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Category: Following Jesus

Paying Attention

Published by mhelbert on February 24, 2012

The recent uproar in Afghanistan reveals a tragic gap in how people view others. The president and his military team have been quick to point this up as an accident. No one in an American uniform would intentionally destroy sacred documents. There are procedures for these kinds of things. Over the years I’ve noticed, though, that accidents tend to be more likely when people don’t pay attention. I raised 2 kids. I know what happens when people don’t watch what they’re doing. However, it seems that when someone holds something to be important and worthwhile, she/he tends to pay closer attention. This helps keep the accident to action ration way low. I think that if we begin to view Afghans and other Muslims as significant, and not all terrorists, we may see fewer accidents happen. No, we don’t have to agree with everything that is taught in Islam and other cultures. But, we do have to remember that they are created in the image of God and are deserving of care and respect due God’s ‘very good’ creation.

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Beloved

Published by mhelbert on February 22, 2012

I read an excerpt by Henri Nouwen yesterday in a book entitled, The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life. In it he wrote about Christ followers being “Beloved” by God. The text he used was Jesus being baptized and the voice of the Father stating that this was God’s beloved Son in whom God was very pleased. By extension, we who are adopted as God’s children, (John 1:12), are also “Beloved” by God. As I meditated on this I said, “Ok…so what?” In my mind’s eye I saw Abba taking me on His lap and embracing me. I imagined the Father and Son laughing and slapping me on the back to welcome me into the divine family. Yet, no joy. Granted, I have spent many years stuffing emotions. I promised myself that I would not allow myself to be hurt…again. But, this is Abba’s presence we’re talking about. Shouldn’t there be some emotional response?
One of Nouwen’s favorite pericopes is the story of the Prodigal from Luke 15. He likes to point out the unmerited favor that the father showered on his wayward son. Especially, since the son seemed to have rather self-serving motives for returning. In the story, however, I did not detect a great deal of joy and happiness from the son. Yes, one verse states that they began to celebrate. This could indicate that the son perked up. However, I’ve been to many celebrations and not felt especially festive.
So, considered what the reception and grace given to this wayward traveler could reveal about the others in the story, in particular the father. I saw that to the servants, the father was lavishly generous. Not only did the son get a huge welcome home party, but apparently, the servants were welcome, too. The father was conspicuously forgiving. This is one of the main themes of the story. The eldest son saw the father behaving ‘over-the-top,’ but could not see past his own concerns. The prodigal, himself, experienced acceptance in the face of expected rejection. In all of these, the father received some sort of ‘glory.’ Generous; forgiving; lavishly pouring out more than was warranted; accepting.
No, I don’t feel particularly warm and fuzzy about being “Beloved.” But, it’s really not about me, is it?

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It’s all about Grace

Published by mhelbert on February 16, 2012

When the word ‘grace’ is mentioned in most evangelical settings, one’s mind almost automatically turns to salvation, justification, and faith. After all, this has been the foundation stone of Protestant theology since Luther. There are other ways to understand this, however. Our Roman Catholic sisters and brothers have a pretty good handle on this. Let me share a bit of my story to make this a tad clearer. Over the many years that I have been a follower of Christ I have sought to build a vibrant devotional life. I’ve read the books, listened to the messages, and watched the videos. Time after time I have resolved to get up earlier and spend time with God. I have compiled my prayer lists to assist me. I have purchased the devotional books written by the so-called spiritual giants of history. This ‘great cloud of witnesses’ who seemed to have the answers to my dilemma. And, time after time…I failed miserably. When I was a student at Ashland Theological Seminary I chose a track that required my to take classes in Spiritual Formation. I know, yawn. I was up for the languages and the biblical studies. These were the important classes that I looked forward to. But, something began to happen. I had a class on spiritual disciplines led by a woman who was very unassuming. To look at her one would not think of her as a spiritual heavyweight. However, as is most times the case, looks are deceiving. She used Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth  as a text. I had read the book when it first came out way back when. I was not impressed by the choice. But, as the class met I found a refreshing that I had not experienced before. A thirst began to grow that impelled me onward and inward. I thank Dr. JoAnn Watson for her passion and wisdom. But, I did not realize that this was the beginning of God’s gracious work in my life. The following year I sat under Dr. Paul Chilcote in a class entitled “Person in Prayer”. During this quarter I came upon a web site, http://www.missionstclare.com/english/index.html, that I began to follow daily. I was able to read the selected passages of scripture in a relatively short amount of time. This enabled me to build a habit. Again, I did not recognize this as a blessed gift from a loving Father. For about 3 years I followed the practice of spending time in the morning using the Office as published at the above site. Of course, there were days that I missed. But, rather than beat myself up and admit that I was defeated, I would be back at it the next day. More grace from God. More recently, since my heart attack, I have found that I need to spend more time with God. This has grown into a desire and passion that causes me to look forward to spending substantial time in the morning. I have begun to remain silent and strain to listen for God’s voice; to look for God’s presence. The scripture has begun to speak to me about the condition of humanity and our responsibility to serve our fellow travelers on this 3rd rock from the sun. A few days ago I realized, or maybe God spoke, I don’t know, God does, that this is an example of Yahweh’s grace in my life. The journey from Dr. Watson, through Dr. Chilcote, through ‘missionstclare,’ through a heart attack, and through this present leg has all been God’s grace. None of it was through my own strength, ability or education. God is the author and trainer of these things. So, I thank God; Father, Son, Spirit for this outpouring of Grace. For Grace it is. And, if I should wake tomorrow and it’s gone, or changed, that will not alter the fact that God has given it.

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Who’s the real enemy

Published by mhelbert on February 15, 2012

Last Sunday I listened to a message about becoming the people of God. It was delivered by a dear brother who I know loves the Lord and desires, above all, to serve God. The topic was about becoming the people of God with an emphasis on Acts 2 & 4. The whole community and sharing thing that many have talked about for the last, well, 2,000 years. In the message the speaker brought out the many perceived difficulties that the Church has in trying to embody these first century qualities. This is where I started to have issues.
The talk digressed into a demonization of western culture since the “good ol’ days” of the 1950s. You know, Ozzie and Harriet, Father Knows Best, Leave it to Beaver, etc. The feeling among many like this pastor is that we were closer to, and more responsive to, God in those days. That the media, the government, technology, and other culture changing events have moved us closer to the brink of hell-fire and damnation. He stuck in the necessary “we’re at war” statement to intimate that the culture, and those who drive it, are our enemies. By the time he was done I was totally frustrated. My frustration derives from the fact that people in the church in the U.S. many times equate the “thing” with the “people.” The media becomes those people in the media. The government becomes this or that politician, big business becomes those people in business. The problem with that is we are NOT at war with these people. Our battle is with principalities and powers that are spiritual, not flesh and blood. But, our well-meaning leaders have targeted the flesh and blood and the spiritual enemy is ignored. I can’t tell you how tired I am hearing about the bad new days. These are the days we live in. We need to deal with them in a way that honors Yahweh and brings the love and healing of Christ to bear. There’s no use in whining and complaining. It’s easy to sit back and say what the problems are. It’s another thing to take action…any action…and do something constructive. If there’s one thing that the Emergent Church can teach us, is that we have a responsibility and the resources to actually make a difference in the world. We can take on the principalities and powers in the name of Christ.

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John Piper and Masculinity

Published by mhelbert on February 13, 2012

If anyone knows me, or reads the stuff I write, it will not take them long to realize that I am not a fan of John Piper. There are many reasons, but most of all, I am not a biblical literalist or fundamentalist of any flavor. Linked to this post is a blog post by Ben Witherington III. I have great respect for Dr. Ben as a New Testament scholar and brother in Christ. In this post he, too, takes exception to something that Piper stated at a conference. Within Witherington’s post is a link to that address by Piper. I agree wholeheartedly with Dr. Ben. And, I would even take his position further. Maybe more on that at a later time.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/bibleandculture/2012/02/12/john-piper-on-men-in-ministry-and-the-masculinity-of-christianity/

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On Church growth…

Published by mhelbert on February 8, 2012

Yesterday I read a post about the continuing trend of people leaving the church. In particular, this dealt with mainline churches, but can be applied across the board, with some exceptions in Africa, South America and, maybe some areas of Asia. These concerns have been voiced as long as I can remember. They have sparked worship wars and all sorts of new programs to meet people’s apparent wants and needs. From the seeker sensitive to the high liturgical, church leaders have scratched their collective heads looking for ways to keep people in the pews.
One more, Bishop Timothy Whitaker, a United Methodist from Florida has waded into the discussion. He wrote that what these churches may be experiencing is a resounding “No” from God regarding present paths of ecclesiastic practice. Rather than looking for new methods, they should be looking for fresh direction from God. Ok. But, the hoped for outcome is the same. If these churches find God’s path, then membership should grow and stabilize.
But, just for the sake of discussion, I think that’s still not the answer. I mean, so what? Do we have another committee to discuss the correct way to seek and discern God’s will and motivation? And, if they could possibly come to consensus, which is unrealistic, what then? Tear it down and start over? I am reminded about a particular baby and some bathwater. What if we are, actually, already within the will of God? What if we were to take seriously the statement, “many are called, but few are chosen”? Church decline would not be the source of so much anxiety. (Except, maybe for those whose livelihoods are tied to it.) This should in no way stifle our zeal to be ‘gospellers.’ We are still called to bring Yahweh’s reign to bear in this hurting world. But, our focus and concern would be on that rather than maintaining a church roster.

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What shall I do?

Published by mhelbert on January 31, 2012

For a long time I have been wrestling with the lack of social awareness among professed Christians. There is an imbalance between the words spoken as “evangelistic” and the actions of justice and righteousness. This morning I was again reminded about this. And, I was rebuked by Yahweh. As I go to my meaningless job and realize that people have none; I am rebuked. As I sit in my comfortable, warm home and know that thousands sleep on the streets; I am rebuked. As I complain about not having something to eat while millions are starving; I am rebuked.
Yes, I give money to organizations that do the work. But, what am I doing? I, who have been blessed with the education, experience and training to actually make a difference in the lives of those who are in need. I am rebuked.

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Back home

Published by mhelbert on January 29, 2012

Well, the road-trip is over. 2,412 miles pulling a U-Haul trailer with a Toyota Corolla. That car is definitely not meant for that application, but it made it. I would like to offer cudos to the U-Haul folks. The original installer left the safety chains a bit low so they dragged on the ground. By the end of day 2 both were broken. I called the roadside assistance folks from a hotel in Amarillo, TX. The person I spoke with was very helpful. Within an hour a local U-Haul tech showed up in the parking lot and replaced both chains. Thanx, folks.
During my time away I had a lot of time for reading and reflection. One thing that came my way was another chapter of Spiritual Classics. This one was by Alan Paton, a South African clergyman. He wrote of the liberating reassurances in the Gospel. He noted that Jesus said that we are salt and light. “Things  might be dark but they were to  be the light of the world.” I started to think about this and realized that there have been many words spoken and ink spilled on the topic of ‘being light.’ How does light work? What are the characteristics of someone who is light? Christ is the light of the world, and we are called to be partner luminaries. But, what of the dark? Not too many people discuss this. The darkness is the place that we all live. Yes, we bring light so that the darkness can be pushed back. But, the world is a dark and hostile place. We try to make it more comfortable, but, let’s face it, we can’t tame it. It is wild and foreboding. There is danger. There are all sorts of nasties: weather, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, etc. There is hatred, intolerance, war, poverty, violence of all kinds, greed, murders…you get my point. So, we ask, what has God done about it? God, the omnipotent? God, the omniscient? God, the omnipresent? Has God tamed the seemingly untameable? Is God capable? No. God has made us salt and light. When we ask, “God, when will you do something”? The Divine response is, “I was wondering the same of you.” Paton wrote, “God moves in his own mysterious ways, but a great deal of the time he moves through us.” We are light. But it is God who directs the beam. And, let’s not forget that the light is the foreign element in this world. Darkness is the natural condition. But, the reign of God will overcome it.

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President Obama rejects Keystone pipeline

Published by mhelbert on January 18, 2012

Here is a link to Sojourners. There are several articles/alerts/blogs at this link that can be viewed. http://www.sojo.net/search/apachesolr_search/keystone%20pipeline
I have to applaud the president for the courageous move. To say no to the oil industry, especially during economic slowdowns, takes guts. There are more reasons than can be counted as to why this is a good thing. You can read about them at the above link.
Please know that this issue is not dead. Congress will try to circumvent the president. Please take time to contact your representative and senators. Ask them to support the president on this. We cannot continue to mortgage our children’s and grand-children’s future on what appears to be present expediency.

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