Here and Now

Well, I'm part of an accountabilty group and we go through a list of quesitons (I know I've mentioned it before). I was thinking last night about the questions that Wesley had his group go through (the whole list is here - scroll down and you'll find them). So, I thought I'd deal with the questions as an exercise in blogging...or, um, something. Anyway, here goes.... Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite? I've done it. I know I have. I remember the days when I wanted to impress people. As much as I get away from that attitude, I still find myself doing it. Politicians call it spin. When I was a kid, I'd try to minimize my apparent involvement in the bad stuff I'd do. You know, it's not really my fault, after all... As an adult I may be even better at it. So, in some ways I create "the impression that I am better than I really am" by minimizing my own failur...

Rachel had allergy testing on Tuesday. It was hell for me - and worse for her. "Lay down on your tummy - I'm going to write on your back." "Daddy, are they going to use the needles?" "Yes, honey, they are." "I don't want the needles." "I know, but they have to." As the first round of tests - twenty four pokes in her tiny back - proceed, she is very strong at first, but after about a dozen it just hurts too much and she breaks down. "Make them stop, Daddy." But I can't. I want to, but I have to watch my little girl hurt and cry and I can't do a thing about it. In fact, I brought her here for this. And thank God it went quickly, though it seemed forever. And she can't scratch her back ("But it itches soooo badly") and she has to just sit there for fifteen minutes. And those 24 didn't show any allergies. "Hold very still or these next ones will hurt." Next ones? And ten more - stronger,...

I missed it, but the story is going all around the staff...Lori has been telling it...so, here goes... I guess my girls have been rehearsing the crucifixion scene. They've heard it so many times, I probably shouldn't be surprised. Rachel very seriously and carefully tells Elie about Jesus' death for our sins. And they...act it out. Now, I don't know if I'm the proudest dad in Warren, or the most horrified... Rachel laid Elie on the floor, stretched her arms out and pretended (with Elie's toy hammer) to nail her hands to the imaginary cross. They were very reverent and, actually, I guess Rachel did a pretty good job in explaining it. So, the other day, Lori is doing dishes and Elie comes out into the kitchen and lays down on the floor and spreads her arms and says, "Nail me down, Mommy! Nail my hands and my feet." "Now, honey, that's a very serious and important story..." "I know it is, Mommy. Jesus died for our sins. He was nailed do...

I am, it seems, a "frequent contributor" over at http://www.crummychurchsigns.blogspot.com/ (though I think I've probably only submitted a dozen or so...and only had four or five actually make the cut - 'cause most of what I've seen around here is soooo yesterday). So, I've decided that I'll only submit crummy church sign photos - and I have my first sighting here . I'll stand by my review, but I wish I had thought of this: Exodus 3:13-14 (NIV) 13 Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" 14 God said to Moses, "Um...no, don't tell them who sent you. In fact, just forget we ever had this conversation..."

So I just read a moderate response to immigration over on Keith McIlwain's blog McIlWeb and I guess I'm now understanding Michael's ambivalence toward a moderate position. I mean, basically I agree with much of what Keith is saying, but in the end I felt like saying, "So what? Is there a position here?" Keith, I know that's not fair - and really, it's me, not you... Because I'm that kind of moderate. I pretty much weigh the pros and the cons and find the common ground and here's my position - as non-threating as jello... What do I think about immigration? Find a way to encourage legal immigraion and stop illegal immigration - without too much suffering on the part of those who hav chosen the illegal route...yet just...sigh...really, what am I even saying? Jesus - the ulitmate radical...moderate? Hmmm, maybe not so much... Elie can't wait to have her first soccer practice. Truth be told, I can't wait for it, either. She's four, s...

I read an interesting article online the other day (I'm still wrestling with this whole "Emergent" "Postmodern" thing...where do I fall in all this theologically?) Anyway, it's a sort of "anti-postmodern rant" but one part really struck me: I'm fully prepared to admit that when we boomers were young, we faddishly embraced church-growth ratios and sociological analysis; we praised these modern tools as the salvation of the church. So it's poetic justice for us now to sit in the back of the room, the balding and befuddled, as the next generation praises the postmodern matrix as the salvation of the church. But we're both wrong. We've already got a salvation for the church, and he will not share his glory with any current cultural form, no matter how valuable or necessary it may be. If the church uncritically embraced modern culture, the solution is not to uncritically embrace postmodern culture. Every extreme in position is wrong - it...

Well, I was reading something about Rob Bell (a friend of mine was ranting about what a heretic he is so, of course, I had to check him out). Short of buying Velvet Jesus (um...not sure I'm quite ready to do that and never mind Sex God ...) I thought I'd do a little online research. It seems that I probably won't agree with Rob in a number of areas. But I happened on this critique of Bell's theology here where the guy goes off on Bell's interpretation of the Trinity. Here's the quote of Bell on Trinity: This doctrine is central to historic, orthodox Christian faith. While there is only one God, God is somehow present everywhere. People began to call this presence, this power of God, his 'Spirit'. So there is God, the then there is God's Spirit. And then Jesus comes among us and has this oneness with God that has people saying things like God has visited us in the flesh (John 1:14). So God is one, but God has also revealed himself to us as Spirit...

I recently had a conversation with someone about the emergent church. He's super critical of anything labeled "emergent" - as if, somehow, it's a monolithic movement and not just a whole bunch of people trying to figure out life and faith... Here's a bunch of anti-emergent posters to whet your appetite (okay, they really are funny...heh) http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/posters.htm And here's my favorite. Thing is - this poster can be applied to EVERY "group" of believers. Listen to the very liberal interpretations of the Bible and the very conservative and you're still probably hearing people make the Bible say what they want it to say. We ALL do that to a degree. I have heard more sermons that dissect single words in Greek and Hebrew to tell us "what it really says" - ignoring the context as a whole, of course. And I've done it, I know... But - this isn't really about that. This is about my problem with the whole "emergent m...

I have the best kids in the world. I know a lot of parents say that (how I wish EVERY parent would say that, but that's fodder for another post) - and they're all right, too... But here's my story: Rachel and Lori were shopping a while back and they were in the snack aisle when Rachel said something like "I want Cheetos." Now, I happen to think that Cheetos are possibly the world's most perfect food (well, perfect might be stretching it a bit...but mmmmmmmmm....), so I was hanging on every word of this story when Lori was telling me about it. So, Rachel wants Cheetos. She tosses them in the cart (with mom's permission, of course) and then they move on when Rachel holds up a bag of chips. "Look mom. Snyder's. We should get this and help Murray out." Murray is our good friend who is the Wise snacks salesman in our area. Lori looks at the bag. "Honey, those are Snyder's of Berlin. Murray sells Snyder's of Hannover." (Don't...