Staying afloat in a sea of Apathy

For the past several years I've worked as an alternative education teacher during the week along with my ministry.  As you might guess, being in church on Sunday and in school during the week is like living in two different worlds.  For one thing, the respect and courtesy that makes our fellowship at Palo so sweet is a rarity come Monday morning.  It's also such a vastly different world in terms of what people care about in their lives.  For many of my students, there isn't anything beyond the next sexual encounter or use of drugs and alcohol.  Their lives revolve around these attempts at escape; some of them are self-aware enough to realize this, but many are so caught up in this "life" that they don't realize how hollow such pursuits ultimately are.  We as teachers are trying to instill the value of bettering yourself through education to students who are only tolerating us long enough to get home and get high.  Needless to say, in this environment tension runs high, animosity between students is frequent, and teachers shake their heads knowing that their own love of literature, history, or mathematics is not going to be shared.
Why do I keep working here (aside from the paying the bills)?  It's the rare students whom I have actually been able to reach, the ones whose lives I have made a difference in that keep me going.  These students are so very needy when it comes to kindness, understanding, and empathy that the little things that we can do for them can make all of the difference in the world.  I may only have one or two of these students in class this week; but they're worth it.  Reminds me of when Jesus said that he'd leave 99 sheap to go look for one that is lost.  These students may all be lost, most are fighting as hard as they can to deny it, but every once in a while we have one who wants to find their way home. 
All of my students know that I'm a Christian; most know that I'm also a pastor (they've seen me reading my Bible or working on my sermon while they're doing a reading assignment; plus I'm open and honest about it); they're shocked that I've never done drugs/alcohol, but in the end they can clearly see that my life is defined by things that they don't have.  If 99 laugh at me for not wanting to get high, at least 1 is looking at the hope that I have and wondering.

Letting the public decide

I just read an interesting article in today's paper about the Art Prize contest that is being held in Grand Rapids right now. The over 1,200 entries are going to be judged by the votes of the public and cash awards given out to the winners. The article stated that some art bloggers have taken offense at the notion that the public would know anything about art, that we aren't trusting to the critics to tell us what good art is and what is not. Needless to say, I'm no fan of such snobbish behavior (I'm not usually a fan of what the art critics love anyway; Crucifix in a jar of urine remind anyone of something? The critics loved that one).

How does this art debate end up in my blog? There is a similar amount of snobbery amongst some Christian leaders when the people are allowed to read and understand the Bible for themselves. "What do lay people know about the complexities of theology anyway?" they wonder. The primary problem with this line of thought is that it places far too much confidence in the hands of the fallible men who've been called to shepherd God's flock. Yes, we have training and education, but no, we are far from always right. The worst theological notions and decisions in Church history came from the leadership of the Church (some of which we're still dealing with the legacies of). The second problem with reserving interpretation for a class of Church leaders is that the Bible clearly tells us that ALL Christians are equal believers before Christ, indeed we are a royal priesthood (see I Peter 2:9-10; in the past a select few were priests by birth; Peter declares us all to be priest set apart by God).

So, what then is the purpose of Christian leaders? Remember that we are shepherd; ours is not the job of telling each and every sheep what to do all the time; we must look for the stray, for those who have wandered from safety and bring them back home. As a pastor, it is my responsibility to be on guard for doctrine that threatens the faith, to set for the Gospel clearly and preach the Word, but NOT to be an authority and every little thing (we have a final authority, the Word, not any man).

The best thing a pastor can do is teach his people to think Biblically for themselves. Any pastor who wants more control than that is on an ego trip; we're the shepherds of the flock, we're not its masters. Teach the people to think Biblically for themselves.

9/11 Remembered

I was working on the morning of Sept 11th, 2001.  It happened to be my prep hour, so I had the TV on CNN just to have some background noise and hear if anything interesting was going on.  When the first plane hit the coverage was mostly just the tower on fire with speculation by the commentators about what might have caused it.  As I continued to watch, the second plane came in and hit the 2nd tower.  The modern world as we understood it, was over.  Americans had been enjoying a false sense of security, the end of the Cold War removing the last "threat" to our hegemony and allowing us to ponder whether we were at the "end of history" or not. 
The world we live in today is one where man's inhumanity to his fellow man is never far from the news headlines.  Rarely does a week go by when someone isn't blowing up innocent men, women, and children to make a political statement.  The casual dismissal of the value of human life that we've now grown accustomed to is shocking.  We used to be able to convince ourselves that such evil was confined (such as in Northern Ireland or Somalia); that it wasn't able to get out and penetrate the "civilized" world.  After 9/11 (and the subsequent bombings in Spain and England) we have become all to aware that the evil of humanity can never be "contained" through force of arms or police agencies.  Those who wish to kill for their own ends will always be a threat to those who try to protect and serve.  God bless our soldiers and police who risk their lives in this struggle.
For the past eight years we have been seeking military, political, diplomatic, and economic answers to the ugly question posed that fateful morning.  Sadly, these efforts are doomed to, at best, partial success.  We may be able to eliminate individuals or groups who seek to kill, but we cannot eliminate the evil that spawns the hatred that breeds them anew. 
In the end, this is just another sad example of man's entirely lost status apart from God.  If we don't worship God, we'll follow something else.  If we don't value life because God created it, we'll eventually find a reason to not value it at all.  As necessary as these other solutions may be, our battle is indeed not against flesh and blood; it is a spiritual battle for the hearts and minds of mankind.  Every soul that comes to know the grace and peace of Jesus Christ is a victory in this war.
May the LORD keep our loved ones safe from this evil, may the LORD protect those who defend the innocent, and may the LORD turn the hearts of those who hate that they may find the love of Christ.

When Bad things Happen to Good People

Nicole and I have suffered several job related setbacks in recent years; the most recent happening just this past week.  As a pastor, people might assume that I have some fancy answer ready to go for such situations, like "don't worry, God will work it all out in the end".  I don't.  I always cringe when I hear well-meaning people give a pep talk to those who are suffering from a loss (esp. after the death of a loved one).  Not only does this approach make light of the very real emotions that person is feeling, but it also casts God in a light that does not reflect the true nature of the situation.  Make no mistake, God does indeed know that our sorrow or pain is real.  God doesn't want you to pretend that you're not hurting, or put on a happy face in order to appear a "good" Christian.  That's foolishness.  There is indeed a time for sorrow (ask Solomon, he wrote it), and a reason for tears (Jesus wept at Lazarus' tomb).  We live in a fallen world full of pain, disease, sin, and death.  Isn't there plenty of reasons why Christians should feel sorrow too? 
So now you're asking, what's the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian in terms of sorrow?  The answer is simple: the Christian may feel sorrow today, and it may last for a while, even years; but the Christian has HOPE in the future.  The Christian knows that God is indeed in control (regardless of today's circumstances), and that ultimately, God will work for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28).
So when my wife asks me, "when is this going to end?" "why is this happening to us?" I don't pretend to offer answers, nor do I try to be a cheerleader; sorrow is real, troubles are real, pain is real.  To minimize them is un-Christian, but so is despair.  Because we know that our souls are safe in God's hands, we can endure far worse than this.  Because we know how blessed we are by God, we can be thankful in far worse than this.  The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord.

Where do Good things comes from? James 1:16-18

We've had a lot of depressing news in this country in the last couple of years, the state of Michigan has been run through the ringer again and again.  When times are tough, it helps to remind ourselves where the truly GOOD things in life come from.  No, I'm not talking about jobs, health care, homes, or anything that money can purchase.  The truly GOOD things in this world are Faith, Hope, Love, Mercy, Joy, Truth, and Holiness.  I use the capital letters because we often think that we know or understand this ideals but in reality know only the reflection of them as they are enbodied in the essence of God.  Sorry if that's a bit wordy, but the short version is this: If you're looking for anything truly GOOD in life, you're wasting your time and energy looking anywhere else but God.  I have no hope in my own ability to achieve anything resembling perfection on my own.  Nor do I have any confidence in my fellow man to achieve perfection either (no matter what the politicians are promising you).  But, I have complete and full confidence in the Holy God who created this world, who holds us to the standard of his own holiness, and who offers us the chance to join him in holiness through his Son.

Is Failing to Pray a Sin? - I Samuel 12:23-24

When Israel's spiritual leader Samuel was addressing the people about their choice of Saul as their king he made a curious remark about his responsibility to pray for them.  "far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you."  As a man called by God to lead his people, Samuel considered it an obligation, a moral imperative, that he pray for his people.
So, are we obligated in the same way to pray for our family, our friends, our church?  The short answer is that the Bible tells us to pray a lot.  To pray earnestly, to pray without ceasing, to pray on all occassions (to name a few).  Fathers and mothers need to pray for their children.  Husbands need to pray for their wives, and wives for their husbands.  We need to pray for our family and friends; and we definately need to pray for our local church family.
There are few parts of scripture that convict me when I read it as much as these verses.  As a pastor, I know this obligation, and I'm sure I don't live up to it as much as I need to; but even before I began at Palo, I knew that the God of the universe wants ME to pray about the people whom he has placed in my path.  Far be it from me to sin by failing to pray for you.

My Friend and Afghanistan

Got a call from a good friend of mine (he was in my wedding, I was his best man, plus we've played hockey together); found out he's heading to Afghanistan in January with the Army (doctor).  Needless to say, the thoughts and prayers of my wife and I will be with him and his wife and children while he is gone, as they should be for any members of the military we know who are in harms way.  As I wrote about my Memorial Day address, I've always been a staunch supporter of the men and women who serve to protect and defend the unprecedented freedom that we enjoy in America each day.  When I went to my high school reunion last summer (15), it was amazing to calculate how many of the boys from my graduating class ended up serving in the military (it was something like 12 to 15 out of 30).  I think it says something very positive about small town values that so many see the military as a worthy pursuit.  God Bless you all, may the Lord of us all protect you, comfort you, and bring you back home safe to those you love.