Brain Buzz

When I was a teen, I was part of a competitive Bible quiz league.  We had competitions locally and went to a few national tournaments around the country during the year.

Essentially, you would commit a book of the Bible to memory and be asked questions about it.  Not just any questions, the question had to come directly out of the scripture.  You would never hear a question like, "How many disciples did Jesus have?" because that did not come word for word out of the scripture. 

Instead, they would take a verse like John 11:17 "On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days." and pull a word or a phrase out and stick an interrogative in its place (they could add a helping verb if necessary).  So, a question might read: "Who had already been in the tomb for four days?" Answer?  Lazarus.  Three teams of three to four "quizzers" would compete over 20 such questions.

However, most competitors' level of memorization was so complete, they didn't wait for the full question to finish.  They would buzz in on just a few words of the question: "Who had al..." and hope from that bit of the question, they could figure out where the verse was in 21 chapters of John and answer inside the 30 seconds given from the initial buzz.  You could formulate a question and answer or quote the entire section to be called correct.  (There is a story to my question example that a few Detroit quizzers MAY remember).

Anyways, sometimes over a few days of competition, your brain kind of went to mush.  You spent so much time concentrating, that after it was all over, there was just a low buzz in your brain.  Unlike the usual scattered thoughts that crowd for space, after a quizzing tournament, there was a weird brain silence.

It has been decades since I have felt that phenomenon, but I recognized it today.  After a week of remote teaching, my brain was just on fire.  This week I spent so much time focusing.  Much of what I do in teaching nowadays is 2nd nature... but there was none of that this week.  Every detail had to have my attention.  I wasn't just thinking, I was concentrating.  Nothing was automatic, the whole week was on manual control.

I am really tired... but it was all strangely satisfying.  Not saying I want to do that all the time... but it was like seeing an old friend experiencing that brain buzz again today.

My Journey to Atheism - Part 2

Here is part 2 of my discussion with my brother about leaving the faith. We talk about why I couldn't stop at Agnosticism and what effect this all had on my family. If you haven't listened to Part 1 yet, you can find it here:  Part 1

My Journey to Atheism - Part 1

I want to recommend to you my brother's podcast. Steve is a Christian believer whose faith journey has led him to ... more open pastures ... in the past half dozen years. Steve and I have both gone through a lot of changes over our decades as brothers, but no matter where we were politically, philosophically, or religiously, we have always managed to have excellent dialogue. One reason is because Steve, at his core, is a great conversationalist and that really comes through in the podcast. Be it discussions of faith, stories from his month long walk on the Camino de Santiago, or opinions about the latest Star Wars movie, his new podcast has proven to be a worthy listen on my list.

In his latest episode, Steve interviews me about my journey from a life of faith to atheism. We talk about Hell theology, life among the Mormons, and how Evangelicals respond to diversity.  We had a great conversation, in fact, it lasted over 2 hours. So Steve split it in half and this is part one. Enjoy!

Restore the 1984 NIV

Two of my original quizzing books

When I was a teenager, I was part of a Bible Quizzing program. Over the years, I committed a fair amount of the New Testament to memory. The scripture translation we used was the New International Version.

A few years ago, Biblica updated the translation and for the past few years had been giving the online bibles and apps (biblegateway, youversion) the option of selecting the latest NIV or the 1984 version.

Now however, they have quit selling the 1984 and have made all of the online versions use the "2011" only. On February 28, the 1984 disappeared from websites, tablets, and phones around the world.

So how different is it? Plenty! As an example, here are the first four verses from Romans 2 in the 2011:

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

Here is the 1984 version (typed from memory):

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgement on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgement do the same things. Now we know that God's judgement against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you,a mere man, pass judgement on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgement? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?

I know... the differences seem pretty minor; but to someone quoting, they are huge.  When one already has the text memorized, these subtle changes are like a mosquito buzzing in your ear - utterly distracting.

I understand the desire to use the latest knowledge and linguistic research to keep the language of the scriptures as accurate as possible. I would just request that Biblica make the 1984 NIV available as an option for the scores of people who have committed these texts to memory.

If this is an issue that matters to you, Biblica can be reached here.

Memorization is Good for the Brain

When I was young, I was a terrible student. I never completed homework, and I devised a myriad of shenanigans to distract myself from learning at school. I think, prior to the 10th grade, I never achieved anything above a C.

Two things pulled me out of the pit of ignorance I had dug for myself. One was Star Wars. I was addicted to Star Wars before the era of DVDs and video rentals. The only way to satiate my ravenous desire for Star Wars between movies were Star Wars novels. My love for Star Wars overcame my disdain for reading.

The second was bible quizzing. Having become a Christian at the age of 14, I joined a bible quizzing program at my school to help me stay in "The Word" regularly. My motivation was that this would help save my soul; but, unbeknownst to me at the time, it was saving my educational ass.

Over the next 7 years I committed to memory the New Testament books of John, Acts, Romans, James, Hebrews, Peter 1 & 2, and major chunks of Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, and Philippians. The skills I developed memorizing this material, along with the intellectual elements of the bible quizzing competition, turned a dull-witted boorish boy into an armchair scholar.

It occurred to me during an education seminar I attended recently, that my students are completely bereft of the opportunity to memorize. So like myself at that age, they are woefully ignorant, with little motivation to make any change. In addition, our educational system tends to disdain memorization. Aspiring teachers are taught that making your students do anything by route and repetition will kill their love of learning; such methods are labeled "drill and kill". The most immediate and noticeable result of this ethos is that less than 10% of my 6th grade students know their multiplication facts. Knowing the positive effect memorizing had on me, I returned from that seminar motivated to get my students memorizing.

We started with the preamble to the Constitution. They groaned and moaned through the whole process. However, I did notice that they liked being able to quote it at the end. I believe being able to rattle off the material gave them a sense of accomplishment. Over the past two weeks we have been working on the first two paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence. Again, lots of groans and moans... but parallel to that is a confidence that comes with having material like that at one's disposal. I nearly fell out my chair when one of the girls in my class made an astute connection between the material she had memorized and a story we were reading!

My plan is to develop a progressive list of material for my students to memorize next year. I know I have an eclectic, and well read, group of people who read this blog; so I would be interested in any text suggestions you might have. I am assuming I would start out the beginning of the year with a short piece, one paragraph, and work towards larger pieces over the school year. I am personally weak in the area of good poetry, so those suggestions would be particularly helpful.

I am also considering the use of religious texts. I agree with Stephen Prothero that our lack of religious knowledge is detrimental to our interactions with one another. I know helpful sections from the bible, but I am in need of short, useful sections from the Quran, Bhagavad Gītā, the Tao Te Ching, etc... I think it might be interesting if I could find a common theme of goodness that each religious text addresses.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and suggestions.

25 Facts About Me

This little exercise is making its way across my corner of Facebook. It took a while to type, so I thought I would post it here too.

1. I spent 6 weeks backpacking around Israel when I was 16 (still amazed that my parents let me do that). While there I was baptized in the Jordan River and attended a sunrise service at the Garden Tomb Easter morning.

2. While in Israel, a Bedouin chief took me and a friend on a camel safari into the Negev desert. On the second day (we spent the night camped under the open sky around a fire), some army officials came in a jeep to get the chief because they needed his tracking skills (How they found us in the middle of the desert I have no idea). In broken English, the chief assured us that the camels knew the way home. I was pretty sure we were going to bake and die. However, about 6 hours later, we arrived back at the kibbutz.

3. I lived at Last Days Ministries (Keith Green's place) for 6 months when I was 18.

4. While at Last Days, the building I was in was hit by a tornado. I didn't realize it was a tornado at the time, I just knew the ceiling, walls, and floor were caving in and rattling like crazy. I was an invincible 18 year old who didn't know enough to be scared.

5. Due to years of bible quizzing as a teen, I can quote most of the New Testament. I have always found it interesting that over the years the epistles stayed with me whereas story books like Acts pretty much went bye-bye. Weird how the brain works.

6. I grew up listening to Rush Limbaugh and I was a dittohead. I saw him on his Rush to Excellence tour in Detroit. Now I can hardly listen to his rabid ideological shtick.

7. I shook hands with President Regan in 1984.

8. I am lucky to be here, I can think of at least 6 times in my life when I probably should have died.

9. I recently appeared in the play Peter Pan with my daughter. I have decided I really like community theater.

10. I moved out to Utah 5 years ago after living in Michigan for 35 years. I love living out West!!

11. If a movie has great dialogue, I do not think there is a limit to how many times I can happily enjoy watching it.

12. I believe good books need to be read multiple times.

13. I have probably read "The Great Divorce" by C.S. Lewis at least a dozen times.

14. I believe most strong religious and political views are rooted in a need to be right. I believe there is amazing freedom in recognizing and uprooting this need.

15. I blog regularly, though in college I would drop and change classes if I could find a class that graded by tests rather than papers. I hated writing.

16. One of my favorite things to do is to sit in a coffee house with friends and discuss theology and philosophy.

17. I have over 6000 comic books bagged, boarded, and boxed in my basement.

18. My two children have been my greatest teachers.

19. Aside from the whole impending death thing, I am enjoying growing older.

20. I had an apartment and lived in Nashville for one day when I was in my early twenties. I wonder where my life would be now if I had stayed.

21. I hate watching televised sports. If am sure for me, hell would be a place where there was nothing on the TV and radio aside from sports coverage.

22. My favorite CD of all time is "Strength" by the Violet Burning. The best circumstance under which to listen to it is with my friends Brook, Lori, and Marianne, in an apartment lit with candles and incense. My twenties were great.

23. I think it is a shame that smoking is bad for you. There are few things I enjoy more than a clove. Moving to Utah has added years to my life since they don't sell cloves here.

24. I am a Universalist Christian. In short, that means I believe that everyone is/will be reconciled to God. I think 1 Cor. 13 is not a passage about romantic love... it is a passage about God. God is patient, God is Kind, God always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. God never fails.

25. Since becoming a Universalist, I find I enjoy people a lot more. I suspect this is because head counting who is and is not getting into heaven has the consequence of distancing oneself from people.

26. I think time with friends and family is the most important thing in the world. It is a shame that so many sacrifice this time because "Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes - working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need." (Quote courtesy of Fight Club, one of the greatest movies of all time).

27. My longest stint of consciousness occurred during a party at my friend Brook's house. I believe that party lasted for days! He has been my best friend ever since!

28. I have difficulty with list numeration.

Bias Tips the Scales

I started Bible Quizzing when I was 14. Somewhere in my early 20's I switched from quizzer to coach and quizmaster. The quizmaster is the person who asks the questions that the three teams jump on. He or she also makes judgment calls. Questions are constructed word for word out of the scripture like so:

Q: When did God speak to our forefathers through the prophets?

A: In the past

However, answers do not have to be word perfect, so there is often debate as to what constitutes a right or a wrong answer. Quizzers have the opportunity to debate these nuances with the quizmaster - to defend or contest a given answer.

Looking back, it is interesting to me that when I was a quizzer, most issues were black and white. Quizmasters were, from my perspective, either dead on or out of their minds on particular judgments. Good calls were the ones that I agreed with, bad calls were those with which I did not. The personal convenience of that pattern never occurred to me. I was often puzzled by quizmasters who spent so much time considering a ruling on something that was OBVIOUSLY so clear.

My perspective changed once I started quizmastering. I spent time weighing out the various arguments. I could often give a measure of validation to both sides of the debate. Sometimes I would have to throw a question out because I felt I could not make a fair call otherwise. At that point, the captains of the opposing teams would often roll their eyes... convinced that I could not be more wrong.

What had happened to the certainty I had as a quizzer? Where had the clarity gone?

It went away with my biases. Now that I was no longer advancing or defending a position, I had lost my vested interest. Being on a "side" created a natural imbalance in my mental scales... something that is difficult to recognize while you are on a side.

This makes me wonder where else in my life I see clarity where there is none. Where else do my vested interests push the scale to an outcome that does not exist for someone outside the equation? Through experience I have learned to recognize some of my biases and I try to compensate for them; but how many lurk beneath the surface, silently altering my view to create something that is not completely accurate?

I thought this video of the varying commentary on Michelle Obama's convention speech is a good example of biases coloring the view of the same occurrence.

Congrats Detroit Bible Quizzing!!!

I heard some wonderful news on my answering machine today. Detroit Bible Quizzing won the World tournament this year. Not only that, they took first, second, and third! Amazing! Detroit has won that tournament two other times in its nearly 40 year history.

Bible Quizzing is probably second to none when it comes to learning scripture. I am sure that every person on those Detroit teams would have been able to quote this year's material (Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon).

I was with the Detroit Bible Quiz program for 20 years. I am grateful to the many, many people who did life with me as a teen and as an adult. I offer deep thanks to the people who continue to make the Detroit Bible Quizzing program available to the young people of the Detroit metro area!

Long live Bible Quizzing!

Thank You Keith Green

I recently went to a family reunion in Natchitoches, Louisiana. I noticed that our route took us very close to Lindale, Texas. I took the opportunity to pay my respects at the grave site of Keith Green, who was a Christian singer, songwriter, and speaker during the 70s and early 80s. I also took a drive through the Last Days Ministries property which is now owned by Teen Mania.

When I was eighteen, I spent 6 months living at Last Days Ministries. Last Days was founded by Keith. I had spent my first 10 weeks in a Bible/Missions school they offered and ended up staying on for a number of months after to work at the ministry (I was there when the ministry was hit by a tornado).

Keith was truly one of my "Fathers" in the Faith. Even before my conversion at the age of fourteen, Keith was influencing my view of God through his music. He embedded within me a view of the holiness of God which continues to affect me today. His intensity for Christ was a model for me. My six months at his ministry (which was after his death) provided a vessel theologically for all of the scripture I had memorized during my years in bible quizzing.

Thank you Keith, you continue to bless me!

P.S. Through the wonders of internet technology, I have connected with Rich, a friend of mine who went through ICT at Last Days with me. Should any of you who were down at Last Days during that time read this blog - contact us!

Book Meme

I have been tagged for a Meme on books (my favorite topic) by my fellow Utahn Kay. The hardest part will be trying to keep this brief. How does one keep succinct a discourse on one of life's greatest pleasures?

1 - One book that changed your life

Impossible. This cannot be limited to one. Do not all books stir us and move us? Still, let us give it a try. Here are a few:

ROMANS- A few months after converting to Christianity at 15 I started to memorize the book of Romans through Bible Quizzing. This was, and in many ways still is, the foundation of my theology. Particularly chapters 2 and 14 (the mind your own business chapters).

The Great Divorce by CS Lewis - This book helped me humanize a lot of doctrine. I have read this book no less than 15 times. His view of Hell and who goes there helped loosen me from the Hell, Fire, and Brimstone doctrines I grew up on.

Teachings on Love by Thich Nhat Hahn - There is NO greater book on the simple teaching of Love. This was the first book that showed me that I could learn deeply from Masters who were not of my faith (I know some of you are thinking "well duh!", but for me that was a big step).

A Generous Orthodoxy by Brian McLaren - In this book, Brian articulated much of what I had been thinking for years. There were only a few souls I shared these thoughts with... I was pretty sure I was a heretic. Now I am comfortable with my heresy. :)

2 - One book that you’ve read more than once

I read LOTS of books more than once. Books, like movies, need to be gone back to over and over. Most Lewis books I have read many, many times. Recently, I have re-read If Grace is True... by Phillip Gulley.

3 - One book you’d want on a desert island

For music, that would be easy (Violet Burning-Strength). How do I limit books to ONE? It may seem cliche' but I may have to go with the Bible on this one. That way I get many voices.

4 - Two books that made you laugh

Any Star Trek novel written by Peter David. He is one of the few authors who will make me laugh out loud while reading.

Bloom County by Berkely Breathed makes me laugh no matter how often I read them.

5 - One book that made you cry

I don't know that I actually cried when Fred Weasley died, but I was moved. There were a few times during the last HP book that I had to just set it down and have a quiet moment.

6 - One book that you wish had been written

A follow up to the book of Job... I have real problems with that book; it doesn't seem to fit. I hate how it portrays God.

7 - One book that you wish had never been written

Anything written by a televangelist (I was surprised to find out they were literate).

8 - Two books you’re currently reading

The Amber Spyglass by Phillip Pullman - It has been a while since I have enjoyed a fiction series this much. Wonderful!

The Wit and Wisdom of Gandhi - This is just a book of quotes I have been working through. I finally stopped highlighting, because the entire book was glowing.

9 - One book you’ve been meaning to read

I have a never ending list. Here is what is probably up and coming in the next few months (my reading will really pick up during summer vacation).

God and Empire - Dominic Crossan
Adam, Eve, and the Serpent - Elaine Pagels
The Prophets - Abraham J. Heschel
How to Expand Love - Dalai Lama
& a small stack of Walter Brueggemann

I tag two friends who share my love of hanging out in a bookstore with a good book and a hot cup of coffee. Brook and Carrie.

Mark Driscoll = Robert Conrad?

Here I date myself. Yes, I remember Robert Conrad. He was a 70's tough guy actor. He did a battery commercial where he called all the other batteries wimps, then dared you to knock a battery off his shoulder... while he glared at you through the screen.

I don't know Mark Driscoll's preaching very well, but every time I do hear him I get Conrad flashbacks. He seems to glory in a tough guy preacher attitude and has made it his call to dare everyone to knock theology off his shoulder. I think this is behavior he will be embarrassed by when he gets older.

Doug Pagitt has offered a good response to personal attacks from Mark.... smile, wink, and walk away.

Here is your wink Mark (and here are a few others), I wish you well. I hope your heart changes soon; both to prevent your own scars and those you inflict on others.

I confess to having inflicted many scars. Even as I glance over most of my posts, I see that they are critiques... how to change?

I wrote this in response to something else on another blog, but it kinda fits here:

I have been a follower of Christ for about 24 years. My upbringing in the faith was within a church that was very focused on personal righteousness and drawing clear lines between, not only us and non-Christians, but also Christians who did not measure up. Due to years of bible quizzing, I had a lot of scripture at my command and did not hesitate to use it to point out the failings and shortcomings of others.

A friend of mind was heading off to a Christian college, as were a number of us, so we had a last get together. When he was leaving he shook my hand and held my gaze for a moment.

“Andy... You wound people”, he said.

“What?” I said defensively.

He smiled and left. There was no malice. He said it with complete compassion. He probably had wanted to say it for a long time.

It took years for what he said that night to sink in, but by the grace of God, it did. I have learned since then that Jesus didn’t just love people. He liked them. He really, really likes them.

I do not doubt my Christianity back then. I had been born-again. I had turned from a life of rebellion to a life of surrender. But like Paul said...without love, I was nothing but an irritation and pain to those around me. I was a modern day Pharisee. I was passionate for the things of God. But somehow, my contempt for non-Christians (and Christians who did not measure up) did not seem inconsistent to me. In fact, I used scripture to justify my attitude.

It is not enough to love God and be passionate for him. That was the mistake of the Pharisees. Over time you become jaundiced. Jesus said that loving your neighbor was like loving God. He was not willing to separate the two. They work in tandem. Jesus' love for people confounded the Pharisees. His love for people kept them from seeing who he really is.

A Pharisee is someone who loves God, but has contempt for people. I believe they are all over the church and I believe they are still God’s people. God just wants them to start over flowing with love for everyone like he does.

Significant Destabilizing Event

I read a really great post this week where a gentleman described in 11 steps how he left his faith and was brought in to something better. Although we did not share the same starting points in terms of faith, his journey resonates with me. As I poured over his list, I kept thinking, "Yep...MmmHmm... been there... did that one". I want to share some of his steps in terms of my experience. I think anyone who leaves a paradigm of some kind will go through similar steps.

Step 1 - Blissful Ignorance
He states that this is the step where, "we see all opposition as evil, sin, 'the adversary', tempting people to stray from the truth." Growing up charismatic, I learned that we were right and everyone else was wrong. Since we believed in the "gifts of the spirit" we were "Full Gospel" (so by definition, everyone else was only "part gospel"). Nearly everyone else was considered "other", so we believed we had a lot of opposition trying to water down or destroy our truth.

Step 2 - Niggling Suspicions
Here he states that we start to see that the opposition may hold something of value and words like "perhaps" enter our mind. These started for me when I joined Bible Quizzing in my early teens. I was learning the books of Romans and James, and I noticed that neither Paul nor James seemed to talk like we talked, or feel like we felt. In fact, I started to come across a fair amount of scripture which seemed to contradict what I had been taught.

In addition, all of the quizzers from other churches were not anything like what I had been told to expect. Instead of playing church and being lukewarm, I found peers that had profound insights into the things of God and were passionate for their faith.

Step 3 - Active denial of Step 2
I never actually went through this step. Being a teenager, I had a natural rebellious streak anyway, so the idea of being a rebel for Christ was appealing. However, I have seen a lot of people hit this point. They are so afraid of being wrong, or being out of the right group, that they aggressively squash any questions that had been forming in their head. They recommit and become more fundamental than ever.

I think step 3 is more involved with leaving a faith paradigm (though I suppose it could happen in other things). There tends to be more than an idea at stake when shifting within or out of your faith. Faith groups have words like heretic, apostate, excommunication, damnation, etc... which are strong inhibitors to keep you from questioning or investigating too much.

Step 4 - Significant Destabilizing Event
I LOVE this phrase. It speaks volumes. I pray each of you reading this may have MANY Significant Destabilizing Events. The author of this list says that this is "some critical incident that throws one out of the denial stage". I would also add that it solidifies your niggling suspicions if you never had a denial stage.

As I look over my history, most of my paradigm shifts had some kind of S.D.E. (or at least a D.E.). I can look back and think, "That is the event or item that caused me to question ____".
My ultimate point in writing this blog was to share a few of my significant destabilizing events (perhaps in the comments section you might share some of yours).

I remember when I first allowed the question to form that perhaps God was not a Republican. :) I was at the music festival Ichthus, reading a Christian Rock magazine. The editorial was written by a man who was obviously passionate about Christ, but he was criticizing the Republican administration for its lack of concern for the poor. I remember just staring at the magazine. I couldn't get the two ideas to fit... man of God... not Republican...man of God...not Republican. There may have been smoke coming out my ears as I wrestled with that one.

I had an SDE concerning Hell, and it has remained destabilized ever since. I was in my early twenties and worked with my Dad's carpet company. He had a couple installers and a number of guys from church he had hired as laborers. One of the installers was a guy named Jerry. Jerry was a kind and honest man from what I knew of him. He always put in a good day's work. I knew he had gone through a bad divorce and struggled to gain the acceptance of his son. Sadness hung over him. Through things he said I slowly pieced together that he had never felt truly accepted by anyone. He presumed he would always be rejected. So he drank... a lot. The man was just plain lonely.

His drinking got worse over the years. He literally drank himself to death. We were on a job when my dad told us. We all just shook our heads. It was so sad. Later in conversation, one of the guys from my church said, "The real tragedy here is that Jerry didn't accept Jesus. Now he is in Hell."

I couldn't sleep that night. Was Jerry in Hell? After all of the rejection Jerry had dealt with, did God reject him too? It is the rejection Jerry would have expected from God. This wasn't equating to me. Doesn't God save the day? Doesn't he rescue? Doesn't he love the rejected? Does salvation really come down to a set or right words or beliefs? Doesn't that make God rather small? Isn't he bigger than our expectations?

Steps 8 and 9 - Belief system collapse and belief system rebuild.
The author says that going through these steps requires one to sit with uncertainty. This is a hard place. Most of our faith structures tell us to be certain. However, a willingness to sit in this place allows us to move forward to new paradigms.

Step 11 - Openness to repeat this cycle.
The thing is, once you do this cycle, you never stop doing it. Walter Brueggemann says that this is the only way to truly grow in God because "God will not be settled".

I have read so many authors lately that I cannot remember who to credit this thought to, but the point is that when you "settle" God, when you say "This is who He is", you have created a graven image and have stepped into idolatry. Faith lived out must always be thesis/anti-thesis, because God is always on the move. He will not be calculated and predicted (read Job). The Spirit blows wherever it pleases.

If we are to be followers of Christ, we must be willing to move.

More than Passions

I was flipping radio stations today, and I heard someone sharing that God will really use us when we discover what our passion is and use it for him. I think this has become a common thought line in a lot of churches and Christian books.

Now I don't necessarily disagree with the overall point but I think, as with much Christian theology, we tend to always put things in either/or language; when in fact, I think God uses a fair amount of both/and.

I used to be on the other end of the "passion" spectrum. I was convinced earlier in my Christian theology that what you were good at or had interest in was the very thing God would NOT use. I thought if I enjoy it, it isn't sacrifice. If I am good at it, it is my power not his. My thinking changed in my early college years. A friend of mine (Rich Kifer) who worked with Detroit Youth for Christ helped me see life from a different angle. A man from my church was killed while witnessing down in Detroit. I was telling Rich that I felt like a loser because this guy had given his life for Christ, while I on the other hand do diddly-squat.

"What are you talking about?" he replied. "You coach bible quiz teams, you chaperone our trips, you do YFC promos, you meet with kids to study scripture...you do tons of stuff!"

I shrugged, "Yeah, but I like doing that stuff."

He looked at me and laughed, "Dude, you have one twisted view of God!"

I say that to demonstrate the other side of the spectrum, but I believe the man on the radio is no less erroneous.

Take my church for example. There are lots of spots where God can use your passion. Singing, speaking, acting, tech, kids... what do you like to do? There is place where you can use it for God.

However, there are also plenty of things that need to be done around the church that will probably never qualify as someone's passion. Cleaning bathrooms? Emptying leaky garbage? Stacking chairs? Mopping?

I think if we stood around waiting for people who had a passion for these things (in and of themselves) we would probably have a pretty grungy church soon.

Perhaps "passion" can become our excuse. I don't want to do job ______ because it is not my "passion" (not because it is inconvenient, or I feel it is beneath me).

I remember working at a DC/LA conference back in 96 (a big YFC rally). The 8,000 kids would get together in the arena for an hour, and then break into groups of a hundred or so to go off to sessions in conference rooms. Well, my team's job was to get the sound going at the various conference rooms in the different hotels. Staff was spread thin due to various problems that were being worked out the first morning.

With 20 minutes till the kids came, me and two other guys were setting up the sound in two conference rooms. One of the DC coordinators poked his head in and said, "Guys, would you mind getting chairs set up when you're done? We don't have anyone on that for this building". Dave started setting up the hundred chairs that would be needed while Rich and I finished the sound. What is interesting is that the speaker for this break-out session watched the whole exchange - and he continued to watch. For the remaining 15 minutes, he sipped his coffee while we rushed to get ready before the kids came. It seems setting up chairs wasn't his passion.

Rich had a cool insight that evening. He was commenting on 1 Corinthians 12 where Paul is talking about various spiritual gifts. Paul concludes by saying "but eagerly desire the greater gifts". However, Paul never said which gifts were the greater. Rich said that the greater gift is the gift God needs at the moment. The gift God needed to make use of that morning was the gift of service. Therefore, that is the gift we should have desired.

I remember reading about Henri Nouwen. He was a Harvard and Yale divinity professor and authored many books. God called him to work at a home for the physically handicapped and mentally disabled. He said at one point, that it was there that he really was used by God and got close to his heart. He said (I paraphrase here) ' None of these people had any use for me as a professor or an author. My talents were of no use. It was then that God worked THROUGH me".

I believe we limit the potential for God to grow in us and through us when we only offer him our passions. Scripture tells us he wants our weaknesses too!

Train Them!

It says in Hebrews 12:
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
I read that scripture countless times back when I was a Bible Quizzer. At the time I took it to mean that the discipline God gives me will probably not be fun, but will be for my good. It was a hopeful passage.

I read it entirely different nowadays. Flip it around. Read it from the discipliner's point of view. Being a parent the past 8 years gives me a new perspective.

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful... a teachable moment in the life of my child is presented, but I don't feel like dealing with it... I would rather fiddle on the computer, or watch TV, or continue my conversation. To stop and address the situation will take time... this is painful.

Later on however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. If I take the time to parent now... to fulfill my responsibility, I will reap a harvest of righteousness and peace.

I write this with some trepidation, because I am a heading into boasting territory. But I will boast with a purpose.

My wife and I have great kids!

We often get compliments on their behavior, but I will occasionally hear something to the effect of, "Yes, but you have naturally compliant children."

I want to shout "NO!" This has not come without cost! My wife and I think about, consider, and discuss our parenting. We plan for how we will deal with situations. We read. We study. We observe and consult with successful parents. We observe unsuccessful parents to note what we want to avoid doing. We are very conscientious of our parenting. We take time to parent. We both would say that it is the single most important thing we do in our lives. The behavior of our children (or sometimes lack thereof) is NOT an accident.

Perhaps it is because I teach for a living that I am always looking for teachable moments.

The other day I carved a turkey and set aside the wishbone. I told my 4 year old son and my seven year old daughter about the game of the wishbone. I debated not mentioning the wishbone to them because my son is very sensitive and I knew he was going to lose.

No, I told myself, he is old enough to learn to lose properly.

Each child grabbed an end... made the wish... snap.... and my son's lip tightened, his foot slammed the floor, and frustrated tears began to well up in his eyes.

"Jacob...., no".

I sat down in front of Jacob and took both of his hands in mine.

"Jacob, I love you... please look at my eyes (I never discipline without eye contact). My son, you lost just now and I know you are frustrated because you wanted to win. There are times you win and times you lose. When you lose, you may not stomp your feet and cry. That is not right. Everyone loses sometimes don't they? When you lose... be happy for the person who won... and do you know what the right thing to do would be? (with his lips puckered he shakes his head)... you go over to the person who won and shake their hand like this (shake) and say 'Congratulations'. Do you think you could do that?"

My son nodded, took a final sniff, and walked over to my daughter and took her hand, "Congratulations Kaki" (his nickname for her). She replied with a thank you and a hug. Then they went off to play.

Now I by no means think that this will be the last time Jacob pouts and cries when he loses; but he will be taught each time that is not appropriate and will be shown what is appropriate. Perhaps someday soon, he will fly in that area on his own.

Until then, my wife and I will be looking for teachable moments, because we want that harvest of righteousness and peace... for ourselves and our children.

Mercy Triumphs over Judgement

Here is a commentary I threw into a list serve study of James I am involved in. I figure I should get any writing I do up here (since I write so little).

I am new to the group, so I don’t know if what I have to say will be skipping ahead of where you are, or trailing behind.

Thanks for letting me in on this study. James and Romans are pillars of my theology. I became a Christian at 14 and started Bible Quizzing shortly thereafter. My first year of quizzing was on Romans and James, so my foundation was established by those two books. Looking back, I see that it was a great course in Christianity 101.

Quizzers around America are doing Romans and James again this year (done every 9 years now) and I have decided to do it with them from afar. So getting in on a James discussion will help keep me on track.

Not sure if there is an order, so if there is, let me know. For now tho, I am going to comment on 2:13 – because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

It seems that this is a fairly strong concept that runs throughout scripture – forgive, and you will be forgiven, with the measure you use it will be measured to you, judge not so as not to fall under judgment, at whatever point you judge the other you are condemning yourself because you who pass judgment do the same things. The list goes on.

I keep letting that thought spin thru my head. If I am not merciful, I will be judged without mercy. I WILL be judged without mercy. Not maybe, there are no outs listed in these scriptures. There is a one-for-one correlation.

I think I may have been trained by some of my Christian culture to by-pass these scriptures… almost as if they did not apply in my case. I think I almost add an unconscious addendum… it reads like this: – because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful; (unless you have accepted Jesus Christ as you personal Lord and Savior).

But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins; (unless you have accepted Jesus Christ as you personal Lord and Savior).

As I have become older in my Christianity, I find myself viewing my salvation less like an event and more like a becoming. Verses like this (without the addendum) do not stress me or put me under undue pressure, but rather they remind of how seriously Christ takes this issue and how much he wants us to imitate the Father.

Plunk Plunk - There’s my first two cents with more to come.

To smoke or not?

Went out with Brook, Lori, and Marianne tonight. We were at B & N till they closed and then headed to a pool hall in downtown Rochester. It was funny, an ex-quizzer came up to me. He looked like he was in college and wanted to say hello. He was suprised someone from DBQ was in there. Anyone who knows me, knows that I can ramble on and on about the state of Western Christianity. Seeing it there in detail though was a bit ironic. Why should a "christian" seem so out of place having a drink and a smoke in a pool hall? Would anyone in the New Testament have been concerned with that? If not, when did people start becoming concerned with it? If scripture had no problem with it, what were the motivations of those who began defining it as a problem?