A Good Read

I recently received Randy Alcorn's newest book "If God Is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil." It's a pretty weighty book (500+ pages, small print) with a lot of theology. I'm not even remotely into the book, and my pencil is getting dull from all the passages I've underlined. Just some thoughts from the first chapter:

On America remaining distant from many world evils: The death toll inthe 1994 Rwandan genocide...amounted to more than two World Trade Center disasters every day for one hundred days straight. Americans discovered in one day what much of the world already knew -- violent death comes quickly, hits hard, andcan be unspeakably dreadful.

Believing God exists is not the same as trusting the God who exists.

Our failure to teach a biblical theology of suffering leaves Christians unprepared for harsh realities. It also leaves our children vulnerable to history, philosophy, and global studies classes that raise the problems of evil and suffering while denying the Christian worldview. Since the question will be raised, shouldn't Christian parents and churches raise it first and take people to Scripture to see what God says about it?

I can't wait to dig in to the rest of the book!

Opening Pandora's Box

Disclaimer: This post is not meant to offend any of my friends, but rather to share some of my personal convictions that surprise people around me. Please know that in no way do I judge people whose convictions differ than mine.

1. I don't think Republicans have all the answers (Democrats, either, for that matter...where are we putting our trust? In God or man?)

2. I occasionally enjoy the flavor of a fermented adult beverage. Always in my home, never in public.

3. I believe in the value of public education and the need for Christian families to shine a light. Therefore, I have every intention of sending my child(ren) to public school.

4. I don't forward emails that seem to get many conservative evangelicals in a tizzy (i.e. "stop using this quarter because they removed the words 'IN GOD WE TRUST'")

5. I absolutely believe in the sanctity of life, but I will not publicly protest abortion...I would rather reach out to the women in unimaginable circumstances and show them God's love. While the horrors of abortion are very real, I believe that Christians need to start loving the women involved, trusting God to take care of the children.

6. Likewise, I absolutely disagree with homosexuality. However, I refuse to turn my back on my friends because they choose this lifestyle. Rather, I choose again to show them God's love and value them as a people, praying for God to open the doors so I can share His love and truth with them. I choose to value them as God's creation, while disagreeing with the choices they make.

It's odd...my conservative friends sometimes see me as a flaming liberal, while my liberal friends think I'm way too conservative.

A dear, godly (liberal) friend told me this last night:

"Sometimes we think we are being persecuted for being fools for Christ, when we’re actually being persecuted for being fools."

I wonder sometimes if conservative evangelicals are being so outspoken, speaking the truth, that sometimes we forget to do it in love. At that point, I believe we just become fools, rather than being fools for Christ.

What Do You Worship?

I have to teach a song to my chorus this year called the "Rhythm of Life." It's from a Cy Coleman musical. The lyrics are somewhat tamed down for an elementary chorus, but there are still several things in it that trouble me. There are lines telling us to "spread the religion of the rhythm of life", "get a whole new congregation" and something about spreading the gospel of music. Because this song was chosen district-wide, and will be performed at a mass concert with many other schools, I'm obligated to teach it to my students.

In the music teaching world, a lot of music teachers have church jobs to supplement their income. I was talking to one of my friends in this position and sharing with her some of the parts of the song that were troubling me. Her response was that "religion, music and God all go together." (This is not the first music teacher who has equated music and God.) I responded out of my own troubled mind, "but how do you reconcile that with the first commandment, that we should have no other gods before God? To me, that becomes idolatry...worshiping the music rather than using music to worship the One who gave it to us."

My friend was somewhat speechless and quickly changed the subject. I guess it continually baffles me that people would choose a place of worship because of the quality of the music instead of the quality of the message. (Several music teacher friends can't believe I would attend a church with contemporary worship and *gasp* drums.)

Being Humbled

It's so easy to look at children and judge their parents. I confess, I've done it for years as a teacher. My child will never be the one to throw a temper tantrum on an airplane. My child will always accept responsibility for her actions. My child will take verbal redirection the first time. My child is the one everyone wants to visit because she's so sweet and pleasant.

So, I'm the proud parent of a typical four-year-old. She throws temper tantrums, she blames others, and she refuses to listen when she's being redirected. She was so sweet and compliant for so long, and when one trick stopped working, the next one just plugged right in for a smooth transition. Anymore, consequences don't work; they only make the tantrums more explosive. Ignoring the fits doesn't work, either. We've waited her out hours at a time. I don't want to always offer rewards, as that seems like bribing her to do the right thing.

I guess all that's left (which is what I should have done in the first place) is to go to my knees and ask for wisdom.

Metanoia

The year is 1992. I go away to college, leaving the protection of my parents' home, ready to face the world. Think for myself. Make my mark.

Somehow I end up in an ultra-liberal activist dorm. It's my first Presidential election...a heated one between Bush Sr. and Clinton. Oregon is also in the middle of its first heated gay rights measure on the ballot. Did I mention I'm pro-life?

I'm one of two residents in this dorm who owns a Bible. This simple fact makes me a target. Girls of "alternative" lifestyles start to target me, harrassing me in the bathrooms and shower; truly nasty things are written about me on the walls of the bathrooms; things are thrown at my window and vague threats are made about me.

The residents of this hall decided to buck the traditional Greek system of fraternities and sororities. To make some sort of point (I'm still not clear what that point may be), they renamed our hall the Metanoia House. The residents told me that "metanoia" was Greek for change, and they were out to change the world.

To this day, the word "metanoia" sends the creepy crawlies up and down my spine remembering those hellacious 15 weeks of my life (I got a new dorm and roommate at Christmas.) That is, until I discovered what the word really means:

Main Entry: meta·noia
Pronunciation: \ˌme-tə-ˈnȯi-ə\
Function: noun
Etymology: Greek, from metanoiein to change one's mind, repent, from meta- + noein to think, from nous mind
Date: 1577
: a transformative change of heart; especially : a spiritual conversion

Really? Repentance? A transformative change of heart?

I truly pity those who have so far missed the mark, and in their eagerness to bring about change, missed the chance to change their hearts.

Wedding Guests

I recently studied the story in John recounting Christ's first miracle. At a wedding in Cana, Jesus' mother asks him to do something about the awkward situation of running out of wine. Jesus commands the servants to fill 6 large jars to the top (150-180 gallons!) with water. Lo and behold! The water has become the finest wine!

Something notable about this story: Jesus was at this wedding because He was an invited guest. You see, Jesus only goes where He's invited. Wise is the couple who invites Him to their wedding. Better yet, their marriage.

Reality Check

Things are humming along...school's good, church is good, Bible Study it good, the family's good. Then it hits...one of those days (or in my case, weekends). My hormones are flying, as is my temper. I just want to be left alone...don't talk to me, don't look at me, and don't get in my personal space. Then I get a head cold...not the biggest deal in the world, but not good given the timing of my already precarious mood swings.

I guess I needed to be reminded that I can't do it all. In fact, I can't do any of it. And when I start depending on myself, that's when things fall apart.

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 2 Cor. 12:9