Celebrate Recovery
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The Barley Soup Recipe
So this was a tasty dinner tonight: barley soup, from a recipe a friend gave our family for Christmas (along with a few of the ingredients: barley, broth, basil, thyme, canned chopped tomatoes). Add to this a pound of ground or diced beef, carrots, celery, and spinach, then do some magic. Only as we were making the soup we were reluctant to follow the recipe. “That’s a lot of carrots! Let’s use half.” and “I don’t think we want that much celery. Let’s use half.” And finally “Way too much spinach!…” We thought that the proportions were wrong, and we were being directed to put too much into the soup—we…
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New Year, New Labels
In thinking about the last year, I’ve struggled to place myself theologically. I am raised Protestant, became a Christian through the efforts of evangelistic movements like Campus Crusade for Christ and InterVarsity, have learned much from my experiences in Calvary Chapel (at the “Mothership” in Costa Mesa), and have bounced around in churches for a bit, but essentially staying always in churches that feel theologically comfortable. (I don’t expect any church’s doctrine to be a complete parallel to my own; I just like the essentials to be in alignment with me: who is God, who is Jesus, who is Holy Spirit, what is the nature of humanity, what is the…
- American Exceptionalism, Celebrate Recovery, essays, faith, history, justice, Life Recovery Skills, racism
Feats of Clay
Our heroes are flawed. Our villains have moments of redemptive grace. We live in a complex world, where we cannot depend upon someone being just someone, but instead they are always many things. I bring this up because Christmas 2018 is half-way over. (You do celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas from Dec 25 Christmas Day through January 6, Epiphany of the Gentiles, of course?) And in Christmastime one of the more popular carols (“Christmas hymns”) is the fantastic, overwhelming, joyful “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” It’s one of my favorites, both in the tune and in the words. Charles Wesley wanted a song that was solemn and majestic, befitting…
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What Is the Place of Jonathan Edwards As an Example to the Church?
I’m in an interesting discussion in a book group, in which we’re reading Jemar Tisby’s book “The Color of Compromise” (https://amzn.to/2UrMEOm). We’re looking at two men who tower above others in the early Colonial days: Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. These men are well-known in Evangelical circles. They preached a redeeming Gospel, they brought many into contact with God, and they helped define American Protestantism as a faith of the individual. And yet both supported slavery. George Whitefield so much that he helped convince the state of George to convert from being a slave-free state to becoming a white-slaver state—he needed the money from his enslaved Africans in order to…
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Why It Matters: For you I was born, for you I live, and for you I give my last breath
I am involved in two streams right now that are greatly affecting me on how I see myself and what I consider my values. And in one of those streams the topic came up about why people do what they do. For me, the question is really “Why pursue racial conciliation?”, which was prompted by a statement from Jemar Tisby in his podcast “Color of Compromise Pre-Launch Interview” (appx 11/28/2018): “The more you pursue justice, the more of Jesus you get.” Why this matters to me is something I’ll explain. First, a brief immediate background. I’ve been working on my “stuff” for about ten years now. I have a lot…
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Ruminations on Acts 4–Do Before You Speak
I don’t often write up my thoughts as I read the Christian scriptures. Though I’m a white Evangelical of long practice, I’ve found recently that listening is far more important than speaking. Today, however, was interesting, as I got a chance to tune in to one of my favorite long-distance churches and pastors, Pastor Andre Mitchell of Deliverance Temple, in Muncie, Indiana, and was able to listen to much of his preaching just before my own church services. There was a powerful synchronicity in the two experiences—Pastor Mitchell spoke on a theme of “Stand Your Ground,” and in my own church we had a lectio divina on Acts 4. Now…
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Does White Privilege Exist?
Recently a sincere white American Christian male asserted that there is no such thing as white privilege, that white Christians have no obligation to inquire as to whether there is any such thing as white privilege, that people of color, sexual minorities, and others (including, I’d hazard, women) have nothing to complain about in the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave, and…well, it just went on and on and on. He was angry, too, at being told that perhaps his views were not the only views that mattered. As a sincere white American Christian male, he had done all the work already, and as he was comfortable,…
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Converting the Unconvertable
You cannot change someone’s mind through the presentation of fact. That presentation of fact happens later, after they are willing to be persuaded. What changes people is personal interaction and communication. So outside of any change of mind, connection with people can lead to a chance for a change in direction. It happens very, very infrequently. Marshaling fact upon fact and argument upon argument is actually ineffective in changing a mind or an opinion. But what I’ve found is this: maintaining a consistent, fair, kind viewpoint, consistently refusing to accede to stupid and mendacious reasoning, consistently refusing to “compromise” by agreeing with putative “moderate” position, consistently refusing to allow the…
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Review: A Civil War Christmas
We saw #Taproot Theatre’s production of “A Civil War Christmas” last night, and I have to say, I wanted to like this more, but could not. This was not due to the sets, the lighting, the staging, the choreography, the sound, the music, costumes, or the actors—all which were competent and professional. It was the book that was weak, and all the best efforts of the cast to bring the story to life did not work. To be clear, this is not a bad production or even a bad play. It is just a weak book with an enthusiasm for story not matched by a skill for storytelling. We open…
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Sorry Folks — to Avoid a Choice Is to Make a Choice
Traditionally, orthodox Christianity means a religion centered around the Christ of the New Testament, where what Jesus said and taught and did forms the central, defining properties of the religion. Christ did not hate the Jews or want them eliminated or gassed. Christ did not hate black Africans. In fact, some of the first disciples were black Africans. (You can look this one up. You’ll be astonished at what you were seeing all along.) Christ did not expel the stranger or demonize the foreigner. In fact, he used the foreigner despised by others as an example of what a man acting as a neighbor would look like. Christ did not…
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The Words of Good White Liberals
What are your thoughts, good people? http://kuow.org/post/understand-white-liberal-racism-read-these-private-emails This is really hard for me to read, because it is easier to talk about racism and to march against racism than it is to do the hard work of confronting racism *in our own lives*. It’s my opinion that we want to tell others how to fix it in their lives, because by God we’re all fixed. We have such good feelings and intentions. And yet, an example to bring pause… Philando Castile, a good and gentle black man, was shot to death last year. His death was caught on film, he did everything we white people told him to do–stay calm,…
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Jesus Was Crucified by the State
Jesus was crucified by the state, y’all. I see and hear my fellow white American Christians celebrating the fact that they are very close to imposing their peculiar version of Christianity upon an unwilling populace, because they have “captured Congress, the Presidency, and now the Supreme Court!” Jesus was crucified by the state. Jesus did not attempt to overthrow the government (although he was charged with that). Did not condemn the government for existing (he complimented the Roman soldier who behaved with respect to the law, which—when you think about the cruelty permitted by the Roman soldiers, is an awesome thing for Jesus to say). Did not attempt to force…
- Celebrate Recovery, challenges, education, faith, family, justice, Life Recovery Skills, musings, racism, writing
The Non-Whiteness of Jesus
I got to thinking the other day about how we see Jesus and Jesus’ teachings expressed in the lives of his followers. And I began thinking about how hard it is to reconcile our Christian behavior with our Christ. Traditionally, orthodox Christianity means a religion centered around the Christ of the New Testament, where what Jesus said and taught and did forms the central, defining properties of the religion. Christ did not hate the Jews or want them eliminated or gassed. Christ did not hate black Africans. In fact, some of the first disciples were black Africans. (You can look this one up. You’ll be astonished at what you were…
- Celebrate Recovery, education, essays, faith, family, history, justice, Life Recovery Skills, racism, writing
So, This Is How It Happened
In which I relate the many interlocking steps leading to my aligning myself with all I once thought was opposed to God, flag, and country. In the past eight years I have made many changes, from the friends I hang around with, the method of church participation I act in, and the attention I pay to the issues and people around me. My behavior and words have puzzled some people, and angered others. And, to be frank, most people have largely shrugged their shoulders and said “eh,” which is an entirely natural action by most people when they see someone behaving oddly. But if you are interested in how I…
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Forgiveness—What Is Possible? What Is Demanded?
I heard a story on NPR the other day. Seems that in Maryland there’s a push to review the sentences of those who were convicted of murder in the last 40 years based upon the Unger decision. Several people who were affected by these murders—being the family and friends and co-workers—were asked for their thoughts. Did they forgive these people? One lady—and I am not picking on her—said essentially that she forgave the man who killed her family member some 40 years ago, but she could not forget and that, as a murderer, she thought he deserved to stay in jail—that his release, even though mandated by mistakes in prosecution,…
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Be the Church
Protect the environment. Care for the poor. Forgive often. Reject racism. Fight for the powerless. Share earthly and spiritual resources. Embrace diversity. Love God. Enjoy this life. From Momastery
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Christians, We’re Doing It Wrong (Again)
I read in the news today where a family in Oklahoma is being threatened with death for the crime of . . . protesting the distribution of religious materials in secular, state-run primary schools. Now, I’m a Christian. I’d like people to know that, and to know my Savior, and to know the God of the Universe. I will be more than happy to talk to you about that. But I am also a citizen of the secular United States, with its secular institutions, and its secular schools. No one religion can be permitted to represent the faith of all United States citizens. No one religion can speak for all…
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The Closing of the American Heart
Recently there has been a move in America for Christians to demand the right to avoid serving people with whom they disagree theologically. The claim is made that by baking a cake, arranging flowers, or being a photographer at a wedding for a couple who is marrying outside the Christian tradition, the Christian is breaking his religion. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at such an attitude. First—the Christian is providing a service. A Christian electrical company cannot withhold providing electricity to those with whom they disagree theologically. Likewise a Christian police officer cannot refuse to help someone with whom they disagree. A Christian doctor, teacher, entrepreneur, shoe-shiner,…
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Christians, Gays, and Jesus
I wrote this in response to a great essay by a pastor I respect. He went through a hard time figuring out what he thought about gays and Christianity; as I thought about what he wrote (see here) [Ed: the post along with the site have since been erased] I responded with these words: The only sin I read about in Scriptures that is unforgivable is one: the sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit of God, and I think it applies to the idea that the work of God cannot effect salvation. The only person in Scripture that I read about who could not be saved was one: a rich…
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At One Time
Today Monty talked about a difficult term, “Atonement,” and brought out several ideas about what this means. I think most of us don’t think too much about this idea, and when we do, it’s with the vague sense that we’re swimming in rivers too cold and too deep for our water wings. I’m not going to try to re-explain what Monty said, as you can go listen to him online. It’s really quite excellent. What I do want to raise is the question of “Now that we know what it means, what do we do about it?” Or, more accurately, what am I going to do about it? I can…
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Cookie Cutter
We step into a river, we believers, when we first decide to follow Jesus. The river is the great flow of believers from all nations and all times, a river that started thousands of years ago and that continues today, with a vast congregation of people called by God and living in his name. We step into the river and there are so many who already are swimming, confident, powerful, assured of their journey, and it can be intimidating. So what we do is we copy what they’re doing. “Fake it ’til you make it” is a good motto, and it works. Along the way, though, sometimes we forget the…
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Arms and the Man
If a foreign nation invaded America and as a result, 20 people every day were killed, at random, and no place was safe in America from violence–you could be dragged out and killed in your school, your home, your church, your mall, your car, in the park or on the street or at the movies or standing in line waiting for a burger–we would be at a near-riot condition, demanding our national defense do something to protect us from this daily violence which kills our mothers, our children, our wives, our brothers, our friends, our leaders, our pastors, our politicians, our police officers, our fathers, our sons, and us.Instead–we shrug…
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Awash in a Sea of Tears
Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthian Believers, Chapter 10, lines 3-6 “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.” (ESV) “The truth is that, although of course we lead normal human lives, the battle we are fighting is on the spiritual level. The very weapons we use are not those of human…
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God and Newtown
To my fellow Christians who are posting that “Newtown is God’s judgment on America for taking prayer out of schools”— I’m not speaking for God here, for my church, my religion, or anything official. I’m just speaking for me. But I want you just to stop. Stop. Right. Now. God doesn’t kill twenty kindergartners to prove a point. He didn’t cause bullets to rip through their bodies to “show us what happens” when we take God out of our schools. He didn’t put Victoria Soto in the way of death to prove to us that only the Christian religion could save us. A man with a gun did this. A…
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A Poem for Advent
America 2012 Twenty children were shot Charlotte Bacon, 6and six adults in one of Daniel Barden, 7the greatest tragedies Olivia Engel, 6in American history. Josephine Gay, 7Unfortunately, it was Ana M. Marquez-Greene, 6not the greatest tragedy, Dylan Hockley, 6for we have had mass Madeleine F. Hsu, 6shootings in Columbine Catherine V. Hubbard, 6and Virginia Tech and Chase Kowalski, 7Aurora and Portland and… Jesse Lewis, 6The list goes on and on, James Mattioli, 6and while we are sometimes Grace McDonnell, 7speechless and sometimes Emilie Parker, 6saddened, it is never enough Jack Pinto, 6to move us to take action. Noah Pozner, 6We think we are powerless Caroline Previdi, 6against guns,…
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Words and Actions
Indeed I tremble for my country when i reflect that God is just: that His justice cannot sleep for ever
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Sabbatical
If we want to have a time of rest, we have to be willing to have the wind stopped.
