On the road again...

Well, as many of you know, this year is our traveling Christmas. We didn't fit much in last year with me working at Enon and having to be there for the Christmas Eve service. So now it's been a few years since i've made it to either ARPC's or Sardis Presbyterian's candlelight services in Charlotte. But, we've started new traditions.

This year, we decided that in 5 days, we'd hit 3 states in 6 cities to visit 3 families. We began on Wednesday (Christmas Eve). We packed the car and headed out early in the morning for Hershey, PA. The traffic was great, but the weather was horrendous. We made it there by lunch time and spent the evening passing out presents to the young ones and enjoying food and cookies with the 25 or 30 relatives on Ashley's dad's side of the family. The biggest hits were the blinking Rudolf noses we gave out to the kids who wore them and played with them for hours.

Christmas morning (Thursday), we woke up, exchanged some presents with Ashley's dad and step mom and brother, Erich and then hit her aunt and uncle's place for a huge breakfast. Then we hit her other aunt and uncle's for another breakfast before hitting the road for the south land.

We got to Chapel Hill by 7pm Christmas night to have Christmas dinner and exchange more presents with Ashley's mom and her husband and her brother, Marcus. This morning, (Friday) we got up to take Marcus to the airport for a mission trip to South Africa and then did some sale shopping for ourselves and the wedding and more eating and i worked on my sermon for Sunday.

Tomorrow, we will rise early, head to Davidson for Page Mowery's wedding, spend some time with my folks and Kelley for her birthday, and more presents. Then Sunday will be me preaching at my home church in Charlotte for their college Sunday and more time with my folks in Concord before we head home to our own home in Richmond to finally have time to give each other some presents and chill with the dog before we're back to work and school in the new year.

This will likely be one of my last posts in 2008. i'll do a 2008 recap soon.

I will have told you so...

i know, it's a tense you probably don't use often. However, it's something i often think to myself. i'm no fortune teller, and i am sometimes surprised in life, but truth be told, it's rare. Movies don't surprise me, books don't surprise me, the actions of various people and professors and family members don't surprise me. Even Relationships rarely, if ever, surprise me. i am almost never surprised by who dates who or who breaks up, etc. There are notable exceptions (i can name most of them off hand without much thought).

Even the country doesn't surprise me often. i expected and guessed the results of the last several elections long before the various polls called either candidate. i even guessed Obama would not only get the nomination but be our president years ago when he was not even talking about it.

What is to come? i will not be surprised in the next 20 years when we are no longer the hegemonic superpower in the world. i will not be surprised when our economy and healthcare system become even worse than they are now and terrorism and attacks are just as bad here as abroad. i will not be surprised when the wealthiest Americans no longer reside in America. i also will not be surprised to see fossil fuels become as rare as antique cars and serve the same purposes. i will not be surprised to see domestic terrorism rise due to the inadherence of our federal government to our Constituion and international terrorism rise despite our lack of involvement overseas.

Will you really be surprised? i don't think the average person is this realistic, so i'll assume most of you reading this think i'm preaching doom and gloom. However, i'm not sure it's all bad news. Is it scary? Certainly. But i trust God. Do i trust God to bring me and everyone else through it safe and sound? No. But i also believe that we take much for granted in this country, both as a secular people and those of us who are believers.

i'm not the kind of person who believes that the government will work best if it is devoid of faith, nor am i such a person that believes this country will go to hell in a handbasket if we don't have another great awakening and get prayer back in schools. i simply believe that the God i believe in is bigger than all of these concerns and that when this country heads the way i am sure it will, that's all many of us will have to hold onto, and that's not such a bad thing at all.

In The Dark Knight, Alfred says, "And what will happen on that day, Master Wayne."
Bruce responds, "We all know how much you love to say, 'i told you son.'"
To which, Alfred replies, "On that day, even i won't want to, sir."

Nor will i.

Frustration abounds...

There's a video on YouTube that is getting a lot of play. Israel requires its 12th graders to serve their country. Shocking, right? There are many Israeli kids who are conscientious objectors. However, the video doesn't give the full scoop. Do they really put a gun in the hand of every 12th grader? No. In fact, you have the option of serving EITHER for just over 9 months in armed service OR just over 12 in a non-combat job, such as medical or technical jobs, etc.

The video will play to many Americans like the "brave" people who went to jail (or Canada) to avoid the Vietnam draft. i'm not weighing in on that debate. It was a difficult time and a terrible conflict. However, the glaring difference is that in the US you couldn't say, "i won't go fight in this war! Let me be a doctor or nurse or computer tech and serve my country by healing or supporting, rather than killing." These Israelis have that option. Why the video? Why the press frenzy?

They aren't opposed to serving it seems as much as the Israeli "occupation" of... Israel. Now, forget that these kids obviously missed, skipped, or slept their history classes and synagogue time and various lectures by parents and grandparents. If they believe they are occupying Israel/Palestine wrongly, there are two opposites to occupation. One is not being there at all. If this is their solution, going to jail doesn't help. They're still in the land. It would be perfectly legal for them to leave Israel and encourage others to leave as well, right?

The other opposite is to be occupied. i'm sure that if they wanted to go turn themselves over to terrorists or fight to overthrow the Israeli military, they could. Going to jail seems to be the least effective way to accomplish either of the alternatives to occupation. It also seems the easiest.

Which is harder: ending the occupation (by fighting against the Israeli government in word or action or putting your life in the hands of terrorists)... OR going to jail? Is going to jail brave? Sure it is. i don't want to go. But does it take more courage to serve your country in the capacity of a non-combatant and change the system through voting and running for office, social justice movements? (or are we assuming those are not effective any more?)

The truth about cigarettes is that they calm your nerves and help you lose weight. The whole truth is that they can also lead to poor hygiene, cancer and death. The truth about Israel is that they require young men and women to serve their country. The whole truth is that they allow you to do it in ways that serve others without killing anyone, and as a democratic society, allow voice and protest for those who object to an occupation of the Palestinians.

It's about that time...

As 2008 draws to a close, it's about time to take a look back. But before, i do that, i am going to take a look forward. So here is my list of New Year's aspirations. We won't go so far as to call them resolutions...

1) Learn to play guitar. Yes, really learn. i've had the darn thing for a couple years now and i only pick it up a few days at a time. i am going to put in the time... and callouses.

2) Get in shape. This is a popular one, yes? i think i can legitimately achieve this one. i did a pretty good job the summer i worked right next to a YMCA and the summer i worked at one. We acquired a Bowflex this summer and i used it diligently for 6 weeks. i got in much better shape but i slacked off when we went for our week-long honeymoon. i have been disciplined enough to get on it every few weeks and not let it become a clothes rack AT ALL. i gained 10 lbs in the first couple weeks and i have a goal to gain more. If i can do that whilst still riding 15 miles a week on my bike, i'll be on track.

3) Clean up my language. Don't laugh (Ben, i can hear you). Yes, i've said this since 10th grade. i know i try this every year. i'm no sailor and i'm not worse than the average seminary student, even, but that's not how i choose to measure the change i need in my life. A little help?

And so it goes...

i read a blog semi-regularly by a professor at Swarthmore and Yale. He has recently written a paper on the necessary rebuilding of the Presbyterian Church (USA). i'll warn you, if you're not a Presbyterian, or you're not the academic type at all, don't bother with this article. In true Presbyterian fashion (and in true scholarly professor fashion for that matter), the Witherspoon Society (see: self-proclaimed ultra-liberal scholars of the PC(USA)) wrote a rebuttle and they all signed it.

As this blogger points out, one little girl wrote: "I'm not sure what the 'Witherspoon Society' is, but I can only hope that one day I write something that gets that many teachers cranky enough to sign something like that..."

In his paper, this blogger/professor wrote that he believed the original affirmative action appartus of the PC(USA) for hiring and establishing church structure was wise and beneficial, but that that system had become corrupt and unhelpful and no longer served the original and intended purposes of bringing God's people together. The response paper by the Witherspoon Society quoted Galations ("there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither bond nor free, neither male nor female") in defense of that system. The point of his paper though was to point out that the intent was honorable and laudable, but that the goal was no longer being met.

The Witherspoon Society also pointed to Neibuhr and his idea that even good manmade structures can become corrupt or ineffective. "Exactly my point!" was the reply of the blogger/professor. The Witherspoon Society is made up of those academics who rallied for affirmative action in the sixties and have become blind to the fact that their system now is the corrupt system that defends the status quo.

Many responses to his blog post were well-articulated. There is still much work to be done in a denomination that is so woefully non-diverse. However, i would challenge the idea that we could ever be as diverse as we would like to be. The Presbyterian church has many wonderful traditions, among them are scholarship and debate and social justice, but we also have traditions of tradition and solemnity and worship that puts people to sleep. We'll have to change a lot more than how open and tolerant people are before we'll ever be anything that resembles a diverse body of believers...

The night before finals...

It's clearly finals time! All the laundry is in full swing, i'm working out regularly, and the kitchen is mostly picked up. i thought i would take some time to comment on an earlier blog, via Sunday comic...











*i do not endorse grade school curricula that include The Naked and the Dead

The reason for the season...

Ask 10 people on the street what the biggest Jewish holiday of the year is and 9 will say Hanukkah. Ask those same 10 people what the biggest Christian holiday of the year is and 9 will say Christmas. But they'd be wrong...

For Jews today, the biggest holiday (the high holidays) are the new year and day of atonement and Passover. Why does Hanukkah have all the chutzpah? Probably because it's promoted as the Jewish Christmas holiday, a coincidence in timing and a tradition of gift giving that marks the occasion.

The real question is: Why is Christmas seen as the biggest Christian holiday? Easter is the center of the Christian calendar and the date of biggest significance. Why then does Christmas get the center stage? To borrow from Stephen Colbert, in a word... comericalizationability! Cadbury and Burlington Coat factory aside, it's hard to truly capitalize on a holiday more than the season that has come to mean obligatory gift giving.

So what lit the match under this outburst? i know you've been wondering what it was. i got an e-mail today from my father. At first glance, it was this neat little naughty or nice list. Who is on this clever little list? Well, on the naughty list is every store and online company who is celebrating the "holiday" season and on the nice list... you guessed it, those openly celebrating the "Christmas" season.

Now any self-respecting devout person would patronize the latter, right? Well, it seems to me that if this is the CHRISTmas season, celebrating the birth of Jesus, a man whom probably got his best 3 Christmas presents at his birth in a barn and spent most of his days as a wandering nomad with no possessions by choice... then you would want to avoid focusing on consumerism at all. However, if you're merely celebrating the HOLIDAY season, then consumerism and gift giving is a lovely way to do it.

i'm not going to advocate that you boycot shopping malls and go to church 5 times a week in the advent season. i, myself, love buying a few gifts for friends and family. However, it seems to me that if a store is capitalizing on the "Christmas" spirit/season of consumerism, rahter than peace on earth and good will toward all people, then why would i prefer their store to one that is merely capitalizing on the secular celebration traditions of the United States?

If a store wants to impress me with their Christmas spirit, they can warmly welcome Salvation Army bell ringers to their doorways, donate procedes to shelters, extend sales and selections so that no one is trampled running into their stores, and maybe close up on Christmas eve and day so that their employees, Christian, Jewish, or any faith at all can have some time with family and friends to share a wish for peace on earth.

A sign of the times...

Earlier this week, someone stole a sign from the Legislative building in Olympia, Washington. It was a sign "simply celebrating the winter solstice": "Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds."

A group called the Freedom From Religion Foundation was given permission to place it next to a nativity in the rotunda. How sweet. Now, while i admit that i think this is a rather hateful message that sort of negates the best of Christianity in a message of peace on earth and good will towards all, it upsets me much more that in all probability, this sign was stolen by a Christian. Isn't this one of the big ten?

To me, such a sign is like a post-it. It's like a prescription for glasses that needs to be filled... "this person has trouble seeing. They need assistance in order to see more clearly." If you are such a person that believes they are wrong, then you are called to pray for them and live a life exemplified by the one whose birth we are celebrating so that they might know truth in a new way.


My other confusion is about morality and faith. A very articulate young man from VCU came to a program Ashley and i attended. He is a self-professed atheist and attends this program regularly, which is targeted at and welcoming of non-believers. He was confused about how someone could believe in a God that punishes people eternally and call yourself moral.

Now, while i can see his point that from his perspective (one without an external moral standard) it would seem cruel. But that's exactly my point. How can you be moral at all if your standard is not external? If everyone decided their own moral code, chaos would reign. Many people do not believe adultery is wrong on any level whatsoever. Many people don't believe that sex or abuse of children is wrong. Many people believe that spousal abuse is justifiable. Many people believe stealing and assault is not wrong. And unfortunately, many people think that attacking or killing someone for their religious beliefs or sexual orientation are perfectly moral actions.

You can't simply say, "everyone is endowed with a conscience." This is true, but many people do not have a working conscience or theirs dictates radically different moral views from the vast majority. How then do we have a functional society? We have to impose laws. All laws are moral in nature. You impose any law because of a value. Even a law about traffic signs is based on the need for safety on roads because of the shared value that life is worth protecting and orderly traffic is a means to this end.

"Well, what's wrong with that," says the atheist. Well, firstly, a code of laws is an external set of morals. This is no longer based purely on your naturally endowed conscience. This may in and of itself be a problem for the atheist who wished to rely on his or her own moral compass. However, if it's not, it should be a problem for other reasons.

In the course of human history, many things have seemed right and moral in the eyes of the majority. We can certainly cite examples of genocide, slavery (practiced on nearly every continent in our past and present), and so on. The abolitionist movement, and the Civil Rights movements were led by Christians who were following the moral compass given to them by a God that still speaks in a very old book and the tradition of a people who were once held in bondage.

Now, in that situation, and many others, is it enough to rely on the moral code arrived upon by vote, or should those votes be swayed by the external moral standard given in hope and promise by a God you can't see, touch, or prove?

This isn't meant to sway you one way or the other, but a few points come to mind. One, a non-belief in God is no more logical or moral or helpful than a belief in God. And two, there is nothing wrong with discussing faith within the framework of logic. Many Christians take the easy way out (it is often labeled the high road) by saying "there's nothing logical about faith." Well, actually, there is. Besides the health benefits and benefits to a society, there is much that is logical about faith. This is not to mention the fact that many very inteligent ahteists point to the fairly reliable fact that many Christians seem ignorant, uninteligent, superstitious, blind, or scared when it comes to faith. Being ignorant, uninteligent, blind or scared are all good reasons to turn to faith, but they are not ways to cling to it or share it with others.

We live in a world that needs a reminder here in the Advent season that roughly 2000 years ago, God came into the world that God created to be good and full of hope and peace to remind us that it truly could be with the help and love and hope of its creator. Maybe those who have no better way to vent their frustration about non-believers could spend some time praying for or loving one instead of dashing that hope and stealing signs...

The shirt off my back...

My other creative outlet is designing t-shirts, both inspirational and satirical. i design them on my computer and post them to a Zazzle page. You can find them here. These are a few of the newest...

Cover to cover...

It occurred to me today that many of you have not seen my magazine cover album. It's on facebook, but not everyone has access to that or navigates it well. i just finished my first album of 60 covers. And no, there's no special program for this. i do it "by hand" on the computer. This is one of my two big creative outlets...

Covers