YouTube - Rich Mullins - Here In America

YouTube - Rich Mullins - Here In America

I found this link on Facebook today. Yes it is now an old song, but it's still good. As I listened to it I thought that it addresses my patriotism as well as any song I know of. I'll leave at that. Listen to it and let me know if I'm too patriotic or maybe not enough. Anyhow, I'm glad that the holy King of Israel loves me.

Is the Church Pagan?

Is the Pastorate Pagan? | Out of Ur | Conversations for Ministry Leaders

I've not read this book, just the review on Leadership Journal's website. I'm not sure what to make of it. I don't disagree with the fact that so much of what we do in the church was introduced through the pagan world. A lot of it through the union of church and state brought about by Constantine. But what can we or should we do about that? Is it right to continue to practice things introduced through the pagan world? Is it possible to eliminate those practices completely?

Think about it. Easter, which we will celebrate this week, is in fact, a pagan introduction. Of course the resurrection of Christ is purely Christian, but the way we go about this week, even the name Easter were introduced through pagan culture.

Of course, we still continue to adopt pagan practices. One might lift up the rock sound of our music and even the introduction of secular songs into worship services as a modern pagan practice. But, don't be too holy and claim that's why I prefer the hymns. Many of them were rooted in bar songs of their day too.

I think we do need to be careful not to make the church too pagan. I think we could even go back on some of our practices that were begun by mixing paganism with Christian faith. But I'm not sure how and to what extent we can do this.

Southern Baptist leaders go green - I hope many Christian join them

Southern Baptist leaders go green - Climate Change- msnbc.com:

It's good to see that more evangelicals are waking up to the realization that as Christians we should be leading the world on stewardship issues. I'm not saying that we should buy lock stock and barrel the science of global warming. But I will say that it is obvious that humans effect the earth, are using too many resources and need to change our patterns before it is too late. What is too late? I don't know what that will be. Global Warming forecaster, that is the scientist who are describing that increase in fossil fuel consumption has having a negative effect on the climate, seem to indicate that within 20 to 30 years. Some even say we have already past the point of no return.

I'm not willing to accept that argument in its fullest, but I still think that Christians need to take not of serious stewardship issues that are pointed out in the science of global warming and other ecological fields. We cannot deny that our planet is becoming more polluted. Even this morning another story shows that even our pharmaceutical habits are cause water pollution. We have to be more careful with this earth that God has given us watch over.

This is a critically moral issue. God gave us stewardship over this earth. That means that it is His earth, not ours. It means that we have to live on this earth with a realization that billions of other humans live on it too. We must protect this earth as if it and its resources will be used by billions of people over billions of year. We cannot claim that we own certain parts and therefore we have the right to use then as we want. We have to take a look at what is good for a greater number of people. We have to look at what is good for the environment as it relates to the future of this planet that God has us protecting. While the right to be free is a Christian doctrine, that does not mean that all freely conceived ventures go without examination.

Christians as a group are typically pro-life, meaning against abortion. I would hope that we would broaden our understanding of the term pro-life, and become advocates for those who are loosing their lives because of industrial pollution. I would hope that we would take seriously the issues of global warming that may be threatening many lives by causing prolonged drought in place like Africa (or even the western US). Just because the science isn't clear to us right now, doesn't mean that we shouldn't be listening to those scientist, and if we are more serious, raising up people, Christian men and women, to be leaders in the environmental fields to study climate change, water pollution or what ever else may effect this globe that God has charged us with the obligation of protecting.

Because I Pause

My wife is blogging now. Check out her stuff at Because I Pause. She's just getting started but has some good stuff.

Take it from an expert

It may look glamorous, but it will get you no where.

‘Lay off the dope,’ Keith Richards advises - Music- msnbc.com

Irony and faith

I think that faith is ironic. Without irony, there is no mature faith. We can't prove faith, yet faith is the strongest of motivators. God created a Law that separates people from himself, but through faith consequences for the violations of Law are null. As Jesus is God who became flesh, the religious of Jesus' day were his worst enemy. I dare say the religious of today are often the worst enemy of faith and legalism set a wall that drives so many away from the God of grace.

I propose that real, solid, growing faith is riddled with irony. Conversely, black and white faith, is stagnant or dead. If things are black and white in your life, then perhaps, your faith has gotten stuck in the mud. I know this happens to me. But it happens in times of weakness. Ironically, when I a weakest, is when I feel the strongest. When I don't feel that I have anything left to give, that is when God is most able to work on my faith and work through my ministry.

No Second Turns

I was just watching the kindergardeners in my church play games during our club night. The didn't quite get the goal of the very simple relay race. One line of boys continued to take turn after turn even though they were only supposed to go once then sit down. It took a while, but one boy noticed the other teams were "winning" because they actually finished the race. He began to shout to his teammates, "No second turns guys. No second turns or we'll loose."

They didn't care. They wanted second turns. It was more important to them that they get to go again that for their team to win.

As a adult that doesn't make sense. We want to win. But in reality there are many things that we take "turns" beyond what we need or should even when it hurts the bigger body. We drive a bigger car than we need because we can, and we don't think about the effects on gas prices, the environment or the socio-economics of the middle east. We own bigger house. We demand more from our government or our spouse. We do these, because, to us, we don't see that we are causing our team to loose. We only know that we want more for ourselves.

I sure the kindergarteners will learn how to run relays. I hope that more adults learn how to live for the bigger community.

Conflicting thoughts?

I'm working on two potentially conflicting thoughts that I think both could be valuable guides to the way I approach my ministry and my life. The first comes from my father several years back. "It's better to be a big fish in a small pond than to be an ordinary fish in the ocean." The second comes from a discussion with a friend. It is the mantra of the advertising firm Wieden + Kennedy, "Fail Harder."

The world needs better fathers, and more mentors

The Belmont Foundation, a group dedicated to a ministry to children of single parent households, quote these stats in today's blog.

• 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes. (U.S. D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census)
• 75% of adolescents patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes. (Rainbows for all God’s Children)
• 70% of juveniles in state operated insitutions[sic] have no fathers. (U.S. Dept. of Justice, Special Report)
• 85% of youth in prison had no fathers at home. (Fulton Co. Georgia jail population, Texas Dept. of Correction)
• 90% of homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes. (U.S. D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census)
• 71% of high school dropouts come from fatherless homes (National Principal Association Report on the State of High Schools)

It is clear to me that Belmont's call for more mentors is appropriate. Just as appropriate is the need for better parents, especially fathers. The church needs to focus more attention on the issue of uncommitted fathers.