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...

A Fearless Finder of Words...

I really loved this quote.

"The poet's job is to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, in such a beautiful way that people cannot live without it, to put into words those feelings we all have that are so deep, so important, and yet so difficult to name. The poet's job is to find a name for everything: to be a fearless finder of the names of things: to be an advocate for the beauty of language, the subtleties of language."

-- Jane Kenyon, poet, A Hundred White Daffodils (Greywolf Publishing)

I think that to some degree, all Christians are called to be poets - fearlessly finding words about Jesus that deeply impact those who hear them. Walter Brueggemann, who I met with on sabbatical, constantly stresses that the only words that can really convey God are poetic words. God cannot be reduced to principles and propositions...the only words that do Him justice are poetry.

Kenyon's quote and Brueggemann's ideas inspired me to write this...

One Day...

Humor the begging poet
Gathering his word scraps,
Envisioning a feast.

For one day
When your cup of reason breaks
You may find yourself hungry
Longing for his table.

Words about God should touch us deeply and change us. What an honor and responsibility to share those types of words with the world.

Ever been misunderstood?

Here's another poem I've written.

"What you tried to say"

A word is just a bucket
That you fill with what you mean
An unusual transaction
Not as simple as it seems

For when you pass that bucket
To another on the way
They drink up what they think you mean
From what you tried to say

Further thoughts that may get me in trouble...

Wow, my blog entry (and the discussion that has ensued...both online, via email, and in person) sure has stirred my thinking. My nephew Matt (who is articulate, intelligent, and one of the few people I would support in a run for the President of the US) took some time to write about the history of "The Pledge." It was very educational. He writes,

"Your conflict over pledging allegiance to the flag is not really a new phenomenon. The Jehovah's Witness' have always said that such an action conflicts with their faith. They claim that it creates a graven image and cite the book of Exodus. There was a lot of hoopla about this in the 1940's and the Supreme Court of the US handed down several opinions regarding the rights of Americans not to salute the American flag or say the pledge.

Initially the Court held that Jehovah's Witnesses should be required to salute the flag or pledge to the flag (Gobitis decision), but it later overturned this ruling in West Va Board of Education v. Barnette. In these decisions the Court came to in the end, I think, the right decision. First, it held that people do not have to recite the pledge, but second that the purpose of the pledge was never to supersede any religious commitments. This decision was furthered a couple of years later when the words "under God" were added into the pledge. I think the reasoning of why these words were added is also worth considering in describing the purpose and scope of the pledge of allegiance.

The story goes that President Eisenhower was initially opposed to the phrase "under God" being added to the pledge until he had a conversation with a pastor about the issue. The pastor told him that in the current pledge nothing differentiated us from the Soviets or any other pagan nation. He basically voiced the same concerns that you had, that we're pledging allegiance to a nation and not to our sovereign God whose provision has sustained our nation, an admittedly legitimate concern. This one conversation changed Eisenhower's perspective, and several weeks later (on Flag Day ironically enough) he signed into law this important change to the pledge of allegiance. I think that the words that Ike spoke on that day are significant as well. He said that:

'From this day forward, the millions of our schoolchildren will daily proclaim in every city and town, every village and rural schoolhouse, the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty. '

He also later wrote that:

'These words ["under God"] will remind Americans that despite our great physical strength we must remain humble. They will help us to keep constantly in our minds and hearts the spiritual and moral principles which alone give dignity to man, and upon which our way of life is founded.'

Eisenhower even labeled the pledge as a "public prayer." I go through all of this to show that the pledge of allegiance was not intended to be an open profession of allegiance to only the United States of America or to the actions of its government. It was never purposed to show unwavering support for the whims of men and women in America's government, like the current war in Iraq. That's never been and should not be the purpose of it. If it was, I would not pledge allegiance to it. A perspective such as this ignores the rich history of our country and this simple pledge. This voluntary pledge recognizes that our nation exists because of God and under God. It says that we have the freedom we enjoy and take for granted because of God. It acknowledges our nation's reliance on God. And most importantly, it recognizes God's provision for our nation and asks for His continued care. The history of the pledge is to me amazing.

I agree that the meaning of the pledge has been lost by many in the move to be politically correct. Most people have forgotten the true history of our pledge completely. But the pledge is what you make it to be. I think the Gobitis Court said it best when it wrote that "there is no doubt that, in connection with the pledges, the flag salute is a form of utterance...(but) a person gets from a symbol the meaning he puts into it." Thus, I personally have no problem saluting my flag for the simple reason that the salute reaffirms that my nation is itself "under God." Thus my religious commitments are not superseded by this statement, but are instead strongly confirmed. When I say my pledge to my country, I am expressing not only my love for my country, but I'm also acknowledging that the freedom that I so enjoy comes only through my Saviour's grace and love. The history of this pledge is so telling."

See, I told you he was amazing. And while I really don't want to talk much more about the pledge (I won't discuss it here after this), I give you the following paragraph in order to clarify some of the questions raised from the last blog. I am begining to understand that for many, the pledge is what you make it, and that history has much to say to that. The danger for me comes in that for many others, it’s also what they make it to be. In any communication, meaning is determined to a great degree by those who hear the communication. When the rest of the world sees the church pledging allegiance to the flag of the US, we should probably not be surprised that they draw some unusual conclusions in regards to what Christianity entails. I think my jealousy for the use of words (See my blog entry on that issue) is one of the things that makes me uneasy with the pledge. Eisenhower realized, thanks to some counsel, that apart from the phrase “under God”, the pledge was no different than any other secular oath. My fear is that the balance of the pledge comes to shape what “under God” means. In a nutshell, I think that if the pledge is to be a prayer for our country, then I would prefer to pray it to God, not begin by affirming my allegiance to a flag that has a huge diversity of "meanings" to people around the world. It’s interesting that this issue rose to the top, as it was such a small part of the blog that I wrote.

READER ALERT - I am about to venture into what I call "thinking out loud"! These are statements and questions that are floating around in my head at this time. You may not agree with these ideas...but guess what? I may not either. This blog is a way of helping me sort them through. I'd love to hear your perspectives (Especially you Kimberly Clark people) so feel free to comment below. It will help me in the process to hear from you. Now...back to our regularly scheduled programming.

The blog surfaced out of my internal conflicts arising from living in the US again. I often feel like someone who has brought a non-Christian to church for the first time. As you sit with your guest you begin to see the rituals and the traditions from a whole new perspective. You may even wonder if some of the things we do in church actually make it harder for new comers to understand and discern why we are there. In a similar way, my time outside the US has challenged my thinking. Many of my Canadian non-Christian friends have a very warped view of Christianity largely because of what they see as the amalgamation of Christianity and government in the US. That makes me (in my discussions with them regarding Jesus) quick to define Christianity apart from being an American. To my dismay, I have realized anew that there is a growing effort in the US to link the two. From a Canadian perspective, a church endorsing (even implicitly) the killing of thousands of Iraqi civilians (some say hundreds of thousands) in order to maintain freedom (which is often equated to freedom to worship or economic prosperity), it seems that we are little different from the fundamentalists Muslims who will kill to advance their faith.

As I have written before (see here and here), I am very concerned about the use (and overuse) of words. I think that often we speak too quickly. We don’t understand the intricacies of meaning. We adopt words because we have assigned a meaning to them and we assume that others assign the same meaning. One word that I have come to wonder about lately is the word “freedom”. What does it mean? It is used repeatedly in America. We are fighting for freedom. We are free. We want others to be free. But what does that mean? Does it mean freedom of opportunity? Does it mean economic prosperity? Does it mean personal autonomy, or at least greater autonomy than would exist in other places?

And how does it relate to the Biblical use of the word? “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Gal. 5:1, NIV) Is the freedom that the Bible speaks of related to the freedom that Americans mean when they say “Freedom isn’t free”? Are we commanded as believers to pursue freedom, and if so, what type of freedom should we pursue? If we are free, does that mean that we have been given this freedom as a blessing from God? What about others who aren’t free? Have they not been given the same blessing? Why not? Is our “freedom” a result of spiritual obedience? Have others been disobedient? The early church had no freedom like that of present day America, is that a significant fact?

I have concern that we have accepted the word "freedom" without critically thinking about what it means. Let me give you one of the implications of this that troubles me personally. If by freedom we mean some combination of opportunity and prosperity, does our freedom give believers a right to kill (or to support killing) in order to defend it?

How do we approach this issue of “our freedom” without wrestling with the words of Jesus, “…take up your cross…lay down your life…”? I think one of the major problems in working through these ideas is the difference between “Empire” and “The Kingdom of God”. (For a really good introduction to the tension between Kingdom and Empire you should listen to my brother Mike talk about it here.) I fully believe that an Empire should, at times, fight. I think the US was (to some degree) morally justified in entering Afghanistan. And I do greatly treasure the freedoms that I have in this "Empire" and count as EXTREMELY precious the lives that were given to allow my freedoms. The Kingdom of God, however, calls me to lay down my rights (and even my freedoms) so that the Kingdom may expand into the lives of others. I think it’s fair to say that the Kingdom has never been advanced by the Empire’s use of force. That’s why the church needs to be ever vigilant when it comes to endorsing the means of Empire. We have to work within the Empire, and we have to seek the good of the Empire. A example of this was the Jewish exile in Babylon. They were commanded to pray for and to seek the prosperity of Babylon. The challenge comes when the Empire agenda and the Kingdom agenda collide.

This puts believers in a very difficult position, especially ones who are called to play a leadership role in the Empire (like my nephew). I’m not sure how all that plays out and I guess I’m excited to watch him walk that journey…so I can learn (His passion for politics is only surpassed by his passion for Jesus).

I will admit that I’m glad that’s not my calling. At the same time, however, I am very thankful that it is his.

P.S. If you don't like my lack of concrete answers in this post please reread the disclaimer that I make in the upper right hand corner of my blog...

"I fully realize that I've not succeeded at answering all your questions. Indeed I feel that I've not answered any of them completely. The answers I have found only work to raise a whole new set of questions which only lead to more questions - some of which we weren't even aware were problems in the first place. To sum up -- in some ways I feel that we are as confused as ever, but I do believe that we are confused on a higher level and about more important things." (Unknown)

A Triple Header...

Okay, some of you may find this a little unusual, but we went to church 3 times yesterday. It was awesome. Our first service was at what has been our home church here - Shades Mountain Independent. We are part of an amazing Sunday School Class and the kids just love their classes too. It's so nice to hear them chattering after class about how much they learned and how much they enjoyed it. For the Worship Service the Sr. Pastor was away. The Worship/Music Pastor preached. He always does an amazing job by bringing together a choir, orchestra, and soloists in a worshipful way, but who would have known he's an awesome preacher too. His name is Kevin Moore and the sermon is really worth hearing...it should show up here eventually. He used a great example of showing mercy...see the video clip here.

After church we grabbed lunch and did some shopping, and then made our way to Red Mountain Church for the 4:00 pm service. We heard about this church due to its music. For some samples go here. They only sing old hymns (like 1800's old) but have set them all to very contemporary music. They are also very liturgical, which provides for a clear focus during worship. We loved it as well.

From there we headed back to Shades Mtn. for the evening prayer service. An amazing day. All this week the kids are either volunteering or participating at Day Camp/Vacation Bible School at Shades Mtn. While we're happy to call GBC home, there are some awesome churches in Birmingham!!

Love this bumpersticker...

If you don't know who Lucy Pevensie is...you should find out!

Immerse Me in Your Story, God.

Update (6/11/07)- My wife wants me to add that I wrote this...and since she's so pretty I will comply. Hope you like it...(Jeff)

Immerse me in your story God.
From tempting fruit and serpent’s lies.
To Abraham with knife held high
And heart that longs to die.

Fill me with the joy he knew
When ram was laid upon the stone
Isaac journeyed with Him home
To Sarah’s laughing smile

Immerse me in your story God
Shepherd boy ascends to throne
Giant killer, five smooth stones
Your power through the weak

How beautiful the twist of plot
From lustful king to heart like yours
Broken vessel from which you pour
Yourself – in poet’s prayers

Immerse me in your story God
The prophets ate your book and said
Words to those who wished them dead
Who often got their wish

In death they told your story well
What others didn’t want to see
A prophet saw with clarity
My hope - To have their eyes

Can these bones live?
You know, O Lord, they can.

Your WORD has come, and story told
A story quiet, story free
Life from death, sweet irony
Renewing all who hear

Far more than words on page, in air
They aren’t just heard, they shape
Add to me as well as take
Like breath to dead bones giv’n

A story told with joyful pain.
Describing who I am to be, undoing, captivating me
The me my dark eyes can’t yet see
The me you’re telling me to be

Not just murder...it's suicide.

Anyone who writes can appreciate the beauty of a well turned phrase. There is something powerful about the way words are put together. Recently I've been listening to a song by Derek Webb (we saw him live here). It's called "This too shall be made right." There is a strong prophetic edge to this song. It cuts to the core of the way we live our lives and yet pulls back the curtain on hope...this too shall be made right. That's why we long for the Kingdom. Here's the lyric...the music and his voice add to the effect. It's worth buying the song from Itunes...

people love you the most for the things you hate
and hate you for loving the things that you cannot keep straight
people judge you on a curve and tell you you’re getting what you deserve
this too shall be made right

children cannot learn when children cannot eat
stack them like lumber and children cannot sleep
children dream of wishing wells whose waters quench all the fires of Hell
this too shall be made right

the earth and the sky and the sea are all holding their breath
wars and abuses have nature groaning with death
we say we’re just trying to stay alive but it looks so much more like a way to die
this too shall be made right

there’s a time for peace and there is a time for war
a time to forgive and a time to settle the score
a time for babies to lose their lives a time for hunger and genocide
this too shall be made right

I don’t know the suffering of people outside my front door
I join the oppressors of those who i choose to ignore
I’m trading comfort for human life and that’s not just murder it’s suicide
this too shall be made right

The Use and Abuse of Words...

We abuse what we overuse. We overuse words. Like the squeaky door or the leaky faucet, we notice it at first. But with continued neglect we can learn to ignore it. So are words. They have meaning. They have value. But their overuse can dilute their power. As a preacher I am jealous for words. They are all I have to describe and communicate that which is really beyond description and communication. Their power is important to me. Their abuse makes my job more difficult. Barbara Brown Taylor in her amazing little book, When God is Silent, uses words quite effectively to describe what I am writing about. She says,

“In our lifetimes, language has taken a terrible hit…There is first the assault of consumerism, which forces words to make promises they can’t keep…words are chosen not for their truthfulness, but for their seductiveness. What they mean is beside the point. What they seem to mean is all that counts…

While it is really a variety of consumerism, journalism has launched its own assault on language…The attack is not so much on the truthfulness of words as it is on their longevity. At my house, pounds of The New York Times and Wall Street Journal are tossed aside with whole sections unread. My guilt over this is softened by the knowledge that the newsprint will have a second life. Once a month I haul it to the county recycling center, where it is shredded into cheap bedding for local chicken houses. After the chickens are through with it, I am told, it is feed to cows who somehow benefit from the nutrients in it. That yesterday’s forty-eight-point headline becomes tomorrow’s cow food is a process that is as pragmatic as it is strange. The moral is that there is no sense getting attached to the news, not to the realities a reporter’s words represent. How did that community recover from the hurricane? What happened to the children after their mother died of AIDS?...Don’t ask. Just let it go. There will be more stories tomorrow that are just as compelling. The word is transitory, cheap….

A third assault on the nobility of language is the sheer proliferation of words with which most of us are faced each day…The words keep coming at us through an ever-expanding variety of media – so many words that some days it sounds as it we live our lives against a wall of constant noise…The most unfortunate side-effect of all the noise is that many of us have become hard of hearing. We learn to filter out words that are not necessary to our lives the same way we learn to sleep in a house near railroad tracks. Our brains protect us from the daily barrage of words by increasing our resistance to them.” (p. 9-14)

Taylor’s point is that we stop listening and start filtering. We don’t hear the words. Does it bother anyone that we say we “love” ice cream, we “love” American Idol, and we “love” God? We use words without thinking about their meaning. I don’t have a way out of this dilemma, I’m better at identifying problems than solving them, but I think we have to agree that in a world drenched with words, the danger of meaning being washed away is real.

A couple stands before me, the minister, as they make bold promises. Vows about sickness and health, wealth and poverty, till death do us part. My biggest challenge at that moment is to help them see that the words they utter have deep and profound meaning. They are not the same words the used car salesman uses. It’s easy to ignore his words, deadly to ignore theirs. We have to learn to speak more slowly, more deliberately, with meaning. Perhaps the doorway to re-valuing our words is to take some time to sit in silence. To reflect on what we say. To listen to what is being said to us. Just as fasting helps us to value our food, a fast from words may bring clarity to our speaking and our hearing.

For a preacher it means realizing that most of the time less is more. (Is that a hearty AMEN I hear from the blogosphere?) Sometimes in our passion to communicate the profound, we trivialize it with too many words. The beauty of God is somehow reduced to a product that we are hawking to the world, trying to convince them that this is finally the one thing that will really make their lives better. The Psalmist said, “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.” (Ps. 46:10)

The irony that I am writing a long blog entry to communicate this is not lost on me. But my hope is that this will make you think about words. Just maybe it will inspire you to take some time for silence. To retrain your ear to hear what you say and what is said to you.

If we get in the habit of ignoring words, there is great danger that the Word made flesh will pass us by without our noticing.