Miserable...

Miserable is a cup of coffee.

Bitter, but with some work

You can develop a taste for the stuff.

Almost before you realize,

Your day seems incomplete without it.

Funny...painfully so...

Okay, just one more...

...post about the election. I wasn't going to write any more about American Politics, but then I run across this post. Jared Wilson says what I've been thinking. The answer to the needs of the world isn't the right politician. Regardless of how you voted in the election, these words are worth hearing...

Whether you are disappointed in the results of the recent election or elated by them, if you are a follower of Jesus, your allegiance is due Christ's kingdom, your hope is to be in his governance. The government shall be on his shoulders, the prophet tells us.

We only need one messiah.

We are citizens of heaven, and the duty of the Body of Christ is to testify in word and deed to this citizenship, not speak and act as if any politician or government is representative of our real citizenship. We may vote responsibly and wisely, and engage in the political process to the extent at which it is neither our hope nor our driving passion. But punching a ballot is not the fulfillment of righteousness or the hope that we confess.

If it is change you want, if it is the kingdom you hope to build, if it is God's will done on earth that you are after, the best way to do this is to believe the gospel, hope in its Author, and get your hands dirty loving your neighbor.

Road Trip 2009

We are contemplating doing a "loop" of the US and part of Canada in summer 2009. Any thoughts?


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NEW - Quote of the Week!!!

I wanted to start something new here called...drum roll please..."Quote of the Week". As most of you know I do a fair bit of reading and always come across quotes that I really like. I usually write them down somewhere and then later take some time to mentally chew on them a little more in depth. So every Monday, at least I hope every Monday, I'm going to post one here for you to savor right along with me. When I start missing Mondays I'll just change the title to say "Really Good Quotes" or something like that. So here's the first one...

"I suppose that since most of our hurts comes through relationships so will our healing, and I know that grace rarely makes sense for those looking in from the outside." (Taken from The Shack, by William P. Young, P.11)

Rumors of my death...

...have been greatly exaggerated.

I'm not sure what has kept me from posting here. I could say it was general laziness, but I feel better if I say that I didn't want to enter a huge discussion on the American political situation. Now that the election is over, maybe there will be other things to talk about. So here I am. If you want a short summary of how I feel about American politics and Obama's election let me share with you the closing of a letter that I wrote to one of my nephews. It kind of sums up my thinking and also points a bit of the way from here forward.

So I do love America, but I also (at least try to) love Iraq, even Afganistan, North Korea, and all the others. Jesus calls His followers to live that way. He offered forgiveness to those who beat, humiliated, and killed him. And then He said, “As the Father has sent me, so send I you…” It’s not theological rocket science to see how that can really mess up a person’s life. “You are not your own, you were bought with a price…”. You’ve heard it all before…but we all need to wrestle with the way this truth impacts the way we think about politics.

Bottom line is that the hope for the world is neither Barak Obama nor John McCain. As much as it may pain us to say it, it’s not the United States of America, Canada, or even freedom. It’s Jesus. And if we take the time to read what He says in the gospels…and really wrestle with how we live that out, we begin to be used by the Holy Spirit to change hearts. And that’s what I want to give my life to. I am far from thinking that I have all the answers. I do know that I should vote. As a Christian and an American citizen, I need to think through the issues, study the candidates, pray for guidance, and vote my conscience. But the future of the world depends more on how I follow the example of Jesus in my day to day life than in how I vote one day out of every four years.

So maybe we could just do that. Immerse ourselves in the teachings and life of Jesus and then ask God to make what we see in Him also true of us. I have a sneaky suspicion that if we did that two things would happen. We'd be able to navigate politics without too much difficulty (except from those who refuse to listen to Jesus) and we would begin to make a Spirit-led impact on the world around us...one life at a time. Now wouldn't that be something?

A letter to my nephew...

This was written as a culmination of many things, but primarily it was a response to one of my brilliant nephews who was wondering what we thought in regards to the current election.

So Thomas, as Ang said, I wanted to weigh in on this a bit. I have hesitated to do so, and am still a bit reluctant, but I have thought a lot about this…as have you, and would like you to see some of the thought processes that I’ve gone through in regards to American politics. I am very impressed with all you Mocksville Kuhn boys. When I was in High School I don't think that I even know who was running for President. It's obvious to me that you care deeply and are thinking through the issues in a way that is way beyond your years. I'm writing this not to necessarily challenge your choice for President, I just want to stoke your thinking a bit. So here it is…it’s long. Don’t feel that you have to respond unless you want to…

Let me start by saying that you know me...I'm your uncle, the Baptist pastor who believes fully in the authority of the Scripture and the Lordship of Jesus. I am also an American, and extremely thankful for all that growing up in the US has offered me. If you are troubled by some of the things that I write I hope that you will give me the benefit of the doubt and just sit with what I am saying instead of writing me off as a liberal who doesn't care about the US. I think the essence of patriotism is being willing to think clearly and deeply about the actions of your country, and then having the courage to raise issues, regardless of the personal implications that may come out of your thoughts and actions. I have been wrestling with some of these things for years. My time in Canada and throughout Latin America has given me an "outsiders" perspective that has challenged most of my assumptions and, I think, has forced me to think at a deeper level than at any at any other time in my life.

I guess what I'd like to do is just think specifically out loud for a minute with you, especially in regards to some of the main issues that seem to keep surfacing during this election. There are three specific ones that trouble me, and they are really inter-related in a million different ways.

Perhaps the easiest one to address is the fear of a different theory of economics taking root in the US. There have been many accusations of “socialism” batted around in the recent weeks. This is also related to the struggle over the government providing health care. One of the assumptions is that there really only are two options - free market capitalism and socialism. You must be one or the other. While I am definitely far from an economic genius, I can say that Canada is still very much a free market capitalistic country with socialized medicine and some other aspects of socialized government. What is amazing to me is that the economic structures of Canada have weathered the recent economic storms much better than US institutions. Just because someone begins to propose news ideas in regards to taxation doesn't always mean that they are an underground communist. The current methods of economics in the US have spawned an almost 10 trillion dollar debt and the weakest economy in many years. A thinking person must at least entertain the idea that a new approach, or at least a modified one, is probably at least a reasonable idea. If my way of running my household finances was destroying our financial stability I would begin to seek a new way of thinking – tweaking, changing, adapting... Maybe I'm naive, but I'm not sure that Reagan style economics can be maintained over the long haul without serious difficulties.

Second would be one that is a biggie – what exactly does it mean to be pro-life. (This one will trickle into #3 as well – My thoughts on the Iraq war and health care.) Once again, you know me. I am pro-life. I believe that life is sacred because all of humanity is created in the image of God. It is not “above my pay grade” to know that life begins at conception…and to back that up with plenty of Biblical references. While my convictions haven’t weakened, my methods of implementing them are changing. I am not convinced that stacking the court to overturn Roe v. Wade is the best way to deal with the issue. While that would be a great thing, no one thinks that it would end abortion, just end the legal practice of it. What I think the church needs to be focusing on is undercutting the need for abortion. We need to be reaching out to unwed mothers in any way possible. We need to be adopting, we need to be supporting financially, we need to be covering their medical bills. There are some specific facts that we need to consider as we seek to live with a pro-life, anti-abortion mindset…
• Half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended.
• Almost half of unintended pregnancies end in abortion.
• The most frequent reasons given by women seeking an abortion are that a child would limit ability to meet current responsibilities and that they cannot afford a child at this point in their lives.
• Unintended pregnancy has increased by 29% among poor women while decreasing 20% among higher-income women.
• Women below the federal poverty level have abortion rates almost four times those of higher-income women.
• Between 1996 and 2000, while abortion rates for all other groups fell, abortion rates among poor and low-income women increased.
• The majority of women having abortions are in their 20s or younger.
• Nearly half of all abortions in the world are performed in countries that have made abortion illegal.
• The lowest abortion rates in the world - less than 10 per 1,000 women of reproductive age - are in Europe, where abortion is legal and available.
• By contrast, in Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean, where abortion law is most restrictive, the regional rates are 29 and 31 per 1,000 women, respectively.
• These countries are also much poorer than the U.S. and provide fewer social services; and a larger proportion of their population lives in poverty.
• In Western European countries, in contrast, where more social services are provided and fewer women live in poverty, the abortion rates are consistently the lowest rates in the world.
(Source: Guttmacher Institute, "An Overview of Abortion in The United States" )

I know that sin is the ultimate cause of abortion, but the reality is that economic issues play a huge role in those who seek an abortion. And my fear is that even if we overturn R v. W, if we fail to address some of the pragmatic financial concerns, we will have only intensified the problem. This is even supported by Catholic researchers…the most pro-life people that I know (see below)

• Overturning Roe Vs. Wade, a long time goal of the pro-life movement, would not end abortion in the United States, it would simply send the decision to the states.
• If states with more than 45% "pro-life" sentiment chose to outlaw abortion, this would only impact 16 states accounting for 10% of abortions nationwide, or less than 100,000 abortions a year.
• Women in these 16 states would still be able to travel to seek an abortion in another state, or seek an illegal abortion, making the impact likely less than a 10% reduction in abortions nation-wide.
• States with the highest abortion rates in the country, like California and New York, would be unlikely to outlaw abortion in their states.
(Source: Catholics United Study "Reducing Abortion in America: Beyond Roe v. Wade.)

I hate the fact that Obama is “Pro-Choice”. I know the way he has voted in the past. I have read his justifications for his votes…some I found compelling, others not so. My problem in making this my watershed issue is that while the Republicans are committed to overturning R v. W, I haven’t seem them act in any other ways to alleviate the financial pressure that often leads to abortion. As much as we would like to ignore this fact, health care is a huge issue here. I live in a country where, contrary to American perceptions, socialized medicine is a phenomenal program. And yet I have seen the Republicans do nothing, especially in regards to healthcare for infants and lower income mothers. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to implement tax breaks for people who are willing to adopt children carried to term? There are a million strategies to reduce the number of abortions that the government could seek to implement…and yet they seem only focused on Roe v. Wade. While the truth here is black and white (abortion is murder), I think that the strategies are a little more complex for helping these babies make it to the birthing room.

My third issue is still “Pro-Life”. As a Christ follower I am called to hold life sacred - even the lives of those who would harm me. “Love your enemies”, Jesus said. Not a good political stance. Although I am not naïve enough to think that the Government could function this way, I do know that I am supposed to, and that the government, while having the right to bear the sword, better take the responsibility very seriously. I agree with you that Sadaam was a horrible dictator, albeit one that we empowered to do what he did as we sold him many of the weapons he used against his people. And I am happy that he is no longer in power. But we entered that war for different reasons. The US said that he and Iraq were tied to Al Queda, (not true at that time, ask any Islamic scholar.) and that he had WMD’s (now known to be manipulated and untrue intelligence, even acknowledged by the Republicans). I think it is a great thing to defend the poor and defenseless against violent dictators, but if we are willing to go into Iraq, why not Rwanda (937,000 people killed in 100 days, April-July 1994), or Sudan (many estimates say 15,000 people currently die every month in Darfur alone)? And even if Sadaam is out of power, conservative estimates are that 250,000 Iraqi civilians have died thus far. We’ve also contributed to Iraq becoming a hotbed of Al Queda activity as they pour across the border to practice their tactical maneuvers against the US forces. And it appears to me that there is no good way out. Even in the best scenario, there will still be further loss of life. If we are really pro-life…we have to be consistent. This includes seeing war as a last resort. It includes caring (i.e. health care) for all people, regardless of their age or ability to provide for themselves. (I know that this grates people who think they are paying for those who are taking advantage of the system, but the real issue is whether Jesus would want people to have access to health care. I think he would. Will people use the system? Yes. But is it worth it to allow people the care they need? I think so. In Canada I am happy that my taxes mean that no matter your ability or financial status, you will have access to the care you need when you need it. I really wouldn’t want a bigger bank account if it meant that people were dying because of it.)

Being consistently pro-life involves an honest assessment of how we care for the whole of life, and not just life before leaving the womb. I think that especially in regards to the Bush administration, I would gladly say that they are anti-abortion, but fall short in being pro-life as I define it. I have little hope that McCain would be vastly different in this area.

One of the most challenging things I have seen in this regard comes from my time in Latin America. I would encourage you to do a little digging about American foreign policy in the past, especially in regards to El Salvador and Guatemala. Did you know that in the 1950’s that the CIA (The US admits this) led the overthrow of a Guatemalan president who was elected by the people in a free election? He was threatening to return land to peasants that had been taken from them by the US based United Fruit Company. The US thought that looked a little to much like communism, so they organized his overthrow…and consequently threw Guatemala into a 36 year civil war, some of it funded and trained by US defense spending. So much for freedom to vote… Also in the late 70’s and early 80’s in El Salvador, the Salvadoran army (controlled by a few wealthy Salvadoran families) spent much of their time completely wiping out vast pockets of poor people and taking their land. Once again, the funding was provided by the US under the guise of combating communism in our hemisphere. Lest you think I am a trying to be partisan here, a lot of this happened in the Carter administration. Or if you want more current info, read some of the documents you can find online about the “Project for the New American Century”. This was a group during the Clinton administration made up of guys like Rumsfeld, Cheney, Wolfowitz, and others who wanted to see the world dominated by the US. One of the first key tactical steps they laid out was to establish US presence in the Middle East to maintain control of the oil there. There was even a reference to the fact that their strategy was so controversial that barring a major international catastrophe that the people of the US would probably never go for it. Dig around. Look carefully. The truth that I have realized, as cynical as it sounds, is that people in power tend to manipulate information in order to protect their power, status, and wealth. It happens in every government…and is the result of original sin.

I am just asking you to really listen to people that you disagree with. Be willing to withhold judgment until you’ve really tried to see things from their perspective. When I was in the US I talked to many people who couldn’t understand why there was a growing hatred and distrust for America in the world. After I have seen what has happened around the world I understand.

So I do love America, but I also love Iraq, even Afganistan, North Korea, and all the others. Jesus calls His followers to live that way. He offered forgiveness to those who beat, humiliated, and killed him. And then He said, “As the Father has sent me, so send I you…” It’s not theological rocket science to see how that can really mess up a person’s life. “You are not your own, you were bought with a price…”. You’ve heard it all before…but we all need to wrestle with the way this truth impacts the way we think about politics.

I know this whole thing may make you mad, and you have probably have points to refute what I am saying. And that’s okay. In “fighting it out in love for each other” we both learn, are challenged, and grow. Bottom line is that the hope for the world is neither Barak Obama nor John McCain. As much as it may pain us to say it, it’s not the United States of America, Canada, or even freedom. It’s Jesus. And if we take the time to read what He says in the gospels…and really wrestle with how we live that out, we begin to be used by the Holy Spirit to change hearts. And that’s what I want to give my life to. I am far from thinking that I have all the answers. I do know that I should vote. As a Christian and an American citizen, I need to think through the issues, study the candidates, pray for guidance, and vote my conscience. But the future of the world depends more on how I follow the example of Jesus in my day to day life than in how I vote one day out of every four years.

So thanks for listening. Please know that I respect your thoughts too. You come from good breeding. Your dad was and always will be one of my greatest heroes…much of what I know of Jesus I have seen in his life. You are blessed to have a man like this to follow. Just continue to think, and don’t be afraid to question or offer a dissenting opinion. Seems to me America started because people weren’t afraid of dissent. Don’t demonize those who disagree with you and seek to learn from them.

And finally, know that I love you and will always be proud of the man you are becoming.

Uncle Jeff[

A comeback?

I've been seriously thinking about returning to the land of blogging. Not sure why I stopped for almost a year, but maybe I need to come back. I'll think about it and you'll see the results here. Until I make a decision, in order to wet your appetite for some brain food, here's a great video from TED.com about how to much choice is actually making us miserable. I have to agree.

Another Story...

I know it's been a long time since I've posted, but this quote and the article around it are worth the wait. The quote is from Will Willimon, one of the men I chatted with on Sabbatical. He sums up succintly what I am finding is one of the core truths that needs to be grasped as we learn to be disciples of Jesus...and help others do the same.

To be a Christian means gradually, Sunday after Sunday, to be subsumed into another story, a different account of where we have come from and where we are going, a story that is called “gospel.” You are properly called a “Christian” when it’s obvious that the story told in Scripture is your story above all other stories that the world tries to impose upon you and the God who is rendered in Scripture is the God who has got you. (William H. Willimon)

Read his whole post here.

Learner or Knower?

“In times of change the learners will inherit the earth while the knowers will find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” --Eric Hoffer

Thanks to Len at NextReformation for the quote.

Breathing Earth...

Want to feel small?

A fascinating site here.

Some songs...

...are so relevant that it's scary. Enjoy a Father's Lullaby.



And just so moms don't feel left out...

Couldn't have said it better myself...

Brad Bergfalk writes -

I consider myself one of the luckiest persons alive because I get paid to do what I love. Even though there are times when the challenges of what I love exceeds my capacity to keep from complaining about it, I still consider being a pastor one of the best vocations around.

Read why here.

Worth watching...

Hat tip to Faithmaps.

Beware your bias...

I am constantly reminded of how where I live exerts a bias on how I interpret reality. We all have a bias...and because of that we should be slow to jump to the conclusion that we understand anything completely. I found a quote by Lesslie Newbigin today that just reminded me of this fact.

"My confession of Jesus as Lord is conditioned by the culture of which I am a part. It is expressed in the language of the myth within which I live. Initially I am not aware of this as a myth. As long as I retain the innocence of a thoroughly western man, unshaken by serious involvement in another culture, I am not aware of this myth. It is simply 'how things are'...No myth is seen as a myth by those who inhabit it: It is simply the way things are." (Christ and Cultures, pg.3)

Beware your bias. Ask God for wisdom to see from the perspective of another. You might be surprised at what you find.

Technology and the world it is making.

Angela and I had a fascinating conversation with some friends the other night about the way that technology is changing our world. As you look at some of the fairly new tools that the internet offers (like MySpace and Facebook), it leads to some pretty interesting ideas. One of the main ones is that these websites are changing the way that a generation relates to each other. One of my friends commented that the effect of the relational network sites is much like that of alcohol. They remove the social inhibitors that control so much of our behavior. When you are face to face with another individual you are less likely to tell them everything that you think. Their presence causes you to choose your words more carefully. That's a good thing. Another aspect of this is the image that you present of yourself to the world. On Facebook or MySpace you select an image or persona that you want people to see you as. Often it is not the persona that you are or that you present in face to face conversations. The danger is that this is allowing people to develop inauthentic relationships by pretending to be someone or something that they are not.

Another element of technology is that it keeps us more connected. We can't get away from each other. Youth today are cemented in the lives of their peers. They "text" each other almost non-stop. They spend countless hours communicating online. These changes will have impact.

As I have been thinking about this I came across a couple of posts from Bob Hyatt at Pastor Hacks. He quotes the following from Ruth Hayley Barton's book, Sacred Rhythms.

"One of the new challenges for our generation is the impact of technology on our spirituality. This warrants serious consideration. If we are not careful, technology has a way of compromising our ability to be present to ourselves, to God and to each other- all of which are fundamental elements of the spiritual life. I don't know about you, but I am sad when I have set aside time to be with friends and, because a cell phone is left on, we are at the mercy of all manner of intrusion. We think nothing of taking phone calls in the middle of meetings, restaurants and family gatherings. I am disturbed by my own compulsion to check email late at night and first thing in the morning. When left unchecked, this lack of discipline imperceptibly robs me of rest in the evening and silent presence to God in the morning. I can become exhausted by the intrusion of the media and technology into every corner of my life, resulting in constant overstimulation of body, mind and emotions. All of this convenience wears me out!

Exhaustion sets in when we are accessible too much of the time. A soul-numbing sadness comes when we realize that a certain quality of life and quality of presence is slipping away as a result of too much "convenience." Breaks in the day that used to be small windows of replenishment for body and soul- like driving in a car, going for a walk, having lunch with a friend- are now filled with noise, interruption and multi-tasking. What feels like being available and accessible is really a boundaryless existence that offers no protection for those things that are most precious to us....No wonder we feel disconnected from God: we are rarely able to give Him our full attention in solitude and silence. Thoughtful reflection is constantly sabotaged by the intrusion of cell phones, pagers and e-mail messages. No wonder our human relationships are so unsatisfying as they get reduced to snippets of interrupted, disembodied phone conversation.

What feels like convenience is actually robbing us of those things we value most. We are left with bits and pieces of everything rather than experiencing the full substance of anything."

"It's not that I am averse to technology; I too have a cell phone, an office phone, a home phone and an email address, and they are much needed. However, I am aware of longings that run much deeper than what technology can address. I am noticing that the more I fill my life with the convenience of technology, the emptier I become in the places of my deepest longing. I long for the beauty and substance of being in the presence of those I love, even though it is less convenient. I long for spacious, thoughtful conversation even though it is less efficient. I long to be connected with my authentic self, even though it means being inaccessible to others at time. I long to be one who waits and listens deeply for the still, small voice of God, even if it means I must unplug from technology in order to become quiet enough to hear.

Constant noise, interruption and drivenness to be more productive cut us off from or at least interrupt the direct experience of God and other human beings, and this is more isolating than we realize. Because we are experiencing less meaningful and divine connection, we are emptier relationally, and we try harder and harder to fill that loneliness with even more noise and stimulation. In so doing we lose touch with the quieter and more subtler experiences of God within. This is a vicious cycle indeed." (Italic emphasis mine - JK)

All these thoughts have led to the realization that the technologies that we choose to embrace will shape who we become. The trouble with this is that the fruit of the particular technology often takes a generation to surface. As you're probably noticing, recently my reflections on these types of things have come in poetic form. So here's another one..."Ode to the Cellular Phone."

Behold the tiny cell phone
All the gifts it brings to you
Technological convenience
Talking, texting, surfing too

We talk more than we ever have
In freedom now to roam
Sending words over the airwaves
In a crowd or all alone

Saying more yet knowing less
Many contacts, fewer friends
Lives filled with surface conversations
When we can squeeze them in

Constant wireless communication
Merits quiet contemplation

Shallow words breed shallow minds
Which left unchecked yield shallow lives

We make things then they make us
All our tools will one day be
The hammers and the chisels
That give shape to you and me

The future’s born of our inventions
This despite our best intentions

So beware the innovation
For which the masses stand in line
Progress is a word
That takes a long time to define

Be careful how you define progress, for it will slowly and subtly define you.

Doing something foolish

I spend a lot of my time foolishly. Sometimes I wish I could stop, but it seems to come from deep within me. Most people don’t understand why I give so much energy to it. Sometimes it even causes me pain. I’d love to stop, but it’s a part of my DNA, maybe even my “calling”.

I am a preacher.

I’m not alone in my assessment of preaching. Those outside the church see it as a royal waste of time at best, and at worst, a way to manipulate by shoveling guilt on mindless listeners. Even those in the church make jokes about the sermon. “If all the people who feel asleep listening to sermons were laid end to end…they’d be a lot more comfortable!”

You’d think the one place I could find support would be among my own, but even many of my colleagues question the validity of what we do. Some are calling it a thing of the past. They see the sermon as a relic that is best put on the shelf. Keep it polished and dusted so that people can appreciate it, but it really has no practical use. They keep saying that there is no value in one person speaking to the multitudes. All spiritual journeys are different. How can one man speak with any authority in the spiritual lives of others? We need to journey together and that means that no one gets to talk more than anyone else, right? Anything else would be foolish.

The Apostle Paul used an interesting word for what we do – “foolishness”. (I Cor. 1:18). But he was quick to clarify, It’s foolish, but not to those who actually hear it. Not to those whose lives are transformed. And maybe that’s the heart of the problem. We see a lot of preaching in North America, but we’re not so overwhelmed by the transformation. If anything, preaching is more accessible than ever, thanks to the TV, internet, IPODs, etc. Moral character and Christ-likeness, however, seem to be in short supply. One of the reasons many have given up on preaching is that it seems to be so ineffective. We’ve all spent time listening to a great orator motivate us to be what we all really want to be, but something happens on Tuesday afternoon, when the words and emotions of Sunday seem so far away. If preaching is valuable, and I believe it is, then it needs to do more than just talk. It needs to transform. Lives need to change. And that’s a tall order. (I have some thoughts about how that transformation happens, but I save them for a later post.)

For now let's just say, contrary to much popular opinion, it's something that I still believe is worth giving my life to.

I found a good quote this week (thanks to Unashamed Workman) that was obviously written by a person who understands this weird thing that preachers do.

“The pulpit calls those who are appointed to it like the sea calls its sailor; and like the sea, it batters and bruises, and it does not rest….To preach, to really preach, is to die naked a little at a time, and to know that each time you do it, that you must do it again.” (Bruce Thielmann)

So I'll keep at it. And love it. Even when nobody understands why.

The Incredible Incarnation

I've been reflecting on the hope of the Incarnation for several months now. The fact that God has chosen to redeem and renew in the particular way He has chosen to do it (God becoming man) is one of the key ideas that inspires hope for me on a day to day basis.

My thoughts and reflections culminated in what you read below. My prayer is that it would inspire in you even a glimmer of the hope we have in a God who works in ways that are radically different than what we might expect.

Hope Incarnate

The greatest mystery known to me,
(If mystery truly known can be),
Is that in human flesh and bone
God would come to make a home.

What novelist could make this up?
Power poured in paper cup,
Helpless babe in feed trough laid
Whose very word the earth had made

If God would stoop to this degree,
Then maybe there is hope for me.

Food for thought...

I've really been enjoying Willzhead lately. He pointed me to a list by Rod Dreher of The Crunchy Conservative. The list contains five things that Rod no longer believes as a result of the Iraq war. You can read the list for yourself here, but I personally want to highlight the first item. Rod writes,

1. Having been absolutely certain that the war was the right thing to have done, and that we would prevail easily, I am no longer confident that I can discern when emotion is affecting my judgment unduly.

If nothing else, can we all admit that we have a really tough time drawing completely objective conclusions, especially when we are afraid to listen to differing opinions. If Jesus is the truth, and if the truth will set us free, then why are we afraid to actively look for the truth everywhere. Why is it so hard to be teachable? Why the refusal to admit that often we choose based on what we want instead of what is really true? Why are we so quick to arrive at conclusions and then to dismiss the thoughts of those we don't agree with? Thanks Rod, for helping us remember that just because we think/feel like we are 100% right, a little humility is always wise.

And I can say without a doubt that I have reached this conclusion in a purely objective manner. If you disagree then you'd better smarten up! :)

Teenage Affluenza

Interesting video. Take some time to watch it and show it to those around you.

Thanks to Willzhead for the link...