A Man for All Seasons

I have decided that I can not completely make any lasting political decisions.  I dunno that I can even make a decision or barring statement for my entire life.  I can not wholly embrace Pacifism, nor can I totally brandish the saber.  

Can war ever be just?  Peace for peace's sake makes no sense either.  

Instead, I must be a man for all seasons.  

Eccl 3 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 is the Phrase "Under Heaven" that has me thinking.  All these things are under the guidance of one who is really in control, bringing all things under His foot, to the glory of Him.  I should strive for peace, but should I make peace my only option?

Is this a subject that is so cut and dry, either black or white?

If you know me, then you know my love for CS Lewis, and I am indebted to his essay, "Why I am not a Pacifist". But Lewis wrote during and after World War 2, when the evil seemed so apparent, so real.  Can we equate the time and struggles, politically, economically, and socially, to those felt by that generation?  I don't think so and really think that we should examine the times we live in and stop looking for signs, those reminders of things we already experienced and possibly already found the answer to.

All this to say, not sure which button I'll push in November, not sure if I'll even enter a booth.  But I will not make my decision based on who is the lesser of two evils.  I cannot vote on party lines, or on the same issues I voted on last election.  Instead, I'll look for direction from the One in Heaven.

Just a question..

Just a thought... how do you discover that you have the ability to swallow a sword?  Is it one of those things you do on a dare?  Or, you know, you're walking along with your sword and you trip...?  Seriously.

 And along this thought, I go online and I find that there is an actual Sword Swallowers International Association.  Awesome.  

Oh, and they take donations.  I'm assuming its for educational purposes and for helping the swallowing-gone-badly.

Political Evangelicals

Thanks to Derek for sharing this video.  Its a conversation held between three Evangelicals across the spectrum.  Well worth the look.  Definitely got me thinking.  And its how I met Shane Caliborne... interesting guy, got me thinking.

I would also, then, greatly encourage you to listen to the Covenant Life Church podcast, especially Josh Harris' talk on Jer 29, "Living in Babylon" 3/11/08... its totally free so there's no excuse.  Harris's talk, though un-intentioned by him, was a great follow-up to watching this video.  

Left me with one question:  Are we exiles?  Are we foreigners in a strange land?  And if so, what does that mean for us, especially in the political spectrum of the world in which we live?

I know, more than one question, I know, but worth the asking, in my head.  

I've planted my garden.  I got married and have two kids, so I'm doing ok living in this world waiting for God to take me home.  I've been wondering whether or not we should vote.  Should we vote? I know, its our duty as a citizen, but really, how good a citizen am I?  Am I allowing democracy to shape my faith and priorities, or is my faith shaping the democracy I live in?  

I dunno yet.  

After the Death of Moses

Josh 1:1-9

I come to you, Father, after a mixed up night of troubled sleep.  Why am I so afraid?  Because I've made mistakes, some really bad decisions, and my past still haunts me.  I'm afraid of my past, its darkness and turbulence, all because I've made some bad choices.  "Long laments and past regrets they find me somehow."  And I ask, Father, what am I supposed to do about it now?

I crawl into Your arms a d rest.  And I weep and fret into Your arm.  I was resolved once to live a lifestyle away from You.  How foolish I was, to hear your voice and to turn away.  

And here I am, lamenting that foolish decision to walk away and fretting about its consequences long after turning to You.  

'There's no condemnation for those found in Christ Jesus."

But what about the kind I bring on myself?

Here is my hope, that as I focus more on You and Your Word, I'll be less focused on myself and more upon You.  I find salvation in You each morning.  Each morning my hope is renewed.  All for Your name and glory, Father, help me to serve You.  Give me opportunities and words - fill me with praise each morning as I meditate on Your words.  I can not imagine the depths of Your love, but plunge me deep, Father.

Huntington, Part deux

Joel, Tyler (Joel's roommate) and I went out for a night on the town.  Being that its Huntington, there was nothing to do, so we went to the movies and saw the new Indiana Jones flick.  Well, we had a good time, and it had very little to do with the movie.    

Note on the fauna... there are black squirrels!  Only in myth and in bedtime tales have I heard of them.  I tried to catch this one, but I was then attacked by a bee (Thank-you Rusty, for trying to get my attention, but failing to notice the trouble I was in!).  

So, just how flat is Indiana?  Take a look at this picture.  You can actually see the curve of the earth in the background!  Those aren;t mountains, but a farmhouse 23 miles away!  OK, maybe not that far, but I think you get the idea.  If it had been corn season, there would've been nothing visible except all the turkey buzzards, and there are plenty of them.

And, back home, where I fond out you have to pay $3 just to get back into.  Where does all my tax money go?  And, man, you should see the brand new rest areas they've built.  I would've taken pictures of them but I didn't want to be the focus of other people's blogs as the "guy casing the rest areas", cause what if they get bombed?  Your truly ends up front page.  

It was a good trip, good time seeing the country, and realizing how much I like mountains.  it was also a good experience meeting other pastors within the denomination.  Its very easy to forget that there are others out there of the UB persuasion.  

If you're dying to see who else was in my class, go here:

Church History Class Finishing Up - bishop

You'll notice my credentials, or course.  I wonder how they found out about this blog...?  Maybe I'm more famous than I thought.  

Huntington, Part 1

So, this past week I was out in Huntington, IN, for the UB History Seminar... which means nothign to anyone else unless they are going through ordination in the UB.  Which I am, by the way.  Here are some pics from my trip which I hope will explain what it is I did out there.

So, this is me driving somewhere near Akron, OH.  I don;t know if you can see them, but there are smashed bugs, all to pieces, all over my windshield.  This ride was like the highway of death... there are dead deer all over the place.  The carnage was immense.  There were raccoons, ground hogs, and one gigantic dog (which may have actually been a polar bear).  It was crazy gross out there.

And here I am driving through Akron.  Now, I know you are wondering why I would try to take a picture while I am driving.  Well, how often do you drive by the World Headquarters of GoodYear???

This would be where I stayed on Huntington's campus, Miller Hall.  It was very nice, and dormish.  I won't tell you how fast I got there, but I made good time.  

And here's the room I stayed in.  I tried to model after the various dorm rooms I had been in, since I had never had the pleasure of living in one.  Notice the laptop is in the up and on position?  Good Bless the Mac.

While I was out there I got to hang out with Joel, a friend of mine from the camp days.  He lives in the house there, in Huntington, and rides a bike.  Great guy.  We had a good time... definitely needed as I was bored most of my stay in Huntington... there are no mountains and missed them immensely.  There's a hollowness to the noise out there, and everything just carries.   I got some help from a guy out in Huntington who suggested I think of the clouds as reference points for mountain peaks... but only in the Alps can mountains get and stay that white.  Its such a weird feeling, the MidWest.  I commented to a friend of mine that it was like God had picked me up and placed me in a vast place of desolation.  For miles you can see, and yet so far from the ocean.  

Joel helped alieve my mountain-sickness.