What if Google was REALLY slow?

You click. You wait. You click "stop". Refresh. Close. Reboot. Kick. Yell. Call IT? Try a different search engine. Yell again. Scream. Is this speed measured by a baud rate? ARGH?!!?! The answers aren't there!

Interesting in looking at the lives of Joseph and David, they both went through a considerable period in their early adult lives waiting for what God had foretold. In the case of Joseph, after having those "everybody's going to bow to me" dreams, he had to go through years of slavery and prison before that was realized. David gets annointed king but has to run around the wilderness hiding in caves, running for his life for a decade or so. Patience and faith. Patience for God's timing. Faith that He will do as He says and desires.

So click and wait...just keep the right frame of mind.

’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
And to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
And to know, “Thus says the Lord!”

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust Him more!

O how sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to trust His cleansing blood;
And in simple faith to plunge me
’Neath the healing, cleansing flood!

Yes, ’tis sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just from sin and self to cease;
Just from Jesus simply taking
Life and rest, and joy and peace.

I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee,
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;
And I know that Thou art with me,
Wilt be with me to the end.

Danger, danger, danger

I stumbled upon Soren Kierkegaard while studying the book of Ruth. The author of the book I was reading ("Faithful God", by Sinclair Ferguson) quoted him in noting that what we really believe about God is reflected in how we live, how we respond to challenges, crises, and trials.

"The greatest danger for a child, where religion is concerned
The greatest danger is not that his father or tutor should be a free-thinker, not even his being a hypocrite. No, the danger lies in his being a pious, God-fearing man, and in the child being convinced thereof, but that he should nevertheless notice that deep in his soul there lies hidden an unrest which, consequently, not even the fear of God and piety could calm. The danger is that the child in this situation is almost provoked to draw a conclusion about God, that God is not infinite love."

Good stuff. But when I read a little more. Boy this guy was a thinker. Amazing that the heart of man really never changes. More stuff from this guy, any relevance to today?

Secularised "Church" congregations are meaningless: The idea of congregations keeps individuals as children since Christians are disinclined from taking the initiative to take responsibility for their own relation to God. Kierkegaard stresses that "Christianity is the individual, here, the single individual. When individuals are faithful, congregational life is a natural and meaningful existence."

Mathematically dilemma of life: Does a + b always equal c?

Am I being illogical in assuming life is logical? My mind wants to assume that the left side of the equation should always equal the right (and vice versa). Take this to it's logical conclusion, and the actions/events of life lead to results, and the results are the summation of actions/events. Call me simplistic, but I'm not the only one...and I guarantee you do it too.

There was recently a shooting here in Danville, not exactly your high crime community. Put this in the logicameter ... (drugs + bad choices) = shooting/death. Easy peesy, lemon squeezy. I'm sure I could add to the actions/events with more facts, but what is more lacking and unknown is the result, the right side in this equation.

I suppose these are the "when God doesn't make sense moments" in life. When we see the answer and yet fail to understand. Why did so-and-so get taken so soon? Why am I blessed/cursed in situation x when I've done y? I don't always understand, and when I do, perhaps I don't.

So, I leave you with this, from William Cowper, "God moves in mysterious ways"
"His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding ev'ry hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flow'r."

Some good advice

I have a superior who often uses the phrase "All things reveal themselves with time." Really good advice...a proverb of sorts that I refer to often. There is of course the followup question, "How much time?".

This week I had a former superior get fired for what I surmise was inappropriate interaction with an outside company. The specifics don't matter, but the bottom line is that a code of ethics was broken and he paid the price. An interesting sidenote is that I observed the infractions firsthand and was very uncomfortable with my working relationship while in that position. He certainly had a hand in my "moving on". My decision, but a hand nonetheless. So in this case, the answer was about 5 years.

In another relationship, I lived with an individual who would definitely rival Jacob (remember Esau) in his deceiptfulness; no doubt in my mind he'd steal lunch money from a kindergartener and not feel a twinge of guilt. Over the course of decades, the game went on. Though the consequences for this individual still to this day haven't necessarily completely hit, there's been some sense of justice and for many around him, the cover is blown. In this case, the answer is decades if not more.

We've all got these situations in our lives. And many times it seems that no good deed goes unpunished while these types keep plugging along. There's some solace in seeing justice; not in the sense of getting revenge, but in the sense of seeing consequences for actions.

In the end, we've all got a payment to make...the Bible makes that clear. I'm relieved that much of what I've done WON'T be revealed in time. For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. So in my life, at least for my soul's sake, the best answer is an eternity.

Coincidence?? I think NOT!!

As I woke up this morning, I was feeling a bit discouraged over the outcome of our presidential election yesterday. Never-the-less, the kids and I began school together, just as we do every morning. We started off with our Bible lesson which listed our Bible reading as Psam 46. As I began reading with the little superheroes, I was struck at how timely and "coincidentally" perfect that passage was for this "day after the election". I had nothing to do with choosing that passage or assigning it to today--it's in my pre-printed Bible curriculum and we just happen to be on this lesson! So, here is Psalm 46--it helped fix my eyes back on the Lord and encouraged my heart--I hope you will find encouragement in it as well. And, the kids and I had a really good discussion as we applied it to our situation today!

Psalm 46
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song.

1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.

5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.

6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

8 Come and see the works of the LORD,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.

9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields ^[b] with fire.

10 "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

11 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

Prayer in schools?

Remember that? Was it really that long ago? Wasn't there this big controversy about how it's religious and shouldn't be allowed? Is the position that school is about reading, writing, and arithmetic? Do I want a watered down prayer to a higher power in my kids classroom anyhow? That battle was really lost long ago. OK, fine, agreed.

With that said, now realize that really wasn't the issue. It's really about not allowing thought that is contrary to the agenda. Am I just towing the conservative line? Maybe so folks, but the line makes sense. Get ready middle America, it's coming, I hope that middle America is strong enough to turn the tide. I know this school. I know people who go here. This is just a few miles from where I used to live. Education is strong; mold the minds of the youth and you turn society. Try to be a conservative teacher in California and have a voice; if you're willing to fit in fine, if you have an opinion, good luck. Go ahead, wear a "Yes on 8" sticker to class, let me know how that works out.

Here's the article. Oh I'm sorry, Prop 8, it's not about schools. You're right. Do you think a school gets permission when it talks to your kids about marriage? About a family? Redefine a family and you think your permission will be needed, as if it is now? ARGGGGHHHH. WAKE UP!!!!

Reflection on a sermon

Our pastor had a message yesterday on 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10. If my memory serves me correctly, at least three of the main points were that the Thessalonians were:

1. Active recipients of the gospel
2. Willing imitators of the apostles AND the Lord
3. Willing examples to other believers

Have you actively received the gospel? Is it something that you grab on to in life, or is it great head knowledge that gets you into a good club?

Who are you imitating? Who do you want to imitate? Who's on your pedestal? I laugh when I see affluent kids here in our town imitating thugs with baggy pants and sideways hats and lots of bling. An extreme and physically evident case yes, but one that gets the point across. We're all imitating someone. Who is it?

Are you willing to be an example for other believers? Do you want to be an example for other believers? It's certainly the easy and culturally acceptable path to say "mind your own business", keeping your focus on yourself and letting others be. It's certainly a lot easier that way. Being an example puts yourself on the defensive and on the offensive as well. There's certainly more critics than leaders in our culture; are you willing to be an example for others? It's not the easy path.

That's some meat to chew on throughout the week. Keep chewing...

Pressure points

There's decisions that we've made for our family that aren't popular. For some of the superheroes, these decisions haven't gone from the head to the heart. Dyna Girl probably has the biggest problem with Halloween, which we don't celebrate. She really wants to "do" it. I understand, it's fun, there's candy...I get it. She's not boldly rebellious about it; as parents we can just tell. And furthermore, both us parents did Halloween; she knows that; we don't hide that.

Halloween in particular is also one of those head scratchers to some of our friends. A mom told me yesterday that Dyna Girl said we don't celebrate Halloween; when asked why, Dyna Girl said something like, "That's a good question, you should ask my mom about that." Especially to someone who's religious, there's a fine line to walk to not sound "Holier than thou"; in our case, it's one way we consciously separate ourselves from the world, from a holiday that has it's roots in pagan festivals AND the spirit world. I know, I know...so do some other holidays, but the ties to the past are still strong and to us, step over that line.

But it's important to know about Dyna Girl's heart, to pray for it, to dwell on it, to mull over it, to talk about it. After all, it's all about the heart isn't it? If she follows now with actions only, at some point her heart will be free to do as she pleases. It's relatively easy now to make my kids do what we want, but it of course is getting harder. Lord willing their hearts will follow their training.

As I understand it, in particular connection to this holiday, hypocrisy is derived from the Greek, to act out, as in the sense of trying to being something you are not. If I've got a mask on, my kids will quickly see through it. Talk is cheap; walk the walk, talk the talk. ~Mr Incredible....out.

Individuality

I read a recent "real life" funny about a group of teens full of piercings, tattoos, and chains, who walked into a store in a mall; one of the girls put some 'mainline' sunglasses on and modeled them to the rest of the group. At that point, one of the other girls said, "Please take those off, you look ridiculous!". Funny!

Danville is a pretty vanilla culture; there's, in my opinion, less room for the misfit. As a kid growing up here, for those who let's say weren't in to sports, or didn't have the looks of a cheerleader (or the desire), it was a tough place to be. Looking back I remember kids, especially starting in junior high, searching for a place to be an individual, to rebel against the mainstream. They became "Mods", they became "Stoners", they became "Geeks", and a number of other labels, or they chased the in crowd, searching for ways to fit in. As I look back, in some ways, many of the rebels were the most real, they saw through the charades and searched out their own place of belonging; or things were screwed up around them and they reacted by not being "normal". You could say the same thing to some extent in Anytown USA; and as an adult, I don't know that this pattern is all together different.

One thing that struck me as I was thinking about these subgroups; in the quest to be different, most of these people ended up being much like those around them. The girls who wouldn't be caught dead in any sort of colorful makeup were super particular about their black eyeliner; the boys who thought the jocks were dufus's for their rah rah fall-in-line attitude, all pinned their jeans and played hackey sack in the stoner section.

The point is most people are looking for a place to belong and that need doesn't stop once puberty is over; there seems to be an inner need to satisfy even for those who think they are "individuals". There will always be Sneech's looking for stars or taking them off. What does this say about the heart of man? Sure, "Birds of a feather flock together". How about "Are you off your rocker Mr Incredible"? Fine. But in a round-about way, I think it points to the yearning for something to belong to, for something to fill a void that exists deep in the soul.

So, how is this void filled? I think it truly can only be filled with a saving faith of Jesus who enables a right relationship with God by his dying on the cross for sins. And I'm not talking just going to church and learning the lingo. I'm talking about putting what that really means deep in your brain and dwelling on that peace constantly; making an individual decision that ironically puts you in a group where God intended you to be when he created you, one that worships Him and not self; one that seeks His leading and then takes the steps to follow it.

It certainly doesn't happen overnight, I'm continual evidence of that. There's precious few folks that I know and have known that seem to have embraced that peace to the extent possible. So, do you have a place to belong, one that lasts? I hope so.

Never say never

You've been there. You've said it. You've also begrudgingly eaten your crow. Let's see, a few famous Biblical dudes...how about Jonah...I'll never go to Nineveh. How about Peter "...Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will." One of the "nevers", a statement of disobedience; the other a statement of valor and allegiance. In both cases the opposite was true.

Let's see...one of the few times I remember saying "never" was in the context of a question "Would you move back to Danville?" Not a bad place to be per se, but in the context of my experience, not even on my top 1000 cities I'd move to. Huh, you say? Let's see...safe neighborhoods, friendly merchants, good schools, nice people? Let me be clear, Danville to me represented a detestably selfish culture. One that was in constant pursuit of elevation of self with little or no thought to the will of God. A culture with pride, and I daresay snobbery, that made me sick to my stomach. A culture that I once blended into, and even at times excelled. I punished myself for the parts of the culture that I once embraced and I looked back to my moving out as "the best thing that ever happened to me". But you know what? God uniquely prepared me for the mission he had for me, for my family. To swallow the pride that I had, ironically against those who I perceived of being prideful themselves, and once again live in Danville.

Just a week or so ago, a Danville dad sent me an email and said "Hey, I've found a Bible Study that meets on Thursday nites, would you go with me?" This is the same guy who I have recently had conversations with about getting back to a "walk" with God; a guy who once attended a Bible believing church but hasn't for well over 10 years; a guy who at this point is realizing his family needs God. Yesterday, I was able to invite a neighbor girl to AWANA, her mom has a fringe Greek Orthodox background but has had very little religious upbringing of her child. Within the past few months, Kim has developed a friendship with a Russian immigrant, someone we hope to share Christ with. And Cosmic Boy, Dash, and Dynagirl have all made friends in which we've been able to at least show witness to the work of God in our lives. Do you think God had a plan for my family?

So, whether your statement be honorable or detestable, be prepared to think about it carefully. And the next time I hear you say it, I just may ask you if like fries with that.

Are your annual dues late?

The entrance fee into the kingdom of heaven is nothing; however the annual subscription is everything.

Henry Drummond

Jonathan Edwards quote, part 1

"I claim no right to myself, no right to this understanding, this will, these affections that are in me. Neither do I have any right to this body or its members, no right to this tongue, to these hands, feet, ears or eyes. I have given myself clear away and not retained anything of my own. I have been to God this morning and told Him I have given myself wholly to Him, I have given every power so that for the future I claim no right to myself in any respect. I have expressly promised Him, for by His grace I will not fail. I take Him as my whole portion and felicity, looking upon nothing else as any part of my happiness..."

Some people write far better than I

Interesting to read the story behind the song here

All to Jesus I surrender;
all to him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust him,
in his presence daily live.
Refrain:
I surrender all, I surrender all,
all to thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.

2. All to Jesus I surrender;
humbly at his feet I bow,
worldly pleasures all forsaken;
take me, Jesus, take me now.
(Refrain)

3. All to Jesus I surrender;
make me, Savior, wholly thine;
fill me with thy love and power;
truly know that thou art mine.
(Refrain)

4. All to Jesus I surrender;
Lord, I give myself to thee;
fill me with thy love and power;
let thy blessing fall on me.
(Refrain)

5. All to Jesus I surrender;
now I feel the sacred flame.
O the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to his name!
(Refrain)

Facebook, preachers' kids, and my kids...oh my!

More fallout from the Facebook realm; Wonder Woman recently stumbled upon the blog of a friend from her past (actually the blog of the wife of a friend from her past, but close enough). This friend was a preacher kid as was his wife. I'm not going to link the blog because quite frankly it crossed a line of respect in my opinion, nor do I want to call attention to that friend; if they want to do so, they can do it on their own ad dime. However, in summary, the theme of the blog is mocking Christian culture. I think it's up to #25 of a series of points (and growing); things like acting happy, youth pastors, worship teams, homeschooling, and other stereotypical themes/actions. Now the best critics of anything are typically people who come from the inside, so she's got a lot right. I don't know her well enough to know how far her mockery goes, whether the mockery ends at the culture or continues through to the message.

But my thoughts are on "What happened?" To her, and to others. What's evident and/or missing in "Christian culture" that repeatedly drives away some so close to it?

For the sake of this blog, I'll throw out a few examples of who I'm talking about. One one hand, there's the preacher kids (PKs) mentioned above. It's not too much of a stretch to label myself as a "preacher kid" to some extent, maybe some more details on that later. But my step-siblings, PKs through and through, have staunchly rejected Christianity in practice though I'll certainly leave it to God to judge their hearts. They like to talk of the hypocrisy thing, either of their own families, or equally as likely of the sheep in the flock. Unfortunately, not an uncommon tale.

Then there's the some other folks we've known. Maybe not PKs, but grown up in church, came to the church in their youth, or even worked in the church, who, if they haven't turned their backs on Christianity now, are skeptical and in the shadows if they even come to church at all. The adult who says, "Everyone is a hypocrite", or the former youth leader who says, "Parents were looking to me to parent their kids, and if I asked them to step up, they simply took their kids elsewhere. How is that a good thing?" These people may or may not still have zeal for Christ, more than often not. Unfortunately there's many we know in this category too.

Then there's some I know who still have the zeal for the message and passion for Christ but too have become so disillusioned with the culture that they avoid the church. The subtle difference between those above would be that they are still living a life with the fruit of a Christian. They are not disillusioned with the core, message, but question the cultural workings out. He/she might say something like "I'm looking for an environment where it's not a spectator sport."

So what is the deal? Without a deep dive into theology...predestination, foreknowledge, etc, I ask these questions... Would Jesus be pleased with my Christian culture or would he turn over my tables? Do we spend to much time amongst ourselves and not enough time outside "the club"? Are we living like we believe the message or living according to some written/unwritten "Christian" rules? Will my kids see a true yearning to please God or a religiousity to an organization? Have we created an institution where people can be comfortable with the organization as well as an active participate but not a passionate follower?

In the end, God draws people to Him. I don't necessarily completely understand it, but the Word is clear on this. But with that said, I want to influence my environments, church, home, and other, such that it's the real deal. Time to reread Matthew 13. If someone said it would be easy, they were wrong.

The quest to be comfortable

An elderly lady behind me tonight at a play remarked to herself how hard the seats were. Luckily, Dynagirl had one of those bleacher pads and we let her borrow it. She was 86 and mighty glad to have it. On the way home, in one of those inexplicable mental leaps between me and Wonder Woman, it led to a question of whether God wants us to be comfortable; whether we should strive to be in that position of having a nice cushy place to put our tush. I'm not talking about material things here though they certainly can factor into the equation; it's more a question of striving to get to the spot in life where I get the stars aligned and I have things just the way I want it and I'm able to say "Please God, don't touch, it's just the way I want it." On one hand, it sounds so good; on the other, I realize it's probably something I'll never get, at least not on earth. And furthermore, I realize it's not what God wants; it's not the goal I should have. It's the stretch goals (please not at the waistline) that say, "I'm ready for what you want God", which by the way, is not always a comfortable place to be. See, it did come full circle after all.

Matthew 10:39(NIV) He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.

Where's the fruit?

It's fruit season around the farm and although many of the trees aren't cared for like they should be, most are producing some fruit. The peaches had a bumper crop year last year, so it was likely they'd be down this year, which they were. The pears always seem to be big producers seemingly no matter what the care. One plum tree and one peach tree got hit by bores, so I'm wondering if they'll make it, maybe some DDT will help. The grapes I think are very susceptible to production being directly related to the care. Certainly, there's years where they produce despite of me, but I'm confident that they'd do much better with my attention and skill. This year, we'll have some grapes to pop but we won't be hitting any records.

All this to say, as we taught the concept of a vineyard in the Bible to the 1st graders at church today, how my mind wandered to the analogy of fruit in our lives. Galatians 5:22-23 talks of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in our lives. How much more so will they multiply if we are faithful to God's Word, allowing it to prune out the bad growth and prepare our hearts for more fruit. Much like me around the farm, being lazy and eliminating these steps from our lives hinders the fruit production, even though some grows in spite of us. Certainly modern Christianity's focus on knowing and believing but not necessarily completely following contribute to this effect; can't we just hire someone else to do the work? As John MacArthur talks about in his book The Gospel According to Jesus, "...They have been told that the only criterion for salvation is knowing and believing some basic facts about Christ. They hear from the beginning that obedience is optional. It follows logically, then, that someone's one-time profession of faith is more valid than the evidence of that person's ongoing lifestyle in determining whether to embrace him or her as a true believer. The character of the visible church reveals the detestable consequence of this theology."

So, it's the beginning of the week; I know it's not the time of the year to be pruning; but the fruits of the Spirit aren't a summer fruit. Hopefully, the production is year round.

Case in point

Our pastor gave a heartfelt sermon today entitled "Ending Compromise" from Revelation 2, the church in Pergamos. You know, there's just times when you know it's coming from deep w/in, that the Holy Spirit has burdened someone with something; this seemed to be one of those occasions. There was a heaviness to the message, with times of admonition bordering on a pleading...to seek doctrine, to abandon the concept of "freedom" in the context of freeing us to do what we want...in today's terms to get "real". My mind wandered at times as it usually unfortunately does, but I nonetheless left with the message on my heart.

As I was exiting, I overheard someone entering the sanctuary with complaints of how long the message went and my heart sank. Com'on people wake up! It's ironic that the sermon was in Revelation, only 1 chapter from Revelation 3:16 about lukewarm Christianity.

In the face of being challenged about sin in our lives, it amazes me how fickle we can be. Even in the context of the church, there's that cultural desire to keep the peace. God bless you pastor for aiming at the heart. I ended the day reading about Cain in Genesis with my kids. Cain was angry that God wasn't pleased with his offering; he didn't humbly acknowledge his sin; in fact he went on to commit the first murder. As much as things change, it's amazing how they stay the same.

Fun church

A few interesting exchanges regarding our church culture:

1. A couple of months ago, Cosmic Boy and I attended a local "infant" church, meeting in a local business, with only about 10 people. As a sidenote, I thought the church did a poor job of welcoming us as guests, but that in some ways added to the experience. Cosmic Boy was extremely quiet and in some ways sporting a 'tude during and after the service. When I asked him afterwards how he liked it, he gave the pat adolescent answer "It was alright". However when pressed, we had a good discussion on how a big part of our church is the social, seeing our friends, talking on the patio, laughing, etc.

2. I overheard an exchange with Ms. America's driver and my niece recently (no, I'm not picking on either of u!) He asked if church "X" was fun, and if she had made a lot of friends. She said "Yeah".

3. Yesterday, I was having lunch with a colleague. We were talking about his 13 year old boy. He and his wife don't attend church. He has a Mennonite background, but his parents rejected their religion during his childhood and he in turn really never embraced any religion either. However, he and his wife thought it would be good for their son to have a church experience so they've taken him somewhat regularly to a local church "X". Their son has enjoyed Sunday School and being in the seasonal plays. Recently tho, he isn't finding it "too fun" and "none of his friends go there". My colleague and I had an interesting conversation with me basically saying if he's going for the "fun", he'll soon end up like "you" , with no desire for the attendance. He and I have a good relationship and he laughed in essence saying "True!".

4. Our church has a sub-church, really almost 2 of them, the junior high and high school. One meets down the street in an entirely different building. I'm guessing there's 50-75% that I rarely/never see, they go to their own service with their own worship music and do their own activities.

So what is the point? Sometimes it seems like church is a great club. Good people, good conversation, good music, great activities. The history as I understand it of Matt Redman's "Heart of Worship" song, was that the music was getting in the way of worship at his church, so they took the music away. Certainly the club-like attributes of church are not a bad thing, I wonder at what level though they might need to be taken away for at least some period to get back to the heart of worship? It's something I think about.

Nametags

I've had 2 interesting run-ins with nametags this year.

The first was at a technical conference with a very young guy who has invented himself as a motivational speaker cuz he wears nametags 7X24, ALL the time since 2001. (Yes, the answer of how he wears one all the time is because he has a tattoo on his chest in addition to the "Hello my name is..." sticker on his clothes HelloMyNameIsScott). He was actually very good, the basic premise was one of approachability; his success is tied to the fact that he LOOKS for opportunities to talk to strangers. His nametag has enabled him to talk to thousands of people that he would have never talked to otherwise. His message was good, the applications were great, and he had some great quotes.

The second has been at church. Our church wears nametags. We've got 2 services, approximately 400 people. We've been there 3 years and I've been contemplating why we wear them. Beyond the simple/obvious reasons of "I'm forgetful", "It helps with getting to know guests", etc. I've been connecting this with my friend Scott. Scott's success is centered around strangers. Our church's messages this year have been themed around unity. My point is how do you unify a body of believers when we treat each other like strangers. Certainly there is unity in being Christians, we have a common base in Christ, but there are tangible, practical things we must do to be unified.

I'm not pointing a finger, it's more of a commentary. If I don't know someone's name, how much more have I concentrated on who that person really is. What are his/her struggles? How can I pray for that person such that he/she forwards the kingdom? Is this a question of the church being too big, the outside culture being to competitive, we as Christians being lukewarm in our walks, our church not coming together in small groups enough etc.

I'm not saying that we get rid of nametags at church that we solve all these problems, but it's certainly worth thinking about---do the nametags hinder or enhance unity???

Global Warming a hoax?

There's a sign, by the looks of it made by a 4th grader, in my neighborhood that says "Global warming is a hoax". It's surrounded by trip wires in his/her side yard, almost as if it were concocted to be protected by an electric fence. In my fairly conservative (at least for CA bay area) little suburbia bubble called Danville, I'm actually amazed it's survived the at least 2 months it's been up. Tolerance? I think not. Haven't seen the new "Expelled" movie by Ben Stein, but it pretty much has the same theme of (in)tolerance. I have one former colleague that spewed profanity at me and cutoff the friendship at the audicity of me to doubt global warming. And I wasn't even arguing against it per se, just offering the possibility that there could be other explanations. Granted as a staunch athiest, he threw in the kitchen sink regarding many of the spiritual conversations we've had, but that's really part of the point. There's a religion issue here, man wants to believe that he has ultimate control, that our actions somehow control our own destiny, even if it takes millions of years. Hence the emotion, you get to the root of it, and we're back to God, a creator, and the rebellion of man.

So anyhow, here's some interesting comments by a world renowned meteorologist in the attached article. This is the guy who everyone looks to for prediction of the hurricane season. These are similar comments to that of a local radio personality who was once a local TV meteorologist (Brian Sussman).

* "I am of the opinion that this is one of the greatest hoaxes ever perpetrated on the American people,"
* "I've been in meteorology over 50 years. I've worked damn hard, and I've been around. My feeling is some of us older guys who've been around have not been asked about this. It's sort of a baby boomer, yuppie thing."
* "The models can't even predict the weather in two weeks, much less 100 years, he says."

Good read if you have the time...
Washington Post "The Tempest" An article about interview w/ Dr William Gray