Reason 174 to love Church Hill Activities and Tutoring: The CHAT Rap
9.30.2011
9.27.2011
The Opposite of Cruelty
"Hospitality is the lens through which we can read and understand much of the gospel, and a practice by which we can welcome Jesus himself," explains Christine Pohl in her book Making Room. Then why has so much of the modern church forsaken it?
Jeromy and I have begun a study on recovering the practice of church-based hospitality with a small group of servants at RH. After the first week, I am convicted of neglecting the practice and renewed with courage to pick it back up.
Within the church, hospitality offers more than fellowship to friends, but compassionate welcome to strangers. Making room for the least of these is not a substitute for the regular meeting together of Christian family, but simply a fulfillment of the other half of the equation. In Matthew 5, Jesus says "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?"
In fact, the distinctive Christian contribution to hospitality in early church history was the emphasis on including the poor and neediest, the ones who could not return the favor. When was the last time I hosted stranger in my home? What was the most recent occasion that I welcomed someone into my life who could not offer me anything in return? The instances that come to mind are not as commonplace as these exemplars of the early church. Could it be because of my fear, aversion to risk, tight hold on my possessions, or packed schedule? I can't snap my fingers and force those obstacles away, so I'm praying that Jesus would free me from hindrances and enable me to practice His discipline of hospitality.
The resurrection of Christian hospitality is not solely purposed for the care of those in need. In the first few centuries A.D., it cannot be overlooked that hospitality played an instrumental role in the spread and credibility of the Gospel. It paid no heed to race, class or gender, but infiltrated lives with Good News and an offer to come and partake. "Deeds speak the language of the great virtues far better than words do... words limp outside the gates of the mystery of compassion for strangers," mused Philip Hallie. Indeed, Jesus came, He spoke, and He acted... perfectly. We are left with His example to do likewise, including meeting the "strangers in our midst" where they are and inviting them in to our social circles, our row at church, our conversation, our plans, our communities, and our homes.
Many have followed the example of the early church in offering hospitality to strangers, including refugees, the homeless, the disabled, the sick, and wanderers. In so doing, Dorathy Day, a Catholic Relief Services worker poetically remembers, "Mistakes there were, mistakes there are, there will be." Serving people in this way never follows a systematic process; it is sacrificial love and love, well, it's messy. A dish may be broken, sheets sullied and carpets muddied, but the gift is worth the sacrifice. It is better to give than to receive. "Show hospitality," God plainly says in Romans 12. In the end, making room and welcoming can be uncomfortable and uneasy, but "the biggest mistake is to play things very safe in this life and end up being moral failures," concludes Day.
I am convinced most of these blog entries are opportunities for me to preach to myself as much as anyone else, so as I respond to conviction and tease out the application of God's call to hospitality, join me.
Pohl suggests that embracing sustained hospitality requires a full girded in prayer, a light hold on possessions, and a commitment to a simplified lifestyle. It can be difficult to know to whom, when, and how much if we are distracted by our complex lifestyle and not listening to the Father. What a brilliant place to start.
9.14.2011
World Religions 2.0
A new world religion has arrived on the scene. Despite a gapping lack of a charismatic founder or body of doctrinal literature, it has gained followers at lightning speed. It's called "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism" and was first specifically identified by a study into the religious thoughts of American teenagers by Christian Smith, a Sociology professor at UNC-Chapel Hill. Alongside Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Christianity and Judaism, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism is certainly something you would recognize, even if not by name.
Moralistic Therapeutic Deism "is about inculcating a moralistic approach to life. It teaches that central to living a good and happy life is being a good, moral person. That means being nice, kind, pleasant, respectful, responsible, at work on self-improvement, taking care of one's health, and doing one's best to be successful."
Being "nice" is a central tenant of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. It follows then that holding strong theological convictions that exclude other truth claims is not nice, rather outright rude. Here, MTD consciously separates from Christianity since standing behind some central truths of the Christian life is a direct violation of MTD doctrine. The word nice is actually never used in the Bible.
Secondly, MTD is also about "about providing therapeutic benefits to its adherents." It is the religious feel-good pill that costs no money. MTD is also the only world religion void of an acknowledgement of suffering or sacrifice. "This is not a religion of repentance from sin, of keeping the Sabbath, of living as a servant of a sovereign divinity, of steadfastly saying one's prayers, of faithfully observing high holy days, of building character through suffering, of basking in God's love and grace, of spending oneself in gratitude and love for the cause of social justice, etc.," explains Smith in his study. "Rather, what appears to be the dominant religion among U.S. teenagers is centrally about feeling good, happy, secure, at peace. It is about attaining subjective well-being, being able to resolve problems, and getting along amiably with other people." Happiness is the end to which we seek.
Third, MTD also alters the concept of God. He is still one who orders the universe and gives humans moral guidelines, but He is not one who is personally involved with human affairs. He's especially not involved in the personal happenings in which we prefer God to stay at a distance. In MTD, God is not God of all things, rather of a select few convenient things (i.e. meeting my needs).
Lastly, the most interesting facet of MTD noted by Smith is that this new world religion dominates our culture without requiring adherents to leave their church affiliations or Christian identification. "We have come with some confidence to believe that a significant part of Christianity in the United States is actually [only] tenuously Christian in any sense that is seriously connected to the actual historical Christian tradition, but is rather substantially morphed into Christianity's misbegotten step-cousin, Christian Moralistic Therapeutic Deism" summarizes Smith in his book Soul Searching. "We now live in a nation that largely considers itself Christian, overwhelmingly believes in some deity, considers itself fervently religious, but has virtually no connection to historic Christianity."
It's flexible dimensions require little, but what does this new religion offer in return for it's teasing appeal of ease and comfort? Perhaps the benefits are just what the seekers seek- the resolution of problems and a good feeling. But is that worth following?
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6
Moralistic Therapeutic Deism "is about inculcating a moralistic approach to life. It teaches that central to living a good and happy life is being a good, moral person. That means being nice, kind, pleasant, respectful, responsible, at work on self-improvement, taking care of one's health, and doing one's best to be successful."
Being "nice" is a central tenant of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. It follows then that holding strong theological convictions that exclude other truth claims is not nice, rather outright rude. Here, MTD consciously separates from Christianity since standing behind some central truths of the Christian life is a direct violation of MTD doctrine. The word nice is actually never used in the Bible.
Secondly, MTD is also about "about providing therapeutic benefits to its adherents." It is the religious feel-good pill that costs no money. MTD is also the only world religion void of an acknowledgement of suffering or sacrifice. "This is not a religion of repentance from sin, of keeping the Sabbath, of living as a servant of a sovereign divinity, of steadfastly saying one's prayers, of faithfully observing high holy days, of building character through suffering, of basking in God's love and grace, of spending oneself in gratitude and love for the cause of social justice, etc.," explains Smith in his study. "Rather, what appears to be the dominant religion among U.S. teenagers is centrally about feeling good, happy, secure, at peace. It is about attaining subjective well-being, being able to resolve problems, and getting along amiably with other people." Happiness is the end to which we seek.
Third, MTD also alters the concept of God. He is still one who orders the universe and gives humans moral guidelines, but He is not one who is personally involved with human affairs. He's especially not involved in the personal happenings in which we prefer God to stay at a distance. In MTD, God is not God of all things, rather of a select few convenient things (i.e. meeting my needs).
Lastly, the most interesting facet of MTD noted by Smith is that this new world religion dominates our culture without requiring adherents to leave their church affiliations or Christian identification. "We have come with some confidence to believe that a significant part of Christianity in the United States is actually [only] tenuously Christian in any sense that is seriously connected to the actual historical Christian tradition, but is rather substantially morphed into Christianity's misbegotten step-cousin, Christian Moralistic Therapeutic Deism" summarizes Smith in his book Soul Searching. "We now live in a nation that largely considers itself Christian, overwhelmingly believes in some deity, considers itself fervently religious, but has virtually no connection to historic Christianity."
It's flexible dimensions require little, but what does this new religion offer in return for it's teasing appeal of ease and comfort? Perhaps the benefits are just what the seekers seek- the resolution of problems and a good feeling. But is that worth following?
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6
8.30.2011
The Hope of Restoration
No one could have missed yet another example of the earth's ability to demolish and destroy this weekend as Hurricane Irene collided with the East Coast. Irene wreaked damage, but not as much as originally feared by its precarious trajectory across major East Coast cities.
What might have been overlooked about this natural disaster is that, as 2011’s tenth billion-dollar episode, it has tied the 2008 record for most billion-dollar disasters in one calendar year.
Courtesy of Our Amazing Planet, here are the others:
You are not alone if that list raises an eyebrow. The intensity and sheer quantity of weather disasters in recent past has led more than one person to wonder if end times prophecies are slowly being fulfilled.
Is the world ending? Are we spiraling out of control? Is the earth hinging on the brink of absolute demolition?
No. We are neither left to our own devices, nor precariously hinging between death by earthquake or storm. The promise is not demolition, but restoration for those claiming redemption in Christ.
What we do know is that no one knows the day or hour except for the Father (Matthew 24:36) and the city that we are waiting for is worth the wait… For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come... A city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God (Hebrews 11&13).
Until then, we shouldn’t be surprised by calamities. It's part of being fallen. Of course this doesn't dismiss the pain of death and loss, but it does remind us that this is not all there is to life. We are expectantly waiting for something more. Thank God! Romans explains that creation is subject to frustration at its present state, but it will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom that we as children of God have already tasted.
In the words of Nicole Unice:
What might have been overlooked about this natural disaster is that, as 2011’s tenth billion-dollar episode, it has tied the 2008 record for most billion-dollar disasters in one calendar year.
Courtesy of Our Amazing Planet, here are the others:
Upper Midwest flooding, summer: Melting of an above-average snowpack across the northern Rocky Mountains, combined with above-average precipitation, caused the Missouri and Souris rivers to swell beyond their banks across the Upper Midwest. An estimated 11,000 people were forced to evacuate Minot, N.D., due to the record high level of the Souris River. Numerous levees were breached along the Missouri River, flooding thousands of acres of farmland. The flooding, which is ongoing, has caused more than $2 billion in damages.
Mississippi River flooding, spring-summer: Persistent rainfall (nearly triple the normal precipitation amounts in the Ohio Valley), combined with melting snowpack, caused historical flooding along the Mississippi River and its tributaries. The region suffered $2 billion to $4 billion in losses. At least two people died.
Southern Plains/Southwest drought, heat wave and wildfires, spring-summer: Drought, heat waves, and wildfires scorched through Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, southern Kansas, western Arkansas and Louisiana this year. In Texas and Oklahoma, respectively, 75 percent and 63 percent of range and pasture conditions were classified as "very poor" as of mid-August. Wildfire fighting costs for the region are about $1 million per day. Well over $5 billion in damage has been done so far, with over 2,000 homes and structures lost.
Midwest/Southeast tornadoes, May 22-27: Central and southern states saw approximately 180 twisters and 177 deaths within a week . A tornado rated EF-5 on the tornado damage scale struck Joplin, Mo., resulting in at least 141 deaths, making it the deadliest single tornado to strike the United States since modern tornado record keeping began in 1950. The total losses were greater than $7 billion.
Southeast/Ohio Valley/Midwest tornadoes, April 25-30: This outbreak of tornadoes over central and southern states led to 327 deaths. Of those fatalities, 240 occurred in Alabama. The deadliest of the estimated 305 tornadoes in the outbreak was an EF-5 that hit northern Alabama, killing 78 people. Several major metropolitan areas were directly affected by strong tornadoes, including Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Huntsville, Ala., and Chattanooga, Tenn. Total losses exceeded $9 billion.
Midwest/Southeast tornadoes, April 14-16: An outbreak over central and southern states produced an estimated 160 tornadoes. Despite the large overall number of tornadoes, few were classified as intense, with just 14 EF-3 --and no EF-4 or EF-5 -- tornadoes identified. Total losses were greater than $2 billion. Thirty-eight people died, 22 of them in North Carolina.
Southeast/Midwest tornadoes, April 8-11: An outbreak of tornadoes over central and southern states saw an estimated 59 tornadoes. Total losses were greater than $2.2 billion.
Midwest/Southeast tornadoes, April 4-5: An outbreak of tornadoes over central and southern states saw an estimated 46 tornadoes. Total losses were greater than $2.3 billion. Nine people died.
Groundhog Day blizzard, Jan 29-Feb 3: A large winter storm hit many central, eastern and northeastern states. Chicago was brought to a virtual standstill when 1 to 2 feet (0.3 to 0.6 meters) of snow fell across the city. Total losses were greater than $2 billion. The snowstorm killed 36 people.
You are not alone if that list raises an eyebrow. The intensity and sheer quantity of weather disasters in recent past has led more than one person to wonder if end times prophecies are slowly being fulfilled.
Is the world ending? Are we spiraling out of control? Is the earth hinging on the brink of absolute demolition?
No. We are neither left to our own devices, nor precariously hinging between death by earthquake or storm. The promise is not demolition, but restoration for those claiming redemption in Christ.
What we do know is that no one knows the day or hour except for the Father (Matthew 24:36) and the city that we are waiting for is worth the wait… For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come... A city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God (Hebrews 11&13).
Until then, we shouldn’t be surprised by calamities. It's part of being fallen. Of course this doesn't dismiss the pain of death and loss, but it does remind us that this is not all there is to life. We are expectantly waiting for something more. Thank God! Romans explains that creation is subject to frustration at its present state, but it will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom that we as children of God have already tasted.
In the words of Nicole Unice:
God Made it Good.We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Romans 8:22-25
Sin Made it Suffer.
Love Walked Among Us.
To live free, Believe–
Our Risen King Cometh!
8.23.2011
Funerals and Earthquakes
Without wanting to, I've been forced to reckon with the idea of death lately. Last week, a beloved coworker tragically and suddenly lost her 21 year-old brother in a late night single car accident. This week, an earthquake erupted for an uncomfortably local visit.
There is nothing that brings you face to face with your powerlessness like the prospect of death. Our culture professes power over virtually everything else. But death, no one escapes. No one in their right mind can pretend to exert power over it. We have the capability to control so many other things- disease, time, pregnancy, careers, location, colors, styles, tastes, textures, smells. The list goes on and on. You name it, we can choose it. If we can't choose it, we can change it. But not death.
The chilling shock of death when we see it, experience it in those we love, and consider it as a probability for ourselves is just as much a shock to our controlling tendencies as it is to our expectations. It's not just that we didn't see it coming, it's that we didn't choose it and we can't change it. Our power is not useful here. Our self reliance is not relevant. The status quo is not reliable.
Because of both a recent tragedy and a narrow escape from it, I am reminded of our powerlessness when faced with the grave. We don't choose, although Lord knows we would like to. Believer and atheist, Jew and Gentile, scientist and philosopher, Muslim and Christian- all confess that we are empty handed and powerless before the grave.
But what is the response? For the skeptic, it may be one bad night's rest and a decisive banishment of the thought to a dusty corner of the mind. For the believer, we are keenly reminded of the singular Hope that appears most certainly in times and places in which we lack. Death is too large for us to control. We are powerless before it. We need someone larger than ourselves.
So grace it is... it's all we've got. God so loved the world that He gave... so that we could hope.
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. Hebrews 2:14-15.
There is nothing that brings you face to face with your powerlessness like the prospect of death. Our culture professes power over virtually everything else. But death, no one escapes. No one in their right mind can pretend to exert power over it. We have the capability to control so many other things- disease, time, pregnancy, careers, location, colors, styles, tastes, textures, smells. The list goes on and on. You name it, we can choose it. If we can't choose it, we can change it. But not death.
The chilling shock of death when we see it, experience it in those we love, and consider it as a probability for ourselves is just as much a shock to our controlling tendencies as it is to our expectations. It's not just that we didn't see it coming, it's that we didn't choose it and we can't change it. Our power is not useful here. Our self reliance is not relevant. The status quo is not reliable.
Because of both a recent tragedy and a narrow escape from it, I am reminded of our powerlessness when faced with the grave. We don't choose, although Lord knows we would like to. Believer and atheist, Jew and Gentile, scientist and philosopher, Muslim and Christian- all confess that we are empty handed and powerless before the grave.
But what is the response? For the skeptic, it may be one bad night's rest and a decisive banishment of the thought to a dusty corner of the mind. For the believer, we are keenly reminded of the singular Hope that appears most certainly in times and places in which we lack. Death is too large for us to control. We are powerless before it. We need someone larger than ourselves.
So grace it is... it's all we've got. God so loved the world that He gave... so that we could hope.
8.10.2011
For the Days I Want to Feel Small
Sis and I were talking about the strange things we do on our computers when we turn to mush and get sucked into the world wide web. Kelsey looks for cars at carmax.com, peruses every posted picture on hokiesports.com, and reviews weather forecasts for every city she's ever thought she might like to live.
I prefer to visit blogs, especially Google's Blogs of Note. It's like the work of paparazzi, but autobiographical and therefore, consensual. I also can't stay away from National Geographic's website. Their Photo of the Day never disappoints. As I find myself stuck on their website again tonight, marveling at the wonders of the world as captured by camera, I am reminded how BIG the world is and how even BIGGER still God must be to have created this. These many creatures, these unique people, these striking habitats... all different, carefully constructed, and precariously balanced. All beautiful in their design. Our Maker is innovative, yes?
Lesson to self: Breathe deeply and step out of self-centered, tiny world. Breathe deeply again, and the breath is a little less haggard. It's also a little deeper, in fact, because my perspective has returned. My vision has widened and deepened.
I am not the center of the world. I am not the protagonist. I am God's beloved, but me and my flippant preferences are not meant to reign as absolute in this life.
I figured I'd pass a few photos and captions along, courtesy of nationalgeographic.com, of course! If I'm not inspired enough to write something worth reading, I'll settle for passing along something worth viewing.
AUGUST 10, 2011
Kermode Bear in Tree, British Columbia
Photograph by Paul Nicklen, National Geographic
This Month in Photo of the Day: National Geographic Magazine Features
A mother of two cubs climbs a Pacific crab apple tree to grab its tart and tiny fruit. In years when autumn salmon numbers are low, the bears must find other food, such as wild berries, lupine roots, and mussels.
AUGUST 8, 2011
Nujood Ali, Yemen
Photograph by Stephanie Sinclair, National Geographic
This Month in Photo of the Day: National Geographic Magazine Features
Nujood Ali was ten when she fled her abusive, much older husband and took a taxi to the courthouse in Sanaa, Yemen. The girl's courageous act—and the landmark legal battle that ensued—turned her into an international heroine for women's rights. Now divorced, she is back home with her family and attending school again.
AUGUST 3, 2011
Al Kazimiyah Shrine, Baghdad
Photograph by Lynsey Addario, National Geographic
This Month in Photo of the Day: National Geographic Magazine Features
Pilgrims visit Al Kazimiyah Shrine, a Shiite holy site relatively unharmed by the years of violence.
JULY 31, 2011
Koala, Australia
Photograph by Gary Brown, Your Shot
This Month in Photo of the Day: Animal Pictures
This little miracle was saved from its dead mother. Taken at The Australian Reptile Park in Australia NSW. The amazing staff hand raised this little fella and against all the odds he is surviving and is just immensely cute!!!
JULY 29, 2011
Cheetah, South Africa
Photograph by Frank Trimbos, My Shot
This Month in Photo of the Day: Animal Pictures
Enjoying the attention, the cheetah Juba stretches out in the grass at Wetevreden Leeuplaas (Lion Farm). She needed some peace and quiet because her leg was broken.
JULY 21, 2011
Deer, Japan
Photograph by Angie Sin, Your Shot
This Month in Photo of the Day: Animal Pictures
Deer in Nara, Japan, are revered as holy messengers of God and are allowed to roam freely. They are well known for their bowing gestures for food.
8.05.2011
The New York Times on Evangelicals
Finally, a realistic, comprehensive take on the evangelical Christian, articulated by none other than "liberal" Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times. Whether you consider yourself an evangelical or not, this commentary is a must-read.
In sum, Kristof uses the recent death of "gentle" 90 year-old John Stott, a British Christian writer and pastor, as a launching pad for painting a more holistic view of the evangelical movement. He begins with the overdone stereotypes, i.e. evangelicals are self-righteous, anti-intellectual, and reactionary.
I know I am not alone in cringing when I hear these judgmental, rash assumptions. Each of these words hits a heavy blow, first to my pride, and then to my heart. I know it should never be surprising to walk into verbal persecution, but it leads me to contemplate: Are we really being the people of God that do the work of God if the first words that come to mind in describing the evangelical movement are self-righteous, anti-intellectual, and reactionary? Something is not right. Part of the problem is today's scan the page, grab a to-go cup, talk on your Bluetooth at the grocery store type of culture. Luckily, Kristof doesn't leave it there; he rises above today's common reluctance to peer beneath the surface... of anything... and actually uses observation and facts to put together an informed opinion. Fancy that.
He says, "Yet that casual dismissal is profoundly unfair of the movement as a whole. It reflects a kind of reverse intolerance, sometimes a reverse bigotry, directed at tens of millions of people who have actually become increasingly engaged in issues of global poverty and justice."
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