9.22.2005
The Good Ol Days
Amsterdam to Chicago
Chicago to Washington D.C.
Washington D.C. to Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia to St. Augustine
St. Augustine to Charlotte
Charlotte to Highlands, N.C.
Highlands, N.C. to Columbus
Columbus to Indianapolis
Indianapolis to Chicago
It's a good thing that Asher is so easy going, cause if not, I'm afraid we would have been in for the worst three weeks of our lives. Instead, we have enjoyed a wonderful trip around the Eastern USA to see family and friends. I think we passed 54 Wal-Marts and 127 McDonalds on the journey and didn't stop at even one. It's still early in the game of course, but things are going great so far. The vacation has barely even to begin. We'll see in about a month if we feel the same way.
We miss Amsterdam though. The good cheese, the good beer, the good people. We miss most everything in some way or another. Still, the winds of change have blown and we will go where His breath blows.
8.26.2005
Who would Jesus assassinate...?
As a follow up to my post about Pat Robertson a few days ago, here is a great article from Jim Wallis at Sojourners...
Who would Jesus assassinate?
"I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think we really ought to go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war, and I don't think any oil shipments will stop. But this man is a terrific danger, and this is in our sphere of influence, so we can't let this happen. We have the Monroe Doctrine, and we have other doctrines that we have announced, and without question, this is a dangerous enemy to our south, controlling a huge pool of oil that could hurt us very badly. We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. We don't need another 200-billion-dollar war to get rid of one strong-arm dictator. It's a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with."
- Pat Robertson, advocating the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Pat Robertson: An embarrassment to the church
by Jim Wallis
Pat Robertson is an embarrassment to the church and a danger to American politics.
Robertson is known for his completely irresponsible statements - that the 9/11 terrorist attacks were due to American feminists and liberals, that true Christians could vote only for George W. Bush, that the federal judiciary is a greater threat to America than those who flew the planes into the World Trade Center Towers, and the list goes on. Robertson even took credit once for diverting a hurricane. But his latest outburst may take the cake.
On Monday, Robertson called for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Robertson is worried about Chavez's critiques of American power and behavior in the world, especially because Venezuela is sitting on all that oil. We simply can't have an anti-American political leader who could raise the price of gas. So let's just kill him, the famous television preacher seriously suggested. After all, having some of our "covert operatives" take out the troublesome Venezuelan leader would be cheaper than another $200 billion war, he said.
It's clear Robertson must not have first asked himself "What would Jesus do?" But the teachings of Jesus have never been very popular with Robertson. He gets his religion elsewhere, from the twisted ideologies of an American brand of right-wing fundamentalism that has always been more nationalist than Christian. Apparently, Robertson didn't even remember what the Ten Commandments say, though he has championed their display on the walls of every American courthouse. That irritating one about "Thou shalt not kill" seems to rule out the killing of foreign leaders. But this week, simply putting biblical ethics aside, Robertson virtually issued an American religious fatwah for the murder of a foreign leader - on national television no less. That may be a first.
Yesterday Robertson "apologized." First he denied saying what he had said, but it was on the videotape (it's tough when they record you breaking the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Jesus). Then he said that "taking out" Chavez might not require killing him, and perhaps kidnapping a duly elected leader would do. But Robertson does now say that using the word "assassination" was wrong and that he had been frustrated by Chavez - the old "my frustration made me say that somebody should be killed" argument. But the worst thing about Robertson's apology was that he compared himself to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German church leader and martyr who ultimately joined in a plot to assassinate Adolph Hitler.
Robertson's political and theological reasoning is simply unbelievable. Chavez, a democratically elected leader in no less than three internationally certified votes, has been an irritant to the Bush administration, but has yet to commit any holocausts. Nor does his human rights record even approach that of the Latin American dictators who have been responsible for massive violations of human rights and the deaths of tens of thousands of people (think of the military regimes of Chile, Argentina, El Salvador, and Guatemala). Robertson never criticized them, perhaps because many of them were supported by U.S. military aid and training.
This incident reveals that Robertson does not believe in democracy; he believes in theocracy. And he would like governments, including our own, to implement his theological agenda, perhaps legislate Leviticus, and "take out" those who disagree.
Robertson's American fundamentalist ideology gives a lot of good people a bad name. World evangelical leaders have already responded with alarm and disbelief. Robertson's words will taint and smear other evangelical Christians and put some in actual jeopardy, such as Venezuelan evangelicals. Most conservative evangelical Christians are appalled by Robertson's hateful and literally murderous words, and it's time for them to say so. To their credit, the World Evangelical Alliance and the National Association of Evangelicals have already denounced Robertson's words. When will we hear from some of the groups from the "Religious Right," such as the Family Research Council, Southern Baptists, and other leaders like James Dobson, Tony Perkins, and Chuck Colson?
Robertson's words fuel both anti-Christian and anti-American sentiments around the world. It's difficult for an American government that has historically plotted against leaders in Cuba, Chile, the Congo, South Vietnam, and elsewhere to be easily believed when it disavows Robertson's call to assassinate Chavez. But George Bush must do so anyway, in the strongest terms possible.
It's time to name Robertson for what he is: an American fundamentalist whose theocratic views are not much different from the "Muslim extremists" he continually assails. It's time for conservative evangelical Christians in America, who are not like Islamic fundamentalists or Robertson, to distance themselves from his embarrassing and dangerous religion.
And it's time for Christian leaders of all stripes to call on Robertson not just to apologize, but to retire.
I couldn't agree more. Thank you Jim.
Who would Jesus assassinate?
"I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think we really ought to go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war, and I don't think any oil shipments will stop. But this man is a terrific danger, and this is in our sphere of influence, so we can't let this happen. We have the Monroe Doctrine, and we have other doctrines that we have announced, and without question, this is a dangerous enemy to our south, controlling a huge pool of oil that could hurt us very badly. We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. We don't need another 200-billion-dollar war to get rid of one strong-arm dictator. It's a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with."
- Pat Robertson, advocating the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Pat Robertson: An embarrassment to the church
by Jim Wallis
Pat Robertson is an embarrassment to the church and a danger to American politics.
Robertson is known for his completely irresponsible statements - that the 9/11 terrorist attacks were due to American feminists and liberals, that true Christians could vote only for George W. Bush, that the federal judiciary is a greater threat to America than those who flew the planes into the World Trade Center Towers, and the list goes on. Robertson even took credit once for diverting a hurricane. But his latest outburst may take the cake.
On Monday, Robertson called for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Robertson is worried about Chavez's critiques of American power and behavior in the world, especially because Venezuela is sitting on all that oil. We simply can't have an anti-American political leader who could raise the price of gas. So let's just kill him, the famous television preacher seriously suggested. After all, having some of our "covert operatives" take out the troublesome Venezuelan leader would be cheaper than another $200 billion war, he said.
It's clear Robertson must not have first asked himself "What would Jesus do?" But the teachings of Jesus have never been very popular with Robertson. He gets his religion elsewhere, from the twisted ideologies of an American brand of right-wing fundamentalism that has always been more nationalist than Christian. Apparently, Robertson didn't even remember what the Ten Commandments say, though he has championed their display on the walls of every American courthouse. That irritating one about "Thou shalt not kill" seems to rule out the killing of foreign leaders. But this week, simply putting biblical ethics aside, Robertson virtually issued an American religious fatwah for the murder of a foreign leader - on national television no less. That may be a first.
Yesterday Robertson "apologized." First he denied saying what he had said, but it was on the videotape (it's tough when they record you breaking the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Jesus). Then he said that "taking out" Chavez might not require killing him, and perhaps kidnapping a duly elected leader would do. But Robertson does now say that using the word "assassination" was wrong and that he had been frustrated by Chavez - the old "my frustration made me say that somebody should be killed" argument. But the worst thing about Robertson's apology was that he compared himself to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German church leader and martyr who ultimately joined in a plot to assassinate Adolph Hitler.
Robertson's political and theological reasoning is simply unbelievable. Chavez, a democratically elected leader in no less than three internationally certified votes, has been an irritant to the Bush administration, but has yet to commit any holocausts. Nor does his human rights record even approach that of the Latin American dictators who have been responsible for massive violations of human rights and the deaths of tens of thousands of people (think of the military regimes of Chile, Argentina, El Salvador, and Guatemala). Robertson never criticized them, perhaps because many of them were supported by U.S. military aid and training.
This incident reveals that Robertson does not believe in democracy; he believes in theocracy. And he would like governments, including our own, to implement his theological agenda, perhaps legislate Leviticus, and "take out" those who disagree.
Robertson's American fundamentalist ideology gives a lot of good people a bad name. World evangelical leaders have already responded with alarm and disbelief. Robertson's words will taint and smear other evangelical Christians and put some in actual jeopardy, such as Venezuelan evangelicals. Most conservative evangelical Christians are appalled by Robertson's hateful and literally murderous words, and it's time for them to say so. To their credit, the World Evangelical Alliance and the National Association of Evangelicals have already denounced Robertson's words. When will we hear from some of the groups from the "Religious Right," such as the Family Research Council, Southern Baptists, and other leaders like James Dobson, Tony Perkins, and Chuck Colson?
Robertson's words fuel both anti-Christian and anti-American sentiments around the world. It's difficult for an American government that has historically plotted against leaders in Cuba, Chile, the Congo, South Vietnam, and elsewhere to be easily believed when it disavows Robertson's call to assassinate Chavez. But George Bush must do so anyway, in the strongest terms possible.
It's time to name Robertson for what he is: an American fundamentalist whose theocratic views are not much different from the "Muslim extremists" he continually assails. It's time for conservative evangelical Christians in America, who are not like Islamic fundamentalists or Robertson, to distance themselves from his embarrassing and dangerous religion.
And it's time for Christian leaders of all stripes to call on Robertson not just to apologize, but to retire.
I couldn't agree more. Thank you Jim.
8.25.2005
saying goodbye...
One week to go and it is finally starting to hit me - I will no longer live in Amsterdam as early as next Thursday. It's a bit scary to be honest. Most everything I know at this point in my life involves in this city. My friends, my job, my church, my community, my life - they are all here. What will I do when I don't have it anymore...? This is the question I'm asking at the moment.
8.24.2005
Ridiculous - absolutely ridiculous...
Have you ever felt completely out of control...? I'm not talking about being on a roller coaster or in an airplane, or anything else physical. I'm not even talking about thoughts in my head, my own sin, or any personal struggle that is difficult to change. I'm talking about the actions and words of others. I'm talking about the actions and words of those who are suppose to be the leaders of your faith. Have you ever felt this chaos...?
I don't know what else to do. I have struggled with Christian leadership (so called Christians anyway) in the United States for years now. It slowly goes over the top. The latest comments made by Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition toward President Chavez of Venezuela have incited a shame in me I can barely contain.
I can separate myself from from Mr. Robertson's comments easily on a personal level, but it's nearly impossible to separate myself on an institutional level. I have worked, and in fact fought to separate myself from the institution of Christianity as it is generally represented in the U.S.A. Unfortunately, I call myself Chritian. Pat Robertson calls himself a Christian. This is difficult for me. Of course, maybe Mr. Robertson made a mistake, maybe it was just an off hand comment taken wrong my the liberal media. I don't know.
I'm struggling with this one right now. I suppose the best thing to do is to continue on fighting for light, fighting for love, fighting for Jesus. It's still a struggle when the very people I want to love, the very people I care for, are the same people who tell me that they would rather not be Christians if being a Christian means being like Pat Robertson. Ouch. What do you say..? Fortunately, I understand who it is to follow. I hope others will too - not a man anyway.
I don't know what else to do. I have struggled with Christian leadership (so called Christians anyway) in the United States for years now. It slowly goes over the top. The latest comments made by Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition toward President Chavez of Venezuela have incited a shame in me I can barely contain.
I can separate myself from from Mr. Robertson's comments easily on a personal level, but it's nearly impossible to separate myself on an institutional level. I have worked, and in fact fought to separate myself from the institution of Christianity as it is generally represented in the U.S.A. Unfortunately, I call myself Chritian. Pat Robertson calls himself a Christian. This is difficult for me. Of course, maybe Mr. Robertson made a mistake, maybe it was just an off hand comment taken wrong my the liberal media. I don't know.
I'm struggling with this one right now. I suppose the best thing to do is to continue on fighting for light, fighting for love, fighting for Jesus. It's still a struggle when the very people I want to love, the very people I care for, are the same people who tell me that they would rather not be Christians if being a Christian means being like Pat Robertson. Ouch. What do you say..? Fortunately, I understand who it is to follow. I hope others will too - not a man anyway.
8.22.2005
Arise, Shine
When I saw this picture my friend Matt just sent to me, I couldn't help but to immediately think of Isaiah 60...
1 "Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the LORD rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
4 "Lift up your eyes and look about you:
All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters are carried on the arm.
5 Then you will look and be radiant,
your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
to you the riches of the nations will come.........
14 The sons of your oppressors will come bowing before you;
all who despise you will bow down at your feet
and will call you the City of the LORD,
Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15 "Although you have been forsaken and hated,
with no one traveling through,
I will make you the everlasting pride
and the joy of all generations.
16 You will drink the milk of nations
and be nursed at royal breasts.
Then you will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior,
your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
17 Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,
and silver in place of iron.
Instead of wood I will bring you bronze,
and iron in place of stones.
I will make peace your governor
and righteousness your ruler.
18 No longer will violence be heard in your land,
nor ruin or destruction within your borders,
but you will call your walls Salvation
and your gates Praise.
19 The sun will no more be your light by day,
nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the LORD will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.
20 Your sun will never set again,
and your moon will wane no more;
the LORD will be your everlasting light,
and your days of sorrow will end.
21 Then will all your people be righteous
and they will possess the land forever.
They are the shoot I have planted,
the work of my hands,
for the display of my splendor.
22 The least of you will become a thousand,
the smallest a mighty nation.
I am the LORD;
in its time I will do this swiftly."
8.19.2005
Feeling Blue
I've been reading Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. It has been a wonderful book for me and in many ways I feel like I should just quote the whole book here as the journal of my life. It is a refreshing drink to my soul. Here is one small excerpt...
"More than my questions about the efficacy of social action were my questions about my own motive. Do I want social justice for the oppressed or do I want to be known as a socially active person...? I spend 95% of my time thinking about myself anyway. I don't have to watch the evening news to see that the world is bad, I only have to look at myself. I am not browbeating here; I am only saying that true change, true life-giving, God-honoring change would have to start with the individual. I was the very problem that I had been protesting. I wanted to make a sign that read, "I AM THE PROBLEM!
"That night I rode my motorcycle...I went there to try and get my head around this idea, this idea that the problem in the universe lives within me. I can't think of anything more progressive than to embrace of this fundamental idea."
Oh, how true!
8.12.2005
Faith and Fair Trade
Check this out - the InterFaith Fair Trade Initiative, it looks like a great resource for you can help your organization get involved.
7.28.2005
Social Security Concern
Social Security is a covenant for the common good - a central expression of our national values and moral priorities. As a person of faith, I am troubled by Congress' narrow focus on privatization in the Social Security debate.
My faith tells me "to do good, seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow" (Isaiah 1:17). The Social Security debate should value all our nation's people and our commitment as a society to provide dignity and opportunity for working people and their families, for the elderly, for those with disabilities, and for children who have suffered the loss of a parent.
Public opposition to privatization plans is rising. As you think about Social Security during the August recess, I ask that you listen and "be open to the needs of the people" (Isaiah 32:3). I ask that you help broaden the discussion now and that when Congress reconvenes you will help keep the promise for all God's people. The following principles will shape my judgments about Social Security proposals and your leadership.
1. Social Security benefits for the vulnerable and less fortunate should not be reduced. Social Security has been one of the most successful anti-poverty programs our country has known, but the needs of the less fortunate are missing from the debate.
2. Social Security retirement benefits should be strengthened and protected from risk. We must "honor thy father and thy mother" by not gambling on their future.
3. Private accounts created by reducing benefits should be opposed. Private accounts "carved out" from the existing benefit structure risk Social Security's basic guarantee and do not address the long-term health of the program.
4. Future generations should not be burdened by deficits and misguided budget decisions. There has been little discussion of how many proposals would affect the deficit; Social Security cannot be addressed in a vacuum, ignoring budget and tax choices that are contrary to the common good.
5. Retirement planning should not be restricted to Social Security. Proposals should supplement, but not replace Social Security; help low- and middle-income families save more; and strengthen and make more accessible employer pension funds.
Please adhere to these principles, reflected in Call to Renewal and Sojourners' July 27 Roll Call ad, and make sure that any Social Security proposals you support honor these commitments.
Will you join...? Go to www.sojo.net
My faith tells me "to do good, seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow" (Isaiah 1:17). The Social Security debate should value all our nation's people and our commitment as a society to provide dignity and opportunity for working people and their families, for the elderly, for those with disabilities, and for children who have suffered the loss of a parent.
Public opposition to privatization plans is rising. As you think about Social Security during the August recess, I ask that you listen and "be open to the needs of the people" (Isaiah 32:3). I ask that you help broaden the discussion now and that when Congress reconvenes you will help keep the promise for all God's people. The following principles will shape my judgments about Social Security proposals and your leadership.
1. Social Security benefits for the vulnerable and less fortunate should not be reduced. Social Security has been one of the most successful anti-poverty programs our country has known, but the needs of the less fortunate are missing from the debate.
2. Social Security retirement benefits should be strengthened and protected from risk. We must "honor thy father and thy mother" by not gambling on their future.
3. Private accounts created by reducing benefits should be opposed. Private accounts "carved out" from the existing benefit structure risk Social Security's basic guarantee and do not address the long-term health of the program.
4. Future generations should not be burdened by deficits and misguided budget decisions. There has been little discussion of how many proposals would affect the deficit; Social Security cannot be addressed in a vacuum, ignoring budget and tax choices that are contrary to the common good.
5. Retirement planning should not be restricted to Social Security. Proposals should supplement, but not replace Social Security; help low- and middle-income families save more; and strengthen and make more accessible employer pension funds.
Please adhere to these principles, reflected in Call to Renewal and Sojourners' July 27 Roll Call ad, and make sure that any Social Security proposals you support honor these commitments.
Will you join...? Go to www.sojo.net
7.25.2005
Mystery Bugs and Strange Diseases
I recently decided that I was going to try and cut out all pig from my diet. I wasn't sure why until I read this...
BEIJING, China (Reuters) -- Authorities in southwest China are investigating a mysterious disease that has killed 17 farm workers and left 41 others ill after they handled sick or dead livestock, state media said on Monday.
The government of Sichuan province has dismissed speculation that the deaths were caused by bird flu or severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), an assessment affirmed by the World Health Organization.
"From the information we have it doesn't seem to be related to bird flu. We made that distinction based on the symptoms described to us by the government," Bob Dietz, a WHO spokesman in Manila, told Reuters by telephone.
"This (disease) doesn't seem to have a large pneumonia content or a large respiratory problem," Dietz said.
The deaths were probably caused by a bacteria that spreads among pigs, the state-run China Daily quoted Zeng Huajin, a senior official with the Sichuan provincial health department, as saying."
Of course, a few slices of bacon never killed anyone did it...?
BEIJING, China (Reuters) -- Authorities in southwest China are investigating a mysterious disease that has killed 17 farm workers and left 41 others ill after they handled sick or dead livestock, state media said on Monday.
The government of Sichuan province has dismissed speculation that the deaths were caused by bird flu or severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), an assessment affirmed by the World Health Organization.
"From the information we have it doesn't seem to be related to bird flu. We made that distinction based on the symptoms described to us by the government," Bob Dietz, a WHO spokesman in Manila, told Reuters by telephone.
"This (disease) doesn't seem to have a large pneumonia content or a large respiratory problem," Dietz said.
The deaths were probably caused by a bacteria that spreads among pigs, the state-run China Daily quoted Zeng Huajin, a senior official with the Sichuan provincial health department, as saying."
Of course, a few slices of bacon never killed anyone did it...?
7.20.2005
The Sign
It comes and goes
like rain
its a dull pain
knows no foe
sickness sets in
a dark grin
its a no win
on his face sin
black as night
a grim sight
in his heart
grows a mark
spreading, what
to do but
ask for help
let out a yelp
ask for faith and love
and a sure hope
grace to cope
a sign from above
like rain
its a dull pain
knows no foe
sickness sets in
a dark grin
its a no win
on his face sin
black as night
a grim sight
in his heart
grows a mark
spreading, what
to do but
ask for help
let out a yelp
ask for faith and love
and a sure hope
grace to cope
a sign from above
Are we allowed to live together...?
i have been discussing the recent U2 concert with some friends and fellow attendees, which has resulted in some intense conversations about bono and U2, but more interestingly about the idea of "coexist" in general. does God call us to coexist with men and women of other religions (as bono stated, we all come from abraham anyway) or does God call us to a different standard...? this is a huge question.
there are some out there calling bono a false prophet, nothing more than a famous musician abusing his power as a star to corrupt the minds of the millions in order to preach a message of peace and love that is unbiblical. i certainly don't know what U2 is actually trying to say, but i believe there is something for us to hear in the message of coexist; namely that all humans have the right to live without being degraded and disrespected. desmond tutu says it poetically:
"Humans are of infinite worth intrisically because they are created in God's image. Apartheid, injustice, oppression, and exploitation are not only wrong; they are positively blasphemous because they treat the children of God, as if they are less than His."
there is no way to believe in coexist, without believing in a personal, relational father who loves beyond human capacity even to understand such concepts as love. the human being can not exist without God and thusly cannot coexist without God. so, is bono preaching something unbiblical...? i suppose we can't know exactly what he is trying to say unless he tells us directly. he certainly is not my God. he is a man with a message.
if we look to those who have created the most amazing positive change in the past couple of centuries, it was those who fought evil with good. sure, some of them were generals who overtook nazi germany, and some were rebels who stood physically in the way of evil's path. yet, the most amazing change has been the result of love; a powerful, incredible, visionary love. some may call it pacifism. but, martin luther king jr, was no pacifist. corrie ten boom was no pacifist. desmond tutu was no pacifist. they were warriors for love. they would accept nothing less than equality for all people, so that everyone could experience the amazing grace that can only come from a god of forgiveness. there is no future without forgiveness and there is no coxist without Jesus.
7.16.2005
the set list, amazing - really amazing
Here it is - the set list from A'dam second show. The highlight was... every song. Wow. Pictures and more action to come soon.
Vertigo
Out of Control
Electric Co.
Elevation
New Year’s Day
Beautiful Day
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
City of Blinding Lights
Miracle Drug
Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own
Love and Peace
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet The Blue Sky
Running to Standstill
Pride In the Name of Love
Where the Streets Have No Name
One
Zoo Station
The Fly
With or Without You
All Because of You
Yahweh
Vertigo
Vertigo
Out of Control
Electric Co.
Elevation
New Year’s Day
Beautiful Day
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
City of Blinding Lights
Miracle Drug
Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own
Love and Peace
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet The Blue Sky
Running to Standstill
Pride In the Name of Love
Where the Streets Have No Name
One
Zoo Station
The Fly
With or Without You
All Because of You
Yahweh
Vertigo
7.04.2005
Gone for a Long Time
Hey Y'all - sorry for the absence and delay in posting. The graphics card on my laptop burned up for the second time in three years and Toshiba is too ghetto hooptie to fix it here in Amsterdam. So, I still have yet to get it replaced. I've been out of it. I will try and post something new real soon...
6.15.2005
Reaching Out, Taking In
How am I suppose to justify the belief in justice, truth and mercy, with the idea that I too am the culprit of so much injustice, so many lies and so much reckless harm. Romans 1 says...
"Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them."
To be honest, those verses really upset me. They make my stomach turn. They make me feel anger and bitterness against those who turn from the truth and follow the ways of wickedness in the world. I jump upon the pedestal of self righteousness and pretend that I am perfect, unphased by the temptation to live an easy life, a life filled with pleasure and virtue. I stand on the very same stage as those I harbor ill feelings towards. Then I read on...
" You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?
But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God "will give to each person according to what he has done." To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil..."
It is the beautiful thing about Scripture. It humbles you, teaches you, instructs you. Above all else, in fact, it commands you to love. Love. Love. Love. There is no argument, there is no explanation, there is no reason other than love. When we fail to love, we fail to live.
I can stand on my pedestal of self absorbtion, or I can step down in humility and look up to the one who showed us the way. He reaches out. He invites. He calls. He accepts. He loves. There is no other way.
6.10.2005
The Scream
You gotta check this out. What is our world coming to...? Really...? It's called "the SCREAM" and is a weapon used by the Israeli army to get crowds to disperse. This is some messed up stuff.
I can't help but to think of the Nazi's and all the terrible torture they put people through in order to understand the limits of the human body. It's insame quite literally.
I don't know, maybe I'm going too far here. It just pains me so much to see the evil and unrest in the world. This isn't for or against Israel, it's a state of the world at large. Sad.
I can't help but to think of the Nazi's and all the terrible torture they put people through in order to understand the limits of the human body. It's insame quite literally.
I don't know, maybe I'm going too far here. It just pains me so much to see the evil and unrest in the world. This isn't for or against Israel, it's a state of the world at large. Sad.
6.09.2005
right or left, up or down...?
" Abe Lincoln had it right. Our task shouold not be to invoke religion and the name of God by claiming God's blessing and endorsement for all our national policies and practices - saying, in effect, that God is on our side. Rather, Lincoln said, we should pray and worry earnestly whether we are on God's side.
Those are the two ways that religion has been brought into public life in American history. The first way - God on our side - leads inevitably to triumphalism, self-righteousness and bad theology, and, often, dangerous foreign policy. The second way - asking if we are on God's side - leads to much healthier things, namely, penitence and even repentance, humility, reflection, and even accountablility. We need much more of all these, because these are often missing values of politics.
Of course, Martin Luther King Jr. did it best. With his Bible in one hand and the Consitution in the other, King persuaded, not just pronounced. He reminded us all of God's purpose for justice, for peace, and for the "beloved community" where those always left out and behind get a front row seat."
Jim Wallis, God's Politics
: Why the Right gets it wrong and the Left doesn't get it
Those are the two ways that religion has been brought into public life in American history. The first way - God on our side - leads inevitably to triumphalism, self-righteousness and bad theology, and, often, dangerous foreign policy. The second way - asking if we are on God's side - leads to much healthier things, namely, penitence and even repentance, humility, reflection, and even accountablility. We need much more of all these, because these are often missing values of politics.
Of course, Martin Luther King Jr. did it best. With his Bible in one hand and the Consitution in the other, King persuaded, not just pronounced. He reminded us all of God's purpose for justice, for peace, and for the "beloved community" where those always left out and behind get a front row seat."
Jim Wallis, God's Politics
: Why the Right gets it wrong and the Left doesn't get it
6.05.2005
a biblical disease and a radical man
As Todd and I approached the former leper colony, we mused about the biblical significance of leprosy and the amazing effect that disease itself had on civilization two thousand years ago. It wasn't until we were actually on the island, that we learned how real and prevalent this devastating disease still is. We thought the leper colony was from biblical times and yet the leper colony was the last to inhabit Spinalonga. Again, I was humbled by my lack of world understanding especially when it comes to the plight and struggle of the Third World.
Leprosy is very real in 2005, with an estimated 400,000 cases infecting people today, mostly in India, Nepal and the surrounding region. (You can check out LEPRA or America Leprosy Mission for more details on leprosy and other devasting diseases) The picture posted above is of a bad case. If detected early and given the right treatement, leprosy can be controlled.
It's when I look at pictures like these that I realize what a radical revolutionary Jesus really was. In biblical times (and obviously in modern times as well) infected people where cast out from society to live as pariahs until death. You can't blame society. They were simply doing what Darwin would have called survival of the fittest - removing the weak from within. The mentally retarded, deformed, diseased, infected, abnormal people were and in many cases still are nothing.
It is these people with whom Jesus built his ministry. He touched the untouchable, loved the unlovable, sought after the unseekable, and healed the unhealable. He did things others never dreamed of. He made friends with outcasts and created family with the unwanted. He was a radical instrument of love. It is absolutely no wonder the powers that be wanted him dead. He stood for everything they stood against. This is the man I want to follow.
Now, will I...?
6.03.2005
an old journey with an old friend to an old place
It started with a simple journey on a sea kayak to an island just off the coast of Crete, itself being a very large island. We departed from a small beach near the town of Plaka (in Elounda Bay) and were to Spinalonga in only about 15 minutes. Once there we were confronted by large walls, obviously the work of human hands rather than nature. The walls were clearly meant to keep people out or keep people in, whichever way you want to look at it. I think it was for both, depending on the period of history.
The Venetians finished a powerful fortress there in 1579 as a way to protect trade routes through the Eastern Mediterranean. It succeeded. Even when the Ottoman Empire defeated Crete, they did not conquer Spinalonga for years afterward. During that time, the fortress island was used as a santuary for Christians in defiance of the Muslim rule. It is believed that the ecumenical church on the island is the first ever built of its kind. More recently, the island was used as a leper colony. From 1903 until about 1957, lepers were sent here to live out there dying days seperated from the rest of civilisation.
They walked what is known as "the street of pain" day in and day out suffering though a terrible disease, the cure of which was only found in 1947. It is this suffering and this disease that brings me to the story I've thought about for days now.
The upcoming posts will detail this story.
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