, “I thought that if [the squirrel] knew we were there to help, I could just reach in and gently lift it out. Nothing doing. As I reached in...it began scratching about like a squirrel overdosed on espresso.”
Cothern and his family finally constructed a cardboard box “cage.” There was a hole in one side of it. The squirrel walked in and once inside, Cothern was able to take it outside into a nearby woods.
Later, Cothern says, he thought about how strange it was that before the squirrel was set free, he tried like crazy to bash his way to freedom from his “dark prison” and that the harder he tried, the more pain he caused to himself.
“In the end,” he writes, “he simply had to wait patiently until one who was much bigger--one who could peer into his world--could carry him safely to that larger world where he really belonged. That is what we need the Lord to do for us.”
And that, according to the Bible, is what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.
But how do we know it’s all true? How, in the face of tragedy like the tsunamis, can we dare to believe such good news?
First, there are logical reasons to believe that Jesus is the Word made flesh Who lights our way to eternity with God. Among them is this inborn sense of good and bad, right and wrong. Where does that come from? And what of our sense that life isn't as it should be? Where does that come from? C. S. Lewis said that throughout human history, across cultures, people have had what he called "good dreams," the notion that there is a better, sinless place once inhabited by the human race and that, people hope, we can live again. The songwriter Randy Stonehill put it this way some twenty years ago: "Like a child who dreams of flying and aches for something more, we hold a dim remembrance of an ancient golden shore."
The religious impulse also seems to be universal among the human race. Anthropologists and archaeologists have noticed that all over the world throughout the span of time, people seem to have this incessant sense that there is Someone bigger than all of us Who deserves our worship. Freud, of course, believed that resulted from an infantile desire for a Father. But when you look at all the other evidence, assuming as it does a single, pervasive human dysfunctionality, that explanation just doesn't make sense.
Something inside of us says that life isn’t meant to end at the grave and that God wants to offer new life to us. Belief in Jesus just makes sense.
There are also good empirical, factual reasons to follow Him. The early documentary evidence for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is, for example, vastly more extensive than similar evidence for such ancient figures as Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, or many of the Greek philosophers.
But, none of us can ever know the truth about Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, until we dare to experience Him. The great Norwegian Lutheran theologian Ole Hallesby, in his book Why I Am a Christian, gave us five things that we can do to experience Jesus.
He suggests that we first of all, read the New Testament. Contrary to some of the psuedo-scholarship referred to in the novel, The DaVinci Code, the New Testament is accurate in its portrayal of Jesus. By reading the New Testament, you will get to know Him. Don’t worry about what you don’t understand. Instead, savor and apply what you do understand.
Next, Hallesby suggests, that we begin to pray. Talk with God honestly about your doubts, fears, hopes, and joys.
Third, he says that while praying, we should make an honest inventory of ourselves, asking God to show us what we need to do to live life as He designed it to be lived.
Fourth, he says, participate in Holy Communion whenever it’s offered. We Christians believe that in the bread and wine, Jesus offers Himself body and blood and embodies His forgiving love to us. In Communion, the Word becomes flesh and lives among us again. How that works, I don't know. One reason we designate Communion and Baptism as sacraments is that they are mysteries. Sacrament is a word that means mystery.
Even if we don't understand how the bread and wine of Holy Communion are also Jesus' body and blood, we have His word on it.
Father Robert Capon, in his book, The Third Peacock, says that Holy Communion is "the hat on the invisible man." We can't see Jesus. But when Jesus' Word and the elements of bread and wine intersect, we're able to taste, see, and experience the presence of Jesus with us.
Finally, Hallesby says, we should fellowship with people who are wholeheartedly convinced that Jesus is the real deal, the Word, the Savior Who lights our ways.
When we allow ourselves to experience Jesus Christ, He will light our way through even the darkest of passages of life, enabling us to cope and inspiring us to love our neighbors--even those across the ocean--so that they too can be given light in their darkness and hope for their futures.
Do you believe that?
I do.
[message shared with the people of Friendship Church, January 2, 2005]
Not many days ago, two tectonic plates below the earth, under the Indian Ocean, shifted. The result was a 9.0 earthquake on the Richter Scale and massive tsunamis that killed at least 120,000 people in twelve different countries.
It's difficult to even understand the enormity of this natural disaster. This past Friday, on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, columnist Mark Shields said that on September 11, 2001, had our country suffered loss proportionate to that experienced by Indonesia with the tsunami, we wouldn't have lost 3000 people, but 706,000 people!
In the wake of such tragedy, we look for explanations and there are some people more than willing to accomodate us in that search. One Christian web site says that the tsunamis victimized more people in Islamic and Hindu countries, proving that God was angry at them for persecuting Christians. Some in India claim that the tsunamis are punishment for the arrest of a Hindu leader and a rabbi has written that the massive death toll is indicative of God’s great anger with the world’s wickedness.
These "explanations" remind me of the words of a Christian leader who, after the 9/11 attacks, claimed that they were God's punishment on America for countenancing homosexuality. He later retracted that statement.
From a Biblical perspective, all such explanations are, at the very least, highly suspect. Jesus says that in this world, the sun shines and the sky rains on the good and the evil.
This morning, I’m called by God to speak Jesus’ Good News to the world's often indescribable pain. But I have to say that I have no definitive answer to the simple question of, “Why?”
I can tell you a few things though, that might help us all to cope not only with this tragedy, but with all the tragedy that can beset us in this life.
First, I can tell you, as I have before, that this isn’t heaven. God created this world, including you and me, to be very good.
But things are not as they should be. The singer, Sting, once said in his song, Consider Me Gone, “To search for perfection is all very well; But to look for Heaven is to live here in Hell.”
The Bible agrees. In the New Testament, Paul writes that since sin and death invaded our planet, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now...,” just waiting for a second chance at new life.
Even, Paul says, those who follow Christ, groan under the weight of a world where sin and death exist. Followers of Jesus, he says, “groan inwardly while we wait for...the redemption of our bodies.”
So long as this world exists, tectonic plates will shift, malevolent people will plot terror, disease will claim innocent victims, and sin-tinged human beings will dismiss the suffering of others as only being what they deserve. All of that will happen because this isn’t heaven.
But here’s the second thing I want to share with you. There is hope. We are not alone. We can have a different future.
I love the opening lines of the New Testament book of Hebrews where the preacher says, “Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by a Son...” God has broken the silence and spoken to us in words and in actions. He did that through Jesus Christ.
That’s what our Bible lesson is all about. It says: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...All things came into being through Him...What has come into being in Him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it...And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen His glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth...”
On the first Christmas, two-thousand years ago, God didn’t offer explanations as to why every tragedy happens. I'm not sure such explanations would enable us to cope any better with tragic events anyway.
Instead of issuing an explanation, God became one of us to help us see and experience His good will for us, His love for us, His desire for us, His promise that, thank God, the darkness of this present age is not all there is for those who follow Christ.
Jesus, the Word, speaks a message to us, “If you let me, I will light your ways clear to eternity!”
But there’s a problem, as there always is when the human race is involved. Do you remember the movie, The Shawshank Redemption? When Red Redding, the character played by Morgan Freeman, was released from prison, he could hardly adjust to life on “the outside.” In one scene, he approaches the supervisor at the grocery store where he’s a bagger and says, “Boss, permission to go to the rest room.” He doesn’t know what to say when the supervisor, with a kindly voice, tells him that if he needs to go, he should just go.
We’re like Red, you and I. We’ve gotten so accustomed to the darkness and the confines of this world, that it’s hard for us to accept the goodness of God, the depths of His love for us, the eternal dimensions of the life He offers to those who follow Christ, or the permission that He gives to us to dare to be our best selves!
Writer Clark Cothern tells about the Christmas that a squirrel fell down his chimney and into the wood-burning stove in the basement. Cothern says, “I thought that if [the squirrel] knew we were there to help, I could just reach in and gently lift it out. Nothing doing. As I reached in...it began scratching about like a squirrel overdosed on espresso.”
Cothern and his family finally constructed a cardboard box “cage.” There was a hole in one side of it. The squirrel walked in and once inside, Cothern was able to take it outside into a nearby woods.
Later, Cothern says, he thought about how strange it was that before the squirrel was set free, he tried like crazy to bash his way to freedom from his “dark prison” and that the harder he tried, the more pain he caused to himself.
“In the end,” he writes, “he simply had to wait patiently until one who was much bigger--one who could peer into his world--could carry him safely to that larger world where he really belonged. That is what we need the Lord to do for us.”
And that, according to the Bible, is what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.
But how do we know it’s all true? How, in the face of tragedy like the tsunamis, can we dare to believe such good news?
First, there are logical reasons to believe that Jesus is the Word made flesh Who lights our way to eternity with God. Among them is this inborn sense of good and bad, right and wrong. Where does that come from? And what of our sense that life isn't as it should be? Where does that come from? C. S. Lewis said that throughout human history, across cultures, people have had what he called "good dreams," the notion that there is a better, sinless place once inhabited by the human race and that, people hope, we can live again. The songwriter Randy Stonehill put it this way some twenty years ago: "Like a child who dreams of flying and aches for something more, we hold a dim remembrance of an ancient golden shore."
The religious impulse also seems to be universal among the human race. Anthropologists and archaeologists have noticed that all over the world throughout the span of time, people seem to have this incessant sense that there is Someone bigger than all of us Who deserves our worship. Freud, of course, believed that resulted from an infantile desire for a Father. But when you look at all the other evidence, assuming as it does a single, pervasive human dysfunctionality, that explanation just doesn't make sense.
Something inside of us says that life isn’t meant to end at the grave and that God wants to offer new life to us. Belief in Jesus just makes sense.
There are also good empirical, factual reasons to follow Him. The early documentary evidence for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is, for example, vastly more extensive than similar evidence for such ancient figures as Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, or many of the Greek philosophers.
But, none of us can ever know the truth about Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, until we dare to experience Him. The great Norwegian Lutheran theologian Ole Hallesby, in his book Why I Am a Christian, gave us five things that we can do to experience Jesus.
He suggests that we first of all, read the New Testament. Contrary to some of the psuedo-scholarship referred to in the novel, The DaVinci Code, the New Testament is accurate in its portrayal of Jesus. By reading the New Testament, you will get to know Him. Don’t worry about what you don’t understand. Instead, savor and apply what you do understand.
Next, Hallesby suggests, that we begin to pray. Talk with God honestly about your doubts, fears, hopes, and joys.
Third, he says that while praying, we should make an honest inventory of ourselves, asking God to show us what we need to do to live life as He designed it to be lived.
Fourth, he says, participate in Holy Communion whenever it’s offered. We Christians believe that in the bread and wine, Jesus offers Himself body and blood and embodies His forgiving love to us. In Communion, the Word becomes flesh and lives among us again. How that works, I don't know. One reason we designate Communion and Baptism as sacraments is that they are mysteries. Sacrament is a word that means mystery.
Even if we don't understand how the bread and wine of Holy Communion are also Jesus' body and blood, we have His word on it.
Father Robert Capon, in his book, The Third Peacock, says that Holy Communion is "the hat on the invisible man." We can't see Jesus. But when Jesus' Word and the elements of bread and wine intersect, we're able to taste, see, and experience the presence of Jesus with us.
Finally, Hallesby says, we should fellowship with people who are wholeheartedly convinced that Jesus is the real deal, the Word, the Savior Who lights our ways.
When we allow ourselves to experience Jesus Christ, He will light our way through even the darkest of passages of life, enabling us to cope and inspiring us to love our neighbors--even those across the ocean--so that they too can be given light in their darkness and hope for their futures.
Do you believe that?
I do.
Saturday, January 01, 2005
Concepcion Deserves to Be Enshrined at Cooperstown
The Cincinnati Reds web site has an outstanding article by MLB.com correspondent Todd Lorenz about the continued failure of Baseball Hall of Fame voters to honor Reds shortstop Davey Concepcion at Cooperstown.
Concepcion was the best shortstop of his era, a key component of the Big Red Machine, the finest team in National League history.
Defensively, his play at shortstop was only slightly less impressive than that of Ozzie Smith, whose career partially overlapped Concepcion's.
Offensively, Concepcion was better than Smith and until the advent of Alex Rodriguez, a sound argument could be made that he was the best all-time at the position.
Lorenz's article holds out little hope that Concepcion will be enshrined at Cooperstown this year. That's a real shame because I believe that he is truly deserving!
Concepcion was the best shortstop of his era, a key component of the Big Red Machine, the finest team in National League history.
Defensively, his play at shortstop was only slightly less impressive than that of Ozzie Smith, whose career partially overlapped Concepcion's.
Offensively, Concepcion was better than Smith and until the advent of Alex Rodriguez, a sound argument could be made that he was the best all-time at the position.
Lorenz's article holds out little hope that Concepcion will be enshrined at Cooperstown this year. That's a real shame because I believe that he is truly deserving!
See 'Luther'!
My wife, future son-in-law, and I watched the movie, Luther, recently released on DVD, today. It's an outstanding movie...very un-Oliver Stone in that it is historically accurate. The performances are fantastic, particularly those of Joseph Fiennes in the title role and Sir Peter Ustinov as Frederick the Wise!
An Article That Addresses Just War Theory and the War in Iraq
Colonel Franklin Eric Wester is an Army Reserve Chaplain, a Lutheran pastor, and the holder of three Master's degrees, including two in theology and one in Strategic Studies. He also happens to be someone I have known for twenty-five years.
Recently, in the journal of the Army War College, Wester published an article in which he seeks to show that the war in Iraq does not conform to the traditional Christian standards found in what is called just war theory.
Whether one agrees with him or not, Eric brings credentials, credibility, an exemplary commitment to Christ, and an undeniable love of country to this discussion and is worthy of fair-minded hearing. Interestingly, in this article from the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch, Eric says that his Army colleagues have been civil and respectful in their discussions with him...something we all could emulate when dealing with hot-button issues.
Formerly, Eric served at the Pentagon itself and in fact, was serving there when the building was attacked on September 11, 2001. Subsequently, he played a role in the development of the chapel constructed there in memory of the attack's victims.
Recently, in the journal of the Army War College, Wester published an article in which he seeks to show that the war in Iraq does not conform to the traditional Christian standards found in what is called just war theory.
Whether one agrees with him or not, Eric brings credentials, credibility, an exemplary commitment to Christ, and an undeniable love of country to this discussion and is worthy of fair-minded hearing. Interestingly, in this article from the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch, Eric says that his Army colleagues have been civil and respectful in their discussions with him...something we all could emulate when dealing with hot-button issues.
Formerly, Eric served at the Pentagon itself and in fact, was serving there when the building was attacked on September 11, 2001. Subsequently, he played a role in the development of the chapel constructed there in memory of the attack's victims.
Claybourn Writes Confessional
Joshua Claybourn, already an accomplished blogger, and four other writers have a wonderful blog site called In the Agora.
Check out this post from Joshua, Confessions of a Gen-Xer.
Check out this post from Joshua, Confessions of a Gen-Xer.
New Year's Greetings!
Happy new year!
Thanks to all who have made Better Living a regular part of their days. Let your friends know about it and feel free to leave your comments, as well as peruse the archived posts.
God bless you with a great 2005!
Thanks to all who have made Better Living a regular part of their days. Let your friends know about it and feel free to leave your comments, as well as peruse the archived posts.
God bless you with a great 2005!
Friday, December 31, 2004
I'll Take an "F" for Funny
Pat Sajak says that everybody is reviewing events of 2004. But since we all know what's just happened, that's easy. No matter what your politics, his review of events in 2008, is hysterically funny.
A Call to Prayer for Tsunami Victims
My colleague, Pastor Glen VanderKloot has shared the following Call to Prayer.
As the death toll mounts to over 100,000 from the recent 9.0
magnitude earthquake (4th largest in history) and subsequent
two-story high tsunami waves in Southwest Asia, pastors, churches and
Christians are being asked to take IMMEDIATE PRAYERFUL ACTION.
Although we sit safely in the protection of our homes,
churches and communities, we can still be directly involved
with those much less fortunate. We have the ability to pray
boldly on their behalf and extend the hope of Jesus Christ
to them through the power of our spoken PRAYERS.
PLEASE JOIN Christians in Fervent Prayer:
Ask God to reveal His peace and comfort to thousands of
grieving families.
Ask God to provide the necessary rescue workers, recovery
air lifts, and relief agencies today and in the months ahead
during the long rebuilding process.
Ask God to give wisdom to our President and our nation to respond
compassionately by caring for all involved as Jesus would.
Ask God to let you see the victims of the tragedy in Sri Lanka,
India, Indonesia or Thailand through His eyes in order to
move you to fervently petition that their critical needs will
be met spiritually and physically.
Thank God for sparing the west coast of the U.S. from the
effects of this earthquake and tsunami, but pray that our
hearts would be humbly and fully trusting in Him if we do
experience another disaster in our homeland.
Ask God to help us use this specific reminder to responsibly
prepare, as Scripture illustrates, and help others prepare for
any natural or man-made disaster that could occur closer to home.
This is a time to pray and a time to open our hearts and
checkbooks to help!
Glen VanderKloot
Faith Lutheran Church
Springfield, Illinois
Let the Conspiracy of Kindness Continue
My friend Steve Sjogren would love this column from TechCentralStaion.com by Ralph Kinney Bennett. May the conspiracy of kindness continue!
The mission statement for our congregation, by the way is this:
Friendship Lutheran Church is a welcoming and caring people who seek to share the kindness of God so that all metropolitan Cincinnati may grow in the faith, hope, and love of the living Christ!
And why not? The Bible tells us that it isn't damning people that leads them to repentance--turning from sin and to God--but, kindness!
Kindness is also fun, whether you're on the receiving or the giving end of it.
The mission statement for our congregation, by the way is this:
Friendship Lutheran Church is a welcoming and caring people who seek to share the kindness of God so that all metropolitan Cincinnati may grow in the faith, hope, and love of the living Christ!
And why not? The Bible tells us that it isn't damning people that leads them to repentance--turning from sin and to God--but, kindness!
Kindness is also fun, whether you're on the receiving or the giving end of it.
Ukraine's Impact on Freedom in the Old Soviet Union
Stephen Schwartz has interesting reflections on the implications of events in Ukraine on Uzbekistan and other republics of the late Soviet Union. He underscores just how pivotal a successful in democracy in Ukraine is.
More on a Dignified Inaugural Celebration
It's not too late for the President to scrub the elaborate Inauguration celebrations and to instead, celebrate American democracy with a simple, dignified service and a donation of unused private contributions for the event to tsunami relief efforts.
For more information on this gesture, designed to show respect both to the victims of the tsunamis and to our fighting men and women in Afghanistan and Iraq, see the following posts:
Here
Here
For more information on this gesture, designed to show respect both to the victims of the tsunamis and to our fighting men and women in Afghanistan and Iraq, see the following posts:
Here
Here
Tsunami Reporting Team Asks for Moderation in New Year's Eve Celebrations
The writers of SEA-EAT, a blog reporting on the tsunami tragedy, today asks for us all to remember the victims during our New Year's Eve celebrating.
How to Celebrate in the Midst of Suffering
In Part 7 of his series on Charles Dickens and Christmas, Mark Roberts has some helpful hints on how to celebrate in the midst of a world of suffering.
Agreement Between Sudanese Government and Rebels from South Feeds Hope for End of Darfur Genocide
While the signing of a treaty between the Islamic government of Sudan and Christian rebels from the south of that country has nothing to do with the genocide the government is perpetrating in the Darfur region, one can hope that it may mark a move in ending the area's suffering. Read the CBC article here.
The Passion of the Present acts as a wonderful clearinghouse of information on Sudan.
The Passion of the Present acts as a wonderful clearinghouse of information on Sudan.
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Advice from India
India Uncut has advice for those considering the donation of items rather than cash for relief efforts. Go there for other information about the Indian Ocean disaster in his country also.
Social Mobility in the US Today?
This article from The Economist raises important questions about the state of social mobility in America today.
Write to the White House, Asking President for Plainer Inaugural, Sending Contributed Money for Tsunami Relief
A few moments ago, I sent an email to the White House. In it, I asked the President to adopt the suggestion of Pastor Gordon Atkinson. Gordon, on his blog, Real Live Preacher, said he thought it would be a fine idea for the President to forget about an elaborate Inaugural blowout on January 20 and to instead, designate whatever money has not yet been spent of the privately-contributed funds for tsunami relief efforts.
I thought this was a capital idea! I feel it has special merit in light of the fact that we are at war, just as was the case when President Roosevelt opted for a simpler ceremony in 1945. (See here.)
Below is the text of the email I sent to the President:
If you would like to also send such an email to the President, it's a simple thing to do. Mr. Bush's email address is: president@whitehouse.gov.
I thought this was a capital idea! I feel it has special merit in light of the fact that we are at war, just as was the case when President Roosevelt opted for a simpler ceremony in 1945. (See here.)
Below is the text of the email I sent to the President:
Mr. President:
The Inauguration is a celebration of America's freedom and principles. Under normal circumstances, this celebration should be festive.
But as was true when President Franklin Roosevelt was inaugurated for his fourth term in 1945, our nation is at war, young Americans fighting and dying.
In addition, the worst natural disaster in recent history is still unfolding in south Asia.
Under these circumstances, Mr. President, I suggest that the Inauguration on January 20, 2005, be a low-key and dignified affair held in the White House itself devoid of parades, balls, or other extrvagances. Then, I would hope that the bulk of monies contributed for the event will be designated for tsunami relief efforts.
This idea was first suggested by one of your fellow Texans, Pastor Gordon Atkinson on his popular blog, Real Live Preacher.
I think it's a great idea, one worthy of the greatness of America.
Have a wonderful new year, Mr. President.
Blessings in Christ,
Mark Daniels
If you would like to also send such an email to the President, it's a simple thing to do. Mr. Bush's email address is: president@whitehouse.gov.
Ruminations on Giving to Our Global Community
This morning, a friend told me of a conversation she had yesterday.
"Isn't what's happened with the earthquakes and tsunamis horrible?" she asked a man she knows.
"Well, you know" the fellow said, "the populations in those countries were awfully huge anyway."
My friend could hardly believe what she was hearing. It seemed as though this man was suggesting that the massive earthquake and tsunamis were a fortuitous means of trimming the excess population of south Asia.
This guy's comments seemed gruesomely similar to those of the unreconstructed Ebenezer Scrooge at the beginning of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
There, two gentlemen have entered Scrooge's counting house, soliciting funds to help the poor. Scrooge asks if the prisons and work houses have closed. When assured that they haven't, Scrooge tells the gentlemen that the poor for whom they seek funds can very well go to those places for the help they need, not to him.
But it should be said that when people have the sort of wealth and ease that most Americans in the middle class and above enjoy, there is a danger of our developing a Scrooge mentality.
A few years back, I was talking with a neighbor. The news at the time was filled with stories of a famine endangering the lives of millions of people. "I happily donate money to animal shelters and the humane society," my neighbor told me, "but I wouldn't send a dime to help hungry people. The way I figure it, it's all about the survival of the fittest."
I considered the expanding paunch around our middles, his and mine, and suppressed the urge to tell him, "The fittest? Neither one of us is a Charles Atlas."
I know, of course, that my neighbor wasn't suggesting that we were physically fitter to live than the victims of hunger or disaster. He was saying that in America, we have a greater capacity to cope with disaster, to withstand and overcome the fickle forces of nature.
But that has nothing to do with anything I've done. Generations of people who relied on God and each other, worked hard, and accomplished much have given me the middle class life style I take for granted.
I'm pretty certain too, that if some massive disaster hit me or my neighbor, we both would hope and pray that the world wouldn't regard us as "surplus population" or as the appropriate victims of some inexorable law called, "the survival of the fittest."
"Where you live should not decide, whether you live or whether you die," sings U2's Bono in the song, Crumbs from Your Table. Nor should where we live decide whether we harden our hearts to the living and dying of others.
Jesus once shocked His followers when he said that it's harder for a rich person to enter God's kingdom than it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Wealth--and by the standards of the world, most Americans are fabulously wealthy--can lull us into a hypnotic somnambulence. Largely insulated from the pains with which the vast majority of the human population must wrestle, we can view our material well-being and the intellectual and physical capacities God gives us to obtain it, as only our due.
It isn't! Fortunately, I have several friends whose examples constantly remind me of that fact. They're what I would describe as middle-middle income people. They're comfortable, but they aren't taking vacations four times a year either. They all are resolute about making giving and responding compassionately to the needs of others a regular part of their lives. They believe that as difficult as it sometimes can be to keep that resolve, it's the only thing that keeps them from dehumanizing themselves, reducing their existences to piling up money which, after all, they won't take with them beyond the grave. Their examples inspire me!
Everything we have is a gift that God has entrusted to us to be used not just for ourselves and our needs, but also for our neighbors.
I'm a middle class white American. This notion of giving and being available to the hurting people of the world is tough for me to accept. But, grateful for all the blessings God has given to me, it only makes sense to me that when my neighbor--whether the one across the street or across the ocean--suffers, I should share those blessings.
Dickens writes at the beginning of his classic story that Scrooge resolutely kept to himself. We may try to do that, too. But in our increasingly interdependent global village, it's becoming harder to turn away from the crying needs of those on distant shores. Especially in the case of a tragedy of the magnitude we see unfolding in south Asia today.
I pray for the character, grace, and faith to turn toward those needs...and to offer what help I can.
To make contributions, click on the links to the following various relief organizations:
UNESCO
World Vision
Lutheran World Relief
Catholic Relief Services
American Red Cross
"Isn't what's happened with the earthquakes and tsunamis horrible?" she asked a man she knows.
"Well, you know" the fellow said, "the populations in those countries were awfully huge anyway."
My friend could hardly believe what she was hearing. It seemed as though this man was suggesting that the massive earthquake and tsunamis were a fortuitous means of trimming the excess population of south Asia.
This guy's comments seemed gruesomely similar to those of the unreconstructed Ebenezer Scrooge at the beginning of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
There, two gentlemen have entered Scrooge's counting house, soliciting funds to help the poor. Scrooge asks if the prisons and work houses have closed. When assured that they haven't, Scrooge tells the gentlemen that the poor for whom they seek funds can very well go to those places for the help they need, not to him.
"Many can't go there; and many would rather die," Scrooge is told.There have been indignant responses to the UN official who called Americans "stingy." He backtacked from that assessment when he began to see the outpouring of contributions coming from Americans and their government.
"If they would rather die," [Scrooge says], they had better do it and decrease the
surplus population..."
But it should be said that when people have the sort of wealth and ease that most Americans in the middle class and above enjoy, there is a danger of our developing a Scrooge mentality.
A few years back, I was talking with a neighbor. The news at the time was filled with stories of a famine endangering the lives of millions of people. "I happily donate money to animal shelters and the humane society," my neighbor told me, "but I wouldn't send a dime to help hungry people. The way I figure it, it's all about the survival of the fittest."
I considered the expanding paunch around our middles, his and mine, and suppressed the urge to tell him, "The fittest? Neither one of us is a Charles Atlas."
I know, of course, that my neighbor wasn't suggesting that we were physically fitter to live than the victims of hunger or disaster. He was saying that in America, we have a greater capacity to cope with disaster, to withstand and overcome the fickle forces of nature.
But that has nothing to do with anything I've done. Generations of people who relied on God and each other, worked hard, and accomplished much have given me the middle class life style I take for granted.
I'm pretty certain too, that if some massive disaster hit me or my neighbor, we both would hope and pray that the world wouldn't regard us as "surplus population" or as the appropriate victims of some inexorable law called, "the survival of the fittest."
"Where you live should not decide, whether you live or whether you die," sings U2's Bono in the song, Crumbs from Your Table. Nor should where we live decide whether we harden our hearts to the living and dying of others.
Jesus once shocked His followers when he said that it's harder for a rich person to enter God's kingdom than it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Wealth--and by the standards of the world, most Americans are fabulously wealthy--can lull us into a hypnotic somnambulence. Largely insulated from the pains with which the vast majority of the human population must wrestle, we can view our material well-being and the intellectual and physical capacities God gives us to obtain it, as only our due.
It isn't! Fortunately, I have several friends whose examples constantly remind me of that fact. They're what I would describe as middle-middle income people. They're comfortable, but they aren't taking vacations four times a year either. They all are resolute about making giving and responding compassionately to the needs of others a regular part of their lives. They believe that as difficult as it sometimes can be to keep that resolve, it's the only thing that keeps them from dehumanizing themselves, reducing their existences to piling up money which, after all, they won't take with them beyond the grave. Their examples inspire me!
Everything we have is a gift that God has entrusted to us to be used not just for ourselves and our needs, but also for our neighbors.
I'm a middle class white American. This notion of giving and being available to the hurting people of the world is tough for me to accept. But, grateful for all the blessings God has given to me, it only makes sense to me that when my neighbor--whether the one across the street or across the ocean--suffers, I should share those blessings.
Dickens writes at the beginning of his classic story that Scrooge resolutely kept to himself. We may try to do that, too. But in our increasingly interdependent global village, it's becoming harder to turn away from the crying needs of those on distant shores. Especially in the case of a tragedy of the magnitude we see unfolding in south Asia today.
I pray for the character, grace, and faith to turn toward those needs...and to offer what help I can.
To make contributions, click on the links to the following various relief organizations:
UNESCO
World Vision
Lutheran World Relief
Catholic Relief Services
American Red Cross
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
People from Flyover Territory, Unite!
Hugh Hewitt has a withering piece about the attitudes which at least some in what he describes as the "legacy media" have about anywhere but New York, Washington, and LA. I think he's right. Whether some folks want to admit it or not, people really do have brains and abilities in Flyover Territory.
Inaugurals Are a Celebration of US Democracy
Cincinnati-area attorney Stan Chesley is a major fund-raiser for Democratic Party candidates. But check out this post on his contribution to the President's Inaugural celebration. I'll bet that Chesley would be willing to see his money go to tsunami-relief efforts.
An Example of Generosity
Cincinnati businessman Carl Lindner has donated $200,000.oo to fuel the transport of relief supplies to tsunami-afflicted south Asia. Lindner, a committed Christian, has also been active in efforts at combating anti-semitism, among other important causes.
What If the President Cut Back on the Inaugural Celebrating in January?
Gordon Atkinson at Real Live Preacher hit a nerve with this post. In it, he suggests that President Bush cut back on the nearly-$30-million Inaugural celebration, instead opting for a simple White House ceremony and forwarding the money onto relief agencies assisting those hit by the tsunamis this past weekend.
I don't think that Gordon was suggesting that Americans are stingy, as did UN emergency aid chief Jan Egeland the other day.
But I do think Gordon was saying that in light of the tsunami tragedies and other such events, it would be good for all of us to periodically examine our priorities.
While we certainly want to celebrate our American democracy and our unity as a nation when our presidents are inaugurated, we have taken to spending an enormous amout of money in doing so. (All of it private contributions.)
It seems reflective of the lavishness that often characterizes America today.
A friend of mine, a Republican officeholder, gained an electoral promotion in the 2004 general election. This came after he defeated a well-heeled and politically-connected opponent in a fiercely-contested primary in March. Before the primary, he and I had breakfast together one morning. He knew that, if initial projections proved accurate, he and his opponent were going to be spending a huge amount of money on their campaigns.
He shook his head and said wistfully, "When I think of all the good things that could be done with that money...like feeding hungry people...it makes me sick. But that's what the system has come to..."
There is so much excess in our society.
There is also much generosity.
Sometimes, as was true for my friend, we get caught in the trap of having to be excessive. If my friend had any hope of winning his election and using his abilities, principles, and integrity for the people of our area, he had to engage in fund-raising and campaign spending which he personally regards as being both excessive and offensive.
But what should we all do--presidents, paupers, plumbers, politicians, preachers, and others--when we have the choice between excess and generosity?
Speaking for myself, I must admit that more often than should be the case, I engage in selfish excess.
The tsunamis give us all the chance to examine our personal priorities and decide how we best can love our neighbors as we love ourselves.
In 1945, with America still at war (and his health in obvious decline), President Franklin Roosevelt opted for a simple Inaugural ceremony as he was sworn in for his fourth term.
Maybe with our nation at war now and the chance our President has to put a large amount of private money to good use, helping the victims of what is probably the greatest natural disaster in history, he could decide to simplify his Inaugural ceremony and send the money on to agencies like UNESCO, World Vision, Lutheran World Relief, and others.
Such a step, I think, would show respect to the young men and women risking their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan right now and provide needed funds for an important relief effort.
To my mind, it would be a very appropriate way to celebrate the greatness and the goodness of America.
I don't think that Gordon was suggesting that Americans are stingy, as did UN emergency aid chief Jan Egeland the other day.
But I do think Gordon was saying that in light of the tsunami tragedies and other such events, it would be good for all of us to periodically examine our priorities.
While we certainly want to celebrate our American democracy and our unity as a nation when our presidents are inaugurated, we have taken to spending an enormous amout of money in doing so. (All of it private contributions.)
It seems reflective of the lavishness that often characterizes America today.
A friend of mine, a Republican officeholder, gained an electoral promotion in the 2004 general election. This came after he defeated a well-heeled and politically-connected opponent in a fiercely-contested primary in March. Before the primary, he and I had breakfast together one morning. He knew that, if initial projections proved accurate, he and his opponent were going to be spending a huge amount of money on their campaigns.
He shook his head and said wistfully, "When I think of all the good things that could be done with that money...like feeding hungry people...it makes me sick. But that's what the system has come to..."
There is so much excess in our society.
There is also much generosity.
Sometimes, as was true for my friend, we get caught in the trap of having to be excessive. If my friend had any hope of winning his election and using his abilities, principles, and integrity for the people of our area, he had to engage in fund-raising and campaign spending which he personally regards as being both excessive and offensive.
But what should we all do--presidents, paupers, plumbers, politicians, preachers, and others--when we have the choice between excess and generosity?
Speaking for myself, I must admit that more often than should be the case, I engage in selfish excess.
The tsunamis give us all the chance to examine our personal priorities and decide how we best can love our neighbors as we love ourselves.
In 1945, with America still at war (and his health in obvious decline), President Franklin Roosevelt opted for a simple Inaugural ceremony as he was sworn in for his fourth term.
Maybe with our nation at war now and the chance our President has to put a large amount of private money to good use, helping the victims of what is probably the greatest natural disaster in history, he could decide to simplify his Inaugural ceremony and send the money on to agencies like UNESCO, World Vision, Lutheran World Relief, and others.
Such a step, I think, would show respect to the young men and women risking their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan right now and provide needed funds for an important relief effort.
To my mind, it would be a very appropriate way to celebrate the greatness and the goodness of America.
The Tsunamis: Putting the Numbers in Perspective (Plus: Link to Excellent Interview)
Evangelical Outpost has a short, arresting piece that puts the current tsunami death toll--60,000--in perspective. He also has other relief organization contact addresses besides that of Lutheran World Relief. Whatever of the many reputable relief organizations you choose to support, it appears that there is tremendous coordination happening among them.
By the way: Margaret Warner, senior correspondent on The NewsHout with Jim Lehrer, had an interesting and informative interview last night with the heads of Oxfam, America and of Catholic Relief Services.
By the way: Margaret Warner, senior correspondent on The NewsHout with Jim Lehrer, had an interesting and informative interview last night with the heads of Oxfam, America and of Catholic Relief Services.
Kilimanjaro Climb Update
Nancy Beck, executive director of the Clermont County Boys and Girls Club, is preparing to climb Mount Kilimanjaro next year. She's not just doing it as a matter of personal achievement, though. She's also accepting sponsorships for those who will pledge financial contributions to the Club after she completes the climb.
Nancy has posted quite a lot of new stuff to her blog, Climbing for Kids' Sake. I hope that you'll go there and check it out. I also hope that if you've got a spare million or so just collecting interest somewhere, that you consider making a pledge--even a pledge far more modest than a million--to her climb for kids.
Nancy has posted quite a lot of new stuff to her blog, Climbing for Kids' Sake. I hope that you'll go there and check it out. I also hope that if you've got a spare million or so just collecting interest somewhere, that you consider making a pledge--even a pledge far more modest than a million--to her climb for kids.
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Reds Incite Pennant Dreams for '05
For a time this off-season, we Reds fans were resigning ourselves to another season of being among the also-rans.
But lately, there have been signals that the team that, in spite of suspect pitching, stood at first place in the NL Central for two months of the 2004 season, might be making a serious run in the 2005 campaign.
This would seem to confirm that those signals.
Also, check out John Fay's analysis.
But lately, there have been signals that the team that, in spite of suspect pitching, stood at first place in the NL Central for two months of the 2004 season, might be making a serious run in the 2005 campaign.
This would seem to confirm that those signals.
Also, check out John Fay's analysis.
Book Nook
I finished reading Joseph J. Ellis' fine biography of George Washington, His Excellency, several days ago. I've already spent a good deal of time riffing off of Ellis' insights into Washington and his times. So, I won't write more here. While I prefer Richard Norton Smith's treatment of Washington, I do recommend this book.
Not long ago, I mentioned having purchased The Gospel Code by New Testament scholar Ben Witherington III. In it, Witherington deals with the faulty notions on which a recent best-seller, soon to be a movie, is based. I'm about half-way through this book and I must tell you that I enthusiastically recommend it!
With the credentials and abilities of a scholar and the writing skills of a good columnist, Witherington convincingly dismantles the notions that inform Dan Brown's fatally-flawed, The DaVinci Code.
He points out, contrary to Brown's assertions, that:
Finally, I've just begun a book I've long wanted to read, London: The Biography by Peter Ackroyd. Until now, I found the cost prohibitive. But I was able to pick up a copy at Half Price Books for much less than half-price. Ackroyd is a wonderful writer and though I've only just made a modest dent in this massive book, I'm already enjoying it!
Not long ago, I mentioned having purchased The Gospel Code by New Testament scholar Ben Witherington III. In it, Witherington deals with the faulty notions on which a recent best-seller, soon to be a movie, is based. I'm about half-way through this book and I must tell you that I enthusiastically recommend it!
With the credentials and abilities of a scholar and the writing skills of a good columnist, Witherington convincingly dismantles the notions that inform Dan Brown's fatally-flawed, The DaVinci Code.
He points out, contrary to Brown's assertions, that:
- The Gospels found in the New Testament portion of the Bible (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) pre-date the so-called Gnostic Gospels. The Biblical works are closer to the actual events of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. Even the most skeptical of scholars agree that the latest of the four Biblical gospels, John, was written no later than 150 A.D. They therefore, were not repressed by the early church, as Brown suggests: they simply appeared, works of fiction, later.
- It's simply not true that Jesus was only declared divine as well as human under the prodding of Emperor Constantine at the Council of Nicaea. All of the New Testament material---from the Gospels to the letters of Saint Paul---view Jesus as being divine as well as human and they precede the Nicene Council by at least 175 years. (Check out Philippians 2:5-11; John 1:1-18; Hebrews 1: 1-4; Colossians 1:15-20) While the Council at Nicaea wrestled with the question of how Jesus was divine, that He was divine was never questioned.
- There is simply zero evidence to support the proposition that Jesus married Mary Magdalene.
- Witherington also points out that, contrary to Brown's apparent assumptions, Jesus being married would present no problem for the Christian witness that He lived a sinless earthly life. The Bible does not believe that sex is sinful or decadent. The Bible does believe that sex within marriage is a blessing from God. Therefore, it would not have been sinful for Jesus, truly God and truly human, to have been married. But the Biblical witness is that Jesus chose not to marry in order to focus on His mission of revealing God, dying on the cross for our sin, and rising from death to give those with faith in Him new life.
Finally, I've just begun a book I've long wanted to read, London: The Biography by Peter Ackroyd. Until now, I found the cost prohibitive. But I was able to pick up a copy at Half Price Books for much less than half-price. Ackroyd is a wonderful writer and though I've only just made a modest dent in this massive book, I'm already enjoying it!
Is This a Story About PC Politics from Across the Pond?
George Miller of 'London Calling' is upset because the UK's Inland Revenue (collectors of the nation's income tax) is contemplating a change in inheritance laws. Presently, Britain's widows receive their husbands' estates tax-free, as I understand it. But Muslims in the country have been long lobbying for a change in the rules. The change would allow multiple wives of husbands of Muslims observing the religious rule of sharia to also receive a piece of the inheritance tax-free. Miller calls this an incentive for polygamy.
I wondered what might be motivating this policy review because, should it be adopted, a nightmare would likely ensue. Some would see it as preferential treatment for the adherents of one religion. Others would call for similar flexibility for others in the distribution of their estates.
While the IR, as it's called, may have an independent board of governors, it nonetheless falls under the supervision of the Chancelor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, a member of the Labour Party inner circle around Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Blair will soon be required to call a general election. Conservatives and Liberal Democrats appear to be incapable of dislodging Mr. Blair and his party from power. But the Labourites are probably concerned. The PM's enthusiastic involvement with the war in Iraq is not popular in the UK.
In the meantime, demographics show that the Muslim vote in any elections will be very important. There are now more Muslims than Presbyterians, Methodists, Sikhs, Hindus, or Jews in the UK. And they are a more cohesive group than others.
Is the Inland's policy review about politics and demographics more than any notions of what's just or fair?
I wondered what might be motivating this policy review because, should it be adopted, a nightmare would likely ensue. Some would see it as preferential treatment for the adherents of one religion. Others would call for similar flexibility for others in the distribution of their estates.
While the IR, as it's called, may have an independent board of governors, it nonetheless falls under the supervision of the Chancelor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, a member of the Labour Party inner circle around Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Blair will soon be required to call a general election. Conservatives and Liberal Democrats appear to be incapable of dislodging Mr. Blair and his party from power. But the Labourites are probably concerned. The PM's enthusiastic involvement with the war in Iraq is not popular in the UK.
In the meantime, demographics show that the Muslim vote in any elections will be very important. There are now more Muslims than Presbyterians, Methodists, Sikhs, Hindus, or Jews in the UK. And they are a more cohesive group than others.
Is the Inland's policy review about politics and demographics more than any notions of what's just or fair?
More on Russia and Ukraine Mending Fences
This article from the December 29 edition of the online The Times (from London) talks about the efforts to mend fences between Ukraine and Russia following the latter's attempts to disrupt the elections in Ukraine. Most interesting to me was this, quoting a Kremlin functionary:
An economic adviser to the Kremlin said yesterday that the vote was a wake-up call for Russia. “Ukraine is our most important partner in showing us that we can get rid of our complex about empire,” Andrei Illarionov said.Governments and nations that impose themselves on others can never be truly free themselves. They must always watch their backs, always deal with the human and financial expenses of maintaining their dominance, and risk exposing the fact that even if it's not true that the 'emperor has no clothes,' he certainly is vulnerable.
“Russia cannot become truly democratic and develop economically unless it ceases to be an empire.
Great Editorial About New Ukraine President and Putin
The New York Times has today published an editorial about the election of Viktor Yushchenko to the presidency of Ukraine. It suggests that Yushchenko's win is a victory for democracy and that the new president will have a difficult time of it. The eastern and southern portions of the country, the regions with the greatest economic potential, are also the parts of Ukraine that voted against him and wish to see the country aligned with Russia, rather than with Europe and the West. It's also a place of loose talk about seceding from the rest of Ukraine.
The editorial's comments about Russian president Vladimir Putin are particularly interesting:
The editorial's comments about Russian president Vladimir Putin are particularly interesting:
For his part, Mr. Putin disgraced himself by meddling in the internal affairs of Ukraine - which he clearly considers one of his territories. He even summoned Ukrainian authorities to a Moscow airport to demand that the first compromised election results stand. Now Russia has lost face. Mr. Putin may well have been playing solely to Kremlin hard-liners opposed to the West, but in so doing, he alienated the eventual winner of the Ukrainian balloting.Good advice! Now, if Putin could simply be made to learn what it means to be the president of a free country.
Initial reports suggest that Mr. Yushchenko is so far proving to be the bigger man. Last week he said that his first trip after the election would be to Moscow. It would certainly now behoove Mr. Putin to paste a smile on his face and put a spring in his step as he welcomes the new Ukrainian president.
If You're Considering Donating to Relief Efforts
Among the world's most cost-efficient and effective international relief organizations is Lutheran World Relief. I would say this whether I were a Lutheran Christian or not. For years, LWR has been recognized by any number of organizations and publications as the world's best-run charity, its effectiveness and range of activities being disproportionate to the numbers of Lutherans comprising the world's population.
So, as you consider where to donate monies to go toward bringing relief to the many effected by the recent Indian Ocean tsunamis, you might want to consider a donation to Lutheran World Relief.
Here are relevant links:
Lutheran World Relief
LWR information on relief efforts already happening: here, here, here.
Page on which you can make contributions.
Another good relief organization is World Vision.
Let me hasten to add that I have no personal connection with Lutheran World Relief, apart from my denominational affiliation. But through that "connection," I have received frequent reports of the organization's activities. That's why I feel so comfortable in recommending it as way people can financially respond to the needs of the victims of the recent tsunamis.
The congregation of which I am pastor sponsors a young Zimbabwean child through World Vision. I also have a high regard for that organization.
So, as you consider where to donate monies to go toward bringing relief to the many effected by the recent Indian Ocean tsunamis, you might want to consider a donation to Lutheran World Relief.
Here are relevant links:
Lutheran World Relief
LWR information on relief efforts already happening: here, here, here.
Page on which you can make contributions.
Another good relief organization is World Vision.
Let me hasten to add that I have no personal connection with Lutheran World Relief, apart from my denominational affiliation. But through that "connection," I have received frequent reports of the organization's activities. That's why I feel so comfortable in recommending it as way people can financially respond to the needs of the victims of the recent tsunamis.
The congregation of which I am pastor sponsors a young Zimbabwean child through World Vision. I also have a high regard for that organization.
Indian Ocean Disaster Raises Questions
The sadness from the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunamis compounds, it seems, by the moment. The present death toll is estimated at about 50,000.
A tragedy of these dimensions can't help but cause us to reflect deeply on life and tragedy. Below are links to a recent series I wrote on When Tragedy Hits the Innocent:
When Suffering Hits the Innocent, Part 1
When Suffering Hits the Innocent, Part 2
When Suffering Hits the Innocent, Part 3
When Suffering Hits the Innocent, Part 4
A tragedy of these dimensions can't help but cause us to reflect deeply on life and tragedy. Below are links to a recent series I wrote on When Tragedy Hits the Innocent:
When Suffering Hits the Innocent, Part 1
When Suffering Hits the Innocent, Part 2
When Suffering Hits the Innocent, Part 3
When Suffering Hits the Innocent, Part 4
Bouts with Bedhead Help Teach Valuable Life Lesson
For as long as I can remember, I’ve suffered from what can only be described as industrial strength bedhead.
Five minutes of slumber can give my hair more swirls, ridges, and flat points than you’re likely to find in half-finished Jello after a potluck.
Mostly though, my bedhead causes every strand of my mane to protrude like the quills of a porcupine.
Through the years, if people have caught glimpses of me in the mornings before I’ve had the chance to put a ball cap on, laughter is the sure result.
I used to wonder why folks laughed. After all, I reasoned, doesn’t everybody’s hair look this bad when they wake up?
Sure, I’d seen numerous TV shows and movies in which the hair of characters awakened from deep sleep looked like they just left a barber or hairdresser. But, I knew, these people really had just left barbers and hairdressers. Hollywood fantasy was one thing, I thought, but bedhead was the common lot of the human race.
Gradually though, I came to realize that my bedhead was different. It really is industrial strength.
I’ve always been competitive. Some practitioners of psychoanalysis would no doubt say that part of this stems from feelings of inferiority left over from my childhood. They’d say that I have a need to excel at things to compensate for areas in which I might feel wanting. All of that may be true. But I can tell you that as silly as it sounds, I have entertained fleeting feelings of resentment that some people can wake up in the mornings looking as though they’ve just stepped from the shower, while I look like someone who has never seen a shower.
Now, don’t make a big deal out of my confessional. Although I’ve never seen an episode of Seinfeld, I’m culturally-aware enough to know that I must assure people reading this that I don’t spend time obsessing on this subject.
But I bring it up because comparing ourselves to others is a trap.
Jesus once told a parable about a wealthy man who took a trip and entrusted some of his property to three different servants he left behind. To the first, he gave five “talents” (a term used for money, but which stands for all the assets with which you and I can be blessed in life); to the second, three; and to third, one.
Jesus said that when the wealthy man came back from his trip, he was pleased that the first two servants had doubled the money with which they’d been entrusted. But he was enraged to find that the third guy had, out of fear, simply buried his one talent and handed it back to the master. (Matthew 25:14-30)
The point is that you and I have no control over how many talents God gives to us or how extensive our talents may be. My job isn’t to compare myself to others or to nurture resentment because somebody else is more talented than I am.
My talents are God’s gifts to me. But as the old saw so aptly puts it, what I do with my talents is my gift back to God.
Bedhead always goes away when I shower. Chances are that lots of the things that give us pangs of inferiority feelings can also be overcome.
We owe it to God, the world, and ourselves to make sober judgments about our personal assets (Romans 12:3) and then dedicate ourselves to making good on God’s investment in us.
Fortunately, the God Who, through Jesus, accepts us we are is also committed to helping us become our best selves. (Ephesians 2:8-10) It’s simply a matter of getting over ourselves and allowing Him to help us.
Five minutes of slumber can give my hair more swirls, ridges, and flat points than you’re likely to find in half-finished Jello after a potluck.
Mostly though, my bedhead causes every strand of my mane to protrude like the quills of a porcupine.
Through the years, if people have caught glimpses of me in the mornings before I’ve had the chance to put a ball cap on, laughter is the sure result.
I used to wonder why folks laughed. After all, I reasoned, doesn’t everybody’s hair look this bad when they wake up?
Sure, I’d seen numerous TV shows and movies in which the hair of characters awakened from deep sleep looked like they just left a barber or hairdresser. But, I knew, these people really had just left barbers and hairdressers. Hollywood fantasy was one thing, I thought, but bedhead was the common lot of the human race.
Gradually though, I came to realize that my bedhead was different. It really is industrial strength.
I’ve always been competitive. Some practitioners of psychoanalysis would no doubt say that part of this stems from feelings of inferiority left over from my childhood. They’d say that I have a need to excel at things to compensate for areas in which I might feel wanting. All of that may be true. But I can tell you that as silly as it sounds, I have entertained fleeting feelings of resentment that some people can wake up in the mornings looking as though they’ve just stepped from the shower, while I look like someone who has never seen a shower.
Now, don’t make a big deal out of my confessional. Although I’ve never seen an episode of Seinfeld, I’m culturally-aware enough to know that I must assure people reading this that I don’t spend time obsessing on this subject.
But I bring it up because comparing ourselves to others is a trap.
Jesus once told a parable about a wealthy man who took a trip and entrusted some of his property to three different servants he left behind. To the first, he gave five “talents” (a term used for money, but which stands for all the assets with which you and I can be blessed in life); to the second, three; and to third, one.
Jesus said that when the wealthy man came back from his trip, he was pleased that the first two servants had doubled the money with which they’d been entrusted. But he was enraged to find that the third guy had, out of fear, simply buried his one talent and handed it back to the master. (Matthew 25:14-30)
The point is that you and I have no control over how many talents God gives to us or how extensive our talents may be. My job isn’t to compare myself to others or to nurture resentment because somebody else is more talented than I am.
My talents are God’s gifts to me. But as the old saw so aptly puts it, what I do with my talents is my gift back to God.
Bedhead always goes away when I shower. Chances are that lots of the things that give us pangs of inferiority feelings can also be overcome.
We owe it to God, the world, and ourselves to make sober judgments about our personal assets (Romans 12:3) and then dedicate ourselves to making good on God’s investment in us.
Fortunately, the God Who, through Jesus, accepts us we are is also committed to helping us become our best selves. (Ephesians 2:8-10) It’s simply a matter of getting over ourselves and allowing Him to help us.
Monday, December 27, 2004
Continuing Help and Prayers Needed for Victims of Pacific Disaster
The numbers are staggering! The death toll from the tsunami in the Pacific is now estimated to be over 20,000. Please continue praying for the people in nine different countries impacted by this natural disaster.
The singlemost effective relief organization in the world, in terms of efficiency and bang for the buck is Lutheran World Relief.
Another organization worthy of financial support at this time is World Vision.
The singlemost effective relief organization in the world, in terms of efficiency and bang for the buck is Lutheran World Relief.
Another organization worthy of financial support at this time is World Vision.
Where is the Real Danger in US Economy?
Is what James Glassman calls "the glorious period of Wealth Americana" coming to an end?
Unlike some analysts of the US economy, Glassman, writing at TechCentralStation.com isn't alarmed by the US budget deficit, which he views as being relatively inconsequential, or the current performance of the US dollar against the euro.
Instead, Glassman speaks of three major clouds on the US economy:
Roman Empire ."
In a society composed of human beings, of course, decadence is inevitable. It resides in me and Mr. Glassman and every other member of the human race.
And I would agree with him that a lack of industry is decadent.
But so too, is hyper-materialism, the notion that we must always be striving for more material wealth, else it will spell the end of American civilization. Untrammeled materialism with no thought of how we can share the blessings we've received is incredibly decadent.
The antidote, from my perspective, is an individual connection with God which causes us to see that whether it's made possible by our brain, brawn, or a combination thereof, our capacity to generate income comes from God. That insight in turn, will make us more inclined to share and that includes sharing opportunities with others.
Unlike some analysts of the US economy, Glassman, writing at TechCentralStation.com isn't alarmed by the US budget deficit, which he views as being relatively inconsequential, or the current performance of the US dollar against the euro.
Instead, Glassman speaks of three major clouds on the US economy:
• We're developing a science gap. In an article in Foreign Affairs, Adam Segal points out that "38 percent of America's scientists and engineers with doctorates were born outside this country." Now, as their own Asian economies strengthen and as we take steps that make work here less attractive, such as accounting changes that force companies to drop their stock-option plans, these U.S.-educated scientists are going back home. Innovation will shift elsewhere as our government skimps on basic research in the hard sciences. In R&D, the United States is already starting to trail countries like Japan and South Korea.Glassman goes on to worry that the latter two "dangers," as he calls them are cultural or social, "the result of a decline in striving, a lack of striving, a softness that has afflicted every other great nation in history. Call it American decadence -- our own version of what happened to the
• We're discouraging what economist John Maynard Keynes called "animal spirits" -- the drive to take business and investing risks that ultimately benefit others as well as ourselves. Proximate cause of the new risk aversion is runaway lawsuits and stultifying regulations like those in the Sarbanes-Oxley law that followed the Enron scandal. But at root is a general attitude of entitlement and irresponsibility spread by politicians who promise constituents wealth without risk or pain.
• We won't have enough workers to provide the Social Security and Medicare benefits for retired Americans. Today, there are 3.3 workers per retiree; by 2030, the figure will be just 2.2. If benefits are cut and taxes are raised, then the standard of living of groups will decline.
In a society composed of human beings, of course, decadence is inevitable. It resides in me and Mr. Glassman and every other member of the human race.
And I would agree with him that a lack of industry is decadent.
But so too, is hyper-materialism, the notion that we must always be striving for more material wealth, else it will spell the end of American civilization. Untrammeled materialism with no thought of how we can share the blessings we've received is incredibly decadent.
The antidote, from my perspective, is an individual connection with God which causes us to see that whether it's made possible by our brain, brawn, or a combination thereof, our capacity to generate income comes from God. That insight in turn, will make us more inclined to share and that includes sharing opportunities with others.
Was 2004 the Year of the Blogger?
There is an awful lot of blog triumphalism and blog smugness these days. Bloggers clearly played a role in the 2004 campaign. My feeling is that blogging will not reach its full potential though, until it triggers the sort of "glocal" (global and local) mutual communications--and in much more than just the realm of politics--of which it is capable.
But Edward B. Driscoll, Jr.'s article at TechCentralStation.com, The Year of Blogging Dangerously, points out that blogging has had its impact over the course of 2004. He picks, David Letterman-style, from 10 to 1, the most important blog stories of the year. Number 1, as you can imagine, was 'Rathergate,' a story blown open largely by Powerline.
Smugness is something always to be avoided. But it will be interesting to see what 2005 brings to the realm of blogdom.
But Edward B. Driscoll, Jr.'s article at TechCentralStation.com, The Year of Blogging Dangerously, points out that blogging has had its impact over the course of 2004. He picks, David Letterman-style, from 10 to 1, the most important blog stories of the year. Number 1, as you can imagine, was 'Rathergate,' a story blown open largely by Powerline.
Smugness is something always to be avoided. But it will be interesting to see what 2005 brings to the realm of blogdom.
Democracy Wins in Ukraine!
Democracy has won in Ukraine! From the New York Times article on the presidential election:
Viktor A. Yushchenko, the opposition leader, appeared headed for a resounding victory early Monday in a riveting presidential race marked by intrigue, charges of poisoning, fervent street demonstrations and widespread abuses of state power.I'm praying that the results will now be accepted peacefully by all and that Russia and its allies within Ukraine will do nothing to disrupt the peaceful transition of executive power.
There were no independent reports of the egregious election violations that had discredited the previous round of voting. Mr. Yushchenko, addressing supporters at this headquarters, predicted an end at last to an extended and bitter election season.
"It has happened," said Mr. Yushchenko, his face still disfigured from dioxin poisoning this fall for which he has blamed his adversaries in the government. "Today we are turning a page of lies, censorship and violence." Ahead, he said, lay a "new epoch of a new great democracy."
With 74 percent of the votes from the Sunday election counted, Mr. Yushchenko was leading Prime Minister Viktor F. Yanukovich by 55 percent to 40 percent, according to the Central Election Commission. The early results placed him within the range predicted by surveys of voters exiting the polls, which gave the opposition a 15- to 20-point lead.
Sunday, December 26, 2004
Film Reviewer Identifies Trend in New Christmas Releases
Orlando Sentinel religion editor Mark Pinsky, writing in the often-irreverent, but often insightful magazine, Ship of Fools, reviews three new Christmas movies--including one produced for airing on cable by my own denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America--and concludes that each showcase a Christmas without Jesus Christ. If so, they all fit in with a general trend in US culture. Although I've never felt that every Christmas story needs to be about the Christmas story, there seems to be an increasing trend toward the secularization of the holiday.
Hewitt Book Promises to Be Interesting
Hugh Hewitt is among the most prominent of bloggers. (As well as a conservative talk show host.) It's likely that few have a firmer grasp on the power and potential of this medium than Hewitt. That's why I'm looking forward to reading his soon-to-be-released book, Blog: Understanding the Information Reformation That's Changing Your World.
A Review of 'Feeding Your Appetites' by Stephen Arterburn and Dr. Debra Cherry
Stephen Arterburn has become a cottage industry. An Amazon.com search yields references to numerous books which he has authored, co-authored, or to which he's made contributions.
The founder of New Life Ministries and host of a daily radio show that focuses on the connection between Christian spiritual insights and psychological issues, I'd always assumed that Arterburn was a counseling psychologist.
It turns out that isn't the case. But often, he enlists counselors to co-author his books.
I'd never read any of Arterburn's work. But at an outlet store recently, I picked up a copy of Feeding Your Appetites: Take Control of What's Controlling You!, which he co-authored with Dr. Debra Cherry, a clinical psychologist.
Frankly, the content of this book would probably better fit a decent two-installment magazine article. But as it's probable that it will reach a wider audience as a book, I suppose that the appearance of it in this form is justifiable.
The basic thesis of the book, with which I agree, is that "every human being has an inborn desire to know God, but our personal and selfish wants get in the way." In essence, Arterburn and Cherry tell us, because we can't see God and because we'd rather not submit to God's dominion over our lives, we allow God-imitators like money, sex, food, work, and ego--things that we delude ourselves into believing we can control--to become the object of our seeking.
Writes Arterburn, who at one time was overwhelmed by what can only be described as an addiction to food:
There's much to commend this book. We all struggle to lead balanced lives and to get free to be our best selves. I suspect that this little volume can help some do that.
The founder of New Life Ministries and host of a daily radio show that focuses on the connection between Christian spiritual insights and psychological issues, I'd always assumed that Arterburn was a counseling psychologist.
It turns out that isn't the case. But often, he enlists counselors to co-author his books.
I'd never read any of Arterburn's work. But at an outlet store recently, I picked up a copy of Feeding Your Appetites: Take Control of What's Controlling You!, which he co-authored with Dr. Debra Cherry, a clinical psychologist.
Frankly, the content of this book would probably better fit a decent two-installment magazine article. But as it's probable that it will reach a wider audience as a book, I suppose that the appearance of it in this form is justifiable.
The basic thesis of the book, with which I agree, is that "every human being has an inborn desire to know God, but our personal and selfish wants get in the way." In essence, Arterburn and Cherry tell us, because we can't see God and because we'd rather not submit to God's dominion over our lives, we allow God-imitators like money, sex, food, work, and ego--things that we delude ourselves into believing we can control--to become the object of our seeking.
Writes Arterburn, who at one time was overwhelmed by what can only be described as an addiction to food:
When I realized that I couldn't get my appetites under control on my own strength, I started down the road to healing. After I surrendered my considerable burdens to the God who created me and admitted that fixing myself was beyond my capabilities, God brought my appetites back under control.If this sounds like the famed Twelve Steps first developed in the Alcoholics Anonymous movement, it should. Arterburn and Cherry say good things about the Twelve Steps and really, commend it as the way to freedom from various addictions. That's appropriate given that AA was spawned under the direct influence of Christian theology. (I've heard one of my favorite preachers, Gerald Mann, say that the Twelve Steps of AA are nothing other than "the Gospel in drag.") The book has an appendix called, "Twelve Steps to Successfully Feeding Your Appetites." In other words, how to replace our hunger for artificial gods with a relationship with the real God.
There's much to commend this book. We all struggle to lead balanced lives and to get free to be our best selves. I suspect that this little volume can help some do that.
Fast Company's Lessons from the Rockettes
Fast Company, whether in its online or paper-based magazine formats, has become one of my favorites. Here are their five lessons for leaders and managers from Radio City Music Hall's Rockettes. Two observations:
1. It's easier for groups to maintain focus and avoid personality conflicts when they have specific, defined tasks that are fulfilled on a date certain. This fact may explain why life among the Rockettes is relatively friction-free and why so many participants want to come back to the show year after year.
But this insight has special application to volunteer organizations, I think. So often, volunteer leaders recruit persons for membership in nebulously-defined committees with open-ended time horizons. That's a prescription for volunteer frustration as conflicts arise and mission drift makes everyone feel that they're tethered to a raft going over Niagara Falls.
The answer, from my perspective, is for leaders to rely much more heavily on task forces. The result? High morale stemming from a clearly defined purpose toward which all task force members are working and an openness to taking on other, sometimes more demanding, tasks later on.
2. In established organizations, the best thing for leaders to do is blend the old traditions with innovations that promise to work better than current practices. This is less threatening to those with ownership of old ways of doing things and demonstrates the leader's respect for past practices and the people behind them.
1. It's easier for groups to maintain focus and avoid personality conflicts when they have specific, defined tasks that are fulfilled on a date certain. This fact may explain why life among the Rockettes is relatively friction-free and why so many participants want to come back to the show year after year.
But this insight has special application to volunteer organizations, I think. So often, volunteer leaders recruit persons for membership in nebulously-defined committees with open-ended time horizons. That's a prescription for volunteer frustration as conflicts arise and mission drift makes everyone feel that they're tethered to a raft going over Niagara Falls.
The answer, from my perspective, is for leaders to rely much more heavily on task forces. The result? High morale stemming from a clearly defined purpose toward which all task force members are working and an openness to taking on other, sometimes more demanding, tasks later on.
2. In established organizations, the best thing for leaders to do is blend the old traditions with innovations that promise to work better than current practices. This is less threatening to those with ownership of old ways of doing things and demonstrates the leader's respect for past practices and the people behind them.
The King!
Matthew 2:13-25
(Message shared with the people of Friendship Church, December 26, 2004)
This past week, people in Tbilisi, a city in the nation of Georgia, formerly part of the Soviet Union, had a tearful celebration. They commemorated the 125th. anniversary of the birth of Josef Stalin. Oddly, a large number of people in the old USSR remember Stalin fondly, which may explain why many in contemporary Russia like the dictatorial actions of their current president, Vladimir Putin.
Along with Adolf Hitler, Stalin was among the most murderous despots in world history. He killed millions of people in violent purges designed to maintain his complete authority. Josef Stalin was intent on being king of his world and would brook no opposition, real or imagined.
That’s not a new phenomenon. One of the people about whom our Bible lesson tells us is King Herod. This king, Herod the Great, was the father of the Herod (the one also known as Herod Antipas) who saw to it that Jesus would be crucified some twenty-eight to thirty-three years later.
But this Herod wasn’t a nice guy either. When he learns that the long-promised Savior of the world, the ultimate king of the Jews, has been born somewhere in Bethlehem at some point within the two years before the wise men showed up in his territory, Herod is excited...but not happily so.
Now, let’s be clear about something. Herod believed there was a God Who had promised to send a new king for the world. He even believed that the prophecies had come to pass in Bethlehem. But he didn’t like any of it. As novelist Frederick Buechner has written, “For all his enormous power, [Herod] knew there was somebody in diapers more powerful still.”
Herod’s view of Christmas was not that different from that of the average Christian's. He was certain that all the events of the first Christmas that you and I know believe to have happened did happen in just the way we say. He would even agree with us that all these Christmas happenings were from God. But he was the king and he didn’t even want to let God replace him!
So, in a futile attempt to thwart God’s power, Herod ordered the murder of every child in Bethlehem two years of age or younger.
That this was horrible, any decent person will readily agree. It puts Herod in company with Stalin, Hitler, and other tyrants of history.
But on this day after Christmas, as we prepare to move into a new year, let me ask you something. I need to ask it of myself all the time. It's this: Who is the king of your life? Who’s in charge?
You see, it’s one thing to believe that the baby born in Bethlehem two-thousand years ago was God-in-the-flesh, Who came to our world in order to die and rise for us. A huge percentage of Americans believe that as an intellectual proposition.
But the real question that confronts us is whether we’re willing to let Jesus be our King, the final authority over our lives.
Are we willing to surrender to Jesus and give our obedience to Him?
Herod was unwilling to do that. We may not be despotic rulers, but we still like being the kings of our own worlds. At least, that’s true for me and I suspect it may be true for you, too.
At 7:30 Christmas Eve morning, I sat at my computer, writing. I’d been up for an hour, the day before had been spent, as I’m sure was true for many of you, digging my family out of the snowstorm and helping some neighbors do the same. I was intent that this day, I would get this message done. I didn’t want it hanging over my head on Christmas day.
It was then that I heard a car obviously stuck in the snow. I looked out one of our front windows and saw that our neighbor had backed her car into a pile of ice created at the end of her driveway by the township snow plow.
Now, I’ve got to tell you something, folks. I hate winter. I hate cold weather. As distasteful as I find some of our muggy Cincinnati summer days, I’d take those any day over a day of cold weather. I like to look at snow. But I don’t like being in it.
For a few moments, as I watched my neighbor’s tires spinning in the ice ditch in which she was becoming increasingly buried, a little moral drama played out in my conscience. I had my agenda, after all. I’d done a lot of pushing of cars the day before. I was safely ensconced in my warm house, the king of Mark World. My neighbor would never know if I simply chose to ignore her situation.
But then, things that God has taught us all in Christ came to mind. “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of My family, you did it to Me.” “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you...” “What’s good for the goose...” Oh, forget that one.
So, our son and I put on our coats and gloves and tried pushing our neighbor’s car out of the ice. (I should point out that he was much quicker to respond the neighbor's situation than I had been!)
We weren’t successful. In the end, she had to call her brother, who was able to use his truck and some chains to yank her car free.
Nonetheless, I felt better about myself after failing than I would have had I just gone back to my computer and created the Sunday message of an unrepentant hypocrite.
I didn’t go out to help my neighbor or rouse our son from sleep because I’m such a wonderful guy. I’m not a wonderful guy. I’m a sinner saved from damnation to hell and everlasting separation from God only because of what Jesus has done for me.
I went outside to push that car because I’m grateful for what Jesus has done for me. As a result, if He asked me to take a nose dive off of Mount Everest, I hope that I would simply say, “When do you want me to do it, Lord?” (I hope I would react that way, anyhow. And, by the way, I also hope that if Jesus ever issued such an order to me and I had expressed the willingness to obey, that He would then smile and tell me, "Psych!")
The point is that the call to follow Christ never comes at a convenient time or under circumstances convenient for us. It always comes in the midst of living life, while we pursue our own agendas.
Herod heard the call and decided not just to ignore it, but also to kill the very living Message of heaven. Because that’s what Jesus is: God’s Message that we can have our sins forgiven and our lives made eternally new when we follow Christ!
I’d like to tell you that I always follow when Christ calls me.
That I always obey God.
That I always step down from my throne of power and let Jesus rule my life.
But I would be lying if I said any of those things. Most of the time, I try to act like a king, taking the road of selfishness and self-absorption, hurting God and hurting others. But I take comfort from the words written by one of Jesus’ followers, the apostle John:
(Message shared with the people of Friendship Church, December 26, 2004)
This past week, people in Tbilisi, a city in the nation of Georgia, formerly part of the Soviet Union, had a tearful celebration. They commemorated the 125th. anniversary of the birth of Josef Stalin. Oddly, a large number of people in the old USSR remember Stalin fondly, which may explain why many in contemporary Russia like the dictatorial actions of their current president, Vladimir Putin.
Along with Adolf Hitler, Stalin was among the most murderous despots in world history. He killed millions of people in violent purges designed to maintain his complete authority. Josef Stalin was intent on being king of his world and would brook no opposition, real or imagined.
That’s not a new phenomenon. One of the people about whom our Bible lesson tells us is King Herod. This king, Herod the Great, was the father of the Herod (the one also known as Herod Antipas) who saw to it that Jesus would be crucified some twenty-eight to thirty-three years later.
But this Herod wasn’t a nice guy either. When he learns that the long-promised Savior of the world, the ultimate king of the Jews, has been born somewhere in Bethlehem at some point within the two years before the wise men showed up in his territory, Herod is excited...but not happily so.
Now, let’s be clear about something. Herod believed there was a God Who had promised to send a new king for the world. He even believed that the prophecies had come to pass in Bethlehem. But he didn’t like any of it. As novelist Frederick Buechner has written, “For all his enormous power, [Herod] knew there was somebody in diapers more powerful still.”
Herod’s view of Christmas was not that different from that of the average Christian's. He was certain that all the events of the first Christmas that you and I know believe to have happened did happen in just the way we say. He would even agree with us that all these Christmas happenings were from God. But he was the king and he didn’t even want to let God replace him!
So, in a futile attempt to thwart God’s power, Herod ordered the murder of every child in Bethlehem two years of age or younger.
That this was horrible, any decent person will readily agree. It puts Herod in company with Stalin, Hitler, and other tyrants of history.
But on this day after Christmas, as we prepare to move into a new year, let me ask you something. I need to ask it of myself all the time. It's this: Who is the king of your life? Who’s in charge?
You see, it’s one thing to believe that the baby born in Bethlehem two-thousand years ago was God-in-the-flesh, Who came to our world in order to die and rise for us. A huge percentage of Americans believe that as an intellectual proposition.
But the real question that confronts us is whether we’re willing to let Jesus be our King, the final authority over our lives.
Are we willing to surrender to Jesus and give our obedience to Him?
Herod was unwilling to do that. We may not be despotic rulers, but we still like being the kings of our own worlds. At least, that’s true for me and I suspect it may be true for you, too.
At 7:30 Christmas Eve morning, I sat at my computer, writing. I’d been up for an hour, the day before had been spent, as I’m sure was true for many of you, digging my family out of the snowstorm and helping some neighbors do the same. I was intent that this day, I would get this message done. I didn’t want it hanging over my head on Christmas day.
It was then that I heard a car obviously stuck in the snow. I looked out one of our front windows and saw that our neighbor had backed her car into a pile of ice created at the end of her driveway by the township snow plow.
Now, I’ve got to tell you something, folks. I hate winter. I hate cold weather. As distasteful as I find some of our muggy Cincinnati summer days, I’d take those any day over a day of cold weather. I like to look at snow. But I don’t like being in it.
For a few moments, as I watched my neighbor’s tires spinning in the ice ditch in which she was becoming increasingly buried, a little moral drama played out in my conscience. I had my agenda, after all. I’d done a lot of pushing of cars the day before. I was safely ensconced in my warm house, the king of Mark World. My neighbor would never know if I simply chose to ignore her situation.
But then, things that God has taught us all in Christ came to mind. “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of My family, you did it to Me.” “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you...” “What’s good for the goose...” Oh, forget that one.
So, our son and I put on our coats and gloves and tried pushing our neighbor’s car out of the ice. (I should point out that he was much quicker to respond the neighbor's situation than I had been!)
We weren’t successful. In the end, she had to call her brother, who was able to use his truck and some chains to yank her car free.
Nonetheless, I felt better about myself after failing than I would have had I just gone back to my computer and created the Sunday message of an unrepentant hypocrite.
I didn’t go out to help my neighbor or rouse our son from sleep because I’m such a wonderful guy. I’m not a wonderful guy. I’m a sinner saved from damnation to hell and everlasting separation from God only because of what Jesus has done for me.
I went outside to push that car because I’m grateful for what Jesus has done for me. As a result, if He asked me to take a nose dive off of Mount Everest, I hope that I would simply say, “When do you want me to do it, Lord?” (I hope I would react that way, anyhow. And, by the way, I also hope that if Jesus ever issued such an order to me and I had expressed the willingness to obey, that He would then smile and tell me, "Psych!")
The point is that the call to follow Christ never comes at a convenient time or under circumstances convenient for us. It always comes in the midst of living life, while we pursue our own agendas.
Herod heard the call and decided not just to ignore it, but also to kill the very living Message of heaven. Because that’s what Jesus is: God’s Message that we can have our sins forgiven and our lives made eternally new when we follow Christ!
I’d like to tell you that I always follow when Christ calls me.
That I always obey God.
That I always step down from my throne of power and let Jesus rule my life.
But I would be lying if I said any of those things. Most of the time, I try to act like a king, taking the road of selfishness and self-absorption, hurting God and hurting others. But I take comfort from the words written by one of Jesus’ followers, the apostle John:
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He Who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”On the cusp of a new year, let’s make it our aim to dethrone ourselves and let Jesus be our King. We may not always succeed. But if doing so is our intent, our lives will eternally be the better for it!
One Jewish View of Christmas
Rachel Barenblat, always a thoughtful writer, has interesting things to say about Christmas from her Jewish perspective. Describing herself as a "spiritual peeping tom," Rachel says that while the ubiquity of the secular Christmas can be overwhelming--I assure you that it is to Christians as well, the holiday can in fact be enjoyable to persons of all religious persuasions. Rachel is a really fine writer!
Who Will Be Next Supreme Court Chief Justice?
Also on TechCentralStation.com, Pejman Yousefzadeh speculates on who President Bush might appoint to the Supreme Court should Chief Justice Rehnquist resign soon. Will the President elevate an Associate Justice to the Chief position and therefore, have to go through two confirmation processes with the appointment of a replacement associate? Or will he simply appoint a replacement for Rehnquist?
An Interesting Look at Education Reform, Republicans, and Democrats
Ryan Sager, an able writer whose columns appear TechCentralStation.com, has an interesting look at how, at local levels across America, the Republican Party has gained the advantage over Republicans when it comes to educational reform. There is, I suspect, much merit in what he writes. But I also feel that here in Ohio, Republicans and Democrats have done a pretty good job of standing in the way of progress in our local school districts.
Webber's 'Phantom of the Opera' Hits Big Screen
I may be among a tiny phalanx of English-speakers in the world who have never seen Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera. While our son--now twenty-three and newly finished with his undergraduate work--was in high school, he, along with the Art Club, and students' parents went to New York and took in the Broadway production. My wife was one of the chaperones and attended as well.
Frankly, I've never been into Webber's music. That fact, coupled with the huge expense involved in buying tickets for even traveling productions of Phantom, have conspired to prevent me from even thinking about attending a performance of the stage show.
Now, Phantom of the Opera is a movie. The reviews are mixed. Here's a fairly representative one. I guess I'll check out The Polar Express instead.
Frankly, I've never been into Webber's music. That fact, coupled with the huge expense involved in buying tickets for even traveling productions of Phantom, have conspired to prevent me from even thinking about attending a performance of the stage show.
Now, Phantom of the Opera is a movie. The reviews are mixed. Here's a fairly representative one. I guess I'll check out The Polar Express instead.
Thinking of, Praying for the People of Ukraine
Today, my thoughts and prayers are with the people of Ukraine as they vote in yet-another runoff election between incumbent president Viktor Yanukovych and challenger Viktor Yuschenko. This round of elections was necessitated by the fraud found by Ukraine's supreme court in the previous balloting.
I'm praying that the election will be free and fair and that all of Ukraine will accept its results. One of the best sources of on-the-ground reports from Ukraine is here.
I'm praying that the election will be free and fair and that all of Ukraine will accept its results. One of the best sources of on-the-ground reports from Ukraine is here.
Helping Victims of Earthquake, Tsunami
Press reports say that more than 9000 people have lost their lives as the result of the massive earthquake and resultant tsunami. An honest, efficient agency through which you can donate funds for relief for survivors of this natural disaster is Lutheran World Relief. Of course, prayers on behalf of the millions impacted by the disaster are always appropriate!
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