Spiritually Conscious HTTP

It's not much, but I got a kick out of this.

Many Rooms

So I think I'm better now. Still have some problems concentrating, but I don't think that's the virus's fault--no joke, ten workdays before I begin to out process. Huzzah!

"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going." -John 14.1-4

This passage follows right after Jesus washes the disciples' feet, has the Last Supper, reveals he is going to be betrayed, gives his new commandment of loving one another, and tells Peter that he's going to disown him three times before the rooster crows. His teachings here and throughout the next couple of chapters has the disciples absolutely baffled. I'm pretty sure I'd be no different, not knowing what would happen next in the story.

I really want to touch on the "many rooms" part of this passage. It's extremely fitting (especially after revealing to Peter his future sin), but it's also pretty neat to consider against other passages of scripture, namely talking about a wide path of destruction and a narrow path of life, and not everyone saying "Lord, lord" is going to hang out with God when it's all over.

So what's this about? Certainly the disciples are in for the heartbreak of their life in the next few hours when everything turns upside down, especially Peter when he sees his sin unfolded just as Jesus said. If there will be any time for these guys to doubt, it's going to be very soon. Jesus is making it as clear as it can be in the time being that he's got a plan, and they are very much included.

I don't know how some people are, but I have this nagging tendency to believe Eliphaz, Biliad, and Zophar over Jesus when things go sour (those three awkward names belong to three of Job's 'dearest' friends--I look forward to posting about those superstars some other day, but not today). For some reason, it's way easier for me to cut myself up in worrying about my failures than understanding that God has a room prepared for me in Heaven.

Now, I'm from the "once saved, always" tradition. I sometimes hear that there's good reason to believe salvation comes and goes with our obedience, but I've not ever been able to wrap my mind around that one. So if you're from that persuasion...well, may God bless you and keep you, but bear with me through this one.

It's strange how motivation for Christ works sometimes. I can will myself over and over to do something, but if love for God isn't in it, then the only thing I succeed is making myself (and quite possibly others) more miserable (Think WSC #1 on this one). The way through the muck of this life sometimes gets pretty depressing, and it gets really easy to stare down into the rut we're in. Having Christ explain that a place was prepared for his disciples, even before some of their more grievous sins, and greatest depths of despair, it absolutely blows me away!

I don't think he was just talking to just those eleven dudes on that one, hence the "many rooms." If he prepared a place for them in light of that, does that carry over to us? I think it does!

If you have love for God in your heart, and you believe that Jesus really was a guy that happened to be God, and he died to pay the cost of your sin--past, present, and future--in order to reconcile you to God, believe in this passage also. There's a room prepared for you! For real, regardless of where you're at, rejoice! Dance, sing, high-five, chuckle, smile! He is our hope and our salvation! What better time to be happy than now? Praise be to God!

Being Sick Is No Fun

For real. It's kind of hard to concentrate too hard on something for too long, so I'm going on blog-strike until I feel better. Maybe that way I can stick it to the man. Or, sickness. Or the sick-man.

Making the Switch

I've started a resume class today. No, that's not grammatically (or syntactically) correct, but I don't know how to get that accent thing on the 'e' to type it right. Of course, I wasn't too worried when I started, but for some reason, whether it's part of the MASTER PLAN to keep poor souls in Army, or whether the teacher missed his younger days of wearing fatigues, but he made it sound like getting out of Army was a regrettable thing.

Which of course got me to worrying...which is always a bad place for me. Get me to worrying, and I'll turn from Strong Bad to Strong Sad in a New York Minute (think Tigger to Eyore if you miss the reference).

There's tons of things to worry about if you're leaving the folds of Army: Health insurance, dental insurance, job interviews, the economy, getting called back up anyway, the economy, steady income, and I shall not continue (but trust me the list does go on, economy and all).

All this is pretty weird, of course, because believe it or not, I can guarantee you that on day one of my employment, I was thinking "I'm not so sure this is the job for me." It's true, unfortunately. Very rarely did I think otherwise in the nearly four years that has gone by. I spent most of my time thinking about what it'd be like on the outside, hoping that the day would come.

I honestly thought Jesus would have come back before then. (He might, too. God can do anything in 38 days.) But now, with less than two score to go, I'm having doubts. Well, worries is more like it. I really don't think I could turn this ship around now--I've burned too many mental bridges on the way (what business a ship has with travelling over bridges...the world may never know).

Weird.

Matthew 6.25-34. Read it. (Here's a summary: DON'T WORRY.)

In some bout of logic VS God, it seems the safer way isn't always the better way. Keep taking the safe road, and sooner or later, you may find yourself too afraid to open any door you come across. Now, I'm not advocating we should play in traffic here, but we're going to miss something if "safety is our goal" for being Christians.

Reminds me of the Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe. Lucy, Daughter of Eve, is with the other three humans, who have all just met a Mr. Beaver, who is on the side of Aslan (the lion who plays the part of God). The kids haven't met Aslan yet, and are worried about the stories of this ginormous lion who seems to be on the right side of the battle. Of course, he's a lion, and the mere fact has the kids are a little worried.

Lucy asks: "Is he safe?"
Mr. Beaver: "Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe! But he's good."

The crazy books we read in our youth. Crazy, but correct. God's anything but safe. But He is good.

So, the road may not be very safe ahead--that's for sure. Well, seems like now's a good time as any for me to put a foot out on the water. Or as Army always says, "It's GO time."

Trogdor!

Oh, man...it's still funny after all these years.



Check out the site here for more hilarity.

American Christian Flashpoint: Torture!

"Okay, what? THAT'S a flashpoint!?"

Maybe I have indeed lost my marbles, but follow me and maybe it will clear up. I read this article today in the USATODAY website. The title is "Poll shows support for torture among Southern evangelicals" Below is the first couple of paragraphs from the article:

By Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service

WASHINGTON — A new poll finds that nearly six in 10 white Southern evangelicals believe torture is justified, but their views can shift when they consider the Christian principle of the golden rule.

The poll released Thursday, commissioned by Faith in Public Life and Mercer University, found that 57% of respondents said torture can be often or sometimes justified to gain important information from suspected terrorists. Thirty-eight percent said it was never or rarely justified. But when asked if they agree that "the U.S. government should not use methods against our enemies that we would not want used on American soldiers," the percentage who said torture was rarely or never justified rose to 52%.

"Presenting people with this argument and identifying with the golden rule really does engage a different part of people's psyche and a part of their heart, their soul, and really does shift their views on torture," said Robert Jones, president of Public Religion Research, which was commissioned to conduct the poll.

The findings of this poll, which did not define torture, compared to a Pew Research Center poll from February that found that 48% of the general public think torture can be justified.

The new poll found that 44% of white Southern evangelicals rely on life experiences and common sense to determine their views about torture. A lower percentage, 28%, said they relied on Christian teachings or beliefs.

In summary, the Christians polled had a higher degree of thinking torture could be justified than the general public of the nation. Upon hearing the pollster remind them of the golden rule, 14% of the 600 decided to change their mind. More subscribed this to "life experiences and common sense" than to "Christian teaching or beliefs."

I know this is controversial, as well as extremely discomforting. But we need to talk about this.

I'll tell you what I first thought about this article: I dismissed it. The poll was skewed. Those "Southern evangelicals" don't represent me. Torture could be justified, it makes sense. I pictured a radical Islamic terrorist with the abort code to a dozen nuclear warheads bearing down on America soil. We need that code.

Well, the poll might have been skewed, but my thoughts most certainly were. "Southern" and "evangelical" these people may be, but I bet they identified themselves as Christians. Most probably were. I tried to justify torture myself--I was one of them. Not all terrorists are radical Islamic, or even Islamic for that matter. Regardless of faith, we don't want to allow our American troops to be tortured, but we'd certainly do it to them. I've dehumanized them. I didn't consider them to be the type of enemies that I should pray for. I was certainly not wanting to repay evil with good in this circumstance. Not that it mattered, I wasn't doing the torturing. I rationalized that this was different, that this was necessary, that the ends justified the means.

People, make no mistake. Across the globe, torture is generally accepted as immoral regardless of circumstances. Not to mention illegal. The Geneva Convention implicitly prevents it. The United Nations Convention against Torture explicitly forbids it, even in times of war. There is evidence that shows explicitly forbidding torture produces far more reliable information than otherwise. It was claimed by a U.S. Army General. Read it here. Read another article about there being dubious evidence of torture saving lives. Look at the Wikipedia page for waterboarding for an example of the methods--remember, it was debated not too long ago that this wasn't torture. Don't take my word on all of that--It would pay dividens for you to research it yourself.

What about scriptural proof? I'll be honest, I haven't done a full blown study on it yet--which is kind of funny, because it almost supports the statistic above that we ground our belief for torture from life experiences instead of the Bible. Hmm.. Here's one guy's findings saying that beatings aren't forbidden, and neither is torture. Of course, on the other hand, here's an article from Christianity Today about 5 Reasons Torture Is Always Wrong, which in my opinion seems to be more researched than the previous.

As for my thoughts, I will say I find it intriguing how God has a way of rooting for those who are oppressed (the sinners, the Israelites, slaves, captives, orphans, widows...), and isn't too pleased with those in power who abuse it. Does this translate to captives in torture, and the torturer? Possibly. Also consider what you do and how you think when you're intensely angry and yelling at someone, and how things get out of hand. I'd imagine the torturer would have the same problem, and things would most certainly get out of hand (with the pressures of believing the captive has pertinent information, and that the captive is defying him). And here's a zinger--would you do the torture yourself? Would you be willing to be present? If you wouldn't, why is it okay to make someone else do the dirty work?

Needless to say, I also came across plenty of blogs and articles that blasted Christians for hypocritical ethics in this matter. It could be rationalized that they'd all sing a different tune if the conditions changed, but I'm not concerned about their issue with torture at the moment. Right now I'm concerned about ours.

The mere fact the issue causes many of us to squirm (self included) makes me think we're not being honest with ourselves. It's quite possible we may need to do some explaining. And I don't mean to non-Christians (although that's not a bad idea). I mean God.

Of course, you can disagree with me. As I said before, this is indeed an ethical dilemma. We're going to lose the argument either way to somebody, and yet feel strongly about our decisions. I'm not going to insist you side with me, but I do want you to consider it. What I really want is for your faith to play a role in your decision.

As for me, I will no longer justify torture. Please forgive me for putting my fears above my faith. Pray that my decisions are increasingly based on my faith, and that my faith is not based on my decisions. And that I personally read the Bible for God's answer on the matter.

Jesus Wept

I read the story of Lazarus today, and I was most definitely intrigued.

The brevity of John 11:35 caught me by surprise: "Jesus wept." (That's a pretty easy memory verse, by the way...)

Why did he weep? Because he loved Lazarus? Sure, I guess. But there seems to be more going on than that. Jesus knew he was sick, and also declared that the type of sickness didn't lead to death. And he also said that he was going to wake Lazarus up on his way to Bethany, where Lazarus lived and more recently, was laid to rest.

Jesus also loved Lazarus' sisters, Martha and Mary. He met both and openly received their anguish in so many words: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Which was true. He also saw the people who were gathered to comfort and offer condolences to the sisters. They were also quite grieved by the sound of it.

He knew Lazarus was to die, and he knew that he was to raise Lazarus from the dead. With that knowledge, why did he weep? Why not just say, "Cheer up, watch this!" and poof Lazarus alive, no tears needed?

Maybe it was a production, or maybe because it wasn't fun where Lazarus was, but neither of those assumptions seem to jive with the rest of what I know of Jesus. Throughout the gospels, Jesus shows incredible compassion to many, including those who betrayed him and wanted to kill him.

I'm beginning to think he wept because of the anguish and grief that had to occur for God's glory to be revealed. He was obviously emotionally attached to the Lazarus clan. But if he came zooming in and poofed Lazarus well before he died, those present wouldn't have seen what God could really do. They'd miss the point. So would we.

Remember, that was the plan all along--Lazarus had to die. And in the interim, where the grief was, he identified with those who felt the pain. Not for show, but for real. Sickness is rough, especially the terminal kind. And it happened to a good man, with a family that believed in the deity of Jesus and the promise of God. They still trusted Jesus even though they knew he had the power to heal, and deliberately chose not to. And he understood their pain. Jesus wept.

This changes what I normally think about God when I'm in times of strife. A lot of times, I think He says back to me, "Hey, cheer up, I have a plan!" And I have to deal with it. But understanding that God in human form grieved with those experiencing the pain says something different. That He understands living in this world hurts. That it grieves Him when we cry out in anguish and desperation. And understanding that sometimes, it has to be that way, and it pains Him deeply. Yet, unless that occurs, we would never begin to understand His glory. We would not know the extent of His love and desire for us. We would zoom through this life missing the whole point.

Finding "The Spot"

Back in the days of college and new found life in Jesus, it seemed fairly easy to see the majesty of God painted through the North Georgia hills. If you've never been in the upper-left hand corner of Georgia, I'd say you're missing out on some mighty fine landscapes. Quite a few of them come to mind--a cliff along a lonesome highway as the leaves begin to change into vibrant reds and yellows, or a waterfall hiding at the back of a dirt path and three miles of hike and climb, or a quiet mountain lake turned into a campground that nobody seemed to know was there. Some of my more impressionable memories of the time occurred at these places. The area was chock full of 'em to go to get un-busy and talk with God.

Since then, it's been a lot harder to find those places. I don't live in North Georgia anymore, and it's way too far for a weekend getaway. Every now and then I've caught myself just driving around, trying to find "The Spot" in Kansas, but I haven't been that successful. And as time passed by, I've looked less and less for those places.

For some reason, today was a different day. It was time for a little exploring.

There's different reasons I go in search of "The Spot." I've gone out of boredom, and I've gone to sort out my thoughts. It made a good time for a date once, and it's been worth a couple of times to take some buddies along to discover what was hiding at the top of the next mountain. Since I'm running short on companions these days, it was just me and my trusty steed, an old four cylinder S-10 I've come to know and love in recent months. Perhaps it was loneliness today, or a need for a change in scenery, or the Spirit telling me it was far too long since God and I had a good chat, but off I went.

So where can it be found? It's usually in a place where I've not been before. And looking for scenic spots on a map or on the web isn't as fruitful as it sounds--because it wouldn't be "The Spot" if it was host to a bunch of other people not in the least bit interested in peace and quiet. All that can really help is a full tank of gas, some water, and a prayer.

So I drove a bit, and it wasn't looking good. I know all of these roads I'm going down; I've been down them all before.

And then I saw something that stirred hope in my veins: A shiny brown sign. You know the ones I'm talking about. They're usually rectangular, or perhaps a parallelogram, and they point to campgrounds and the like. Thank God that He inspired someone in the government to understand there'd be people like me looking for places that are hard to find. So, I hit the brakes, bit my lip, and turned down the road.

It was beautiful.

I hadn't seen anything like it the entire three years I've been here in Kansas. The parking wasn't much, just room enough for my tiny truck, but across the guard rail was a wonderful sight to behold. A short valley cut by water and age, and the tops of the hills sheared off at a height. Way down at the end of the small valley was a lake, and I could see the rippling blue. There were some birds of prey circling around the air, looking for food, looking graceful all the while. The low-hanging sun reflected off all of the field grass as it swayed in the cool September air. And there were trees! Not many of them (this was still Kansas), but they were there. I wanted to stay there forever.

But I didn't, because I was cold and had to pee.

I tell you that story in order to tell you this one. Sometimes we have problems seeing God where we are. Today was no exception for me. Well, it was until I got where I was going, but you've already heard that one. Prayer, for some, seems like breathing. I think that's the way it should ultimately be, but it seems more complicated for me. Perhaps I'm too afraid to ask for things because I don't want to be let down. The funny part is that we're only fooling ourselves to think God doesn't know what we want. What we really want. For me, it wasn't finding "The Spot," it was finding comfort and assurance. That I'm not alone. That I'm not crazy. That this life isn't all there is. That my struggles right here and right now matter to Him.

I'm so glad we can pray to God. That He wants us to pray to Him. It's utterly amazing to what end God has made Himself available.

Thanks, God. You rock, really. Amen.

Imperial Review

Imperial is a game I've more recently aquainted myself to, but it's loads of fun. Set during World War I, the board and peices look not unlike a game called Diplomacy. It's a map of Europe, color coded for the six different countries that take place in the game (UK, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, and Austria-Hungary). Each country has five zones, and there are multiple other land provinces and sea zones. The only pieces you get are naval and land factories, armies and fleets, and "tax chips" for showing which zones are ruled by which countries. Armies move across the land, and the fleets, yes you guess right, move on water. They even let armies cross them like a bridge across the water. Combat is simple, with a one for one attrition in battle. No dice or cards are used for any sort of randomizing features.

You'd expect with a game like this for the turns to drag on and on, but a neat turn control concept comes into play here and keeps the turns down to a minute or less (unless the player is struck by "analysis paralysis"). At the top of the board is a Wheel of Fortune-type circle with different actions (Factory, Production, Maneuver, Taxation, etc), and each country can only take one of the next three actions depending where it's turn marker is at. For example, you would have to decide whether or not that country would produce more units, or move and attack, or collect income (but not a combination thereof).

Okay, nothing too new aside from the Wheel of Turn Options, that's true. But believe it or not, it's not a war game. Sure, it's themed like war, but here's the kicker. The players don't assume roles of a head of state, but rather, an investor who buys bonds in the countries they think will succeed, and the leading bond holder for each country controls that country on it's turn. So if you think Italy is going to send its amassed naval strength into Mother Russia's profitable sea zones, you could, if you had enough cash, buy out Italy, and send the fleets storming in the other direction instead! Needless to say, it's a very heated game. The countries that do well and capture zones (by occupying them with troops and marking them with tax chips), increase their Power (think Victory Points) every time the country decides to do a tax phase. Once a country gets 25 Power, the game ends. The further along the Power Track the country is at the end of the game, the more their bonds are worth for final scoring.

This is a game with a lot of depth, and it's surprisingly simple rules help it run along smooth. After the first several turns, everyone gets a good general idea of the technical bits and gets down to playing the game. Nobody gets eliminated (even if you control no countries, you lurk in the shadows until you get enough dough through bond payout to buyout a country again). Those who play like it's a war game are the ones who lose--as it's real easy to commit yourself to a country, only to find out nobody else has invested in it, and nobody wants it to survive, and you get crushed by five other countries. There's a lot of underhanded country stealing, and if you like heated games, this is definitely for you!

The downsides are few but substantial: Don't expect this to be a light-hearted game. At all. My wife hasn't played this one since she first played (and won), and another player had to get banned from the game because she would get too frustrated at everyone ganging up on her superpowered country. The game also takes several hours to play out, even though the downtime is hardly noticible due to the short turns and trying to guess what the other player's plans are. Also, it's real easy for several players to soundly trounce the expected lead player with little hope of recovery. Luckily, the games are normally really close, with the winner squeaking past the fray by just one bond purchase or a couple million bucks (considering the lowest denomination is one million, that's not a lot).

Take a look at the Board Game Geek entry for Imperial if you're interested. As of today, it's ranked 26 out of all the board games currently listed, which is definitely commendable, considering there's over 4,700 of them (Risk is listed at rank 3,815 by comparison). It's definitely a ton of fun, as long as you have the right crowd. Make sure you have a comfortable playing area, and keep all sharp objects away from the players!

NSTP #1 (Nothing Substantial To Post)

I'm having a creative crisis, it seems, so here's something to hold the masses over. Be careful, you may want to read this post and have a nerdular affinity before clicking play.

American Christian Flashpoint: The First Amendment!

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Welcome to another edition of American Christian Flashpoint! Today I want to delve into the sore topic of prayer in schools, commandments in front of civil service buildings, and Creationism/Evolutionism dual teaching.

I was intrigued on what I recently read about the display of the Ten Commandments outside of courthouses. When all of this was happening, I had not paid much attention to what was going on, and in the current days it seems this is rolled up into a virtual assault of the non-Christian Americans against the Christian Americans.

If you want to read more about this, click here to visit a portion of Wikipedia's page about the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. What I found was intriguing--that the Supreme Court had ruled both ways in different circumstances of religious displays (which I didn't know before reading that). Now, I understand that the Supreme Court has been setting a broader interpretation of the Establishment Clause since the sixties, but I wasn't alive before then, and I couldn't attest to that myself. I've heard it argued that this represents the censoring of our Christian heritage as a nation, which is difficult for me to swallow on two parts: One, I don't think our nation is (or was) as Christian as it is sometimes bulked up to be (see the First Amendment, above), and second, I somehow equate this to the Dixie Flag in the South--to some it expresses heritage, but to others, it expresses oppression and prejudice. I'm totally in favor of the Ten Commandments not expressing prejudice, even to non-believers. And, on a bright note, if there's no stone tablet in front of the courthouse, nobody can claim that Christianity was the reason they lost in court!

And state-sanctioned prayer in school. To that I gently and respectfully rebuke: What are you, nuts?! The last group that I want teaching theology to my (currently rhetorical) kids is the State! Talk about giving pearls to swine! Even going to school in a private Christian school in my 7th and 8th grade, there was enough teaching there that drove me away from who I now understand is Christ. I think handing over the mantle of spiritual teaching of your kids to a third party is a really risky business.

And lastly the whole Evolution and Creation studies of How The World Began--this one I can't argue in favor of just evolution being taught. I must agree that I think Darwin's Evolution Theory has become a religion to many people, and they do not want to see their golden calf be called for what it is. I would like to have teachers stress that evolution is still very much a theory, but ultimately I've resigned this argument and chalk it up to the fact that our government won't always lean in our favor (see the First Amendment, above). Although the Intelligent Design theory is showing movement, and may one day replace the Evolution Theory of Darwin, it hasn't by a long shot--and I want to reiterate that I don't want a teacher (who may very well not be a Christian) teaching kids theology. Just trouble all over!

Although it may seem at times that Christianity is losing a foothold in the mainstream culture of America, I don't really think it's that bad. Through history, Christianity seems to exponentially multiply when put under pressure. If you don't trust history, trust God on this one. We're to expect persecution because of Him, remember! And we're to rejoice!

And so, there you have it. Of course, remember that these thoughts I have didn't come from Mt. Sinai (get it?). There's room for variance here. I'll still eat with you if you disagree with me. These opinions I raise have zero value when placed next to God's Word, and I'm well aware I could quite possibly be absolutely wrong (or partially right, for that matter). And feel free to rebuke me on it, just make sure you have some Biblical proofs ready and you do it in gentleness in respect. That will make for some good fellowship, and we both could come out of it with praise for the Creator. I definitely wouldn't pass up on that opportunity.

From Protest to Praise

I knew the times would come, and now the times have landed
With stinging abrasion...As ready as I seem to be
It's never like I planned it

I'm wrestling my thoughts I'm overcome
Would you give me up? I'm asking Lord
There's no where I sense Your presence here
So I will cry out, until I go
From protest to praise
You're always amazing me
You're changing me slow, but surely
And You're gonna see me to the end

How long will I be forgotten by You, forever?
'Cause you're not making sense here
Seems like eternity has made a home between us

I'm wrestling my thoughts I'm overcome
Would you give me up? I'm asking Lord
There's no where I sense Your presence here
So I will cry out, until I go
From protest to praise
You're always amazing me
You're changing me slow, but surely
And You're gonna see me to the end

You're changing me slow
I just can't help but see it that way
'Cause You're gonna see me...
From protest to praise
You're always amazing me
You're changing me slow, but surely
And You're gonna see me to the end

--"Protest to Praise" by Downhere

This has to be one of the more meaningful songs that I've come to know in my life. I picked it up at one of my first ventures into a Christian bookstore, and by chance, picked up this CD. Although the band and song are somewhat obscure, it's been a staple in how I've come to view many of my struggles and has pulled my thoughts toward God in some of the tougher and darker moments of my life. I'd recommend you check it out on iTunes if you ever get the chance (and have $.99 to spend).

And this comes to mind as I've recently learned a good friend hit some very, very difficult spots in his life. I won't go into the who or what in the blog, but it brings to light something pretty important about the Christian faith that may not get the attention it always deserves. I of course talk about suffering.

In no way do I wish to downplay or trivialize some of the horrors that many of us have faced in this life, but I can't shake the feeling that there's something God wants us to understand in the fire and the thorns. Jesus promises us eternal life, but he also makes a point that suffering will not be a stranger to us if we follow Him, and many of the epistles remind us extensively of it. Do a word search on 'suffer' in the New Testament--I did, and I was surprised. 1 Peter is one of my favorite books, but I never realized how much the word pops up in those short five chapters.

As for my brother, pray that he is not only comforted but emboldened to rejoice in those sufferings, and that God's glory is indeed revealed through this time.

Wikipedia

Let me tell you, one of the best things the wwweb has going for it is Wikipedia. I guess it started getting big back when I was in school, and it was bashed a lot for being inaccurate and unreliable. As far as purely academic standards go, I think that's a good rule of thumb, but it works wonders for any other situation.
I was perusing through the Wikipedia standards of conduct, and I must say it's pretty extensive; I was sure surprised. Let's say you add a new page, or edit another that's already been made--all of that gets logged in a companion 'history' page, along with your IP address and login name, and it goes through several robotic tests just to make sure you didn't do anything dumb. But, of course, it takes another person who knows what they're talking about to come along to dispute what you've said. Now with the large number of Wikipedia crew, as well as non-paid devotees, they're very quick to point out if your edits need sources or if it falls short of the standards--there's even a rating method for how well-researched pages are.
So, not very good for writing papers, but absolutely excellent for 'information on demand' type queries. Lets say, you hear something about Don LaFontaine passing away (we'll miss you bro), and you want to find out more. I guarantee there's going to be an absolute smorgasbord of information there, and depending on how important the rest of the world considers that topic, you'll have pretty recent information.
So if you've been living under a rock that doesn't have wi-fi, go to Panera or something with ye olde laptop and look something obscure up--chances are you won't be disappointed. If you are, just edit it!

Making Light of Doctrine and WSC #1 (But Seriously, Though)

NOTE: When reading this, please understand that I am by no means a certified expert when it comes to the realm of doctrine. The views and interpretations I express below are mine and mine alone, and quite possibly could be quite wrong if or when considered by persons more studied than I. Be careful down there!

In a recklessly bold moment, I figured it may prove interesting to go through the Westminster Shorter Catechism, since I'm sure it will be something I'll have to agonize over some time in the future. In one of my earlier posts, I wrote about how I think doctrine is pretty important.. Since we do sin, and do it with alarming frequency, and we can't comprehend the entirety of God, doctrine is sort of a man-made straight-edge to alert us when we go shooting off on a crazy tangent and making up things about what the Bible really says, and the implications thereof. Generally, it tells us what our forefathers in the faith concluded about spiritual things, and teaches us the lessons that they learned through their crazy trials of years gone by. Completely disregarding doctrine may land us in a world of hurt, as we could needlessly repeat some grave mistakes that have already happened.

Of course, on the other hand, doctrine is pretty much man-made. It's about as scientific and Newtonian as you can get when it comes to the Bible. It's not the word of God, and should not be treated as such. It's boring. Really boring. It has a very real possibility of choking the life out of good Christians if used improperly. It reminds me of a joke, actually:

"What's the difference between an ice-cold rock and a Presbyterian?"

"Nothing. They're one and the same."

It's funny--if you're not a Presbyterian, of course! Because us PCA folk nearly ALWAYS take ourselves and our doctrine far too seriously. That's why we've been so affectionately coined "The Frozen Chosen." Okay...now that I've poked enough fun out of my denomination, shall we begin? :)

Question 1: What is the chief end of man?
(Oh, a side note. I tried scouring the Internet for a short while to find the WSC in modern-day English, but to no avail--I guess that would spoil the fun of having to understand doctrine if it was made too easy.)
So, what is our real purpose, according to the Bible? What's the point? That's one of the best questions ever, no wonder why it's first. It's probably one of the more frequently asked questions in the history of the human race. It pops up all the time in our minds, from sitting in a 2 hour meeting only 30 minutes into it, or riding on the subway, or waiting in the drive-thru line...Why am I here?

Answer 1: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.
Proof Texts: Psalm 86, Isaiah 60:21, Romans 11:36, Revelation 4:11
Although the question starts focused on us, the answer is a complete focus on God. He made us so that we could bring glory to Him, and also be around to enjoy how glorified God really is. Put another way, what we do and who we are should prove to all (or just God if nobody else is around) how awesome God is, AND, we should also exhaust a great portion of our life enjoying how awesome our Creator really is. It almost seems in some circles that it's either one way or the other, but both parts of the answer are equally and critically important. In fact, it's virtually impossible to accomplish one portion without the other. Oh, many have tried, and I am one of the many. But you can't really fool anyone on how cool God is if you're not believing it yourself.

Whew--that wasn't that bad. Well, from what I understand, the worst is yet to come--only 106 questions left! And this is the shorter catechism, too. Hoo-boy! Pray for me that if I so choose to do any more, I don't forget about question number one--what my chief end is.

Rain is for Winners

I got troubles, Lord, but not today
'Cause they're gonna wash away
They're gonna wash away

And I have sins, Lord, but not today
'Cause they're gonna wash away
They're gonna wash away

And I have friends, Lord, but not today
'Cause they done washed away
They done washed away

Lord, I've been crying alone
I've been crying alone
No, no more crying alone
no, no more crying here.

We get lonely, Lord, but not today
Cause we're gonna wash away
We're gonna wash away

I got troubles, Lord, but not today
Cause they're gonna wash away
This old river's gonna take them away.

--Lyrics to Joe Purdy's song, "Wash Away (reprise)"

Ah, it's raining. I'm a big fan of the rain. Now, I know not everyone likes rain. It's wet, sometimes it's cold, and sometimes there's way too much of it. But there's something about the drippy-drop sound, and how the puddles make ripples, the feeling of things washing away, and the general softening of light that is incredibly soothing and comforting to me. I don't know how I got it into my head, but every time it rains I think of it as God making a point to say "this is right where I want you." I know, it's pretty self-important to think the rain that falls on thousands of heads is there just to deliver a personal IM from God to me, but that's in my brain anyway.

The stars do declare the glory of God. Perhaps the rain is there to declare it as well. Now, there's not much to celebrate about hurricanes and floods, but rain doesn't always do that. God does want us near to Him, to be reconciled to Him. And He made a way for our betrayals, big and small, to be washed away and be no more in His sight.

So, think about that, will you? Maybe go stand in the rain, just a little bit, or jump in a puddle, or watch it pitter-pat against the windowpane, and remember how far He goes to pursue us.

Eurogames and Settlers of Catan Review

Okay, I'm taking a break from important things today to talk about something awesome. Boardgames. That's right, you heard me. Except they're not lame. Think Monopoly or Risk, but fun. I know, sounds like an oxymoron, right? Well these puppies come from overseas, like Europe and Germany. I'm not sure how they make them, but they seem to be brilliant at it. Here are some of the keys to success that most of them have in common:

• Keep the turns short, or let everyone do something every turn.
• Play with three or more players, and focus on interactions between the players.
• Keep the players as close as possible in terms of victory, to prevent one player completely obliterating everybody else, and thus preventing the rest from having any fun.
• Player elimination is absolutely verboten.
• Use of dice should be minimized or eliminated entirely.
• Any sort of bookkeeping should be kept to an absolute minimum. No charts, no numbers above 100, or even better, nothing above 10.
• Make the game components of high quality products that will last more than a couple of plays through the game.

If any of this sounds even moderately interesting, or you're completely bored, check out Settlers of Catan by Klaus Teuber, here. It's a good introduction to the pleasantly surprising world of eurogames. It focuses on the players settling a resource-rich island (perhaps one called "Catan?"), and how they get resources, trade amongst themselves, expand, and try to claim the most prominent status on the island in the form of victory points. Although it uses dice, it's extremely unique on how they are used, and although luck does play a factor in the game, the meat and potatoes of the game focuses on the players trading amongst themselves. The resources, like brick, wood, sheep, wheat, and ore, are used to build things like roads (a brick and wood resource) and cities (two wheat and three ore). Things get interesting when only one person produces a little of a much needed resource, and everybody wants that resource and will throw all they have in a trade, because everyone knows you can't build a road out of sheep (unless, of course, you have some wood and four sheep, and squeeze the sheep hard enough together that they form bricks, but that's another story). There's only four things that the players can build, all with different combinations of resources, and if it's a close game (it almost always is, due to the losing players ganging up on the leader), it gets real heated when trade embargoes start popping up, and alliances start forming, which happens naturally and is the whole point of the game.

The last time I played the game, I came in next to last, but had an absolute ball. I played with my wife, a doctor friend of ours, his two sons, and one of their friends (which is an unusual gaming group under normal circumstances). Everyone had it in for me, because I knew the most about the game, and the one I love made it absolutely clear to everyone that I would take all their victory points, crush their settlements, and kick their puppies, so I was out of the running at the very start. But later she made one critical error in her trading and scheming, and almost conned someone out of the prestigious "Longest Road" achievement (which was promptly foiled by the once mild-mannered doctor), and sweet blissful chaos ensued around the entire board. The winner was the one we all least expected, the silent and innocent-seeming friend of the boys, who quietly secured a virtual monopoly of all the wheat and ore of the island, and in one fell swoop, claimed the ten victory points to win. Some of the best entertainment I've ever had in a long time. Check it out, and I promise you won't be disappointed--even worse, you'll be hooked.

American Christian Flashpoint: Politics!

So, I caught a portion of Sarah Palin's speech from last night, and read some commentaries. Truth be told, I didn't like it. Not one bit. I'll be surprised to see how the Grand Ol' Party continues on their attack lines of experience and celebrity status. Knowing what I know of politics, they'll find a way. I'm hoping that Joe Biden mops the floor with McCain's VP in the upcoming debate.

Okay, okay. Enough. Chances are, you either lean or vigorously define yourself to the right of where I stand as far as politics goes. There were some days not long ago I'd fight to the bitter end to define what right was, and how you're nowhere near that mark, but the sun seems to set on my era of clashing on the political battlefield.

It really began ending when Dr. James Dobson made some distinctively abrasive remarks about Senator Obama's speech of 2006 at some political religious conference symposium whatever, and only two years later does Dr. Dobson lash out. And let me tell you, he let Obama have it. He left nothing unclear on how much he disliked the speech, and how much Obama distorted the Bible, and how he would spell D-O-O-M to Christian life in America as we know it.

Only after I read Dr. Dobson's remarks did I read Obama's speech. And I liked it. Not all of it, mind you, but I thought there were some brilliant ideas, and some very respectable ways to approach running America as a Christian.

Perhaps later I'll explain precisely why the Christian Right gives me the spooks, but not now. After some long contemplation of the speech and the counter argument, and a counter-counter argument by someone at the Washington Post, I was deeply saddened by it all. I don't know Dr. Dobson, nor do I follow him closely. I couldn't even tell you any of the names of the books he may or may have not written. But I know he does God's work. That argument didn't seem much like God's work at all. It was sounding more like a clashing symbol, or a clanging gong.

And in reviewing my brooding thoughts about Sarah Palin and John McSame, I realized I had been smashing symbols around like a creepy smiling monkey for the past couple of months.

Romans 13. Read it. One part of it says authorities are to be respected and obeyed, because God put them there for a reason. The other part of the chapter talks about fufilling the Law through love.

Jesus had to deal with politics, but that wasn't his main concern. Not by a long shot. His concern was sinners, such as you and I. And His love did some amazing things, and actually changed people forever. It changed me--it tought me what love really was, and what life really meant when you understood that God, the God, was not mad at you in the least, and that He loved you so dearly He couldn't stand being apart from you, even if that's what you insisted upon.

That, right there, is more than enough reason to live. And it blows the heck out of trying to advance agendas and trying to spin stories and cutting down the ones you should love.

So, for the time being, I'm done with it. I'll still vote, and I'll still vote what I think is right for our country, but it's time for some out-of-the-box thinking on this political stuff. It has so little to do with why we claim salvation with Christ, and there's so many better things to do with my time and energy. Like listening to Dr. Dobson once in a while, and thanking God that He called that guy to His name. Like encouraging my brothers and sisters who vote against my celebrity of choice, or don't vote at all. Like loving other sinners even if they think I'm a nutcase. Like praising the one true God.

Everything Is Spiritual: Synopsis

The universe is so ghastly big, and doesn't behave like we think it should. Atoms and subatomic particles are so horribly small, and they do whatever the heck they want. And we're in the middle. We can explain much, because we establish rules of thought on how everything relates, but it isn't quite so. In 2D terms, a circle will never be a rectangle, but comprehend a 3D coin in 2D thoughts, and it could be perceived as both a circle, and a square, but not at the same time.

Also note that we as people weren't created in a whirlwind of good and evil, but out of the purpose of joy. As in, "Wow, this world is amazing! Look at all that God has done!" And that the Sabbath is central to our way of understanding God. We stop and see His goodness in all of this. And it's all about Him.

Enter Christ, stage left. Did astounding things, said somthing about new wine and old wineskins, called some God-people a brood of vipers, healed many and fed many. Was horribly tortured and killed. And then he wasn't dead anymore, and we think about a 3D coin in 2D terms (You can read more about Him elsewhere, but I'm going to cut the story short). Left us with the distinct impression that there is something more about life than what we thought. And we understand that God wants us to be reconciled to Him, because we were created for joy.

And some other parts I didn't quite follow.

Everything Is Spiritual: Prelude

I'm not a big fan of Rob Bell. Why? Well, I've grown up understanding that the faith we live by was passed on to us by those before us, and from those before them, and before them, all the way up to Jesus (well, it really started even before 0 A.D., and even before time itself, but Jesus is a good starting point for this post right now). And Christians that sat at his feet told their friends, family, and children, and they did the same, all the way up to me. Now, when we speak of things of God, we have no capacity whatsoever to understand him completely, and while we still walk and breathe in this time, we still have an uncanny ability to get the story a bit jumbled. And occasionally, we mix up parts of God's story with something else, something we put in there. And sometimes, these something-else pieces are treated as God's story. So, when something smells funny, we go back to the Bible, and we go to our brothers and sisters in the faith, and we go to the stories of those who lived before us, and we examine and critique what happened here and there and in the past, and we do our dangedest to brush out the something-else parts and try to learn from our mistakes, because again, we have no capacity whatsoever to understand Him completely. So, in a crude interpretation of what I understand of doctrine, there you have it.

Rob Bell isn't so much in that line of thought. I think he's kind of...well, jumbly. It's sometimes hard for me to understand God's story in his words. I read a quarter-way through one of his popular books, and never finished, because I couldn't comprehend it, and it bothered me. Maybe scared me a bit.

But, in a moment of possible clarity, let me attempt to be clear. Rob, as much as I and others really have problems with his teachings, he's still very much in the family. I'd never explain things like he does, but he's one of us, part of the body, and he plays a very important role that God specifically defined just for him. And I gather that I'm pretty jumbly, just in a different way, because I too have this problem of understanding the fullness of God. I could never fufill Rob's role in God's story, and I doubt he'd do a good job of doing mine, because fingers don't make good elbows.

So Rob, no stones for you today, brother. May God bless you in what you do, and keep doing your elbow thing like no tomorrow. Praise God that He is who He is, for there is none like Him.

The First Entry: This Here's Garbage!

Really, who reads blogs? It seems there will always be way more people that will write them than will read them. So why not just journal? It would do very well to assume a blog is a journal, but the only defenses it has against humiliating the author are these -- either due to people not knowing who the author is (fat chance, now that the only people interested in reading a blog would already know the author, in person or via creepy obsession), or by writing about absolutely nothing important in particular, making the reading of it a waste of time for anyone. Expect me to follow closer to the latter.

So there you have it--now that both you and I expect very little from here on out, let us both waste our time together. If you find this thought dumpster has nothing but garbage in it...well, that's what it's for, mate. But, if by God's graces some treasure is indeed found within, that leaves us both pleasantly surprised, and no worse for wear. So dive in, rummage around, take what you like, and leave the rest, all at what leisure you can afford. Just don't say I didn't warn you that this stuff is trash!