286 Christians in the Creationist Closet

We met in the coffee shop at Lakeside and began chatting because he was reading the book of Romans for a Bible study group. As a retired librarian, I'm always interested in what people are reading, and when he rattled off his current list of titles, fiction and non-fiction, I was very impressed.

Although his core beliefs probably don't surface in his job, he whispered to me that he too was a creationist when it came up during our conversation about books. The evol-bio-fundies would just go bonkers if they knew how many well educated, urban, deep thinkers don't buy into their religion. He's got 30 years in the teachers' retirement system, is part of a main-line denomination, is highly respected in his community and has at least an MS and maybe a PHD (I didn't ask). And like me, he thinks it just doesn't matter on the job except to pass sophomore biology. We confessed to each other that even as young children being taught this in school (and he is a good 15 years younger), we didn't buy it. All we had to do was look around and see the evidence. But even in our childhoods, one wasn't allowed to think outside the evolution box.

Evolutionists are safe from us, however. Creationists can't even agree with each other (as coherent groups) and waste a lot of energy squabbling. I personally believe biology instruction belongs in the church--evolution/creation, sex/abortion, contraception/abstinence, gender and marriage, stem cell research, and end of life issues because these are also theological and moral ideas. We can't entrust these important issues to the education system which seems to have its plate full with reading, writing and arithmetic and bringing poor and disadvantaged children up to the standards all middle-class children are expected to know.

[Most of this entry also appears on my regular blog, Collecting My Thoughts.]

285 Why is Luther Winking?

The Chaplain this week at Lakeside Ohio's Lutheran Chautauqua is Dr. Fred Meuser, formerly the President of Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus. I heard him preach on Sunday for church, and twice on Tuesday for Chapel and Vespers. He is really outstanding, and so very personable.

I stopped at the Augsburg table in the back of Hoover Auditorium on Tuesday and purchased a t-shirt with Luther's face on it--winking. I also bought a book I hadn't seen before, "The Lutheran Handbook." (Augsburg-Fortress, 2005)

It tells me "Martin Luther's theology is grounded in paradoxes--sinner/saint, law/gospel, hidden/revealed--and illuminated by a down-to-earth, everyday sense of humor. Thus the winking Luther--our theology doesn't save us, Jesus Christ does.

284 Dying for a verb in Cleveland

The Cleveland Plain Dealer is what I'm reading while we're at Lakeside, rather than the Columbus Dispatch. The names in the obituaries are different--lots of East European and Italian. Either lots of consonants or lots of vowels. Also, I've noticed that no one is taken from the community with a decent verb around here. They either have no verb, or they "pass away." About half are "beloved" husband or wife, or "loving" daughter or mother. Nuns are beloved aunts.

I wrote a poem about verbs used in obituaries.

I read the paper's policy on obituaries and death notices. I see no small print about "arms of Jesus" or "at home with the Lord." You must have to call to find out why in Cleveland you can pass go, but it's tough getting into heaven.

283 Visualcy

"Many centuries after the shift from oral to written culture, we are now well along in the transition to visual culture—where the predominant mode of communication is images rather than words. Just as the shift to writing required the skills we call literacy, so visual culture requires its own skills—for lack of a better word, visualcy."

Our church is UALC, and we have a Visual Arts Ministry, called in short hand, VAM. Now, thanks to Andy Crouch's article on VISUALCY, maybe we can just combine the whole thing.

His article here.

282 "This makes it all worth it"

That was my husband's comment as he came in the door, and handed me this piece of paper, completing his week as a fourth grade Bible School teacher. He said virtually every one of his 16 students came up to thank the teachers today. Yesterday they were chosen to lead the Lord's Prayer in American Sign Language for the entire VBS (his co-teacher interprets for the deaf). Every year he tells me it was his best class. Same for this year.

Thank you note from a fourth grader

Cross posted at Collecting my thoughts.

281 First Day of Vacation Bible School

This is the 12th year my husband has taught Bible School, and he was uncharacteristically frantic this week-end. The meeting for the teachers wasn't until the 18th when they received their teaching material, room assignments and found out who their co-teachers were. His room is one of those with a movable wall, so he had to go back on Sunday, remove all the chairs, and put his wall in place to put up displays. He's got 17 kids in his class, more girls than boys, which will make it easier.

But what drove him wacko was the material. I won't tell you the publisher, just in case you're using the same company. Usually our church writes and publishes its own stuff because we have about 3,000 kids enrolled, and purchasing that is just too overwhelming. But this year they found a company doing the same African theme UALC was going to offer. After listening to him moan about this several times (he is the world's most patient person), I finally took a look. I started with the title page, inspected the publication information, read the table of contents, and skipped all the introductory stuff. Each lesson was divided into four sections, but section one had two options, and then it seemed to be organized like spilled beans on a slippery floor. After reading through two pages, I handed it back, apologized, and admitted I was clueless. Truly, it appeared to have been developed by someone with Adult Attention Deficit Disorder. After his third try of barricading himself in his office and outlining the lesson, he announced victory: lesson one completed. His co-teacher will do Tuesday.

On a happier note (or maybe not), this morning I was playing the DVD of George Barna lecturing on the importance of Children's Ministry. It is part of Church Communication Network, February 2005 CCN Broadcasts. This is from our church library which has a subscription. The title of the disk is "Becoming a church that transforms children into spiritual champions." He's convinced me that ministry to children needs to be the church's first priority. He says, moral foundations are set by age 9, and by age 12 children have made their faith choices. "Ministry to adults is essentially a maintenance ministry." The real changes happen to children.

VBS Photo Gallery, 2004

280 Today she would use Google

Julie has an interesting 5 part faith story at her Blog, sotto sotto.

"One statement stopped me in my tracks though -- the assertion that Catholics believe that the Sacraments are necessary for salvation. I stopped and thought, "Crap. Do I believe that?" I wasn't sure what the answer was, and it scared me a little. But I headed to the library.

Miraculously, I found a book to start with -- an examination of the documents of the Council of Trent. (The fact that the book still felt and smelled new after decades in the library was amusing but not surprising.) I was afraid of reading something that I didn't agree with, but in faith I started to dig in. And I am so glad that I did, because the study I did that day gave me a new measure of confidence in my call to the Church. I didn't just accept the teaching....I embraced it. And I could defend it too."

This part (about the value of a library and a good book when you have questions of faith) is found in the 5th part of total story.

Gerald didn't use the library, but did go to the movies to see The Passion:

"First I found a home and patriotism in this blessed land, then I found a home and patriotism in the Kingdom of God. I think that the Holy Spirit, God’s amazing grace (always a song in my mind, from early on in my life) moved me to move here. I don’t think I would have found God in Europe. Of course God was never lost, I was, so actually He found me, just in the nick of time." The Cafeteria is Closed

279 Intelligent Design doesn't sound as intelligent as Genesis

The efforts to include Intelligent Design in science classes sound a bit tepid and pale to me. I'm a six day creationist myself, and the ID stuff just has no pizzaz, no oomph, no. . . well, Truth with a capital T. It's even more boring than the "days are millions of years" exegesis of the beginnings. Give it up Christians, and go back to basics.

This morning I slipped a CD into my van's player (it's the best cd player we have) and listened to the first 8 chapters of Genesis (NIV) that were part of an 8 disk set that was left in the library's freebie box (one disk is missing). Usually I don't enjoy listening to the Bible recorded--the voices are too monotonous or regular or something. This one was different. It had wonderful introductory material by a woman and was read by a man, and both had excellent, interesting voices that sounded like the reader believed what was being read.

Hearing it again, I was struck by the fact that so many of today's problems are mentioned in the earliest chapters of the Bible--disobedience, guilt, male-female differences and problems, marriage, parenting, jealousy, killing, alienation from God. The scope is breath taking; even though I'm familiar with the story--have heard it all my life--it is always today's newspaper or evening news.

Our church rarely preaches or teaches from the first eleven chapters of Genesis, does yours? (We did offer a class on why evolution wasn't Biblical during an adult Sunday School time, but that was researched and taught by a non-staff member.) There's a lot of good stuff there. Until Christians start believing Genesis is worthwhile for us in our everyday lives, I see little point in assaulting unbelievers with it. I didn't want my children learning someone else's religion in school--New Ageism was the biggie in the 70s-80s--and I'm guessing you don't either. Let's give non-Christian parents the choice to indoctrinate their own children as they see fit.

278 Maybe it's just me. . .

There's something odd about the juxtaposition of the words and meaning in this paragraph, don't you think?

"When Aspen Baker was 23 she had an abortion. Baker had just completed her college degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from University of California, Berkeley, and, after weighing her options, she chose to have the procedure at a local hospital."
Women's e-news

277 Be ready with the evidence

Remember that old saw, "If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" This morning during the radio "drive-time" with Bob Connors (WTVN 610) I heard an interview, or at least the introduction, with a very prominent Columbus area pastor who heads the largest congregation in the city, and maybe the state. I won't mention his name or church because this blog is picked up by an aggregator and we're not supposed to be critical of other churches, faiths, or denominations. Let's just say this church is big, fundamentalist and charismatic with an enormous community outreach and education program, and a televised service that goes all over the world.

Anyway, Bob begins with: "Tell us Rev. X, what is a Christian?" To which Mr. Big Church gives a long drawn out definition that would make the World Council of Churches proud, because he never mentions Jesus Christ! Then Bob responds, "Oh, when I was growing up I learned a Christian was a person who followed Jesus Christ." The pastor laughed and made some comment about that was why Bob was in radio (he could say something in few words) and he was a pastor, (because he needed many words to say the same thing). At this point, I was in the parking lot turning off the key, so I'm not sure if the pastor ever caught on that he'd just blown the interview. Also, I don't know what the discussion was about, so perhaps he recovered later on and made our Lord rejoice to have him as a follower.

276 Bags of Blessings

Our church partners with an urban elementary school providing hundreds of volunteers. Tests scores have improved dramatically. Reading is the big push because many of these children are coming from chaotic home situations, or they are foreign born, or they are transient and parents don't have the interest or the time to read with them.

For the summer send off, each child receives a "Bag of Blessings" of fun items, but included is an application for a Columbus Public Library Card and a flier for the school's six-week summer reading program. Also provided for the send-off is a trumpeter and a catered dinner for the families. The church is providing the summer bookclub, and members can purchase the books (which the children keep), read with the children, provide the snacks or be a host/hostess.

275 What books do pastors read?

“When pastors were asked to identify the three books that had been most helpful to them as a ministry leader during the past three years, more than two hundred different books were listed. However, only nine books were listed by at least 2% of all pastors; just ten authors were identified by at least 2% of pastors, and just three categories of books were named by at least 10% of the church leaders interviewed.” Barna Research.

The Purpose Driven Life and Purpose Driven Church topped the list, particularly with baby boomer pastors of large congregations (our large multi-campus church used these titles and 2 or our 4 pastors are boomers).

I thought the categories read by the different age groups and different denominations were very interesting. Older pastors and women tend to read fewer books on leadership; main-line pastors read less in the area of evangelism and more in theology; and pastors of small churches read fewer books.

274 Self-Control, Gift of the Spirit

My friend Sylvia is visiting this week-end, so this morning we attended two services, the 8:30 a.m. traditional at our Lytham Road campus, and the 10 a.m. contemporary at the Mill Run campus. It was communion Sunday, so after the second time I leaned over and whispered to her, "If we attend any more services we'll be tipsy."

Pastor Jeff had another good children's sermon using a cookie jar to talk about self-control. He asked the children, "What do you think is in this cookie jar?" and one little guy said, "Your cell phone!" Really, how do kids come up with these answers?

Although Jeff (LR) gave a strong gospel message, I sort of enjoyed some of the points in Pastor Dave's (MR) sermon. Specifically when he talked about the relationship between freedom and self-control. "Who today is the most free?" he asked. In the music world, it is the one who spent the hours and hours on scales and drills. On the basketball court, it is the player who practiced the most. In finances, it is the person who saved and invested and paid her bills who is now free. He also reminded us that it is the disciplines of the Christian life--Bible study, prayer, corporate worship, and fellowship with other believers--that keep us in the flow of the Holy Spirit.

273 The hymns of Charles Wesley

In the morning I try to read a daily selection from "Amazing Grace; 366 inspiring hymn stories for daily devotions" by Kenneth W. Osbeck. Every entry is wonderful, not only for the story of each hymn, but the inspiring thoughts of Mr. Osbeck. Other devotional sources I've tired of, but never this one.

However, no hymn writer is as amazing as Charles Wesley who wrote 6,500 hymns. Think of that. If I read one of his hymns each day, studying the scripture or theology on which he based them, it would take me over 16 years just to read them! So if he wrote one every 48 hours, that would be a non-stop effort of nearly 35 years.

And if that isn't amazing with a capital A, he also traveled over 250,000 miles on horseback preaching to over 40,000 people. How do you write hymns on horseback? He must have been composing in his head while swaying and bumping along. However he did it, 200 years later we are still being blessed by his efforts and faithfulness.

O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing

272 Never ask a question during the children's sermon

This morning Pastor Jeff called the children forward to the front of the sanctuary and sitting beneath the cross and in front of the altar, he opened a brown paper bag. "I have similar items in this bag, and I want you to tell me what they all do." One by one he pulled out a bottle of glue, a rope, a roll of scotch tape, a big roll of duct tape, and some velcro with great drama for each item. He commented that duct tape seemed to be holding the world together these days and "what would we do without duct tape," and went on to explain the velcro. "What do these things all have in common?" he asked. One older child said, "They hold things together." "That's right," Jeff said. "And what holds us together in God's love?" One little guy so excited, shouted "DUCT TAPE!"

Pentecost Concert

Our choir presented a wonderful "Choral Evensong on Pentecost" yesterday afternoon at 4 p.m. It was a time to show off our "new choir" (specifically for the Lytham Rd. campus) and our newly refurbished pipe organ. Interspersed with brief messages from the pastor and scripture reading, we had choral numbers, brass ensemble pieces, two hymns with the congregation, and several organ solos.

Pastor Paul made the most stunning remark I've ever heard at a church concert. He told us we had work to do--that listening was the work of the audience. I wish that message could have come before the wonderful organ/brass Prelude (Praise the Lord, Sigfrid Karg-Elert). A woman behind me was reading the program aloud and commenting to her guest--who probably could have read it herself, and the woman beside me was chatting with her companions. The louder the brass, the louder they talked. As a former trombone player, I wanted to hear the Prelude!

Paul also gave us a bit of history about the organ that I didn't know. The church is 49 years old. A member gave a $50,000 gift in 1970 to purchase the organ, and Paul estimated the same instrument would be $500,000 today. But in 1983 the size of the sanctuary was doubled (holds about 750), and there was not enough space to enlarge the pipes to really fill the church with the sound needed for some pieces. In January the pipes of the organ were dismantled and taken out for repairs and cleaning (we used the piano), and when it was reinstalled, there were some ranges included that are digital since there is no room for additional pipes. A few years ago another member in her will left $250,000 to the church just for the music program, and $80,000 of that when to repair and refurbish the organ. (I didn't have a pencil with me to take notes, so I might have a few details incorrect.)

And another thing I loved. The women of the choir wore white shirts and black skirts or slacks and the men wore dark suits with white shirts and ties. There were times in the past when I'd have to shut my eyes to the cacophony of colors and clothing styles during concerts. Our new director must be from the old school who thinks sight and sound need to be in relationship, not fighting each other.

270 What Mel did for Jim

Jerry and I met in the late 1980s at our first Medical Library Association meeting. Boston maybe? We became almost instant friends. Two things, besides our profession, bonded us. We both had bad backs and were standing up against the wall to listen to presentations and we both attended Al-Anon. We continued to meet annually--Seattle, San Antonio, Detroit, Philadelphia and probably a few other cities. We also met each others husbands.

We'd sort of lost track these last few years--she took some exotic positions out of the country, but e-mail recently reconnected us. She happened to mention that her husband had become a Christian and stopped drinking. "Tell me more," I responded in the reply message. Here's what she told me, and it is absolutely awesome. Enjoy--I have her permission to share.

"A year ago February, we were in Florida with my brother, Tom, and his wife Jeannie. They invited us to go see the Passion of the Christ. Jim said, "Why not?". He came out of the movie just sobbing--received Christ at the point of Jesus leaving the Tomb. It was an awesome occasion. I was what you would call a back slider. Had been a Christian for years--just wasn't walking the talk. We came home from Florida and joined a wonderful church--Clarkston Community. Pastor, congregation, music everything is just awesome. Can't wait to go every Sunday. Jim has become involved with Habitat for Humanity--he's a house leader for the June Build. He worked as one last year, as well. I've been trying to organize the church library--no space!!! Jim quit drinking that night of the Passion. Just amazing what a happier person he is now. Life is good!!"

269 Roast Preacher for Dinner

You've probably heard that old saw--"after church they had roast preacher for dinner." Saturday night we had dinner at friends--I think there were 11 of us, and the topic turned to preaching. We were all Lutherans, some Missouri Synod, some ELCA. Our church is fortunate to have four really outstanding pastors, all with different gifts. Jeff, the youngest is an orator--his preaching skills are amazing and energizing. Paul, the senior pastor, is gentle, soft spoken and an encourager. His father and grandfather were Lutheran Pastors. Dave is our theologian and teacher--I love his classes and have blogged about them. He is a former missionary and an excellent musician. But I love John's faithfulness to preaching the gospel--his attention to the "left side of the THEREFORE." Like me, he was a church member all of his life, but the light turned on for him in his 30s when he was a schoolteacher in the Columbus Public Schools and he left a successful career to go to seminary. So he knows from experience there are a lot of member-seekers sitting in the pew every Sunday who need to hear the Gospel in fresh, but persistent ways.

The left side of therefore. By that I mean if you ever see the word THEREFORE, or NOW in Paul's letters, pay attention. He's just finished up laying out for you why you should believe. The cross and the resurrection. Then he moves on to what you should do about it. So many sermons focus on the right side of the THEREFORE, and the sermon becomes just so much law. "Therefore, do this, and that, and don't forget about thus."

Sunday morning John was the pastor at the service I attended (we have 10 services). I had been finishing up some art show details, and slipped into the last pew by my husband who was an usher that service. The sermon was just starting. John announced the good news that Jesus had died for our sins, that his resurrection was our hope. The topic of the current sermon series is "gifts of the spirit," and the day's theme was kindness. He went on to tell a personal story (forgot to mention that John is the best story teller, having been an elementary school teacher). After selling their home to church members about 8 years ago, they moved to a condo. The new residents didn't wait for the neighbors to call on them, and instead, on Christmas Eve took cookies to the neighbors. They met a family who had just experienced a death and were grieving. They invited them to church and offered to pick them up. That couple have since become members and love the church. John said somewhat sheepishly that he had lived there for years and although he had spoken to them about yard and flowers, had never invited them to church or offered a simple kindness like a plate of cookies.

Coming away from a sermon with one major point to ponder is good; but coming away with that point plus the Gospel is even better. Thanks, Pastor John.

268 The Festival of Blue Hair and Walkers

Alto Artist blogs about being a Jewish singer in "On Chanting." Once you start reading her story it is difficult to stop. To begin at the beginning, I think you need to go to the February archives. Here's a sample:

"When I had a moment of awareness, years later--a sudden and jarring formulation, for which I was not prepared, of the idea that I did believe in God--I thought I had gone crazy. It made no sense. Rational people didn't waste brain power on this. It was months before I even mentioned it to anyone. In the interim, I started going to services. It was an unusual synagogue, full of singing and dancing--based upon my prior experiences, I barely recognized it as Jewish. And there was often a woman standing at the bima, which was utterly alien. I told myself that it was fun, and a great place to meet guys, but the real reason I returned each week, even going so far as to wake up early on Saturday morning, was to convince myself that I wasn't nuts. Here were hundreds of smart Jewish people who prayed; they couldn't all be living in a fantasy world (especially since a large percentage were mental health professionals, this being the Upper West Side), could they?"

And another:

"Chanting Torah had always seemed like one of those interesting and ridiculously difficult things other people did, like roping calves or writing symphonies, solidly ouside the realm of experience I happened to occupy in this lifetime. On the other hand, thirteen-year-old boys and girls did it all the time, so I knew it was easier than brain surgery. And it involved singing, an opportunity I could never turn down. Intrigued by the challenge, I agreed to give it a try."

Hat tip to Glory Be for introducing this wonderful writer.

267 Visual Arts Ministry has three shows in May

The Visual Arts Ministry of Upper Arlington Lutheran Church (UALC) is planning three shows for May-June, 2005. At The Church at Mill Run, 3500 Mill Run Drive, Hilliard, OH 43026, from May 7 -June 11, 2005 we will again offer the Spring Show for the Upper Arlington Art League. Popular Lewis Center artist Charles Rowland will judge the show. At The Church on Lytham Road, 2300 Lytham Road, Upper Arlington, 43220 from May 6 through June 10, we are offering "The Elaines." Watercolorists Elaine Strutner of Upper Arlington and Elaine Sherer of Dublin, both of whom began seriously painting after retirement, are the featured artists. The members of the UALC Visual Arts Ministry are having their own show at the Upper Arlington Public Library, 2800 Tremont Road, Upper Arlington, 43221 during the month of May.

The web page for the Visual Arts Ministry is a bit out of date, because I'm in charge. We use a turn-key system that I think is a bit cranky and I haven't been able to get in to revise our section for maybe a year or more.

266 Hildegard von Bingen

Today my Inner Catholic cum Latin Wannabe decided to check out some Cds of lovely, spiritual music from the library. I chose two discs of Hildegard Von Bingen, a 12th century musical genius, a German Abbess. She was quite sickly as a child, but seemed to have a rich interior life which was the basis of her music and writings. Right now I’m listening to Vision; The Music of Hildegard Von Bingen, by Richard Souther. This is a jazz interpretation, and I suppose I could say I’m not beside myself with joy over it. So now I’ve switched to Diadema. One account of her life and work says Hildegard was most recently hijacked by the New Age Movement. I’d been listening to some old timey hymns in the car, like Trust and Obey, and What a Friend we have in Jesus. I’m probably not ready for Hildegard, but it is interesting that regardless the age, illness and difficulty seem to have inspired many hymn writers.

Our Lady of Liturgical Abuses

Vox Lauri is a Roman Catholic librarian with a lot of health problems and a quirky sense of humor. After attending Mass at OLLA she stops at a Walgreens to buy hair dye where she encounters "burly man" who sat next to her in church. She tells quite a wild story.

"Around the store all the employees were talking about the fight: burly man tried to stop a shoplifter. I immediately thought that wasn't too bright, as in burly man could have gotten killed to save Walgreen’s the loss of a talking fish plaque or Chia Pet. The police arrived and took a statement, promised to look for the thief; their promise almost like someone asking how you are or wishing you a nice day, trite and expected."

264 A Mother's Peace

We don’t usually stay for Sunday School after worship. However, today our pastor encouraged the congregation at the 8:30 service to stay and hear Rachel Muha talk about God’s peace, and the murder of her 18 year old son, during the Sunday School hour. We are doing a series on the gifts of the Spirit, and today’s topic was Peace, using the passage, Phillipians 4:7, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

We were so blessed by Mrs. Muha’s loving, quiet ways. A tiny woman with a lovely smile who appears to be in her mid-40s, she talked about her two sons, Chris and Brian, their growing up years in a Columbus suburb, their school and activities, and their love for family, church and community. Both went to Franciscan University in Steubenville, OH and that’s where Brian and his roommate were kidnapped and then murdered in Pennsylvania in May 1999. She talked about prayer and the peace God gave her as each horrible detail began to unfold. As the students packed the college chapel to pray for the missing students, Mrs. Muha addressed them and said, “Whoever is responsible for what has happened to Brian and Aaron, and whatever you have done to them, I forgive you.”

She talked about why she had to forgive the three young men, Terrell, Nathan and Brandon, who murdered Brian Muha and Aaron Land. Hers is not a warm, fuzzy, whimpy forgiveness--she says her heart has been shattered and will always be in a million pieces. But she won’t let the devil make her hate. She concluded with the story of the Prodigal Son, and says she prays daily for those young men and hopes that prison will be their path to heaven. She calls them her brothers. They have not yet repented six years later, so she urged us to pray for them also.

There are numerous accounts of this crime and the trial on the internet, but I thought this one, less than a year after Brian’s death, accurately reflected what she told our group.

After the trial, Tony Norman wrote:

“At the heart of the courtroom's luminous drama was Rachel Muha, the mother of Brian. Her gracious speech will reverberate for years in that sad and divided community.

"If you hadn't done this, I would have my Brian and you would have your freedom," she said calmly. "But losing your freedom is not as bad as losing your soul." She then asked Herring to redeem the rest of his years on Earth before blessing him and assuring him she'd pray for him.

Herring had no idea a year ago that he'd ever be confronted by such a woman. Had he known such love in his life, he would've wrestled his partner to the ground. Taking a bullet would've been better than living under the weight of a heartbroken mother's prayers.

Rachel Muha's redemption song has stunned and inspired many people. What the petite woman did in the presence of the tall man who helped kill her son required a bravery beyond what it takes to squeeze the trigger of a gun. What good is hatred? Rachel Muha understands that, sometimes, the language of redemption is the only thing in the whole world that makes any sense.”

A loophole in Ohio's law has caused our Supreme Court to throw out the murder convictions in this brutal case, according to this article and this one, and that loophole has now been closed, but too late for the victim's families.

263 Les Miserables

Cindy Swanson writes about Les Miserables, and her anticipation of using the tickets for the Chicago production given as a birthday gift.

"I absolutely LOVE the music in Les Miserables. I also appreciate the Christian world-view that permeates the play. Grace/mercy versus legalism/justice--it's a pretty classic theme. I love the character of Jean Valjean--he epitomizes a redeemed soul. I think Valjean's lyrics in "What Have I Done?" are a picture of salvation:

"I am reaching, but I fall
And the night is closing in
And I stare into the void
To the whirlpool of my sin
I'll escape now from the world
From the world of Jean Valjean
Jean Valjean is nothing now
Another story must begin!"

Sounds spectacular, Cindy. Hope it met all your expectations. Cindy is a radio announcer and voice-over artist by occupation. She loves to read and write, and can't live a day without music, according to her bio.

262 The Pope is Catholic

Isn't that a surprise! Philip Lawler in today's Wall Street Journal says that the portrait being painted of Benedict XVI by the MSM responding to the secular liberals "is completely at odds with the actual personality of Benedict XVI. In fact, he is a genial, diffident man. Those who meet him for the first time are invariably struck by the humility that camouflages his powerful intellect." He comments that belief in absolute truth gives offense to those who cling to the self-contradictory principle that there are no absolutes. Their real complaint is that the Pope is Catholic. Lawler is editor of Catholic World Report.

As a Protestant (Lutheran) watching all this unfold during the last few weeks with the death of the Pope and selection of the new Pope, I've discovered my inner Catholic. And my high school Latin. I actually want someone in charge! I'd like someone to say, this is right and that is wrong despite what your government or school system or entertainers say. In Protestantism we are constantly thrown from one side of the boat to the other, and we wander from church door to church door looking for truth. We don't take in converts, we get disgruntled transfers seeking different music and jazzy programming. All Protestant denominations have had numerous splits and schisms. Then they regroup and start all over again. I think when the Catholic church caves, we're all in trouble.

I've heard a few Catholic commentators suggest to those Catholics who don't like what the church is doing, to "walk." Well, stay out of our neighborhood--we've got enough problems of our own figuring it out.

261 Good for traveling

On our recent trip to Illinois I brought along Hank Hanegraaff's 4 disc set of Bible questions, The Bible Answer Book and thoroughly enjoyed it. I checked it out of our church library, and at $20 I think it is an excellent buy and would recommend it. One gets tired of talk radio, inane advertisements and loud music on these long trips, so it was very pleasant to listen to his clear and thoughtful explanations of common questions people have about the Bible.

I'm more a book/print person myself, but if the speaker is slow enough and varies his voice, I can get a lot out of it. I recently tried Anne Graham Lotz's "Why; trusting God when you don't understand" which is read, unabridged by the author on 3 discs. However, she reads too fast and there was not enough variation in tone and value to make it an easy listen, so I stopped half way into the first disc.

260 Spitting in the wind

And I'll say it again, anyway. In my reading of Christian authors, the biggest challenge is often finding a clear presentation of the Gospel, and that includes Max Lucado and Rick Warren, two extremely popular Christian writers. Wonderful writers both, but because they know the Gospel so well, they fail to build a foundation for their readers. All Christian writers and publishers can assume that at some point a seeker or an unbeliever will pick up their material, so they shouldn't start with sanctification assuming the reader knows about sin and salvation.

A Prayer for the Unemployed

A young man at another site is going on an interview and has asked the other bloggers for prayer. He didn't leave his e-mail address, and I thought this reply might be unappreciated if posted at that site, so I'll put it here and make a referral. This prayer is taken from "My Prayer Book" published by Concordia in 1957. I've modernized the language a bit.

"Dear Father in Heaven, Giver of all good things, I thank you that you have created me and preserved me to this day. You know my needs and my fears because of my present unemployment. I ask you to comfort and strengthen me, and help me to maintain my hope and courage.

It is clear from your Word that work is normal and good for man, yet I have not found the work which I need and seek. This situation is hard to understand. Help me, Lord, to surrender wholly to you and to look to you for the employment which I need.

I pray Lord, correct what is wrong with me or with the employment situation in general, and give me the opportunity to earn my own bread. Open a door to employment which I do not now see. Keep me from discouragement and bitterness, and help me to put my trust in you.

Help me to say with a believing heart: "The eyes of all wait upon Thee, O Lord, and Thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest Thine hand and satisfiest the desire of every living thing."

In that knowledge and in that faith make me trusting and patient. In the meantime care for me and mine according to your promise. I trust you will do so for the sake of Jesus Christ, my Savior, in whom you have promised to give us all things. Amen."

I used to think it odd that people relied on printed prayers, but I see more and more are being published. I often refer to this little pocket size book and have found it very flexible and scriptural. It even has prayers for various professions (although not librarians). The petitioner expresses his needs and fears and discouragement then asks for a fresh look at the situation, for trust and patience. Unemployment is very wearing on the soul and spirit.

258 Watching the Papal Conclave

CBS News broke into the Dr. Phil Show to allow us to see this historic moment. However, the news speakers just blathered on and on--I couldn't even hear the music. So I turned on Fox News, and got a simple 30 minutes of just the event of the cardinals taking the secrecy oath. I briefly checked CNN and they were chattering too. Eventually, Fox added the voice of a Roman Catholic priest, knowledgeable about the Sistine Chapel, the faith and event who explained the theological and political significance. Then they too succumbed to the "can't have a dead space" disease.

Photo here

You too?

"The music employed by the Church, and used in the bumpers for the coverage [of the Pope's death], which is much different from the Sunday Catholic worship norm. The reason? We are talking about death and resurrection right now. Whatever the virtues of most modern popular Catholic worship music, it is not generally about those subjects."

Seen at Dyspeptic Mutterings

256 Spring Break

Check out one of my paintings and a poem about April at my other blog, Collecting my Thoughts.

Ideas have consequences

One of the things that has disturbed me about the Terri news coverage is that the outrage about the starvation and thirst (even the callous Europeans are horrified), might actually work in favor of the pro-death crowd. Denyse O'Leary writes: "Starting slowly in the early 20th century, but now picking up speed, naturalism has begun to make deep inroads into our culture, including the school systems. And we are seeing the results.

At one time, only unborn children slated for abortion were treated with complete indifference to their possible suffering. Now it could be you. And if you complain that Terri is being treated cruelly, you will be told that a lethal injection would be more humane. In other words, going the whole way of treating all humans as animals would be more humane.

So, even if you are not religious or not socially concerned, but merely selfish, wake up and care."

The whole essay is well worth reading.

254 Lip Service after Easter Services?

On Good Friday, Zach Wendling wrote about why he treasures the services held on that day--services that end in total darkness leaving one with a sense of horror at what has transpired on our behalf, Jesus death on the cross for our sins.

“Before Jesus could overcome sin and death by his glorious resurrection on Sunday, he had to endure that sin and death today. What we will celebrate in two (three?) days is predicated by what happened today, and so it behooves us to mark this day as different. To ignore Good Friday and skip straight to Easter may even have theologically troubling implications. Pride makes us want to ignore our sin and skip straight to the Gospel message of salvation and joy, and appropriately, Easter is a celebration of that salvation. Good Friday, on the other hand, is a stark reminder of why we need Christ, why he died, and how he died.” Zach Wendling In the Agora

In a nutshell, Wendling described why so many sermons with “bumper sticker gospel” fall flat, both for the saints and the ain‘ts. To me they are stuck either on Palm Sunday with happy, relationship themes, or they underscore the law in Paul’s writings with admonitions to go out and do more witnessing, more serving, more stewardship, more good examples, etc. They not only skip over the Resurrection, our hope, the rest of the church year, but ignore what happened on Good Friday.

“Pride makes us want to ignore our sin and skip straight to the Gospel message of salvation and joy.”

Here’s an example of the Gospel of Jesus Christ reworked to be inoffensive. Our church magazine for March has a reprinted interview with Quaker Richard J. Foster, the founder of Renovaré. My first complaint is that his article on prayer is reprinted from The Plain Truth, the organ of a sect that I’m not ready yet to embrace given its founding by Herbert W. Armstrong and the Worldwide Church of God (which has split into many factions since Armstrong‘s death).

I know Foster is considered a wonderful writer, but in this interview the Gospel is just gibberish, an unbeliever would never figure it out and a believer would just be lulled to sleep with all that sweetness and joy. There is no Good Friday. No Easter. Only figuring out through trial and error how to get close to God in prayer--which sounds an awful lot like works to me. It’s not that tough in a two page article to insert a few words about sin and the cross so we have a foundation from which to start. Here’s the cheerleading, bumper sticker gospel to which I object:

“God will not come into certain corners of our lives until we open those corners to him.”

“It is the life relationship, the interaction with God, that changes us.”

“Prayer is one of the means God uses for purifying our motives [to pray?].”

[Through prayer, good, bad, whatever ?] the problems of sin begin to be dealt with in time.”

“A loving relationship with God . . .is a great adventure.”

The name of Jesus does not appear anywhere in the article. Even the Muslim clerk at Meijer’s says, “God bless you” after our chats.

The article did drive me to his website, which is better than this interview--actually mentions Jesus--but still bogs down in relationship chatter. Sort of the ecumenical version of, “do you have a personal relationship with Jesus” to the power of 10.

253 Not only Christians fight for Terri

"Eleanor Smith of Decatur, Georgia, sat on Tuesday in a motorized wheelchair in front of the hospice, baking in the sun, with a sign on her lap reading, "This agnostic liberal says 'Feed Terri."'

Seems she'll take the Christians over the ACLU when it comes to life.

Story here.

252 The gift of helps

In December 2003 I wrote about the Gift of Helps I saw in action while helping a friend recovering from an injury. The story here.

251 Ten myths about Contemporary Christian Music in Worship

I enjoy contemporary Christian music--in my office, in aerobics class and in the car. I’m listening to some right now on an Internet radio station. So does Michael Spencer, the Internet Monk. He’s not too thrilled with some of the mythology concerning its use in worship. He writes a six-pager on this topic, so I’m including just the ten points with highlights of his essay. I think I’ve heard at least eight of them just casually talking to people in the narthex at our church about why they attend a particular service (we have ten, four styles of worship). You can read the whole thing--and it is worth every word and very funny in a serious sort of way--at http://www.internetmonk.com/looney.html From here on, it's all the Monk.

1. Contemporary Praise and Worship music is especially anointed of God. Advocates of P & W have lost the capacity to realize that Christian music companies will say anything to sell product.

2. God has sent contemporary Praise and Worship music to.....
A. Revive the End Times Church before the Rapture. This is patently ridiculous.
B. Break down "religious strongholds" in the church. I think this means that God wants us to act strangely and say it's the Holy Spirit. Loosing a "religious spirit" seems to be Churchspeak for doing something that used to get the ushers on your case.
C. Minister to the special issues of "this generation." "This generation" seems to be a movable term that most often applies to young people willing to fight you to turn the front of the church into a mosh pit.

3. Praise and Worship Music evangelizes without preaching.
Praise and Worship music falls somewhere between pretty good use of Bible texts to complete nonsense. Preaching, when done right, proclaims Christ and how to be saved every time it opens its mouth.

4. Praise and Worship Music brings down the Holy Spirit.
Among systematically goofy theology, this is one of the patriarchs. . . God PROMISES to be present with His people when they gather in His name. Music is completely irrelevant to the intention of God to keep his promises to His people.

5. Praise and Worship music brings a unique experience of God's Glory.
God's glory is a major Biblical theme, and encountering the glory of God would qualify as the greatest trauma a sinful human could experience. The contemporary Praise and Worship crowd apparently believes that Christians are now invited to become like Moses, and experience the glory of God routinely.

6. The overridingly important factor in deciding what church [service] to attend is MUSIC. [I]t's clear that church government, leadership, the sacraments, preaching, teaching, discipleship, doctrine and church support of the family are all areas where scripture gives some guidance of importance to any of us who are picking a church. Yet, I am not aware of any way to read the Bible that places music in such an important place in church life.

7. People worship better with contemporary Praise and Worship music. How lame is it to say that a mini-concert with hand motions is "worship" and everything else is what we did before, after or instead of "worship"? Since when do we worship "better" based on whether we are singing "A Mighty Fortress" with piano or "Shout to the Lord" with a band? Do these people have any idea what worship is anyway?

8. Contemporary Praise and Worship music is used by the Holy Spirit to bypass the mind and go directly into the human spirit where real change can occur. I feel dirty typing such an absurd sentence . . . This kind of kookicity seems to come from the spiritual warfare camp, where tales of doing an end run on the devil by slipping in through music are pretty common.

9. Contemporary Praise and Worship Music is taking music away from the devil and using it for God. Theology at work here: giving the devil credit for the appeal of the larger culture, especially music, and then sending the church on a mission to raid the pantry.

10. Using contemporary Praise and Worship Music is necessary for a church growth breakthrough. If growth occurs, we ought to be able to say with Luther, "The Word did it all!"

250 A great old hymn

Rebecca in the cold Yukon points us to a warm place in our hymn memory, O sacred head now wounded. Good Friday is not a day for those happy/clappy choruses we hear so often these days in church.

And I think of Terri.

My Savior, be now near her when death is at her door;
Then let your presence cheer her, forsake her nevermore!
When soul and body languish, oh, leave her not alone,
But take away her anguish by virtue of your own!

Note: The English was translated from the German which was probably translated from Old French or Latin, so a few adjustments didn't seem out of place for 21st century American English.

249 Jesus died for Michael Schiavo

For this topic, I'm referring you to my other blog, where it was posted yesterday (it gets 5 times the hits as this blog). Most observers agree that the moral thing to do would be for Michael to turn Terri over to her family. However, experts on federalism, states rights, neurology, palative care, right to die, right to live, and rights for the disabled are all over the map on this one causing huge rifts among people who would normally be standing together. Speculation on why Michael won't do the moral thing has caused screaming, vituperative fits of text and video, and even Christians are taking opposite sides. Time to reflect. Jesus died for Michael.

248 Thanks, but I'll pass

Today we received an invitation from an area church that is planning a forum to "explore moral issues grounded in individual internal consistency rather than any political party or ideological position." The church is responding "to the deep divisions regarding moral values that came to a head in the last election cycle."

On the playbill are a retired Lutheran theologian; an official of Stonewall Columbus; an official of the local and national ACLU; an advisor for health policy at OSU; a former judge; someone from the office of public defenders; a doctor; a professor of health services management; a professor of history; a a former counsel for the ACLU.

Hmm. Grounded in individual internal consistency. Not grounded in Biblical faith or understanding. Many Democrats followed their belief core on life and crossed party lines. Many Republicans, likewise saw the war as a serious moral lapse, and voted outside the party. Is this forum suggesting they should've voted the party instead of beliefs?

The issues on the list are incredibly important. Why shouldn't we be divided? Do they plan to dialogue for 15 minutes about abortion and stem cell research and move to break-out groups thinking we'll come to a consensus on a Spring Sunday afternoon with snacks and child care?

This Easter, the Passion of Terri Schiavo

"This year it would seem we are to approach Eastertide through the passion play of Terri Schiavo. Now the new culture of technology and disposability vs. the old culture of loyalty and love is put on upon our video stage for what may only be a two-week run before death brings down the curtain. The ultimate end of the play -- two weeks or twenty years -- is not in doubt. No matter. Its resolution it is already that of a vast cultural tragedy. Performed by the Shiavos, the courts, the media, the congress, it was written by all of us day by day over several generations that only wanted one thing -- more. Seen for what it is, it sickens all of us as it should. It is only proper that we now be forced to watch what we have made. . .

This previously private but now national drama reminds us -- as things magnified by our relentless media often do -- that one of the crucial questions of our blighted age is whether or not we are correct in regarding human life as something which is, under the proper conditions and self-ascribed definitions, something that really is "disposable" whenever it becomes inconvenient? And in our answer to this, whatever it may be, we shall learn very little about Terri Schiavo but a great deal about ourselves." American Digest

246 Your view of Terri

For now, there appears to be a compromise that might restore Terri's feeding tube. Now that Terri's face is finally on the national news, even with the condescending, sneers of the MSM commentators who don't know the facts, it is still surprising to me that when the human being is the most helpless, and can't speak for herself, her value and worth, as a creation of God and as a citizen, is determined by the beliefs of the guardian and not by U.S. law or a higher law. In Terri's case, her husband and guardian believes she has no value in her present condition. The people who know her best, her parents, disagree, as do thousands of other Americans. In other cases, it is a mother and an unborn child. If the guardian (the mother) believes the child growing within her will have an unpleasant, or unhealthy or inconvenient life, she determines the child's worth. She determines that her own wishes and values are of greater worth than the child's life.

I listened to Joni Eareckson Tada on the radio Friday. She and all the disabled community are watching this case very carefully, and she stressed again that thousands of people receive nutrition and hydration this way, and it is NOT considered an extreme or invasive life support method. It was reported that Bill Frist of Congress (R-TN) has talked to a neurologist who believes some of Terri's faculties could be restored--but her husband has prevented her therapy, for which he was awarded over a million dollars.

Terri is not aware enough to know the battle that roars around her. Satan has made sure that millions of others will be oblivious too. Terri may die, but now millions know how disabled and dying people are treated in hospice and nursing homes. I know a woman whose father was starved to death (no feeding tube was involved) his last days. Because he was in his 90s and very weak, it didn't take all that long. It was simply agreed between the staff and his wife (not the mother of this woman) to discontinue feeding him. When she (a nurse) and her sister (also a nurse) traveled across several states to be with him in Michigan while he died, they snuck into his room, disobeyed the orders that he wasn't to be fed, and gave him broth. He then immediately revived and knew them. His wife was furious, they were told to leave, and they weren't allowed at his final services when he died.

So, if you're thinking Terri is just one person, about whom the Congress shouldn't be concerned or pass special legislation, think again. Next time, it might be you, or your parent, or your married child.

245 St. Patrick's Breastplate

A Lutheran pastor comments on St. Patrick's Breastplate.

244 He's really leaning!

A Canadian church planter, Off shore Fisherman, is really leaning on the everlasting arms. His family is house hunting and in bidding wars. He writes:

"Nothing has come up. But I know, my Lord already knows
who my neighbours are.

Though it feels like we are hanging on by the fingertips,
I know who catches us."

243 Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

"I don’t recall ever hearing this hymn in my home church in Mt. Morris, Illinois--we rarely sang anything with a strong beat, a waltz tune, or revivalist vigor--and you could almost do a slow jitterbug to this one. So I will forever associate it with a tiny church in Flat Creek, Kentucky, (near Manchester) where my sister Carol served with Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) in the summer of 1956. The only service I attended in the little church included this hymn, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” but they sang it like a mournful dirge. The small, poor congregation, who leaned not only on God but each other, the nasal harmony, and the heat of that summer have always stayed with me reminding me of Carol when I hear it."

My blog today at Collecting My Thoughts.

242 How is Luke doing?

For several months I've been reading the amazing blog about a little guy named Luke who drowned and was revived after 30 minutes 6 months ago. His parents created a blog to keep their friends and family up on his condition and therapy. He just celebrated his second birthday. Here's just one of the routines his mother, Sue, reports:

"After our PT appt. we went to our Pulmonologist appt. I knew when we went in that Luke had a cough that he needed to get out, this happens rarely, of course it had to happen while we were there. At first when the Dr. listened to his lungs while covering his trach he seemed congested and labored breathing, the second the Dr. took his finger off the trach he let out a big cough. I suctioned him and the Dr. listened once again and said that he sounded much better and was more comfortable having his trach covered. We left there with great hope that we will be getting his trach out next month if all goes well with the capping process, he said we could start covering his trach, as soon as we get the cap. If the bronchial scope looks good and he does okay when they take out his trach then he will leave the Hospital the next day without his trach. Please be praying that he will be able to wear his cap all the time and that the bronchial scope will be in God's perfect timing."

Last week Sue reported on a visit with a neurological developmentalist: "She said that given what Luke has been through he is doing great. She told us that his brain is working better than we think. She saw him respond to a request almost immediately after asking him to look me in the eyes she said that it was very fast, that quite often in brain injuries there is a delay in following directions and that she didn't see this in him. She set us up with an intense program to help Luke with quite a few area's in his development."

As I read about their commitment to this child who may always be challenged in his physical and mental development but is making progress every day, I can't help but think of the helplessness Terri Schiavo's parents must feel as they watch their own baby wasting away without therapy, at risk from a husband and court intent on killing her.

241 The Anniversary of The Passion

As the anniversary of The Passion comes around, I’m seeing images from the film appearing in Easter meditations, web sites and magazines. The passions last year about The Passion have dimmed. Millions of people saw it; few were converted because it was primarily shown to believers. Although only time will tell, it was not an effective evangelism tool.

It should be noted that there are still Christians who think the film was just awful and too violent (usually those who didn’t see it), and non-Christians who think it is anti-Jewish (many of those didn‘t see it either). I’ll leave them to their squabbles, but for those Christians whose complaints have been the extra-Biblical sources Gibson used in his research about the crucifixion, I suggest here that if a preacher’s topic is the twenty-third Psalm, he’s probably looked at some extra-Biblical sources about sheep breeds, the Holy Land pastures and dangers, and what shepherds do for a living. If he’s preaching on Martha and Mary, I hope he’s done his research on just what running a household meant 2000 years ago (just a guess here, but the men usually don‘t research this part of that New Testament story, but women pastors do).

However, this morning I was reading a book that is twenty years old, “The Empty Cross of Jesus” by Michael Green (IVP, 1984). To set the stage for Jesus’ death he writes about the use of a cross in Roman times. First he quotes Cicero as it being a most cruet and terrible punishment, and supplies the information that it was a humiliating death reserved for slaves and the lowest of the low. After describing several types of crosses, he comments that it is widely believed that Jesus was executed on the Latin cross (crux inmissa). Then he moves on to a description that could be the background for Gibson’s movie.

“The condemned man was invariably scourged, and men were known to die under that punishment alone, so severe were the wounds inflicted by this cruel cat-o’-nine-tails inset with pieces of metal. It is possible that Jesus suffered this punishment (Matt. 26:67; John 19:1). Thereafter, he had to carry the patibulum of his cross, and was led out under armed guard to die. . . He might have his wrists tied or nailed to the patibulum and then be hauled by ropes up on to the stipes which was already firmly fixed in the ground. More commonly the cross was put together on the ground, the condemned man bound or nailed to it, and the whole thing then erected and dropped into a pit that had been prepared to receive it. The degradation of the criminal was completed by his very clothes being taken from him. He was exposed naked on the cross. The cause of his being there was written above his head and fixed to the cross; and he was left there to die slowly in intense agony from exhaustion, thirst, and wounds.

The criminal had, of course, no recourse but to curse, spit and urinate on his tormentors. Often the kindler execution squads would offer a draught of drugged wine before nailing the man up. . . sometimes a rough sedile or saddle was fixed to the cross. This offered support to the crucified man, and often prolonged his life. By raising himself up on his lacerated feet and the saddle he could give some respite to heart and lungs which were put under immense strain by the position of the crucifixion. When the torture was deemed to have gone on long enough, or in order to ensure that the man was dead, the soldiers would perform the crurifragium, or breaking of the legs. This meant that the man, if still alive, could no longer hoist himself and would soon expire. The physical effects of crucifixion were appalling. Of all deaths it is the most lingering and agonizing. . . The agony of crucifixion was terrible beyond words. But it was not uncommon.”

Green goes on to describe the wounds, circulation, chest pain, etc. At the back of the book there is a bibliography, but he has not referenced his sources, which is not uncommon in a non-scholarly book. Even so, he has done some research on what transpired during a crucifixion, and why it was used as punishment. And with crucifixion being as common as it was (one incident involved 2,000 men at once), there are probably a number of extra-Biblical sources, all to checked against each other since no one has observed one today.

I suspect the real complaint conservative Christians have with this movie is Gibson’s Catholicism. And we know what the basis is of the other complaints from non-Christians. They not only don’t want Jesus in the public square, but they don’t want him in privately funded, block-buster movies either. They want Jesus to just go away and be a nice, meek and mild hillside preacher who gets people to share their food and be nice to each other so we can end wars. Unfortunately, a lot of Christians are also working toward that end.

240 Dan Brown and the DaVinci Code

Today at my other, other blog, I write about the DaVinci Code crowd and do a little finger pointing.

239 I just love this stuff!

What this world needs is a few more sermons on Justification and Sanctification and how one isn't the other. Without it, sermons on the Christian life just come across as more law.

"Nevertheless, the holiness wrought within a sinner by the indwelling Triune God never becomes the basis for the believer’s justification (Rom. 3:28). Rather, the good works which flow from a believer’s faith are simply a response to the forgiveness of sins won by Christ in history for sinful mankind (Rom. 6:1ff). Far from being in an adversarial relationship with one another, good works rather flow from faith, which alone receives the benefits of Christ’s saving work, as Luther testifies: “Faith and good works well agree and fit together [are inseparably connected]; but it is faith alone, without works, which lays hold of the blessing; and yet it is never and at no time alone” (Cited in the Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, III.41, in Triglotta, 931). Justifying faith, therefore, molds, shapes, and drives the ethical lives of those redeemed by Christ the crucified."

Steve Parks, a 3rd year student at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, is serving an internship in Texas and blogging at http://sceleratissimus-lutheranus.blogspot.com/

238 Discretion

In every culture there are dress standards for particular occasions. I attend church every week, and not always the same denomination or building or service style. I am convinced there is no one appropriate standard of attire for church services. God can be worshiped on the mountain top, the woods or the movie theater. However, in each location, is it unreasonable to have expectations? I'm thinking there may be no standards at all for those leading the congregation in worship.

I watched a lovely young mother approach the raised altar with one of her children, carrying the communion elements. As she leaned over with her rear to the congregation in her tight slacks, I could not only see her thong/panty line, but her cellulite dimples through the material.

I was at one service where a beautiful young woman in the worship team pranced and danced and swayed in tight jeans and skimpy shirt and seemed to be offering God a fairly good imitation of fellatio with the microphone.

One pastor I heard recently had on soiled, faded jeans and I half expected him to invite us into the woods for a campfire. When the missionary to the Indians preached in a plaid shirt and string tie, I thought it looked just fine, but if he'd been the regular pastor at that Baptist church, he would have looked odd.

Our choir offerings at the liturgical service are so lovely, I close my eyes to listen because they are all dressed in the clothes of their youth, whether they are 25 or 75. It might be a dark suit and tie, a pair of blue jeans with a shabby t-shirt, or a tight polyester dress from the 1970s. Thankfully, all the men have removed their baseball caps. I long for choir robes.

The sextet at another service comes to the front to lead our worship, the men in suits and the ladies in slacks and jeans and clashing colors, their visual cacaphony and large black music stands blocking all the lovely altar pieces of wood, cloth and metal. Their pride stops at the chin line, because all have carefully made up faces.

The "visual noise" is as off-putting as cell phones ringing in a quiet sanctuary or babies screaching into the microphone. It drowns out the music and the message.

237 Death with Ignominy--ours

"Terri is not kept alive by machines. She breathes on her own, and has ever since her incident in 1990. Being paralyzed, she does need help to eat. She is fed through a tube, although her parents believe she might be able to eat normally if given a chance.

The plan is to starve her to death by removing her tube and refusing to allow others feed her. This is supposed to allow her to "die with dignity." A woman in Prince William County, Virginia, just got jail time for starving her dogs. But our judicial system thinks starving is an appropriate end for Terri. Withholding food and water from terrorists is considered torture, but starving the disabled is how we "respect life."

One side of this story can be found at www.terrisfight.org. Terri did not sign a form saying she would want to die. If she had I would disagree with her, but at least it would be her decision. Her husband insists she would want to die, and her parents say she doesn't. There are doctors on both sides. There was a time when the benefit of the doubt would dictate that she be fed, but not today. The concept of "quality of life" as an excuse to end life is a product of the age we live in, to our detriment.

The idea of "death with dignity" is meaningless in this case. If Terri is brain-dead, she has no way to experience "dignity" or anything else. If on the other hand she is still cognitive, as the evidence shows, there is no excuse to starve her to death simply because she can't communicate.

Sarah Scantlin is a young woman who has been in a state similar to Terri's for the past 20 years¯unable to speak or move, and fed through a tube. But to the surprise of her doctors she just started talking again. She is thankful to be alive. It is possible Terri could have the same miracle, if given a chance and the appropriate treatment."

Full essay here.

236 Too bad we missed this one

A Lutheran pastor is on sabbatical and writing about it. As I read his past blogs I came across this artist, whose paintings were affordable 6 months ago (he reports) but are now in the thousands. Our Visual Arts ministry arranges shows for our multi-campused church, but when we have a budget, we also buy it (and move it around in the buildings so it looks fresh). We try to buy art that has a spiritual message. Here is the web page of the artist, He Qi.

235 Loved by God

If your women's group is looking for a good Bible study for the spring months, I'd like to recommend Liz Curtis Higgs' "Loved by God; trusting his promises and experiencing his blessings." It is a 7 week study (workbook, DVD) of Genesis 25 and 27-29 using the lives of Jacob and Esau, Leah and Rachel, to help you see God's plans for your own life. Mrs. Higgs has a delightful sense of humor but never strays from the basic text.

The recorded presentations are shorter than some we've used, and the workbooks only require about 20 minutes a day--also shorter than others we've used (and which I skip through a lot). So this gives your group plenty of time for discussion, sharing and prayer.

Liz is an "encourager" and a self-described "prodigal."

From her bio: "Feature articles about Liz have appeared in more than 250 major newspapers and magazines across the country, and she has been interviewed on more than 600 radio and television stations, including guest appearances on PBS, A&E, MSNBC, NPR, CBC Canada, BBC Radio Scotland, Focus on the Family, and Janet Parshall's America.

A member of Novelists, Inc., Liz's primary writing focus now is historical fiction, in particular novels set in eighteenth-century Scotland. To aid in her research, she has visited the U.K. on nine occasions, including an extensive "Heart for Scotland" 12-city book tour in October 2003. She is a member of the Eighteenth-Century Scottish Studies Society, and supports the National Museums of Scotland, Historic Scotland, and the National Trust for Scotland.

Liz is the author of twenty-two books, with more than three million copies in print. Her fiction includes three historical novels and two contemporary novels . . ."

234 Two services, one faith

Faith Christian near my brother's home in Bradenton, FL, has recently started a Saturday evening service. Although we were prepared for loud music when seeing the stage set up, it was really pretty mellow with Vineyard-type praise songs, and my niece's husband played the soprano sax. It was quite pleasant. What was really casual was the dress code. No bikinis, but I think I saw just about anything else, and I think Saturday night services are fairly casual around the country.

To borrow a phrase from Dr. Phil, "Is it working for you?" I think the intention of informal services is to make the visitor feel welcome and comfortable, but we were visitors and it didn't feel particularly worshipful or spiritual to me. If I'm camping in the woods and we have a campfire and sing some quiet hymns, toss wood chips into the fire and comment on various insights, that's spiritual and appropriate.

On Sunday we attended Cortez Road Baptist Church. It was also informal because the pastor was ill and the lay people filled in and a visiting missionary preached. At one point, one layman sang the Ohio State fight song when we visitors introduced ourselves during the pre-worship time as Columbus residents. We visitors were able to sing all the hymns, even those we didn't know, because hymn books were provided instead of words on a screen. It helped us feel like part of the group. "Amens" were heard from the pews when the congregation agreed with the speaker, and prayers were lifted for the ill and shut-ins. Both churches preached the gospel and God was glorified.

233 The Food Pantry

Next Sunday is "Souper Sunday" at our church. A couple of women in football helmets were in the Narthex after the service reminding people to bring soup on the first (Sunday). Today when I was shopping I bought some large family size soups in a variety of interesting flavors and mixes. After reading what Lauri had to say about what turns up at the pantry, I thought I'd better buy the best.

232 What Christian Aid workers are keeping to themselves

Sure, it is tongue in cheek--the article at Scrappleface about how the tsunami victims suspect the Christian aid workers are keeping something to themselves--the Good News, probably.

"If these Christians are keeping some sort of good news to themselves," said the U.N. staffer, "this is a very serious charge and could bring harsh U.N. sanctions."

One man, who lost his whole family to the tsunami, said, "I want the food and water, but I need whatever it is that would bring people halfway around the world to help strangers, and do it with such joy and hope. You can't live on bread alone."

There are plenty of good-hearted, concerned people of various faiths donating to general, non-religious NGO relief agencies. There are also "Christian in-name-only" groups and Christian groups using local non-Christian aid/relief agencies to get supplies in place that are withholding the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ for salvation. They are misrepresenting themselves to their Christian donors.

I wasn't a bit pleased when I discovered, in the thank-you letter, that my contribution to a solid Christian aid organization was then redistributed through Church World Service, an arm of the National Council of Churches. CWS is probably one of the most inefficient, highest-overhead groups, paying its top people enormous salaries. I deliberately chose NOT to send it my donation for relief, but it went to them any way.

Next time I'll ask a few more questions.

231 Every denomination needs one of these

When I first came across UCC Truths I was a little puzzled that a United Church of Christ website would be pointing out so many of its own failings. Then I read the "about us" section and realized this is a page put together by members of UCC who aren't happy about what is coming out of denominational headquarters. "The truth behind the issues that you won't hear from the United Church of Christ" is what they call it. They also have a message board for discussion.

Remember that UCC ad that CBS refused to run? Here's what UCC Truths says about it:
"The advertisement is controversial and a little deceiving on a number of levels. It portrays the UCC as an "Open and Affirming" denomination while strongly implying that other churches are not... but even within our own denomination, according to a UCC website, less than 10% of the churches are "Open and Affirming" (500+ out of 6,000). The advertisement goes beyond identifying why the UCC is a good and open church by trying to tag other churches as brutish thugs - and this appears to be the concern of CBS."

That was my objection to the ad--the way it portrayed other churches as thugs and bouncers.

230 March of Dimes and Abortion

One way to prevent birth defects is to prevent the birth of a deformed child. The members of the American Association of Prolife OBGYNS's have asked the March of Dimes to disavow abortion. They won't.

Here's the story at the blog of MD Views, written by Matt Anderson of Lino Lakes, MN.

229 Barna's top stories of 2004

Reflecting on the more than 10,000 interviews his firm completed during 2004, George Barna identified the most encouraging outcomes, the most surprising findings, the most disappointing revelations, and the most significant challenges in the article "Annual Review of Significant Religious Findings Offers Encouragement and Challenges," at Barna Research, December 21, 2004.

I was certain surprised by two of his selections:

“Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion of the Christ, was a stunning film that generated hundreds of millions of dollars and attracted millions of viewers. However, despite its undeniable emotional and spiritual force, few people accepted Jesus Christ as their savior as a result of watching that movie; few changed any of their religious beliefs or practices as a result; and less than one-half of one percent of the audience said the movie motivated them to be more active in evangelism.”

Our church rented a large movie theater in a mall for three showings, and I'm sure it was intended as evangelism, not entertainment. Preaching to the choir, I suppose.

But this one was really a shocker.

“Two-thirds of all evangelicals support a constitutional amendment to establish Christianity as the official religion of the United States. Evangelicals are not alone in that desire, although they are the most prolific supporters. In total, one-third of all U.S. adults support the idea.”

What are they thinking? One-third of all adults? Have they never heard of the dead churches of Europe? Why would we want that here?

228 Now this should raise some hackles!

Over at Doxology, Rebecca, a Roman Catholic, quotes Philip Blosser:

Converts to the Catholic Faith such as those just mentioned were already as Anglicans and Episcopalians and Lutherans "truly but imperfectly in communion with the Catholic Church," and sought to remedy that imperfection by conversion.

227 The Safest Room

"When we’re concerned with terrorism, do we want to commit terror in what should be the safest room of all, the womb?" Marvin Olasky, "Hard Truths about Fighting Abortion," Compassion and Culture, Nov. 2004.

226 UA Couple saved by prayer and alert bank teller

While Judy was bound and gagged at home and guarded by a burglar, her husband John, a hostage in his own car, drove with the other burglar to the bank. The teller noticed the injuries to his head and notified the police. John and Judy are parents of members of our church. The Channel 6 story of their ordeal and rescue:

"Upper Arlington Couple Taken Hostage
John and Judy Hansel were taken hostage in their own home.The Hansels say two men knocked on the door and then shoved their way in. "I'd have to say it's a heck of a way to start out the New Year, by getting hit in the head, and slugged in the jaw, and tied up in your own home," says John.

The suspects tied up Judy and put duct tape over her eyes, and forced her to lie on the floor. One of the robbers then took John to the bank and demanded he withdraw $10,000.

Judy, was left home alone with a violent criminal, and prayed for a way out for herself and for her husband. "Those hopeful prayers were answered when a bank teller here, saw the bad bruises on John's head, got suspicious and called police," she says.

That's when the high speed chase started, ending on State Route 315. Police took the first suspect into custody. John then told police that his wife was still being held hostage at their home. John was taken to a local hospital.

Later a swat team and three police department's arrived at the home and swarmed the yard. She was left alone in a room, while one suspect rummaged through the rest of the house. Judy says her escape was a miracle. The other suspect eventually gave himself up.

The two men charged with causing all this chaos are Robert Jackson and Michael Lathon. Both suspects are being charged with aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, and kidnapping. They are expected to be in court Monday morning."

In the TV interviews we saw, Judy told about calling on the name of Jesus, praying aloud and telling the burglars about Jesus. We know the Hansel family to be people of great faith. About 20 years ago their youngest son was killed by an emergency vehicle going through a red light and striking the family car on the way to school.

225 Would a church try this hard?

Today I got another mailing from a Christian music club--one of those 12 CDs for the price of one deals. I'm not sure how they've found me, because we've moved since I told them in no uncertain words that I wanted OUT OUT OUT of that confusing, ridiculous points and bonus and "act now" membership. Today's letter was from the President. Calling me by my personal name he wrote:

"When I took this job, I asked my new staff lots of questions. One of those questions was about you:

Why do we lose good members like Norma?

After all, since you joined the Club in January 2001, you saved $50.94 on CDs. But you left anyway.

Clearly, we needed to do a much better job for you. So I made some key changes. In this letter, I'll tell you about those changes. . ."

Do churches ever send letters like this when a member or long time visitor stops coming? Do they know? Or care? Was it that no one visited when she was hospitalized? Was it the schedule? Was it the music? Was it the sermons? I don't think churches ask the questions music clubs do.

In a P.S., the President says: "I'm serious. I'd like to hear your opinion. One way would be by canceling within your 10-day free trial--although that's not exactly what I'm hoping to hear. Another way: drop me a note. (Please be sure to include your name and address.) It will get to me and I'll read it." I'm not going to re-up, but I think I will send him a note. I send notes to my pastors too, both when I like something and when I don't. I think everyone should--then maybe we'd have fewer missing members.

224 Christian Fiction

"As a kid, I was never a big fan of the Sugar Creek Gang novels. I must have been the odd boy out, however, because our church library had tons of volumes, all of them lined up straight and tall on their own shelf as if they were themselves proud of the universal parental and ecclesiastical approval they brandished. Even today, those books stand in my memory as truly righteous stories for truly righteous boys.

Of which I didn't know many. Perhaps that's why I didn't care for the books. Despite the fact my mother wanted me to read them, despite the fact the church library was full of them, despite the fact that the boys in their pages occasionally got in trouble, I found the novels rather odd. They were, to me, unreal. Often as not the boys were naughty, but they always came out of fray on their knees, in prayer, smelling as sweet as the rose of Sharon. I attended a Christian school, went to church twice every Sunday, and lived, for all practical purposes, in a verifiably Christian community. But among the Sugar Creek Gang boys, I didn't recognize a soul. They weren't real."

Read the full essay on Christian fiction by James Calvin Schaap.

223 Putting Christ back in Christmas

A high school in Kirkland, Washington got the Ebeneezer Award for cancelling the kids' performance of "The Christmas Carol." Story here.

Here's another school story (apocryphal, I assume) by Pastor Scott about the baby in the manger and Santa Claus that you might enjoy.

222 He just doesn't get it

"Why isn't a vaginally delivered baby miracle enough? Why do we have to debase creation to accommodate our denominational predilections? WP" posted by Austropithecanthropus. I would have explained it to him, but his blog has no comments and he leaves no e-mail address, so he is footprintless in the sands of cyberspace, wandering around clueless when any Christian could have answered him from Genesis.

221 It's not the Second Coming, just Trump's perfume

Uncompromising. Persuasive. Determined. Passion for power. Demands the best. It's not the second coming of Christ, just the ad agency's words for "Donald Trump" fragrance. 3.4 oz. Eau de Toilette Spray, $60.

Although we have no recorded knowledge of Savior smells, a spokeswoman for this product describes it as:

"the top note, or scent, of the cologne contains citrus notes with hints of mint, cucumber and black basil. The core note is made from an exotic plant -- which the company keeps secret -- that provides a green effect with woody undertones, rounded out with spicy, peppery accents. The finish come from exotic woods and has earthy, herbaceous and spicy notes."

Secret, earthy, woody, and spicy accents. Works for me. The second coming, that is.

220 Vox Blogoli condemns another legacy media

Shades of Dan Rather. Newsweek’s December 13 issue was a Christmas hatchet job, one-sided and agenda driven, according to Hugh Hewitt.




“Within 10 days of Meacham's [Newsweek article on Christ], his credentials had been reviewed for all to see by Dr. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The article itself had been painstakingly--and fairly--sliced and diced by accomplished theologian, pastor, scholar, and author, Dr. Mark D. Roberts, whose double Harvard degrees, including a Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, make his careful and complete criticisms of Meacham's reporting hard to dismiss.

After interviewing both Mohler and Roberts for two hours on the air, I then posted links to the Newsweek piece and their criticisms, and invited bloggers from around the internet to weigh in via a virtual symposium I term a "Vox Blogoli." Dozens of bloggers accepted the invite, and an astonishing array of piercing reviews of Meacham followed. Among many favorites are the Evangelical Outpost and Tapscott's Copy Desk, but all of them are well worth the read. (The complete list of symposium posts can be read here.)”

Mohler's evaluation of Meacham: "Newsweek should be embarrassed by this one-sided article presented as a serious investigation of the Christmas story. The magazine's editor may brag about Meacham's extensive study as a college student, but there can be no justification for the lack of balance and the absence of credible conservative scholarship in this article. This is not a serious and balanced consideration of the Christian truth claim, but a broadside attack packaged as a condescending essay of advice from Newsweek's very savvy, very sophisticated, very Episcopalian, and very ambitious managing editor."

Roberts, Crosswalk and Evangelical Outpost are included in my "Faithful Bloggers" links, here and at Collecting My Thoughts.

219 Which Christmas Carol Are You?

You are 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing'. You take
Christmas very seriously. For you, it is a
religious festival, celebrating the birth of
the Saviour, and its current secularisation
really irritates you. You enjoy the period of
Advent leading up to Christmas, and attend any
local carol services you can find, as well as
the more contemplative Advent church services
each Sunday. You may be involved in Christmas
food collections or similar charity work. The
midnight service at your church, with candles
and carols, is one you look forward to all
year, and you also look forward to the family
get together on Christmas Day.


What Christmas Carol are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

218 The power of a picture--baby Samuel

Samuel Armas' tiny hand grips Dr. Joseph P. Bruner's finger just as Bruner finishes returning him to his mother's womb - Dec. 9, 1999

The famous photo of baby Samuel's hand reaching out from the uterus of his mother at 21-weeks gestation during foetal surgery, has turned the veteran photo-journalist hired by USA Today for the shoot into a pro-life activist. Michael Clancy, who snapped the photo after seeing the baby's hand jut out of the hole in the womb made by the surgeons, now offers his image free of charge to pro-life groups. Lifesite.net

217 Olivia's Mother

My mother's name was Olive. I never thought the name "Olive" was pretty sounding, except when attached to her. But the name Olivia has a lovely sound. Over at Love and Blunder, Devona writes about the vocation of being a mother to Olivia.

I have been given the office and vocation by God to be Olivia's mother. That means that I have the obligation and responsibility to raise her in the Faith, to discipline her, to love her, and to provide for her. I also have been placed in a position of authority over her, and she has the responsibility to love and obey me, and to recognize I am not her equal but her superior.

The humbling thought is that I have done nothing to deserve this office. I am not better than Olivia. We are made of the same mortal and sinful flesh. We are both subject to the curse, and tainted with sin. We are both made righteous only through the shedding of Jesus' blood for our sins. I am spiritually Olivia's equivalent.

Her blog is listed on Blogs of the Augsburg Confession.

216 The Liturgy as Teacher

Sometimes when I attend an “informal” church service, I look around at the 30-somethings and wonder how many of them will remember those choruses and praise tunes when they are in a nursing home or dying? If they visit another church, will they have to start all over with different mind-numbing, repetitious sing-alongs (like Baptist friends who attended our informal service and didn‘t recognize a single praise song). Maybe they will remember--some are awfully simple and seem to stick in the mind like radio commercials for God. Perhaps I underestimate God’s ability to break through in any musical form.

When I was in elementary school my mother faithfully took us to a Lutheran church because a friendly neighbor invited us. We were living in a town with no church of our denomination--even though there were three churches for 1,000 residents. My sisters even attended confirmation classes with their classmates. There was never any intention that we would join, and we always knew who we were--NOT Lutheran. I think we attended there 5 or 6 years until we returned “home.” About 25 years later my husband and I tried a Lutheran church at the invitation of another friend, and much of the service was immediately familiar to me (totally foreign to him), despite the changes in the hymnbook and liturgy over the years.

In an article about the liturgy as teacher, Rev. Richard C. Resch (LCMS) writes:

“The church learns its lessons slowly, usually through repetition. A child is never too young to begin the rhythm, the comforting rhythm, of week after week, year after year hearing and rehearsing the liturgy. It is a rhythm that is blessed and good for saints of all ages. The very prayers that need to be on their lips are put there by liturgy: Create in me a clean heart....Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord....Grant us your peace. At the same time, the promises of God are remembered again and again: God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins....This is the true body of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, given into death for your sins. This is the true blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, shed for the forgiveness of your sins....He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end. . . Where else is memory taught from the cradle to grave by a stable, consistent rehearsing of the same words? Nowhere. From baptism to the last moments of this life, the liturgy is there with just the right words for the child of God to say yet again.”