Why do bad things happen to good people?

In 1981 a book was published which asked a hard question.  "When Bad Things Happen To Good People", by Harold Kushner, addressed the question implicit in the title and was on the New York Times Bestsellers list for quite some time.  Rabbi Kushner touched on an issue that everyone asks sometime during their life.  Events of the last few months caused people to ask this very question once again...the school shooting in Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, Hurricane Sandy  and several smaller shootings have once again shaken people.  In my personal and church ministry I have faced that same question from people who have been diagnosed with various diseases, people who have dealt with accidents resulting in death and serious injury and people grieving a loss.  Why do bad things happen to good people? 

 

There is a tendency for us, as Christians, to come up with a pat answer for this hard question.  Recently a song was published by Sanctus Real whose lyrics say, in part, "Sometimes it's hard to keep believing / In what you can't see / That everything happens for a reason / Even the worst life brings / If you're reaching for an answer / And you don't know what to pray / Just open up the pages /
Let His word be your strength". 

 

We say we believe in a God who is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, so of course it seems the logical thing to tell someone who asks this question is "We may not know why this happened, but God is still in control and He must have had a reason."  The disconnect should be obvious here...when the parent of a small child who was killed in a school shooting says, "What possible reason could a good and loving God have for taking my child in a such a horrific way?  If that is what God is like, I don't want to have anything to do with Him!"  Then we wonder why the person blames God for the event.  Of course they would blame Him, after what we just told them!

 

The real answer lies in where we put ultimate responsibility.  First of all, God is the epitome of love.  He cares for us more than we will ever know.  He sent His own Son to die on a cross for us.  Second, God has by His sovereign choice given us free will.  Along with free will, though, comes responsibility and consequences for those choices we make.  That is how and why sin entered the world.  With choice came the ability to choose to NOT follow God's will. Sin entered the picture and we became morally corrupt, physically dying and spiritually dead.  

 

To make matters worse, sometimes we reap the consequences not of our own sin, but that of other people. This is where I believe the words of that song by Sanctus Real go wrong.   Everything does NOT happen to us for a reason.  God does not bring bad things down on our heads.  He does not cloak His goodness and love in events that are dark and terrible.   He did not send that shooter into the school and place our five year old in the line of fire to teach us something, at the cost of that young and innocent life.  That act was the overflow of sin and madness from a tortured person, not God.

 

Sometimes the bad things which happen are the results of accident, the nature of the fallen world or sometimes just negligence, rather than through either our sin or the sin of another person.  Regardless of the reason behind the scenes, we cannot put the blame at God's feet unless it is to say that we wish we did not have free will which is even worse than the former prospect. 

 

Let's take it one step further, though.  Our God is a God of redemption.  We know this through the sacrificial redemption of Jesus Christ for our lives.  But by the power of the Blood, He also redeems 'situations'.  Romans 8:28 says that "...in all things God works for the good of those who love him", and that we are referred to as "more than conquerors".  If we turn the bad things that happen to us over to Him, He can bring good out of something that seems as if it has no good.  He is the God of the impossible, after all. 

 

In practical terms, what that means is the worst possible situations we face, if we turn them over to God, He can and WILL bring good out of them.  We may not know what that good is, and it may take years to work it out, but he will take the broken shards of our tragedies and reshape them into something beautiful.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."  Romans 8:28 (NIV)

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Celebrating a heritage

Today as I came in to my office I was wearing something a little bit unusual.  My normal office attire was supplemented by my Scottish tartan 'plaid' over the left shoulder, pinned in place by a brooch, showing the crest of the Gunn clan of which the Mann family is a sept (allied).

 

Photo from "Sportkilt.com"

A great source of kilts and accessories!

 

A 'plaid', by the way, is not what we today would think of when we say something like 'a plaid shirt', a criss-cross pattern of colored lines.  'Plaid' is the word used in Scorland for 'blanket'.  It is usually done in the clan tartan, but does not have to be.  In olden days it was literally a blanket matching the kilt and thrown over the left shoulder; in VERY olden days it was attached portion of the kilt which was left over when the kilt was put on.  Modern versions are smaller and more symbolic than practical.

Why did I choose to do this today?  Today is January 25, the birthday of the national poet of Scotland, Robert Burns.  Traditionally those of Scottish lineage would celebrate the day by a special dinner in the evening, and oftentimes would wear their kilt or other Scottish attire during the day.  My plaid and brooch are my nod to my Scottish roots.

This nod to my roots is something which we as Christians should take to heart.  There are many days we could celebrate as Christians and in a Christian manner.  There is obviously Chrismas, and Easter.  Thanksgiving, along with some lesser known days such as Reformation Sunday, Pentecost Sunday and Ash Wednesday. 

Perhaps, even more so today, we should focus on celebrating our Christian faith and our history on the ordinary days.  This last Christmas my wife gave me a ring for my right hand which  features a prominent cross on a shield.  That ring sets me apart, reminds me of my heritage and inspires questions from people around me.

What heritage are you celebrating?  Do you celebrate Jesus Christ as your Saviour every day, or just on special days?

"This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance."  Exodus 12:14 (NIV)

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Freedom to fail

I recently began a project that only a few people know about.  I decided to participate in "NaNoWriMo".  What, you ask, is NaNoWriMo?  It is 'National Novel Writing Month', and it is a challenge to write 50,000 words of fiction in 30 days.  And it takes place in November.  Along with 300,000 other people across the country, I am taking the challenge.

That is crazy, you might say.  And I would pretty much agree with you.  It works out to about 1,670 words per day.  The problem is that you have to do it every day for 30 days straight or face some days with a significantly higher number of words in an effort to make up for lost time.  Crazy, insane, out of my mind....  I have a full-time job, I am a pastor, Thanskgiving is this month, Christmas is coming up.  Crazy.

So, maybe I will fail.  Chances are pretty good, in fact, that I will not succeed.  And the consequences?  Ummmm...try again next year?  No one is going to fire me.  No one is going to put my name in the police column in the newspaper.  No fines, no community service. Nothing dire will happen.  I can say that I tried, which is a lot more than most people have done.

We can extend this to the church, y'know.  (Oh, come on, you knew I was going to get around to this, didn't you?)  So often the church needs innovation, for people to step out and do something they have not done before.  Maybe we need s Sunday School teacher or someone to do children's church.  Maybe we need to start a new ministry.  Maybe something as simple as reading a poem on Sunday morning.  So, give it a try!  What is going to happen if you 'fail'?  Nothing much, really.  We are a family in the church.  We support each other.  There will be no snickering, nothing bad will happen.  If you try and sing a solo and you forget the words, no one is going to fault you for looking at the words on a piece of paper.  At least you tried!

A new ministry?  I know that most ministries will have a learning curve.  And many will fail.   But if we try ten things and nine fail, we will still have tried and we will still have that one success which we wouldn't have otherwise.

And if we do succeed?  It is all to the Glory of God.

So come on and give it a try. 


"Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory..."  Psalm 115:1 (NIV)

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A Sabbath Rest

This is a busy time of year and there are plenty of things to keep me occupied.  It is supposed to be a time of reflection, with the holidays of Thanksgiving and Veterans Day both falling in November.  It is easy to get sidetracked from the 'reflection', though when there is some much to do.  Last Saturday my wife was working and I went to five stores looking for tableclothes for our church Thanksgiving Dinner, to be held on Sunday.  In the afternoon I went down to the hospital to visit one of our people who has been sick for over a week, now.  I was also in the process of finalizing preparations for the service on Sunday.  Where does the 'reflection' go?  This is just a snapshot of MY life, but I would be willing to bet there are many people out there going through the same thing.

God puts some reflection time into our schedule.  It is called 'Sabbath'.  His command is to "remember the Sabbath Day and keep it Holy".  How many people regard that as just a suggestion, and more so, a suggestion that is impractical in todays world?  In our Western society we put our kids sports games on Sunday, we put family get-togethers on Sunday, yard work on Sunday and so many other activities that we lose count.  No wonder we come to Monday morning asking "...where is my coffee?". 

The Father has given us a Sabbath Day, not for His sake, but for ours.  God does not get tired!  God does not need a Sunday afternoon nap!  He does not need spiritual refreshing.  We do. 


"There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God"
Hebrews 4:9 (NIV)

The Myth of Security

I have been quiet for some time now, but it is time to start commenting again.  As I write this particular entry we are in the height of leaf season in Northern Vermont. The temperature is starting to fall and we turned on the heat in my house last night.  The season is undeniably beginning to change.

The seasons are changing in other ways, too. Last Spring my secular workplace informed our entire office that we would be closing down and all operations would be moving to New Hampshire.  When the dust settled we found that half the staff was to be laid off, including myself.  For the third time in twelve years I was to be looking for a new job because of a layoff. 

When I began my adult working life I considered the possibility of being laid off to be remote.  Layoffs were something that happened in mismanaged large companies and I had no intention of going there. Then reality hit.  The first time I was laid off was when I was in college and working for the City of Lowell (Massachusetts) in the Library, due to Proposition 2½.  I was laid off one day, and picked up the next day on another budget line item.

So, what have I learned?  First, there is no such thing as ‘security’ in this world.  Everything is temporary, especially jobs, and especially when you are working for someone else.  You can mitigate the risk, but it never goes completely away.  Sooner or later you will likely face a job loss.  Second, God will take care of you.  Always. 

When I was laid off this last time I went back to my office and prayed.  I thought about where I was in life, what God had done in the past, and asked myself one crucial question, “Did God still want me to stay in Vermont?”  Strangely enough, the answer I received came out of silence.  God had previously called me to Vermont.  He had NOT told me that He was done with me here.  Therefore, I knew that God would provide me with work to enable me to stay here.  He did.  Within two months of my layoff date I had a job offer.  The work environment is ideal, the job is flexible, I ended up working for a Christian supervisor, my job has a certain prestige to it and I work in a fertile field. 

When you go through hard times, ask God what He wants you to do.  Ask first, not last, and listen to Him.  Sometimes the answer will come even through His silence!  And know that He will take care of you no matter the answer.

 

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."  Phil 4:6 (NIV)

Brats

Lately I have been a bit nostalgic, thinking about some of the places I have lived, people I have known and things that I have done. This especially seems to be focused around the military life that I was raised in. You see, I was born on an Air Force base in Maine and lived on several over the next decade and more. During my teen years all I wanted to do was join the Air Force and be like my Dad, but it seems that God had other plans. I had three candidacies to the Air Force Academy, ended up joining air Force ROTC in college, was part of the Air Force Association and the Arnold Air Society.

When I was finally told that, because of an asthma attack when I was thirteen, I was not going to be allowed to finish my course of study and be commissioned I was devastated. The Marines told me that they would take me, but I was not interested. Nothing against the Marine Corps, but I wanted Air Force. Over the next 15 years I spent much of my time as a civilian contractor for the Air Force, and so was able to work on the F16, F15 and F117 weapon systems.

A little while ago I began looking at those places I used to live. What I found was disheartening. It turns out that of all the places we were assigned, only one is still an active Base. It got worse; some of the places I lived no longer even existed. Loring AFB in Limestone, Maine has been turned over to civilian use and the base housing has been razed. I found a picture online that shows where I lived and the only things left are the street and the sidewalks.

It has been said that you 'can never go back'. This is so true. Perhaps civilians don't truly realize how true. Most can go back and see their old neighborhoods, changed perhaps, but still there. Imagine going back to a place you lived and it literally doesn't exist anymore. The good thing is that God still walks with us through those places. Our past is wiped away, but we still have the present and the future. We don't know how much time we might have, but God is there with us no matter how long it is. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. As I look back and mourn over the past, I can look forward and know that at least one piece of the past still exists...my relationship with Him.

Praise the Lord.

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Times and Seasons

I wrote the following article as a devotional for a Mission Area meeting and thought I would post it as an entry in this blog. To be clear, I am removing some names from the post, and the reader should understand that every person sitting in this meeting is a Senior Pastor of a church in Northern Vermont, so the audience is a little 'different'. With that said, on with the show...

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Times and Seasons

There is a well-known song from about 1965, written by Pete Seeger and made a hit by “The Byrds”. The title is “Turn! Turn! Turn” It was adapted almost verbatim from the book of Ecclesiastes using the KJV. There was a little moving around of the text, but it is close to the original.

The text in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 from the NIV says…

1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

It seems that we go through seasons in life. There are cycles and there are cycles within cycles.

In our own lives we go through seasons where everything seems to be going well, and then there are times when life just caves in around us. I don’t know about you but for my family we have had seasons when it seemed like everyone was walking up the aisle. There are other times when people are having babies. Then comes the times when we seem to be attending one graduation party after another. Those are happy times. We rejoice with our friends and relatives and life just seems good. The sky is blue and the weather is warm, the birds are singing and laughter is in the air.

Then we have those other times when we feel like we are walking down a dark hallway with no light at the end. People are sick and in the hospital. Every time the phone rings it is another person telling us about a doctor visit that ended with bad news. Someone has cancer; someone else has illness and tests but no definitive diagnosis. Someone has been the victim of a crime. Another has just filed for divorce. The unemployment is running out. A child is addicted to drugs or alcohol. Our prayers go up, but there seems to be no answer, and we don’t know what to tell people anymore. The old saying is that ‘the skies have turned to brass’.

There is a line from Mr. Tumnus in “The Chronicles of Narnia” which always resonated with me. “Always winter, but never Christmas”. That catches the mood of the season very well.

I know that we have probably all applied these thoughts to ourselves and to those around us. Maybe we have even preached using this text at a funeral or maybe on a happier note during a baby dedication. But have you ever thought of this text in connection with your church? Churches go through ‘seasons’, too. We learn in Bible school and seminary that churches have a ‘life cycle’. But like a wheel within a wheel, they also have seasons.

Maybe your church is going through a time of decline right now and you are wondering why. You do everything you can to improve morale and reach out to people and it seems like nothing is working. You take people out for coffee, you pray with your church board, you hold revivals with special guest speakers. And yet, the darkness and gloom cannot seem to lift.

Maybe it seems as if the church is growing…you feel inept and yet the church is growing by leaps and bounds even when it seems like you couldn’t boil water without burning it. You make every mistake in the book and still the good things just keep on happening.

I think maybe we need to think about what season the church might be in. What has been happening to her recently? Has the church been through a trauma and needs a season of healing? Has the church been in an autumn, where they have been surrounded by the golden leaves of the past and gotten used to looking back at the ‘good old days’? Or is the ice starting to melt, and you see green under the snow?

Just recently I saw a note from Pastor G that his church is starting to broadcast their worship services on local TV. The funny thing is we in St. Albans have been doing that same thing for several years now, but a few months ago decided we would stop. In thinking about it we realized that the season for doing that ministry had passed. For East Charleston it may be right and in season; for us the season has passed.

In his book “The Purpose Driven Church”, Rick Warren says something very significant. He says that as pastors we are like surfers, surfing the wave of the Holy Spirit. We can do great things on that wave. But we CANNOT MAKE THE WAVE. We have to find out where the Holy Spirit is, and then we need to cooperate with Him. Otherwise we are just paddling aimlessly and ineffectively. Last year my wife and I went to Hawaii for our 25th anniversary. I took a surfing lesson at our hotel. During that lesson I learned some good things. One of them is that it is exhausting paddling a surfboard. Trying to do things without the power of the wave behind you will wear you out quickly.

Another thing I learned is that waves rarely come to shore in a straight line, they come in at an angle. The wave doesn’t hit along the shore at each point at the same time. That means that someone close to me in the water might catch a particular wave a few seconds ahead of me, or a few seconds after me. The same wave, but different timing.

The lesson for me is that while the Holy Spirit is doing one thing in St. Albans, He might be doing something different in Williston and another thing in Leicester and yet another in Johnson or East Charleston.

The key thing here, the main lesson, is to recognize the working of the Holy Spirit as He is working in your place, recognize what might be the ‘season’ for your church, and to place yourself in position so that He can use you. We do that through prayer. We do that through spiritual discernment. We do that through a spirit willing to submit to His will. Are you ready for that challenge?

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven”

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Too many things

It has been roughly six months since I have posted anything. Nothing to say? Not really...actually, too many things to say. It seemed that every time I thought to write a post there were several issues on my mind. Strangely enough, this did not result in multiple posts in the blog about each of the items, it resulted in my being paralyzed with a lack of decision. How did that happen???

I think that often we encounter this issue in our own lives. We get discouraged because we don't see anything happening, or sometimes because we know there is too much to do (any husbands out there with loooonnnggg to-do lists?). So, instead of digging in and tackling the job we just sit on the couch and watch a football game. The dishes pile up, the laundry overflows, the Christmas tree is still up in March and the car needs an oil change...but I think I'll take a nap. I made a resolution to read the Bible this year, but I slacked off and now it is too late. I failed.

It is time to get up. I have not posted in six months, so I simply restart now. I cannot recover that lost time, but I can start anew and make the future better. Whatever it is you have to get done, start now, even if it is a small step. Don't wait.

Now, if only I could remember what those things were I wanted to write about...

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Did you forget?

Sometimes it is so easy to forget what we have right close to hand. Maybe being close makes you takes things for granted, maybe you get used to something and don’t even think about it. Like a New Yorker who has never bothered to visit the Statue of Liberty or a Bostonian who has never gone to see the USS Constitution. Sometimes maybe we are even intimidated by what other people think of what THEY have. I have a cousin who visited from Texas when he was about 12 years old. When we asked him what he thought about New England, he said (in that annoying way Texans can have), “I’m absolutely amazed…we drove across three states in one day. In Texas we couldn’t get from one end of the county to the other in one day!”

So when you start talking about things like National or State Parks, and how big they are or how many attractions are there, you might think of a place like Yellowstone, or the Great Smoky Mountains. HUGE places with large expanses of wilderness. Places that loom large in our minds.

This last week I spent some time in a place fairly close to us in Vermont, in upstate New York in the Adirondack Park. Small pickings compared to the western parks, right? You want the truth? The Adirondack Park is the largest park and the largest state-level protected area in the contiguous United States, and the largest National Historic Landmark. It is larger in land area than the state of Vermont (9,400 sq-miles versus 9,250 sq-miles), covering 6.1 million acres. It is larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier, and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks combined! There are more than 3,000 lakes and 30,000 miles (48,000 km) of streams and rivers. Many areas within the park are devoid of settlements and distant from usable roads. The park includes over 2,000 miles (3,200 km) of hiking trails; these trails comprise the largest trail system in the nation. (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adirondack_Park)

Yes, sometimes it is easy to forget what you have when you are so close to it. Don’t we do that in our spiritual life, too? We forget who and what we are in Jesus Christ. We forget the Kingdom of Heaven is not just for when we die, but it lives within every believer! We have a vast power contained within us, with the Holy Spirit giving light and life. But we forget, and our light is hidden under a basket, so to speak. I am convinced that our quality of life is thereby infinitely diminished.

I went back to our family’s home-away-from-home this last week, Inlet, New York in the Adirondack Park, and re-discovered what I had lost. I found myself longing for the woods, the waterways and the life that is there. I even longed for the smell of the forest. And I find myself longing for the life of the Kingdom of Heaven, here on earth. It is not far, it is close. But I have hidden it away.

It is time to find it again. Would you join me?

"As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ "
Matthew 10:6-8 (NIV)

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Speak Plainly

Yesterday I delivered a sermon on a topic that is near and dear to my heart. Taken from Acts 2:1-13 and dealing with the topic of evangelism, it dealt with the issue of speaking in a fashion that people can understand.

Why is it that many Christians insist on speaking in some sort of church-based language and form that comes off as being snooty or downright gibberish to people who are not Christians? Is it because there is a level of Christian experience that simply cannot be stated any other way? Is it because speaking like this gives us some sort of 'elitist high'? Or is it because we simply don't realize how we appear to the unchurched?

My kids used to get a kick out of it when I would (purposefully) shift into my 'fundamentalist' voice. It was a caricature of those people we see on TV sometimes and who are so very annoying. The sad thing is that even my family, all of whom are churched, recognized the stereotype and laughed at it.

Paul said in 1 Cor 14:9 (NIV), "So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air." Here he is addressing the topic of 'speaking in tongues', but it applies anyway. What good does it do to talk about God and Jesus Christ in such a way that the unchurched simply don't know what we are saying? The only one getting anything out of it is ourselves.

The first step in correcting this is to be consciously aware of how you are speaking when you are talking to people. Ask yourself, are there words or concepts here that they will not understand? Does the tone come off as being 'churchy' or 'preachy'? Can I say the same thing in a way which will not sound so bad or carry stereotypes?

Speak the Truth plainly and see what the Lord might do!

"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'" Romans 10:14-15 (NIV)

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Not Immune...

One of the questions my wife and I ask each other every so often is the rhetorical, "If you could live anywhere in the country, where would you want to live...?" I say 'rhetorical' because we always seem to come back to New England. Why? California...too many mudslides and earthquakes. Alabama and the Midwest, too many tornadoes. Florida....hurricanes (and alligators!). Carolinas....bugs, hot and bugs. Southwest...hot, droughts. Texas...wildfires. People think of New England and all they think is snowy winter and it's cold. Well, we can handle a little cold; just put on another sweater and a log on the fire. Snow? Well, that's what they make snow blowers for, right? Piece of cake!

We are not immune from natural disasters. The last month or so it has been very rainy, and the snow melt from a tough winter means the rivers and lakes have been overflowing. Lake Champlain is at the highest recorded levels ever. A boy I taught in High School paid for an ill-advised fishing trip with his life, last month. The shoreline in Georgia and St. Albans, all the way up through Swanton has many flooded areas and alot of people's houses and cabins are swamped. Today, there is a tornado warning (my Midwest trained children are not impressed). Things got bad enough that the Red Cross set up an emergency shelter in the St. Albans Educational Center.

We as a church are active in helping with disaster relief through Nazarene Disaster Response, in such areas as Louisiana (Hurricane Katrina), Haiti (earthquake), Indonesia (Tsunami), Japan (tsunami) and others. We put together Crisis Care Kits and take offerings. We truly DO care about these people whom we will probably never meet.

All of that said, what did we as a church do for our immediate community? Nothing. So, at our last Board Meeting we discussed the situation and said, "What do we do NEXT time"? Lesson learned. We are not immune to disaster. But how can we help in times like this? That is still to be determined; we need to contact some people, take assessment of our facility and such, and make some plans. It has not been crucial this time, but next time it could be.

If the senior housing center next door needs to be evacuated, a family gets burned out, the hospital around the corner needs overflow space or we do have a major tornado...we need to be ready. We are part of the community. We need to be ready to act, and be ready to bless someone whom we will see eye to eye...not just on a missions DVD.

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Natural theology and ministry

I recently watched a movie I didn't think I would ever watch. It was "The Karate Kid". Not the original, which I really like, but the recent Jackie Chan remake. I tend to dislike remakes, even if I like the stars as much as I like Jackie Chan. This said, one quote that seemed to resonate with me from this movie was when Jackie Chan's character 'Mr. Han' said to his student 'Dre', "Kung Fu lives in everything we do. Everything is Kung Fu." Mr. Han proceeds to train Dre using such mundane methods as having him hang up his coat and take it down repeatedly. Using every day motions that come naturally, but realizing their value for Kung Fu become the basis for the teaching he is presenting. Those who are old enough (did I just say that?) may remember the "Wax on, wax off!" of Mr. Miyagi in the original movie.

In the same way I have been made aware that the simplest of things if practiced consistently and with intention can come to form the basis for what I think of as a 'natural martial art'. For example, turning the wheel in a car with one hand in either direction can form the basis for a block or a strike. Opening the swinging door of a bathroom can form the basis for a push-strike or a throw. This is building something martial artists are well acquainted with called 'muscle memory', a muscle reaction that you don't even have to consciously think about in order to use when the time comes.

The larger life-lesson is what matters, though. Over the years, I have come to realize that in order for something to truly make a difference in our lives we must make it part of ourselves. We cannot just take on life-change like a coat and put it off when we no longer feel like wearing it. In the words of a song called "Back Burner" from Greg X. Volz (formerly of Petra), "...the only change that'll ever hold up goes under the skin, clear to the bone". This applies especially to the realm of theology, ministry and holy living. You can't go to church on Sunday and forget about God every other day of the week. If you want real life change, real holiness, real Christlikeness to develop in you, it has to be something made part of your daily life. If you want to see real power in your ministry, you need to be diligent about prayer and reading your Bible. We build spiritual 'muscle memory' into our lives.

So, to paraphrase Jackie Chan, "Christ lives in everything we do. Everything is Christ."

"Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all."
Colossians 3:11 (NIV)

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Ministry that is enjoyable?

Over the the length of my ministry I have found a curious phenomenon. If people mention the word 'ministry' they assume it is something more akin to 'work' and dour faces than to 'fun' or laughter. So if you are doing something 'fun', by definition it cannot be 'ministry'! Where did that come from? I thought at first it might be something in our Protestant DNA, like the Puritans or the Pilgrims, until I realized that it infects all faith traditions.

A few years ago I made several key decisions in my ministry. First, I decided that this attitude was ridiculous. The Gospels and Epistles are filled with examples of Jesus and his followers enjoying themselves while engaged in ministry. Sure, there were times when a job had to be done and it wasn't much fun, but there was always room for people to have a meal together, to laugh, to enjoy fellowship together. Therefore I decided to take every opportunity possible to make the work of the church 'fun'.

Another key decision I made was to avoid at all costs ministry that was done simply for the sake of doing something. The church has so many possibilities for ministry that it is simply not feasible for a small church to do everything. That just leads to burnout.

A third decision we made was that out of all of the possibilities for ministry we have, the ones that will actually be started (outside of things like Sunday morning worship) are the ones that someone feels a God-given burden for leading, other than someone in the pastoral staff. When the Men's Ministry started, it was because two men came to me and asked if they could do it. When the Ladies Craft Fellowship started it was because someone wanted to start it and was willing to take the lead. Friday afternoon Bible Study was started when someone decided that we needed it and they were willing to lead. The important point here is that our ministries are not just something the pastor is trying to push. If and when the pastor eventually leaves, the ministry will not perish. The ministries started become something living and organic within the church.

This weekend our Men's Ministry is hosting the "Northwest Vermont Blowgun Tournament". It has two purposes. One purpose is to do something that is going to reach out to people who otherwise would not darken the doors of the church. The second purpose is for us to have some FUN during the winter doldrums. Just think, if we get some of these people to come in and see that Christians can actually have fun like normal folk, then we might earn the right to talk to them about Jesus someday.

"Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, 'The LORD has done great things for them.'" Psalms 126:2


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Educational Return on Investment

I have been considering over the last several years the value of education, and what might be termed the 'return on investment' it might provide. I read an article yesterday that dealt with the overwhelming cost of obtaining a law degree and the crippling effect it has on graduates. I can see this in my own daughter; she just completed a year in law school and I know what debt she carries. The article made the point that in most cases the debt is likely to take many years to get rid of, if at all. There is an overabundance of lawyers and the field is shrinking.

Then there are the theology majors. The so-called 'entry-level' degree is a Masters of Divinity. A traditional MDiv will take 3 years of full-time study and cost anywhere from $25,000 to $50,000. The typical graduate will join a field of graduates all vying for pastoral positions which pay in the vicinity of $25,000 in salary (other benefits MAY be included, but no guarantee). As a matter of fact, the average church in the United States has 75 people and the pastor is likely to be bi-vocational. Return on investment? I would say that there is very little.

This raises a question in my mind. If the return of investment is so low, why do it? Especially for a minister who is already ordained, what's the point? There are only a couple reasons to pursue an advanced degree in ministry. One is to advance your skills or keep your skills sharp. Another is for the 'prestige' of an advanced degree. A third reason would be to allow the recipient to teach in a more formal setting (at a District educational center, for instance). A fourth reason, at least in our denomination, is that there is a requirement for ordained elders to participate in continuing education.

A better option might be to take advantage of free or low-cost educational opportunities according to a plan of education you draw up yourself. There are free courses available online from places like Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Covenant Theological Seminary. Low cost courses are available from Nazarene Bible College and others. Why not look at a Master's level program from a legitimate school and see if you can duplicate it, or come close to it, by using these kinds of resources? If you honestly pursue the plan and meet your goals, at the end you could even print yourself a certificate and hang it on your wall.

The typical response by many in our field is that this is simply not the same as earning an advanced degree from an accredited institution. Yet, if it brings the knowledge and skills that you need, who cares? Abraham Lincoln did not seem to find his self-education in law a problem either when practicing law or as a politician. Maybe we are becoming too caught up in the formalities to recognize what the end goal should be...ministry.

The Coming Storm

There is a great deal of diversity within the Church, and even within our own little local Body of believers in St. Albans. There are people who believe in soul sleep, while others believe in 'absent from the body, present with the Lord'. There are people who believe we should do communion every week, others think once a month or once a quarter is fine. Some believe in the possibility of Holy living here and now, others believe in strictly progressive sanctification. Some like choruses, some like hymns. In the larger Body it becomes even more diverse. Some believe that the Pope is God's Vicar on Earth, some don't. There are those who believe liturgy is the heart of worship and others who believe in freedom in worship. Some think that organ music is the only good music, while others think that rock bands are alright, and some who use no instruments at all. There is an immense diversity in the Christian experience in the world at large and even here in our own corner of Vermont.

It has always been my view and that of the churches I have served that we should take a "Kingdom Perspective". What that means is that our particular church and even our denomination is not for everyone. Some people may come in our doors, find the Lord and decide our church is not where they need to be. Maybe our organization, doctrines, focus and mission of the church or the worship style does not 'fit' with them. We will do our utmost to find a place where they DO fit in. Maybe they would be more at home in a Catholic church, maybe a Baptist or Assembly of God church, perhaps a larger local church like Essex Alliance. What really matters is that they are part of the Kingdom of God and going to a solid church.

Recently I have had my eyes opened to some interesting items that pertain to the 'End Times'. I have never been a student of the 'End Times', because I know God has it all in His hands. However, it has made me aware that there is a coming storm. Exactly when I don't know, nor do I want to know. But this one thing I do know. Not everyone is as "Kingdom" oriented as I am. There are many people out there who hold that their way is the only valid way of doing things, and no one else is right. This one is too liberal, that one uses the wrong translation of the Bible, the other one has the wrong structure and this one over here doesn't dunk enough times for the baptism to count.

My comment to this is very blunt and to the point. Get over it! When the storm comes it won't matter who is sitting next to you or what their faith tradition looks like, the storm will be hitting everyone equally. All the enemy will see is that you both call yourselves by the Name of Jesus the Christ, denying the rule of the beast (Rev 20:4) and you will likely both suffer the same fate, as martyrs.

Do I think the differences we have between us mean nothing? No, no mamby-pamby ecumenism here...that's not what I am saying at all. Our distinctiveness's are important, no doubt, and God has given us those distinctives for a reason. But I think we need to recognize we are brothers and sisters in Christ as long as we hold the same core beliefs that make us Christian; Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses and other such-like do not hold to this short list of core beliefs and are not Christian. We cannot ever join with them as spiritual brethren. But Baptists, Catholics, Pentecostals, Orthodox, Methodists, AG, CMA, independents and all the other Christian denominations, we need to come together on the important matters and agree to disagree on the other "non-Salvation issue" items.

The storm is coming. We know that. We simply can't afford to be divided when it arrives.

"I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought" 1 Cor 1:10 (NIV)

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The Consequences of Atheism

A recent book by Stephen Hawking's, "The Grand Design", has caused more than a little stir in both scientific and theological circles. I'm sure I will get questions about this sooner or later, especially since Vermont has a fair contingent of atheists.

The most radical theological statements which Hawking makes in his book are, "Because there is a law such as gravity, the Universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the Universe exists, why we exist", and "It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the Universe going." In other words Hawking has explicitly rejected the possibility of any Deity or the necessity of Deity in creation.

Rather than touching on the various arguments for or against these statements, I'd like simply to focus for a moment on the implications of what he said, and explore the meaning of atheism in everyday life. Here are a few things for thought.

You are composed of several pounds of chemicals and a fair bit of water. Everything you are is simply a result of chemical reactions within your body. Each perception you have, every thought you have, every emotion you feel is simply a chemical reaction. A complicated reaction, perhaps, but just a chemical reaction in the end. Love is not real, neither is pain, joy or grief.

The sensation of being 'alive', or having thoughts and feelings, is basically a chemical reaction which creates an illusion of self-awareness. 'Alive' is simply just a temporary state of chemical equilibrium.

All creatures, plant and animal, are the same and have the same level of significance. There is a matter of scale and influence which sets the more complicated organisms apart, but in the words of PETA co-founder and President Ingrid Newkirk, "A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy" (Vogue, Sept 1, 1989).

There is no afterlife. There is no soul, no Nirvana, no Heaven, no Hell and no Happy Hunting Grounds. When your body ceases to function sufficiently well to support what we call 'life' or 'self-awareness', you will simply return to your constituent chemicals and what you were; the essential part that makes you who you are will be forever gone.

There is no reward for good behavior, there is no punishment for bad behavior except for the consequences of our own actions here. Other people may impose consequences upon you (fairly or not) but that is all that can happen.

When something bad happens to you, there is no underlying purpose. If you can get away with doing something to benefit yourself, even at the expense of others, go ahead and do it. There is no outside basis for morality, so don't worry about it. Ethics is a constructed fable.

There is no 'absolute truth' where behavior is concerned, it is simply a matter of your own desires being satisfied. Since you have only a small amount of time on earth and it all ends in oblivion, you might as well enjoy your time here. Party up! Get drunk, shoot up, sleep around. Just make sure you enjoy it all.

Since all life is simply a chemical phenomenon, there is nothing sacred about it. Want an abortion? Go ahead! Want to kill someone? No problem (just don't get caught)! Do what feels good and don't worry about others...they can look out for themselves.

Does this seem harsh? These are simply the logical consequences of following a belief in atheism. That is not to say that you cannot construct an ethos based on atheism (i.e. all human life is unique and can never be duplicated, so it is a crime against the universe to harm another person), but it is entirely optional and completely relative to the person.

The biggest issue I see with atheism and with the viewpoint of people like Hawking is that there is no hope anymore. This life is all there is. "Life sucks, then you die." As a Christian, I believe that there is indeed hope, and hope in the sense the ancient Greeks knew...not "pie in the sky thinking", but "confident expectation". It has been said that man can live without most things, but he cannot survive without hope. In what, or in whom, do you put YOUR hope?


"If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." 1 Cor 15:19-20 (NIV)


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No Religion?

Living here in the North Country you hear lots of interesting comments. This area is part of what is known as the 'burned over' region, where religion in general has seen better days. According to a recent survey Vermont has the lowest per capita level of church involvement of all fifty states. Does that mean that people don't have spirituality as part of their lives? No, not really.

Churches in general here are small. Roman Catholic parishes can tend to be large, but in many cases their numbers are not very enlightening. People tend to be kept on the rolls long after they have ceased attending. The largest Protestant churches are two Alliance congregations running in the multiple hundreds, perhaps low thousands, but still small compared to churches in the Bible Belt. Most Protestant churches have some sort of process where if they haven't seen you in a few years, you'll be labeled as inactive. My own pragmatic cut-off is to regard anyone who has not attended church or mass in two years as an unchurched person, whether they are on a church roll book or not. If they have not been in a church for six months, I look at them as inactive members. All this assuming, of course, that they don't have a good reason for not going to church. Someone who is bedridden, in a nursing home, deployed in the military or similiar circumstances does have valid reasons for not going to church.

Vermonters are funny in regard to spiritual matters. On the one hand they are fiercely independent. They don't trust most authority figures including spiritual authorities. On the other hand, they want the comfort of community. They want structure, but not rules. They are willing to deal with diversity, but have little idea what others really believe and don't care to learn.

We knew someone a few years ago who moved back south after living in Vermont for a few years. They told us that they couldn't stand living here anymore, that Vermonters were cold and unwelcoming people. Our experience has been totally the opposite. We have found Vermonters, especially the old-time residents, to be very warm and hospitable. They are, however, upset about the fact that 'flatlanders' have come into the state in droves over the last 30 years and changed the character of the state so dramatically. They feel as though Vermont has been hijacked from under them. In many ways this is true.

So, how do you reach a people who have spiritual thoughts and inclinations, but don't want to think about them, who are upset about outsiders coming in and taking over, feel they belong to a spiritual fellowship when they haven't attended for 30 years or who want the comfort of community but don't want to join in any formal way? I am still struggling with this. I know that God has insight into all of this. I know, too, that His power is superior. I know He wants ALL to be saved. So I'll keep praying, keep talking to people as a friend rather than as an authority figure, and leave the rest up to His Holy Spirit. After all, this is His field of harvest, not mine, and His job to convict others (John 16), not mine.

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)


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My brain fell out, dude...

Well, I guess my brain must have fallen out somewhere along the way, here. At least, that is the impression I get from what I've been reading on the Internet. Usually I have enough common sense to avoid reading comments on articles when I'm surfing, but sometimes I just slip. Lately I've noticed that the comments fit a pattern of sorts. Whatever the problem is, the source of the problem is President Obama, or it's ex-President Bush's doing. Occasionally it is Clinton, either Hillary or Bill. When the problem turns on religious or ethical matters, the problem is invariably resting on the shoulders of anyone of any religion who is stupid enough to believe that nonsense.

"Stupid enough to believe that nonsense?" Yup, that's what they say. If you'd just give up all that religion, those myths and legends meant just to control people for the benefit of the clergy and the church then there would be peace in the world and all our problems would just go away. Hmmm...I guess I just don't have what it takes to see any of those benefits I'm supposed to be getting as one of the evil clergy. I want to know where all that money is going, because it is certainly not in MY bank account. As a matter of fact, last time I looked I was working as a bivocational pastor for the equivalent of about $4 an hour! I could make alot more money with a lot less hassle and trouble if I worked at a fast-food joint. "Do you want fries with that?"

It annoys me when people lump other people into any sort of stereotype. "Always" and "Never" are two bad words when it comes to describing classes of people, and most times individuals as well. And the other thing that annoys me is when people base their opinions on bad history. "Christians are just stupid people who don't know how to think for themselves, and they have been responsible for more deaths than anyone else throughout history". Yeah, right. The entire Spanish Inquisition accounted for about 3,000 deaths over a 200 year time span, while the atheistic Stalin killed 20 million people in about 20 years. Sure, there have been some people who have done bad things in the name of Christ, and there are some people (maybe alot) who are Christian and who don't think more than your average houseplant, but some of the most brilliant minds in history have been Christian. And there are plenty of examples of non-religious people doing bad things in the name of selfishness and who don't want to think.

The short and long of it, cut out the stereotypes and start using your head for more than a hat rack. I'll do the same, and I'll stop reading the comments on internet articles for good measure.

"Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels." 2 Tim 2:23 (NIV)

The Ravening Wolf

There are many times when I've been taken by surprise in Vermont. I've watched sunsets over Lake Champlain that took my breath away. I've seen wildlife in all it's natural splendor. Recently I was even surprised by nine inches of snow in my yard during a May snowstorm. But the one that took me by surprise on May 9 was not so welcome, the visit of a 'ravening wolf' to my church.

The Bible says in Matthew 7:15, "Watch out for false prophets. they come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." In this case, I had just started the sermon and a man walked into the church. He sat down and within 5 minutes raised his hand to ask a question. He claimed to be a person simply seeking answers, the son of a Jewish woman and a Greek father, born and raised in Palestine. An innocent sheep, seeking truth. Over the next three hours he showed his wolves teeth as he questioned everything about Christianity and asserted the authority of and supremacy of the Koran. A Muslim apologist in a Christian church in Northern Vermont? Yes, a surprise, but it should not have been. We, the church...and I, a pastor...have been complacent. Spiritual warfare is not something limited to Africa, the Middle East, the big cities of the United States...but is a reality even here in Vermont. We had that reality shoved in our face on May 9.

I found out more and more as the conversations continued. We finished the service, after requesting three times that "Abraham" hold his questions, and had communion. We offered communion to him and he refused. After the benediction I went to talk with him at the back of the sanctuary while others cleaned up. Several people had been in prayer. When my wife Debbie, who is also my co-pastor, returned we were still talking and continued on for a total of another two hours.

Someone asked me later why Abraham left his car running in the parking lot for the three hours he was in our church. I expect he was preparing for a quick getaway in case we called the police. I found out later after calling a fellow minister in St. Albans that "Abraham" was also known as 'Bruno", and he had been making it his business to go to the churches in the area. He had a restraining order filed against him at another church and had been removed from a few more. He had a temper, it seems.

I believe"Abraham" had three motives in coming to our church. First, he wanted to disrupt our worship. Second, he wanted to undermine the pastor in front of the congregation. And third, he wanted to convert or discourage as many people as possible. Quite frankly, he accomplished none of his goals. We have been praying for him since then, that the 'hound of Heaven' would chase him and give him no peace until he finds Christ as his saviour.

I believe the biggest surprise of that day was not mine, but his. You see, the wolf came and expected to find some tasty sheep, but instead found himself the guest of honor in a den of spiritual lions.


"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Matt 5:43-48

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Ad Hominem

'Ad Hominem'. If you've ever taken a philosophy class or been in a debate club this term will be familiar to you. An "Ad Hominem" is a personal attack upon a person or group which bears no relation to the argument at hand and is therefore termed a 'fallacious argument'. Usually the technique is reserved to those who have exhausted all other means of winning the debate and are trying desperately to wrest some measure of satisfaction from the exchange.

In addition to being a 'fallacious' technique, it is mean-spirited and cruel. In it's most vicious form it results in a physical assault upon the other individual, or angers the other enough to provoke them likewise. Think of the little kid who loses an argument and throws dirt clods at the other child.

It seems to me that I am seeing more and more this kind of behavior. I read an article this week wherein a liberal commentator referred to his conservative opponent as a 'republi-tard', and another comment which referred to the conservative side as a 're-puke'. Showing their true colors the liberal commentator in the first case, who would likely advocate for minority groups, uses an insult which denigrates people who are mentally handicapped. In a sense, they shoot themselves in the foot with their own remarks.

I have had such attacks used against me. They are frustrating, annoying and vicious. They are also a sign that I probably have already won the debate, but that does not make them any more pleasant to experience.

My point is this: we should never resort to 'ad hominem' attacks. They do not work and we usually hurt ourselves when we use them. If you find yourself at the point where you are tempted to use one, re-think your position. Is there something you have missed, or do you need to consider changing your viewpoint? Insulting someone's mother or ancestry does not mean that you have won the argument, it means you have already lost.

"Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels." 2 Tim 2:23 NIV

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