More Comments on Stupid Art Projects and the People Who Do Them

Just about every article on the web on this subject is filled with comments from the general public.  In the previous post, I referenced some at the NY Times.  After that post, though, I went and read the comments on the Yale Daily News article, "Shvarts, Yale clash over project".  Interesting reading.  Here's the winner quote of the day, though:

So in an entirely unsurprising turn of events, the University has lied, betrayed one of its students in return for better press, and failed to defend free speech.

Aliza Shvartz, on the other hand, had the moral courage to tell the truth from the beginning, stick to her story when the going got bad, and know the difference between fiction, art, and honesty thoughout.

Apparently, Ms. Shvartz is an icon of integrity, one whose example should be taught and shared with others. Shoot, if I could only remember that verse of Scripture that pertains to such a statement... Oh well.

Update on Yesterday's Post

It is beginning to appear that the Yale art project referred to in yesterday's post is a hoax.  Because that makes it so much better.

From the Yale Office of Public Affairs:

Statement by Helaine S. Klasky — Yale University, Spokesperson
New Haven, Conn. — April 17, 2008
Ms. Shvarts is engaged in performance art. Her art project includes visual representations, a press release and other narrative materials. She stated to three senior Yale University officials today, including two deans, that she did not impregnate herself and that she did not induce any miscarriages. The entire project is an art piece, a creative fiction designed to draw attention to the ambiguity surrounding form and function of a woman’s body.
She is an artist and has the right to express herself through performance art.
Had these acts been real, they would have violated basic ethical standards and raised serious mental and physical health concerns.

Even this is disturbing.  What, exactly, does "draw[ing] attention to the ambiguity surrounding form and function of a woman’s body" even mean?  Maybe that's why it's ambiguous, and that's why we need to bring it to discussion in this manner?  Is it really that ambiguous?

Yale has said that the piece is "a creative fiction."  In an H. G. Wells-like fashion?  This seems grossly inappropriate, even within the context of a "creative fiction."  For Ms. Shvarts has not operated with the realm of fiction, choosing instead to intentionally blur the lines between fact and fiction, between truth and falsehood.  And she continues to do so.  Her foolishness, apparently, knows no bounds.

We have built ourselves a culture that only responds to the shock factor. We have become numb and incapable of discussing "the ambiguity surrounding form and function of a woman’s body" in a healthy, adult manner. Ms. Shvarts is merely a product of our times and our culture.  That does not absolve her of responsibility, but it should help us remember that we will only see more of the same in the future.

Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, honor is not fitting for a fool. Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest. A whip for the horse, a halter for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools! Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes. Like cutting off one's feet or drinking violence is the sending of a message by the hand of a fool. Like a lame man's legs that hang limp is a proverb in the mouth of a fool. Like tying a stone in a sling is the giving of honor to a fool. Like a thornbush in a drunkard's hand is a proverb in the mouth of a fool. Like an archer who wounds at random is he who hires a fool or any passer-by. As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly. Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

-Proverbs 26:1-12

What is, perhaps, more interesting is the ongoing conversation about this event and its coverage in the media.  Check out the comments in this NY Times article.  Repeatedly, the comment is made that this is actually boring and uninteresting.  Thus showeth the heartbeat of our culture.

When The Earth Moves

I experienced my first earthquake three years ago in Alaska.  You can read about that experience here.  It was pretty neat, in that never-been-through-this-before kind of way.  But it was also sort of expected, I mean, I lived in Alaska at the time.

So now I'm in St. Louis.  While there is a large faultline running through this area (and I remember in elementary school in Maryland the big deal made about it - an earthquake in St. Louis would level Maryland was something of how the story went), it's pretty inactive.  You just don't expect earthquakes pretty much anywhere east of the Rockies in this country.

So imagine my surprise when I wake up this morning, and everyone is talking about the big earthquake last night.  Turns out it was a 5.2 in southeastern Illinois and happened around 4:40 AM.  I slept through it.  That's my thing.  I sleep through earthquakes, hurricanes, sonic booms from landing space shuttles, my alarm clock...

There have been aftershocks from the earthquake, the most recent and strongest was a 4.5 at 10:15 this morning.  I was awake for that one, kind of felt like the ground rolled.

Earthquakes, particularly for those not used to them, are very unsettling.  You don't expect the ground to move.  That's why we call it "ground."  We talk about standing on solid ground.  We count on it being secure, solid... and not moving.  When it does move, it throws our sense of "rightness" off.

This is the second time in three months that this area has had its sense of "rightness" shaken.  Then, it was the shocking shooting of people during a suburban community's council meeting.  Then, our sense of security and safety at home was shaken.  It was disconcerting and confusing for many.

And then the earth moves under your feet.  That which is supposed to be stable and secure is suddenly as unsure as a boat on the ocean.  It is disconcerting and confusing for many.  What is one to do?

These events in our lives, and there are many more that happen - from the mundane to the magnificent - provide us opportunity to evaluate where we truly place our hopes, our security, our future.  We have a chance to question what the bedrock foundations truly are in our lives, what is the "solid ground" upon which we set our lives?  That in which we had considered our foundation, our "solid ground" has been shaken - quite literally - where do we turn now?

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

- Matthew 7:24-27

Horrendous Destruction of Life

My dad likes to send me stuff throughout the day to keep me from working.  He knows I am way too focused on my work and need to take a break every now and then, so he helps me procrastinate.  Thanks, Dad!

The email he sent today, though, isn't a fun one.  It's a link to an article about an art student at Yale who inseminated herself (read: got herself pregnant repeatedly) with the specific intent of destroying those lives for the sake of an art project.  She would induce a miscarriage every time, and video tape it.  She saved the blood as well.  Both of which will be used in the display of the project.

There is much to comment on about this, but this student made a particular comment that stands out to me:

Shvarts emphasized that she is not ashamed of her exhibition, and she has become increasingly comfortable discussing her miscarriage experiences with her peers.

That is what sin does to us.  If you read through the second half of Romans 1, Paul tells us that we all have a root problem, Sin.  That root problem is that we have rejected what we know to be true: 

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Go ahead and replace "they" with "we," for this is a problem we all have.  The rest of the chapter outlines the sins that have flowed out of that root problem of Sin.  It outlines what, in many respects, is a progression of sinfulness, that is ever-increasing in it's severity (note, interestingly, that sexual sins are the middle and disobeying your parents is as the end.  Hmm).  What's really key is the last verse of the chapter:

Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

See, every time we sin - no matter how big or how small - I think a piece of our soul is chipped off.  The Bible refers to it as the hardening of our hearts.  The bigger the sin (and yes, there are "big" and "little" sins, although they all have the same ultimate penalty - death), the bigger the piece of your soul.  Ultimately, we become so hardened that our natural sense of right and wrong is obliterated, and we not only continue to do wrong, but we rejoice, celebrate and encourage others to do the same.

I am passionately pro-life.  I can't imagine what killing your own child must do to your soul.  It is this aspect of the abortion debate that I think is overlooked too often, and we don't want to think about it.  Oh, by the way, I think it chips away at the father's soul, not just the mother's.  

So, what potentially eternal damage has this student done to her soul?  That is what, after the lives destroyed for such a pitiful excuse, bothers me most about this story.  And what is her life going to be like from here?

You know, it's become popular to portray abortion as a "necessary evil" these days.  Here's the problem:  The more you engage in a "necessary evil," the more necessary it becomes and the less evil.  I would need to check my history books, but I'm pretty sure the Holocaust was initially portrayed as a 'necessary evil' in Germany, but it certainly didn't take long to lose it's perception as being evil.

This is simply the natural consequences of a pro-"choice" stance on abortion.  It is the end of the slippery slope.

She destroyed countless lives for the sake of her artwork, not realizing that she was decimating the most beautiful art that could ever be created.

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
- Psalm 139:13-16

Miley Cyrus

My niece loves Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana), and I think that's a good thing.  There are few characters on TV for 'tween' girls to look up to, and few actresses that strive to live a life of character.  Miley Cyrus seems to be a diamond in the rough, and I hope it stays that way.

According to FoxNews Pop Tarts (see my friend Amy's blog about what's wrong with the idea of "Pop Tarts"), Miley's ability to remain grounded in the midst of her fame and fortune is due to her faith. 

"I think it’s my faith that keeps me grounded, especially because I’m a Christ follower for sure," Cyrus told us. "Live like Christ and he’ll live in you, and that’s what I want to do."

This is a really good thing, and I hope she maintains this foundation as she moves forward.  But I do worry.  I worry that the marketing machine will end up being stronger than Miley's faith.  And the marketing machine loves statements like hers... right now.  But there comes a time when it doesn't want a "good girl" to market any longer.  The "good girl" needs to become a "bad girl."  I referenced a blog post by Walt Mueller a little while ago that talked about how Britney Spears got where she is.  I wonder how much of the moral failure of Britney, Lindsay Lohan and countless others is the result of marketing versus their inherent depravity.  Heartbreaking.

And, of course, countering this, we have Paris Hilton, who today said she is "a good role model for young girls."  

Hilton, 27, boosted her fame in 2003 after a sex video of her and an ex-boyfriend hit the Internet, and she spent three weeks in a Los Angeles jail last year in a drunken driving case.

Hilton said 90 percent of stories about her in the media are "complete lies," and she blamed Internet bloggers for spreading rumors.

"I don't pay attention to lies because I am a good person, I work very hard and I've built this empire on my own. I think this is an inspiration for a lot of girls out there," she told Reuters.

Way to go, Paris. Don't let reality ruin your self-perception.

Personally, I hope my daughter emulates Miley, not Paris.

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.
- 1 Timothy 4:12

That Missional Stuff...

Over the past several weeks and months, I've been struck by how other-focused Scripture is.  I mean, I've read much of the 'missional' church information out there, and I agree with nearly all of it.  I fully believe that we (the church/saved/ redeemed/chosen/elect/ christians/etc) exist to be Christ's hands and feet in serving others, that we have been given salvation not for ourselves, but to take that salvation and hope to those that do not know.  And I've seen the scriptural support given for these premises.

But it's something different when, in your own study, you begin to see it for yourself.  Again, that sounds kind of weird to say, because I've seen it in Scripture before and have preached it several times myself.  But recently I've come across two passages that particularly stood out to me for their missional focus.  One is obvious and I should have expected it, the other I didn't.

The latter passage is Romans 1:5 (emphasis added):

Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.

Through Christ, and for his glory, we have received grace and been called to serve as his apostles.  Why?  So my life might be better?  So I can overcome sin and live victoriously in him?  Well, maybe.  But that's not what Paul says.  Paul says that we have received grace so we can call others "to the obedience that comes from faith."  To offer to others the life we have received, a life that is "more and better life than you have ever dreamed of" (John 10:10).

The former passage is the one from which our Maundy Thursday celebration stems (John 13:34-35):

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

There are two things that particularly stand out to me in this verse.  The first is the past-tense nature of the command.  Love as I have loved you.  Since he hasn't died on the cross yet, he can't be talking about that.  He's pointing back to how he began the evening - by washing the disciples feet.  It was a very practical, visual, tangible example of how Christ had lived his entire life - as a servant, come to meet others where they are in the midst of the messiness of their lives and to clean them up, both inside and out.  Christ came not to raise himself up, but to pour himself out into the lives of those he came in contact with.  We are called to love others the same way.

The other aspect of the command that stands out to me is the command itself.  Love one another.  The very nature of love is one of self-sacrifice and putting others first.  I've grown fairly tired of the song, "And They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love," but it is so true.  And perhaps that is why so many young adults are so disillusioned by the church, & therefore Christianity, today.  They know just how Christian we are by how much we have loved.  And the truth is, we haven't loved very well.  We haven't loved those outside the church very well for a very long time, and we haven't loved those inside the church very well either.  We love those that fit in our "box," but not so much those outside our box.

We must get out of the box, we must move beyond ourselves, if we are going to be faithful to this new command, to what is a consistent message throughout Scripture.  This Holy Week, we need to make a concerted effort to truly follow in Christ's footsteps.  This week isn't about what Christ has done for us, but rather what he has called us to do for others.

Nerts...

Tuesday:

Wednesday:
Phooey.

Hold The Light

For the first quarter of 2008, I've been preaching a series on Prayer, using the book of Psalms as our guide.  We've looked at Psalm 1, 139, 51, 27 and this week we're looking at Psalm 88.  This is probably one of the most depressing passages in all of Scripture, surpassed only by the first 2 1/2 chapter of Lamentations.  Passages like these, the brutal, raw honesty of faith being tested and challenged, of questioning where God is in the midst of the absurd messiness of life, is one of the reasons why I am convinced the Bible is true.

The sermon, in a nutshell, is an exploration of how are we to pray when there is no hope, when the lights have gone out, when we don't even know if there is a god to listen to our pleas.  As the Psalmist laments, "the darkness is my only friend."  The truth is that, at some point in the life of the believer, there will come "the dark night of the soul," that point when superficial platitudes and platonic words of encouragement are revealed to be as shallow as a wading pool.  Ultimately, all we can do is hold the light.  The Psalmist does this in the opening line of the Psalm: "O Lord, the God who saves me..."

We'll follow the sermon with communion - a physical act of holding the light.  Of saying, together with our brothers and sisters in Christ, no matter what, I will trust that the promises of God are true and that I am not alone.  The act of communion will be a way to enable us to enter into the Word of God in a very real, tangible manner.   To help people connect with this, the praise band is going to sing Caedmon Call's "Hold the Light" during communion.  Why this song?

Because it speaks directly to this time of struggle and questioning, of wrestling with God and wondering where He is in all of this.  It is the story of two friends who have been sharing their lives and walking with each other for two years, a time during which one of them faced an incredible time of wrestling, doubting, being angry and bitter toward God.  The friend offered no judgement, doing the only thing he could do: hold the light for his friend.  This is fairly obvious through most of the lyrics.  But there comes a problem.

See, the bridge is kind of confusing.  It goes like this: "standing around a willow weeping/we were praying in the backyard/in the chill of the night/the friendship light reminded me who we are."

What does that have to do with the rest?  I think it's something like this:  In the midst of this struggle, we sometimes get to a point of not being able to hold the light on our own.  When our brothers and sisters stand with us in the struggle, their faithful presence - to us and to God - reminds us who we are.  Who are we?  

We are the redeemed, the chosen, the beloved, the never-abandoned children of God.  Even when we see no hope and can't hold the light ourselves, God has not abandoned us.  The community of faith, standing with us in the midst of the cold, dark struggle (and that's the key), is the presence of God that holds the light we are to use to find our way through the darkness.  We aren't meant to get there on our own.

As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. - Joshua 1:5

Thank You

Thank you, God, for never letting go of me.

Thank you for never letting go, no matter how silly I get.

Thank you for never letting go, no matter how angry I get with you just because I don't understand what you are doing.

Thank you for never letting go, even when I wonder if you're really there.

Thank you for never letting go, no matter how often I let go of you.

Thank you for never letting go, even when I turn my back on you.

Thank you for never letting go, even when I do not live as you would have me live.

Thank you for never letting go, no matter how often I choose my own way over yours.

Thank you for never letting go, even when I wish you would.

Thank you, God, for never letting go of me.

Unsportsmanlike Conduct

I went to my first St. Louis Blues hockey game tonight.  It was a pretty good game with the Blues scoring early, falling behind in the 2nd period, and then rallying to win 3-2 at the end.  Way to go, Blues!

Here's what I found interesting:  at 16:08 in the 2nd period, Blues player David Backes is given a 2 minute roughing penalty, and Red Wings player Mikael Samuelsson is given a 2 minute 'unsportsmanlike conduct' penalty.  What precipitated the penalties isn't the interesting part.  It's the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.  And for a couple of reasons.

First, it's hockey.  When has hockey ever been about sportsmanlike conduct?  In fact, one could argue that the reason hockey is as popular as it is has more to do with the fights than it does the skill of the game.  Here's when the crowd was on it's feet: when the Blues scored, and any time a fight broke out or seemed like it was going to break out.  It's like car racing - so many people watch car racing for the accidents.  However, having been to several races, I can attest that a majority of the crowd is standing for the majority of the race.  Even when wrecks aren't pending.  Anyway, back to the point.  I think, for many, 'unsportsmanlike conduct' and 'hockey' are synonymous.

Second, why do we continue to operate under the delusion that professional sports has anything to do with the players conducting themselves in a sportsmanlike manner?  We don't want to see the players play fair and abide by the rules.  We want to see them flaunt the rules (but not too much, granted), we want to see teams continuously push the boundaries.  We complain about athletes using steroids, but wonder how boring sports would be without the drugs.  We no longer desire our athletes to be role models (although we say we do), we just want them to entertain us.  They truly have become the gladiators of the modern age.

The more they flaunt the rules, live immorally, flash the wealth we give them in our faces, the more we reward their behavior.  What message does this send our children?  What message does this send our adolescent athlete heroes (that's right - many of our professional athletes are still adolescents - and making more than most of us reading this blog will ever see in our entire life)?  A buddy of mine from seminary, and still one of my best friends, has been the chaplain for the Orlando Magic for the past several years and talked with me often about how we have these 20 year olds making millions with girls throwing themselves at their feet.  Even if they did have a frame of reference for how to handle that kind of wealth and debauchery, how long could one hold out?

No, we lost the 'sportsmanlike conduct' aspect of sports a long time ago.  Sports as a tool for teaching children and adolescents how to work with others; to develop skills, abilities and self-confidence; to learn how to handle both success and defeat has been lost.  It's now about the entertainment, it's about the wins and the trophies, it's about the money and the glory.

And it makes me sad.  What are we doing to ourselves?

"Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?"

- Maximus, Gladiator

Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. 

- 2 Timothy 2:5

how do they do it?

I'm in process of working on my sermon for this coming Sunday, and found myself delighted at how easily this sermon is coming along.  Yesterday was a bit of a roadblock in the sermon-prep process, and today is sailing along.  Why?  It's all about the text.

You see, yesterday I didn't have a passage of scripture from which to base the sermon.  Today, I do.  Yesterday, I had a whole list of what I wanted to say on Sunday.  Today I have a much shorter (thankfully, for all involved) list of what the Bible has to say.  It's coherent, concise, and straightforward... and not at all about me.

I find myself wondering, how do they do it?  How do pastors, teachers and preachers prepare and deliver their sermons and lessons without starting with the Bible?  I'm not saying that what they have to say isn't, therefore, biblical, but that I don't understand how one can preach without starting with the text and letting the sermon flow from there.

I have no problem with "prooftexting".  I think prooftexting can be used positively (when the cited passage is used in context and with integrity) and negatively (when the cited passage is ripped out of its context).  So I know sermons that are topical and then littered with Scripture to support the topic at hand can be godly, biblical and edifying.  And there are times when I preach sermons like that.

However, it's not how I usually work, and it's certainly not how I work at my best.  I'm at my best when I start with the text and go from there, allowing it to say what it wants to say to the congregation - and the preacher - on Sunday morning.

Thanks for letting me procrastinate a little longer.

espresso beans

There once was a time when I would knock back a coke (by coke I mean generic "could be anything that is a carbonated beverage...some parts of the country refer to it as "soda", but, in my life, it would still actually be Coca-Cola, the only, the best) before heading to bed.  I could drink 12, 16, maybe even 20 ounces on my way to dreamland and not be late.  Sleep would not even be phased by the assault of caffeine and sugar that inundated my brain and my body.  It was a good time to be me.

Somewhere along the journey that is my life, that changed.  My body became more sensitive to sugar and caffeine.  I began to notice this when I would still drink said coke on my way to bed and then lie there for hours wide awake.  Being the brilliant and highly observant person that I am, I would lay there completely baffled by this assault of insomnia.  Why on earth can't I get to sleep on this particular night, when other nights I'm practically asleep before my head hits the pillow?  After many nights of such confusion and irritation, I slowly began to deduce the pattern.  No coke, good sleep.  Have coke, bad sleep.

A few years ago, I began drinking coffee.  My coffee intake increased while in Alaska (shocker, I know), but never exceeded two cups a day - almost always in the morning.  Having become aware of my natural sensitivity to caffeine, I tried to avoid coffee after, say, 3 pm or so in the afternoon.  Every once in a while I would break that rule, and I always paid the price.

Tonight, we began a weekly young adult bible study that meets at Wired Coffee on Thursdays at 8 pm (feel free to join us).  I arrived early and apparently checked my brain at the door.  I promptly walked up to the counter and not only purchased a coke, but also Cappuchino Gelato with Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans.  That was at 7:45.

I'm not even close to tired.

It's tough being a slow learner.

And I don't really like espresso beans.

The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep. - Ecclesiastes 5:12

one year later...

Today is officially the one year anniversary of when I came on staff at Southminster. I've been in St. Louis for a year and a week. It's been a pretty fascinating year of a lot of learning and a lot of change - change for me, change for the church.

Here is some of what is different now than a year ago:

- A year ago, the youth ministry met maybe every other week - if that. The only regular program offered was sunday school. In November, we began weekly youth group meetings. The first night, we had 6 students (high school and middle school) show up. We peaked at 23 by the end of the school year and can now count on a minimum of 20 each week. Not huge growth, but not too bad.

- A year ago, the contemporary worship service, then 4 or 5 years old, was in a bit of a rut. Not a lot of new music, the projection was average, and the praise team was really looking for some direction. Now, the praise team boldly pushes new boundaries and is constantly looking for new music. The projection has really advanced and is quite good. With the help of an incredible interim praise team leader, the praise team no longer needs direction, as they are following the vision that has been cast.

- Additionally, the contemporary service has changed format and name. It is now Worship Celebration and has a more developed liturgy. Liturgy is really the wrong word, in it's popular understanding. But in it's traditional definition, it is quite fitting. We do have a defined order of worship that we follow for that service, but within that order we are always willing to explore new ways to enable worshippers to "experience the life giving touch of the One who first gave them life."

- Another worship-related change was moving the start time of Worship Celebration from 10:30 to 10:55. 10:30 was only 30 minutes after the end of the first service (if it ended on time), barely enough time to set up for the service. Moving to 10:55 provided enough time not only for setup but also for a sound check and rehearsal.

- A year ago the children's ministry was struggling to provide meaningful ministry for the families and children of the church. Not that it was bad or in dire shape, but it didn't seem to be meeting a need. A couple of changes were made that seems to be bringing about a turnaround in that ministry. One of which was changing from a rotation sunday school model to a more traditional format with consistent teachers each week. Not that the rotation model is bad, it just didn't seem to be working at Southminster.

- Because of the time change for worship, time was created to allow for a dedicated Sunday School hour. Previously, sunday school was at the same time as the 9 AM worship service. Somewhat convenient for families (mom and dad go to worship, the kids go to Sunday school), but one of the core values of Christianity is the importance of the corporate body worshipping Christ together, people of all ages, gathered together in worship. How could we expect to raise children who desire to worship God if they are never in worship? How can we provide meaningful discipleship opportunities for parents when folks pretty much leave after worship? Moving Sunday school to it's own hour helped alleviate that tension. It is a change that is not without its flaws, however. Some classes have seen reduced attendance as a result.

- Also, a year ago we did not have any dedicated staff for children's ministry. In early 2007, we hired a children's ministry intern on a part-time basis. She is a college student who is being trained as a children's education and development specialist. Her love for the Lord combined with her love for children made her a natural addition to the church staff. Since then, the children's ministry has taken off. The CE Commission has recognized the benefit of this kind of specialized attention and ministry, and desires to make that a full time position in the future.

- Along those lines, and related to the worship and Sunday school changes, we added a new ministry called Kids Own Worship. Recognizing that it is developmentally inappropriate to expect younger children to sit through an hour long worship service, we have the children in worship for the first 15 minutes, then after a children's sermon, they head out to an age- and developmentally-appropriate worship program.

Much of these changes actually have very little to do with me. It is the result of a large number of people who are passionate about the Lord, passionate about their areas of ministry, and passionate about seeing others come to know Christ. It has been a really exciting year - not without its challenges, but still good - and it is fascinating to see this church grow and stretch.

I wonder what next year will hold.

This is what the LORD says—
he who made a way through the sea, 
a path through the mighty waters, 
who drew out the chariots and horses,
the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:
“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?"
- Isaiah 43:16-19

spiritual hydration

I am a notoriously poor hydrator.  What I mean is, I rarely drink enough water to keep myself hydrated.  That particularly was an issue on the mission trips this summer.  The first day in Mississippi and in Mexico were much harder on me than they should have been due to the fact that I hadn't been drinking enough water and didn't drink enough while working.  Being dehydrated just simply isn't any fun.  That's the obvious part.  What isn't so obvious is how important hydration is to day-to-day living.

We rarely realize how beneficial remaining hydrated is to our regular activities and life.  We know we need to drink water when exercising or working outdoors, but there's a reason why we need to keep ourselves hydrated - 64 oz daily is what "they" say we need.  What with our bodies being 75% water, staying hydrated keeps us functioning at our best.  It's a subtle thing, though.  It isn't like a shot of Gatorade, caffeine or sugar - or something else - that gives you a relatively instant shot of energy.  It's just a simple truth that you aren't as good dehydrated as you are hydrated.  It may not be a difference you notice immediately, if at all, but it is still a difference.  When we are dehydrated, not only does our physical body suffer, but so does our mental and emotional capacities.

Remember:  If you're feeling thirsty, you're already dehydrated.

What struck me a few weeks ago, though, was that the same thing is true spiritually.  If you've grown up in the church - attending worship, sunday school, youth groups, etc. - then surely at some point in time you've been encouraged or even admonished to practice spiritual disciplines such as spending regular time in prayer and reading the Bible.  It's probably been stated to you in some form of "there is nothing more important to your day and your life than taking the time to do these."  And, you've probably put forward a good effort every now and then to do so - only to find time for prayer and reading the Bible to be the first thing that goes when the schedule gets full.  And, frankly, who notices?  Everything seems just as good when you do take the time for these spiritual disciplines as when you don't.

But they aren't.  And as important to our physical well being as it is to stay hydrated, it is even more important to our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well being to stay spiritually hydrated.  Being intentional will impact all areas of our being, not just our spirit.

As much as I struggle with staying hydrated, it is also hard to stay spiritually hydrated.  I think it's harder for pastors.  We spend our time every day in the Word, praying with people, delving into spiritual matters.  It's easy to rationalize the importance of this away.  Over the past year or so, I have been making a concerted effort to improve this area.

Eugene Peterson refers to this as working the angles in a book of the same name.  If the angles in a triangle aren't right, it doesn't matter how long or true the lines are - they'll never connect.  The three angles Peterson refers to are prayer, scripture and spiritual direction.  If we don't take care of the angles, every thing else falls apart.

The thing is, by the time we think we need to pray we're already spiritually dehydrated.  

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?"  (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)  The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)  Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."  "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?  Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." 

- John 4:7-14

Hydrate or die.

the insidious nature of sin

I think one of the key reasons that we are called to hold each other accountable (as mentioned in the previous post) is because of the insidious nature of sin.  While sometimes it comes at us in an overt manner, more often than not I think it is much more subtle, insidious.

One of my favorite movies is The Devil's Advocate.  Not because Keanu Reaves is so brilliant in it (is he in anything?), or because Al Pacino turns in one of his most fantastic performances (the last 5 minutes are simply stunning), but rather because it illustrates so well how subtle sin can be.  If you look at where Kevin Lomax is at the beginning of the movie and where he ends up at the end, they are vastly different places.  But throughout the movie, Kevin makes a thousand little decisions, each of them seemingly innocent, that result in his ending up where he does.  It all begins with one simple decision at the beginning.  Kevin, and the viewer, almost don't even realize what is going on until it is nearly too late.

That is simply the reality of how sin works.  Most of the time, we don't even realize where it is taking us... or that it is even taking us anywhere.  And that is why we need our brothers and sisters to help us along the way.  

Is it hard to hold others accountable?  No doubt.  Is it hard to receive such accountability?  No doubt.  But if we don't help each other along the way, how will we ever know if we have lost our way until it is nearly too late?

Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
- 1 Peter 5:8-9

confrontation and conviction

I don't know if there is anything more difficult than going to a brother or sister in Christ and confronting them in their sin.  Well, anything more difficult than being on the receiving end of the confrontation, that is.  It is so hard to do something like that, and so hard to hear it.  

On the confronting side, what if you're wrong?  What if it's your own sinfulness causing you to misread or misunderstand someone else?  What if it's your petty differences that are the real issues, not issues of sin?  What if the other person won't listen?  What if they don't like me any more?  What might they say to others as a result?  And on, and on.

On the receiving side, what if they're right?  How dare someone else say these things to me?  Who are you to judge me, as if you knew what goes on in my head?  How could someone think these things about me?  What gives you the right to say this?  And on, and on.

Yet, we are called to both give and receive this sort of confrontation.  Take, for example these two words from Christ:

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that the brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to that person; then come and offer your gift.  - Matthew 5:23-24

If a brother or sister sins, go and point out the fault, just between the two of you alone. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they refuse to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.  - Matthew 18:15-17

The responsibility rests on both parties in an issue.  If someone has something against you, go and seek reconciliation.  If you have something against someone else, go and seek reconciliation.  Not a whole lot of wiggle room there, and there's certainly nothing in there about whether it will be hard or easy.  Jesus knows - it's going to be hard, therefore it doesn't need to be said.

But it's the hard things in life that are often the most worthy.  Especially when it comes to confronting sinful behavior in the body of Christ.  When you are sick or have a cut, you attend to it with medical care, knowing that if you don't it will only fester and get worse.  Eventually leading toward greater problems throughout your body.  So it is with our sinfulness.  If left unchecked or if not confronted in love by our brothers and sisters, it will fester, rot and spread throughout the body of Christ.

By being faithful in this hard thing, every party involved benefits.  The two immediate parties, the confrontor and the confrontee, are able to find or initiate a process of reconciliation.  Should sin actually be involved, conviction followed by repentance is given opportunity. And the community around the two parties, the body of Christ, is given opportunity to experience health and wholeness that otherwise wouldn't occur.

Two brothers met with me today, and it was a hard but worthy conversation.  Frankly, I am very convicted of some areas in my life in which I need to grow.  There is much on which to reflect, pray and examine.  But none of us would have this opportunity if there hadn't been the courage to confront to begin with.

Psalm 51
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;
you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will turn back to you.
Save me from bloodguilt, O God,
the God who saves me,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.

In your good pleasure make Zion prosper;
build up the walls of Jerusalem.
Then there will be righteous sacrifices,
whole burnt offerings to delight you;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

best

At church the other day, in the midst of a conversation, someone stated that our VBS is the "best." This wasn't just casually thrown out there, it was repeatedly said with increasing insistence - to the point of saying that no other church's VBS in the area even comes close. For this person, this was a big deal.

What struck me most about this is how different our values can be from one another.

I just don't have a frame of reference for this idea of being better than other churches. I'm not in this gig called ministry in order to make the church at which I work "better" than the others in the area, I don't even understand what that means.

Here's a dictionary definition:

best (n): that which is the most excellent, outstanding or desirable.

If the goal, the purpose, of the church, local and universal, is to 1) expand the Kingdom of God on earth and 2) be Christ's hands and feet in serving and loving a hurting world, what does "better" and "best" mean? In order to be best, that means someone has to be not best. If other churches are "not best" at expanding the Kingdom of God and being Christ's hands and feet, how does that help our goal, our purpose? What does any one church gain by being "best"? Particularly if "best" comes at the cost of negatively impacting another church's efforts in even the slightest way.

Don't get me wrong. One of my core values is doing everything with excellence. In all that I as a person and we as a church set out to do, I believe we should do it to the best of our ability and always be striving to improve and do better. I believe it is important to do the "best" we are able to do, but not in comparison to someone else. Rather, in comparison to ourselves. Being "best" in the sense of competing with other ministries and churches is just not something I can wrap my brain around.

I desire to see this church be the best it can be, to serve the Lord with faithfulness and integrity, to be effective and excellent in being the expression of the body of Christ that God is calling her to be. I also desire to see the other churches in the area do the exact same thing. No one church can effectively reach the vast array of personalities, interests and needs in any community. And there is certainly enough hurt and lost-ness for us all to partner together in reaching.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

provision

I've often thought that God has a funny sense of humor when it comes to provision.  To be honest, I don't actually find it all that funny.

While in seminary, my wife worked at a church while I was a student full-time.  Every once in a while, a gift of support would come our way.  Sometimes it would be a check, sometimes someone would pay our rent for a month or two.  Almost always it was anonymous.  But after the third gift, I began to notice a pattern.

Within a few days or a week of receiving the gift, something would happen.  Something like the hydraulic tensioner (it's the thing that uses hydraulics to keep tension on the timing belt on a car engine) breaking, thus causing the engine to, well, break.  In nearly every circumstance, the gift we received was within a few dollars of the something that then happened.

It got to the point that I would start wondering when the other shoe was going to fall every time someone would send us a support check.  I mean, as much as I appreciated the provision that God was providing, I was actually pretty happy with the engine I'd had in the car and would have preferred that it not break at all...

Well, that was several years ago (wow... 6, to be exact.  Time flies...).  But something happened this past week that reminded me of that incident.  We returned from two weeks of vacation to a very warm house - our air conditioning was not working.  I couldn't get it to start.  Since it was a Sunday, and the next day was Labor Day, I decided we'd sweat it out until Tuesday when I could make a service call and not pay emergency, holiday rates.

Turns out pretty much our entire air conditioning system is hosed.  Sweet.  And the estimate of the repair is, well, a lot of money.

Now, we never received our federal tax return, which was supposedly mailed in early June.  After signing off on the estimate for the A/C work, I filled out the form to request a new tax return check be issued.  I "happened" to look at the amount of the return.  

$30 more than the cost of the A/C repair.

Still not laughing.

juxtaposition

While I was in Mississippi, I spent an afternoon at Borders working on my sermon. One of my favorite hobbies is people watching, and sitting in the cafe in Borders provides a great opportunity to do that very thing. While I watched the traffic flow through the Starbucks ebb and flow, I was gradually struck by the juxtaposition of where I was sitting at that time, and the place I had been working just a few hours prior.

Here at Borders, people came and went, some were studying for exams, others having a casual conversation. Obviously many people were reading books and magazines, surfing the internet. Pretty much enjoying life and all it had to offer. In general I'd peg the economic class as upper-middle class and higher. For these people, life was back to normal (if it ever wasn't) and Katrina is probably a semi-distant memory.

And yet, just a few miles away, there were houses still covered in blue tarps. Homes still so damaged the family can not live in the house. Hundreds of people and families still living in FEMA trailers. Families doing their best to wait patiently while their house is rebuilt - by volunteers, over the course of months.

This stark contrast I am sure will gently diminish over time, as more people return back to their homes and their lives. Realizing this, though, I began to wonder about the last few. As time marches on and the sense of "need to help" that many have felt since Katrina hit begins to fade, will those who are waiting for help begin to feel forgotten? Once the media no longer talks about Katrina (frankly, I can't remember the last time I heard something about Katrina on the news), once the aid organizations move on to the latest tragedy, what will become of these people?

This is just one of the many thoughts that are settling in my mind as I process the past week. I'm not sure if there are any answers to this juxtaposition, and I don't think there is really any way we can avoid it or the way we will forget those who continue to struggle. But we can strive to do what we are able to, and if we remember them, to then do something to help. Organizations like Presbyterian Disaster Assistance are still eager for people to come down and help. And, believe it or not, living in a blue pod for a week really isn't all that bad.

Back From Mississippi

We're back from Mississippi after a week of doing hurricane recovery. If you'd like to read about our trip or see some pictures of our work, you can do so by clicking here. It was a great week and we did a lot of great work. Not sure how the sermon is going to turn out tomorrow, though.

There was another surprise for me in Mississippi I haven't blogged about: As mentioned in the comments on a previous post, a girl that grew up in the same church I did is working for the Presbytery down in Mississippi, and she showed up in camp this week. It was great to get in touch with her and hear what adventures she has lived since I left GPC. May God bless you, Erin, and the work you are going to do for Him and His Kingdom.