This is a picture that I use so my profile can have a photo.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Letting go... 5/13/07
For the second time one Mother's day the stage of our church was graced by Maurine Lyon - first lady of the NACHOG body. Once again, Maurine proved herself to be a deft speaker who can deliver rich and meaningful content in only a few pages of written notes.
Maurine's topic of being in control as a mother and wife could not be more timely for the all of the mothers (and fathers) in the room. In my other life as a college professor, I cannot tell you how many times I have heard from controlling parents who simply could not allow their children to grow up and become free, independent adults. Allow me to illustrate with a story less than a week old...
The appointment was set on my calendar by someone other than me. Usually in the month of May I spend most of my time in administrative meetings and writing curriculum for the coming year. So meeting with a prospective student and her parents was not exactly on my "to do" list for the day. Still, they were in the anteroom to my office and courtesy demands that I meet with them for at least 30 minutes.
I must confess that I do not remember their names so I will simply call them "Mom, Dad, and Jill"
I start - "So, what are you interested in studying in college?" I ask looking straight into the eyes of a very bright looking 17 year old.
"I want to study..." Jill is interrupted by Dad "Jill, has always been good at science and she wants to do something in the medical field."
Me - "OK, have you given any thought to the kind of role you would like to play? There are many different jobs in Medicine."
Jill - " I want to be a doctor." No quibbling, no doubt, that was her straightforward answer.
Dad - "Or physical therapist, or something..."
From there the conversation progressed to our program, success rates, where students go to graduate school, the usual stuff. As I was closing off the conversation Mom started her series of questions.
Mom - "What if Jill does not make it into Medical school? What can she do with a degree in PreMed?"
Me - "Her degree will actually be in Biochemistry, not PreMed, and there are dozens of Jobs she will eb qualified for..."
Mom - "But, don't you think that Nursing would be better? I mean, nurses are almost guaranteed jobs when the graduate!"
Me - "Well, the job market for nurses is really good right now. But, it's probably more important for Jill to choose a profession she will be happy with for a lifetime."
Mom - "She will be happy being a Nurse... and she can have a family too! Her sister is a senior in a Nursing program and she already has a job lined up!"
Me - "Jill, what kind of role to do want to play in the field of Medicine?"
Jill - glancing at Mom "Well, I am not sure. I guess being a nurse wouldn't be so bad."
Before you get started, this is NOT a tirade against nurses. I send dozens of excellent students into our nursing programs each year. They live wonderful, fulfilled lives so far as I know. It's just that not everyone is cut out for a life of nursing. It is a highly demanding field that takes dedication and a true love of the profession. Not everyone has that.
What I am trying to illustrate is the outcome of the opposite of Maurine's message. If you do not release control of the lives of those around you, there will be enormous consequences. I cannot tell you the number of shattered spirits that I have seen in my classrooms. The dashed hopes and dreams, broken on parental expectations. We parents think that we are helping our children, when in fact: "to save them, we must let them go"
Well done Maurine!
Maurine's topic of being in control as a mother and wife could not be more timely for the all of the mothers (and fathers) in the room. In my other life as a college professor, I cannot tell you how many times I have heard from controlling parents who simply could not allow their children to grow up and become free, independent adults. Allow me to illustrate with a story less than a week old...
The appointment was set on my calendar by someone other than me. Usually in the month of May I spend most of my time in administrative meetings and writing curriculum for the coming year. So meeting with a prospective student and her parents was not exactly on my "to do" list for the day. Still, they were in the anteroom to my office and courtesy demands that I meet with them for at least 30 minutes.
I must confess that I do not remember their names so I will simply call them "Mom, Dad, and Jill"
I start - "So, what are you interested in studying in college?" I ask looking straight into the eyes of a very bright looking 17 year old.
"I want to study..." Jill is interrupted by Dad "Jill, has always been good at science and she wants to do something in the medical field."
Me - "OK, have you given any thought to the kind of role you would like to play? There are many different jobs in Medicine."
Jill - " I want to be a doctor." No quibbling, no doubt, that was her straightforward answer.
Dad - "Or physical therapist, or something..."
From there the conversation progressed to our program, success rates, where students go to graduate school, the usual stuff. As I was closing off the conversation Mom started her series of questions.
Mom - "What if Jill does not make it into Medical school? What can she do with a degree in PreMed?"
Me - "Her degree will actually be in Biochemistry, not PreMed, and there are dozens of Jobs she will eb qualified for..."
Mom - "But, don't you think that Nursing would be better? I mean, nurses are almost guaranteed jobs when the graduate!"
Me - "Well, the job market for nurses is really good right now. But, it's probably more important for Jill to choose a profession she will be happy with for a lifetime."
Mom - "She will be happy being a Nurse... and she can have a family too! Her sister is a senior in a Nursing program and she already has a job lined up!"
Me - "Jill, what kind of role to do want to play in the field of Medicine?"
Jill - glancing at Mom "Well, I am not sure. I guess being a nurse wouldn't be so bad."
Before you get started, this is NOT a tirade against nurses. I send dozens of excellent students into our nursing programs each year. They live wonderful, fulfilled lives so far as I know. It's just that not everyone is cut out for a life of nursing. It is a highly demanding field that takes dedication and a true love of the profession. Not everyone has that.
What I am trying to illustrate is the outcome of the opposite of Maurine's message. If you do not release control of the lives of those around you, there will be enormous consequences. I cannot tell you the number of shattered spirits that I have seen in my classrooms. The dashed hopes and dreams, broken on parental expectations. We parents think that we are helping our children, when in fact: "to save them, we must let them go"
Well done Maurine!
Friday, May 4, 2007
Hypocrisy
In Jim’s sermon on this passage a couple of weeks ago he returned to the idea that we are saved by faith and not through a list of do’s and don’ts that we can somehow compile through a lifetime of good works. This has been a common theme in the message series Jim has entitled God’s Blog. Again we see salvation is by grace, nothing more. But I would like to take this message – this scripture in a slightly different direction.
To be certain; Christians in general, and North-goers in particular, must not judge people walking through our doors based on what they wear or the style of worship they prefer. Though we may (at times) have difficulty getting unanimity of the congregation on this point, I think we can generally agree that it is a virtue we should aspire to. People may not look just like us – but we should welcome them into the presence of the living God.
But let’s get a bit more radical with the scripture here – suppose we transpose the text to read, instead of gentiles, some of our more despised groups…
“Peter regularly ate with the homosexuals (street people, abortionists, drunkards). But when that conservative evangelical group came from Jerusalem, he cautiously pulled back and put as much distance as he could manage between himself and his “struggling with sin” friends. That's how fearful he was of the conservative evangelical clique that's been pushing the old system of circumcision.” - Galatians 2:12–13 (italics added where words have been changed)
I recently read of a Christian group ministering to AIDS patients whose funding was pulled because they would not condemn gay behavior as sinful. This ministry provided material support – food, shelter, and medicine – to desperate dying men. They did not condone homosexuality, but neither did they openly condemn it. Instead, they chose to let God judge the sin and focus on ministry to the sinner.
Jim’s sermon is easy to apply to the “gray sins” of drinking, dressing appropriately, and wearing make-up or jewelry. But the gentiles were NOT a “gray” group to these Jewish conservative Christians – they were repugnant, obscene, and foul. To eat with them was to endorse their sinful non-circumcision as OK. In the eyes of these Jewish conservatives, gentiles (that’s you and me remember) were reprobates.
Paul rightly chastises Peter for his hypocrisy. God wants us to reach out to all people.
Questions for discussion:
If God called you to minister to one of these groups could you do it without hypocrisy? Are the rules that we follow so assiduously potential stumbling blocks when it comes to unabashed ministry to those in need?
Which groups of people are the ones that you would find it most difficult to minister to and why?
To be certain; Christians in general, and North-goers in particular, must not judge people walking through our doors based on what they wear or the style of worship they prefer. Though we may (at times) have difficulty getting unanimity of the congregation on this point, I think we can generally agree that it is a virtue we should aspire to. People may not look just like us – but we should welcome them into the presence of the living God.
But let’s get a bit more radical with the scripture here – suppose we transpose the text to read, instead of gentiles, some of our more despised groups…
“Peter regularly ate with the homosexuals (street people, abortionists, drunkards). But when that conservative evangelical group came from Jerusalem, he cautiously pulled back and put as much distance as he could manage between himself and his “struggling with sin” friends. That's how fearful he was of the conservative evangelical clique that's been pushing the old system of circumcision.” - Galatians 2:12–13 (italics added where words have been changed)
I recently read of a Christian group ministering to AIDS patients whose funding was pulled because they would not condemn gay behavior as sinful. This ministry provided material support – food, shelter, and medicine – to desperate dying men. They did not condone homosexuality, but neither did they openly condemn it. Instead, they chose to let God judge the sin and focus on ministry to the sinner.
Jim’s sermon is easy to apply to the “gray sins” of drinking, dressing appropriately, and wearing make-up or jewelry. But the gentiles were NOT a “gray” group to these Jewish conservative Christians – they were repugnant, obscene, and foul. To eat with them was to endorse their sinful non-circumcision as OK. In the eyes of these Jewish conservatives, gentiles (that’s you and me remember) were reprobates.
Paul rightly chastises Peter for his hypocrisy. God wants us to reach out to all people.
Questions for discussion:
If God called you to minister to one of these groups could you do it without hypocrisy? Are the rules that we follow so assiduously potential stumbling blocks when it comes to unabashed ministry to those in need?
Which groups of people are the ones that you would find it most difficult to minister to and why?
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Easter Sunday
There were two main themes to Jim’s sermon on Easter Sunday.
1. We cannot save ourselves by any means – living by the rules will not do it.
2. We cannot fix ourselves before we come to Christ – only he has the power to transform us from the inside.
There is no set of rules to live by that will justify us in the sight of God. I come from several generations of Christians. My ancestors were not Church of God blue-bloods, they were among the founders of the Free Methodist and Pilgrim Holiness churches. Believe me, when it came to rules the ChoGers had nothing on us – we weren’t more holy or stricter, but we were comparable. We lived by rules, were defined by the rules we kept, and never strayed – at least not openly. But we still had pride; a sense of honor in the rules, in keeping to the code of conduct. No one did it better than us. Whenever we fell short, the guilt was wonderfully horrible. It wasn’t until college that I really began to hear that I could not earn my salvation by keeping a set of rules. People talked about it, but I still didn’t really get it.
In graduate school I ran into my first adult Christians of different theological traditions. Scott and Roger were Reformed Calvinists, Mark was a charismatic, Markian was Catholic, and Nancy was a Universalist. Each of them was devout in their faith and completely different from me. Their rules and actions were different. Roger and Scott would occasionally drink beer, though neither would get drunk. Nancy was accepting of almost anyone as long as they believed in God as creator. At first, I felt superior in my exterior holiness, but looking back; it was a fool’s game. Each of these dear people had grasped something about God’s love that I had failed to. God loves us no matter what we do. My actions did not make me either superior or holy – just self-satisfied and arrogant.
God defines holiness. Since I am not God, I cannot force myself to behave in a Holy manner. No matter how hard I try I will fail. Fundamentalism in any faith tradition leads to irrational and illogical behavior – occasionally to extremism.
Of course the crisis point came when God convinced me that I did not have to live by a set of rules to be acceptable to him. Jim illustrated this very well with the illustration of the perfect Easter egg. They are nearly impossible to make – no matter how hard we try. Whether we are trying to fix a broken marriage, break an addictive behavior, or overcome excessive greed – our efforts are doomed to an unsatisfactory balance of pride and prejudice. What is lacking is the fulcrum of grace.
We do not overcome – God overcomes. The real, tangible miracles of life; those without physical explanations are almost always spiritual. The unbelievable transformation of a violent man into a peaceful, loving soul is miraculous! The turn-about seen in the life of an abused, bitter, and selfish woman as she becomes God-sufficient rather than self-sufficient is the stuff of awe and wonder. In short, it is God who does the “fixing” not us. We are houses in need of repair: rotten floorboards, leaky windows, and moss-covered roofs. The house cannot repair itself – it is in need of a carpenter.
Discussion questions:
Take these wherever you want them to go - I simply offer them as a starting point for discussion.
1. We cannot save ourselves by any means – living by the rules will not do it.
2. We cannot fix ourselves before we come to Christ – only he has the power to transform us from the inside.
There is no set of rules to live by that will justify us in the sight of God. I come from several generations of Christians. My ancestors were not Church of God blue-bloods, they were among the founders of the Free Methodist and Pilgrim Holiness churches. Believe me, when it came to rules the ChoGers had nothing on us – we weren’t more holy or stricter, but we were comparable. We lived by rules, were defined by the rules we kept, and never strayed – at least not openly. But we still had pride; a sense of honor in the rules, in keeping to the code of conduct. No one did it better than us. Whenever we fell short, the guilt was wonderfully horrible. It wasn’t until college that I really began to hear that I could not earn my salvation by keeping a set of rules. People talked about it, but I still didn’t really get it.
In graduate school I ran into my first adult Christians of different theological traditions. Scott and Roger were Reformed Calvinists, Mark was a charismatic, Markian was Catholic, and Nancy was a Universalist. Each of them was devout in their faith and completely different from me. Their rules and actions were different. Roger and Scott would occasionally drink beer, though neither would get drunk. Nancy was accepting of almost anyone as long as they believed in God as creator. At first, I felt superior in my exterior holiness, but looking back; it was a fool’s game. Each of these dear people had grasped something about God’s love that I had failed to. God loves us no matter what we do. My actions did not make me either superior or holy – just self-satisfied and arrogant.
God defines holiness. Since I am not God, I cannot force myself to behave in a Holy manner. No matter how hard I try I will fail. Fundamentalism in any faith tradition leads to irrational and illogical behavior – occasionally to extremism.
Of course the crisis point came when God convinced me that I did not have to live by a set of rules to be acceptable to him. Jim illustrated this very well with the illustration of the perfect Easter egg. They are nearly impossible to make – no matter how hard we try. Whether we are trying to fix a broken marriage, break an addictive behavior, or overcome excessive greed – our efforts are doomed to an unsatisfactory balance of pride and prejudice. What is lacking is the fulcrum of grace.
We do not overcome – God overcomes. The real, tangible miracles of life; those without physical explanations are almost always spiritual. The unbelievable transformation of a violent man into a peaceful, loving soul is miraculous! The turn-about seen in the life of an abused, bitter, and selfish woman as she becomes God-sufficient rather than self-sufficient is the stuff of awe and wonder. In short, it is God who does the “fixing” not us. We are houses in need of repair: rotten floorboards, leaky windows, and moss-covered roofs. The house cannot repair itself – it is in need of a carpenter.
Discussion questions:
Take these wherever you want them to go - I simply offer them as a starting point for discussion.
- What are the blocks to living a life free of the legalism that so many of us grew up with?
- Why are people who grew up away from the church pulled into the security of legalism?
- What is it about living by a strict set of rules that is so comforting?
- How can "love for God" overwhelm our "need for acceptance" in the here and now?
- How do we know where the lines between legalistic rules, church traditions, and sin intersect?
Monday, April 23, 2007
Starting out
Hello fellow North goes - or should I say, Madison Park soon-to-be people!
As you know, the pages of a blog provide an opportunity for the average person - like me or you - to create a forum for discussion.
In his recent sermon series Pastor Lyon started the process of blogging after his messages on Sunday. Several of us were faithful readers of his blog, we even made comments - but his schedule of meetings, counseling sessions and generally being the pastor of a 2000+ congregation have made regular contributions to the blogospere somewhat difficult.
Therefore, I have started this simple site - view from the pew - for us to post comments and hold discussions about Jim's messages. All I ask (as moderator) is that you keep things clean, own you comments, and not make personal attacks. If you do, I will delete your comments and block you from the blog.
Disagreeing with Jim or me or another person who posts is just fine - as long as you do it in a civil manner.
Burt
As you know, the pages of a blog provide an opportunity for the average person - like me or you - to create a forum for discussion.
In his recent sermon series Pastor Lyon started the process of blogging after his messages on Sunday. Several of us were faithful readers of his blog, we even made comments - but his schedule of meetings, counseling sessions and generally being the pastor of a 2000+ congregation have made regular contributions to the blogospere somewhat difficult.
Therefore, I have started this simple site - view from the pew - for us to post comments and hold discussions about Jim's messages. All I ask (as moderator) is that you keep things clean, own you comments, and not make personal attacks. If you do, I will delete your comments and block you from the blog.
Disagreeing with Jim or me or another person who posts is just fine - as long as you do it in a civil manner.
Burt
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