Archive - July, 2007

Reading: Thomas R. Kelly

July 31, 2007 in Books, Spiritual Life with 2 Comments

coffee6_1.jpgA number of years ago, I read Thomas R. Kelly‘s A Testament of Devotion.  I read it at the suggestion of a friend.  As I recall at that time, there was some turmoil going on in both my life and ministry.  I was grateful for anything that would help me deal with life.

 
I think such works really are best read not in an effort to be more "spiritual" but as a normal human being who is desiring to keep God at the center of all things.  Perhaps you read the interview with Eugene Peterson in Christianity Today (March 2005) entitled "Spirituality for all the Wrong Reasons."  At one point in the interview he said, 


I’ve been a pastor most of my life, for some 45 years.  I love doing this.  But to tell you the truth, the people who give me the most distress are those who come asking, "Pastor, how can I be spiritual?"  Forget about being spiritual.  How about loving your husband?  Now that’s a good place to start.  But that’s not what they’re interested in.  How about learning to love your kids, accept them the way they are?

This is what reading someone like Kelly does for me.  Such works help me with the ordinary moments of life.  Loving my wife.  Dealing with work.  Wrestling with motives.  If you have not read Kelly, listen for a moment as he speaks about living with God at the center in everyday life.  The following are a few brief lines from A Testament of Devotion:

Much of our acceptance of multitudes of obligations is due to our inability to say No.  We calculated that the task had to be done, and we saw no one ready to undertake it.  We calculated the need, and calculated our time, and decided maybe we could squeeze it in somewhere.  But the decision was a heady decision, not made within the sanctuary of the soul….

 
…Life from the center is a life of unhurried peace and power.  It is simple.  It is serene.  It is amazing.  It is triumphant.  It is radiant.  It takes no time, but it occupies all our time.  And it makes our (lives) new and overcoming.  We need not get frantic.  He is at the helm.  And when our little day is done, we lie down quietly in peace, for all is well.  

What Does Your Life Look Like?

July 30, 2007 in Spiritual Life with 3 Comments

Jesus never made anyone mean.

 
I heard someone say this a number of years ago.  The words have stuck with me.

 
Why?

 
Far too many of us miss the connection between grace and the way we treat people.  Consequently religion becomes defined by the following:

 
1.  Orthodoxy (We’ve got our doctrine correct.)

 
2.  Church work ("Where would this church be without you?  You do so much!")

 
3.  Church leadership roles (Church becomes all about decision making, planning, meetings, meetings, meetings…)

 
4.  Doing church really well ("There are some good churches in our area but we are considered the premier church.  There is no church like our church.") 

 
It is so easy to place our confidence in one of these four while we ignore what Jesus said was front and center: loving God and loving people.

 
As a result a person can seem to be very religious and yet act like a real jerk to his wife. 

 
A woman can seem very religious while she socially excludes those at church who don’t seem to "fit" (translated: these people don’t make the money that the rest of us in our group do).

 
A guy can call a meeting at work, unload a truckload of profanities at a few of his employees, and then go to a committee meeting at church that night.

 

A man or woman can speak of wanting to be spiritual and then behave rudely to his/her spouse. 

 
What is missing?  A life that is being transformed and changed by the Gospel.  Sometimes I wonder if Jesus would tell us that when it comes to being a spiritual person, we are not looking in the right places.   Maybe for some of us, he would have us reflect on our day — how it began at home, what happened at work, my behavior with customer service at Home Depot.  Maybe a good place to begin is with the ordinary stuff of life.    

Paying Attention

July 29, 2007 in Spiritual Life with 3 Comments

images_2.jpgThis week, I go back to work.  Specifically, on Wednesday, my vacation/study break will be over.  The vacation part of this time was great!  The study time was great as well.  Most of all, the time has given me the opportunity for a change in my everyday routines.

 
For fourteen years, every July, I have had a similar schedule.  A few weeks of study and a few weeks of vacation — in one month.  I am thankful to the church that I serve for this opportunity.  July has turned out to be one of the most valuable and important months of the year for me. 

 
It is in July that I regroup and remember again why I am doing what I do. (Yes, it is important to do this at other times of the year.  Nevertheless, it is a focus for me in July.)

 
During the early years of my ministry here, I probably worried too much about how much I would accomplish during this study time each July.  I don’t worry about that anymore.  Rather, I focus more on paying attention.  During the month, I try to focus more on paying attention to God, Scripture, my family, life, and what is happening around me.  What often happens is that I will begin to pay attention to something that is happening in me.  I will begin to pay attention to ideas that have been in my head for quite some time.  At other times, I might pay attention to a longing or feeling that has been ignored far too long.

 
I don’t know about you, but I find paying attention week after week to be a real challenge.  It is far too easy to get in a routine (rut?), put life on cruise control, and let it all happen.  Unfortunately, I can then wake up one day a year older and wonder what happened to the time.

 
As I go back to work this week, I want to continue to pay attention.  I realize that this kind of attentiveness will need to be intentional.  Otherwise, I will resort to a lifestyle or rut that is all too familiar.

 
By the way — does any of this sound familiar to you? 

On Being a Parent (Part 3)

July 26, 2007 in Family/Marriage with 4 Comments

cracker_barrel.jpgCharlotte and I were en route to Fairhope, Alabama, and then Orange Beach, Alabama, (both coastal towns).  We stopped at a Cracker Barrel (restaurant) for lunch.  At the table beside us were an older woman and a younger woman (seemed to be mother and daughter).  Two little girls were on the other side of the table.  Apparently they had ordered and now were waiting for their food.  Meanwhile, the two little girls got louder and louder while the two women seemed to tune it out.  Finally, these girls got so loud it became difficult to carry on a conversation at surrounding tables.

 
Finally, the mother said, "I’ve told you girls five times to be quiet!"  She then made a few comments to the older woman about the slow service.  At that point, she abruptly said to the children, "You girls have been good.  You will get a surprise when you get home."

 
Confusing?  Yes.

 
I thought about how difficult it must be for these little girls to sort out these comments.  "I"ve told you five times to be quiet" standing next to "You girls have been good today.  When you get home, you will get a surprise."  I suspect these little girls were a bit confused.  Talk about a mixed message!

 
I do remember those years of taking our small children into a restaurant.  Yes, it can be challenging.  After having two small children, I am very sympathetic to parents of small children in restaurants.  Yet, not following through and then sending mixed messages only makes it more difficult in the long run.  When rearing children, one can either "pay now or pay later."  In other words, I may choose the easy way right now.  I might ignore certain behaviors, allow my child to be disrespectful, and indulge his every whim.  However, that often comes back to haunt a parent.  Disrespect and talking back can be annoying when a child is four.  It can be exhausting to deal with this (I remember).  On the other hand, a parent can let it go when that child is four and then have to deal with an attitude that is much worse when that child is fifteen.

 
There are no perfect children.  There are no perfect parents.  Rearing children is not about perfection.  Rather, parenting is a ministry in which we are stewards of what God has given us to prepare for a life with him.

 
A few days ago, I finished reading Thinking About Tomorrow.  At one point, Susan Crandell reflects upon the child-rearing of her generation (my own generation as well).  She observes: "… A generation reluctant to accept our own adulthood, we were sometimes more eager to win our children’s approval than their cooperation."  This might be worth thinking about. 

On Being a Parent (Part 2)

July 20, 2007 in Family/Marriage with 17 Comments

You might want to read the first part of this brief series before reading this post.  You can find it here.  In that post, I expressed some concerns that I have regarding a number of parents today.  In this post, I want to ask you to comment on what encourages you about some parents today.

Just the other day, Charlotte and I were talking about a young couple from our church.  We both observed the way they dealt with their children.  This couple is in their late thirties/early forties and have four children, ten years of age and under.  I watched them with their children and I was encouraged.  They obviously encourage and love their children.  They are very "connected" to their children.  Their children are full of life and energy.

 
At the same time, these parents give their children limits and boundaries.  They deal with their children when they get out of line.  There are consequences for certain behaviors.

 
I see other good parents as well.  I also feel encouraged by these families.

 
What do you see in some parents that you find encouraging? 

On Being a Parent (Part 1)

July 19, 2007 in Family/Marriage with 8 Comments

children.jpgBeing a parent is probably one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done.  About the time you realize what you should have done during the last phase of your children’s lives, they have moved on to the next phase.  

 
Being a parent is very humbling.  I still have much to learn about parenting my children.  (My children are now 24 and 20, and I still continue to learn how to be a parent to two adult children.)  When our children were young, I read, listened to audio/video presentations on parenting, and watched other parents to learn how to be a good parent.  Again, I learned so much from just watching other parents.  Periodically, I would ask these parents questions about child rearing.

 
I have observed a few things in parents today which encourage me greatly.  Just the other evening, Charlotte and I were talking about a young family at our church.  We have been in their home and around their children on numerous occasions.  Watching them with their children is an encouraging experience.  On the other hand, I have also observed a few things which cause me concern (even great concern).

 
What makes me nervous?

 
1.  A mom and dad who seem to think they have got this parenting thing down.  Parenting does have a way of humbling many of us (It sure humbled me!).  Yet, there are some people who have been at this thing for two, three, or four years who almost seem to think they are a cut above other young parents.  Sometimes they will have read one book on parenting and now see that book as the definitive work on parenting.  No reason to read anything else or listen to anyone else.  After all, they have read the book (not referring to the Bible).  Contrast this spirit to the person who is humble and is always wanting to learn.

 
2.  A mom and dad who have basically placed their child (or children) in charge.  This family has become child centered (much to the detriment of the child).  Whatever this child wants, this child gets.  This happens regardless of how many other people are inconvenienced by the desire of these parents to please this child (or children) — at all costs.

 
When you observe parents with their children — in Wal-Mart, in your church, in your neighborhood, etc., what causes you concern?

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

July 18, 2007 in Spiritual Life with 11 Comments

zonderman_fig02b.jpgToday, I went through the Birmingham Institute for Civil Rights.  The Institute is located in downtown Birmingham, across the street from the Sixteenth Baptist Church (where antagonists to the Civil Rights Movement threw a firebomb into the church, killing four children, on September 16, 1963).  As I walked toward the Institute past the church, I was stunned that someone had actually driven down that street and thrown a firebomb among worshipers.  

 
The tour started with a brief film about the history of Birmingham and segregation.  The film ended with a discussion of the separate public facilities, separate schools, and the general mistreatment of blacks in the 1950s and early 1960s.  As the film came to an end, the curtain rose revealing two waters fountains located just behind the curtain.  Each was clearly marked.  One said, "Whites."  The other had a sign over it that read, "Colored."  The effect was startling.  (I can still remember hearing about these as a child and my mother explaining to me what they meant.)

 
The Institute features a self-guided tour through the various stations.  A person can leisurely walk through history remembering the Civil Rights Movement as well as the blight of segregation.

 
Finally, the last station features a huge wall-length screen of Martin Luther King Jr.’s "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on April 28, 1963.  The screen was huge and showed King in a close-up throughout the speech.  As many times as I have heard this speech, I have never seen the emotion on King’s face like I did today.  

 
If you are in or near Birmingham, I recommend this highly.

Update

July 17, 2007 in Spiritual Life with 0 Comments

coffee2_1.jpgI am away on my study break.  Posts will come but not as regular as usual.  Anyway, you might want to check out:

 
What I’m Reading as it has been updated.

 
One of Scot McKnight’s weekend posts suggests looking at Metamorpha.  I spent some time on this site.  Very good!

 
The other day I roamed the Ockenga Institute site (Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary).  You might enjoy this as well.

 
Periodically, I make additions to the links on the sidebar.  You might want to skim through these again. 

Life Together

July 17, 2007 in Books with 2 Comments

In the past few days, I have been reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s powerful little work Life Together.  My edition is a small paperback (122 pages).  Yet, it is a powerful book.  Before this week, I had never read the book in its entirety.

 
Bonhoeffer was born February 4, 1906 and died April 9, 1945.  Bonhoeffer, in his relatively short life, produced several works that continue (even to today) to nurture, teach, and encourage believers.  Much of his adult life was spent in Germany during a very difficult time.

 
Finally, on April 5, 1943, Bonhoeffer along with his sister and her husband were arrested and put into prison in Tegel.  During the first year of prison, guards were friendly to this minister.  They preserved and took care of his papers and writings.  Then after a year, Bonhoeffer was transferred from one Gestapo prison to another.  During his final weeks, he came in contact with men and women from throughout Europe.  One English officer who witnessed these events wrote:


Bonhoeffer always seemed to me to spread an atmosphere of happiness and joy over the least incident and profound gratitude for the mere fact that he was alive….  He was one of the very few persons I have ever met for whom God was real and always near….  On Sunday, April 8, 1945, Pastor Bonhoeffer conducted a little service of worship and spoke to us in a way that went to the heart of all of us.  He found just the right words to express the spirit of our imprisonment, the thoughts and the resolutions it had brought us.  He had hardly ended his last prayer when the door opened and two civilians entered.  They said, "Prisoner Bonhoeffer, come with us."  That had only one meaning for all prisoners — the gallows.  We said goodbye to him.  He took me aside: This is the end, but for me it is the beginning of life.  The next day he was hanged in Flossenburg.

Places I’ve Been

July 13, 2007 in Spiritual Life with 0 Comments

I like the post by Ed Batista on the value of starting meetings in a way that gives people the opportunity to listen more.

 
Curt Niccum’s top ten student errors for Spring 2007.

 
A post by Larry James on Craig Biggio (Houston Astros) and "Dads."

 
Terry Rush on "Walking on Main Street or a Dead End Alley?"

 
Douglas Groothuis on India’s hidden slavery.

 
John Frye beginning a series on "Jonah."

 
Trey Morgan on "Twenty-Five Ways to Kill a Good Marriage."

 
William Willimon on "Leadership and Change."

 
Doug Jones on "Beauty and Spirituality." 

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