Continuing To Be Not Of This World

In the third post of what is turning into a series (See We Are Not Of This World and Still Not Of This World) born of Greg Boyd's new book, The Myth Of A Christian Nation, I want to share with you an e-mail I got a couple days ago. It seems to me to be an example of the "mingling" of politics and Christianity that Boyd describes in his book.

"WHY ?

A mother asked President Bush,
"Why did my son have to die in Iraq?"

Another mother asked President Kennedy, "Why did my son have to die
in Viet Nam?"

Another mother asked President Truman, "Why did my son have to die in
Korea?

Another mother asked President F.D. Roosevelt, "Why did my son have to
die at Iwo Jima?"

Another mother asked President W. Wilson,
"Why did my son have to die on the battlefield of France?"

Yet another mother asked President Lincoln, "Why did my son have to
die at Gettysburg?"

And yet another mother asked President G. Washington "Why did my son
have to die near Valley Forge?"


Then long, long ago, a mother asked...
"Heavenly Father, why did my Son have to die on a cross outside of
Jerusalem?"

The answers to all these are similar -- "So that others may have life
and dwell in peace, happiness and freedom."

IF YOU DON'T STAND BEHIND OUR TROOPS, AND THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF
PLEASE, FEEL FREE... TO STAND IN FRONT OF THEM !!!"

How similar do you think they are?
I'm kinda wondering if that's what Boyd was getting at...
It might be one thing to say, "I think this is/was a just war and it was worth fighting and dying for because ________.

It seems, to me anyway, like this e-mail is saying that God and our soldiers are always on the same side, fighting for the same cause. That's something completely different.

While I'd be hard pressed to come up with an example of a war in which the US was on the wrong side, or was unjustified, (we always seem to be the good guys) this e-mail sounds quite a bit like the church service Boyd was talking about where the fighter jets were blazing over the three crosses, as if to say, "God and America: Partners for justice" or whatever. Trying to form a link between our government's agenda and God, so that any dissent would be seen as not only unpatriotic, but even evil.

I don't know, maybe it's just because my head's in that book. I used to pretty much think that way, that America always has only the purest of motives. I do think we are the good guys in the world, but that doesn't equal "God's country".

Tags: Boyd ,Religion ,Christianity

What Trucks Are For

Not to draw undue attention to the squabble over Kerux's new truck, Cleezer , but it seemed like a good time to put up a picture of my Chevy S-10 doing what trucks do, even though it just barely qualifies as a truck. As you can see, it looks as tough without the topper (cap, canopy) as it does with. And besides looking tougher, I'm not 100% certain that I would have gotten all those branches into the back of the old Escort.

The S-10 is a bit jealous of Cleezer though. So far it's name is still, "The S-10". Not what you could honestly call a "term of endearment".

Tags: Trucks, S-10

It's Peppa-Time!

It's that magical time of year when my Caribbean Red Hot Peppers are ripening. And not a minute too soon, the ones I had diced and frozen from last year are just about gone. These peppers make jalapenos seem like candy. I've already chopped some fresh ones up and put them in the freezer to sprinkle on pizza, and to give chili a kick in the pants. Tomorrow night I'll make some very, very hot salsa. You couldn't handle it. And that's just the way I like it!

Oh Baby, You Know What I Like

My wife was out shopping (always scary) but she put my mind at ease when she came back with one of my all-time favorite movies, "The Outlaw Josey Wales" on DVD.
I think she's the perfect woman!

The Fountain Of Youth

David Copperfield says he's found it. The Fountain of Youth.
You can read the Yahoo News account of it here.

Or you can read a similar story in your bible. Matthew 13:44 says, "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."

I'm not saying that I believe Copperfield has found The Fountain of Youth. I am saying that he evidently believes he has found The Fountain of Youth, and he's doing something about it. He's acting on what he believes to be true. I won't be selling all I own to partner with him, because I think he's either deluded (possible) or setting up his next stunt (more likely, but it would be a very expensive setup!) Either way, he believes he's doing the right thing, and that there will be a good return on his investment.

Many people spend their lives wondering what they should do, afraid to commit to anything because it might not work out. "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" is one way of describing this mentality. Burying your money in a coffee can in your back yard is another example of the same fear. Wise investments, whether you're talking about money, time, work, love or anything else I can think of off the top of my head, involve risk. Don't get me wrong- You need to count the cost, weigh the risks- But you also need to do something once you have counted the cost. And stay with it. In the words of Jesus, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62) See also the Parable of the talents in Matthew 25. And as long as I'm listing bible verses, John 7 says there really IS living water to be found in Jesus, who can do something David Copperfield can't: Make your sins disappear!

Fishers Of Fish

My brother-in-law and his family recently stayed with us for a week while they were here from Seattle for the wedding of our nephew. We thought it would be fun to take our two little nieces out to catch their first fish. Because the girls are only about 30 inches tall, most of the pictures have the dock in front of our faces (except for the guy behind us, who we didn't know. That's a pretty good picture of him.) but trust me, they had a good first fishing experience. I love it when kids catch a sunny about the size of a potato chip and they act like it's a trophy! Even though the fish were tiny the action was hot, and that's what we went there for. I doubt that muskie fishing would have held their interest for very long.

There oughta be a law that says you have to take kids fishing at least a couple times a year. It really puts the rest of life in perspective.

It's All About You

This is pretty funny! Make that funny/sad. I don't know how to put You-Tube videos on here, so I'll just give you the link.
MeChurch

HT: Amanda

The Value Of A Meerkat

There's been a big stink raised here recently about a family of five meerkats at the Minnesota Zoo that had to be put down because one of them bit a girl who put her hand in the meerkat exhibit. (Story)

On the news, people are ripping on the girl's parents for not keeping a closer watch over her. One letter from a reader of the Minneapolis Star Tribune compared the suffering of the meerkat family to the suffering of the girl and her family, implying that the two stand on equal ground. Call me crazy, but I'd shoot the meerkats just for fun even if they hadn't bitten anyone! Was it bad parenting to let their daughter stick her hand in the exhibit? Sure it was. Was it stupid of the girl to think she wouldn't get bit? Yep. "Am I going to lose five minutes of sleep worrying about how the world won't be the same without those five meerkats?" asked Derifter, while trying not to laugh. "ZZZzzzzz" came the quick reply.

I don't see much in the way of concern for the little girl. I must live in PETA Paradise. To avoid this kind of outcry, maybe I'll try to brush mosquitoes away when they bite me instead of slapping them. The poor things.

Still Not Of This World

A little while back, I wrote a post called, "We Are Not Of This World". This is in part a continuation of that post, maybe some of it overlaps, but it's something I'm still kicking around. It started when I began reading Greg Boyd's book, "The Myth of a Christian Nation."

If you agree that what we as Christians are all about is bringing the kingdom of God to a world lost in darkness, both for their salvation and for God's glory, then (practically, I mean) how do we do that? I say that murder is wrong (duh) but does making murder illegal bring God's kingdom to Earth? Apply that question to any issue. Does making abortion or gay marriage illegal advance the kingdom of God, or does it advance a "Christianized version" of this world instead? Does it bring about God's perfect will, or just a world that we're more comfortable with?

I think that abortion and gay marriage should be illegal (and that murder should STAY illegal!) but my point is that making laws doesn't change people's hearts. Just because abortion is a crime doesn't mean that women who avoid abortions will spend eternity in Heaven. In the same way, making gay marriage invalid doesn't save anyone's soul. Why do I think these things should be outlawed then? I think there's value in society saying, "This is wrong." I think it's a good thing that homosexuality is thought of as weird, because it discourages people from pursuing that lifestyle. There's still a sense of taboo surrounding abortion that some want to dispel, but I'd like to keep. I don't want it to be cool to have an abortion. I don't think it should be an easy decision to make. It's good that there are laws in place to discourage murder, not to mention that people in general frown on it. If murder were socially acceptable, you can bet that it would be more common, too. (Don't take that as an endorsement on gambling though...)

I've picked on murder, abortion and gay marriage just because they're hot topics with emotions running high on both sides. Well not murder so much. Pick your issue though.

Having said all that, my (and Boyd's) point remains that even though outlawing these things or mandating others (that goes back to homosexuality again. "Man-dating?" Anyway.) may make for a better society, that's the best it can do. If we enforce God's law on the masses, and achieve perfect compliance, that doesn't save anyone's soul . There may be benefits, but not eternal ones in my opinion. It would have nothing to do with the blood of Jesus, nothing to do with God's love for the lost, nothing to do with grace or everlasting life. It might even promote a sense of self-righteousness on a national scale, which would distract people from their need for grace.

What it comes down to is this: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' " (Matt 22:37-39)

We're followers of Jesus, remember? We need to live the way He did.

So Long, Escort

After driving full-sized 4x4 pickups since 1986, I wound up driving a Ford Escort since junking my last truck in the winter of '05.

But with the purchase of a Chevy S-10 on Thursday I'm riding high again, though not quite as high, since it's a 2-wheel drive itsy-bitsy S-10. But it'll get better gas mileage than my other trucks, so I got that going for me.