While he was working among the poor in Bolivia, [Henri] Nouwen took an evening off during Advent season to see a movie. "The movie was so filled with images of greed and lust, manipulation and exploitation, fearful and painful sensations, that it filled all the empty spaces that could have been blessed by the spirit of Advent."

- From Philip Yancey's Prayer, Does It Make Any Difference?

What shall we use to fill the empty spaces,
Where we used to talk?

- Pink Floyd, Empty Spaces

Recently, I updated my Facebook profile (yes, I'm very new-millennia, even though I'm older than dirt). I set a value to the "Favorite Music" field. I set it to "Silence". I couldn't think of anything else I'd rather listen to these days.

In past ages, more of people's time was filled with silence than it is now. Today, we are inundated with input. Media washes over us so much that many of us forget how deeply we are immersed in it.

I find myself getting antsy when I have nothing to do. When the input stream is turned off, I feel like something's missing. Years ago, I read the science fiction novel Islands In The Net. I don't remember much about it, other than one very telling scene. The novel is set in the near future, and everyone spends their day connected, at all times, to a world-wide network. It's amazing how close we are to that already. At one point the main characters enter an elevator that is lead-lined or something, and their connection with the network is severed. Just for a few moments.

And they panic.

When I first read that, probably fifteen years ago, it was a curiosity. Now it has the eery glow of something very familiar. Most of us are not accustomed to silence. If you're like me, there aren't nearly as many empty spaces in your life as there need to be.

I know I need the empty spaces. Because it's in the empty spaces that God's voice is most easily heard.

I need to learn to practice more diligently the ancient disciplines of silence, of stillness. Because if there was ever a time for me to be still and know He is God, it's right now.

Empty space. It's a good thing.

Primary Wonder
Denise Levertov, from Sands of the Well

Days pass when I forget the mystery
Problems insoluble and problems offering
their own ignored solutions
jostle for my attention, they crowd its antechamber
along with a host of diversion, my courtiers, wearing
their colored clothes; cap and bells.

And then
once more the quiet mystery is present to me, the
throng's chamber recedes; the mystery
that there is anything, anything at all, let alone
cosmos, joy, memory, everything,
rather than void; and that, O Lord,
Creator, Hallowed One, You still,
hour by hour sustain it.

(quoted in Philip Yancey's Prayer, Does It Make Any Difference?)

This write up lead me to wonder about the future of the Supreme Court based on the upcoming election. As a conservative, I obviously will be voting for John McCain.

I wonder, though, does anyone really want a court that is completely decided down ideological lines? It seems that to have nothing but conservative (or liberal) justices would mean having a court that's too blind to even consider the other side of the proverbial coin.

Consider what The Washington Post says about Justice Kennedy:

It is telling that Kennedy, currently the court's most influential justice, is never mentioned as a model by either McCain or Obama. Kennedy's iconoclastic views -- conservative on some constitutional questions, more liberal on others -- would not appeal to either candidate's base.

While I don't (and won't) always agree with Kennedy's decisions, what some see as waffling I see as being able to make decisions based on the merits of the case laid before him, not on an ideological cookie cutter in his back pocket.

In my last Supreme Court post, one commenter averred that some of the justices were merely "unelected dictators in robes." While that's obviously hyperbole, I'd agree that it's easy to think a justice has made a dictatorial decision if said decision did not go the way you thought it should.

However, one of the extraordinary aspects of the Supreme Court is that the justices are not elected. They don't have to kowtow to a political party. They can actually make decisions (like the child rape case) without having to assuage popular opinion a la McCain and Obama.

Maybe we need a court that looks and acts more like Justice Anthony Kennedy, and not like an elected official.

. . . in our College and Young Singles class. I'm really looking forward to it.

I hope church is great for you today.

And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Acts 2:42-47

In your opinion, what's the greatest love song of all time? For my money it's "Lady in Red" by Chris de Burg.

I've never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight
I've never seen you shine so bright
I've never seen so many men ask you if you wanted to dance
They're looking for a little romance,
Given half a chance
I have never seen that dress you're wearing
Or the highlights in your head that catch your eyes
I have been blind
The lady in red is dancing with me cheek to cheek
There's nobody here, it's just you and me,
It's where I wanna be
But I hardly know this beauty by my side
I'll never for get, the way you look tonight
I've never seen you looking so gorgeous as you did tonight
I've never seen you shine so bright,
you were amazing
I've never seen so many people want to be there by your side
And when you turned to me and smiled,
It took my breath away
I have never had such a feeling
Such a feeling of complete and utter love,
As I do tonight
The way you look tonight
I never will forget, the way you look tonight
The lady in red
The lady in red
The lady in red
My lady in red (I love you.)

I'd have to give honorable mention to Elton John's "Something About The Way You Look Tonight" and U2's "All I Want Is You." Six Pence None The Richer's "Kiss Me" is pretty cool, too. I'm sure I could think of dozens of more honorable mentions, but I'd like to hear what you all think.

Some great observations about the best show on television, from C. Orthodoxy, are below.

As an aside, the best thing about Lost for me has never been the numbers, the puzzles, the hatches, the Others, or even the great interplay between fate and "coincidence". The beauty of the show has always been in the full-featured arcs of the main characters. The analysis below hits on some great transitions that the show has handled very skillfully.

*** Spoilers follow ***
Read the rest of this entry . . .

Here is a list of some things I've learned on this five year Adventure in Blogossey that I've been on with my Thinklings bros, plus some general things I've learned just by living.

This is kind of random and stream-of-conscienceishy. And it's not exhaustive, although you may be exhausted after slogging through it. Read the rest of this entry . . .

In case you haven't noticed, the U.S. Supreme Court has handed down a couple of huge decisions in the past couple of days.

First off, the Supremes rejected the death penalty for child rapists -- a laudable decision. Although, superficially at least, the general population will undoubtedly see it as a poor, and even criminal, decision on the Court's part. Secondly, the Court struck down a District of Columbia ban on handguns, declaring for the first time in this nation's history an individual's right to own a handgun.

On the former decision, my understanding is that states (like Texas) planned to use the death penalty against the most heinous repeat offenders. However, the Court was right in declaring simply that "the death penalty is not a proportional punishment for the rape of a child," even when used on heinous repeat offenders. (Incidentally, the conservatives on the Court dissented from the majority. That's not surprising since, generally, most conservatives are for the death penalty and most liberals are against it.)

On the latter decision, the conservatives rightly carried the day declaring that "the District's ban on handgun possession in the home violates the Second Amendment ..." That's another succinct explanation of why the majority's decision was, in fact, the right decision.

While I'm not a "gun guy" or an "anti-gun guy," and probably never will be, I can understand the liberal idea of wanting a gunless utopia. While I understand it, I know it's not ever going to happen. Part of the culture we as Americans carry is a gun culture. America started out as a frontier where "riding shotgun" meant something completely different than it does today. For better or worse, those are our roots.

While both decisions were primarily decided down ideological lines, the Court made the right decision in both instances. So hooray for the branch of government that is so often shrouded in mystery and anonymity: the U.S. Supreme Court. You guys (and gal) got these two right, now let's take another look at the right to life ...

This brought a smile. I wonder if this meant more to some people than we can imagine.



Kinda goes along with the dance across the world guy, and also, in a way, this post.

[Hat tip, The Anchoress]

Have you ever experienced unexpected kindness from a stranger? If you have, tell us about it in the comments.

This one is a bit tougher than my other "Tell Me Something Good" posts (#1 and #2), but I'm hoping to hear some good stories.

I've got a good example, from this 2005 post recounting our Hurricane Rita evacuation adventure.

Just then we heard the voice of an angel. "Do you need help?" It was a local Brenham girl, who's name I never got. She had walked up to Andrew and Kyle. "Can I help you?"

I walked over. "Yes, please. Is there any gas in this town?"

"Yes. I just got some. There's a line, though."

I could have hugged her. Our angel led us through backstreets in Brenham to a gas station that had two lines of cars leading to it. It was on its last thousand gallons, but we got our gas. And that's when I knew we were going to make it to San Antonio.

Seriously, if you're feeling down, watch this video.



[Hat Tip: a bunch of blogs that I've seen this on]

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
-- Matthew 5:14

In my Scripture reading yesterday I spent some quality time in Psalm 48, which I love love love. It is about the splendor and influence of Zion, the City of God. I read it as a forecast not just of the consummated kingdom but as a blueprint for the Church, God's living witness to the kingdom on earth.

I test drove that proposition at Element's PRAXIS last night, asking our folks essentially, "What does Psalm 48 tells us the Church should do and be like?" Here are the things we came up with (read the psalm yourself and see if you don't agree) . . .

1. The Church should bring joy to the world. (vv.1-2)

2. The Church's message is that God is a fortress, a refuge in times of trouble. (v.3)

3. The Church makes it clear that Jesus is Lord over and above all lords, and she leads with the radical call to a revolutionary kingdom that challenges and usurps worldly authorities and systems. (vv.4-5)

4. The Church is forthright about God's holiness and righteousness, which provokes repentance and the fear of the Lord. (vv.4-8)

5. The Church is known for the love of God. They meditate on God's love, even. (v.9)

6. The Church's zeal for the glory of God, for the proclamation of His fame, for the spread of His praise spills outside the city walls and flows to the end of the earth. The Church does not exist for her own ends, for her own maintenance, but for the glory of God and the good of the world. The Church is on mission. (vv.10-14)

7. The Church cultivates a legacy of God's faithfulness. (v.14)

That is awesome to reflect on. Clearly we're not there. But God is faithful, and despite what anyone thinks of the Church, Jesus has promised that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. When I think of that, when I think of God's faithfulness to us, when I think of Jesus' love for His Bride, and when I take those thoughts and run them through great anthems like Psalm 48, I cannot help but think of how the Church can and will be (and, dangit!, often is) radiant with the glory of God.

(Cross-posted at The Gospel-Driven Church)

Because The Happening was bad. It was beyond bad. Based on thinking his last two movies were stinkers, I went in with low expectations but still some hope. As I've mentioned before, I know he can make a good film because I've seen and loved three of them. I set the bar very low; he didn't have to do much to clear. But The Happening is so awful it gives me hope that the proverbial room full of typing monkeys may actually produce the works of Shakespeare. Or at least something better than The Happening.
Night should steer clear of me if he ever sees me gardening.

How bad is The Happening? Let me count the ways . . .
Read the rest of this entry . . .

I love this.

Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” - John 1:38

Everyone on earth is looking for something. The two disciples in this passage didn't even know Jesus. They were just reacting to the declaration of John the Baptist, when he said "Behold, the Lamb of God!" But in that moment, somehow they knew: In this Man is what we've been looking for.

We're all looking for something; it's how we're built. We're hunters and gatherers, all of us. Unfortunately, many people find, as their life goes by, that what they thought they wanted really wasn't it.

That's why I love this passage. These two guys didn't know much, but they knew that they had found what they were looking for, in this unknown Rabbi walking by. Uncounted millions since then have followed in their footsteps.

What are you seeking? I pray that I will always remember that what I'm seeking can be found; it's with the one who came to seek and to save the lost. It's where Jesus is.

"Rabbi, where are you staying?"

Now I begin to be a disciple. . . . Let fire and cross, flocks of beasts, broken bones, dismemberment, . . . come upon me, so long as I attain to Jesus Christ.
-- Ignatius of Antioch

I have an affinity for many of the early church fathers, Ignatius of Antioch being no exception. Like Polycarp, he lived closely to the time of Jesus, and it was (spuriously?) said of Ignatius that he was the child whom Jesus picked up and placed among his disciples. While I doubt the veracity of that legend, Ignatius would have been about the right age, since he was born somewhere between 30 and 35 A.D.

All indications are that he was martyred in Rome. I love his response to Christians who wanted to save him from martyrdom: "I fear your kindness, which may harm me." You see, Ignatius' wanted to die for his Lord. Like Peter who chose to be crucified upside down (because he did not think he was worthy to be crucified in the same manner as JESUS), Ignatius knew the glory that awaited him.

He was rightly called The Bearer of God. May we all attain to his level of devotion.

This is going to be a post on global warming, or global climate change if you like. Before I start, a few things about me:

1. I am not an anti-environmentalist. I think Christians are meant to be good stewards of God's creation. For what it's worth, I take public transportation to work, drive (relatively) fuel-efficient cars, live in a 1,750 sq ft. house (there are six of us living here, plus a dog), we had our AC replaced with a more energy-efficient model a few years ago - although not by choice - and my carbon footprint is WAY smaller than Al Gore's.
2. I am most definitely anti-baloney-sausage. I'm a big fan of straight, agenda-less talk.
3. Since I've lived for awhile, I remember the hysteria of the 70s. Back then, we were definitely all about to die from global cooling. In addition, we were going to all starve to death due to over-population. Also, there would be no oil left by 1981. I seem to remember another Gore - the Vidal one - scaring me out of my bell-bottoms on that one. But it didn't matter, because we were all going to die in a nuclear holocaust anyway. And all of these bad things were going to happen, simultaneously, the day after tomorrow. So please don't hate on me as an enemy of the earth if I am a little skeptical of hysterias of all kinds.
4. I am excited about all the strides that are being made and will be made in alternative energies, because I love seeing creative, inventive minds work. I think the high market price of oil is about 1,000,000 times more effective in spurring this kind of inventiveness than Government fiat has ever been.
5. If rising global temperature changes are a) caused by the actions of mankind, b) going to result in worse things than the temperature going down or staying the same and c) something we can do something about, I'm all for whatever we need to do. But I want us to be sure we're doing the right thing, and not just pursuing a bunch of high-sounding plans that won't really work and might even make things worse or result in other unintended consequences, such as food riots and poor people starving to death.
6. The only kind of scientist I claim to be is a computer scientist. So C02 ppm, ocean currents, El Nino, and the like are all greek to me.

Ok, so here are my questions:

Are we all about to completely die?

The year of Hansen's original testimony [1988] was the world's hottest year on record. Since then, 14 years have been hotter, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Or what?

The ten hottest years ever measured happened thousands of years ago and 2005 was not one of them. Gore must be using only temperature readings from the 125 year thermometer set, a very short time to look at when one is trying to understand Global Warming, but this period of time suits the environmentalists because it is a time in which temperatures happened to be wandering up. Alarmists refuse to look at the big picture because it shows what they refuse to believe. For the US, the recently revised NASA GISS Annual Mean temperatures show 6 of the 10 warmest years were from the 1920s to the 1950s and only 4 since 1990.

I'm asking a serious question. Because I'm getting tired of the dueling statistics.

(Also not a big fan of global-warming "stagecraft" - e.g. Hansen's testimony in 1988)

Are suffering

Members of all religions have been affected by the violence since the toppling of Saddam Hussein. But Christians are in a worse position since they suffer directly because of their Christian faith. Targeted by Islamist extremists, they are confronted by demands to convert, death threats, looting of their homes and businesses, systematic intimidation, abductions for ransom, bombings, and frequently murder. Because Christians are known to be weak they and their property are also prey to gangsterism. Churches and church leaders are particular targets for Islamists. The 65-year-old Chaldean archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mosul was abducted and murdered in March. Numerous priests and deacons have been tortured and shot or beheaded. At least 40 churches have been burnt.

The Iraqi Christian community has disappeared altogether from many areas of the country. Baghdad is rapidly emptying of its once flourishing Christian community, whose members have fled north to the traditional Christian homeland in the towns and villages of the plains of Nineveh. But here too they are hugely vulnerable. The regionally dominant Kurds, with whom relations have historically been bad and occasionally bloody, have little interest in offering protection. The Shia-dominated government in Baghdad is distant, unsympathetic, and has its own interests and problems. Even the relative success of the U.S. surge strategy has brought difficulties for the Christians, because the struggle with al-Qaeda is now focused on the regional centre Mosul, where Christians had hoped to find security. The Christian population itself is unused to bearing arms. It has no militia to defend it. It has no regional protectors. It is subject to pressures of illegal land confiscation and annexation, aimed at pushing it out of its last refuge.

Mary and Martha were sisters, and friends and followers of Jesus.

Now and then I'll hear a message about Mary and Martha, generally focusing on Luke 10:38-42. You may recall the corrective Jesus offered Martha when she was busy getting dinner ready and was irritated at Mary for not helping (Mary was sitting at Jesus' feet, learning):

“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” - Luke 10:41-42

This is, of course, something that Martha needed to hear. We all need to hear it.

But some of the messages I've heard about Martha (thankfully, my current pastors never do this) have been outright slander. I once heard a gentleman who had built an entire theology on the statement "God doesn't have favorites, but He does have intimates", and his message was one of praising Mary and completely slamming Martha. Mary was, in his opinion, the way we should be. His portrayal of Martha was of an abrasive, complaining, unspiritual battle-axe.

Years ago, I heard a guest student pastor deliver a message on Mary and Martha, focusing on John 11. He was something of a comedian, and he did a really funny rendition of a Type-A Martha dressing Jesus down because He had not arrived in time to save her brother Lazarus. We all laughed as he imitated Martha screeching at Jesus "if you had been here, my brother would not have died!!!"

I kind of bought into the Martha-bashing for awhile, until I actually read John 11 carefully for myself.

So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” John 11:20-27 (Emphasis mine)

Oh my gosh, Martha rocks. Ladies and gentlemen, Martha goes hard! What a statement of faith, delivered in the midst of gut-wrenching grief.

I appreciate both Mary and Martha. I don't think I'm worthy to wash their dishes. But in John 11, I stand amazed by Martha. Yes, Martha is practical (read verse 39), yes Martha is more of a "doer" than one to sit at someone's feet and just soak it in.

But Martha believed, and showed an amazing faith in the character and power of Christ, and for that I applaud her.

I'll never make fun of Martha.

"Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus." - John 11:5

(If you're interested, you can also read about why I don't make fun of Simon Peter)

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Text from the 8th Century, attributed to Dallan Forgaill
Tune: Irish folk song "Slane"
Translated from the Irish by Mary E. Byrne
Versified by Eleanor H. Hull

A couple of days ago Brandi and I watched the 1980 Anthony Hopkins film, The Elephant Man. To say that that movie is moving is an understatement. Simultaneously it's a portrait of human dignity, a redemption story, and a metaphor for the human condition: sin. (It's based on the true story of Joseph Merrick.)

In a culture (and sometimes, a church) where beauty is truth, the ugliness of the Joseph Merrick story helps us to look into the mirror, to see the hideousness that is our sin. We are ugly; yet, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

One of the most poignant moments of the movie for me was toward the end when Dr. Frederick Treves was helping Merrick get ready for their trip to the theatre. (Minor spoiler alert.) Merrick had just been rescued from being kidnapped and abused, being forced to work in a carnival as a sideshow attraction. Treves apologized to his friend, Merrick, because he wasn't there to help him when his captors seized him.

Merrick replied, "Don't worry about me, my friend. I'm happy every hour of the day, because I'm loved."

Through the kindness of Treves, Merrick tasted of the Miracle Drug -- the love of God. This wasn't a Hollywood romance story. Merrick never fell head over heels in love with some young beauty who learned to look beyond his disfigurement to see the true human being inside. Instead, it was something better. He tasted of the love of God through the kindness and selflessness of his friend, Frederick Treves.

In this age of idolized romance, we need reminders of God's grace through His Son, JESUS Christ, who loved us and pursued us with an everlasting passion despite the deformity of sin.

God, I need your help tonight
Beneath the noise, below the din
I hear your voice it's whispering
In science and in medicine
"I was the stranger, you took me in"
The songs are in your eyes
I see them when you smile
I've had enough of romantic love
Yeah I'd give it up, I'd give it up
For a miracle, miracle drug
-- U2, "Miracle Drug"