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TGIF

President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Those of you who know me know that I am no Obama basher. I have some disagreements with his policies, but I have disagreed with every president that has held the office during my adult life. Having said that, I really don’t understand the decision of the Nobel committee. They awarded a major prize to an individual who really hasn’t done anything. He’s only been in office seven months, and most of his energy has been expended on domestic issues. Is this a case of giving someone a prize to motivate them to carry out the actions which the prize honors?

Anyway, here’s the important stuff:

When the poor die.
Bob Hyatt is doing a series on wives submitting to their husbands. Part 1. Part 2.
Love is patient.
Alan Knox asks, “what if they thought of the church?”
The bank account of the living dead.
Pam reviews Donald Miller’s new book.
iMonk writes a story.
Scot McKnight has a good series titled, “God Hides in Plain Sight.” Part 1 is here.
Good challenging story (HT: Scot McKnight).
fr’nklin reviews the Mosaic Bible.
Who would Jesus heal?
Buying or renting?

I have a three day weekend coming up, and I am definitely looking forward to it. I hope your weekend is restful.

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Political, Cultural, Whatever Question: Part 2

On Tuesday I asked for opinions on what it would be like if the phrases “In God We Trust” and “under God” were removed from our money and from the Pledge of Allegiance. I received a number of good and interesting comments. Tonight, I’ll tell you what I think.

Some of the commenters stated that they thought removal of the phrases would further inflame the culture wars as those on the right see it as another sign of how far down America has come. Others said that it would be a good thing. Still others wrote that it really wouldn’t matter.

I do agree that those who believe that America is, or at least has been, a Christian nation would have their worst fears realized. They would see it as another step on the road to perdition for America, and would increase their preaching and efforts against those they see as responsible. Those who say it wouldn’t matter have a valid point. America is not a nation that currently honors God and removing those phrases would not change it.

I believe that in the final analysis, removing the phrases could be a good thing for the Church. For too long the Kingdom of God has been confused with the United States of America . That has caused a number of problems, including other nations seeing some of the crap that America exports and associating that with Christianity. There are many in this country who believe that they are Christian because they are American. Add to this the bad theology that equates America with ancient Israel.

We are citizens of the Kingdom of God as well as citizens of the United States. Our first allegiance is to be to Jesus Christ. He is Lord. There are citizens of God’s Kingdom in every nation on earth, and not only are they fellow citizens with us, they are our brothers and sisters. We can and should do what we can to make this country the best it can be, we need to remember that America is not the Kingdom of God. If taking certain phrases off our money and out of the Pledge will help the Church to remember who we belong to, then let them be removed.

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World Vision Wednesday

I’m sure you’ve heard of the multiple natural disasters that devastated a number of countries in Asia. If you’ve seen any of the pictures or watched any of the news reports, you have an idea of how bad it is.

If God would so lead you, please give so the people impacted by these disasters can be helped. You can find out how by going here.

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Political, Cultural, Whatever Question

While I was reading The Myth of a Christian Nation by Greg Boyd, something he wrote intrigued me. Boyd suggests that it might not be a bad thing if the words “In God We Trust” were removed from our money and the words “under God” stricken from the Pledge of Allegiance.

I wonder what the effect would be if that happened. Would the effect on the Church be positive or negative? What about American culture in general? What would the short term impact be? Long term?

I would like to know what you think. Don’t give your first gut reaction. Think about it and give me your reasoned answered. Thanks in advance.

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TGIF

The weather has been beautiful this past week. The lows have been in the 40s and 50s with highs in the 70s. Soon the leaves will be changing color, and things will look nice for a while. We bought a new computer this week. Our dog got tangled up in the power cord and pulled our old Dell laptop off the chair, and it died. We replaced it with an Acer netbook. It takes a little getting used to the smaller size, but it’s nice.

Evidently, Starbucks’ new instant coffee isn’t going over very well.
Experts. Well, maybe.
Jake Belder on Christian fellowship.
iMonk riffs.
Jeff McQ on shedding weight.
Strong words, but needed.
This sounds like a good idea.
This is wild.
Turns out Dan Brown isn’t that good of a writer after all (HT: Brother Maynard).
Invite or invade?
Can the Church offer real alternatives?
Morality and narrative law.

Enjoy your weekend.

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Three Years, Part 2

The Bible gives us a picture of God as Father. Some people have a hard time with that image because their father was far from the ideal. While my dad was not in any way perfect, he was a good example of what a father should be. Three years ago today, Dad joined Mom in the presence of God. I think the strain of taking care of Mom and the grief from losing his wife of 60+ years was too much for him.

As I think about Dad and my relationship with him, I remember his faith. He was not seminary trained, but what he experientially knew about following Jesus was far above many who we look up to as “men of God.” Dad was one of those simple geniuses when it came to matters of faith. I also remember his intelligence and wisdom. He had a high school diploma, but was the type who could learn just about anything. He once took an electronics course and built a television that worked well for many years. Dad was the kind of person that other folks went to for advice. I remember people at the place where dad worked calling him for help after he had retired. While we disagreed on some things, usually when he wanted me to do something I didn’t want to do, as I got older I realized how right he was on so many things.

One constant in my life as I grew up was Dad’s love. There were times when I knew I deeply disappointed him, but there was never a time when I felt a lack of love from him. I knew he loved me no matter what, and that is why it is so easy for me to deeply know God’s love.

It’s been three years, and there are still many times when I think about Dad. I see a lot of him in me. For instance, when I bump my head. 🙂 I still miss him, but I know that I will see him again at the Resurrection.

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TGIF

Summer left us this week, and autumn began. Here in the sunny South we have to go by the calendar because the weather still says it’s summer, although we have had a few cooler days. Josh and I went and saw Derek Webb in concert last night. It was a good time. If you get a chance to see him live, take it.

Now, on to the links:

Jesse Medina asks, “So you want to change the world?” A story. Travis Monroe tackles the health care question. John Cleese explains genes. Church or Kingdom? Stephen Holmes on Mark Driscoll (HT: Scot McKnight). They will know we are Christians by our what? This story in the Sun-Sentinel newspaper is sad. Jeff McQ wants to know where you are. Some folks need to think about the names they give to their business.

Here is a great example of what following Jesus is (or should be) all about. Airport theology. Josh writes an interesting story. A casualty of the culture war?

Well, that’s it for this week. I hope you have a great weekend.

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The Truth Hurts?

Last night I saw a church sign which read, “If the truth hurts, it must be working.” Well, maybe. It is true that there are times when the truth does hurt in order to work, times when hard changes need to be made in our lives. We can all think of times when truth was spoken to us, causing us pain that, in turn, caused us to change.

Unfortunately, many times the truth is used as a club. Some have an idea that they know God’s truth and that it is their responsibility to make sure everyone knows it. They claim to be “speaking the truth in love,” saying that they are showing love simply by speaking the truth, no matter how harshly the message is proclaimed. Of course, sometimes the “truth” that they loudly speak is nothing more than their interpretation.

There is also truth that does not hurt. The message of God’s grace and mercy is one example. The promise of resurrection is another. And while it is true that we all struggle with sin, it is also true that the Father loves us unconditionally, has given us the Holy Spirit to work in us, and is forming us into the likeness of Jesus Christ.

The reality is that truth transforms as the Spirit takes it and uses it in the life of the Christ-follower. It may hurt, but then again it may feel wonderful.

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World Vision Wednesday

Child sponsorship makes a difference, not only in the life of the child being sponsored, but also in the lives of those around them. This is one of the many success stories.

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TGIF

Another work week is coming to a close. It has gone by quickly, as most weeks seem to. I guess that’s one of those things that happens when you’re not so young anymore.

There’s a lot of good stuff floating out on the internets. Here’s the sampling for this week:

Barb is pursuing the sinless life (or not). Interesting thoughts from Frank Schaeffer. I think he maybe overstates the problem (HT: Molly). How to evangelize a bear. Good post from Tim Hill. A good reason to get your kid a personal computer? Three good ones (among many) from iMonk, here, here, and here. Good thoughts from Alan Knox. Three dying myths (HT: Brother Maynard). Scot McKnight has a good series on Deep Church as Third Way. Part 4 is here. You can also read Parts 1, 2, and 3. John Frye writes about Jesus and expectations. Part 1 is here, part 2 is here, and part 3 is here.

I hope you have a great weekend. Tomorrow is Talk Like a Pirate Day so, Aaaaaaaargh, matey!