“You are going to feel like hell if you never write the stuff that is tugging on the sleeves of your heart — your stories, visions, memories, visions and songs. Your truth, your version of things, your own voice. That is really all you have to offer us. And that’s also why you were born.”
Anne Lamott
“You are going to feel like hell if you never write the stuff that is tugging on the sleeves of your heart — your stories, visions, memories, visions and songs. Your truth, your version of things, your own voice. That is really all you have to offer us. And that’s also why you were born.”
Anne Lamott
…life reduced to necessity. It seems that living within the range of necessity makes it possible to discover the “one thing needful.” It deeply assists, as well, in discovering the truth of our identity. The soul is not the product of passions, but the image of God. To see the soul clearly, without distortion, is to see the face of God, or, at least, its reflection.
Fr. Stephen Freeman
One of my favorite bloggers, Fr. Stephen Freeman writes at “Glory to God For All Things. The quote above is from his latest post:”From Desire to Necessity”. I found it to be personally convicting and recommend it for your reading.
Peace. Even before the pandemic, whenever Ann ask me “What do you want?”, my flippant answer would usually be “world peace”. 2020 has only deepened my desire for peace. I see this generally, it is reflected in sermons and writings. Rodney King’s plea, “Can’t we all just get along?” is a frequent refrain. A recent sermon at our church entitled Blessed are the Peacemakers stimulated my thinking on the subject of peace.
Subsequent to the sermon and some pondering, I concluded Christ followers are to be (must be?) peacemakers. Simple enough? Not so much.
If you asked me, “Are you a peacemaker?”, I’d reflexively say yes. However, after some thought, I’m not so sure anymore. Here are so observations that got me thinking:
When you Google peacemaker, the first image to appear is a Colt 45 revolver, named Peacemaker. Assurance of peace comes with power and guns. I think of multiple thousands of solders memorialized for their sacrifice for the cause of peace. Peace comes at a price. I think of the irony of death and peace… Rest In Peace. Desire for peace so profound that death is the only answer. Peace as escape, relentlessly filling life with things and activities believed to promise peace but never deliver. Peace as the absence of conflict. Peace at any price. Peace held hostage to achieve ends, No justice, no peace. Peace for a bribe, toddlers screaming until achieving their demands. Disregarding evil for the sake of peace. Wives/ husbands/ children enduring abuse to to keep peace. Maybe there is more to the familiar refrain, “I’d give anything for a moment’s peace.”
A brief examination of Biblical references produces imagery in contrasts to the previous observations.
Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. Psalm 34:14
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Matthew 5:9
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. Matt. 10:34
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. …Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 112:17, 21
Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Romans 14:19
For God is not a God of disorder but of peace —as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people. 1 Corinthians 14:33
Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Galatians 5:22
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, Ephesians 2:14-15
Here is what I am thinking at this point:
Definition of peace 1: a state of tranquility or quiet: such as a: freedom from civil disturbance Peace and order were finally restored in the town. b: a state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom a breach of the peace 2: freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions I have been in perfect peace and contentment— J. H. Newman 3:harmony in personal relations The sisters are at peace with each other. 4a: a state or period of mutual concord between governments There was a peace of 50 years before war broke out again. b:a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity offered the possibility of a negotiated peace— New York Times
I am not a peacemaker, at least in the sense of a Biblical peacemaker. I would be better described as a peace lover. Like most people, I have a deep longing for peace. Everyone wants peace. We are willing to pay almost any price for peace. Peace is so desirable that it justifies whatever means are necessary, including, ironically, violence. Thankfully, thus far, pride, dignity, money, and principle, to name a few, have been the currency of peace in my life.
The quest for peace is muddled by our understandings of peace. To achieve peace as defined above, we resort to the most utilitarian solution, power. Exercise whatever power is necessary to suppress, eliminate opposition and establish peace. Although that peace can be achieved by power, it is fool’s gold, satisfying in appearance but ultimately worthless. Peace through power is the choice of societies, institutions, governments, religions, organizations, tribes and families. Realistic reflection of history and personal experience reveals such peace to be temporary. In our desperation for peace we are willing to settle for less than real peace. Some peace is better than no peace. As long as we settle for less, we will continue our frantic pursuit of peace like lab rats on a treadmill.
Consistent with the previous conclusions, I am of the opinion that Christianity, western Christianity, in particular; through the influence of secular culture has abandoned pursuit of real (Godly) peace for a pseudo peace defined above. Accordingly, the cross has been by superseded by power as the means to peace, which explains the state of confusion and division among Christians. With that, I am rethinking my assertion that I am not a peacemaker. Maybe I am, you can tell for sure by the power I wield.
Though most are willing to settle for pseudo peace, there remains a deep desire for real peace, nebulous but painful in its absence, a transcendent reality beyond our disenchanted existence. Describing real peace is as illusive as describing the fragrance of a rose or the grandeur of a spectacular sunset. The best metaphor for me is the a longing for home. C. S. Lewis captures the essence of my yearning for peace in his reflection of longing for home:
Apparently, then, our lifelong nostalgia, our longing to be reunited with something in the universe from which we now feel cut off, to be on the inside of some door which we have always seen from the outside, is no mere neurotic fancy, but the truest index of our real situation. And to be at last summoned inside would be both glory and honour beyond all our merits and also the healing of that old ache.
I believe this longing is common to humanity and is a catalyst for seeking peace. As partakers of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, believing ourselves to be God, our search for peace is futile. The peace we long for can only be found in the presence of God. …you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 CEV
The Gospel promises real peace now. That is really good news. It is also troubling. Real peace is beyond me. Besides, seeking pseudo peace has its rewards. Some peace, albeit temporary, is better tan no peace and even better, I have the power to make peace. Maybe I’m a peacemaker after all?
I use the Notes app religiously ( no pun intended). Most often I save quotes, quips, etc from daily readings. I save them, hoping to eventually post about them or share later. Mostly they stay hidden on my iPhone. There is no intended theme or thread, but they may give some insight into the drumbeat in my head.
Modernity is married to violence and pleads that it is all in a good cause. Fr. Stephen Freeman
On October 22, 1925, Mahatma Gandhi published a list of what he called “Seven Social Sins” in his weekly newspaper Young India. Gandhi’s social sins: Politics without principles. Wealth without work. Pleasure without conscience. Knowledge without character. Commerce without morality. Science without humanity. Worship without sacrifice.
In this moment “This is an important thing, which I have told many people, and which my father told me and which his father told him. When you encounter another person, when you have dealings with anyone at all, it is as if a question is being put to you. So you must think, What is the Lord asking of me in this moment, in this situation.” Marilynne Robinson – Gilead
Victim Whether someone is a ‘victim’ is a conclusion to be reached at the end of a fair process, not an assumption to be made at the beginning. U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor
the big problem with religion …the big problem with religion. It’s not faith, but certainty. Certainty destroys faith by crushing anything that challenges it. In our fallen state we crave certainty because with it we can grasp at control. But truth will not be controlled. It can only be embraced. Faith embraces truth, while certainty tries to pin it down. Is not this the great irony—these bastions of religious certainty, the ones with a lock on the truth—would ultimately pin Jesus, the truth, down. . . to a cross. J D Walt
Fight for Justice Christians believe that we can fight for justice in the knowledge that eventually God will put all things right, but until then we can never expect to fully fix the world. Christianity is not utopian. Timothy Keller
Christian Identity The secure identity of Christians does not require shaming, othering, and denouncing (which is always a part of a highly performative identity). Also, the new Christian identity—that we are simultaneously sinful and infinitely loved—changes and heals former oppressors (by telling them they are just sinners) as well as former oppressed (by assuring them of their value). See James 1:9. Timothy Keller
It is what it is A saying among management experts today is, “Your system is perfectly designed to yield the result you are getting.” This is a profound though painful truth that must be respected by all who have an interest in Christian spiritual formation, whether for themselves as individuals or for groups or institutions. Dallas Willard
Corporate sin The reality of corporate sin does not swallow up individual moral responsibility, nor does individual responsibility disprove the reality of corporate evil. To deny (or largely deny) either is to adopt one of the secular views of justice rather than a biblical one. Timothy Keller
For leaders For leaders who need to be liked, they need to get a dog. Maybe two. They will always like you and are quick to forgive. To all my friends in leadership of any kind, I have two pieces of advice. Number one, get a dog. I personally recommend a Teacup Poodle. My dog, Macy, jumps up to see me every time I come through the door. She does not grill me about masks. In fact, as far as I can tell, she has absolutely no opinion on masks. And she treats me the same, whether the sermon was the bomb or a bust. —Chris Smith
Teaching The two biggest lies about teaching are that one learns so much from one’s students and, so gratifying is it, one would do it for nothing. I had a number of bright and winning students, but if I learned anything from them, I seem long ago to have forgotten it. I always felt I was slightly overpaid as a teacher, but I wouldn’t have accepted a penny less. The one certain thing I learned about teaching is that you must never say or even think you are a good teacher. If you believe you are, like believing you are charming, you probably aren’t. Joseph Epstein
Being a family ….a line from the Italian-American novelist Don DeLillo: “Being a family is an art … and the dinner table is the place it finds expression.” What does your dinner table say about your family? Michael Frost
Sign of the times Some time ago, I was staying in the palatial home of a wealthy couple in California’s Orange County. They had all rushed off to work early that morning and left a note saying I could eat anything I wanted from their kitchen. I located the bread but I couldn’t find a toaster, so I thought I’d try grilling it. But when I opened the oven I found two or three expertly gift-wrapped presents in there. I was a little taken aback and decided to cut my losses and buy breakfast out that day. That evening I was talking to my host who asked whether I’d found everything okay, and I confessed that I’d been a little thrown by the gifts in the oven.| “Oh, my gosh,” he erupted, “I totally forgot they were in there! I should have warned you.” I reassured him I hadn’t cooked the presents, and he explained they were for his wife whose birthday was coming up. “I hide them in there because we never use the oven,” he explained.
It turns out that never using the oven is becoming a more common thing for American families. Up until Covid19 hit, Americans were spending more of their food budget on restaurants and food delivery services (50.3%) than they did on groceries (49.7%). It might be even higher since quarantines and lockdowns were instituted in various parts of the country. For some perspective, back in 1970 only 26% of a family’s food budget was spent on eating out. In 2010 it was 41%. In fact, the average American eats one in every five meals in her car; 25% of Americans eat at least one fast food meal every single day; and the majority of American families report eating a single meal together less than five days a week. In fact, only 32% of American families typically have dinner together all seven nights per week. Interestingly, when families do eat together the average dinnertime is 15 minutes. In the 1960, the average family dinnertime was 90 minutes. Michael Frost http//mikefrost.net/being-a-family-is-an-art-and-the-dinner-table-is-the-place-it-finds-expression/
Following my previous post Labor Day – No Justice No peace, I was left with at least two open questions… What does it mean to be a peacemaker? What is justice? I found some insight on the latter question in an article by Timothy Keller entitled “A Biblical Critique of Secular Justice and Critical Theory” . The full article is probably the most helpful I have read recently in providing clarity, from a Christian perspective, about underlying factors contributing to our divisive society. I highly recommend it. What follows is an excerpt from that article. In it, Keller defines Biblical Justice. I found his definition informative and convicting, providing a helpful contrast to prevailing secular ideas about justice.
Below is Keller’s brief outline of the facets of biblical justice.
1. Community: Others have a claim on my wealth, so I must give voluntarily. The Bible depicts the human world as a profoundly inter-related community. So the godly must live in such a way that the community is strengthened. Old Testament scholar Bruce Waltke puts all the teaching on “the righteous” in the book of Proverbs into a concise and practical principle: “The righteous (saddiq) are willing to disadvantage themselves to advantage the community; the wicked are willing to disadvantage the community to advantage themselves.”[7] The gleaning laws of the Old Testament are a case in point (Deuteronomy 24:17-22). Landowners were commanded to not maximize profits by harvesting all sheaves or picking all the olives or grapes. Instead the owner was to leave produce in the field for the workers and the poor to take through their labor, not through charity. When the text reads that the sheaves, olives, and grapes “shall be for” the poor, it uses a Hebrew phrase that indicates ownership. To treat all of your profits and assets as individualistically yours is mistaken. Because God owns all your wealth (you are just a steward of it), the community has some claim on it. Nevertheless, it is not to be confiscated. You are to acknowledge the claim and voluntarily be radically generous. This view of property does not fit well with either a capitalist or a socialist economy.[8]
2. Equity: Everyone must be treated equally and with dignity. Leviticus 24:22- “You are to have the same law for the foreigner as for the native born.” The Hebrew word mesraim means equity and Isaiah 33:15 says “Those who speak with [equity, mesraim]…keep their hands from accepting bribes.” Bribery is unjust because in commerce, law, and government, it does not treat the poor the same as it does the wealthy. Any system of justice or government in which decisions or outcomes are determined by how much money parties have is a stench before God. Another example of inequity is unfair business practices. Leviticus 19:13 and Deuteronomy 24:14-15 speak of unfair wages. Amos 6:5-6 speaks of ‘unjust scales, selling even the sweepings with the wheat.” To cut corners and provide an inferior product in order to make more money but not serve customers is to do injustice.
3. Corporate responsibility: I am sometimes responsible for and involved in other people’s sins. Sometimes God holds families, groups and nations corporately responsible for the sins of individuals. Daniel repents for sins committed by his ancestors even though there is no evidence he personally participated in them (Daniel 9). In 2 Samuel 21 God holds Israel responsible for injustice done to the Gibeonites by King Saul even though he was by that time dead. In Joshua 7 and Numbers 16, God holds whole families responsible for the sin of one member. In 1 Samuel 15:2 and Deuteronomy 23:3-8, he holds members of the current generation of a pagan nation responsible for the sins committed by their ancestors many generations before. Why? There are three reasons. Corporate responsibility. Achan’s family (Joshua 7) did not do the stealing, but they helped him become the kind of man who would steal. The Bible’s emphasis on the importance of the family for character formation implies that the rest of the family cannot wholly avoid responsibility for the behavior of a member. The Bible does not teach that your success or failure is wholly due to individual choices. Corporate participation. Sinful actions not only shape us, but the people around us. And when we sin we affect those around us, which reproduces sinful patterns—even if more subtle—over generations. So, as in Exodus 20:5, God punishes sin down the generations because usually later generations participate in one form or another in the same sin.[9] Institutionalized sin. Socially institutionalized ways of life become weighted in favor of the powerful and oppressive over those with less power. Examples include criminal justice systems (Leviticus 19:15), commercial practices such as high interest loans (Exodus 22:25-27; Jeremiah 22:13) and unfairly low (James 5:4) or delayed wages (Deuteronomy 24:14-15). Once these systems are in place, they do more evil than any one individual within the system may intend or even be aware of.
4. Individual responsibility: I am finally responsible for all my sins, but not for all my outcomes. My outcomes. The Bible does not teach that your success or failure is wholly due to individual choices. Poverty for example, can be brought on by personal failure (Proverbs 6:6-7; 23:21), but it may also exist because of environmental factors such as famine or plague, or sheer injustice (Proverbs 13:23[10]; cf. Exodus 22:21-27). So we are not in complete control of our life outcomes. My sins. Despite the reality of corporate responsibility and evil, the Bible insists that, ultimately, our salvation lies in what we do as individuals (Ezekiel 18). There is an asymmetrical balance between individual and corporate responsibility. Deuteronomy 24:16 says that in ordinary human law we must be held responsible and punished for our own sins, not those of our parents. We are indeed the product of our communities, but not wholly—we can resist their patterns. Ezekiel 18 is a case study of what can happen if we put too much emphasis on corporate responsibility—it leads to ‘fatalism and irresponsibility’[11]. The reality of corporate sin does not swallow up individual moral responsibility, nor does individual responsibility disprove the reality of corporate evil. To deny (or largely deny) either is to adopt one of the secular views of justice rather than a biblical one.[12]
5. Advocacy: We must have special concern for the poor and the marginalized. While we are not to show partiality to any (Leviticus 19:15), we are to have special concern for the powerless (Isaiah 1:17; Psalm 41:1). This is not a contradiction. Proverbs 31:8-9 says “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves…Defend the rights of the poor and needy.” The Bible doesn’t say “speak up for the rich and powerful,” not because they are less important as persons before God, but because they don’t need you to do this. The playing field is not level and if we don’t advocate for the poor there will not be equality. In this aspect of justice, we are seeking to give more social, financial, and cultural capital (power) to those with less. Jeremiah 22:3 says “Protect the person who is being cheated from the one who is mistreating… foreigners, orphans, or widows…” Jeremiah is singling out for protection groups of people who can’t protect themselves from mistreatment the way others can. (cf. Zechariah 7:9-10)
Over the years, Timothy Keller has become a trusted resource. Often his voice modulates my echo chamber, something sorely needed these days. You can find much of his work HERE.
New ideas There are very few new ideas and there are even fewer new good ideas. If you ever spent time around young people who suddenly get inspired by an idea they think is new, you know that the vast majority of the time it’s because they don’t know that the idea is in fact very, very old. Jonah Goldberg
Return to church Many will not return after the pandemic. You can watch a performance more comfortably at home… Phoenix Preacher
The Cause …the Cause is very compelling, it’s a vision of the good that is really, really attractive. Evil results because you’re pursuing the true, the good, and the beautiful. Richard Beck
Fixing Others When we assume that people won’t change unless we fix them—as if we don’t ourselves need fixing—we show that our ultimate trust is in ourselves, not God. When we don’t simply trust God to change others, we effectively claim that our ability to shame, intimidate, or otherwise manipulate people into change is greater than God’s transforming Spirit. Greg Boyd – Repenting of Religion
the meaning of the Cross today: ”We kill one another. We killed our best. We killed God who came to save us. When we kill another, we kill the God who made them and loved them, who was in them and who came to save us. This is what I see these days when I look at the cross.” David Gushee
Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced. —James Baldwin (1924–1987)
Restorative Justice …sin and failure are an opportunity for the transformation of the person harmed, the person causing harm, and the community. Mere counting and ledger-keeping are not the way of the Gospel. Our best self wants to restore relationships, and not just blame or punish. This is the “economy of grace” and an operative idea of restorative justice. Richard Rohr
Fixers Some of the people struggling most during the pandemic are the “fixers”… remember that you’re only responsible to be faithful, not for outcomes… Phoenix Preacher
Fire Insurance If there is nothing distinctly Christian about how you approach politics, there’s probably nothing distinctly Christian about how you approach anything else…and your faith is basically fire insurance… Phoenix Preacher
Leading people to love We think fear, anger, divine intimidation, threat, and punishment are going to lead people to love. Show me where that has worked. You cannot lead people to the highest level of motivation by teaching them the lowest. God always and forever models the highest, and our task is merely to “imitate God” (Ephesians 5:1). Richard Rohr
Fire Lighters Isa 50:10-11 Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze.
For those who enjoy discovery because they know a good God is moving through the chaos toward a wonderful conclusion, mystery poses no problem. It is welcomed. Explain what you can, and relax even when you can’t. But for those ruled by a passion to explain, for those who insist on feeling confident in their own plans, mystery is offensive. They want to know exactly what they must do to provide for their economic future, to restore harmony in their relationships, to succeed in their career or ministry. Confusion is an enemy. Certainty is a challenge to overcome. God’s words through Isaiah tell us one way we can know if we are living in the flesh or in the Spirit. When we bump into something we can’t explain, when we find ourselves in a dark tunnel and aren’t sure how to get out, is our stronger impulse to trust God or figure out what to do? Do we quickly reach for a flashlight to help us see the road ahead? Or do we firmly grasp the hand of the only one who can see in. the dark? Where is our confidence—in God or in our ability to come up with a good plan? If we walk confidently in the light of our own torches, Isaiah informs us that we are not relying on God. The demand to walk a path with a predictable outcome is an urge of the flesh. It needs to die. Larry Crabb
