TUESDAY TRAVELS: Nobody "Covers" like JT

Today we take a trip through the world of music. Dad is such a fan of James Taylor that our kids know every JT song since the 1980's by heart. They've heard them on every road trip, danced silly jigs to them as toddlers, enjoyed them on summer lawns in concert, watched them on DVD, and listened to dad play his own versions of them on the guitar.

One aspect of JT's music that I've always enjoyed is his ability to cover the songs of other artists and make them his own. Songs like "You've Got a Friend," "How Sweet It Is," "Everyday," and so many others have always satisfied. Now he's put together an entire album of covers, and it's amazing.

First of all, the new recording is more consistently upbeat than other JT albums. In concert, Taylor often uses covers to pump up the pace and volume, and several of those songs are here, including, "Summertime Blues" and "Not Fade Away." Backed by the fine "Band of Legends" that toured with him this summer, this collection rocks. I especially enjoy the brilliant horn section work and razor-sharp guitar solos.

Second, the variety is wonderful. Songs run the gamut, from the expected standard singer-songwriter material ("Suzanne") to traditional country ("Why Baby Why") to sublime pop ("Wichita Lineman") to smooth, so-fine R&B ("It's Growing," "Sadie").

This is a fine, fun, and fresh recording. According to the liner notes, the sessions took place over ten days in a converted barn studio with twelve outstanding musicians. The energy of this "live in the studio" approach is apparent from the outset.

Highly recommended!

MONDAY MUSINGS: Blue Parakeet, part three

The Bible is not so much a book we read as it is a world into which we enter.

This is how I would summarize Scot McKnight's big point as he encourages us to read the Bible as story. Instead, we are trained to read it in other ways...

• As a collection of laws
• As a collection of blessings and promises
• As an inkblot, projecting onto the Bible what the reader wants to see
  
• As a puzzle that, once put together, reveals a system mapping God's mind
• As accepting one part of Scripture like a maestro, one teaching voice that explains all the rest of the Bible

All of these approaches are "shortcuts" that keep us from entering the world of the Bible fully so that it can do its work in our lives.

Instead, we first need to grasp the big picture or the "Big Story" of the Bible. Then, we need to recognize that all the various "stories" in the Bible contribute to its Big Story. Scot McKnight calls these "wiki-stories," a reference to Wikipedia, the ever-evolving open source web encyclopedia. The Bible tells the Big Story, and to do so it is made up of many wiki-stories. God spoke to Moses in Moses' day in Moses' way, to Paul in Paul's day in Paul's way, and so on throughout the historical time-frame in which Scripture was written, and yet these individual parts, diverse as they may be, are each a true reflection of the Big Story, and all are held together by the Big Story.

To show us how the Bible works, McKnight outlines the plot of The Big Story. It is about:

• God creating Eikons to live in oneness
  
• The Eikons becoming cracked
• God forming a covenant community to restore cracked Eikons (which fails)
• God sending Jesus as the Perfect Eikon, who redeems cracked Eikons
• God consummating redemption and restoring perfect oneness
  

This is the plot of the Big Story, and we read every wiki-story in its light. In subsequent chapters, McKnight will take one issue—the ministry of women in the church—and show how reading the Bible in the light of its Big Story can help us apply its teachings in our lives today.

pSunday Psalms: Psalm 126

Living between Memory and Hope
My daily work is as a chaplain for a hospice program. That means I work with people who are dying, their families, and in our bereavement program with those who have lost loved ones in the past year. Psalm 126 is a song that speaks volumes to these precious folks. It speaks to me too, for we all live in the now, which is between the past and the future. We live between our memories and our hopes. And how shall we then live?

The first three verses of Psalm 126 look in the rear-view mirror at what has gone before:

When the LORD brought back the captive ones of Zion,
We were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter
And our tongue with joyful shouting;
Then they said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us;
We are glad.

These words were sung by those who had returned from Babylon. The Lord had done great things for them, and now they were home. It was a dream come true, a cause for celebration, and a witness to all nations of God's sovereign grace and power. This memory made them glad.

However, the next three verses look to their future:

Restore our captivity, O LORD,
As the streams in the South.
Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting.
He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed,
Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

When the exiles returned, they came home to chaos. A huge rebuilding project awaited them. Think people returning to New Orleans after Katrina, or to Galveston after hurricane Ike. Nor was the devastation only in their environment. A small, weak group without the infrastructure of the kingdom as they had known it, they were still beset by their enemies round about and prone more than ever to spiritual discouragement. In one sense they were back, however, in reality they still faced a long hard road to get all the way back.

And so they cry out to God for a full return, that he will fill them like rains that transform the desert. They cling to the promise that their present tears are like seeds sown in fertile soil. One day they will yield a harvest of never-ending gladness and fruitfulness.

Now may be the time of tears and toilsome labor. Do not despair. Faithfully plant your seeds in the fertile field between memory and hope and look to the Lord of harvest.

SATURDAY SPORTS WRAP: Sept 26-27

One game left for Cubs
The Chicago Cubs finish the regular season tomorrow against the Milwaukee Brewers, whom they defeated 7-3 today, dropping the Brew-crew into a tie in the wild card race. (photo from ChicagoSports.com)

Trine upsets Franklin
The Franklin Grizzlies, who had moved up in the NCAA Div III rankings to #14 this week, were surprised by a strong Trine Thunder team, 30-27, today at Trine's homecoming. Franklin's record drops to 2-1, in anticipation of next week's conference opener at Defiance.

The usually potent Grizzly offense had several chances in the fourth quarter to drive for a score, but the Thunder defense stiffened and prevented the comeback. Then sophomore QB Eric Watt took over, and Trine ran out the clock.

Turnovers were costly for Franklin, as Trine turned four Grizzly miscues into scores.

Whiteland dominates visiting Grizzly Cubs
The Whiteland Warriors soundly defeated Mid-State rival Franklin Friday night, 48-0, at Whiteland's homecoming. Franklin was in the game in the first quarter, and had chances to make some noise early, but mistakes and aggressive Warrior play quickly turned the tables, and the rout was on. (photo from The Daily Journal)

FRIDAY FOTO: Late Summer Bee

Late summer bee. Sept 2008.

(Photo by Michael Mercer)

THURSDAY THINGAMAJIG: Random Rants

Today, some random rants and reflections on various subjects...

• I'm a die-hard Cubs fan and Carlos Zambrano is scaring me.

• Have you watched the news on TV lately? Really? Where did you find it? I've been looking and can't seem to find anything that resembles it.

• Starbucks needs to get back to doing what they do best--introducing people to a wide variety of good coffees.

• Contemporary Christian music is mostly awful. However, the David Crowder Band's "Remedy" is exceptionally fresh and exhilarating. And Bob Kauflin at Sovereign Grace Music is a gift to the church.

• When it comes to the culture wars, I am a conscientious objector.

• If the political ads are any indication, this election will change nothing about the fact that we are being led by idiots who think we are idiots.

• Thomas Friedman is correct. In the light of our various energy crises, we have one of the greatest opportunities in history for creative innovation and progress. Who will seize the day?

• A huge Bronx cheer to Lifeway Christian Stores for their decision to pull from display a magazine featuring women pastors on its cover. Are you kidding me?

• TVLand has been airing "best" episodes of The Cosby Show this week. What fun. That was our young family's favorite show and we still enjoy it together.
  

• 700 billion dollars. Speechless... Someone will be held accountable, right? RIGHT?

WEDNESDAY QWOTE: Luther on Justification

From Roland Bainton's biography of Martin Luther, Here I Stand, today's quote comes from the great turning point in Luther's life in 1515--when he grasped the meaning of justification by faith in Paul's letter to the Romans.

I greatly longed to understand Paul's Epistle to the Romans and nothing stood in the way but that one expression, "the justice of God," because I took it to mean that justice whereby God is just and deals justly in punishing the unjust. My situation was that, although an impeccable monk, I stood before God as a sinner troubled in conscience, and I had no confidence that my merit would assuage him. Therefore I did not love a just and angry God, but rather hated and murmured against him. Yet I clung to the dear Paul and had a great yearning to know what he meant.

Night and day I pondered until I saw the connection between the justice of God and the statement that "the just shall live by his faith." Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. The whole of Scripture took on new meaning, and whereas before the "justice of God" had filled me with hate, now it became to me inexpressibly sweet in greater love. This passage of Paul became to me a gate to heaven.

TUESDAY TRAVELS: Back to Orissa, India

On today's travels we return to news from Orissa, a state in eastern India. Here is a first-person report from a Christian friend and doctor who is leading an effort to bring relief to those suffering from the many trials Orissa has been facing over the past months. As you will read, the situation is now becoming dire, not only because of the persecution and communal violence that has racked the state, but also because of the monsoon rains and an impending cyclone.

"Thank you very much for remembering the people of Orissa in your prayers. Yes, it's the state which is undergoing various types of trials and tribulations.

"Last the whole month the ethnic violence in Kondhmal District of Orissa where churches were torched and Christians were massacred and the whole community was in fear and distress and most of them were hiding in the jungles , and this violence has spread to different other states like Bangalore and Mangalore in Karnataka and Kerala and also in other states like Madhyapradesh, and Chatisgarh, in which mostly the churches and Christians were attacked by the particular fundamentalist, exreme outfit of the so called Hindus even though it is not supported by the majority of the Hindus. Even now there are continued attacks on Christians and the destruction of churches in various parts of our country...

"When the state was recovering gradually from these tragedies, then came the devastating flood in Orissa where 17 districts have been affected but more so the worst affected are the four districts like CUTTACK , PURI, KENDRAPADA, JAGATSINGPUR. Because of the typical topography of Cuttack, as you have seen, on both the sides there are two major rivers--the Mahanadi & Kathjuri, and both are fully swollen with the water level much above the city of Cuttack. But we are safe because of the ring road surrounding the city of Cuttack, and more of the damages are in the suburban towns because of the breeches in the embankments of the river which were carrying the water much above the danger lines. This situation is there since about 4-5 days and we are busy with the relief and rescue work along with the Govt machinery.

"However, to worsen the situation now since today we are again having the rains along with the cyclone which is threatening to hit the coastal Orissa in the next two days which will definitely be bad for the city of Cuttack, as the water of the rains of the cyclone cannot be drained to the two rivers on either side of the city which are already full and swollen. So most probably the people of the city will be drowned in the city water itself. So we are planning to shift the people to higher buildings and getting prepared for any eventualities. Please do PRAY that this coming cyclone will be weakened.

"But in all these situations God has helped us to strengthen our faith and be allowed to trust Him more. In most of the churches we are having worship services conducted with tight police custody and protection.

"Here we have formed a NGO by name THE SAMARITANS which is collecting funds from our local people and giving relief to some at least, and tomorrow we are planning to go to another suburban village of 42 Mouza which has been very badly affected by the flood and we hear that some of the families are still marooned in the water and needs to be rescued and some food to be given immediately."

Story in The Times of India

MONDAY MUSINGS: The Blue Parakeet, part 2

I have been granted the privilege of being an advance reader for Scot McKnight's, THE BLUE PARAKEET: Rethinking How You Read the Bible (Zondervan, pub. date 11/1/2008). Our "Monday Musings" for the next several weeks will focus on understanding and responding to Scot's book...

In seminary, I came across Mortimer Adler and Charles van Doren's book, How to Read a Book. How I wish I had read this much earlier! And how it changed my understanding of how to read the Bible! I have had other epiphanies like this over the years involving the "how" of studying Scripture. Because these experiences have been so important to me, one of my emphases in teaching is always to help people understand how to read the Bible as much as to teach them what it says.

I am having one of those profitable experiences right now, as I read Scot McKnight's upcoming book. In chapter two, he sets forth three ways that he has observed people reading the Bible.

• There are those who read to retrieve. The Bible is read to retrieve the practices described therein, and then re-create them in our own lives. The problem with this, of course, is that we can never live first-century lives in the twenty-first century. A better way is to engage in the ongoing adoption of the past, adapting it to new conditions in a way that is faithful to the Bible.

• There are those who read through tradition. Who decides what we should adopt and what we should adapt? Who decides what is faithfulness to Scripture? Some believe we can only do this if we read the Bible with the safeguard of an authoritative tradition that locks down our interpretations. Scot identifies the danger of this approach—traditionalism. Many of our ancestors were adapting the teachings of the Bible to their own day, and we can no more continue to live in that era than we can in Biblical times. However, we can read in the context of the Great Tradition— reading for ourselves but in a way that is responsible to what the church has always believed. And therefore, he commends the third way:
  

• There are those who read with tradition. This comes close to the great principle of Reformation Protestantism: reformed and always reforming. We appreciate and respect the wisdom of those who have studied the Scriptures before us. At times we disagree with their interpretations and seek to reform the practices that grew out of them. We also recognize that God is still on the move today, the Spirit is still speaking to the churches, the Word of God is still living and active. In our culture, in our day, facing the issues that challenge us, the Bible will come to life for us and guide us in a plain path.

After these general observations and admonitions, Scot McKnight challenges us specifically to read the Bible as story, to learn to listen, and to develop discernment. Next time we'll examine what it means to read the Bible as story, and some of the less helpful habits many of us maintain in approaching the Scriptures.

pSunday Psalms: PSALMS 123-125

The next three Psalms of Ascent, Pss 123-125, serve as counterparts to the first three songs in the collection—Pss 120-122.

• Like Ps 120, Ps 123 looks to God for grace in a context of trouble and conflict. (Verse 1 also picks up the language of lifting up one's eyes—see 121.1.)

• Like Ps 121, Ps 124 confesses "Our help is in the name of the Lord" (see Ps 121.2).

• Like Ps 122, Ps 125 celebrates the security of Jerusalem and God's people. Note how this psalm also ends with "peace" (see 122.6-9).
  

However, the three psalms also advance the thoughts of the three previous pieces. Let's see how...

PSALM 123: From a World of Contempt to the Place of Grace
It has been suggested that this psalm represents the first prayer in the Temple after the arrival of the pilgrim at Jerusalem (see 122.2). For the first time in the collection, the psalmist addresses God directly. Whereas in Ps 121, he lifted up his eyes to the mountains, here he lifts up his eyes to God himself. Having come from the world of exile, a world of scoffing and contempt for the life of faith, he enters the King's presence and immediately appeals to the King for grace. This word expresses a request for assistance from a subordinate to one in authority. Such relationships are pictured in verses 1-2. This is why we come to the sanctuary—for a respite from the stifling atmosphere of contempt, and to receive gifts of grace from our King to help us stand.

PSALM 124: From Confession to Testimony
This is a direct counterpart to Ps 121. In the earlier psalm, the pilgrim confessed his faith in God as his helper, and the community affirmed his faith by invoking God's promises to keep him on his journey. Now, having arrived in Jerusalem, the psalmist calls all God's people to join him in praising the Lord for keeping his promises! In vivid language he describes how God has proven in their experience the truth, "Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth."

PSALM 125: From Assurance to Prayer
In Ps 122, the pilgrim had arrived in Jerusalem (122.2) and was filled with awe at the meaning of this city for his people. Ps 125 is a further meditation on Jerusalem and how it represents the security of the righteous in God's care. The mountains, which the pilgrim had surveyed on the horizon at the start of his journey (121.1), now surround him in the King's City and assure him that God will never allow the wicked to triumph ultimately. He takes this assurance and goes to prayer in verses 4-5, asking God to accomplish his purposes. The goal, once more, is the final "shalom" (v.5).

SATURDAY SPORTS WRAP: Sept 19-20

UPDATE: Cubs take Central Division Title!
The Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 to clinch first place.

Cubs Must Wait for Another Day
The magic number is now at 1.

Milwaukee did their part by losing to
Cincinnati, but the Cardinals shelled Carlos Zambrano in his first start since his no-hitter, winning 12-6.




No Offense
The Franklin Grizzly Cubs football team was punchless against Decatur Central Friday night, suffering their second straight Mid-State Conference shutout, 27-0. Clayton Simmons, one of the conference's leading rushers, was held to just 26 yards, and the DC defense gave QB Daniel Bechman little time to throw the ball. Unfortunately, the schedule doesn't get any easier—next week Franklin plays 8th-ranked Whiteland.

FRIDAY FOTO: Orissan child

Young child—Cuttack, Orissa, India. 1998.

(Photo by Michael Mercer)

THURSDAY THINGAMAJIG: What is the Real Prosperity Gospel?

iMonk does it again—hits the nail on the head with a perceptive post on where the false teachings of the "Prosperity Gospel" hit most of us.

You don't want to miss this, and you don't want to fail to think and pray about this.

Read it HERE. Let it sink in.

WEDNESDAY QWOTE: Big Z's No-No

"I guess I'm back...Next stop will be the World Series"

(Carlos Zambrano, after his no-hitter on Sept. 14, 2008)

TUESDAY TRAVELS: Mobility and Ministry

On the "Out of Ur" blog, Collin Hansen asks, "Can you shepherd a flock that won't stay put?"

His report asks us to consider the fact of American mobility and its impact on ministry. A USA Today report he cites says that 16% of Americans moved in 2006—that's nearly 50 million people! In the face of this reality, how can churches possibly promote the kind of deep fellowship that comes from long-term relationships, the longevity that makes possible respected leadership, or the connections that make true accountability and church discipline practicable?

If this fact of modern life is so counterproductive to the Christian way, is it possible that Christ-followers might find that one of the best ways of having a long-term influence in our world would be to put down roots in one community and stay there, sacrificing wanderlust or chasing the American dream, and simply living out kingdom values for a long time?

What do you think?

Here is Hansen's conclusion, which ends up focusing on a pastor's responsibility to set an example in this regard:

For the sake of loving each other and loving our neighbors, Christians should re-learn how to put down roots in one community. There will often be valid financial and educational excuses for leaving. But if you invest in your community, the community will invest in you. For too long Christians have followed that American dream to greener pastures, to the neglect of their genealogical and ecclesiological families. If we hope to reverse this trend, shepherds should set the example.

MONDAY MUSINGS: The Blue Parakeet, part one

I have been granted the privilege of being an advance reader for Scot McKnight's, THE BLUE PARAKEET: Rethinking How You Read the Bible (Zondervan, pub. date 11/1/2008). Our "Monday Musings" for the next several weeks will focus on understanding and responding to Scot's book...

In my last pastorate, I coined a slogan from a verse in Deuteronomy to help our church understand how to follow Christ. I called it, "Learning, Loving and Living the Bible." Now, we Bible-believing Christians think we know what that means, but Scot McKnight's new book says pointedly that our claims of understanding and practicing the Bible are often hogwash— that we all pick and choose what we emphasize and practice when it comes to living out the Bible's teachings.

For example, the clear commands of James 1.26-17, by which the Bible defines "true religion," are words that somehow, many of us avoid as our definition of genuine Christian discipleship. Other examples include how we deal with Biblical teachings about the Sabbath, tithing, footwashing, charismatic gifts, and Jesus' calls to surrender our possessions. In addition, a whole range of contemporary issues challenge Bible believers to apply its teachings in arenas far removed from historical contexts that the Biblical writers addressed.

McKnight's big question, then, is "How?"—"How are we to live out the Bible today?"

The book's title was taken from an experience of birdwatching. Someone's pet blue parakeet fluttered into the author's backyard and took its place at the feeders, forcing the resident sparrows to take notice and adapt. For Scot McKnight, "blue parakeets" are Biblical passages that make its readers stop and think. They get our attention. We do not know what to make of them right away and so, they give us opportunity to pause, observe, and reflect. However, they remain frustratingly beyond our ability to tame them. How we approach these "blue parakeet" passages reveals a great deal about how you and I read our Bibles and attempt to live out its teachings.

The emphasis of this book is much needed today. Exploring our unexamined assumptions is always healthy, and never more so than when we are trying to discern what God has said to us and how we should respond. Furthermore, in today's world, where Evangelicalism regularly devolves into triumphalistic certainty about matters theological, moral and political, we must never be afraid to peek behind the curtain to determine the actual machinery behind the great and terrible Oz.

pSunday Psalms: PSALM 122

Psalms 120-122 are like a mini-collection within the Psalms of Ascent, taking us from the pilgrim's home, then along the road until he arrives at the place he is going.

• Psalm 120 describes where the pilgrim lives and establishes his hunger for God’s shalom.

• Psalm 121 foresees the pilgrim’s journey and expresses the assurance that God will keep him through all its challenges.

• Psalm 122 anticipates the pilgrim’s destination and looks forward to the shalom and good that come to those who arrive there.

Psalm 122 focuses on Jerusalem, the destination of the righteous pilgrim. Jerusalem is described here as:

• The place where the house of Lord is

• The place where God’s people dwell together

• The place where all Israel goes to give thanks to God

• The place where God’s Davidic King rules and renders judgment

If, as is likely, this collection in its final form was meant to encourage the exiles returning from captivity, the second part of the psalm makes perfect sense as an expression of their longing for peace and prosperity within the city which had been ruined but was now being restored.

Jerusalem is a powerful image in Scripture. From Genesis, as the place where the priest-king Melchizedek appears, to the Book of Revelation, which describes a New Jerusalem, this city upon Mt. Zion has been at the heart and center of God’s plan for history. King David established it as the place of God’s rule, and his son, Jesus, faced the climactic events of his ministry there, weeping over the city that crucified him.

According to the Bible, the destination of the Christ-following pilgrim is the New Jerusalem, the city that will one day descend from heaven and fill the earth with God’s glory. On that day people from all nations will flow to the mountain of the Lord to worship and learn from the King of kings. The world will be put to rights and peace will cover the globe.

Today, as so often through history, Jerusalem is a place where conflict and strife reign—it represents the rest of the world that is groaning as it awaits its deliverance. And so, on our journey through this world, we continue to pray and work for the things that Jerusalem has always idealized, and that the New Jerusalem will bring to fulfillment—the worship of God through his Messiah, the unity of all nations, justice, true prosperity and goodness, and above all, shalom.

SATURDAY SPORTS WRAP: Sept 12-13

Franklin H.S. blanked by Mooresville
A muddy field assisted the relentless ground attack of the Mooresville Pioneers and hindered the passing game of visiting Franklin Friday night, leading to a 29-0 victory for Mooresville. This was the Grizzly Cubs' first conference game this year. Overall, they are now 2-2, whereas Mooresville, last ranked #12 in the state 4A poll, is undefeated at 4-0. Franklin will try to get its first conference win next Friday night at home against Decatur Central.

Franklin College defeats Butler
In a game filled with sloppiness unrelated to field conditions, Franklin rode a strong second half to a 31-28 victory over Division I-AA foe Butler University at the Butler Bowl. Multiple fumbles, drops, interceptions, long drives that ended without scores, a blocked punt, and a recovered onside kick were among the unusual elements that marked this game. The Grizzlies played a sluggish first half, scoring only 7 points, but roared out in the second half, scoring the first 17 and then hanging on to win.

Butler and Franklin have played 53 times over the years, but this was the first game between the two schools since 1987.

FRIDAY FOTO: My Old Girl

THURSDAY THINGAMAJIG: Random Thoughts on Manual Labor

Over Labor Day weekend, at our house, we labored, Gail and I. Out with the sedentary! On with the strenuous!

We prepared, cleaned and painted our three-level deck (at least one year overdue for refurbishing), shoveled and wheeled and lugged dirt to areas in our back yard where we are trying again to make grass grow, carried bricks and used them to mark off an area for plants and ground cover and then set them in the ground, hoed weeds and raked soil, sowed grass seed, hauled straw, chopped down most of an old apple tree that had died in last summer's drought, and trimmed bushes grown wild and high and all convoluted through neglect.

Sweat constantly blurred my glasses and soaked my shirt. Blisters, cuts and scrapes appeared on hands and legs. At night the muscles in my lower back screamed at me. I'm sure I drank gallons of iced tea. After showering at night we collapsed into bed. I can't speak for Gail, but I continued to haul dirt all night in my dreams, back and forth, back and forth, tossing and turning in the bed with each barrow full. Next morning, somehow, we dragged ourselves from under the covers and went at it again.

Nothing has felt so good in a long time.

"It is not possible to devalue the body and value the soul."
(Wendell Berry)

WEDNESDAY QWOTE: Amusing Ourselves to Death

In her book, Reaching Out without Dumbing Down, Marva Dawn quotes Neil Postman's seminal study, Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. Postman says that there are two visions of the way a culture may become oppressive—the way which George Orwell foresaw, or the way of Aldous Huxley.

Orwell saw culture becoming a prison, as "Big Brother" controls every aspect of life. Huxley, on the other hand, saw culture becoming a burlesque, in which citizens are perpetually entertained, to their doom.

Here's the quote:

What Huxley teaches is that in the age of advanced technology, spiritual devastation is more likely to come from an enemy with a smiling face than from one whose countenance exudes suspicion and hate. In the Huxleyan prophecy, Big Brother does not watch us, by his choice. We watch him, by ours. There is no need for wardens or gates or Ministries of Truth. When a population becomes distracted by trivia, when cultural life is redefined as a perpetual round of entertainments, when serious public conversation becomes a form of baby-talk, when, in short, a people become an audience and their public business a vaudeville act, then a nation finds itself at risk; culture-death is a clear possibility.

Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business (New York: Viking Penguin, 1985), pp. 155-56.

TUESDAY TRAVELS: Violence against Christians in Orissa

Gail and I have had the privilege of taking several mission trips to India since 1996 to work with India YFC. These have been perspective-altering and life-changing experiences for us. Our first trips took us to the state of Orissa in eastern India.

Recently, disturbing and frightening reports have been emerging from Orissa about communal violence by radical Hindus against Christians. The BBC World Service reported on Aug. 26 that the killing of a prominent Hindu leader has been used as a pretext to attack the Christian community, to burn churches and Christian sites, and perpetrate violent acts against individuals and families who profess to follow Christ.

Yesterday's Hindu newspaper cited a protest by The Federation of Indian Christian Organisations in North America, calling what is happening as "ethnic cleansing by Hindu fundamentalist outfits." They claim that "Hundreds of Christian houses had been set afire and more than 60,000 Christians were hiding in forests without food and water. Also, the number of missing persons was rising..."

A blog has been created to update the world about the violence in Orissa, called, "Orissa Burning." Please be informed, pray, and act as you are able to seek peace in this situation.

MONDAY MUSINGS: Why One Person Left Church

Thanks again to the Internet Monk for introducing me to a fellow traveler in the "post-evangelical wilderness." Her name is Julie Neidlinger, and she blogs at loneprairie.net.

Awhile back she wrote a post called, "Why I Walked Out of Church," which has apparently created quite a stir. In it she writes...

I believe what I believe -- my Christian faith -- not because of tradition or because I was raised that way. Not because I want fire insurance or hell-avoidance. Not because I want to find a group or place to belong. I believe it on my own, I believe it to be real, I believe it to be important and valid, and I believe the way we have made Christianity out to be is completely wrong. And that's why I have such a hard time going to church as it is now done.

Inspired by her rage at reading a story on "NextGen Worship," Julie both rants and reflects on why so much of contemporary Christian practice, with its emphasis on "relevance," its "perpetual youth group culture," its segregation of ages and its "focus on the family," along with the attendant patronization of singles, is a huge turn-off for a growing number of thoughtful people.

I encourage you to read it, mull it over and see if you agree. If you feel like commenting, I'd love to hear what you think.

pSunday Psalms: PSALM 121

MAY THE ROAD RISE UP TO MEET YOU

Psalm 121 is the best known psalm in the collection of Psalms of Ascents. It is a song about traveling and trust.

Many have memorized the familiar strains of verse one in the KJV, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help…” These words are more accurately translated in newer versions with a question mark after the second line. The pilgrim’s help does NOT come from the hills. The high places are the abode of false gods. However, the one living and true God made, not only the mountains, but also the skies and land—all creation. Thus, the hills are not so much a symbol of God’s power in this psalm as a picture of how the greatest metaphors of might in creation are as nothing in the light of the Creator’s greatness. Nothing, no one in the universe can help us like the living God.

The main structural feature of Ps 121 is the change of pronouns, from first person in verses 1-2, to second person in the rest of the psalm.

• The pilgrim himself speaks in the first two verses.

• The community of faith that supports the pilgrim in his journey answers him in verses 3-8.

Picture, if you will, a man standing with his bags packed, prepared to set off down the road. Gathered around him are his family and friends. They have come together to wish him Godspeed and to assure him of their confidence in the Lord’s blessing on his journey. First, the pilgrim addresses his friends, expressing his own faith in God’s help. Then, in a refrain of agreement, his brothers and sisters express their faith that the Lord will indeed continually care for him and protect him from the dangers that often beset travelers.

What do we learn from this psalm?

• The journey requires faith in a God who is bigger than the creation in which we find ourselves, with all its mysteries and challenges.

• The faith we hold is both personal and communal. We must be able to speak our faith to one another in ways that support and encourage one another on the journey.

We do not travel alone. Our God keeps us. Our friends support us.

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Traditional Gaelic Blessing

Ninth-Inning Woes

Sean Marshall pitched well (1 run and 3 hits over 6 innings), but the Cubs stranded too many runners, and Kerry Wood couldn't hold the Reds in the bottom of the ninth inning. Result? Cubs lose a heartbreaker, 4-3.

It was a beautiful day in Cincinnati, a great view from the upper deck, a sense of camaraderie in a stadium mostly filled with Cubs' fans, and a pleasant afternoon at the ballpark over all. It was also a good family day, as Gail and I enjoyed going with my folks to the game before they left to return home to Tenn.

At least the Brewers lost too, so the Cubs lost no ground and maintain their four-game lead in the standings.



Photos from chicagosports.com

FC Wins Opener

On a perfect late summer day, the Franklin College Grizzlies opened the 2008 season with a win on their home field over Baldwin-Wallace, 42-35.

You can go HERE to read the full story of the exciting victory.

We had a great time with friends and family, including my parents who drove in from Tennessee for a weekend of football with our boys and then a trip to the Cubs game in Cincinnati tomorrow.

Franklin Humbled by Shelbyville

The Franklin HS football team was humbled on their home field Friday night, 47-14, by local rival Shelbyville. It was the first loss for the Grizzly Cubs. Shelbyville, a top-ten ranked team in class 4A, is undefeated and has scored in the 40's in each of its games. They may be good, but Franklin sealed their own doom with multiple turnovers in the first half. The Golden Bears kept getting the ball deep in Franklin territory through Grizzly Cub giveaways, leading to relatively easy scores and sealing the deal long before the first half was over.

Next week Coach McClure's Franklin squad hopes to bounce back against tough conference foe, Mooresville.