With this ring...

14 years ago today...

Preaching isn't for Wussies

1 Corinthians 11:1-16

Wow Paul says some strange stuff here...

1 Corinthians 11:10
10"Therefore the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels."

1 Corinthians 11:14
14"Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him..."

It is good to wrestle with Scripture. I enjoy it. This is where the growth comes. This is where I believe the Spirit of God speaks. Too many times preachers will run to a commentary like an answer key to a tough passage. Wuzzies! Years ago I wrote to a number of prominent preachers about their preaching styles and preparation. One actually advised reading all of the commentaries you could get your hands on first then moving onto Scripture. Huh? Where does the critical thinking come into play? How can we learn Scripture if we let others chew our food for us?

My first preaching prof likened wrestling with a text to Jacob wrestling with God. I like that! Go to the source and camp out. I have thought for a long time that preachers need to spend more time studying the Bible and than studying books about the Bible. When we run to second sources first we take the easy way out. Not as easy as just bumming another preacher's sermon, but close.

Ohhh, I can hear it now...
"But, I don't have enough time to spend figuring out the meaning on my own."
"But, these other authors are more insightful/smarter than me."
"But, no one knows."
"But, that is what these other books are for."
"But..."
"But..."
"But..."

Don't misunderstand me, I use commentaries, Bible dictionaries, etc. However, I use them after I have labored over a passage first.

Fight with the text. Work at understanding it. Show your dependence on God to reveal himself to you. Do not look for the easy way out.

Even though I do not have to preach this first section of chapter 11, I do get to preach the second. Better figure out the first in order to make sense of the second.

What Do Christmas And Porn Have In Common?

As I sat and stared at the spectacle in front of me, I started to feel disgusted.  What I was seeing and what I was feeling did not match up.  This was supposed to be exciting and thrilling, yet it was empty and hollow. I wanted to leave and scour my soul clean, but I forced myself to stay.  Over and over and over again this scene of human gratification continued.  Seemingly, for hours it dragged on. “How could such a beautiful event be mutated into this travesty of love, joy and unity,” I wondered. Then someone handed me another present to open.

For years I have been growing disenfranchised with Christmas and particularly Christmas Day.  The wonder that once came with the holiday does not come anymore.  As I have grown, the anticipation of Christmas has been replaced by a rising dread and disillusionment.  

I am fully aware of the religious meaning and significance behind Christmas and I believe them to be true.  But, somehow the experience of the Christmas season is lost on me. For a holiday that is to be a time of peace, love and joy, it seems that it is anything but. 

Working for one of the world’s largest discount retailers, I have heard horror stories that make Christmas look more like Halloween: Holiday shoppers brawling over parking spaces, people being pistol-whipped for game consoles, store employees being berated for not having the gifts shoppers demanded.

I can honestly say that I am about finished with “Christmas” and it has nothing to do with that jolly fat man!  I am sick of the consumerism surrounding this extraordinary day.  I am fed up with the “Merry Christmas,” versus “Happy Holidays,” debate. It seems Christmas is just another misunderstood religious celebration that even that church has forsaken.

The idea that Christmas is a make or break occasion dependent on getting or giving  “that perfect gift,” is craziness.  I am at the point of telling people not to get me anything for Christmas.  On the other hand, I am at the point of not getting anything for anybody either, but I fear the response of not following through on tradition.  I would rather spend my time and money helping the poor of our town.  Spending what I would on gifts by buying food, socks and hoodies for the homeless.  Maybe that would provide the fulfillment I have been longing for.

Christmas has almost lost its meaning for me.  Yes, this is my fault, I own it entirely and something has to change. I can’t continue faking the holiday spirit for much longer.

In searching my soul for the genesis of this reaction toward the hollowness of my recent Christmases, I easily recall a similar emotional lair.  This barrenness I experience with Christmas finds a kindred spirit in my experiences with pornography.

You see deep down I do like Christmas.  Deep down I also like porn.  Well, I should say that I like what society thinks Christmas and porn should be.  Both are supposed to offer a frenzied level of excitement and pleasure. Both are about what I want.  Both are about unreal expectations and a search for satisfaction. Sadly though, neither lives up to the hype. 

Porn is supposed to be harmless.  No one really gets hurt. It’s just good clean dirty fun.  Only those who are weird or prudish avoid such entertainment.  It is spouted as a perfectly normal aspect of human sexuality.  But these thoughts, along with the greater populace’s view of Christmas are mistaken.

My desire for a Christmas experience that transcends the holiday leaves me looking into my bedroom for a cure to my ailing soul.  If porn leaves me empty, then maybe within the bonds of my marriage and the security and unity it brings will be an answer to that “something” that has to change during Christmas.

Within the confines of godly marriage, sex can and should offer a “frenzied level of excitement and pleasure.”  It can and should offer satisfaction.  But it likewise should offer what porn does not, namely relationship and a giving of myself, not my stuff.

At it deepest roots Christmas is about God re-establishing his relationship with humanity through Jesus the Christ.  It is about God reaching out to the people of the world throughout time and inviting us into a loving union with him.

If we could only comprehend the love that such an act took to accomplish, I believe Christmas would never turn sour.  Unfortunately, God’s gift of his son has turned into an excuse for us to give presents and not our very soul to others.

It might sound trite and cliché to say that Christmas should be about giving and not getting, but I believe it is true.  Christmas is not about giving gifts, but about giving ourselves!  It is not about a season of the year, but about an attitude of sacrifice and humiliation. It is not about love of self, but love of others. When we only give from our wallets and not from the core of our being, our giving is meaningless and bare like pornography. 

I hope this Christmas I can find a way to unwrap myself and give myself away to someone who simply needs human interaction…a friend…love.  This type of gift transcends the typical Christmas present. God’s love is more needed and meaningful than some shirt, CD or power tool. A relationship of love through Jesus is more genuine than a one-night-stand with an airbrushed beauty and is more satisfying than the annual moments of merrymaking. 

The Godhead modeled Christmas for everyone by giving himself to us and we should do the same. Maybe this year I can be God’s gift of love to someone.

Can understanding the hollow cultural pastime of porn redeem the emptiness of today’s consumer view of Christmas? By comparing Christmas and porn, hope emerges for those willing to move past the societies flawed view of both, while seeking to restore community and relationship the way God intended.

Back from Vacation

It is good to be home, but having to return to regular life. Here are some pictures of remind of the great time we had.


Jake on the trail over looking a river running to Wallowa Lake .










The view from our camp sight.





Capitan Benjamin sailing the high seas.












Most of the family on a trail bridge. Sam is in the Yoda-pack on my back.











Fun around the camp sight. My brother thinks this looks like a particular Cell-phones company's commercial. "More bars in more places."









Sam with his back to Hells Canyon.

9 Year Old Spirituality

So, the boys went to a friend’s church for a week of Sport Camp. A few days after camp was over we got a call from one of the church Pastors. Normally this strikes fear in the heart of every parent; expecting to hear, “Uh, yeah, don’t bring them back next year.” But this was not the case. The Pastor called to inform us our oldest had made a significant spiritual decision (my words not his). So, as any good parent would, I followed up with my boy.

When asked about what he decided he said, “I have decided to co-operate with the love of Christ.” Initially, I thought this meant he was going to try and be more cooperative and obedient displaying the love of Jesus. As it turns out he was saying he was going to focus more on God and allow God to work through him. As if God was pressing on him and rather than fighting it anymore, he was going to give in to what Christ wanted for him.

When I praised him for being more respectful and easier to get along with he said, “Its not me, its God in me.”

We will continue to talk.

This is a great first step.

I am sure he will have his ups and downs. His mountain tops highs and his shadow of death lows. This is no different than when his mom and dad started their journeys with Christ.

It is on this very journey that my son will meet his maker and realize his need for mercy and grace. It is on this journey that my son will be transformed. It is on this journey that my son will become my brother.


Thank you God.

The New Apple iBug

Didn't this happen last year too!

I know a guy who waited in line all night to be the first to get a new 16 Gig G3 iPhone. He slept for about 10 minutes. I hope it works for him.

Ahhhh, I just have to laugh...at people.

Drunk Portland cyclist used bike to club motorist, police say

Wow!

1 Year and Counting

This week my brother celebrates 1 year clean and sober! Through the most tragic and unlikely set of circumstances he has managed to keep his head and fight for what he values most in this world.

To say the least, I am extremely proud of him!

Please pray for his continued success.




(If you want to pass along any congratulations or offer any prayers of thanksgiving just post them as a comment and I will pass them along to him.)

The Dark Side of Community

Mama always said, “It is better to give than receive.” This quip usually surfaced around Christmas time in order to lower my full-tilt frenzy, thinking of all the toys I hoped to get. Or when I was going to a birthday party and had to buy some other kid the toy I wanted! “It is better to give, than receive,” she said, but is it really?

Is there something nobler about always being the giver and never being the receiver? What happens when all we do is give, give, give? Is it possible to work cross-purposes against the kingdom of God by just being a giver?

One of the hottest buzzwords in the culture today is “community.” Everyone from grocery stores to churches want to foster a sense of community, want to give back to the community or want to be a community. One company’s core value is to make its stores into “community meeting places where our customers meet their friends and make new ones.” Similarly, my worship community holds community high because, “Christianity calls us out of individualism and towards a life focused on the well-being of others.”

However, there is a dark side to community. Oh sure, we may be willing, in the name of Jesus and for the sake of love, to have our lives complicated and disrupted by others in order to promote community. But are we willing to allow our lives to frustrate and intrude into lives of others?

In order to push past the common and superficial understanding of community, where it is better to give than to receive, we must strive for deep community. By this I mean true community, reciprocal community, mutual community is a two way street. Those who wish to share in a deep sense of community must give and take. Or to flip the pancake over, community members must give and allows others to give to them.

Giving without receiving is a power trip. Giving without receiving does not allow others into our need and ache. Giving without receiving deprives others of the joy of serving us. Giving without receiving does not require trust, humility or vulnerability.

In my life I have been able to give and receive within community. And trust me it is easier, requires less and is more emotionally gratifying to help others than it is to be helped.

Recently we moved from one state to another. Even though we only moved 15 miles we still needed to go through the hassle of packing, unpacking and bribing our friends with Subway, chips and copious amounts of Mountain Dew in order to help.

One of our friends, we will call him "Brian" because that's his name, showed up for the unload. He could only stay a short while since our church was having a community dinner that evening and he and his family were planning on attending.

After driving back across town to go home, he started cooking food to take to the dinner. Not long before he left for the dinner he received a phone call from someone informing him we still needed help unloading the truck since most of our help left, heading to the same community dinner he was.

When Brian heard we needed help, he called and told me he was going to come back to help us finish. I told him we would be fine and he did not need to come back. This was a lie because we were dog-tired. I told him we didn’t have that much left to unload, which was another lie since we had about a third to unload. I told him I didn’t want him to miss the community dinner (which was true) but we needed the help.

The real reason I did not want Brian to come back was I did not want to appear weak or needy. I don’t like being the one to complicate and interrupt the lives and plans of others. I pride myself on helping others and not being the one helped. I am stubbornly independent to a fault.

I was truly sorry he was going to miss the community dinner and I told him so. His response was, “I am going to have a community dinner, it is just that the community is going to be smaller than I thought.”

With Brian help we got everything unload. He even rode with me to drop off the rental truck. It turned out to be a great time of helping, talking and discussing theology, of all things, ending about 10:30pm. It was an even better example of Jesus’ love and deep community.

I can only guess how late I would have been up unloading the truck if he had not come back. I don’t even want to think about what might had been broken as finishing became a higher priority than being careful with valuables.

Spiritually speaking, I can only wonder what my life would have been like if I would have had the same feeling towards Jesus’ offer of forgiveness and redemption than I did to my friend’s offer of help. “Oh, you don’t need to die for me,” I would say. “I’m not that important.” I would with false humility explain, “My sin is not that big of a burden, I can figure some way of shouldering the load. Please do not inconvenience yourself on my account.” This kind of thinking is as silly as it sounds.

Usually the problem is getting people to part with their hard-earned money or their ever-evaporating time instead of dialing down their ego in order to accept help. Somehow – is it due to rugged individualism or the church making a saintly characteristic out of something that isn’t? -- we think accepting help is a sign of weakness and that spiritual maturity is displayed in false humility. Somewhere we have picked up that, yes it is more dignified and holy to give than receive.

Full-bodied, authentic, give-and-take community is scary, sometimes painful and awkward, and other times beautiful and gracious. But, in reality, the kind of community that only gives and never receives is not really community at all; just a cheap imitation.