Last week a friend invited me to a football game. I was part of a small crowd at this stadium (there were only 65,000 of us instead of the normal 80,000+). I love football, and I love hanging out with my friend, but this event turned spectacular when I didn't expect it.
First the invocation was done in Hebrew by a local Rabbi. It was a blessing on the children of the world and it got to my heart. I thought about how much money was represented by the tickets, the refreshments, the appropriate colored clothing and all the other expenditures. Then I thought about multiplying that times all the college and professional stadiums hosting games that day and wondered what would happen in NCAA and the NFL really decided to bless the children of the world and donate a small portion of the hundreds of millions of dollars being spent last weekend. (I am not asking anyone to give up football. I love football and as much as I enjoy Christian writers trying to take back manhood, I reject their notion that everything will be alright if we get rid of football and just send all the men and boys into the wilderness for a weekend).
That was only the first part of the unexpected blessing. The football in the first half was mediocre at best (I enjoyed being at the game with someone who has an outstanding understanding of the depth of strategy in the game). The half time started with the home team (our team) having a band play with three people competing in a vocal competition. The concept of a marching band playing for pop vocals seemed like a shaky idea to begin with and from my seat in the stands the execution of the idea was worse than the idea itself.
Things changed radically when a second band took the field. It was the "Marching 101", the marching band from South Carolina State University. If you have never seen them perform you have missed something of beauty.
The following link is a home made video with poor sound quality but gives you a small taste of what I was able to experience.
http://showbandcentral.vidiac.com/category/Non-HBCUs/0/5db8d792-804a-4542-9de9-99ae000d852e.htm
This week the value of music has reverberated through my soul.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The Shack
I have been reading a book aloud to my family. The book is "The Shack" by William P Young. It is the best novel I have ever read. Even if you never read novels, I would recommend that you read this book.
I don't want to ruin the book but I want to give you a couple of hints.
1. The main character has a tragic event that radically changes his life.
2. Eventually it leads to an encounter with God.
This book may rock your stereotypes and challenge your theology. It is well worth the risk.
For more information check out the Missy Project at www.theshackbook.com
I don't want to ruin the book but I want to give you a couple of hints.
1. The main character has a tragic event that radically changes his life.
2. Eventually it leads to an encounter with God.
This book may rock your stereotypes and challenge your theology. It is well worth the risk.
For more information check out the Missy Project at www.theshackbook.com
Thursday, June 12, 2008
What is Normal
My kids have been joking the last several weeks about being normal. One of their favorites is the old line from Ann Landers "Normal is a setting on your dryer".
During a road trip earlier this week I had some extended time to think. I was thinking about normallity when we stopped at a rest stop for a bathroom break. My youngest daughter who has many special needs has an unusual fear of toilets. Everytime she has to use a toilet in a new place she has several questions; "Is it a clean toilet?, Is is a noisy toilet?, Is it a scary toilet (does it flush automatically)?" There have been times that she needs to go so bad that she can barely make it into the bathroom, but then she stops at the door and starts screaming that she can't go in its too scary.
I was sitting on a bench waiting for my wife and thinking about my daughter's fears. I was contemplating some of the things about my daughter that cause me to fear. (Will she be able to function in the world with this fear of toilets? Will she find a place in our culture? Will she be taken advantage of because of her openness to people?) I tried to turn my fears over to God and they kept raising their head.
Then God gave me this to think about:
My daughter is not "normal" because of her strange fear of toilets and also because of her complete lack of fear of strangers. The truth is that my daughter is closer to what God made all of us to be. Adam and Eve would have jumped to hear the sound of an automatic flushing toilet. They would have been disgusted by the sounds and smells in our highway restrooms. If God had put another human being in the garden of Eden with them it would have never occured to them to be afraid. They would have known that it was safe to be in relationship with God's creation.
Now I know that as a loving father I must guard my daughter from some people, who because of sin and ugliness in the world can not be trusted to honor the beauty of my daughter.
However, I long for the day that God's kingdom is redeemed completely and we no longer hide from each other and fear each other. I am know that for me the first steps to bringing the kingdom is being willing to take risks to be hurt myself. I must love and trust other beings knowing that some of them will abuse my love and trust. That is one way to get back to the what God intended where our biggest fears are about strange sounds and things that don't fit not the people who are brothers and sisters.
During a road trip earlier this week I had some extended time to think. I was thinking about normallity when we stopped at a rest stop for a bathroom break. My youngest daughter who has many special needs has an unusual fear of toilets. Everytime she has to use a toilet in a new place she has several questions; "Is it a clean toilet?, Is is a noisy toilet?, Is it a scary toilet (does it flush automatically)?" There have been times that she needs to go so bad that she can barely make it into the bathroom, but then she stops at the door and starts screaming that she can't go in its too scary.
I was sitting on a bench waiting for my wife and thinking about my daughter's fears. I was contemplating some of the things about my daughter that cause me to fear. (Will she be able to function in the world with this fear of toilets? Will she find a place in our culture? Will she be taken advantage of because of her openness to people?) I tried to turn my fears over to God and they kept raising their head.
Then God gave me this to think about:
My daughter is not "normal" because of her strange fear of toilets and also because of her complete lack of fear of strangers. The truth is that my daughter is closer to what God made all of us to be. Adam and Eve would have jumped to hear the sound of an automatic flushing toilet. They would have been disgusted by the sounds and smells in our highway restrooms. If God had put another human being in the garden of Eden with them it would have never occured to them to be afraid. They would have known that it was safe to be in relationship with God's creation.
Now I know that as a loving father I must guard my daughter from some people, who because of sin and ugliness in the world can not be trusted to honor the beauty of my daughter.
However, I long for the day that God's kingdom is redeemed completely and we no longer hide from each other and fear each other. I am know that for me the first steps to bringing the kingdom is being willing to take risks to be hurt myself. I must love and trust other beings knowing that some of them will abuse my love and trust. That is one way to get back to the what God intended where our biggest fears are about strange sounds and things that don't fit not the people who are brothers and sisters.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
A Wake Up Call About My Past
I have been reading an excellent book. "Jesus for President" by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw.
The book is a look at how the world perceived Jesus when he arrived on the scene 2000years ago. The authors start with a look at the Old Testament and what the Hebrew people would have known and expected from Messiah.
The part that most impacted me is the section dealing with the Roman Empire and the vocabulary that Jesus borrowed that would have had significant impact on his audience both Jewish and Roman.
In the section when they start talking about application to our culture I was intrigued and interested, but was shocked last night reading the third section.
In the book they tell the story of a young man, Logan, who went to Fort Benning to be trained as an infantry soldier. In 1990 I went to Fort Benning and I completed the training and "turned blue" (pinned on my infantry rifles).
Logan tells that the day he was handed his rifle he realized he could not carry the rifle and honor Jesus. So he went through the process of being humiliated and discharged from the Army.
My story was different. I had graduated from Bible College and started seminary. The day our unit was handed our rifles someone in my platoon asked me, "how do I know I can trust you when we go into battle"? I turned and looked him in the eye and said, "I have thought long and hard about this and believe me you can trust me in battle more than you can trust anyone else in this unit".
I have told and re-told that story in the last 18 years. I told it with pride to demonstrate my maturity and dedication to my nation.
Last night, I felt like I imagine Peter felt when he told Jesus, "Get away from me, I am a sinful man".
How was it that I had studied the Bible and had a degree to prove it and missed the point? Never in my diligent thinking about killing the enemy, had it crossed my mind what a paradox it was for a man of God to be killing the enemy that Jesus said to love?
I had sworn allegiance to a flag and a symbol that asked and demanded of me that I take the life of someone who God loved. They asked me to be willing to destroy and desecrate the image of God in another man, because the man was from another nation that had a dispute with my nation.
I have many friends who continue to wear their uniforms and serve their country in different branches of the military. I love them and pray for them. I could never do it again. I wish I could go back to that day in Columbus GA and tell those young men around me, "You are right, as a follower of Jesus I will never be able to do the job of an infantry soldier"!
The book is a look at how the world perceived Jesus when he arrived on the scene 2000years ago. The authors start with a look at the Old Testament and what the Hebrew people would have known and expected from Messiah.
The part that most impacted me is the section dealing with the Roman Empire and the vocabulary that Jesus borrowed that would have had significant impact on his audience both Jewish and Roman.
In the section when they start talking about application to our culture I was intrigued and interested, but was shocked last night reading the third section.
In the book they tell the story of a young man, Logan, who went to Fort Benning to be trained as an infantry soldier. In 1990 I went to Fort Benning and I completed the training and "turned blue" (pinned on my infantry rifles).
Logan tells that the day he was handed his rifle he realized he could not carry the rifle and honor Jesus. So he went through the process of being humiliated and discharged from the Army.
My story was different. I had graduated from Bible College and started seminary. The day our unit was handed our rifles someone in my platoon asked me, "how do I know I can trust you when we go into battle"? I turned and looked him in the eye and said, "I have thought long and hard about this and believe me you can trust me in battle more than you can trust anyone else in this unit".
I have told and re-told that story in the last 18 years. I told it with pride to demonstrate my maturity and dedication to my nation.
Last night, I felt like I imagine Peter felt when he told Jesus, "Get away from me, I am a sinful man".
How was it that I had studied the Bible and had a degree to prove it and missed the point? Never in my diligent thinking about killing the enemy, had it crossed my mind what a paradox it was for a man of God to be killing the enemy that Jesus said to love?
I had sworn allegiance to a flag and a symbol that asked and demanded of me that I take the life of someone who God loved. They asked me to be willing to destroy and desecrate the image of God in another man, because the man was from another nation that had a dispute with my nation.
I have many friends who continue to wear their uniforms and serve their country in different branches of the military. I love them and pray for them. I could never do it again. I wish I could go back to that day in Columbus GA and tell those young men around me, "You are right, as a follower of Jesus I will never be able to do the job of an infantry soldier"!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Violence Against Women
My daughters were commenting to me that they find it strange and wrong that in the State of South Carolina it is a felony to fight chickens, but only a misdemeanor to beat your wife.
{My daughters are passionately opposed to fighting chickens. In fact our family is wrestling with the violence against animals and how Jesus would respond to the slaughterhouses and even the farms that systematically abuse and torture the animals they should be caring for.}
It is good that athletes are called into account for abusing and killing animals. I pray that the result will be a drop in cruelty to animals throughout society.
Today I heard that one sports team had two of its athletes punch their wife/girlfriend. Unless the woman presses charges, nothing will happen. Unfortunately at times even if the woman presses charges, the man will hire an attorney and use everything that should be sacred to clear his name.
I can not explain to my daughters how this can be right and good. They genuinely feel that society cares less about them then it does about dogs or chickens. Or that violence in relationships is so frequent that it is not considered deviant.
(I did take time to talk with my daughters about the importance of guarding themselves against relationships with men who have a bent toward violence.)
I want to do something that moves our society to a place where we say that punching a woman is wrong - period. Under all of this is probably still some thinking, ideas, and feelings that have to change.
{My daughters are passionately opposed to fighting chickens. In fact our family is wrestling with the violence against animals and how Jesus would respond to the slaughterhouses and even the farms that systematically abuse and torture the animals they should be caring for.}
It is good that athletes are called into account for abusing and killing animals. I pray that the result will be a drop in cruelty to animals throughout society.
Today I heard that one sports team had two of its athletes punch their wife/girlfriend. Unless the woman presses charges, nothing will happen. Unfortunately at times even if the woman presses charges, the man will hire an attorney and use everything that should be sacred to clear his name.
I can not explain to my daughters how this can be right and good. They genuinely feel that society cares less about them then it does about dogs or chickens. Or that violence in relationships is so frequent that it is not considered deviant.
(I did take time to talk with my daughters about the importance of guarding themselves against relationships with men who have a bent toward violence.)
I want to do something that moves our society to a place where we say that punching a woman is wrong - period. Under all of this is probably still some thinking, ideas, and feelings that have to change.
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