1) The resistance/subversive theme that runs through Scripture is not one that I had considered before. I can't recall any talk of this in church or from faith leaders. RHE makes a strong case against the white American church: " When you belong to the privileged class of the most powerful global military superpower in the world, it can be hard to relate to the oppressed minorities who wrote so much of the Bible." We have to honestly and unsparingly look at American history, and weigh our moral position on a very critical scale. Slavery, Native American genocide, Japanese interment in WW2, Jim Crow laws, refugee treatment past and present, all our military engagements (including "just wars"), our current income inequality, Black imprisonment ratios, our resistance to a common sense gun control policy, and the poor's lack of access to good education and health care, allow us no moral high ground. We must humbly accept our failures and seek to improve. "America's no ancient Babylon or Rome...But America's no kingdom of God either."
2) It is very easy to feel cynical and hopeless about all the injustices being committed in the world. Sometimes I just want to scream, "I GIVE UP. NOTHING WILL EVER CHANGE!" But this is my head talking. It "looks" terrible and hopeless. But my heart tells me NO! God is in control and he is on the move. His kingdom is advancing, though sometimes it's hard to see. 7eventh Time Down has a great song out now, "God is on the move", and one phrase captures my feeling: "Anytime somebody lives to serve and not be served...God is on the move!" Every act of love and kindness moves the kingdom forward. I remain convince the story is not over. God will triumph in the end.
3) Years ago when I read Revelation for the first time, I learned that apocalypse means "revealing". It has taken on a catastrophic meaning in recent years, signalling "end of the world" scenarios. Revelation shows the world as it is, but also how it will be in the end, when God wins. Prophets are truth-tellers who see things as they really are - past, present, and future - and remind people that "the story isn't over." God's kingdom continues to march on; it cannot be stopped!
4) One of the great privileges I have had was to live overseas and travel to many parts of the world. I was, and continue to be, humbled by countries and peoples who take better care of each other. America is NOT a Christian nation, though some Christian seeds were obviously planted early in our history. I cannot reconcile all of our injustices with how we should be treating each other if we truly "loved our neighbors as ourselves." Anyone who draws attention to this disparity, and works for changing it, is making a prophetic challenge and encouraging resistance.
5) John Pavlovitz. His recent book, "A Bigger Table", is a prophetic call to "radical hospitality, total authenticity, true diversity, and agenda-free community." {Jesus' inclusive table ministry was} "a way of letting people know that they were seen and heard and known and respected." He excluded no one.
6) I like the story of Esther, but I had only thought of it as a "survival" or "rescue"story. "The story of Esther pulls back the veil on the empire...{and shows} it is an empty foolish power." Also, "Sometimes the best way to fell the Beast is to look it in the face and laugh." I really like the phrase: "Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be defeated." I am reminded of "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Chronicles of Narnia" stories - fairy tales, yes, but loaded with truth we can hang on to in desperate times.
7) I was totally confused reading Revelation for the first time, and even later when I understood more about connections to Daniel, and the coming and going of various empires. Many scholars have parsed every word, sometimes doing exegetical gymnastics to make all the parts "fit", But, to me, it makes the most sense to see it as a "letter written to real people, living in a real time in history...suffering under intense persecution." Yet is was "coded" in a way that Jewish Christians could decipher all the 250 Hebrew Bible references and cultural symbolism, and get the clear message from John, that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah, and that everything has changed. N.T. Wright recently wrote a great book called "The Day the Revolution Began" focusing on the death of Jesus as the turning point in human history, RHE quotes this great line: "A door has been opened that nobody can shut." The revolution started 2000 years ago; it's our job to continue the uprising.
Sunday, August 26, 2018
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Inspired: Wisdom Stories
1) Wisdom is different than knowledge.Wisdom is the ability to clearly see - a situation, a problem, a relationship, and be able to present that information so that others can understand.It does not always involve problem-solving, but it may. A person may be very knowledgeable in his/her discipline, but not have a clue how that knowledge can be applied. I usually associate wisdom with age and/or maturity. The person who has experienced life more, with all its joys and sorrows, has a better and broader perspective. "Elders" tend to be less revered in the US than other cultures, much to our detriment.
2) When I first started reading/studying the Bible (BSF in the early/mid 1980s) I was like a starving man who found the "bread of life." I didn't question much of what I read; I just wanted to take it all in. I became enthralled with the "Left Behind" series, and firmly believed Christ would return in 1988 (Israel's 40 year anniversary of statehood). The B.I.B.L.E. song was very popular. I parsed Scripture for every answer, not for illumination.I understand the Bible now not as a "life manual" but as "The Greatest Story Ever Told" - of God's relationship to all His creation, and humanity's relationship to God, and each other, in all it's messiness and beauty.
3) I don't recall ever being angry with God. There were times when I was confused ("How could God let this happen?"), but I always came back to God is God and I am not. I am always conflicted when I see people I know and love struggle with life's challenges (health, relationships, jobs,etc.) I often pray for God's peace and presence for them, because the "why" is never really explained. Sometimes "life" just sucks, no matter who you are.
4) "Wisdom, it seems, is situational. It isn't just about knowing what to say; it's about knowing when to say it. And it isn't just about knowing what is true; it's about knowing when it's true.'(RHE) This to me is the crux of relationships. In my later years, I realize there is less black and white, and a lot more grey I find myself often holding my tongue, less willing to talk and more willing to listen first. The Bible reveals the essence of our existence with God and each other. Things are rarely crystal clear, and often we only see "dimly" This should instill humility and compassion in all our interactions.
5) What I struggle with is those faith traditions who rely solely on prayer for healing. That if your faith is strong enough, your prayers "right" enough for God to accept, he will heal the one who is sick. Though I believe in the healing power of prayer (Martha!), it is not to the exclusion of medical, scientific, or psychological professionals. "Wisdom" in God does not exclude "wisdom" in proven human healing technologies. Jesus, the Great Physician" healed people, BEFORE they declared their faith and belief in him.
6) "While we may wish for a clear, {lucid} text, that's not what the Bible gave us. Instead, God gave us a cacophony of voices and perspectives, all in conversation with one another, representing the breadth and depth of the human experience in all its complexities and contradictions." (RHE) "Inspired" has reminded me (yet again) of the importance of biblical context. The who, where, what, why and when. It is very dangerous to pluck out verses and apply them anywhere and anytime.
7) The only psalm I was really aware of is Psalm 22 - "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" I always heard it on Good Friday and the Stations of the Cross. There are people in every congregation who are struggling with how to talk to God, especially when they are hurting. I think there is a need to allow people to speak what's in their hearts and minds in a safe place, like a corporate lament. God gave us the psalms as a way for us to communicate with Him, especially when we are in pain, or frustration, or confusion. He is big enough to handle all of our outbursts.
2) When I first started reading/studying the Bible (BSF in the early/mid 1980s) I was like a starving man who found the "bread of life." I didn't question much of what I read; I just wanted to take it all in. I became enthralled with the "Left Behind" series, and firmly believed Christ would return in 1988 (Israel's 40 year anniversary of statehood). The B.I.B.L.E. song was very popular. I parsed Scripture for every answer, not for illumination.I understand the Bible now not as a "life manual" but as "The Greatest Story Ever Told" - of God's relationship to all His creation, and humanity's relationship to God, and each other, in all it's messiness and beauty.
3) I don't recall ever being angry with God. There were times when I was confused ("How could God let this happen?"), but I always came back to God is God and I am not. I am always conflicted when I see people I know and love struggle with life's challenges (health, relationships, jobs,etc.) I often pray for God's peace and presence for them, because the "why" is never really explained. Sometimes "life" just sucks, no matter who you are.
4) "Wisdom, it seems, is situational. It isn't just about knowing what to say; it's about knowing when to say it. And it isn't just about knowing what is true; it's about knowing when it's true.'(RHE) This to me is the crux of relationships. In my later years, I realize there is less black and white, and a lot more grey I find myself often holding my tongue, less willing to talk and more willing to listen first. The Bible reveals the essence of our existence with God and each other. Things are rarely crystal clear, and often we only see "dimly" This should instill humility and compassion in all our interactions.
5) What I struggle with is those faith traditions who rely solely on prayer for healing. That if your faith is strong enough, your prayers "right" enough for God to accept, he will heal the one who is sick. Though I believe in the healing power of prayer (Martha!), it is not to the exclusion of medical, scientific, or psychological professionals. "Wisdom" in God does not exclude "wisdom" in proven human healing technologies. Jesus, the Great Physician" healed people, BEFORE they declared their faith and belief in him.
6) "While we may wish for a clear, {lucid} text, that's not what the Bible gave us. Instead, God gave us a cacophony of voices and perspectives, all in conversation with one another, representing the breadth and depth of the human experience in all its complexities and contradictions." (RHE) "Inspired" has reminded me (yet again) of the importance of biblical context. The who, where, what, why and when. It is very dangerous to pluck out verses and apply them anywhere and anytime.
7) The only psalm I was really aware of is Psalm 22 - "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" I always heard it on Good Friday and the Stations of the Cross. There are people in every congregation who are struggling with how to talk to God, especially when they are hurting. I think there is a need to allow people to speak what's in their hearts and minds in a safe place, like a corporate lament. God gave us the psalms as a way for us to communicate with Him, especially when we are in pain, or frustration, or confusion. He is big enough to handle all of our outbursts.
Sunday, August 12, 2018
Inspired: War Stories
1) "I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will blot out from the face of the land every living thing that I have made" (Genesis 7:4). Though not a "war story", this is a troubling genocidal verse. Estimating the earth's population at that time yields a number from the 100 thousands to the millions. How could the "God of love" commit this atrocity? And this is only the first cleansing that occurs. As the Hebrews begin their conquest of the Promised Land city after city is destroyed. Why is this much death and destruction necessary for an all-powerful God?
2) For years I would just gloss over the hard parts. I would say, "Just because I don't understand it, that doesn't make it wrong or untrue." There are parts of the God of the Bible that are hard to accept. Are they who he really is, or have the authors made God into a war monger to justify their conquests?
3) For me it is hard to reconcile the wrath of God with the love of God. Are they different? Are they the same? This troubles me. But, I harken back to "God is like Jesus", Jesus is the perfect manifestation of God, and he chose to receive violence and hate rather than dispense it. So, I place my eternal trust in Jesus, and that he will reward my faith in him, despite my other doubts.
4) Revulsion. Forty years earlier, God "hardened the heart" of Pharaoh to not let the Hebrews go, resulting in yet another genocide of all Egyptian first-born males. How, or better, why, does God "harden hearts"? Verses like this are revolting and confusing. This is why many people refuse to believe in God (Old Testament (OT)) but embrace the message of Jesus (New Testament (NT)).
5) a) The men who try to steady the Ark from tipping are struck dead. b) Lot's wife is turned to salt for turning around to look at Sodom and Gomorrah. c) The man born blind just to reveal the glory of God (John 9). d) Ananias and his wife sold a piece of property and did not give all proceeds to the disciples, fell dead at Peter's feet when he confronted them (Acts 5).
6) The greatest justification is that all of creation is God's "sandbox." He can do with it as he pleases. God chose the Hebrews as his people, and promised them a homeland. The Hebrews had to conquer the land to make their own. Why? Couldn't God drive out the occupying peoples (famine?) without resorting to warfare? Why does God want them to fight, die, and kill?
7) I don't think I have doubted my faith, but I have felt closer to or further from God at certain points. Early in my post-Catholic faith journey I listened to many religious leaders who were very conservative (Billy Graham, Chuck Swindoll, BSF leaders). But over the last 20 years or so, I have broadened my view to include Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, Richard Rohr, and Marcus Borg. I now see more gray to faith than black and white.
8) "The Longest Day", "Saving Private Ryan", "Glory". It seems our war stories favor a "just war" approach. The Civil War was "justified" to end slavery. WW2 was "justified" to end fascism and Hitler. The Korean, Vietnam, Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq wars are less, if not impossible, to justify. Yet we always paint ourselves as being "in the right". Humanity has always found a justification to fight. It just depends on the scale: backyard scuffle, local protest, civil war, regional conflict, or world war,
9) The most helpful for me is (3). The phrase "God is like Jesus" has been resonating in my mind. And if Jesus/God "would rather die by violence than commit it", then maybe the OT war stories are more about us and less about God. The OT author's "fingerprints" are maybe more "visible" as they justify their actions, and try to make sense of the circumstances they find themselves in. Also, (2). We need to remain humble about our own violent tendencies, and the current culture of militarism over diplomacy.
2) For years I would just gloss over the hard parts. I would say, "Just because I don't understand it, that doesn't make it wrong or untrue." There are parts of the God of the Bible that are hard to accept. Are they who he really is, or have the authors made God into a war monger to justify their conquests?
3) For me it is hard to reconcile the wrath of God with the love of God. Are they different? Are they the same? This troubles me. But, I harken back to "God is like Jesus", Jesus is the perfect manifestation of God, and he chose to receive violence and hate rather than dispense it. So, I place my eternal trust in Jesus, and that he will reward my faith in him, despite my other doubts.
4) Revulsion. Forty years earlier, God "hardened the heart" of Pharaoh to not let the Hebrews go, resulting in yet another genocide of all Egyptian first-born males. How, or better, why, does God "harden hearts"? Verses like this are revolting and confusing. This is why many people refuse to believe in God (Old Testament (OT)) but embrace the message of Jesus (New Testament (NT)).
5) a) The men who try to steady the Ark from tipping are struck dead. b) Lot's wife is turned to salt for turning around to look at Sodom and Gomorrah. c) The man born blind just to reveal the glory of God (John 9). d) Ananias and his wife sold a piece of property and did not give all proceeds to the disciples, fell dead at Peter's feet when he confronted them (Acts 5).
6) The greatest justification is that all of creation is God's "sandbox." He can do with it as he pleases. God chose the Hebrews as his people, and promised them a homeland. The Hebrews had to conquer the land to make their own. Why? Couldn't God drive out the occupying peoples (famine?) without resorting to warfare? Why does God want them to fight, die, and kill?
7) I don't think I have doubted my faith, but I have felt closer to or further from God at certain points. Early in my post-Catholic faith journey I listened to many religious leaders who were very conservative (Billy Graham, Chuck Swindoll, BSF leaders). But over the last 20 years or so, I have broadened my view to include Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, Richard Rohr, and Marcus Borg. I now see more gray to faith than black and white.
8) "The Longest Day", "Saving Private Ryan", "Glory". It seems our war stories favor a "just war" approach. The Civil War was "justified" to end slavery. WW2 was "justified" to end fascism and Hitler. The Korean, Vietnam, Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq wars are less, if not impossible, to justify. Yet we always paint ourselves as being "in the right". Humanity has always found a justification to fight. It just depends on the scale: backyard scuffle, local protest, civil war, regional conflict, or world war,
9) The most helpful for me is (3). The phrase "God is like Jesus" has been resonating in my mind. And if Jesus/God "would rather die by violence than commit it", then maybe the OT war stories are more about us and less about God. The OT author's "fingerprints" are maybe more "visible" as they justify their actions, and try to make sense of the circumstances they find themselves in. Also, (2). We need to remain humble about our own violent tendencies, and the current culture of militarism over diplomacy.
Sunday, August 5, 2018
Inspired: Deliverance Stories
1) Returning from Moscow and trying to get on full-time with the State Dept. was a wilderness experience. I left Moscow without a job, in a leave-without-pay (LWOP) status, on Dec. 15, 1995, the day Newt Gingrich and his Republican buddies shut down the government, I think to spite Bill Clinton. We relocated to No. Virginia, so I could try to get another federal job and keep my government service unbroken. I took the metro in to DC every couple of weeks to check job postings at State, and also take computer classes at night to improve my skills. Nothing was happening, so I asked State to extend my LWOP for another six months, and started the process of going back to the USPS, something I dreaded and really didn't want to do. But to keep my federal career intact I retook the clerk/carrier exam and was able to get rehired less than one week before my LWOP expired. I was at one of the lowest points in my life, having trudged through a rainy, cold January day of carrying mail, when I returned home to two messages from State, telling me to call back ASAP, to get the paperwork started to begin work at FSI (Foreign Service Institute). I was totally stunned and disbelieving. I had not interviewed or even been contacted about any possible position, and here I was being offered a job, in technology, at State! Only God could have "made that way"!
2) Thankfully, I don't see myself in a wilderness now. I see myself in a good spot, healthy and happy, enjoying AZ and retirement.
3) I have seen God's hand in my life many times, but usually only when I look in the "rear view mirror". Only upon reflection, can I see how He has guided my steps. If I was to name my "well" it would be "Moscow". Just getting there, and continuing my federal career was a miracle, but the return (above) was a clear deliverance story for me.
4) The most glaring example is slave traders justifying the exploitation of black people claiming the curse of Noah's son Ham rendered all Africans subhuman. Sadly, racism of varying degrees still persists. The story of exodus ("Let My People GO!") inspired the abolitionist movement of the 19th century and the civil rights movement of the 20th century. Th Bible can be used to justify any position, which shakes and strengthens my faith. We need discernment, and Jesus as our model for how we interpret the Bible. His "fulfillment of the Law" was love, compassion, healing, and forgiveness; not violence and oppression.
5) After Martha's brain surgery in 1997, there did not seem to be a way where she would recover. Some doctors said she may be stuck in a wheelchair with little cognitive function. I was afraid for our future, yet I knew, deep down, that God would somehow bring her back. Many people prayed for her healing and gradually she came back. This was a wilderness time for both of us where we were starved for any "morsel of manna" as a sign of God's presence. Today she is a miracle of God's grace and healing, a testimony to the power of prayer. I knew God had to make a way (for her recovery) because to the human eye, there was no way.
6) My impression of the Law has been and is negative. I understand how it brought order and stability and limits, but it was also very oppressive and patriarchal. Women were treated worse than slaves in many cases. I see it now as a way for God to "herd His Hebrew cats", to try to control and focus them on being God's representatives on earth. We have to remember that "God is like Jesus" - who came to fulfill the Law perfectly through his love, forgiveness, healing, and ultimate sacrifice on the cross.
7) I remember early on in my Bible studies, a strong emphasis on context: the who, where and when is often more important than the how and why. We all come to the Bible (and everything else) with our own personal bias, often trying to find Godly support for our own preconceived views. We have to guard against this misuse of Scripture. Asking ourselves, "What am I looking for?" is an honest way to keep a check on our personal biases.
2) Thankfully, I don't see myself in a wilderness now. I see myself in a good spot, healthy and happy, enjoying AZ and retirement.
3) I have seen God's hand in my life many times, but usually only when I look in the "rear view mirror". Only upon reflection, can I see how He has guided my steps. If I was to name my "well" it would be "Moscow". Just getting there, and continuing my federal career was a miracle, but the return (above) was a clear deliverance story for me.
4) The most glaring example is slave traders justifying the exploitation of black people claiming the curse of Noah's son Ham rendered all Africans subhuman. Sadly, racism of varying degrees still persists. The story of exodus ("Let My People GO!") inspired the abolitionist movement of the 19th century and the civil rights movement of the 20th century. Th Bible can be used to justify any position, which shakes and strengthens my faith. We need discernment, and Jesus as our model for how we interpret the Bible. His "fulfillment of the Law" was love, compassion, healing, and forgiveness; not violence and oppression.
5) After Martha's brain surgery in 1997, there did not seem to be a way where she would recover. Some doctors said she may be stuck in a wheelchair with little cognitive function. I was afraid for our future, yet I knew, deep down, that God would somehow bring her back. Many people prayed for her healing and gradually she came back. This was a wilderness time for both of us where we were starved for any "morsel of manna" as a sign of God's presence. Today she is a miracle of God's grace and healing, a testimony to the power of prayer. I knew God had to make a way (for her recovery) because to the human eye, there was no way.
6) My impression of the Law has been and is negative. I understand how it brought order and stability and limits, but it was also very oppressive and patriarchal. Women were treated worse than slaves in many cases. I see it now as a way for God to "herd His Hebrew cats", to try to control and focus them on being God's representatives on earth. We have to remember that "God is like Jesus" - who came to fulfill the Law perfectly through his love, forgiveness, healing, and ultimate sacrifice on the cross.
7) I remember early on in my Bible studies, a strong emphasis on context: the who, where and when is often more important than the how and why. We all come to the Bible (and everything else) with our own personal bias, often trying to find Godly support for our own preconceived views. We have to guard against this misuse of Scripture. Asking ourselves, "What am I looking for?" is an honest way to keep a check on our personal biases.
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