The View From Vermont

Too many things

2012-02-06T09:48:00.000-08:00

It has been roughly six months since I have posted anything. Nothing to say? Not really...actually, too many things to say. It seemed that every time I thought to write a post there were several issues on my mind. Strangely enough, this did not result in multiple posts in the blog about each of the items, it resulted in my being paralyzed with a lack of decision. How did that happen???

I think that often we encounter this issue in our own lives. We get discouraged because we don't see anything happening, or sometimes because we know there is too much to do (any husbands out there with loooonnnggg to-do lists?). So, instead of digging in and tackling the job we just sit on the couch and watch a football game. The dishes pile up, the laundry overflows, the Christmas tree is still up in March and the car needs an oil change...but I think I'll take a nap. I made a resolution to read the Bible this year, but I slacked off and now it is too late. I failed.

It is time to get up. I have not posted in six months, so I simply restart now. I cannot recover that lost time, but I can start anew and make the future better. Whatever it is you have to get done, start now, even if it is a small step. Don't wait.

Now, if only I could remember what those things were I wanted to write about...

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Did you forget?

2011-07-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it is so easy to forget what we have right close to hand. Maybe being close makes you takes things for granted, maybe you get used to something and don’t even think about it. Like a New Yorker who has never bothered to visit the Statue of Liberty or a Bostonian who has never gone to see the USS Constitution. Sometimes maybe we are even intimidated by what other people think of what THEY have. I have a cousin who visited from Texas when he was about 12 years old. When we asked him what he thought about New England, he said (in that annoying way Texans can have), “I’m absolutely amazed…we drove across three states in one day. In Texas we couldn’t get from one end of the county to the other in one day!”

So when you start talking about things like National or State Parks, and how big they are or how many attractions are there, you might think of a place like Yellowstone, or the Great Smoky Mountains. HUGE places with large expanses of wilderness. Places that loom large in our minds.

This last week I spent some time in a place fairly close to us in Vermont, in upstate New York in the Adirondack Park. Small pickings compared to the western parks, right? You want the truth? The Adirondack Park is the largest park and the largest state-level protected area in the contiguous United States, and the largest National Historic Landmark. It is larger in land area than the state of Vermont (9,400 sq-miles versus 9,250 sq-miles), covering 6.1 million acres. It is larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier, and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks combined! There are more than 3,000 lakes and 30,000 miles (48,000 km) of streams and rivers. Many areas within the park are devoid of settlements and distant from usable roads. The park includes over 2,000 miles (3,200 km) of hiking trails; these trails comprise the largest trail system in the nation. (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adirondack_Park)

Yes, sometimes it is easy to forget what you have when you are so close to it. Don’t we do that in our spiritual life, too? We forget who and what we are in Jesus Christ. We forget the Kingdom of Heaven is not just for when we die, but it lives within every believer! We have a vast power contained within us, with the Holy Spirit giving light and life. But we forget, and our light is hidden under a basket, so to speak. I am convinced that our quality of life is thereby infinitely diminished.

I went back to our family’s home-away-from-home this last week, Inlet, New York in the Adirondack Park, and re-discovered what I had lost. I found myself longing for the woods, the waterways and the life that is there. I even longed for the smell of the forest. And I find myself longing for the life of the Kingdom of Heaven, here on earth. It is not far, it is close. But I have hidden it away.

It is time to find it again. Would you join me?

"As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ "
Matthew 10:6-8 (NIV)

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Speak Plainly

2011-06-13T12:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I delivered a sermon on a topic that is near and dear to my heart. Taken from Acts 2:1-13 and dealing with the topic of evangelism, it dealt with the issue of speaking in a fashion that people can understand.

Why is it that many Christians insist on speaking in some sort of church-based language and form that comes off as being snooty or downright gibberish to people who are not Christians? Is it because there is a level of Christian experience that simply cannot be stated any other way? Is it because speaking like this gives us some sort of 'elitist high'? Or is it because we simply don't realize how we appear to the unchurched?

My kids used to get a kick out of it when I would (purposefully) shift into my 'fundamentalist' voice. It was a caricature of those people we see on TV sometimes and who are so very annoying. The sad thing is that even my family, all of whom are churched, recognized the stereotype and laughed at it.

Paul said in 1 Cor 14:9 (NIV), "So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air." Here he is addressing the topic of 'speaking in tongues', but it applies anyway. What good does it do to talk about God and Jesus Christ in such a way that the unchurched simply don't know what we are saying? The only one getting anything out of it is ourselves.

The first step in correcting this is to be consciously aware of how you are speaking when you are talking to people. Ask yourself, are there words or concepts here that they will not understand? Does the tone come off as being 'churchy' or 'preachy'? Can I say the same thing in a way which will not sound so bad or carry stereotypes?

Speak the Truth plainly and see what the Lord might do!

"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'" Romans 10:14-15 (NIV)

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Not Immune...

2011-05-26T12:46:00.001-07:00

One of the questions my wife and I ask each other every so often is the rhetorical, "If you could live anywhere in the country, where would you want to live...?" I say 'rhetorical' because we always seem to come back to New England. Why? California...too many mudslides and earthquakes. Alabama and the Midwest, too many tornadoes. Florida....hurricanes (and alligators!). Carolinas....bugs, hot and bugs. Southwest...hot, droughts. Texas...wildfires. People think of New England and all they think is snowy winter and it's cold. Well, we can handle a little cold; just put on another sweater and a log on the fire. Snow? Well, that's what they make snow blowers for, right? Piece of cake!

We are not immune from natural disasters. The last month or so it has been very rainy, and the snow melt from a tough winter means the rivers and lakes have been overflowing. Lake Champlain is at the highest recorded levels ever. A boy I taught in High School paid for an ill-advised fishing trip with his life, last month. The shoreline in Georgia and St. Albans, all the way up through Swanton has many flooded areas and alot of people's houses and cabins are swamped. Today, there is a tornado warning (my Midwest trained children are not impressed). Things got bad enough that the Red Cross set up an emergency shelter in the St. Albans Educational Center.

We as a church are active in helping with disaster relief through Nazarene Disaster Response, in such areas as Louisiana (Hurricane Katrina), Haiti (earthquake), Indonesia (Tsunami), Japan (tsunami) and others. We put together Crisis Care Kits and take offerings. We truly DO care about these people whom we will probably never meet.

All of that said, what did we as a church do for our immediate community? Nothing. So, at our last Board Meeting we discussed the situation and said, "What do we do NEXT time"? Lesson learned. We are not immune to disaster. But how can we help in times like this? That is still to be determined; we need to contact some people, take assessment of our facility and such, and make some plans. It has not been crucial this time, but next time it could be.

If the senior housing center next door needs to be evacuated, a family gets burned out, the hospital around the corner needs overflow space or we do have a major tornado...we need to be ready. We are part of the community. We need to be ready to act, and be ready to bless someone whom we will see eye to eye...not just on a missions DVD.

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Natural theology and ministry

2011-01-25T12:27:00.000-08:00

I recently watched a movie I didn't think I would ever watch. It was "The Karate Kid". Not the original, which I really like, but the recent Jackie Chan remake. I tend to dislike remakes, even if I like the stars as much as I like Jackie Chan. This said, one quote that seemed to resonate with me from this movie was when Jackie Chan's character 'Mr. Han' said to his student 'Dre', "Kung Fu lives in everything we do. Everything is Kung Fu." Mr. Han proceeds to train Dre using such mundane methods as having him hang up his coat and take it down repeatedly. Using every day motions that come naturally, but realizing their value for Kung Fu become the basis for the teaching he is presenting. Those who are old enough (did I just say that?) may remember the "Wax on, wax off!" of Mr. Miyagi in the original movie.

In the same way I have been made aware that the simplest of things if practiced consistently and with intention can come to form the basis for what I think of as a 'natural martial art'. For example, turning the wheel in a car with one hand in either direction can form the basis for a block or a strike. Opening the swinging door of a bathroom can form the basis for a push-strike or a throw. This is building something martial artists are well acquainted with called 'muscle memory', a muscle reaction that you don't even have to consciously think about in order to use when the time comes.

The larger life-lesson is what matters, though. Over the years, I have come to realize that in order for something to truly make a difference in our lives we must make it part of ourselves. We cannot just take on life-change like a coat and put it off when we no longer feel like wearing it. In the words of a song called "Back Burner" from Greg X. Volz (formerly of Petra), "...the only change that'll ever hold up goes under the skin, clear to the bone". This applies especially to the realm of theology, ministry and holy living. You can't go to church on Sunday and forget about God every other day of the week. If you want real life change, real holiness, real Christlikeness to develop in you, it has to be something made part of your daily life. If you want to see real power in your ministry, you need to be diligent about prayer and reading your Bible. We build spiritual 'muscle memory' into our lives.

So, to paraphrase Jackie Chan, "Christ lives in everything we do. Everything is Christ."

"Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all."
Colossians 3:11 (NIV)

Ministry that is enjoyable?

2011-01-21T11:40:00.000-08:00

Over the the length of my ministry I have found a curious phenomenon. If people mention the word 'ministry' they assume it is something more akin to 'work' and dour faces than to 'fun' or laughter. So if you are doing something 'fun', by definition it cannot be 'ministry'! Where did that come from? I thought at first it might be something in our Protestant DNA, like the Puritans or the Pilgrims, until I realized that it infects all faith traditions.

A few years ago I made several key decisions in my ministry. First, I decided that this attitude was ridiculous. The Gospels and Epistles are filled with examples of Jesus and his followers enjoying themselves while engaged in ministry. Sure, there were times when a job had to be done and it wasn't much fun, but there was always room for people to have a meal together, to laugh, to enjoy fellowship together. Therefore I decided to take every opportunity possible to make the work of the church 'fun'.

Another key decision I made was to avoid at all costs ministry that was done simply for the sake of doing something. The church has so many possibilities for ministry that it is simply not feasible for a small church to do everything. That just leads to burnout.

A third decision we made was that out of all of the possibilities for ministry we have, the ones that will actually be started (outside of things like Sunday morning worship) are the ones that someone feels a God-given burden for leading, other than someone in the pastoral staff. When the Men's Ministry started, it was because two men came to me and asked if they could do it. When the Ladies Craft Fellowship started it was because someone wanted to start it and was willing to take the lead. Friday afternoon Bible Study was started when someone decided that we needed it and they were willing to lead. The important point here is that our ministries are not just something the pastor is trying to push. If and when the pastor eventually leaves, the ministry will not perish. The ministries started become something living and organic within the church.

This weekend our Men's Ministry is hosting the "Northwest Vermont Blowgun Tournament". It has two purposes. One purpose is to do something that is going to reach out to people who otherwise would not darken the doors of the church. The second purpose is for us to have some FUN during the winter doldrums. Just think, if we get some of these people to come in and see that Christians can actually have fun like normal folk, then we might earn the right to talk to them about Jesus someday.

"Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, 'The LORD has done great things for them.'" Psalms 126:2

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Educational Return on Investment

2011-01-13T13:21:00.000-08:00

I have been considering over the last several years the value of education, and what might be termed the 'return on investment' it might provide. I read an article yesterday that dealt with the overwhelming cost of obtaining a law degree and the crippling effect it has on graduates. I can see this in my own daughter; she just completed a year in law school and I know what debt she carries. The article made the point that in most cases the debt is likely to take many years to get rid of, if at all. There is an overabundance of lawyers and the field is shrinking.

Then there are the theology majors. The so-called 'entry-level' degree is a Masters of Divinity. A traditional MDiv will take 3 years of full-time study and cost anywhere from $25,000 to $50,000. The typical graduate will join a field of graduates all vying for pastoral positions which pay in the vicinity of $25,000 in salary (other benefits MAY be included, but no guarantee). As a matter of fact, the average church in the United States has 75 people and the pastor is likely to be bi-vocational. Return on investment? I would say that there is very little.

This raises a question in my mind. If the return of investment is so low, why do it? Especially for a minister who is already ordained, what's the point? There are only a couple reasons to pursue an advanced degree in ministry. One is to advance your skills or keep your skills sharp. Another is for the 'prestige' of an advanced degree. A third reason would be to allow the recipient to teach in a more formal setting (at a District educational center, for instance). A fourth reason, at least in our denomination, is that there is a requirement for ordained elders to participate in continuing education.

A better option might be to take advantage of free or low-cost educational opportunities according to a plan of education you draw up yourself. There are free courses available online from places like Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Covenant Theological Seminary. Low cost courses are available from Nazarene Bible College and others. Why not look at a Master's level program from a legitimate school and see if you can duplicate it, or come close to it, by using these kinds of resources? If you honestly pursue the plan and meet your goals, at the end you could even print yourself a certificate and hang it on your wall.

The typical response by many in our field is that this is simply not the same as earning an advanced degree from an accredited institution. Yet, if it brings the knowledge and skills that you need, who cares? Abraham Lincoln did not seem to find his self-education in law a problem either when practicing law or as a politician. Maybe we are becoming too caught up in the formalities to recognize what the end goal should be...ministry.

The Coming Storm

2010-09-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

There is a great deal of diversity within the Church, and even within our own little local Body of believers in St. Albans. There are people who believe in soul sleep, while others believe in 'absent from the body, present with the Lord'. There are people who believe we should do communion every week, others think once a month or once a quarter is fine. Some believe in the possibility of Holy living here and now, others believe in strictly progressive sanctification. Some like choruses, some like hymns. In the larger Body it becomes even more diverse. Some believe that the Pope is God's Vicar on Earth, some don't. There are those who believe liturgy is the heart of worship and others who believe in freedom in worship. Some think that organ music is the only good music, while others think that rock bands are alright, and some who use no instruments at all. There is an immense diversity in the Christian experience in the world at large and even here in our own corner of Vermont.

It has always been my view and that of the churches I have served that we should take a "Kingdom Perspective". What that means is that our particular church and even our denomination is not for everyone. Some people may come in our doors, find the Lord and decide our church is not where they need to be. Maybe our organization, doctrines, focus and mission of the church or the worship style does not 'fit' with them. We will do our utmost to find a place where they DO fit in. Maybe they would be more at home in a Catholic church, maybe a Baptist or Assembly of God church, perhaps a larger local church like Essex Alliance. What really matters is that they are part of the Kingdom of God and going to a solid church.

Recently I have had my eyes opened to some interesting items that pertain to the 'End Times'. I have never been a student of the 'End Times', because I know God has it all in His hands. However, it has made me aware that there is a coming storm. Exactly when I don't know, nor do I want to know. But this one thing I do know. Not everyone is as "Kingdom" oriented as I am. There are many people out there who hold that their way is the only valid way of doing things, and no one else is right. This one is too liberal, that one uses the wrong translation of the Bible, the other one has the wrong structure and this one over here doesn't dunk enough times for the baptism to count.

My comment to this is very blunt and to the point. Get over it! When the storm comes it won't matter who is sitting next to you or what their faith tradition looks like, the storm will be hitting everyone equally. All the enemy will see is that you both call yourselves by the Name of Jesus the Christ, denying the rule of the beast (Rev 20:4) and you will likely both suffer the same fate, as martyrs.

Do I think the differences we have between us mean nothing? No, no mamby-pamby ecumenism here...that's not what I am saying at all. Our distinctiveness's are important, no doubt, and God has given us those distinctives for a reason. But I think we need to recognize we are brothers and sisters in Christ as long as we hold the same core beliefs that make us Christian; Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses and other such-like do not hold to this short list of core beliefs and are not Christian. We cannot ever join with them as spiritual brethren. But Baptists, Catholics, Pentecostals, Orthodox, Methodists, AG, CMA, independents and all the other Christian denominations, we need to come together on the important matters and agree to disagree on the other "non-Salvation issue" items.

The storm is coming. We know that. We simply can't afford to be divided when it arrives.

"I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought" 1 Cor 1:10 (NIV)

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The Consequences of Atheism

2010-09-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

A recent book by Stephen Hawking's, "The Grand Design", has caused more than a little stir in both scientific and theological circles. I'm sure I will get questions about this sooner or later, especially since Vermont has a fair contingent of atheists.

The most radical theological statements which Hawking makes in his book are, "Because there is a law such as gravity, the Universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the Universe exists, why we exist", and "It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the Universe going." In other words Hawking has explicitly rejected the possibility of any Deity or the necessity of Deity in creation.

Rather than touching on the various arguments for or against these statements, I'd like simply to focus for a moment on the implications of what he said, and explore the meaning of atheism in everyday life. Here are a few things for thought.

You are composed of several pounds of chemicals and a fair bit of water. Everything you are is simply a result of chemical reactions within your body. Each perception you have, every thought you have, every emotion you feel is simply a chemical reaction. A complicated reaction, perhaps, but just a chemical reaction in the end. Love is not real, neither is pain, joy or grief.

The sensation of being 'alive', or having thoughts and feelings, is basically a chemical reaction which creates an illusion of self-awareness. 'Alive' is simply just a temporary state of chemical equilibrium.

All creatures, plant and animal, are the same and have the same level of significance. There is a matter of scale and influence which sets the more complicated organisms apart, but in the words of PETA co-founder and President Ingrid Newkirk, "A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy" (Vogue, Sept 1, 1989).

There is no afterlife. There is no soul, no Nirvana, no Heaven, no Hell and no Happy Hunting Grounds. When your body ceases to function sufficiently well to support what we call 'life' or 'self-awareness', you will simply return to your constituent chemicals and what you were; the essential part that makes you who you are will be forever gone.

There is no reward for good behavior, there is no punishment for bad behavior except for the consequences of our own actions here. Other people may impose consequences upon you (fairly or not) but that is all that can happen.

When something bad happens to you, there is no underlying purpose. If you can get away with doing something to benefit yourself, even at the expense of others, go ahead and do it. There is no outside basis for morality, so don't worry about it. Ethics is a constructed fable.

There is no 'absolute truth' where behavior is concerned, it is simply a matter of your own desires being satisfied. Since you have only a small amount of time on earth and it all ends in oblivion, you might as well enjoy your time here. Party up! Get drunk, shoot up, sleep around. Just make sure you enjoy it all.

Since all life is simply a chemical phenomenon, there is nothing sacred about it. Want an abortion? Go ahead! Want to kill someone? No problem (just don't get caught)! Do what feels good and don't worry about others...they can look out for themselves.

Does this seem harsh? These are simply the logical consequences of following a belief in atheism. That is not to say that you cannot construct an ethos based on atheism (i.e. all human life is unique and can never be duplicated, so it is a crime against the universe to harm another person), but it is entirely optional and completely relative to the person.

The biggest issue I see with atheism and with the viewpoint of people like Hawking is that there is no hope anymore. This life is all there is. "Life sucks, then you die." As a Christian, I believe that there is indeed hope, and hope in the sense the ancient Greeks knew...not "pie in the sky thinking", but "confident expectation". It has been said that man can live without most things, but he cannot survive without hope. In what, or in whom, do you put YOUR hope?

"If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." 1 Cor 15:19-20 (NIV)

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No Religion?

2010-09-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

Living here in the North Country you hear lots of interesting comments. This area is part of what is known as the 'burned over' region, where religion in general has seen better days. According to a recent survey Vermont has the lowest per capita level of church involvement of all fifty states. Does that mean that people don't have spirituality as part of their lives? No, not really.

Churches in general here are small. Roman Catholic parishes can tend to be large, but in many cases their numbers are not very enlightening. People tend to be kept on the rolls long after they have ceased attending. The largest Protestant churches are two Alliance congregations running in the multiple hundreds, perhaps low thousands, but still small compared to churches in the Bible Belt. Most Protestant churches have some sort of process where if they haven't seen you in a few years, you'll be labeled as inactive. My own pragmatic cut-off is to regard anyone who has not attended church or mass in two years as an unchurched person, whether they are on a church roll book or not. If they have not been in a church for six months, I look at them as inactive members. All this assuming, of course, that they don't have a good reason for not going to church. Someone who is bedridden, in a nursing home, deployed in the military or similiar circumstances does have valid reasons for not going to church.

Vermonters are funny in regard to spiritual matters. On the one hand they are fiercely independent. They don't trust most authority figures including spiritual authorities. On the other hand, they want the comfort of community. They want structure, but not rules. They are willing to deal with diversity, but have little idea what others really believe and don't care to learn.

We knew someone a few years ago who moved back south after living in Vermont for a few years. They told us that they couldn't stand living here anymore, that Vermonters were cold and unwelcoming people. Our experience has been totally the opposite. We have found Vermonters, especially the old-time residents, to be very warm and hospitable. They are, however, upset about the fact that 'flatlanders' have come into the state in droves over the last 30 years and changed the character of the state so dramatically. They feel as though Vermont has been hijacked from under them. In many ways this is true.

So, how do you reach a people who have spiritual thoughts and inclinations, but don't want to think about them, who are upset about outsiders coming in and taking over, feel they belong to a spiritual fellowship when they haven't attended for 30 years or who want the comfort of community but don't want to join in any formal way? I am still struggling with this. I know that God has insight into all of this. I know, too, that His power is superior. I know He wants ALL to be saved. So I'll keep praying, keep talking to people as a friend rather than as an authority figure, and leave the rest up to His Holy Spirit. After all, this is His field of harvest, not mine, and His job to convict others (John 16), not mine.

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)

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My brain fell out, dude...

2010-08-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess my brain must have fallen out somewhere along the way, here. At least, that is the impression I get from what I've been reading on the Internet. Usually I have enough common sense to avoid reading comments on articles when I'm surfing, but sometimes I just slip. Lately I've noticed that the comments fit a pattern of sorts. Whatever the problem is, the source of the problem is President Obama, or it's ex-President Bush's doing. Occasionally it is Clinton, either Hillary or Bill. When the problem turns on religious or ethical matters, the problem is invariably resting on the shoulders of anyone of any religion who is stupid enough to believe that nonsense.

"Stupid enough to believe that nonsense?" Yup, that's what they say. If you'd just give up all that religion, those myths and legends meant just to control people for the benefit of the clergy and the church then there would be peace in the world and all our problems would just go away. Hmmm...I guess I just don't have what it takes to see any of those benefits I'm supposed to be getting as one of the evil clergy. I want to know where all that money is going, because it is certainly not in MY bank account. As a matter of fact, last time I looked I was working as a bivocational pastor for the equivalent of about $4 an hour! I could make alot more money with a lot less hassle and trouble if I worked at a fast-food joint. "Do you want fries with that?"

It annoys me when people lump other people into any sort of stereotype. "Always" and "Never" are two bad words when it comes to describing classes of people, and most times individuals as well. And the other thing that annoys me is when people base their opinions on bad history. "Christians are just stupid people who don't know how to think for themselves, and they have been responsible for more deaths than anyone else throughout history". Yeah, right. The entire Spanish Inquisition accounted for about 3,000 deaths over a 200 year time span, while the atheistic Stalin killed 20 million people in about 20 years. Sure, there have been some people who have done bad things in the name of Christ, and there are some people (maybe alot) who are Christian and who don't think more than your average houseplant, but some of the most brilliant minds in history have been Christian. And there are plenty of examples of non-religious people doing bad things in the name of selfishness and who don't want to think.

The short and long of it, cut out the stereotypes and start using your head for more than a hat rack. I'll do the same, and I'll stop reading the comments on internet articles for good measure.

"Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels." 2 Tim 2:23 (NIV)

The Ravening Wolf

2010-05-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

There are many times when I've been taken by surprise in Vermont. I've watched sunsets over Lake Champlain that took my breath away. I've seen wildlife in all it's natural splendor. Recently I was even surprised by nine inches of snow in my yard during a May snowstorm. But the one that took me by surprise on May 9 was not so welcome, the visit of a 'ravening wolf' to my church.

The Bible says in Matthew 7:15, "Watch out for false prophets. they come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." In this case, I had just started the sermon and a man walked into the church. He sat down and within 5 minutes raised his hand to ask a question. He claimed to be a person simply seeking answers, the son of a Jewish woman and a Greek father, born and raised in Palestine. An innocent sheep, seeking truth. Over the next three hours he showed his wolves teeth as he questioned everything about Christianity and asserted the authority of and supremacy of the Koran. A Muslim apologist in a Christian church in Northern Vermont? Yes, a surprise, but it should not have been. We, the church...and I, a pastor...have been complacent. Spiritual warfare is not something limited to Africa, the Middle East, the big cities of the United States...but is a reality even here in Vermont. We had that reality shoved in our face on May 9.

I found out more and more as the conversations continued. We finished the service, after requesting three times that "Abraham" hold his questions, and had communion. We offered communion to him and he refused. After the benediction I went to talk with him at the back of the sanctuary while others cleaned up. Several people had been in prayer. When my wife Debbie, who is also my co-pastor, returned we were still talking and continued on for a total of another two hours.

Someone asked me later why Abraham left his car running in the parking lot for the three hours he was in our church. I expect he was preparing for a quick getaway in case we called the police. I found out later after calling a fellow minister in St. Albans that "Abraham" was also known as 'Bruno", and he had been making it his business to go to the churches in the area. He had a restraining order filed against him at another church and had been removed from a few more. He had a temper, it seems.

I believe"Abraham" had three motives in coming to our church. First, he wanted to disrupt our worship. Second, he wanted to undermine the pastor in front of the congregation. And third, he wanted to convert or discourage as many people as possible. Quite frankly, he accomplished none of his goals. We have been praying for him since then, that the 'hound of Heaven' would chase him and give him no peace until he finds Christ as his saviour.

I believe the biggest surprise of that day was not mine, but his. You see, the wolf came and expected to find some tasty sheep, but instead found himself the guest of honor in a den of spiritual lions.

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Matt 5:43-48

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Ad Hominem

2010-04-16T07:43:00.000-07:00

'Ad Hominem'. If you've ever taken a philosophy class or been in a debate club this term will be familiar to you. An "Ad Hominem" is a personal attack upon a person or group which bears no relation to the argument at hand and is therefore termed a 'fallacious argument'. Usually the technique is reserved to those who have exhausted all other means of winning the debate and are trying desperately to wrest some measure of satisfaction from the exchange.

In addition to being a 'fallacious' technique, it is mean-spirited and cruel. In it's most vicious form it results in a physical assault upon the other individual, or angers the other enough to provoke them likewise. Think of the little kid who loses an argument and throws dirt clods at the other child.

It seems to me that I am seeing more and more this kind of behavior. I read an article this week wherein a liberal commentator referred to his conservative opponent as a 'republi-tard', and another comment which referred to the conservative side as a 're-puke'. Showing their true colors the liberal commentator in the first case, who would likely advocate for minority groups, uses an insult which denigrates people who are mentally handicapped. In a sense, they shoot themselves in the foot with their own remarks.

I have had such attacks used against me. They are frustrating, annoying and vicious. They are also a sign that I probably have already won the debate, but that does not make them any more pleasant to experience.

My point is this: we should never resort to 'ad hominem' attacks. They do not work and we usually hurt ourselves when we use them. If you find yourself at the point where you are tempted to use one, re-think your position. Is there something you have missed, or do you need to consider changing your viewpoint? Insulting someone's mother or ancestry does not mean that you have won the argument, it means you have already lost.

"Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels." 2 Tim 2:23 NIV

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The View From Heaven

2010-03-25T09:36:00.001-07:00

Well, it's been awhile since I wrote anything here and I thought it was about time to do so. I noted recently that the Barre Memorial Auditorium was hosting someone named Don Piper with a presentation called "90 Minutes In Heaven". I was pretty sure that I'd heard of it somewhere before, and figured it was some New Age guy who channeled Moses or something. I DID know that he wrote a book about it. Being a little proactive, I though someone might want my opinion on him, so I went to the local library and sure enough found his book. Let me say right now, boy, was I wrong!

Don Piper, as it turns out, is an ordained minister in the Southern Baptist Convention. He had an experience in 1989 that changed his life; he died. On the way home from their annual state convention, Rev. Piper was hit by a tractor-trailer truck and was pronounced dead at the scene. He remained in his car while others were taken care of until another minister happened along. In the course of that minister praying for him (as it said, even the minister himself couldn't believe God was telling him...a good Baptist...to pray for a dead guy!), Rev. Piper was miraculously brought back to life after 90 minutes of being dead. The doctors simply had no explanation for what happened, his injuries were so severe. However, all of that is contained in only a very small portion of the book. The most important parts concern his recovery and subsequent ministry.

First, there is nothing I could find that is doctrinally incorrect. It adheres to the Bible.

Second, Rev. Piper is very honest in his assessment of his own reactions, questioning and search for purpose afterwards. His accounts of his recovery are heart-wrenching.

Third, he puts the focus where it needs to be, on the Glory and Majesty of God Almighty, and on the power of prayer.

In the very recent past our church has been called upon to pray for several people. The church has become a hub of prayer for our members, but these cases were something altogether on another level from our experience. They dealt with young people who were literally on their deathbeds. Within days of our prayers beginning for them, those same people were not only conscious and active, but either home or getting ready to go home! We had been party to some truly wonderful miracles.

It didn't end there, though. The Church itself has been infected with a knowledge that prayer does indeed work, and it is because we have a mighty God who cares for us personally, and to whom all the glory and honor should go.

Both Rev. Piper's book and our experiences with prayer have brought the church to a new level of understanding and power. In the words of the songwriter Aaron Shust...

"To God alone be the glory
To God alone be the praise
Everything I say and do
Let it be all for you"

AMEN!

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Coy-dogs and other things that go bump in the night

2009-12-17T13:23:00.000-08:00

The moon was full and the night was full of strangely moving shadows when a lone howl cut through the late night darkness. An answering cry was heard, closer this time. Shivers went up and down my spine as I wondered, was it a pair of vampires on the prowl, or perhaps a couple of werewolves out for a midnight snack? Nah, it was probably a coy-dog looking for mice and moles!

Lately I took some heat for posting a link to an article on Facebook entitled, “Top 20 Unfortunate Lessons Girls Learn From Twilight”, from the website “wired.com”. The article posed 20 different lessons that girls in particular take away from the Vampire and Werewolf thriller now in theaters. The arguments are totally non-religious, just basic psychology and sociology. In many cases they are simply common sense! The movie and books encourage the obsession many females have with the ‘bad boy’ and everything that goes along with it. Would you want your daughter lying to you, spending time with someone who engages in bad behavior that could hurt or kill them? It is amazing to me how many teen girls and even adult women are drooling over the hunks in these movies in an almost obscene manner. Most guys I have heard look at the phenomena with disdain and perhaps even a little jealousy.

I look at the 'Twilight' series and take note that nowadays vampires and werewolves are becoming more and more regarded as simply a fantasy subculture where there is good and evil, a microcosm of the human race. The evolution of this concept of a superhuman, supernatural subculture is fascinating. Viewed through the lens of Hollywood, the early films about vampires and werewolves regarded them as tortured beings, cursed and damned. They were evil, even if sometimes unwilling victims. 'Nosferatu' in 1923 showed an ugly and thoroughly detestable vampire. Lon Chaney was the epitome of evil when in his werewolf form, but as a human was an object of pity. Dracula as played by Bela Lugosi in 1931 was plain evil with no trace of good. As the mid-century approached the role changed. Frank Langella in 1979 changed the genre by portraying Dracula in a romantic light with his victim Lucy. The Anne Rice novels further evolved the character of the vampire, while films such as 'A Werewolf in London' changed the character of the changeling wolves. The 'Underworld' series of movies and brought together the two races in a different way. This culminates today in the 'Twilight' series of books and movies.

A couple things to keep in mind, here. Werewolves and vampires are two fantasy races of what were originally conceived as embodiments of demons and demonic forces, hunting humans as prey. They are fantasy creatures, not real. However, spiritual warfare is very real. Those forces who oppose God will try anything to keep our focus off our spiritual condition and off God. The progression here also indicates the increasing fascination with a culture of death, seen all around us and in many ways, but is maybe most easily seen in Hollywood productions. Not only this, but our distinct human tendency to reverse the order of things become plain. Simply put, what was once called evil is now called good. What was good is now evil.

It is a sign of the times, I guess. It has always happened, and frequently happens in sub-cycles, too. The question is, do we recognize it? Or do we pass it off as the ravings of a few conservative religious nuts who don’t like movies and fantasy (which, by the way, I love both)?

So, is this a real evil, like a vampire or werewolf, or simply a coy-dog howling in the night?

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God”. John 3:19-21 (NIV)

New Beginnings

2009-12-07T09:34:00.000-08:00

We received our first snowfall of the season last night, or should I say...our first measurable snowfall. Half an inch measured at Burlington International Airport. We actually tied the record for latest first measurable snowfall. The world looks white and sparkly, like we have a new beginning. I like it. Of course, by the end of February I won't be in such a good mood when we get snow, and if we get snow any time past March I definitely won't be happy. But for now, it's nice.

I've had another new beginning this last week. I've been getting a bit stressed out over some conversations I've had with a couple people. My father-in-law and I had a long talk about them, and he pointed out to me that I have been taking the Lord's tasks and making them my own. They are tasks that I, in fact, cannot handle. So I have given them back to Him. I have gone so far as to limit my contact with these people...they have my phone number, my email address and my physical address so contact has not been totally removed, but I am no longer 'friends' with them on Facebook and other venues.

As I have matured in the faith I find that I have a hard time dealing with certain types of people. Specifically, I have no problem at all dealing with your typical unsaved and secular person, nor do I have a problem dealing with people who take their Christian faith seriously. But I have a huge issue with people who claim to be Christian, but put the lie to that claim by their actions during the week. As it says in Revelation 3: 15-16, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

So, a new beginning is at hand. I will not try to usurp the role of the Holy Spirit any more. I look forward to Advent and Christmas, and reclaim the joy that is mine in Him.

May the joy of His birth surround and permeate you today!

Grace and Growth

2009-10-30T11:09:00.000-07:00

It’s interesting that when you talk to Christians you get such a different view of life. We really look at life through a different set of lenses than the world at large does. I am becoming more convinced though, of the factor of growth in the Christian’s life, because I’ve met so many at different points in their walk. But sometimes we forget that the grace we’ve received from God needs to be transmitted to other people through our hands. I think this is what leads to the charge among many non-believers that the church is full of hypocrites, one way or the other.

First, people outside the walls of the church see a group calling themselves followers of Christ and notice there are various forms of behavior that don’t jive with the speech. In other words, they see behavior at odds with our profession of faith in Christ. Sometimes our walk does not appear to be very holy.

Second, when someone comes into the church we somehow expect that there is going to be an overnight change in behavior. Sometimes this does happen…I’ve seen alcoholics lay a bottle on the altar and never go back. But often the process is a bit slower. Someone comes into the church and people start grumbling about how they smoke or go to bars. Certainly these are not behaviors we condone. Nevertheless, what they may not see is that the person has overcome some tremendous sin in their life and the smoking and drinking, bad as they might seem, are minor in comparison. Eventually those will disappear, but for right now they need the grace of God administered through our hands. I’m reminded of my dogs at home. When they poop in the kitchen I don’t like it under any circumstances, but when they at least hit the paper I praise them! Maybe we’ve forgotten what it feels like to be a new Christian. Maybe that in itself is reason for us to go to our knees.

Third, sometimes we do have cases in the church where the grace of God is not tied to repentance. When someone is in the midst of witness-destroying behavior and claims that God’s grace covers it all, there is a problem. They do not acknowledge that repentance is needed. It is important to remember that without repentance, there is no forgiveness. You cannot be in the middle of sin and simply expect God to keep whitewashing it. We do not keep sinning to display God’s grace, Paul was clear on that in Romans 6:1-2 ( “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” ) Growth demands change, and Satan is happy if he can keep a Christian stagnant.

As a pastor I walk this line all the time. I see sin in people’s lives, but I have to consider the whole person, where they come from and how far along the journey they are. Do I say something now, or wait? How can I show this person God’s grace? How can I help them, not push them away?

The important thing to remember is to talk the talk, but walk the walk, too. Without the one, the other means nothing.

It's a mystery!

2009-10-23T07:33:00.000-07:00

George Carlin used to do a skit based on some of his experiences in the Catholic Church. According to him the answer to some questions was just a simple, “It’s a mystery!” in the inimitable Carlin voice. I’ve found that that actually is a good answer for a few things, especially around the church. Other times it is an answer, but a frustrating one.

As a holiness preacher I stress that theology is something that has to be applicable to real life or it is useless. It has to be something that affects you not only on Sunday morning, but every moment of everyday. But some people’s actions are a mystery to me.

Why is it that some people who call themselves Christian still align themselves in every area of life with the world so thoroughly? Without bringing politics into the equation (there is room in the church for all political parties) I know “Christians” who think it is fun to drink alcohol and get intoxicated. I know “Christians” who like recreational drugs. I know “Christians” who are not married, but are living with someone of the opposite sex with whom they are involved romantically. I know “Christians” who think being homosexual is ‘natural’ and ‘just a different lifestyle’. I know “Christians” whose favorite entertainment is R-rated. I know some “Christians” who regard the church as their own private playground. I know "Christians" who haven't opened their Bible in a long time, nor have they prayed. I know "Christians" who have a job, but think tithing is giving $5 a month in the offering plate. I know some “Christians” who display emotional animosity towards certain classes or ethnicities of people. I could go on and on. Some “Christians” I know embody several of the foregoing attitudes and characteristics.

How can a person who reads the Bible not follow the commands and principles it contains? How can a follower of Jesus Christ discount His words so blithely? There's an old saying that, "Being in a church doesn't make you a Christian, in the same way that being in a garage doesn't make you a Chevy".

In one sense, “it is a mystery”. In another, it is no mystery at all. People simply put their own attitudes and opinions above those of Scripture. And what is that called? Idolatry! They worship themselves. Their thoughts and opinions are above those of God.

Let’s be crystal clear. You may not agree with everything in Scripture, but if you are going to be a follower of Christ you MUST comply with what He tells us in the Bible. If the Bible says not to have sex before marriage, then don’t do it! If the Bible says to respect your elders, then respect your elders! If the Bible says to support your church, then contribute your tithe, pray for your church, lend your time and talents.

There is a growth curve to Christian maturity. If you’ve been a believer for awhile you should see yourself being transformed into a more and more Christ-like person. If this is not happening, then you need to find out why. There is a sin, maybe more than one, blocking your spiritual development. A person who is actively and willingly involved in sin, as defined by the Bible and not you, cannot be a spiritually healthy Christian.

And frankly, if you decide that the Bible is a bunch of fairy tales and your opinions matter more than Scripture, then don’t call yourself a Christian, because you are not. You're just giving the rest of us a bad name.

A little magic

2009-09-25T11:43:00.000-07:00

I was reading a book today called “Learn Magic” by Henry Hay. I’ve always had an interest in the art of the magician and sleight of hand. When I was in Middle School my interest peaked and I became pretty good at a few tricks. My teachers actually allowed me to go around to the various classes, toting my magic apparatus along with me. I did shows for the classes and gained a bit of a reputation. Later my interest waned, but it has never completely gone away.

A quote from “Learn Magic” on page 25 struck me; Mr. Hay stated, “…by moving the left hand away while the right stays still. Anything that moves catches the eye; anything that stands still becomes part of the background.”

Now, intuitively I have know this for a long time. When deer hunting the emphasis when moving is to move slowly and quietly, and to remain as still as possible when not moving. A deer will catch movement in the woods as quickly as it will catch scent. If you don't move, as far as the deer is concerned you are just another part of the background. But when I read this quote my mind went to the church. We have had discussions of late with the Board and a few key leaders about growth in the church. As good as it has been, we know it can be much better. We’ve talked about why the growth is slower than we’d like, and this quote puts it into perspective.

Simply put, we need to be moving in the eye of the community. If we stand still, so to speak, we will just fade into the background. We need to get ourselves noticed in the public eye. How to do that? That is the question. It occurs to me that it almost doesn’t matter what we do. What matters is the movement.

"Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity."

Colossians 4:5 (NIV)

Spots on the road

2009-09-18T08:47:00.001-07:00

I was on the highway this morning, very early. It was about 6am when I started out, heading to a meeting with my prayer partner at the Friendly's Restaurant in Williston. We meet at 6:30am so that I can get to work on time, and actually it allows him to stay in bed late. Most mornings he is up at 3:15am! Suffice it to say, I am not up that early.

In any case, as I passed Exit 14 heading south I was struggling to stay focused on my driving and wondering why I was on the road at such an hour. Suddenly, as I passed a grease spot on the highway, my eyes snapped open and I frantically reached for the heater controls to shut it off. The stench was nearly causing my eyes to water; I realized the grease spot in the road I had just passed over was in reality the hapless remains of a skunk. The effect on my focus was amazing. Everything in my path was now crystal clear.

As I finished my trip I was thinking about this incident and how it might relate to some things that we have been dealing with recently (preachers always think this way). It occured to me that in normal circumstances we just kind of cruise along the highway of our life. It's quiet, kind of boring and we are half asleep. Then something in life comes along that really just stinks, but the effect it has is that suddenly we are brought up short and the events are brought into a sharp focus. Sometimes it is an illness, sometimes a job loss, sometimes the loss of a loved one. Other times it is conflict with another person or group, perhaps not even our issue but a problem with someone close to us such as a child. But the rest of life is now in sharp relief.

The issue with this is eventually the stink wears away, we forget it and go back to what passes for normalcy, our placid, bored drive, until the next skunk shows up and wakes us from our stupor. The good news is that God knows where all those stinky points in our lives are and He is still in control. So trust in Him, and watch out for the skunks!

"The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song." Psalm 28:7

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Vacating

2009-09-15T07:23:00.000-07:00

The air is starting to grow crisp and the leaves are beginning to turn into the red and gold’s of autumn. The Champlain Valley Exposition has come and gone. Whether we like it or not, fall is coming. The last two weeks were the only really decent weather we had this summer, with temperatures in the upper seventies, clear skies and a light breeze. If I closed my eyes I could smell the surf on Waikiki, but when I opened my eyes I saw maple trees instead of palm trees.

It occurred to me that this summer has been very busy and that we really didn’t get much time off. We either had church business to attend to, children to get back to school (regardless of the time off, four straight days driving is NOT vacation!) or other busy work. We took one weekend off in July to go to my in-laws in Maine, during which time it rained. This last weekend was the New England District Men’s Retreat, which I could not afford either in terms of time or money, so I was not able to attend. Consequently I feel somewhat starved for a true time of rest and relaxation.

What is a ‘vacation’ anyway? It is a time to ‘vacate’, in other words to ‘empty oneself’. You’ve gotten full and feel like drowning, and need to empty some of the cares and worries from your heart and mind. ‘Recreation’ is another word we use for this, meaning it is a time to ‘re-create’ oneself.

Sensing the lack, one of my prayer partners and I will be spending a couple days in October at an undisclosed rustic location in southern Vermont. We have no agenda; we will walk, talk, read the Bible, pray together and eat stuff we shouldn’t eat. We’ll catch up on family and mutual acquaintances. We’ll enjoy God’s creation out under the stars (weather permitting). We’ll take pictures and empty ourselves of our cares, so that when we return home we can perform our tasks with renewed passion and vigor.

Have you vacated and re-created lately?

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

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Taking his ball home

2009-08-12T09:36:00.000-07:00

There are times when you have a discussion with someone of an opposing viewpoint and you wonder if it did any good whatsoever. I had one of those discussions yesterday. I was reading a post where the author, an avowed conservative, was saying that Wisconsin had a small victory for gay marriage advocates. I disagreed with an assertion it was not possible to oppose gay marriage without resorting to the Bible, and therefore any opposition is invalid.

To refute this argument I simply stated one of his premises and then broke it down logically, showing what the basis for current law is, and then what would happen if that basis was removed to allow gay marriage. He responded and we were off and running. However, despite the logic of the position, he refused to acknowledge the weak points in his arguments and even at one point 'put words in my mouth'. He never did address the primary issue. Final conclusion? He stated that I was wrong and said he was going to stop responding to me. In other words, he couldn't argue with my statements, so he took his ball and went home.

We in the church need to be aware of one of the points I was trying to drive home with him. Many issues we deal with, both individually and publicly are not driven by logic, but by emotion. "I'm right because I say so!". When faced with logical or even physical proof that they are wrong or mistaken, the evidence is ignored because emotion trumps everything else. I am a big believer in the usefulness of the 'apologetic' method. However, many people will not be swayed by logic. Even those who might be swayed will take a long time to come to their own conclusions.Bottom line, they must OWN the decision they make, not go on someone else's arguments. "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." 2 Cor 4:4 It is the work of the Holy Spirit to change people's hearts and minds, not ours. We can present the truth, but only God can change a heart.

The eye of the beholder

2009-07-14T06:17:00.001-07:00

I had a discussion a few days ago with someone about one of our local parks on the shore of Lake Champlain. It was stated that the beach was filthy, dirty and unhealthy, and the park itself was not suitable for families, especially with children. Having just talked with the park supervisor who stated that the beach is cleaned daily, the water quality is tested daily and was rated good at this time, and that there were two park employees on duty when we were going to be there I felt pretty comfortable with going there.

When we reached the park we found the picnic tables were clean, a fresh bag in the garbage can and no trash strewn around. There was some lakeweed along the shore, but it was an overcast day and we were concentrating on the barbecue, the volleyball game and bocci ball. Everyone seemed to be having a good time.

Looking around, my daughter made a comment to me about how clean everything was. She has just spent the last four years in the Chicago area at school, and she helped out with a children's ministry. Going to the cleanest of parks in the Kankakee, IL area, she said they always had to check the ground for smashed glass, the bathrooms for used syringes and were cautious around the water where literally anything might have been tossed in. She said that maybe the beach wasn't as clean as it could be by Vermont standards, but by Illinois standards it was a paradise!

It made me think about the fact that sometimes we are so conditioned by what we are used to that we have trouble seeing conditions for what they are. Like an artist who has to unlearn 'seeing' in order to draw....to learn to draw what IS rather than what the eye fills in. Or the person who is abused, but since that is all they know they think it is normal. God wants so much more for us than just what we are immersed in. His future for us is bright, shiny, clean and new every day. I thank God for the clean beaches of Vermont, and for the vision God has for us that lifts us beyond what we know.

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What happened to John Wesley?

2009-06-10T12:59:00.000-07:00

I recently had my eyes opened to a phenomena that took me by surprise. I was listening to a favorite radio station, KLOVE, which plays Christian Soft Rock. The lyrics of a song struck me and I realized that I really liked them, except for one particular line. The song is “I believe”, by Wes King from the album “The Robe”. It is a very good confessional song, laying out the beliefs of a man in the basics of Christian faith, much as the traditional creeds do. However, the chorus states, “I believe, I believe, I believe in the Word of God, I believe, I believe, 'Cause He made me believe”. The concept of free will is completely ruled out by the last line. Where is personal responsibility? Where is our place in the plan of God?

According to all orthodox systems of doctrine the plan of salvation was conceived and carried out by no one but God. It is administered by the Holy Spirit and is only valid by the Blood of Jesus. We cannot save ourselves by any stretch of the imagination. Our only part is in accepting the free gift of God given by His grace. But it is in accepting that gift or rejecting it that we find our part in the plan; we are not robots controlled by God's unseen hand.

The theology of John Wesley is a hybrid between John Calvin’s doctrine of election and predestination and that of the theology of Jacobus Arminius. The Holy Spirit was emphasized and the doctrine of free will was acknowledged. (Caveat: Yes, yes, I know it is more complicated than that!) It is the basis for the great Wesleyan and Holiness movements of the 1700’s and late 1800’s. All branches of Methodism, Pentecostalism and several other lines owe their existence to these movements.

Despite this, what I see being represented in the marketplace is dominated by a more deterministic theology, not even a true Calvinism, but with a severe lack of free will and personal responsibility. There is a lack of knowledge of the true power of God to not simply whitewash over the sins of a fallen mankind, but to truly cleanse the sinner through the Holy Spirit. We are told that man must sin in thought, word and deed every day. This is reflected in books, music, movies, articles and interviews. It results in either a very fatalistic faith, or a very fuzzy faith.

Where has John Wesley’s insight into this power of the Spirit gone? Where is the knowledge of a God who can change the heart of a person so they no longer desire to do wrong, to act contrary to the will of the Father? Where is repentance?

We see in the so-called civilized areas of the world that there is a debate among Christians over this doctrine. We see widespread losses in American churches because we preach a Gospel without power, leaving people in their sins and feeling that this is the normal course of Christian life. But in other areas of the world there is no such watered-down Gospel no matter the official doctrine, and the church is indeed in revival. Look at Asia, Africa and South and Central America and the churches are booming. Here, there is no question of the power of God to transform lives.

We need a revival of the Holy Spirit to sweep over us once again. To do so, we need to return to preaching and teaching the power of God over sin, and the need for personal responsibility and repentance among the people of the church. Sin, not simply doing wrong, but living willfully in sin cannot be the norm in the church. We cannot teach that it is the normal course of a Christian’s life to accept salvation and then see no change in their life. The Gospel is nothing if not tranformative.

Until we preach and teach this, and our people believe it and desire it with all their hearts, I fear that John Wesley will remain hidden, and revival will not come.

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The Beginning from the End

2009-05-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

I was reading a book on chess and came across a very interesting statement. The discussion was about ‘forking’, that is, attacking two pieces with a single piece. Such an attack means that one or the other of the attacked pieces can be saved and the other is captured. He stated, “In cases like this one you might compare a chess player to the author of a whodunit who starts his work by figuring out the solution which will come at the end of his book…the Knight’s forking check is the ‘solution’. Black’s task, once he sees this check is to search for the moves that make the check meaningful.” 1

It occurred to me that this same process is applicable to us in the church. First, it is a clear way to structure our spiritual life. What is our goal in our spiritual life? Every Christian should strive to become more Christlike disciples, to be closer to God. You know where you want to go, and where you are now, so how is that reasonably accomplished? Daily Bible reading and prayer, finding an accountability partner, finding and using your spiritual gifts are all excellent paths to this goal.

Secondly, we can apply this to other areas of our lives. If you want to achieve certain things in your life, then what do you need to do to get there? For instance, if you want to write a fiction novel, you need to sit down and start writing. If you want to get a Doctorate, then you need to work on your Master's degree. If you want to be a motorcycle mechanic, then you need to buy a 'beater' and enroll in a course or buy some books.

Finally, in the collective church we have goals as well. The high-falutin’ church language calls this “casting a vision” and there are entire seminars and college classes about it, but it’s really simple. The first question should be, “What is our vision for this church?” Where do we want to end up? What do we see this church being or doing in five years, or ten years? So many times we go along with no goal, and then wonder why we don’t seem to get anywhere. There’s an old story about a flight of military planes flying through overcast skies just after World War 2. Their navigational instruments were out when the controller radioed them and asked where they were. The pilot in the lead plane answered, “Well, I really don’t know, but we’re making good time!”.

If we want to be known as a “Praying Church”, do we have prayer meetings and activities? If we want to be known as “Friendly”, how do we support that goal? If we want to be known as the church that has its hands in the local community, how are we striving to get there?

Don't just dream about it and think God is going to drop things in your lap. Make a conscious choice to pray about where God wants you to go and what He wants you to do, then follow Him!

1 “How to be a winner at chess” by Fred Reinfeld: Fawcett, c1954, p65

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The Tower of Babel

2009-05-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

In the book of Genesis 1 there is a story about how the people’s of the earth decided to get together and build a large tower to reach to the heavens. God knew their pride and folly and decided to confound them. Now He could have simply reached down and swatted them like flies, but He chose a more subtle approach…He made them unable to communicate with each other by giving them multiple languages to speak. As they grew frustrated they eventually wandered off in language groups to found their own nations and the Tower of Babel was forgotten.

In a Sunday sermon a few weeks ago I told the church that ‘we have lost it’. What is ‘it’ and who are ‘we’? ‘We’ are the church and “it’ is the ability to speak to the outside world. We have become so insulated in our own little cocoon that we have forgotten how to speak to the people around us. When we get together we have a special ‘church language’ we speak and everyone knows what we mean. Even more, when we present our (very valid) concerns to the people outside the walls of the church, we present them in the same way we might discuss things with someone inside the church, and the person doesn’t understand. A month or so ago in Vermont we urged our people to contact their representatives concerning the issue of same-sex or genderless marriage. When I called my representatives one of them asked me why I felt the way I did. I gave her three relevant and valid concerns she could evaluate and weigh, and in language she could understand. What I did NOT do was quote scripture to her and tell her I did not believe in genderless marriage because the Bible says it is wrong. That would have been correct, but she would not have cared for nor understood the arguments. She would simply have put me down as a religious crackpot.

I have related on this blog discussions with my doctor concerning my diet in relation to my colitis. I understand where he is coming from, what arguments he can accept and those he cannot accept. If I speak outside of those terms he will dismiss me out-of-hand. When I present an argument to him in favor of the SCD diet in terms he can relate to, citing formal studies supporting it, he is more understanding and receptive.

The whole point is this…no matter what the issue, we need to understand that speaking to an unbeliever as though they were a believer is pointless. Like Paul before the Areopagus in Acts 2, we present the argument in terms that our listener can understand. That means we must not only know the Scripture, but we must know the meaning behind it and be able to relate it to everyday life in the 21st Century in our cultural setting.

Yes, we’ve lost it. But we CAN find it again…indeed we MUST find our collective voices again, or face being marginalized.

1 Genesis 11:1-9
2 Acts 17:16-34

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Treading the Academic Maze

2009-04-21T08:34:00.000-07:00

I have recently been treading the academic maze in a new and different way, and have found myself turned around and upside down by the complexities. What started me on this journey? The Church of the Nazarene has a denominational requirement for all ordained ministers to take two CEU’s (Continuing Education Units) each year. Since this was relatively recently introduced even District leadership doesn’t fully understand the process. The idea is good, of course; we as professionals need to keep our minds sharp and abreast of the latest developments in our field. So far, so good.

First, knowing the burden this places on the minister in terms of time and money, Nazarene Bible College offers courses through their Institute for Ministry Enrichment at $35 a course, plus the cost of any texts. These are totally online and are only four weeks long. They count as one CEU, so taking two courses a year is a realistic goal. They do not count as college credit, however.

Next, the Districts themselves can ask for specific events to count for CEU credit. So, for instance, a Saturday seminar on prayer or evangelism can count. Depending on the ‘seat time’, or amount of time actually spent in instruction, the seminar may only accrue a fraction of a CEU. As a result, you may have to attend many seminars to get your two CEU’s. The lowest I have personally seen is a seminar that had ‘.1’ CEU…that’s right, one-tenth of a credit! The catch to this is that the District must have the event approved before it runs in order for it to garner any credit.

Finally, an individual can request credit for either an event they are attending (say, a seminar on puppet ministry put on by a third party) or a book they are reading. The proper forms must be submitted to the District CEU coordinator, who then may request a written report on the event or training. As long as the book or training has application to the ministry the credit should be granted, with consideration given to time and effort spent on the training. In other words, the coordinator determines how much CEU credit the training is worth. Recently our church staff and lay leaders were required by our insurance company to go through training for “Sexual Abuse Prevention”, which encompassed a set of DVD’s, a textbook and workbooks. We requested credit for that training, as it was long enough to be valuable in CEU terms, and directly applicable to our ministry.

Now is when it gets interesting. See, I have an aversion to taking random courses, no matter how good they may be, earning no college credit and having no possibility of a degree/diploma/certificate being awarded. So since I already have a bachelor’s degree, my thoughts turned to graduate school and earning a Master’s degree. I also reasoned that this will allow me to contribute to my District because I will be able to teach our next generation of ministers. I love teaching, so that would come easily.

I looked first at Nazarene Theological Seminary, our flagship school. They have an ‘in-service’ program for ministers who don’t want to move to Kansas City. I found that the degree is costly, but not only that, it has a residency requirement. You spend 2 weeks twice a year at the least (4 weeks total) in on-campus intensive courses to fulfill this requirement. Why is this so? Because they are accredited through the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). ATS accreditation states that you MUST earn a significant percentage of your credits in a classroom…even if the rest of the credits are online. What this means in a practical sense is that the NTS ‘in-service’ program is only available to pastors who are in fully-funded pastorates. Any bivocational pastor is going to have a tough sell to their secular employer as to why they should have four weeks off a year! NTS told me that they have a large grant to try and rectify this situation, but the reality is that as long as ATS accreditation is part and parcel of the equation, there will be no help forthcoming from NTS.

So, what about other schools? It turns out that most major seminaries are accredited by ATS. If they have an online program it likely has on-campus requirements of some kind. There are Nazarene institutions which do have fully online programs; Northwest Nazarene University is a case in point. They have a fully-online program with several Master’s degrees, including an MDiv.. They are, of course, not ATS accredited, but are regionally accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Taking this program means among other things that an ATS accredited school may or may not take that coursework in transfer or when working for another higher degree. The only schools pretty much guaranteed to take them are other Nazarene institutions. The cost at NNU is still high, but at least it seemed a possibility.

So, what about non-ATS accredited schools? I found several likely looking schools who were affordable, but did not have a residency requirement. Many of them are affiliates of ABHE (Association of Biblical Higher Education). Several of them use the same curriculum as some of the larger seminaries such as Nyack College in New Jersey. They are definitely not fly-by-night degree mills. Inquiry at our local training facility (Reynolds Institute) indicated that all of our instructors are certified through Nazarene Bible College. A quick call there discovered that in order to be an instructor you must have a degree from an ABHE full member school. Affiliation with ABHE was not enough, despite the solid curriculum.

So I started leaning toward the program at NNU for an MA in Missional Leadership. In talking with people on our District, the consensus was this degree was useless. "No one would be allowed to teach a Bible course based on this degree". "Only an MDiv was worth getting", so the argument went! Who in their right mind would get an MDiv at the cost of $30-40,000 in a position that is essentially unpaid, or even at the typically low salary of a pastor?

This begs the question, why do it (take a degree from an ATS accredited school or an ABHE member school)? Will it further your ministry ‘career’? Will it result in higher pay or more opportunities? Is the goal more knowledge and experience so you can minister to your congregation better, taking them to new heights? Is it for peer recognition? You can take courses and get a degree from one of the ABHE-affiliated-but-not-member schools and fulfill your denominational requirement. It’s cheaper and available in a delivery format that is more amenable to bivocational ministry. You just won’t be able to teach in the local training center. And when was the last time someone asked you about the accreditation of the school you attended outside of an academic setting?

The sad thing about this is that I really do want to help our District train new people; otherwise I have no aspirations to anything other than ministry in the local church here in Vermont. But the means to help the District (especially in our somewhat isolated corner) has been placed out of my reach. So I will have to settle for second-best until our denominational schools get their act together in a fashion that reflects the real-world circumstances of the bivocational minister.

Probably not anytime soon.

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Lessons over the board

2009-03-20T07:02:00.000-07:00

Recently during one of our potluck lunches I had the chance to play chess with one of our church members. I’ve played chess since I was about 12 years old, usually playing best two of three games with my father almost every night for most of my teen years. I’ve played off and on since then, and although I’ve never played in a tournament I considered myself a decent player. During the four games that I played with Tayo I learned differently; he beat me three times in ten minutes, although it took him ten minutes to beat me the fourth time. It turns out Tayo has been playing since he was 9, and growing up in New York he played chess in the parks with some of the best.

There are several things I have gotten from this experience that I would like to pass along, as much for my benefit as for anyone who might read this, lessons that Tayo and chess have recently taught me.

The first lesson is to have a right opinion of yourself. The Bible says in Romans 12:3, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” Now, it is important that you don’t have an exalted opinion of yourself, but it is also important that your opinion should not be lower than it ought to, either. Sober judgment is called for, to assess yourself correctly.

The second lesson is like the first. Have a right opinion of others. As the saying goes, don’t judge a book by its cover. You would probably not take Tayo for being the “chess shark” that he can be. He looks much too genial. It’s like assuming that the soft-spoken gentleman you are talking to is a push-over only to find out he has a black belt in karate. Tayo also happens to be a very good teacher; as he is making his moves and watching yours, he is asking 'leading' questions and showing you ways to improve your game.

Another very valuable lesson that this has taught me is that I need to have persistence of action. It would have been very easy for me to simply shrug it all off and say, “Tayo is the better player” and never play him again. I could have said, “Chess at this level is beyond me”. What I did was load up a chess program on my PC, start playing and got some books from the town library on chess. I played Tayo two weeks after that first round of games. And the result? I lost again! My goal is to improve my game, not to beat Tayo. And my game is improving, so I’ve been successful.

I’ve learned some very valuable lessons along the way here from the game itself, which I will write about in another blog. In the meantime I’m having fun, and there is ministry going on, so what more could I ask for? So here’s to Tayo (Thanks!) and to chess, and to a great God who made it possible by putting it all together exactly when I needed it.

The Sound of Snow

2009-01-05T08:25:00.000-08:00

It sounds a bit strange to hear, especially if you are a southerner reading this (anyone south of Concord, NH!). But snow can have not only different looks and feels, but distinct sounds associated with it. As the snow falls when there is little or no wind there is a silence that falls over the world. It seems as if everything has gone still and into hiding. Even a passing car makes little noise. Talk between people is hushed. A scientist would say that this is because the falling snow absorbs sounds…as if you were trying to speak in a room surrounded by curtains and hung with laundry. Whether it has a simple explanation or not, I love the peaceful feeling the silence of the snow brings.

There is another sound the snow brings. As you walk across snow you can literally tell how cold it is by the sound. A soft, slurpy sound tells you that the temperature is near the freezing point of water, maybe even a little above. The snow has been partially melted and is that most terrible of mixtures known as slush. The danger with slush is manifold. It is the kind of snow most likely to cause heart attacks in the elderly when they try to shovel, since it is very heavy. It can quickly saturate your clothing, and cool your body, sending chills up and down your spine. If not dealt with quickly it can lead to hypothermia.

Another sound is when the snow falls and the temperature is a bit lower, often referred to as ‘crisp’. The whoosh of your boots through the snow tells you that it has just enough moisture in it to make a good snowman or a snowball, but not enough to instantly soak you. This is the snow kids love to play in.

And there is yet a third sound you may hear. When you walk across the snow you hear a distinct crunch and there is an edge to the air that takes your breath away. The temperature is low enough that there is no moisture left. Snowballs crumble, snowmen are an exercise in futility. Breathing is difficult and every exposed area turns red and numb in short order. When you hear the snow make this sound, there is danger afoot. Frostbite can strike the careless in minutes or even seconds.

In our Christian life there are instances where a single action in and of itself may lead to different results and consequences. The act of watching television, for instance, can be very uplifting and educational, or it can lead to potentially harmful actions, incline the mind to temptation or be sinful in and of itself. To tell someone watching television is always sinful is taking the easy way out. But to go the other way and discount its potential danger is foolhardy, like hiking up Mount Washington in September in a t-shirt and shorts. The same can be said for many things we encounter daily. Paul says, “…if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (1 Cor 10:12-13 NIV)

Keep your eyes open, your mind sharp and your eyes fixed on Him and He will provide for you. And listen to the snow.

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New Frontiers in Communication

2008-12-30T08:07:00.000-08:00

Imagine a church where the pastor can keep up with the daily lives of his or her people without ever leaving their desk or talking on the phone. Where a sick church member can hear the sermon from the last service without the time and expense of cutting and delivering a tape or CD for them. Where the pastor can send a birthday greeting or note of encouragement to someone without using a postage stamp or having a three day lag in delivery. Where a person searching for a church can find information on service times and ministries before ever walking through your door, and you can make an announcement to the entire church or to the prayer chain by sending out a single message! Sound like science fiction? It was until a few years ago.

Talk to any preacher and they will tell you that their primary job is communication. Our job is simply to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ in such a manner that the hearer can understand and assimilate the message, which will then be used by the Holy Spirit to change that person’s life through repentance and acceptance of Jesus as their personal Savior. Other jobs within the church also involve communication. Teaching a Sunday School class, one-on-one discipleship, running a board meeting, facilitating communication in counseling, writing copy for ads or newsletters. The pastor is a communicator.

Seeing all the emphasis on communication within the church and specifically within the job description of the pastor, we have to ask ourselves “how can we best communicate to our audience”? The first thing we need to recognize is that our audience is changing. Along with that change comes a shift in the methods of communication our audience prefers. We are accustomed to communicating with our people through the sermon, through the printed word and face-to-face or by phone. But now we can add to the mix several other methods. Television and radio are two familiar technological tools. But how about a church web site, texting, IM services, eGreeting cards, Facebook and other social networking sites, streaming audio and video, church ‘listserv’, YouTube and the classic podcast? It is the rare church that makes full use of even a few of these methods. The irony is that our people, and the people we so desperately want to reach, use these communications media daily.

The church has an unfortunately well-deserved reputation for being ten years behind everyone else on technology issues. We may not be able to affect the whole church, but we can affect the place we serve. We can use the gifts God has given us to reach people through these means.

Here are a few tips:

If you don’t know what one of those terms used above means, do a search on the web and find out!
You don’t have to use all of these communication techniques, but picking and using two or three should be enough to get you started.
It is not necessary to be fancy, spend lots of money or be flashy, just informative and professional. Many of these are actually free or included with other services you already use. A big bang for your budget buck!
If you want to get started but don’t know how…find a responsible teenager and ask them to help. They'll be thrilled!
Involve various people in your church in administering these ministries…it helps to assimilate people and relieves pressure on you. Do NOT relinquish final authority on any of these media, however.
Realize that there is likely to be inertia in your church and on your board.

You can take one of several approaches. The first is to wait on initiating anything until you get approval. The best way is to talk it up until they think it was their idea in the first place. The second way is to simply go ahead and get something simple started and wait until people notice. Or third, you can do nothing and find yourself increasingly handicapped.

When I started the Facebook account for my own church I wasn’t sure of the reaction I was going to get. Within a week I had 8 people listed as members of the group. Not bad, considering we are a small church running in the 20’s. I also noticed another interesting thing…fully 75% of those people were under 30 and most were under 25. This is the demographic our church needs to reach, and I bet your church does too. Now, realize that each of those individuals have literally scores of Facebook ‘Friends’ who therefore can access your group and find out about your church.

There are many new means of communication out there, and one author has suggested that this is just the beginning. So, if you want to be a pastor and lead a church, then please do lead the way and take the good news of the Gospel to new frontiers!

Happy Podcasting!

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Bivo-traps

2008-12-11T10:58:00.000-08:00

This posting may come as a surprise to many who have known me over the years, in my career as a minister and as a churchplanter, but it concerns a topic that is at the forefront of ministry today.

In the last thirty years or so there has been an increase in the number of bivocational ministers in many, if not all, faith traditions and the Church of the Nazarene is no different. “Bivocational” is defined as follows: An assigned minister holding one or more secular, non-church-related jobs. I have been a champion of the bivocational minister for many years…at one time I was “quad-vocational”, holding down three secular positions totaling about 70 hours a week in addition to my ministry position.

Many times, but not always, a minister is bivocational because the church is too small to fully fund the minister’s salary and benefits. In other cases a church may have gotten into this mode of dealing with their pastors because they see it as being good stewardship, or simply started out this way and now have grown, but don’t want to devote additional funds to a pastor’s salary and benefits. At the time of this writing a family health insurance policy will be about $1,200 a month in Vermont. The number of pastors in this situation does not take into account the number of pastors who are not fully-funded, but who have a working spouse who provides additional salary and benefits. Many newer churches do not provide a parsonage, either, which increases the burden on the pastor.

Granted, there are many pastors who see this as a preferred mode of ministry, giving the pastor unprecedented independence and access to the world of secular work. You can't intimidate a bivo pastor with threats on his paycheck by withdrawing your tithes!

Data quoted by Richard Houseal from the 1993 Annual Reports indicates that at that time there 39% of Nazarene churches reporting 50 or less in average worship attendance and paying salaries below the poverty level. (source: http://www.nazarene.org/files/docs/Picture%20of%20Bivocational%20Pastors%20in%20the%20Church%20of%20the%20Nazarene.pdf) In another report by Ken Crow a survey of the churches in the US revealed that 29% of pastors are either part-time or have other employment outside the church. (source: http://www.nazarene.org/files/docs/factnazarenereport_2005.pdf)

The numbers speak for themselves. What doesn’t appear in the statistics though are the difficulties that being a bivocational pastor present. Our own District is struggling with a number of these issues. For instance, consider the following.

Denominational or District events and programs scheduled during the work week will not be well attended by bivos.
Secular work time is prime ministry time (for instance, afterschool programs, Mom’s Bible Studies, etc..)
Secular work allows limited time off; required ministry events during the year may leave no vacation time for the pastor’s family.
Secular work and ministry may take up so much time in combination that family life could suffer.
Secular work schedules may interfere with essential ministry time…for instance, retail work may insist on occasional holiday or weekend work.
Denominational and District board seats are often not offered to bivocationals because of their real or perceived schedules and many meetings are scheduled during weekday working hours.
Breaking away from bivocational ministry and into fully-funded ministry can be an economic leap for a church.
And the final straw for many is that even though the church as a whole has bought into the bivocational model, there are still residual feelings that bivocational ministers are not ‘real’ clergy (by both laity and fully-funded clergy).

To quote Dennis Bickers, "Along with our family and church responsibilities, we have a second job that requires a certain amount of our time. The churches we lead are often smaller churches with few resources. Bivocational ministry is looked at by some as 'second-class' ministry performed by people who don't have the gifts to serve a larger church." (source: http://www.nph.com/nphweb/html/h2ol/articleDisplay.jsp?mediaId=2365220)

Whether or not the church manages to deal effectively with these issues in relation to bivocationals will largely determine the shape of the church in the future. I am now firmly of the opinion that a local church should have at least one fully-funded pastoral position and the bivocational mode should be employed only out of necessity and transitioned into fully-funded as quickly as possible.

Solutions are available, we just need to be creative. In the past, and in some congregations even now (especially ethnic congregations), pastoral sharing is done with a fully-funded pastor handling two or more small congregations. This is only one solution, but at the very least we need to be aware of the special needs, limitations and schedules of our bivocational ministers.

A Life of Significance

2008-12-11T08:41:00.000-08:00

There are times in life when you look back and wonder what the significance of it all was, or what you are doing now that will be significant in the future. Then the thought comes, what is ‘significance’? After all, what is ‘significant’ to one person may not be to another person. I have faced this crisis in my own life and have recognized the paradox in it.

We all face choices in our lives. Some of those choices lead to actions that affect a large group of people, while others lead to actions that affect only a small group. Some lead to accolades and others to no public recognition at all. The name of Mordecai Ham probably doesn’t mean much to you, but you have likely been affected in some measure by the work he did. Mordecai Ham was an evangelist and speaker who led a series of meetings in Charlotte, NC in 1934 at the invitation of the Charlotte Businessman’s Club. At one of those meetings a young man was touched by God and was saved. His name was Billy Graham. (source: http://www.wheaton.edu/bgc/archives/faq/13.htm) You may never hear the name of Mordecai Ham mentioned in any other context. Was he significant? To Billy Graham he was. And through Billy Graham his significance was multiplied many times over. God uses even those who are small in the eyes of the world to bring glory to Himself.

If God is calling you to a position with significance in the eyes of many such as a pastor, a denominational office, a political career, or some other such role, then do not shrink from it. Accept His calling and do it as to the Lord, not to men. Be accountable to Him. If He is calling you to a less visible role, then also do it as to the Lord, not to men. If He is calling you to be a good parent, then take joy in your children. If a teacher, then find your joy in the young lives you mold. If He is calling you to be a loving spouse, then take joy in your mate.

Most importantly, be the hands, feet, face and voice of Christ to others and your significance will be complete.

Reality Intrudes

2008-11-24T13:26:00.000-08:00

I was on the way to work this morning and listening to the radio. I generally like to listen to a syndicated station playing soft Christian rock named KLOVE (http://www.klove.com). I was listening to a song that said how much God cares about us and a thought occurred to me. This is a head-turner, so beware. God cares about us, but He doesn’t care what we think about Him. Now for the caveat; it matters a great deal to our eternal future what we believe, but the reality is, except for this little consequence of belief, it doesn’t matter what we believe. Now for the explanation.

We have a tendency in this world to act as though our belief somehow influences reality. You’ve seen the books and tapes, “Think and grow rich” and such. The belief behind it is that attitude can change the real world. Thought influences reality. Envisioning something or imagining something makes it real. Folks, God just don’t work that way! We can think anything we want about the nature of God. "God is female”, “God doesn’t exist”, “God is an impersonal force”, “We are all gods”; there are hundreds, if not thousands of views of God. Reality, though, says that no matter how much we may believe what we imagine, it is all still in our heads. Saying that God is dead doesn’t mean He is. Saying God is female won’t make Him so (for the record, He is neither male nor female, He is spirit). God is what He is. And frankly He is unknowable except for what He reveals to us.

The point here is that you are betting everything you are, and everything you ever will be on what you perceive God to be. No matter what you envision Him to be, the reality of who and what He is will not change. Now, this is not what we want to hear. Modern society says you can have your cake and eat it too. No one is wrong, it is all relative. But even classical philosophy has a rule of logic that says that something cannot both be and not be true at the same point in time and space. This is a rule of exclusivity. We want to seem tolerant, being exclusive is not chic. I may disagree with their theology, but the Muslims have one thing right. Their concept of God as Allah cannot co-exist with the Christian God of the Bible, or the Jewish conception of Yahweh. Likewise, the Christian God cannot be the God of the Book of Mormon. The God of the Mormons cannot be Buddha. Buddha is not compatible with neo-paganism.

So, how sure are you that your concept of God is correct? You cannot have your cake and eat it too. Reality will intrude on your dreamscape. For in the end we will know for a certainty. The Bible says that when we die, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (Phil 2:10 NIV) Not just Christians, but everyone will know the truth. It is obvious to anyone reading this where I stand on this issue…but if I were wrong, then I would still have to stand before whoever God is and confess that I lived my life in vain. There will be a lot of people in that position, and I don’t want to be there, especially just by being sloppy in my thinking.

So, God doesn’t care what you think about Him. He is not going to change just to suit you. Who do you say He is?

Ride-Along

2008-11-11T06:23:00.000-08:00

My son is a Criminal Justice major and when he returned home from college this last summer he had a chance to do a ‘ride-along’ in our local police department. He chose to ride on the late shift since that is where most of the action takes place. As he was heading down Rt 7 with the officer in a patrol car, the officer kept an eye on the radar display to see how fast the surrounding traffic was moving. As he approached one vehicle in the opposite lane, the display indicated that the driver was slowing down. As he passed the vehicle, the officer said, “Watch this”, and flipped a switch on the display. The display changed and went from indicating that there was no vehicle ahead in the opposite lane to displaying the now increasing speed of the car they had just passed. “He thinks since we passed him that I can’t see him, but there is a radar cone mounted in the rear of this patrol car, too!”

How often do we think that we need to behave ourselves when we think God is watching, but once we get out of His sight that we can go back to our old ways? Our actions day that as long as we don’t drink alcohol, smoke, swear, gamble, fornicate or do something else sinful while we are in church, we can go back to doing those things on Monday morning. We think God can’t see us because we are not in church. The fact is that this is hypocrisy. “Hypocrite” is a word finding its root in the Greek language and basically means “an actor”, someone who puts on a face for a time and pretends to be something he or she is not.

The real joke behind all of this is that the only person we are fooling is ourselves. Our families know what we are doing, our friends know, probably the people at church know, and God most certainly is not fooled. His sight does not end at the church door. Portraying God as a cosmic policeman just waiting for us to mess up so He can catch us is not a good image really. He loves us, and has paid the ultimate price to rescue us from that very sin that we keep committing when we think he is not watching. So, if He already knows what you are doing and has paid the price so we don’t have to, why not give it all back to Him and accept what He is offering? That is true honesty, and what He has been looking for all along.

Through A Glass Darkly

2008-10-15T10:49:00.000-07:00

Things are never as simple as they seem. Murphy was truly an optimist. The world around us seems bright and clear, but that is a deception. And it is a deception because we live in a world that is dominated by a spiritual dimension that we cannot see. Our emotions, our minds, our actions are all influenced to one degree or another by this spiritual dimension. There are forces at work that seek to trip us up and keep us from connecting with God, and there are forces that are just as determined to make sure we have the chance to talk with Him.

At this time of year, approaching Halloween, I find it funny (in the sense of ‘strange’) that people love to watch horror movies that routinely deal with evil, demons, monsters and the like. A high level of credence is given to them. People at their basest level seem to believe in the existence of palpable evil. Yet they seem to have trouble believing that there is a God, that He is good and that He is powerful. Why is that?

Paul said, “For now we see through a glass, darkly” (1 Cor 13:12). The realities of this dual world are largely hidden from us, but we are told enough about it to know that it is fraught with danger. We are under constant spiritual attack. If you don’t feel the heat of battle, that is the time to be worried, because the evil forces (yes, Satan is real!) have you exactly where they want you and feel no need to disturb you. You are no threat. The good news is that the war has already been won by Christ on the cross, and that we have been given the resources to win the battle we are engaged in.

Maybe this is a good time of year for us to proclaim our message of the Gospel. Rather than retreat into our cocoon, we need to let people know that yes, there is true evil, but there is also a God in heaven who fights for us.

Like Lemmings Off A Cliff

2008-10-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

There are many things about being a minister that are not apparent at first blush. The amount of work that is required is one thing. Another is the amount of emotional energy (and sometimes physical energy) that it takes. Hazards include the likelihood of embarrassment while speaking in front of crowds. And caution is needed in dealing with people because of the possibility of lawsuits for giving bad advice or simply being in the in ’wrong place at the right time’ and having people jump to conclusions. Another hazard is saying the wrong thing during an election season and potentially losing the church’s tax-exempt status. Well, it is election season, and I will refrain from making any rash statements either from the pulpit or from this forum that would be construed as supporting a particular candidate or party.

However, one of my previous posts dealt with the subject of the right and duty of a citizen to vote. Maybe it is just me as I get older but I am noticing more things this election season that have managed to make e upset than in any previous election. For instance, does anyone know the name of the Libertarian Party candidate? Green Party? Constitution Party? Have you seen an ad for them or has one of the third party candidates been included in any of the debates with the Republicans or Democrats? The last time I looked the United States was a multi-party republic, not a two-party system. Yet the third party candidates are ignored.

The mainstream media has long been demonized in this regard. They do not seek out such third party candidates since they are not as popular and won’t generate as good ratings as the major party candidates. To be fair, people don’t seem to realize that media, although it carries a burden for public service, is a business and as such it seeks out customers who will generate the greatest revenue. The major parties have money to spend and people want to hear them, so they get the lion’s share of attention.

One subtle influence that the media does carry though is the capability to sway an election. It is subtle because even the observing and reporting of public opinion can change the atmosphere. The way it works is this…a media outlet conducts a poll, which shows that politician “A” has a 5-point lead over politician “B”. People listen to the results of this poll and some give in to the natural reaction to want to be ‘on the winning side’. So when the poll is repeated the following week politician “A” has a 10-percent lead. People begin to doubt the ability of “B” to win, so some more decide to vote for “A”. This is a natural thing for people to do who want to be on ‘the winning side’, yet if the media had not performed and publicized those polls, maybe the election would have been closer or the results different.

What happens to an election when the media begin reporting those same poll results and predicting which states will go with which candidate and allocate electoral college votes weeks, perhaps month in advance of the election? Such and such state is solidly Party A and so all those electoral college votes go to them, while this state and that one are solidly behind Party B. The feeling people have is that they should vote in a certain way, or that their vote doesn’t matter anyway since their state is expected to go in a particular direction. Essentially the media is determining through use of polls the results of an election that hasn’t even been held yet!

What else am I doing here besides complaining? There is only one thing which can stem the tide of these influences, and that is for an educated voter base to resist going with the crowd simply for the sake of going with the crowd. I am encouraging you to look beyond the polls, look beyond reporting by the mainstream media, get educated in the platforms of not just the two major parties, but the minor parties as well. And above all, vote for who you really want in office despite potentially being on the ‘losing side’.

Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual--or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country.
Samuel Adams

The fact is that if we all follow each other like lemmings off a cliff, ultimately we are all losers in this contest.

Putting in our “two (per)cent’s worth”

2008-09-11T07:16:00.000-07:00

It is September 11, 2008, now seven years since that fateful day in 2001. I can still remember exactly what I as doing as I watched the reports on television of the plane hitting the first tower and watching in disbelief as the second one hit. It seems that so many things happened and we said that the United States would never be the same. One thing that happened was that people suddenly became interested in world events and politics. People began to pay attention.

This last Tuesday was Primary Day in Vermont. There were four ballots this time….Republican, Democrat, Liberty Union and Green parties. I left work, went to the grocery store and headed home. My wife and I headed to the polls at 6pm; they were due to close at 7pm and we hoped we wouldn’t have to wait too long in line to vote. After all, a lot of people wait until after work to vote. We needn’t have worried.

When we walked in, we were greeted cheerily by the three poll workers. No one else was voting. As we turned in our three unused ballots and submitted our used one, the man at the ballot box told us that we were numbers sixty and sixty-one for the day. “Sixty and sixty-one? You’ve got to be kidding”, I said. “No”, he replied, “ you and your wife represent about two percent of the total vote for your precinct”. Doing the math, it actually comes out to slightly over three percent. Our precincts cover quite a bit of territory and there are only TWO polling places for our town and neighboring town precincts.

What happened to “we’ll never be the same again” after 9-11? I think people went back to the thought that their individual lives matter more than the impact that they might have voting. The life of the community is secondary. Maybe they feel that their vote doesn’t make a difference. It was disturbing too that the ballot we took had numerous spots where no one was running for office, and not a single office on the ballot was contested!

As a minister I cannot use my position to endorse a candidate or a party. But my faith and beliefs also tell me that voting is not simply a citizen’s right, but it their duty to vote. Our freedoms depend on people getting involved, perhaps especially as people of faith! I don’t care how you vote or who you vote for, but get out and get involved! You may not feel you have the time or knowledge to run for an office but your vote is needed. My wife and I represented over three percent of the vote from that precinct. Elections have been won or lost on less than that.

Don't just vote for who you think will win, simply to be on "the winning side", vote for who you believe is right. If appropriate, vote for a third party!

Another thing, when someone is elected, don’t simply criticize them. Pray for them and remember what we are told in Titus 1:1-2, “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.”

We had a wakeup call in 2001. Let’s not waste it.

Letting it all hang out

2008-08-25T06:22:00.000-07:00

I try to approach life with a little logic, a modicum of humor and a lot of faith, and try to keep the whining down to a dull roar. Sometimes, though, it gets to be a bit much. Vermont is a unique state in some ways, very conservative in some respects and very liberal in others which creates a bit of tension for all sides.

Coming in to work this morning I was behind a car which displayed a small decal in the window, advertising for all to see that the person driving (or perhaps the person owning) the vehicle is homosexual. Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t particularly care what this person’s sexual orientation is. He, and it was a male driver, could prefer sleeping with an anatomically correct stuffed animal for all I care. I really don’t want to know those details and I’m not sure why it needs to be displayed and broadcast to everyone on the road. I am not homosexual, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, metrosexual or any of the other variations people are constantly inventing and I do not advertise it one way or the other. Yet we hear from the spokespersons of these lifestyles who say they just want to be treated like everyone else. So then, why the need to advertise your sexual preference with window stickers, decals, bumper stickers and such? Wasn’t the point supposed to be that our sexuality is something private and nobody else’s business?

Maybe the heterosexual, married and faithful majority should come up with its own symbol and make its preferences known. Now, don’t treat me any different from anyone else. Hey, I’ve got the right to hang my preferences out for everyone to see, too…right? After all, it’s private.

Trying new things

2008-05-23T10:19:00.000-07:00

Trying new things seems to come hard for people. We get into a particular mode of operation and then we don’t want to change. We find even that when we do change something, that the ‘new’ way becomes entrenched as the "way we’ve always done it" very quickly.

During the 1960’s and 1970’s many churches decided to reach out with bus ministries. That was a radical concept at the time. As we reached into the 1980’s and 1990’s the effectiveness of such ministries declined, but operation continued because it was ‘traditional’. During the 1990’s a trend towards worship teams accelerated and became mainstream. Performance-oriented worship became the norm. A backlash occurred during the early part of this century and as effectiveness of performance-oriented worship declined more worship experience became ‘participant-oriented’. Still, there were those who were reluctant to change.

In my own personal life I have explored this to some degree. I thrive on trying new things, especially those things which many people consider to be not ‘worth the effort’. Years ago when my mother died I took over her crochet materials. Learning to crochet with her materials in hand not only resulted in a sense of accomplishment, but helped me through my grief. When I wanted a kilt the only way I could afford it was to make my own…a daunting job, but it turned out quite well and sufficed for my purposes. When I left the hospital this last March I came home with ideas of making my own yogurt and hard cheeses. This was for two reasons…it is cheaper and better quality than I can buy at the store, and people kept telling me it couldn’t be done at home. I found that going on the SCD diet encourages you to make things you would otherwise buy, because it is not possible to buy certain products, like truly lactose-free yogurt or nut-flour pita bread.

So, what should we try next in our church? Is it possible we are selling ourselves short by not making some changes? Not principles or doctrine, you understand, but methods. I like the way that Rick Warren put it in his book, “The Purpose Driven Church”. We are surfing on the wave of the Holy Spirit. Our job is not to make the waves, but to find where the Spirit is moving and cooperate with Him. When we do that, we will see ministry multiply like never before. Jesus said, “ …you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you” (Acts 1:8) Our power, too, is promised when the Holy Spirit comes upon us. It is already there, waiting, we just need to be available and watch for Him to act.

Surf on, dude!

SCD and the doctors

2008-05-23T09:07:00.001-07:00

Life gets more and more interesting as we get older it seems. Two years ago and I would not have been able to tell you what ulcerative colitis or pancreatitis were, but I have now become somewhat of an expert in them. I can tell you standard courses of treatment, criteria for diagnosis, and progress of the conditions. I can also tell you some things you probably don't want to hear, even the doctors don't particularly want to listen.

One of the lessons I learned over the last few months is that the nurses who you meet can be much more open-minded than doctors. Take, for instance, the case for dietary treatment of UC. There is a diet that has existed since the 1950's called the "Specific Carbohydrate Diet" (SCD for short) which is used to treat not only UC, but Crohn's, Celiac and even some forms of autism. The diet is gluten-free, lactose-free and disaccharide-free. If you talk to your doctor about it you will be told the same thing I was told. "There is no study proving a connection between diet and effective treatment of UC. Medicine and surgery are your only options. A diet won't hurt, but it probably won't help."

Most nurses will tell you that this is a bunch of baloney...at least when the doctors are out of earshot. Why? Because there are no studies being conducted to prove the connection, and doctors rely on large-scale double-blind studies to base their treatment upon. Why no studies? Most of them are sponsored by large pharmaceutical companies who will make no money, and in fact will lose money, if such studies are performed. The nurse who explained this to me has two degrees in nutrition in addition to her nursing degree and has been in healthcare fro 25 years. Moreover, she took her health care into her own hands when the doctors gave up on her.

Other treatment options I discussed with my doctor included things he had either not known of or decided not to tell me (like using "Low Dose Naltrexone"). I needed to at least know what these options were before having them dismissed.

The moral of the story is that you must advocate for yourself, or have someone in a position to do so. Treatments may be out there, but you may not get a completely unbiased opinion from your doctor alone. Listen to your nurses, do your own research. Along with the conditions that come with being a little older comes a certain degree of assertiveness and that most Biblical of characteristics, wisdom. "How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!" Proverbs 16:16 Gain understanding of yourself, your body and your conditions and it will be better than having gold or silver.

Spring has sprung!

2008-04-29T12:24:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday morning something happened I have anxiously been waiting for. As spring approaches I watch the sides of the hills around here, especially towards Georgia over the waters of Arrowhead Mountain Lake, and look for signs of color. But not green like you might expect; I watch for red. Oh, sure, the green of the evergreens is always there, and the green of the hills will come ("Green Mountain state"...hint, hint) but the first color of spring that I look for is the red of the budding leaves of the maple trees. The hills turn a distinct shade of red. It's more subtle than the shades we see in the fall, but whereas the autumn colors mean that we have only a few days left until 'stick' season and then winter, the red that comes in spring means that in a few days we'll see the world turn green once again. The red color is the first sign of hope in new life.

So too, in the Christian life red is the color of hope. The blood of Jesus was the means by which we could have hope for a new life. "Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!" Romans 5:9 Every year I look for the red of the hills so I can know that spring has really come. And I look to the blood of Jesus to know that new life has started.

Short but joyful lives

2008-04-02T12:23:00.000-07:00

About a year and a half ago my family went through a very traumatic experience when we lost our dog, Rocky. I've owned many dogs in my life but never one quite like him. He had a degree of personality that was quite amazing, and had a full range of vocalizations that seemed almost human. By the time he died at the age of ten he was completely blind due to glaucoma and had epilepsy. It was an uncontrollable seizure that finally took his life. One of the unfortunate side-effects of his being so extraordinary was that he took our hearts by storm, and it was very difficult to open ourselves up again. This was very hard in particular on my wife.

When I came out of the hospital last month one of the promises I made myself was to get another dog. I knew that we needed it, not just for the companionship, even though that was important, but because there was healing that needed to be done. And with Debbie being home much of the time it would also give her someone else to focus upon, making life that much less lonely.

The paradox of the animal-human connection is that most of our pets will not live as long as we will. We take them into our lives and hearts knowing that fact, but trying to deny it as long as we can. But I maintain that the joy our companion animals bring into our lives is worth the heartache of knowing that we will likely lose them at some point. Even when we chose a spouse, we must acknowledge that eventually one of us (in most cases) will lose the other. Life is simply not worth living if we do not open ourselves up to the joy and love of others, even knowing that the opposite side of the coin is eventual pain and loss. God did that with us...He opened Himself up to us, knowing that He would have to watch His only Son die on a cross.

This last weekend we opened our hearts again, and will welcome two rescued Shih Tzu into our home. We may not be able to make a difference for all the dogs out there, but we can make a difference for these two...and they in turn will make a difference in our lives. Let the joy begin.

We’re admitting you!

2008-02-26T08:07:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago I spent 16 days in the hospital, Fletcher Allen Health Center in Burlington. During that time I learned some interesting things that I thought might be worth passing along.

Those ‘Johnnies’ are meant for the convenience of the doctors, not your comfort or sense of modesty.
The nurses on the floor have their own stash of food and drink; you don’t have to wait for the cafeteria!
There are cards, board games and magazines available for patients, but they don’t go out of the way to mention it.
Don’t let the Emergency Room people put an IV port in the crook of your elbow. It’s a bad place to do it and the nurses on the floor will probably not want to change it. Spending a week like that is sheer torture.
Those ‘Johnnies’ have pajama bottoms they don’t tell you about until the fourth day.
The hospital is a terrible place to try to rest. There are too many interruptions between medical equipment alarms, blood draws, vital sign checks, medication administration and the lady down the hall who keeps yelling about the hospital being on fire.
Be nice to the nurses and LNA's. They really are trying to help you and have a tough job. Besides, they control things like how often you get woken during the night, so you want to be on their good side!
Daytime TV really does suck your mind out. Someday they'll have a study that finds it a cause of memory loss, drooling and vacant stares.
The Johnnies are actually three pieces, but they don’t tell you that until you are ready to leave. They not only have pajama bottoms, they come with a robe.
No matter how long you stay, you only get ONE pair of slipper socks, so ask someone to bring some slippers and socks from home for you. Otherwise your feet are going to get really dirty and stinky by Day 3.
The hospital would like you to exercise, so walk around the hallway. The alternative is a shot to prevent blood clots…given in the belly. If I were you, I’d walk!
Oh, and don’t bother asking for any equipment to exercise, like resistance bands. You need to ask the nurse, who will need a referral from your doctor to Physical Therapy, who will then need to do an assessment along with approval from your insurance company, and then they MIGHT give you a piece of rubber to use. Just have someone go to Walmart and get the six dollar set to bring in for you. It’s faster, cheaper and less frustrating.
Don’t spit in the urinal bottle. It makes the nurses nervous when they examine it. We had quite a laugh when my roommate did so and had a nurse and Physicians Assistant trying to figure out what he had passed.
Finally, find your humor wherever you can. It really does help to laugh.

So, enjoy your hospital stay! It’s probably not as bad as it sounds.

Tracks in the snow

2008-02-25T10:56:00.000-08:00

This last Sunday my wife and I were driving to church, taking the highway. If you’ve ever been in Vermont you know the one I mean, because it is one of two in the state and the one used by more people than the other. Of course, there are only two lanes each way for the entire length of Route 89, which would barely qualify as a highway in most places. But it is ours and we like it (and hate it, too).

To get back to the story, we were between Exit 18 and Exit 19, and looking off to the right I noticed a set of tracks in the snow. I knew they weren’t rabbit…wrong pattern. Too small to be a deer. Too many to be a dog, fox or coyote. Too big to be rodents. Then we saw them, a nice little flock of wild turkeys by the side of the road, weaving in and out of the undergrowth searching for breakfast.

When we lived ‘down south’ we’d be excited to see the occasional groundhog sitting up on the shoulder of the highway watching traffic go by. Seldom did we see anything more out of the ordinary. But in Vermont we are treated to regular glimpses of wildlife. At Exit 17 when getting onto the on ramp, at least several times a month I will see deer. A few weeks ago there were five running across the field, tails showing high alert.

My wife has seen moose on more than one occasion, including having one run into the side of the car in Williston near 'Best Buy'! Coyote, fox and rabbits are all frequent visitors. My wife’s birdfeeder is patronized by perhaps a score of species. Along Route 89 and Route 7 we can see various raptors as they watch the fields for tender mouse morsels. The banks of the Lamoille River near Georgia High Bridge provide summer entertainment with muskrats and water birds.

To no ones delight we found that our nice warm house was attractive to field mice in the fall and the occasional spring garter snake. But Northern Vermont is bereft of poisonous species, so we take comfort in that knowledge. One of our more humorous incidents involved a chipmunk running through the house during a church summer social!

So, why do we love living in Vermont? Many reasons, but one of the strongest is the connection back to the wild life that we have, even if it is largely vicarious and seen through glass. It still reminds us that there are other things in life than television, traffic and shopping malls.

“ And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky…let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so…And God saw that it was good." Gen 1:20, 24-25(NIV)

Sliding Backwards

2008-02-20T06:22:00.000-08:00

A trend in churches which we must be attentive to is that when a denomination grows older it loses some of the emphasis on basics of the Christian faith. Some of its morals and ethics lapse. For instance, there are several major denominations right now fighting such issues as recognition of gay clergy, acceptance of couples ‘living together’, emphasis on biblical authority and other actions which until the last few decades would have been simply put down as sin. Such denominations are in a life and death struggle and risk becoming theologically liberal at the least and apostate at the worst.

Other denominations fight different battles, but none the less significant. The slide back into the bondage of fundamentalist theology is fueled by lack of education and understanding of some basic theological issues. Women in the clergy is one such issue the Church of the Nazarene faces right now. History shows us that the Church of the Nazarene and sister denominations like the Salvation Army have a proud lineage of women in the pulpit. As a matter of fact, in “1908, one-sixth of the 178 ordained ministers in the Holiness Church of Christ were women” (1) , the Holiness Church of Christ being one of the formative branches of the Nazarene church. As a matter of fact, “as late as 1955, women pastored 230 Churches of the Nazarene." (2) The sad fact is that fundamentalist influences caught up with Nazarenes in the 1960’s and years following, and combined with a lack of good teaching on the subject resulted in a tragic decrease in women in ministry. “In 1985, the number decreased to 52” (3) , that is women pastoring Nazarene churches. “Dr. Stan Ingersol, director of the Nazarene Archives and author of a biography of Mary Harris Cagle, says it is because holiness churches have tried so hard to blend in with the evangelical “mainstream,” which has tended to oppose women in ministry” (4) .

We do the church a great disservice by not recognizing the call of women into ministry. Women have always been part of the church and, if not for women, it is likely that the church would not have survived to where it is today. Great women have been teachers and preachers, like Gen. Catherine Booth, Phoebe Palmer, Hannah Whitall Smith, Amanda Berry Smith, Susan Norris Fitkin, Gen. Eva Burrows and Nina Gunter. On our own New England District we have the first black woman to be a District Superintendent, Dr. Jossie Owens. And yet, on our District of one-hundred plus churches we have a tiny percentage (between 7 and 8 percent) of Senior Pastors who are female (depending on how you cut the numbers).

Education about women in ministry is certainly going to be a key item to getting more women into senior positions, but so is some boldness. The Gospel tells us that we must stand up for the truth and champion those who need it. David Thompson of the Wesleyan Church puts it well when he says, “…the problem is not lack of biblical warrant, but lack of leadership and conviction. We have to take responsibility in local churches for calling, and at district levels for appointing to leadership ministries, the women whom God is gifting and calling for those ministries in The Wesleyan Church. And we must do it now.” (5) We need to take a stand for the women among us who are called by God (note…by God, not by men!), given undeniable gifts and graces, and find opportunities for them to minister in the way God wants them , not relegated to conveniently out-of-sight, back-room ministry.

1 http://www.nazarene.org/ministries/ssm/adult/women/clergy/history/display.aspx
2 http://www.nazarene.org/ministries/ssm/adult/women/clergy/history/display.aspx
3 http://www.nazarene.org/ministries/ssm/adult/women/clergy/history/display.aspx
4 http://www.whwomenclergy.org/article68.htm
5 http://www.whwomenclergy.org/article5.htm

Technology and the Minister: Email

2008-01-18T11:18:00.000-08:00

When you think of the Internet the image that normally comes to mind is that of the graphics and flash of the World Wide Web. The WWW, though, is only one piece of a larger whole which we call the Internet. One of the very first elements of the Internet is Email. Broadly defined “E-mail (electronic mail) is the exchange of computer-stored messages by telecommunication” (source: http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci212051,00.html) . At it’s most basic an email message is a text letter sent from one person to another.

Am email message has several advantages over its hard-copy ancestor. First, it is faster. The typical ‘snail mail’ message takes between one and three days to be delivered, while an email message is typically delivered within minutes if not seconds. Second, it is available anywhere you can get to an internet connection. If you are using a web-based email system (even AOL has a web interface) then you can access your messages or send a message from virtually anywhere in the world you can access the web. Snail mail can be sent from anywhere, but you can only receive it at designated locations. In other words, you can send someone a birthday card from any mailbox, but you can only get your incoming mail at your mailbox. Third, email is paperless and most systems will allow you to ‘attach’ documents of various kinds. You can send someone a multi-page spreadsheet or document by the push of a button. Fourth, email is (or can be) free, while snail mail requires paper, envelopes and stamps. With a significant amount of mail going out even the paid services become economically feasible.

Another feature of email that enhances it usefulness is the Distribution List. This is a way of designating a group of people who will receive a single email. For a mailing sent to every member of the church, for instance, in snail mail you would have to print a letter to each, fold them, stick them in envelopes and stamp them. To do the same thing with email you would write a single email message, enter the name of the distribution list (‘All Church Members’ or some other easily remembered name) and hit the ‘send’ button.

One last advantage of the email address. Since the world has moved inexorably into the “Age of Communication” more and more people have come to expect to be able to contact others in this way. Placing your email address on your corporate literature tells the world that you are not stuck in the past and that you are opening the doors. Psychologically it is a wise move, and it shows marketing savvy as well.

Technology and the Minister: Technology Overload

2008-01-18T09:10:00.000-08:00

The term ‘Technology Overload’ is a strange one to western ears. Technology is always supposed to be 'good', isn't it? How can you have too many gadgets? That seems to run contrary to our culture. But this is a matter which ministers must pay close attention to in order to actually perform ministry.

The key question here is, “What does this technology do for me and is it worth the effort?” Each gadget or technology which we decide to use should have a specific task or set of tasks which it handles. The end result must save enough time, money and effort for ministry purposes to make the effort productive. If it does not, then the technology actually hinders ministry.

A simple example would be as follows. A minister decides to use a calendar software package on his laptop to keep track of events because it has a nice graphical interface. However, the package does not support imports from his current software on his PDA. Each event is going to have to be entered by hand into the new package. After entering, the new package requires the user to perform a series of steps when trying to print a comprehensive list, and a further set of steps if the user wants to break events into categories (Birthdays, Church events, Personal events…). In this case the nice interface is costing the pastor much time and effort. This translates into more time spent in front of a computer monitor than in ministry and therefore is not worth the effort.

Another example of a positive experience might go like this: The pastor needs to send birthday and anniversary cards out to a number of people. He knows that these people are technologically savvy and check their email frequently. He goes onto the Internet to a favorite site and selects an Electronic Greeting card for each of them, spending about 3 minutes each. Not only does he do this in the same time it would take to write the cards by hand, he saves the cost of the card, the cost of the postage and the card is delivered nearly instantaneously. As long as the recipients regard an e-card in the same way they regard a physical card, he has found a way to leverage technology to his advantage.

When considering new technology, ask yourself these questions:

Is it going to save me more money than it costs (including labor time)?
Is it going to save me time over what I am doing now?
Is it going to open new possibilities for me?
Is it going to save me effort?
Is it going to be more accurate, and does that matter to me?

If you can answer at least three of these questions positively, then it probably is a good thing. If you can answer four positively, then it definitely is a good decision to incorporate the technology. Anything less than three, don’t bother.

Remember, technology is supposed to help you do a job. If it doesn’t do that, then it is failing to give you what you need.

Technology and the Minister: The PDA

2008-01-17T11:38:00.000-08:00

Society is becoming increasingly mobile and hectic. Demographics prove this out, but all we really have to do is look at our schedules. The typical pastor may spend his or her day between several different locations, the church office, the hospital, a meeting at McDonalds and a conference at the District office. In between all of that the pastor is expected to find time to study to pray, to prepare a sermon, to put together a program for Sunday morning, do a Sunday School lesson and a devotional for the Wednesday night Study. How do you keep it all straight, never mind accomplish it all?

One of the best tools you can use to accomplish these tasks and make life easier is the humble PDA, or “Personal Digital Assistant”. Typical models range anywhere from US$100 to US$500 in 2008. The most useful for the money tend to be in the range of US$200-US$300, with my personal favorite the Palm Tungsten E2 being US$200.

Those unfamiliar with PDA’s assume they are fancy electronic calendars and not much more. If that were so I would still recommend them, because of the many features the calendars employ. The typical PDA calendar application, such as Palm Desktop, will allow you to keep track of events and set reminders for them. But it will also allow you to sort and categorize entries, displaying only what you need. It will also allow you to synchronize with the Palm Desktop calendar application on your office PC, or with MS Outlook should you prefer. But their usefulness only begins with the calendar.

Scenario – you have taken a group of teens on Saturday to a District Bible Quizzing meet. It is over an hour away from home. It has begun snowing quite heavily and you know that it is not worth going home and coming back, even though you have a Sunday program and a sermon to complete. Solution - You are not worried, because you had the foresight to upload your sermon and the bulletin outline to your PDA. You go upstairs and grab a Hymnal, find a quiet corner to set up your Infrared Keyboard and within three hours it is all done. When the quizzers are finished you drive them home, go to your office and upload the documents to your PC to print them.

Just exactly this happened to me about three years ago. If it had not been for my PDA, I would have had a very hard time finishing everything without putting in a very long night. I attended a seminar with the well-known churchplanter Rev. Ralph Moore of Hope Chapel in Kaneohe, Hawaii about 8 years ago. The seminar was conducted in Nashua, New Hampshire. While having lunch he told us that normally he was traveling for several days out of the week. He would compose his sermons and notes on his PDA, then on Friday he would connect to the Internet to send the documents to his office where his secretary would print them. By the time he got home his sermon and other materials were on his desk waiting for him.

What did I use to edit my documents? Believe it or not I used Microsoft Word, through an application called DocumentsToGo. My PDA writes to native Word format, and I can even keep track of church statistics on-the-fly with a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. These applications come bundled with the PDA. Keeping track of expenses is just as easy with the PalmSource “Expense” application. Simply set up your categories and start entering information.

Another very useful application is the “Contact” database, also included with the PDA. This interfaces with your Calendar application and displays items like birthdays on the calendar. Email is easy to compose and you can send it when you next connect to the Internet, either through your desktop PC or by WiFi (if so equipped).

Need inspiration or relaxation while out and about? Use your PDA along with a set of earbuds and listen to the MP3’s you have stored on your PDA or memory card. For an even better experience when traveling you can use your PDA hooked up to your car stereo using a CD-to-Tape converter (US$10-US$20).

One of the blessings you will find right away is the speed and stability of the operating system. The Palm OS is extremely stable, and is nearly instant when turning on. Setup is easy and quick, and is very intuitive. Writing with a stylus should you choose to do so can be quick but takes a little getting used to.

There are many different ways to use your PDA effectively for ministry, and many different add-ons, but it can be life-transforming right out of the box. All of this from a small device that will slip easily into a suit jacket pocket.

Practical uses for a Family History?

2008-01-17T09:52:00.000-08:00

Back when I was attending college, oh so long ago, I worked in a library. One of my friends was about 20 years older than I and he was in charge of what we called "Special Collections". This was the room that contained all the local history, newspaper microfilms and genealogy resources. My father and I began an adventure, courtesy of my friend Walter, which has lasted a lifetime...well, a lifetime and a half since my father has now passed away and I have not as of the time of this writing! We started tracing the history of our family.

As any person interested in family history will tell you, you'll always have those family members who will ask, "Are you done with that family history yet?". That question will make the genealogist's eyes roll because there is no such thing as a 'complete' family history! The other question the genealogist may encounter is from those who wonder, "Why do you want to know all this stuff? It is all past and not of any use." I propose to suggest some uses for your 'useless' family history.

A genealogist thrives on obscure documents. One of the most useful of those documents is the 'Death Certificate'. Usually the certificate will have on it a listed cause of death and an age at death. Combining your family history chart with a cause of death for each of your ancestors can show you interesting patterns. Some of these patterns can be life-saving. For instance, noticing that your lineage includes a history of certain kinds of cancer or other diseases may indicate to you that routine exams should be targeting these for early detection. Even a chart going back for a very few generations can be helpful.

Along with knowing the causes of death for a few generations it may be possible for you to compile known non-fatal diseases and illnesses for at least two generations in either direction from your own. For instance, if your grandfather had asthma, two of his children had asthma, four of their children as well, you now have a traceable connection. The same can be applied to illnesses like diabetes, arthritis and heart problems. Many genealogy programs have screens especially for keeping track of this kind of information. Be aware that sometimes such issues are sensitive, so don't publish data like this indiscriminately.

Another use for family history can bring you financial rewards. For instance, connecting your family tree to certain events such as the American Revolution may help in finding money for college. The Daughters of the American Revolution site states, "Any woman is eligible for membership who is no less than eighteen years of age and can prove lineal, blood line descent from an ancestor who aided in achieving American independence", and there are scholarships available only to members of the DAR. (source: http://www.dar.org/natsociety/edout_scholar.cfm, 1/17/2008) Likewise, connection to specific ethnic groups may help in the same way if the connection is close enough.

A third use for family history may be a little more intangible, but still valuable. Having an interest in family history promotes an interest in history in general. It may give your children topics and stories to build upon for school assignments. It may build your general knowledge of subjects such as writing, history, math and technology.

In terms of ego-building, it is always nice to be thought of as the 'go-to' person for something. Rarely are there more than a few people in a family really interested in such topics, so you will likely be the instant expert. If you want to carry it far enough you can even write a book on your family! Just be sure to keep the juicy but controversial bits from the last generation or so properly private or you'll be the 'go-to' person in other respects.

There are many uses, very practical uses, for family history. If you haven't started yet, now is the time to do so. People die, and with it their first-hand knowledge. Pictures and letters are destroyed by accident and on purpose. Homes are sold, people's memories fade. You can't recover these things later, but if you start preserving them now you will not regret it.

Happy hunting!

I Kilt myself!

2008-01-16T12:39:00.000-08:00

It’s interesting the reaction that you get doing some things. My family has always celebrated its heritage in one way or another. In general we are old-family Yankee.When growing up my mother’s relatives always called the porch a ‘piazza’ and we always took our pasta seriously in deference to my Mom’s Italian roots. My grandmother spoke fluent French-Canadian. And my father gave special attention to his experiences among the Native American friends on his father’s side as well as his Scottish roots.

A couple years ago I put together a kilt (not my own Clan Gunn tartan, but Black Watch tartan) and have worn it around the house and in the yard. Once or twice I’ve worn it out on an errand, but it’s not that great a sewing job, so I don’t do it very much. Generally I’ve gotten some good comments on it. I find that there is somewhat of a controversy about kilts though, especially where Christians are concerned. There is this verse in the Bible (actually in more than one place) that talks about men not wearing women’s clothes, and vice-versa. Deuteronomy 22:5 says, "A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for the LORD your God detests anyone who does this".

The question becomes, especially in today’s society, what is appropriate clothing for men and what is inappropriate? The first thing I point out is that Kilts are first and foremost men’s clothing. The specific style and construction have always been worn by men in Scottish culture…in all Celtic cultures, really. If a woman was to wear a Kilt, she would be wearing a male style of clothing. The cut and construction are tailored to men; that has never stopped women, but they are generally given more leeway than men in such things.

Secondly, there are very few real ‘unisex’ garments. Most are cut to accommodate a woman’s anatomy OR a man’s anatomy. Therefore a man would be very uncomfortable in a woman’s pantsuit, while a woman would have extra material and an uncomfortable fit in a man’s pair of pants…either would not be flattered by the fit. This is also why it becomes very hard to pin down a particular garment class as being either male or female…are pants in general male or female? Is a shirt in general male or female? Garments this gender specific in our culture might be limited to such things as underwear, intimate garments or panty hose. In another culture it might be a little more clear cut.

Thirdly, scripturally I think the injunction is pretty clear. Don’t wear things that culturally indicate that you are gender-bending.

It has helped my case to note that in the past few years there has been a resurgence in prominent kilt-wearers such as Sir Sean Connery, TV shows like 'The Highlander' and films such as Braveheart starring Mel Gibson, as historically inaccurate as that film is. Anyone care to tell Sean Connery that he's a sissy? I'd like to be a fly on the wall when you do!

When all is said and done, if the Kilt is worn in context there is nothing wrong with it from a scriptural standpoint. But, in the words of Peter, "be prepared to give a ready defense..." and in keeping with scripture, avoid knowingly offending our weaker brothers (and sisters).

Who needs Theology?

2008-01-16T11:03:00.000-08:00

Mention the word ‘theology’ and you’ll probably get a chorus of yawns and rolled eyes. In Western society we are taught very little about theology, just that it is boring, that polite people don’t discuss religion or politics because it is controversial and a matter of private opinion, and that it has nothing to do with real life anyway. So who need theology? Everyone, actually. And everyone deals in theological matters each and every day whether they realize it or not.

Theology is, first and foremost, the basis for our worldview. A worldview is the lens through which we view everything around us and perhaps more important it is the underlying basis for each and every decision we make. A worldview is comprised of those things we consider important and even ‘transcendent’. If this is so, then how could we let such an important thing go unexamined? Socrates said, “An unexamined life is not worth living”, which has a large element of truth in it.

Someone out there might say, “I’m an atheist, so since I don’t believe in God I don’t care about theology”. Even so, that person still has a worldview (based on atheism) and atheism is by definition an opinion on the existence and nature of God, and therefore is a theological viewpoint.

An example of how theology can be applied daily by anyone might be taken from my own tradition of evangelical Christianity. Since I believe that Jesus Christ is the earthly representation of God, and that my goal is to become as Christ-like as possible, and knowing that Jesus said that we should be concerned with the poor and outcast of society, I will find ways to help people in whatever way I can. It may be through contributing to a good cause like the Salvation Army or it might be to give a ride to a Senior Citizen when they need to get to the doctor’s office. It might be simply talking to and listening to a hurting soul. The point is that my theology dictates my actions.

The challenge is obvious. Examine your theology. Is your life in line with what you say you believe? If not, you are living a lie. A person who says they love humanity, but doesn’t love individual people is a hypocrite. Whether your theology holds water (reflects reality, is truthful…) is the subject for another post.

Where exactly IS Vermont?

2008-01-16T08:32:00.000-08:00

My daughter related a conversation to me that took place at her school in Illinois. Apparently the question was the standard icebreaker, “Tell us something about yourself and where you come from”. After relating some details of her life one of her classmates asked her, “So, what state is Vermont in?” The question absolutely flabbergasted her, and even more so when she realized that there was more than one person who didn’t know that Vermont IS a state! Now, this was in a University with a wonderful liberal arts program, but I have to wonder about our High Schools who send kids on to college who don’t know at least that small detail. It makes me wonder what else they don’t know.

If you are reading this and feeling a little embarrassed because YOU don’t know where Vermont is, let me tell you. Vermont is located in New England, north of Massachusetts, and sandwiched between New Hampshire and New York. The northern border is the Canadian province of Quebec; the largest city Burlington is only a 2-hour drive from Montreal.

The name 'Vermont' comes from the French and means “Green Mountain”. Appropriately enough Vermont is known as the “Green Mountain State” and is home to the “Green Mountain National Forest”. The state capital is Montpelier. It is still the only state capital without a McDonalds, and at least until recently was about the only place where anyone could walk directly into the Capital building without going through a metal detector and a search. This despite the fact that Vermont has no (zero, nada, zip, zilch…) state gun laws. Concealed carry without a permit is a right of every adult citizen within the limits of federal law. You don’t often hear about firearms being used to commit crimes, at least not nearly at the levels of neighboring states. After all, try to mug that little old lady and you might find she’s carrying a .357 Magnum !

Vermont is an independently-minded state. We are one of only two states in the continental US which were previously fully sovereign countries prior to statehood, the other one being Texas. That said, it is a conflicted state…extremely liberal on the one hand (first state to legalize same-sex civil-unions and the only state to have a Socialist elected to Washington) and extremely conservative on the other hand (Second Amendment rights are taken very seriously). A destination in the 1970’s for back-to-nature hippies, it is now a destination for techies and yuppies trying to escape the rat race of the city. Vermont has a large agricultural tradition which the aforementioned back-to-nature people enhanced. One of the legacies handed down is a law against billboards on Highway right-of-ways (one of only four states in the nation to do so), which makes a drive through Vermont a scenic delight.

Vermont still has only about 600,000 people…compared to the city I lived in down in Massachusetts which had 125,000 all by itself! The largest city in Vermont is Burlington, which has a population in the city proper of only some 38,000. Demographics indicate that the state is 98% Caucasian making it the second whitest state in the US (behind Wyoming).

So yes, Virginia, Vermont IS a state! And I maintain that it is a state with not only some unique attributes, but is one of the most beautiful states you are likely to see. Come visit and bring your camera. You won’t be disappointed!