day 20- body ruin

When we are turned from God, our bodies become the place where sin is lived out. The path of self-worship goes directly through what we look like and how we physically feel. We can see this obsession everywhere.

Look at any issue of a fitness magazine like Men’s Health or Shape. It has been years since the cover hasn’t featured a young man or woman with their shirt off and/or focus on the “abs.” Please note I am not just jealous of the “six-packs” because I have a “one-pack.” Well, maybe a little. It starts when they’re young. Page through a Seventeen and you may notice a slight obsession over looks?!

Then there is how I feel. According to advertisers, I am invited to try any product with the understanding that I am going to be sexually satisfied as a result. Other than a touchy/feely family love theme, every product out there is marketed on sex. God-given creativity and imagination seems to be stuck in the public arena on how many different ways I can say that sex is god.

Pornography, alcohol, and drug abuse all are pure body ruin. We are bombarded with the message of feel good or don’t feel at all. Without a good spam blocker, the two “V’s”, Viagra and Vicodin, seem to be the solution to all my problems. Giving in to the search for pleasure is a direct result of heart and mind ruin. Social ruin follows because I don’t need you unless it means I can use you for pleasure. Even anger is not exempt from body ruin. Anger is lived out physically, as well. This is another warped way of the body. Getting a “rush” over rage.

Notice how many times today you are confronted with something having to do with sex or sex appeal.

day 19- social ruin

As we experience mind ruin and the emotional ruin that goes along with it, our interaction with other people is never really authentically beneficial. I liken it to a dance where we try to move each other around the dance floor. If both partners are trying to lead at the same time, it doesn’t work.

Social life ruin is seen in the lack of depth of our friendships. It is seen in the struggles of marriage. It is a key source of the dissatisfaction so many have for their jobs. If I am trying to remain in charge of my life, when things don’t go my way I will respond in one of two ways.

Author M. Scott Peck considers these two responses in his classic work, The Road Less Traveled. When I am struggling in life, I place the blame on myself or others in an exaggerated way. When I am always wrong, it is neurosis. When someone else is always wrong it is character disorder. Here is how it works.

For a neurotic person I try to remain in control by putting huge demands of perfection upon myself, coupled with low expectations. In this way when someone fails me, I can always blame it on me. In this way I stay in control because life is happening just like I predicted. Eeyore, from Winnie the Pooh, is an example of this neurotic response.

For a character disorder person, I try to remain in control by placing the blame for anything that goes wrong in my life squarely where it belongs. On you. Or anyone else. On the government. On multi-national corporations. On society in general. On the “man.” Never, in any waking moment, would my problems be owned up to as “my problems.” In character disorder, I am always the victim. After all, if I am god, how can any conflict, failure or disappointment be my doing?

In social ruin, we may operate out of character disorder or neurosis, but the results are the same. A life turned from God.

Do an honest inventory of yourself. Do you tend toward neurosis or character disorder? Think about what this means.

day 18- emotional ruin

Feelings follow after the thinking that our minds are doing. The path to emotional ruin is taken easily once our minds are convinced that we are in charge. If only everyone would think like us. If it is our desires that matter the most, then feelings bring plenty of destruction.

There is going to be tremendous amounts of conflict that go along with emotional ruin. Like the effect of the ring in the Lord of the Rings, “whatever we wants, precious, that’s whats we try to get.” The emotional pull of possessing what we want makes it impossible to care about the needs of anyone else. The obsession takes over.

Take dating, for instance. As long as I am having my needs met by you, I am in “love” with you. How quickly that changes when you don’t do what I want or I am not getting the attention I feel I deserve. Conflict quickly moves in and with me at the center of the universe, obviously you must be wrong. Either you change your act immediately or I am out of here. I’ll simply fall in “love” with someone else until my needs aren’t being met again.

Follow your desires? On the path to self-ruin that is the last thing you should possibly do.

What are some of the reasons people give for “falling out of love” when there is breakup or divorce in a relationship?

let there be light...

real Bible and real science???
a Genesis 1 approach to faith and science issues today

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day 17- mind ruin

When we choose not to know there is a God, then our minds have to go to work. We need to find ways to convince ourselves that God doesn’t exist or God doesn’t matter.

We have worked on this in our country with some interesting mental gymnastics. In schools, we attempt to follow a strict Darwinian evolution model, desperately holding on to natural selection and random mutation as the sole mechanisms for the development of life. This position is becoming more and more difficult to defend. Origins of life research provides an impossible scenario for Darwinian evolution to begin. So, currently we hear a lot of, “We just don’t know about origins.” You need something to select from. You need something to mutate.

Now, I would argue that talk of a god does not belong in a science classroom, but neither does talk of no god and lifting up random, purposeless chance as the criteria for the origin of existence. This too, is not science as currently defined, and doesn’t belong in a science classroom, either.

Those of us who believe in God but don’t want to follow him, go down other paths to try to keep us at the center of our own universe. We focus on what we want not what God wants. One of the interesting attempts to cloud our thinking about God is to deny the validity of God’s Word. Some biblical scholars will go out of their way to try to show the Bible doesn’t mean what it says it means in order to justify personal desires.

Whether it is trying to make a case for how God blesses homosexual relationships or why you don’t have to trust in Jesus, any path will do, the distortion that is presented as “progressive” scholarship is prevalent. We take what we want and try to get the Bible to support our position, or if we can’t do it that way, we declare the Bible irrelevant to the matter in question because the Bible writers did not know of such things as we face today. This doesn’t make sense. If God is the source of the Bible, then I hardly think there is any situation where he would be unclear.

Once our choices turn us away from God, our thinking goes to work. Deceiving ourselves in order to get what we want is not a difficult task. We are experts at it. Self-worship and deception are a great match.

Have you heard Christians trying to support abortion or homosexual behavior? What criteria did they use?

inside out- talk 4

what gets in the way of spiritual transformation?
why do we say we believe in God and act as if he doesn't exist?
an honest look...

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day 16- heart ruin

heart ruin
“Trust based on evidence” is a good definition of faith. When an atheist claims there is no God, the belief is not based on a solid body of evidence. There is so much evidence to the contrary that you can say the atheist has more “blind faith” than faith.

Romans 1:20 (NLT)
From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.

Today, we are able to see way more of “earth and sky and all that God made.” The evidence for design in the universe and the big bang evidence for space, time, energy and matter being created simultaneously, all lead to a logical conclusion that there is a creative force of some sort. This doesn’t specifically warrant this being the God of the Bible, but there is other evidence for that being the case. Let’s just consider a god in general.

Why does a small minority of people not trust there is a god? Why do so many more people act as if there is no god? Perhaps the trouble is if God exists then he must somehow be in charge. If God is in charge then guess what? We’re not.

The path of ruin begins with the heart. Choices are made as if there is no God. These choices affect all the other parts of our lives. We wish to be in charge and if God exists we can’t be. So we begin to deceive ourselves in one of two ways. We either choose to believe there is no God, or we act as if there is no God. Either way we are lost. This is why the unhealthy behavior of atheists and people who identify as Christian looks very similar. One ignores the evidence of there being a God, and the other acts as if God doesn’t care.

If we keep choosing to ignore God we keep ignoring the blessings God has in store for us. When our hearts are turned in another direction we cannot be our best, true selves.

What are two good arguments for atheism and two good arguments for theism (belief in a god)?

day 15- why don’t I notice I am worshipping myself?

What does a path to radical ruin look like? Why don’t I notice self-worship for what it is? These are great questions. It goes something like this.

When it comes to food, you know how it seems everything that is not healthy for you is also what you like the most? I try not to eat donuts because you could call me “Homer Simpson.” I never met a donut I didn’t like. I could eat a whole box of Krispy Kremes and come back for more. It’s not just donuts. I could eat pizza for every meal. I am very skilled at wanting to eat in abundance that which I should be eating in moderation, if at all. I am an expert at eating what is unhealthy. This is no problem for me.

The same holds true for us on the path to radical ruin. In the way we treat ourselves and others, that which is unhealthy is easy to accomplish. We are experts at denial and manipulation. We hide our sin from ourselves or we may call it “good.” It is fascinating to watch people trying to be all sophisticated in their language as they try to explain why sin isn’t really sin. We have expertise in fooling ourselves and we have so much self-deception we think we are fooling others.

These are characteristics to self-worship: Denial, deception, and manipulation. We become outstanding negotiators of convincing ourselves that what is plainly and completely wrong—isn’t.

Jesus summed it up in this statement.

Matthew 16:26 (NLT)
And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? Is anything worth more than your soul?

Think of a behavior/habit that you have that is not healthy. How do you convince yourself that it is OK?

the gospel according to Napoleon Dynamite

biblical friendship lessons from Napoleon Dynamite!

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day 14- self-worship or self-denial

Our heart is where our choices lie. We make good choices. We make disastrous choices. Why the difference? It really has to do with who we are and the paths we choose.

The first path is the one we start out on and most of us stay on. This is the “self-worship” path. Dallas calls this the “path to radical ruin.” Self-worship means we put ourselves and our desires on the throne of our lives. We are the center of the universe. It is like when we are one years old and we can’t distinguish between ourselves and the world around us. In some ways, for most of us, this never changes. We grow older but we don’t grow up. Until Jesus is on the throne of our lives, radical ruin is the outcome waiting for us in any possible given situation. John Maxwell says it this way, “Unless God is in control of your life, your life is out of control.”

Our human nature is to focus on ourselves and what we want. The mantra of a “normal” person is, “I want what I want when I want it.” Are there any alternatives? One.

Today, without making a values judgment, consider how many things that you are doing are built around “immediate gratification,” compared to what it might have been like 100 years ago.

day 13- life with God

A life moving toward God, rather than centered on oneself, becomes a possibility when our heart aligns with God's desires. When our choices are the choices God would make for us, we begin transformation. All the other parts of our lives are affected. Mind, body, social life, and soul are all involved in the process.

Here is what is different about a renovation of the heart. It is not simply trying harder or getting more focused on the choices we make. It is not a direct approach at all. Remember what we said about “willpower?” It cannot be sustained. Every part of you will scream out, “It can’t be done.”

Life under God is different. There is no part of you that cannot be transformed under the power of the Holy Spirit. You will learn from Jesus how to live life as he would live it if he were you in any given situation. This begins with understanding what life is like without God and considering another way.

Today, go through your daily routine and think of what would be possible without God. How would that affect what you are doing?

inside out- talk 3

a course in spiritual transformation

this session includes the question-
how do we sabotage our own best interests and what can be done about it?

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day 12- life without God

When I base my decisions and actions on all of my parts, I am in a danger zone. I am so good at being so deceptive. We see this all the time in the world around us.

That which is sinful is called “good.” Seeking the truth at all cost leads to “intolerance.” Disagreeing with someone else is called, “hate.” Life without God is upside down.

There is hope. I don’t have to do what my thoughts, feelings, body, social pressures, and my very soul itself tell me to do. There is the freedom of choice that is my heart. It is in my choices that God will act.

Left alone without God’s influence, my heart can’t handle the pressure. I will do the things I know are wrong and not do the things I know are right. Life without God is life ruled by me, open to the influence of the devil. Honestly, I can’t trust myself to have my own best interest at heart. My choices will be ruled by my desires rather than by God’s desires. I will not even acknowledge that I am not doing right. All my parts will find a way to convince me that I am OK. I will hear the “truth.”

“Go with your instincts.”
“You deserve it.”
“Everyone else is doing it.”
“You’re only human.”
“It’s for the greater good.”

Life without God is as dangerous as it can possibly be because it will seem so “natural.” But there is another way.

Think back to a time when you were absolutely convinced that something was right and it turned out to be a disaster. Was the choice influenced by any particular part (of the 5 parts) of who you are? How?

day 11- soul

“I’m a soul man…”

Did I get you humming? Dallas Willard calls the “soul” the CEO of who we are. My friend Doug calls it the captain of the bridge, using the sailing ship as a model. In these metaphors we can see how it relates to the concept of soul.

In order to run an effective corporation or an effective crew we need a leader through whom all members of the team are drawn together. A biblical understanding of this looks this way.

At conception, God gives us our soul which is the organizational hub of who we are. From what we know of the sciences of genetics and biology, we can make the philisophical connection of the soul creating the DNA which is crucial for the design of who we are physically. “Body.” The soul is the framework out of which we make decisions (heart), the seat of our thinking and feeling (mind), and is the connector of our relationship with others (social relationships), and with God.

The soul is not a separate entity like a ghost floating around, but it is intimately woven through us and holds all parts of who we are together. Heart, mind, body, and social relationships are all immersed and connected by soul.

When you do things today, think of how many dimensions of what makes you, “you,” are at work. “Is my mind engaged? My body?” etc.

christcast 21- what's on your mind?

Dana and Kristina talk about acting, depressing movies, God's intimate nature, and cremation, among other things...

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day 10- body (strength)

"Love the Lord you God with all your strength..." Here Jesus is talking about our bodies. Our body is our presence in the physical and social world. We are more than our body, in that our consciousness goes beyond what is physically "wired" into us. However the way we actually work out the decisions we make using our mind and chosen in our hearts is usually through the body.

The body is where we can get in a lot of trouble. It is not that our bodies are evil, created by God after all, but we often act through our bodies without thinking. The Bible often calls our bodies "flesh" or "human nature." Through our bodies we are prone to sin. Living our lives by our feelings and the instincts of our bodies we are left with the pursuit of pleasure and/or power as the driving forces of our existence. Using my body to gain pleasure and using my body to gain influence over you.

Rage, attack, withdrawal, seduction, manipulation and such all have body elements attached. Even the way we speak about it gives us a clue. We talk about reading someone's "body language."

Notice today when you are influenced and/or tempted by your bodily whims and desires.

day 9- mind

The second part of you and me to examine is our “mind.”

‘Love the Lord your God with all of your mind…’

The mind is separated from the heart, but it works with it. The mind is constantly working on providing direction for the choices we make. The mind is further divided into two parts. “Thoughts” and “feelings.”

Thinking is where we process the world around us. We can consider many things in relationship with other things. Thinking is where we have the capacity to use imagination. It is where we form opinions and perceptions which we may or may not act upon. In a healthy mind, we use a set of standards called, “logic,” which helps us measure our thought.

Our thinking is influenced by our feeling. It is our emotional response to what is being processed. Something may be logical but we may feel that it is wrong. Two people can think in an identical way about something but have a very different response because of how they feel. We are often pulled away from right thinking because we allow how we feel to take priority. This is where we can get into big trouble.

Look for examples in news accounts and/or personal interaction of people making decisions primarily by emotion and feelings rather than logic.

gospel according to Pirates of The Caribbean:...Black Pearl

what do we learn about sin, death, and the power of the devil? and
from Johnny Depp, no less!
Arrgghh!


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day 8- heart

We use the word “heart” a lot. Even with young children. We often teach little ones to love Jesus with all their heart. We ask them, “Where is Jesus?” They reply, “Jesus is in my heart,” as they point to their tummies. I don’t teach Jesus this way with small children. I teach them Jesus is all around them covering them everywhere.

Then what about the heart? The biblical understanding of the word, when it is not referring to the actual physical organ in your body, has to do with your choices. “Will,” “spirit” and “heart” are basically interchangeable words in the Bible. Your “heart” has to do with the choices you make. Your “will” and your “spirit” have to do with choices. You can substitute “choices” when you see these words and it will usually be an accurate understanding.

Choices assume action. To choose is to exercise your own freedom. When you “love the Lord God with all your heart,” you seek the good of God’s plan through your choices. You actively partner with God to bring about what he wants brought about in the life you are leading together. To put your heart into it is to live as if it were so.

In news accounts for the day and/or personal interaction, look for examples of someone placing blame on their troubles outside of themselves.

day 7- who are you?

29Jesus replied, "The most important commandment is this: `Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.' 31The second is equally important: `Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these."
(Mark 12:29-31 NLT)

Our human nature is how God designs us. You could call it “the dimensions of our existence.” What makes you “you.” Jesus gives us an understanding of what our human nature is made of in his answer to a lawyer’s question, “What is the most important commandment?”

‘Love God and neighbor with everything you are.’

What are we?

Jesus breaks it down to five parts.

Heart
Soul
Mind
Strength (body)
Neighbor (social dimension)

If I can understand what makes me “me,” then I can begin to see how transformation affects all parts of my life. I will look at each of these dimensions and their relationship to spiritual formation.

When you do things for others today, do it as if you are doing it for God. No, really…

inside out- talk 2

a course in spiritual transformation

this session includes the question-
what does it mean to love God with all of your heart?

this second talk can be heard on I Tunes under my podcast "Christcast"

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day 6- is it all good?

When we declare something good, it doesn’t mean it’s all good. There is a phrase that has been around for awhile that shows this.
“It’s all good.”

I wish I knew where this phrase originated. I want to know the situation in which the person spoke. Why? It’s not all good.

There are people who think of ways to destroy you and they don’t even know you. That’s not all good. There are people who you will come to trust who will betray you when you least expect it. That’s not all good. What can you do?

When we say, “It’s all good,” maybe we know deep down that it’s not all good but we say the words like some kind of magical chant in order to convince ourselves that it doesn’t matter. Yet, we know inside that it matters deeply. Even though Queen said, “Nothing really matters…” (Bohemian Rhapsody)— it does.

So what do we do? We become the kind of people who can care. When Jesus transforms us from the inside out, then we can see things through his eyes for the first time. Then, we don’t declare, “It’s all good,” but we can say with confidence, “There is hope and it starts with Jesus working through me.” Then the logical question becomes, “How do you live with a sense of reality and hope for the future?

Today, find ways the news media attempts to cast a negative spin to the news. Headlines, reports, etc.

day 5- sinking into the role

Jamie Fox won an Oscar for Ray. The acting was so good; it’s as if he was Ray Charles. You could say, Fox really “sunk into the role.”

In the language of the Bible there is a word for this “sinking into.” enduo. Romans 13:14 reads,

Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ…(Romans 13:14)

We are to literally, “sink into” our role as followers of Jesus. This doesn’t mean we try to look like him on the outside. Did you know there are still groups of people who wander around in robes and sandals warning about the end of the world. They think they are supposed to look like Jesus. That’s not the point. It’s not trying to look like Jesus (who knows what he looked like anyway?) that is important. It’s sinking into the role of being like Jesus on the inside.

To clothe yourself with Jesus is part of that inside/ out process we have been talking about. We become like Jesus on the inside so that the things we do on the outside are done as Jesus would them if he were us in any given situation.

Treat everyone you meet today like they are the most important person in the world. They actually are, to Jesus.

the gospel according to The Incredibles

What are spiritual gifts and why does God give them to us?
Using the movie, The Incredibles, I look at the biblical concept of spiritual gifts.

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Thank you for your patience.

day 4- using a little "won't" power

“I am not going to get angry anymore. No, really I’m not. This time I really mean it! I AM NOT GOING TO GET ANGRY!!”

Whenever we want to change something about ourselves, the direct approach is usually the way we choose to go. We try “willpower.” It might as well be “won’tpower” because the direct method almost never works. We can’t convince ourselves to change. For awhile it may be possible. Then we come under stress and our changes change back. The harder we try the more frustrated we get. What is the problem?

The problem is commonly labeled, “Self-help.” We are told by every magazine article that we can do it. Go to Borders and check out the self-help section. If you can’t lose weight/ be friendlier/ be more confident in five easy steps then there must be something wrong with you. “After all,” the author seems to say, “If I did it and wrote a book about it, then you can, too. Not write the book, of course, but you can change.”

So, why don’t you?

To change from the inside out doesn’t last on our own power. We need something more. Recovery groups like AA know this to be true. They teach that you have to give yourself over to a higher power to be sober. You can’t fight unhealthy behavior directly. Alcoholics can stop drinking when they place their trust outside of themselves. This is a great start. If they want to do more than just get sober, they can live a transformed life when they give their lives to Jesus.

Write down how many times you can think of when you started dieting/exercising and then you stopped. What happened?

day 3- seeing is believing?

Did you know there is no such thing as “science”? There are many different fields called “sciences” but there is no theory that wraps them all together. Though there are some scientists who make claims for a “theory of everything,” no one has come close.

Did you know that according to science, about 96% of the universe is composed of two things that astrophysicists label “dark matter” and “dark energy”? We know they are there but we can’t see them or directly measure them. In other words only about 4% of what most astrophysicists trust exists can be observed and directly measured. The other 96% is assumed based on evidence of its effect. It appears that the vast majority of existence is considered reality through trust based on evidence. Trust based on evidence. Does that sound familiar? It should. This is a good definition of faith!

What if God is real? What if God is the creator of all reality? Then if the sciences are considered our ultimate guide to all of existence we miss out on the very center of life, God himself, in the sciences. God is not physical, yet I would argue God exists. If God exists then there are spiritual dimensions to our lives that are not physical but they are real. If God is real then an education based on the sciences alone would miss out on the most important information of all. Knowledge of God would be absolutely essential. Without thinking about God, in a way, we would be uneducated.

Now, I am not advocating teaching about God in a science class. I am advocating talking about spiritual matters in other classes, if possible. Certainly as a parent, I make sure that happens in my home. Why would I want our children to ignore the most important wisdom of all, if there does happen to be a God?

How can we have any knowledge of God if we can’t see him?

We don’t seem to have trouble claiming knowledge of a lot of stuff we can’t see. Like, maybe, 96% of everything?

Today think of how many things you can that you trust are true and real but you can’t know them through your five senses.

day 2- let's face it

It’s always hilarious when you see a news account of people who look like their dogs. There is research done on this topic and it reveals that chances are it is not that dogs and their owners (sorry, “caregivers” in LA) resemble each other over time. It is more likely that the dog owner consciously or unconsciously chooses a pet with similar characteristics. In my case, we have a black labrador retriever named, “Dudley,” and I don’t look anything like him, except when he puts on a few pounds!

With humans I do think we take on the appearance of someone over time. Ourselves. Who we are on the inside begins to reflect more and more on the outside. I remember the story The Picture of Dorian Gray, where a man was able to live a wild and crazy immoral life without affecting him. Booze, sex, destroying the lives of others, you name it, Dorian did it. But it didn’t seem to age him a bit. He stayed the same young, good looking guy. His secret?

He had a painting that would take in all his sin. It was a portrait that got uglier and more sinister looking. I won’t give away the ending because I want you to read the story, but let’s just say Dorian found out the truth.

You begin to notice that about people. Those of us who have been around a while begin to show who we are on the outside by who we are on the inside. Our faces take on smile lines or frown lines. Anger, like a twisted plastic surgeon, etches pain felt and pain dished out. Botox is no antidote for bile.

So, what do you do? Changing the inside changes the outside. You have a choice in life. There is a God who forgives what’s on the inside so you can be transformed into the kind of person who will shine with his glory on the outside. You are more than just your physical body. How is that? Don’t skip ahead just yet.

Look closely at stranger’s faces today and imagine what has gone on in their lives (don’t stare, however).

day 1- inside out

Starting at the beginning, we realize we are designed to be in relationship with Jesus. The Christian life is not a set of rules and regulations. The Bible is not a rule book but a description of this way of life. We do not have a list of laws that we follow and then we become worthy of the attention of God. To grow in faith, we live the life we are designed to live and we are transformed from the inside out.

This is the key. From the inside out. We don’t get involved in a flurry of activities that make us acceptable to receive God’s love. We receive God’s love and are open to being changed from the inside out. We don’t do good things to please God. We become the kind of people who can do good things naturally because we are being transformed. It is out of the “becoming” that the “doing” follows.

Think of the things that you do “naturally” today, after you do them.

inside out- talk 1

intentional spiritual transformation...
becoming the kind of person who can do the things Jesus would do if he were me

These sessions will be made available each week in a spiritual transformation course you can participate in on line. Simply follow the excercises that are blogged on from day to day.

Bible hike

Being away for three days with other church leaders and praying, eating, and praying, and sleeping, and praying, and then praying. Sounds impossible/ boring/ uncomfortable, but it was none of these.

Refreshed/ committed/ urgency/ “band of brothers,” all we have completely in common is Jesus. Jesus is enough. Jesus is always enough.

The highlight for me was hiking with another brother early in the morning and reaching the top of the mountain we were on and looking out over a lake framed by pine trees and then he whips out his Bible and we do an impromptu Bible study on ministry. I wasn’t expecting that and wondered at his motivation.

Was he taking this Bible stuff too far?
Was he getting points for doing this?
Was he trying to tell me something?

No, it’s just what he does. And I was blessed. So blessed in fact, that I was looking forward to the next day when I could ask him to do the same thing, only this time I hiked a lot faster so I could hear scripture and David’s reflections that much sooner.

what is it?

Five years later and there still is a fundamental misunderstanding of the terrorism that is taking place. Why do they do it? They tell us. Overwhelmingly, those advocating and committing the murder are self-identified Muslims who are set on killing Christians, Jews, other Muslims, and anyone else who doesn’t place themselves under the rule of their view of Islam. Simply, but not simplistically, they are killing people who don’t agree with them.

What can the world do about this form of terrorism? Three choices. You would have to imprison or kill every person who supports this way of thinking,you would have to convert to their view of Islam and follow the Sharia, Muslim law, according to their interpretation. or they have to change their minds. The first option is impossible both realistically and morally. I refuse the second option because to deny Jesus as God would put me in jeopardy of eternal life without God according to the worldview I trust. So, I would argue the third choice is the only realistic way things will change.

Logically, the ball is in the court of those who follow this killing ideology. No one can make you change your thinking for you. As a professor of psychology told me years ago, the question is this:

“What can you do to stop you from feeling this way?”

I would modify this statement to:

“What can you do to stop you from thinking this way?”

Notice where the responsibility lies? On the person with the killing ideology. Who is this? The vast majority of those doing the bombing, etc. are young men age15-30. How can they stop thinking that they have to kill people who don’t agree with them?

From what we know about human development, this has everything to do with the teaching a young person receives from birth to about 13. Your values and morality are established by then, with rare changes later. So, the only way to make progress in this whole situation is for the teaching of children who are susceptible to this killing ideology to fundamentally change. I will write more on this when I return.

I am going on a 3 day prayer retreat with 25 other pastors and church leaders from LA out of many different denominations. This event is a first of its kind for us. We hope to discover what God has in mind by pulling this off in the first place. I will be back Thursday. Talk to you then.

the gospel according to Star Wars

compare and contrast themes from Star Wars with themes from the Bible

invisible world

Do you have confidence in the invisible world? That is the question to ask yourself every morning when you get up. You see, your whole day will be swamped and saturated with people trying to get you to believe something that actually is not true. This “visible” world is an illusion of deception.

The news media will always overemphasize bad things and underemphasize good things. Advertisements will always tell you what you want to hear and offer quick and easy routes to pleasure. But I am here to tell you, for example, no matter how much of that particular brand of beer you drink (my 21+ years readers), you are still not going to get to date that babe. Just deal with it.

What about the invisible world? How is that any more real? Here’s how.

(Psalm 103:19)
The LORD has made the heavens his throne;
from there he rules over everything.

(2 Corinthians 4:18)
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

We know God is in charge. We have experienced it in our own lives. We have sensed it in others. There is something besides the constant bombardment. Something besides the noise. It is God at work actively, both visibly and invisibly.

christcast 20- we're back!

Dana and Kristina discuss the recent death of Steve Erwin, the 5th anniversary of the September 11th attack, Islam in America, pep rallys, and a Kevlar bra?!

now I am in trouble

Another terrorist plot has been foiled. This time in Denmark. Nine suspects were arrested; later two were released. Explosives used to build bombs were found with them. They are from the Danish city of Odense. Being of Danish heritage myself, I will give my observations.

- One of the suspects is an “ethnic Dane.” Good luck to me now when I fly next. It was bad enough when Nancy had to go to a separate area, have her disposable underwater cameras scrutinized in two different machines, took apart, and all the rest when we went to Maui. Now they are going to profile blond hair, blue eyes? I am fine with that. No hair you see!

- The reason this story has no legs in the news is it is about Denmark. Danes get no respect. Something about a country that is about the size of LA county. Or they are too busy partying to do anything newsworthy? I just don’t know.

- The suspects are known by the local imam (Muslim “pastor”) in the area. His phone number was in one of the suspect’s pockets. I don’t know what I would do if you arrest 7 potential bombers from my church? Probably say something about, “The leadership of First Lutheran can go on record saying we are not fond of murder. These gentlemen will no longer be allowed to play on the church softball team.” But here is what the imam actually says:

Abu Bashar, an imam in Odense, told the Associated Press that he knew the suspects and predicted that the charges would be dropped. But he said he expected terrorists eventually to strike Denmark, which has about 500 soldiers supporting the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq.

"Osama bin Laden said in a message three years ago that he will punish the countries that have [troops] in Iraq," Bashar said. "Denmark is on the list."

How can he be so confident and matter of fact that, of course innocent men, women and children would be blown up? Nice touch there about his inside knowledge that the charges will be dropped. The explosives weren’t really meant for bombs. Just fireworks for the Queen’s birthday, April 16. Excellent.

why the difference?

Remember my fondness for looking at the math? (last mention August 17) Must have something to do with being married to a math teacher. Here is some new math for you to think about.

The latest Palestinian Infintada began in 2000. In that time period approximately 1400 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces, the vast majority young men who happen to be Muslim, 18-24. The news media’s emphasis is focused way more on Palestinian casualties and Israeli culpability. Let’s just be honest about that before I continue.

Now in an identical time period, two years, in Dafur, Sudan. Approximately 140,000 Dafur residents, or 1000% more deaths, have been killed by Sudanese government military forces. This does not include another 260,000 who have died through forced starvation, disease, etc. impacted by the events. Let’s just stick with military casualties.

In the case of Sudan, their government is made up of Arab Muslims, so they basically have killed 140,000 fellow Muslims of all ages and sex, though racially, the Dafur residents are black.

It is primarily only through the efforts of Christian organizations that this has been brought to the attention of the world. The mainstream news media has not emphasized it whatsoever.

So why the difference?

Could it be anti-Semitism in journalism circles that brings an overemphasis on what is going on with the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the way it is being reported?

Could it be racism in those same circles that brings an under emphasis on the Dafur conflict?

What do you think?

the fray- starting high school

Here we go again. Another two disciples joining the fray in the public school realm. Not the fray. The fray. Today our boys begin their freshman year and join their senior sister in public high school. Depending on where you live, your public schools could be very different than ours in LA, or very similar. We are about as diverse as possible, as expected. There were enough students of a different culture or racial/ethnic group than our boys at their former private school (our church school) that this is no culture shock. That and years of city park and recreation league basketball.

What will be very different for them though, will be the faith background of their new friends. The majority of their classmates were connected to Jesus in some way in our school, with many of their friends attending our specific church. Not so with their high school. They get a huge pool of opportunity to be an influence with new friends. They also get what their sister has received over the last three years at the same school.

• A big opportunity to find new ways to drop the “F” bomb.

• A big opportunity to spend time with kids who don’t know God from a giraffe and are proud of their “atheism.”

• A big opportunity to hear from several faculty members why Bush is an idiot and should be impeached. Lovely to be paying taxes for uninformed blather about the president no matter who that president might be. Not a reasoned examination of the evidence of our political system. Just taking the easy way out of name-calling so no one really questions my research and argument.

So, why do we do it? Send our kids into all of this?

• For the other amazing teachers who thirst to guide them to seek out knowledge and make a difference.

• For the new friends who look at life from a non-Christian perspective so our kids can learn where they may connect, and what the needs and desires their friends have are, which, of course, only Jesus can fulfill. Somehow our kids might provide bridge to him.

• And, yes, to actually get them into classrooms with extreme politicized teachers so they know how weak extreme politicized thinking really is, and they can be better prepared to build bridges of finding common ground with open minded but different minded people so they can join together and actually think through why they think what they think.

• Prepare them for the university and beyond.


This can all be done in a private school setting, but hey, why not? Like Daniel in the Bible, why miss out on all the fun?

Ephesians 2- God's masterpiece...you!

what if you are God's finest work of art, designed before the beginning of time?

what if you are God's masterpiece?

what do I mean, "what if?!"

you are!

the vampire lady listens

I have been doing a lot of work with the book, Simply Christian, by N.T. Wright, this summer. Wright is a bishop (Durham) and theologian of the Anglican Church. He is a man after my own heart: a liberal to extreme conservatives and a conservative to extreme liberals. Just like I like ‘em. A deep thinker.

Simply Christian is about as fine of an explanation of what it means to be a “Christian,” as you will find out there. Having read other books by Wright concerning the New Testament, first century Judaism, Paul’s teachings, and such, it is refreshing to see him put it all together in one book.

That and the front cover testimony by, of all people, Anne Rice. She is the “vampire” writer, as in Interview with the Vampire, who has come to a strong faith in Jesus. Now she is writing Jesus books, the first being, Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt. If you can move from sucking blood/sexual thrillers to the blood of the Lamb, you probably want to learn from a guy who is an influence on her.

Mull over this key passage from the introduction of Simply Christian over the weekend. I’ll be back Monday.

The point of following Jesus isn’t simply so that we can be sure of going to a better place than this when we die. Our future beyond death is enormously important, but the nature of the Christian hope is such that it plays back into present life. We’re called here and now, to be instruments of God’s new creation, the world-put-to-rights, which has already been launched in Jesus and of which Jesus’ followers are supposed to be not simply beneficiaries but also agents.

Hadrian's wall

Back from a trip with my wife to Maui. It was another no phone- no computer vacation, but I am back to blogging now! It was a wonderful time just enjoying the tropics with my love. We did check in with the kids on a regular basis. A friend of ours stayed with them at night and Kristina was overseer (not always successful) of David and Gregory.

There is a sense of security having the cell phone gives with reception all over the island. The challenge is settling arguments the kids are having by saying, "Your in trouble if you do ______", all the while looking at the moon over the water with the lapping waves and warm breeze. I haven't reconciled a getaway without our children as a clean getaway. Even though they are teens and I talked to them about every day, I still missed them.

And it brings to focus again how much teens need their parents to touch base. We are cheerleaders, listeners, advice givers, but in the case of absentee parents vacationing on their own, we are referees. Somehow the sense of justice and parental judges are mixed together. You can have wide boundaries but you are keepers of the boudaries.

I read recently that Hadrian's wall in Great Britian between Scotland and England was set up in 122 AD to keep the Scots out of England. The Romans had conquered everyone else but they couldn't quite get the northern Scots to surrender. So, they figured it was easier to build a wall and keep them out.

Would that work with our kids? Set up a sound proof, padded wall room and strip them of all weapons and lock them up? Kind of like Hadrian's room? Can't conquer them and so we just isolate them from the rest of us?

I don't think it will work. You have to figure out ways to let siblings work some things out on their own without parental intervention, testing out what they will have to do for the rest of their lives in their own families, in the workplace, and so on.

In the meantime, if I hear one more argument...just don't leave a battle axe or a mace laying around the house!

2 John sermon

in today's anything-goes-world, you don't get to aggressively attack me and try to be clever in order to make your point. Let's just examine the evidence together. OK?

The louder and more obnoxious we get, the weaker our position.

now I've seen everything

When you “google,” "Jesus," the number one website is not the Vatican, not Billy Graham’s page, not Purpose Driven Life; it is a dressup doll of Jesus on the cross. He looks to be wearing Jockey briefs and you can dress him in a hula skirt with coconut bra, ballerina tutu, or my personal favorite, a devil costume for Halloween.

Obviously, it wouldn’t shock me if Christians take offense at this. Yet, at least two things stand in the way.

1. We are used to people trying to make fun of Jesus and our faith. That’s been going on for 2000 years.

2. We know Jesus can take care of himself. He is big enough that we don’t lose sleep when people try to be silly, clever, or spiteful against him and Christians. Especially from media in America.


So many Christians speak out whenever people make broad brush characterizations about Islam or speak about it in a ridiculing or offensive way. I would ask that my Muslim friends send an e-mail letting Google know that www.jesusdressup.com is a bit much. It will get more attention coming from you.

what Jesus wants

Do you think what Jesus wants Jesus gets? I do. So when Jesus says (John 12:32),

"And when I am lifted up on the cross, I will draw everyone to myself."

…he means it.

Which means if you are open to being influenced by him you will be. If you are not a follower of Jesus, I have to say, as a Christian, I am not here to do your thinking for you. I am not here to try to persuade you to follow him. I am not here to debate you as to how awesome life with Jesus is compared to life without him. Notice what Jesus says.

“I will draw everyone to myself.”

The influence is up to him.

All I can do is invite you to consider him and not be too much of a jerk so you at least know one Christian who respects you. If you are a Christian reading this, please consider this, as well.

the math of tragic death

Her death was tragic. Her story was tragic. Now it will be revisited ad nauseum by the media, who of course, are a business that needs the attention of the public to make money. Not bad/ not good/ just the reality of the business. The murder of that poor little girl, Jonbenet Ramsey, 10 years ago, will be a major focus now that a guy confessed. One death; a world’s attention.

The battles that occurred for the last month between Hezbollah and Israel have held the world’s focus up until this time. Tragic, with almost 1000 people killed, including children. No one is immune to the ongoing horrors of war, terrorism, civil war, foreign occupation, whatever you wish to call it.

Now let’s do the math.

One.

1000.

And…

According to United Nations reports, every day, 5,500 children across 21 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa alone die before they reach their fifth birthday. The UN reports at least 2/3’s of those deaths are preventable due to the simple means of providing safe drinking water, and disease prevention.

One

1000

5,500

Or…

2,000,000 + in the next year.

All tragic.

Horrible.

But, God have mercy on our math.

Think about this deeply in your own emphasis and prayer life.

christcast 19- psychology 101

Kristina and Dana talk about Freud, Hookah lounges, Alice in Wonderland, two kinds of people and, of course, Frenchmen in speedos.

know your enemy

In biblical language, your “enemy” is someone working against you. To be someone’s enemy is not an emotional response, as much as it is practical application of emotion. Hezbollah is an enemy of the United States. They are the group responsible for killing almost 250 marines back in the 80’s in Beirut, among other things, and they are still an enemy today. Whether you like it or not if you are an American, if you can’t stand American policy, you are a member of the “hate Bush” club and the all the rest, Hezbollah is the enemy. You don’t get the option of choosing who your enemy is, at least from a biblical viewpoint. Your enemy chooses you.

This is why it is so amazing to me the use of photoshopped altered photos (one was a guy dead and then in another later photo he was walking around again! Must be named, “Lazarus”…), staged photos (various brand new Disney toys put on top of a pile of rubble) and the rest, that were being used in the New York Times and other major newspapers until they were called out on it. Turned out that most were from one specific photographer, but they are still coming from other sources after all his stuff was pulled from their websites.

Blatant propaganda is not the place of newspapers in a free society. Obviously, one can’t “balance” everything, yet, overwhelming, news organizations are actually finding themselves going out of their way to aid the message of the enemy. An unbelievable attempt at this occurred yesterday from an AP report. Hezbollah is continuing to fire rockets at Israel. The latest rockets just happened to miss by not reaching far enough. They didn’t get across the border. Here is the AP headline:

Rockets hit Lebanon despite cease-fire
Those Israeli’s are at it again, right? Zionist pigs! Except it is Hezbollah firing the rockets! 99 out of 100 people would not know that or guess that from the headline. Not until the second paragraph do you get the true story:

Highlighting the fragility of the peace, Hezbollah guerrillas fired at least 10 Katyusha rockets that landed in southern Lebanon early Tuesday, the Israeli army said, adding that nobody was injured. The army said that none of the rockets, which were fired over a two-hour period, had crossed the border and so it had not responded.

Help me understand here. I am looking for one example (e-mail me link) of mainstream media doing as severe a slant on a news headline in making Israel look like the “good guy.” Not a pro-Israel headline, but a headline that casts Israel in a good light, though the facts of the article are opposite.

We have known for some time that mainstream news appears to be biased opinion more than news. The challenge is we are not talking about taxes, political parties or the environment. For those of us who are Americans, we are talking about people who want to kill us. We can’t say, “I have no enemies. This is not my conflict.” Alas, we don’t get to choose our enemies. They choose us.

more booze

Here’s to alcohol: The cause of and answer to all of life’s problems.”

- Homer (Simpson, not the Iliad guy)

How many crimes are committed where the criminal is stone cold sober? No drugs or alcohol in their system?

How many traffic accidents occur where everyone involved is stone cold sober? O yah, I forgot cell phones, never mind…

How much at risk sexual activity occurs where all participants are stone cold sober?

Fights…?

Extreme, public rageful behavior…?

Bitter arguments…?

The list could go on. Having spent earlier years as a bartender and bar manager, as well as a drinker of distinction (a Pabst was as good as an Old Style in those days), it’s not as if I am discovering anything new here. It’s just that when we don’t stop and think about things that we take for granted, we don’t have the fun of analysis.

When we think of drinking, it is a difficult topic because it can be done in a healthy, moderate way, and it is part of religious and social custom. For Christians and Jews, for instance, an honest straightforward reading of the Bible gives clear indication that alcohol consumed properly is a natural gift from God. All the inherent problems are addressed, as well, but prohibition is not a biblical mandate.

I don’t have an answer to all of this other than, if you are a disciple of Jesus, it is a good idea not to make an idiot out of yourself. Remember, it’s OK to be different. No matter what team you root for, what party you go to, what you are celebrating, you can probably get by with a couple of drinks as well as a binge twelve pack. No one is going to get terribly upset.

Or, shock of all shocks, you don’t have to drink at all.

1 John 5- "why can't we all just get along?"

why don't church communities have police forces and jails?

when there is serious crime in a church, why does this always make the news?

can human beings actually get along?

booze and football

I had the opportunity to see the Packers play the Chargers (lost bad, but preseason, but again, Packers would have been routed anyway), and it was fun to share the boy’s first NFL game. Also, an opportunity for them to see so many people doing so much drinking and acting so foolish. Somehow different than a Dodger game.

Some of it was good natured, but a lot of it was angry and crude. Booze is an equal opportunity inhibitor destroyer, and so I will make a bold insight: younger people were more crude and obnoxious than older, at least when drinking.

When it comes to drinking there are stereotypically three types of drunken personalities.

Happy drunks
Angry, crude drunks
Sad drunks

Sad drunks don’t generally find themselves going to preseason football games, so you are left with happy and angry/crude. I remember going to games as a kid and seeing guys with blood running down their shirts after Milwaukee Braves games in the 60’s. It is not necessarily a sign of the times thing. But the language and behavior of the younger crowd at the game was more angry than happy. Older drinkers; more happy than angry. And in both cases, many of them were Charger fans and their team was winning.

My conclusion? When you don’t drink, you have a great time doing psycho/social research. Especially when your team is getting killed. Another hypothesis?

Packer fans are so experienced at drinking that even their angry personality types have learned to grow mellow.

terrorists

With the uncovering of the terrorist plot out of Great Britain, it is once again an example that the Marxist analogy of economics fueling all lashing out by “oppressed” people is not logical in case after case of terrorism coming up. This isn’t as simplistic as rich vs. poor, the West exploiting the poor of the Third World and such. It seems that all the suspects are Brits; some more than one generation.

Once again, if you want to understand why people do what they do, let them tell you. As with other terrorists, both suspects and those convicted, economics is not in their language in any strong emphasis, religious ideology, in particular some form of extreme Islam offshoot group teaching is. This isn’t about economics as much as it is about trying to violently force your thinking upon others. This is not the viewpoint of the vast majority of Muslims in the world, though there is cause for alarm.

Here is where deep thinking is required. In Great Britain, before the events of the last couple of days, there was a survey done by the London Daily Telegraph with a random sample of self-identified British Muslims, where 30% of those surveyed said they totally supported or were sympathetic toward the bombings of the subways and buses in London resulting in the death of 52 innocent people a little over a year ago. This is an amazing statistic that greatly calls into question the viewpoint, often stated but never statistically supported, that those who would kill in the name of Allah are a tiny rare fraction of self-identified Muslims. At least not in England where no matter how you look at it, almost 1/3 is not a tiny rare fraction. What does this mean?

Next week.

cell phones

Enough is enough. If you live where there are teenagers and young adults, watch them walk around. It can be 6:30 a.m. and they have a cell phone attached to their ear. Who in the world is a teenager talking to that early? I understand the popularity of constant chatter, but this is a bit much. Cell phones are everywhere.

And don’t talk to me about drivers and cell phones. I need to make a qualifying statement first. I am not much of a cell phone person to begin with. I do speak on the phone in the car on occasion, though I try to use speakerphone when I do. That said, I’m very distracted when I am driving and on the cell, as well.

But you don’t really know about distraction until you try riding your bike in a busy traffic area. Everyone seems to be on their cell, and their driving is overwhelmingly awful. I realize being on a bike is bad enough to begin with, potential danger-wise, but I am very careful, and so what I am speaking of is more observation than close calls.

Though, yesterday I was biking with my son, David, when a young woman in a fancy new Lexus just suddenly decided to do a U turn right in front of me, with a cell phone glued to her ear. So, I gave her a smiling cell phone sign (see picture for example) and she gave me an unsmiling “we’re number one” finger sign. I just laughed and shook my head.

I can’t wait until we just imbed those suckers in our skulls and then we will all just look like we are paranoid schizophrenics. Talking to ourselves wherever we go. It is getting close to this with the Bluetooth ear piece, but hey, let’s go all the way. I ache nostalgically for the phone booth. Private, and not that convenient. I guess we are just more important now, and need to call everyone more than we did before.

discrimination

There are certainly instances of discrimination that occur in various societies. When I am speaking of “anyone except me” ism, this does not mean for the sake of advantage, I may not join forces with other “me first” people and together we work against others. I may well do that as a sinful human. Deciding who is in and who is out is an art practiced by most.

I think of the phenomenon of Elvis. Yes, he had a good “blues” voice and a charismatic presence. Yet, were there black singers at the time who were more talented and more charismatic? Certainly possible. Perhaps Elvis is simply the designated white guy who was allowed to sing the blues music that America, in particular the white American audience, was discovering, though it was actually an art form created and dominated by black Americans. We will never know the possibilities.

Obviously the same can be said for athletics in the 20th century. The film, “Glory Road,” is one look at the situation. For instance, no matter how much retro-observation, we will always be more familiar with a Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth than a Josh Gibson or Buck Leonard. It is just a reality of discrimination having a lasting impact.

more of me

I wrote about hate crime, racism, etc. yesterday, and want to make more observations. When I am accusing you of hate and such, I am speaking of your thought life. I am judging your motives. This is totally illogical.

First of all, I may lash out against you verbally (by far the most prevalent category of hate crime) and not only not hate you, I may have deep care for you. When a parent goes off on their kid with spiteful language, is that “hate crime?” Of course, persistent verbal abuse can be damaging, but it is not classified as “hate crime,” as far as I understand.

Second, what if, rather than “hate,” I simply have a filthy mouth, as celebrated this week with the 25th anniversary of MTV. With the bigoted sexist droll that comes out of the mouths of so many of the celebrated singers, do I think they are all hateful? No, many are probably just crude and foolish. We don’t have criminal categories for crude and foolish, unless it results in crimes against body or property.

Third, I don’t really know myself completely, so how could you possibly be able to tell me with conclusive evidence that you know what I am thinking? It is a mark of self- obsessed hubris for me to be so sure about your motives and thoughts. This is why the Bible spends an abundance of time telling us to be careful of judging what others are thinking.

Even when you think you are a real victim of any of the ism’s of life, perhaps you should begin with not allowing someone else to gain an advantage over you by influencing you to think like a victim. If I don’t allow myself to get offended, I am working from strength rather than weakness.

Christcast 18- back from the wilderness

Dana and Kristina return from an internet free/ study free vacation and live to talk about it. What do you do with all that time on your
hands?

me first

Back from my “wilderness” no-internet, no cell phone vacation. I had a lot of time to think, bask in beauty, and connect with family. We are all alive and well and so that is a good first step. We didn’t kill each other after many weeks together in confined spaces. So, what do I blog on first? What have I been thinking about?

How about starting with the basic problem of humanity without God?

I think I am the center of the world.

This simple fact, that I am at my core filled with self-interest, which can be recognized from self-worship to self-loathing, is so often overlooked.

Think of these topics.


Racism
Sexism
Religious Intolerance
Hate Crime

None of these issues really exist.

This is just something that I accuse you of so I can put you on the defensive. So I can gain power over you. There is no such thing as a racist, sexist, etc. Not logically.

At my core I just don’t like anyone who is not me. I can’t possibly be a racist if I have a problem with everybody. I can only be one thing.

A “every-person-in-the-world-except-for-me”-ist.

This is why speaking of something like “hate crime,” is so illogical and, actually, silly. When I commit a crime against you that is not classified a “hate” crime, does that mean, “I violate your person or property, but all and all, I think you are kind of special?”

No, the problem with all these labels is they are simply ways to try to get the focus off of the real problem which is we all, every single one of us, is out for himself/herself at the core. If it gives me an advantage to label you “intolerant,” at least I will have the upper hand for the moment.

more pictures

arrrr!!












lambeau


















be back August 7!

vacation pause

I am in the middle of our family vacation internet/ study fast, and I have to say it is both refreshing and frustrating. The relaxation and enjoying the beauty of “Up North” and the “Northwoods” is a good thing. Nancy saw a bear, David and I saw a beaver, Greg saw a peacock (We have no idea where that came from), and we saw deer galore.

Every evening sitting by the lakes you can see loons going about their loon business. Loons are solitary birds and fascinating to watch. They aren’t in any hurry like some other animals, but just seem to take their lives in stride. They disappear for a while, diving beneath the surface looking for fish and then they reappear in an undisclosed location. Instead of television, I guess you could spend the night watching loons and guessing where they are going to come up for air. Sound exciting? You have to be there.

The frustration of no internet is not as bad as it seems. News comes from talking to people. There isn’t anything so important to learn that you can’t wait to Google it some other time. However, early on in the trip there was one time I wish I could have gone wireless.

We had Team USA women’s soccer team on the flight to Minnesota with us and saw them get swamped by girl soccer teams waiting at the airport to greet them. That was a lot of fun to watch, but being out of the women’s soccer loop I only recognized a couple of faces and couldn’t put a name to them. Well, being on the computer to do this blog, I did a quick search and realized the three I recognized are Kristie Lilly, Abby Wambach, and Heather Mitts.

I do miss blogging; it seems like a brain pause. Not that you stop thinking, but just the way you process and express the thought. Blogging has been a way to stay fresh in the mind. Now, I just get to think of different things. Like teenage sleep habits.

With the hectic life of teenagers, being on vacation the change caused by all of us waking up when we wake up and spending the day together, you get to see everyone’s true rhythms in action. I am an early riser, and so still the first one up, but if we didn’t eventually wake them, the kids would still be sleeping at noon. I know this a common teen phenomenon, but it still is incredible to me. I wonder if our children would rather be bears in hibernation?

christcast 18- friends beget friends

from Minnesota with my best buddy Rich Melheim, founder of family ministry organization Faithinkubators, and our daughters, also best buddies, Kristina and Kathryn. What do you want your kids to be saying about you? We tell all...

getting away to it all

I am going on vacation for three weeks. Northern Wisconsin and Northern Minnesota. Cabins, fishing, and of course, mosquitoes. I am going to spend the time connecting with my immediate family, my parents in Wisconsin and my in-laws and other relatives on Nancy’s side in Minnesota.

I met with my pastor recently and he suggested I spend the time in restoring the soul. For me this means:

1. blog and podcast sabbatical- one more blog tomorrow, one more podcast Thursday, and then check in with me on July 25 and I will report how the “project” is going
2. study sabbatical- one book and only reading for a brief period in the morning
3. limited Bible reading- only Psalms 145-150 and only aloud!
4. do nothing- three days to do nothing but enjoy family and surroundings

This is not for everyone. This is a personal prescription from someone who knows me well.

Don’t leave just yet. Check in tomorrow and Thursday.

keep it simple...Acts 28 message

I have finished preaching through the Book of Acts. Paul is such a stud! He just gets his business done. I especially enjoy the last chapter, because Luke, the author of Acts, makes sure Paul’s message doesn’t confuse us. Paul has taken forever to get to Rome, pretty much the center of the universe at this time. What profound, sublime, thought provoking message does he bring?

Luke tells us twice in chapter 28.

23 So a time was set, and on that day a large number of people came to Paul's house. He told them about the Kingdom of God and taught them about Jesus from the Scriptures--from the five books of Moses and the books of the prophets.

And

30 For the next two years, Paul lived in his own rented house. He welcomed all who visited him, 31proclaiming the Kingdom of God with all boldness and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.

The most brilliant and important Christian preacher and teacher, second only to Jesus himself, and he has a message with two parts. The Kingdom of God is available now, and trust in Jesus gives you access.

No political causes; no 25 ways to live a healthy relationship with your pet; no why the anti-Christ is really Simon Cowell; just Kingdom and Jesus. Come on preachers, let’s follow Paul’s example and quit being so complicated!

Here is my quest for clarity…

waiting

I have been waiting for a lot lately. Nothing earth shattering; just waiting. The worst waiting this week is a couple of trips to the automotive repair place for the air conditioning on the youth van at church. Not quite done, yet, and It’s hot outside.

At least you can listen to the radio to take your mind off the heat.

“It’s getting hot in here, so take off…” Hold on there! This is a church van! Only music in the key of “C” allowed.

Contemporary Christian
Country
Classic

Yah right…

But most waiting is nothing. The worst waiting is like when Kristina had “suspicious” moles a couple of years ago. They were “pre-cancerous” and burned off and she was fine, but the waiting on the test results for that was hard core. Some of you have been there in a major way about yourself or a loved one.

I don’t know if waiting for the small things builds you up for the larger, but I would hazard to guess that the whole “seed planting” metaphors in the Bible are there to teach us patience. Most of our life we sit around and wait. Even for good things. Life experience teaches us this. We come into situations (or, at times, God puts us into situations) where patience is required. If it doesn’t come from God, God will use it to make us patient. It is almost like he is saying,

“If you have to wait it gives you the opportunity to think more on me. If you are busy all the time and everything is going your way that is not going to necessarily help our relationship."

age segregation?

I was talking about the age of Thomas Jefferson (32) when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. Well, Washington was 42 in 1776, so he might be considered the old man, though out of that group the honor probably goes to Ben Franklin, a whopping 70! That’s not old now, but it sure was then.

So, if this wide range intergenerational leadership team kind of got a country going, how are our intergenerational teams today? In the “dot com” boon there were mainly young. In the corporate world even today, skewed toward the older. In the mainline churches the denominational leaders are mainly in their 50’s and 60’s, with so many trying to get back to the “60’s,” “1960’s” that is and the denominations suffer. Without the younger leaders, irrelevance is just a step around the corner.

In the Evangelical churches there are far more young leaders, though many times they are challenged by an older leader who becomes larger than life. Vision and direction occur, but implementation becomes difficult. With guys like Robert Schuller II or Joel Osteen following their dad’s, you might be able to smoothly pass on the mantle, just depending on what your actual mission is, but the challenge is staying fresh with young leaders combined with the wisdom of the elders.

Age “segregation” may be way more the issue with leaders today. If you want to make race or sex a factor, it is probably because you want race or sex to be a factor. Having a good mix of life experience is important but also difficult to pull off.

Take it from this old 50 year old signing off...

christcast 16- up close and personal

Why doesn't God give me a sign?

Dana shares his observations on this question

Thomas Jefferson

Yesterday I was thinking about something to say today concerning the fourth of July. What came to mind as I have started reading 1776, by David McCollough, is that Thomas Jefferson was 32 years old when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. Considering the history of the world up to that point, Jefferson’s own understanding of landed gentry and aristocracy and such, these words are astounding...

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal...

Why is it self-evident? How in the world do you know this, you 32 year old ‘kid” (at least to me)? Equal worth and value is what he means, I would argue. How do you gain that much maturity so soon in life?

The next time a young person is saying something to me about life, I will give it my undivided attention. At least for a while. In deference to Thomas Jefferson.

here we go again

Here we go again. The Palestinian Authority TV commercial which beckoned children to become suicide bombers several years ago, was aired on official Palestinian TV again last week. The commercial was pulled three years ago after outrage from the U.S. senate (Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton called it, “horrific child abuse.”).

Now they are at it again. Instead of tempting kids to buy the latest toy, or the latest high sugar content cereal like we do here (bad enough in themselves), Palestinian TV says this about children blowing themselves up...

"How sweet is the fragrance of the earth, its thirst quenched by the gush of blood, flowing from the youthful body.”

There is no moral equivalent here. It is warped plain and simple. Don’t try to make excuses. Don’t try to shift the focus elsewhere. Condemn this action and let’s keep moving toward peace.

God and storms

What is the connection between God and the storms of life?

on "liberal" and "conserative" thought

In our country today, I would argue the education system and the media have a general bias towards “liberal” viewpoints. Overwhelmingly. Therefore, most of the information input a person will normally get, whether they seek it or not, is along this line of thinking. If you add to this, “liberal” thinking at home, a young person in America could go through their whole upbringing and only have this very one-sided worldview.

Not so with a “conservative” viewpoint. No one is exposed to a general “conservative” bias unless they seek it out. Much is said about “conservative” radio talk shows, FOX news, and blogs, but they have a very small total information “market share." You have to choose to listen, watch, or read. All other print media, television news, T.V. shows, and movies lean decidedly in the other direction.

In education, unless you are home-schooled or in a “conservative” private school, your exposure leans greatly toward the “liberal,” as well. What are the implications of all of this?

Well, for one thing, if you tend to be a “liberal” person, there is a chance you may never have been exposed to intelligent “conservative” thought. The only “conservative” viewpoints you hear are the extreme ones which are isolated by the mainstream media for your perusal. “Conservative” people have no problem being exposed to intelligent “liberal” thought. It is all around them and they have been exposed to it all of their lives.

Personally I don’t fit into any category comfortably. I try to learn from anyone whom I judge is using good logic and reason to make their argument and that can be “conservative” and “liberal.” I find myself hanging around with very “liberal” people some time, and very “conservative” at others. My general observations are the same.

The more heat and aggressiveness, the more use of cleverness and sarcasm, the more manipulation you use with your language, and the more logical fallacies you choose to fall back on, the more likely you have no idea what you are talking about, and in fact have little confidence in your own position. Now, even in the best of cases we may not know what we are talking about. Yet, if you can give me a careful, straightforward, reasonable argument from a viewpoint you totally disagree with, I will keep listening. Else we need to move on to a different topic, because neither one of us wants to waste our time, do we?