How much of History is interesting only because we can study someone else’s mistakes? Just think of all the books written about Napoleon’s ill-fated invasion of Russia. Or how about the gallant but disastrous quest of the Confederate States of America? Not only can we entertain ourselves for hours contemplating all the ruinous decisions of the southern politicians, but countless books have been written describing in wretched and gory detail the needless waste of lives by incompetent northern generals. Perhaps one reason the Bible itself makes such fascinating reading is because it is full of stories about imperfect people. Yes, we love to tell the story of David and Goliath as a story of triumph of a young man full of faith and spirit, but it is the story of David and Bathsheba that bonds us with this giant figure of history as a man human and flawed as we. Look at what sells at the supermarket. I would guess that the tabloids that hawk the sins and private griefs of the rich and famous outsell the “local-boy-makes-good” stories ten to one on any good day.
Political history books are compelling to read only because we can glean lessons from the errors of others gone by. Success stories just do not have the staying power to hold our attention in reading a book of 300-500 pages. Error, ruin, calamity, destruction, and death are the ripe and, nay, essential counterpoints of any good and successful history book. Without them, we classify any such biography especially as a one-sided whitewash job, a piece of family propaganda, or a piece of political hack. We know that behind every great man there are little known closets that contain either evidence of weakness, doubt, and fear or skeletons of outright scandal. Churchill and Lincoln suffered from acute bouts of depression. Nixon fell because of paranoia. John Wesley had a disastrous marriage. Augustus Toplady, author of “Rock of Ages,” was capable of venomous attacks upon fellow believers.
Our fascination with weakness is endemic to humanity itself. Numerous theories probably abound. Most likely is that each of us knows that we are deeply flawed ourselves. It is hard to identify with others in their strengths but comforting to know that we share their weaknesses. But to dwell on the failures of man is morbid and leads to depression. To crusade against sin and weakness is tempting but results in legalistic cruelty. To condone it results in compromise and permissiveness. To analyze it results in an endless psychological maze. There is but one solution: grace. It is the one distinctive that Christianity gives to the world.
We are all crippled. All are in need of grace every day. Communion speaks to me of that truth: His grace - as necessary as our daily bread and drink. Without it we can’t live or move or have our being. Marriages can’t function without it. Nor can administrators or schools or teachers. Your children need it as well. Daily doses. Free and unmerited. Do we sanction sin and failure? No. We face it squarely, and overcome it with grace, the ultimate white-out that enables us to face another day. Receiving grace humbles the proud and heals the brokenhearted. Giving grace does the very work of God. May you be blessed in both the giving and the receiving.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Remembering September 11
“…choose you this day whom ye will serve…but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” -Joshua 24:15
This has been a traumatic week as we have relived the horrors of Sep. 11, 2001. I knew the anniversary was coming. It did not take me by surprise. But yet the reawakening of the emotions stirred again something so very sickening and grim within me that I found it disturbing. And now it was complicated by all of the frustrations of the last five years of a nation floundering to find its enemy and of those who still had no idea just who the enemy is. Part of me did not want to see the video again, to see the tributes, to watch the docu-dramas and listen to a President struggle for the words to make sense of it all. It was too big, too tragic, too vicious for processing in the spare change of my spare time.
I listened to a preacher try to memorialize and summarize last weekend just what we needed to remember. It is a most difficult job because it was such a multifaceted event. And there is still little agreement as to what actually happened. I sat with the announcement board that hangs out in front of the school and struggled as to what to write after the date, Mon. – Sep. 11. What do we say? How do we grieve? What is it that we should remember?
We grieve, of course, for the innocent victims, both good and bad, saved or lost. They deserved far better. We grieve for those in government who have to live with the “if only’s” of their missed chances. We grieve for a people enslaved by fanaticism who glory in their call to make war in the name of God. They are ultimately the biggest losers for their single eye towards destruction and subjection has rendered them unable to build viable societies or economies. We grieve for those who have sacrificed life in seeking retribution for the outrage of 9/11 and for those who struggle even now in the fog of this frontless war. We pray their sacrifices are not wasteful and without effect.
Some are finally awakening to the epic proportions of the ideological dimensions of this global confrontation. For this we can be thankful. And, in part, we can take some small comfort in that the soft, feel-good philosophy of inclusive relativism has finally met its match. For too long, many have frolicked barefoot in the tall grass of “no absolutes,” no right or wrong, each to his own, do your own thing. And now their soft toes have met an iron stake driven deep into the ground called Islam. The impact is painful and riveting as true believers are willing to come to our shores and die for the sake of “Truth” that will not compromise itself with pluralism or diversity. We, as Christians, have known all along that what you believe matters. Ideas are important. Words have meaning. There is right and wrong. Much of the world has forgotten. In the aftermath of 9/11, we have a rare opportunity to inform our world that there are choices to be made and stands to be taken.
Let us make sure to begin with our children. Black and white still exist. ‘Yes’ still means ‘yes’ and ‘no’ still means ‘no.’ The world is either flat or round but cannot be both. What we believe determines what we will do. What we sow is what we will reap. Our theology should determine our morals and not the other way around. The ten commandments are not the ten suggestions. Truth does not change with time. Absolutes still are those things which are true at all places, at all times, and with all people. There is a heaven to be gained and a hell to be spurned. There are many false gods but only one true one. And which one we serve makes all the difference.
This has been a traumatic week as we have relived the horrors of Sep. 11, 2001. I knew the anniversary was coming. It did not take me by surprise. But yet the reawakening of the emotions stirred again something so very sickening and grim within me that I found it disturbing. And now it was complicated by all of the frustrations of the last five years of a nation floundering to find its enemy and of those who still had no idea just who the enemy is. Part of me did not want to see the video again, to see the tributes, to watch the docu-dramas and listen to a President struggle for the words to make sense of it all. It was too big, too tragic, too vicious for processing in the spare change of my spare time.
I listened to a preacher try to memorialize and summarize last weekend just what we needed to remember. It is a most difficult job because it was such a multifaceted event. And there is still little agreement as to what actually happened. I sat with the announcement board that hangs out in front of the school and struggled as to what to write after the date, Mon. – Sep. 11. What do we say? How do we grieve? What is it that we should remember?
We grieve, of course, for the innocent victims, both good and bad, saved or lost. They deserved far better. We grieve for those in government who have to live with the “if only’s” of their missed chances. We grieve for a people enslaved by fanaticism who glory in their call to make war in the name of God. They are ultimately the biggest losers for their single eye towards destruction and subjection has rendered them unable to build viable societies or economies. We grieve for those who have sacrificed life in seeking retribution for the outrage of 9/11 and for those who struggle even now in the fog of this frontless war. We pray their sacrifices are not wasteful and without effect.
Some are finally awakening to the epic proportions of the ideological dimensions of this global confrontation. For this we can be thankful. And, in part, we can take some small comfort in that the soft, feel-good philosophy of inclusive relativism has finally met its match. For too long, many have frolicked barefoot in the tall grass of “no absolutes,” no right or wrong, each to his own, do your own thing. And now their soft toes have met an iron stake driven deep into the ground called Islam. The impact is painful and riveting as true believers are willing to come to our shores and die for the sake of “Truth” that will not compromise itself with pluralism or diversity. We, as Christians, have known all along that what you believe matters. Ideas are important. Words have meaning. There is right and wrong. Much of the world has forgotten. In the aftermath of 9/11, we have a rare opportunity to inform our world that there are choices to be made and stands to be taken.
Let us make sure to begin with our children. Black and white still exist. ‘Yes’ still means ‘yes’ and ‘no’ still means ‘no.’ The world is either flat or round but cannot be both. What we believe determines what we will do. What we sow is what we will reap. Our theology should determine our morals and not the other way around. The ten commandments are not the ten suggestions. Truth does not change with time. Absolutes still are those things which are true at all places, at all times, and with all people. There is a heaven to be gained and a hell to be spurned. There are many false gods but only one true one. And which one we serve makes all the difference.
Wonder
“…the earth is filled with the goodness of the Lord.” -Ps. 33:5
Consider the lowly cabbage. It never has gotten much respect in life. To be called a ‘cabbage head’ is definitely not a compliment. I have seen statistics and documentation dismissed as just ‘so much cabbage.’ The cabbage has not even made “Veggie Tales” status, to my knowledge. Yet I learned in 7th grade science class the other day that the juice of cabbage leaves possesses a unique power unknown to any other plant or vegetable. Filter paper soaked in cabbage juice and then dried can be used to distinguish between acids and bases. Simply watch for a color change when you dip this ‘cabbage paper’ into an unknown liquid and it will instantly tell you if it is an acid or a base. Amazing! First of all, there is the miracle of sensing these infinitely invisible free radicals, the positive hydrogen H+ ion or the negative hydroxide OH- ion, in solution. The cabbage knows. Then there is a second wonder of color change in which a chemical reaction takes place that then absorbs all light rays except the green or pink rays, which ever the case may be. It is nature’s natural litmus test. Having worked in a laboratory a number of years, I remember the finicky nature of expensive electrodes and constantly calibrated pH meters. Measuring pH accurately can be one of the most difficult of all laboratory procedures. But the cabbage knows instantly which way the cookie will crumble, acid or base. I was impressed with the vegetable itself and excited to learn something new.
This world is filled with wonders that keep expanding my vision of “the goodness of the Lord.” Woodworking has opened a world of wonder to me as I learned just a little of the incredible variety of wood and the characteristics of each species. Persimmon is one of the hardest woods available when dried. Cherished for golf club heads because of that, it also is one of the first woods to rot and decay when it hits the ground. It’s specie name means ‘food for the gods’ and was given because of the wood’s high sugar content. Every bug in the forest is drawn to feed upon it as soon as it dies. There is a story behind every wood that is uniquely written into its DNA. Each tree has its own unique fingerprint when its end grain is examined under a microscope. Each wood has its own strengths and weaknesses when used for various purposes. The variety is incredible, especially here in East Tennessee. And to think that they swim in a sea of pollen from all the trees of the forest, but each retains its own uniqueness over the centuries.
The insect world is filled with wonders. The writing spider eats its own web every night. Doodle-bugs hollow out sand traps for ants. And the preying mantis is just simply impossible. Then there is the animal kingdom of which I know so little. Add to this the wonder of the stars and light years of space. And then we can turn inward and stand awestruck at creation at the atomic and sub-atomic levels. The world of magnetism and electricity can consume a lifetime. A drop of pond water can contain enough life to fill books and books of descriptive text. The enormity of life that exists at the bacteriological level is astounding. Then there is the miracle of life itself. A single strand of DNA can stretch for several feet and contain enough information to fill a complete set of encyclopedias.
Do we stand back and communicate the wonder of creation enough to one another and to our children? It is one thing to teach the facts and facets of creation. But can we ever communicate well enough the sheer wonder of it all? The earth is filled with the goodness of the Lord. The more I fill my heart with wonder, the more I sense the glory and greatness of God. We don’t have all the answers here at CFC. I just hope we can frame the questions in terms writ large enough across the sky to do them justice.
Consider the lowly cabbage. It never has gotten much respect in life. To be called a ‘cabbage head’ is definitely not a compliment. I have seen statistics and documentation dismissed as just ‘so much cabbage.’ The cabbage has not even made “Veggie Tales” status, to my knowledge. Yet I learned in 7th grade science class the other day that the juice of cabbage leaves possesses a unique power unknown to any other plant or vegetable. Filter paper soaked in cabbage juice and then dried can be used to distinguish between acids and bases. Simply watch for a color change when you dip this ‘cabbage paper’ into an unknown liquid and it will instantly tell you if it is an acid or a base. Amazing! First of all, there is the miracle of sensing these infinitely invisible free radicals, the positive hydrogen H+ ion or the negative hydroxide OH- ion, in solution. The cabbage knows. Then there is a second wonder of color change in which a chemical reaction takes place that then absorbs all light rays except the green or pink rays, which ever the case may be. It is nature’s natural litmus test. Having worked in a laboratory a number of years, I remember the finicky nature of expensive electrodes and constantly calibrated pH meters. Measuring pH accurately can be one of the most difficult of all laboratory procedures. But the cabbage knows instantly which way the cookie will crumble, acid or base. I was impressed with the vegetable itself and excited to learn something new.
This world is filled with wonders that keep expanding my vision of “the goodness of the Lord.” Woodworking has opened a world of wonder to me as I learned just a little of the incredible variety of wood and the characteristics of each species. Persimmon is one of the hardest woods available when dried. Cherished for golf club heads because of that, it also is one of the first woods to rot and decay when it hits the ground. It’s specie name means ‘food for the gods’ and was given because of the wood’s high sugar content. Every bug in the forest is drawn to feed upon it as soon as it dies. There is a story behind every wood that is uniquely written into its DNA. Each tree has its own unique fingerprint when its end grain is examined under a microscope. Each wood has its own strengths and weaknesses when used for various purposes. The variety is incredible, especially here in East Tennessee. And to think that they swim in a sea of pollen from all the trees of the forest, but each retains its own uniqueness over the centuries.
The insect world is filled with wonders. The writing spider eats its own web every night. Doodle-bugs hollow out sand traps for ants. And the preying mantis is just simply impossible. Then there is the animal kingdom of which I know so little. Add to this the wonder of the stars and light years of space. And then we can turn inward and stand awestruck at creation at the atomic and sub-atomic levels. The world of magnetism and electricity can consume a lifetime. A drop of pond water can contain enough life to fill books and books of descriptive text. The enormity of life that exists at the bacteriological level is astounding. Then there is the miracle of life itself. A single strand of DNA can stretch for several feet and contain enough information to fill a complete set of encyclopedias.
Do we stand back and communicate the wonder of creation enough to one another and to our children? It is one thing to teach the facts and facets of creation. But can we ever communicate well enough the sheer wonder of it all? The earth is filled with the goodness of the Lord. The more I fill my heart with wonder, the more I sense the glory and greatness of God. We don’t have all the answers here at CFC. I just hope we can frame the questions in terms writ large enough across the sky to do them justice.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)