Food, Family, and Politics

Touchstone is a magazine I've subscribed to for years - here are a few quotes from this month's issue.

Family

In this world joy cannot be perpetual.
However, it is possible for joy to return, over and over again.

The possibility of happiness and joy rests, of course, within a larger matrix of sacrifices, sorrows, forgone opportunities, and trials that also mark family life.

Living together in families requires that persons confront and overcome their own selfishness.
- page 3

Food

Do not eat the kind of food that "injures a man, deteriorates his spirit, and renders his body prone to disease," but "eat that you may live."
~ Clement of Alexandria, early third century - page 33

Eat food.
Not too much.
Mostly plants.
- Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food

By speaking of "food", for example, Pollan means to exclude the vast majority of the "edible goods" that crowd our supermarket shelves - we are to regard as food only the things that our grandmothers or great-grandmothers would have recognized as such. Similarly, "plants" mean fresh ones, unprocessed and grown locally in nutrient-rich, pesticide-free soil.
- page 33

For more information on food, eating, and our life/faith, see Polyface Farms - they have a great index of books to read and ponder.

Politics

For Augustine, membership in a political community, is, then, and event of participation that orders a people by attuning their desire and drawing them towarad those loved things held in common.

Put simply, politics is the collective act of ordering human desire. It is at root a question of love (that which orders our desires) rather than one of justice (that which orders our actions).

History becomes both an account of that ordering and the source of that ordering.

What does a man or a society love? That is the key political question as far as Augustine is concerned.
- page 14

Arrgh - who to vote for?

Does it really matter who is the president?

With all of the bureaucratic bulk that makes up our government, how much change can a president bring about?

I know, I know - the next president could make some key Supreme Court justice appointments. That's kind of a big deal...

I like Barak Obama. I like his story, I like his attitude, I like his character, I like his energy.

I like John McCain. I like his story, his attitude, his character, and his energy.

Since they are human beings, they have dirt in their story, specks in their eyes, and flaws in their character. Which ones are worse?

And they are both politicians, which makes me wary of both of them. By virtue of their profession, they must deal with the powerful temptation to say what needs to be said in order to increase the liklihood of being elected.

And you really have to wonder about somebody who wants to be president as much as they do. Anybody who eagerly aspires for that kind of high profile position is somebody that you have to raise an eyebrow at and dabble in a little bit of skepticism.

About Obama - I don't like his idea of universal healthcare. It takes a terrible health-care system and instead of taking strong steps to really change it and improve it, he just wants to make sure that the same terrible system is available to everyone. (Yes, that is a cynical overgeneralization.)

About McCain - I don't like his support of the war. We should have never gone to war in Iraq in the first place. But, now that we are there, I think he is more capable of helping the USA "extract" it's military from the region. I do have my doubts, though.

And then there is the issue of our common heritage as Christians - me, Barak, and John all claim to be followers of Christ. How does my faith and following of Jesus inform my decisions about who I vote for in November?

God does have an opinion on economics, on labor, on justice, on health, on education, etc. What does God want of American Christians and our political realities?

Still haven't found the answers I'm looking for.

Emma's First Day of Kindergarten

The goal was that I would finish graduate school by the time Emma started kindergarten. We met that goal with about two weeks to spare. Needless to say, both Emma and I are very excited - me, being done, and Emma just getting started.

Monday evening was an open-house: she got to see her table, get her picture taken by the teacher, say hi to the teacher, and meet some friends. Oh, and play on the playground.

The First Day! Emma was just as excited at the new outfit she got to wear as she was going to school.
Showin' off the cool backpack!

Here we are at the school, waiting outside with the other kids to go in for the first day.

A proud Dad and Mom trying not to be teary-eyed!

Emma at her new locker - Momma's helping her get the stuff arranged.

I got a little nervous when our little Emma raised her hand prior to the story. What could she possibly have to say? Mrs. Hathaway kept talking, and Emma kept her hand up. Finally, the teacher asks her student what she wants to say: "When I was in preschool, I loved recess." Which is followed by a half-dozen other kids affirming that recess was also their favorite in preschool. Eventually the teacher gets the class quiet so that she can do her story.
Following the story, Emma raises her hand again. She is being polite, but again, what could she have to say? Mrs. Hathaway keeps talking, Emma keeps her hand up. Finally Mrs. Hathaway acknowledges the stiff, upright arm: "Yes Miss Emma?" "I already heard that story." Which is again followed by most of the class clamoroing that they also have also heard the class. Not too embarassing for the first day. :)

Doing her first homework assignment in class.

Hug number seven of the morning...goodbye Emma! Enjoy Kindergarten!

Yes Mom, I'm okay. You can leave now. Go. Stop crying! Leave!

It is kind of neat that Tara can check in on our big little kindergartner during lunch! Cheese pizza - life is good at school.

Done!

I'm officially finished with my Master of Divinity degree at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School!

Woo-Hoo!

Five years ago this month I began my first class...and about twenty-five classes later...done.

I'd like to take a moment to extend my deepest gratitude to my beautiful, loyal wife Tara. This was a decision we made together, though initiated by me. We traveled up to Deerfield a month after Emma was born to scope out the school, we prayed over it, anxiously awaited the acceptance letter, and made financial arrangements then for the first class in the fall. And then the madness began.

Tara - this was a hard venture for us to go through...but we got through it together. I couldn't have done this without your partnership, you made it possible in so many ways. You made sacrifices...some I know of, many I don't. We had to keep reminding ourselves of why we chose to go this path...we knew it was the right choice...but we had to endure the overwhelmingness of it together. It got really hard, and then it slowed way down. The three summers that I was gone, the three summers where I missed Emma, Levi, and Isaac growing up...that still weighs on me, and I know it was difficult for you. The past two years have been easier, the schedule has been much more acceptable. And as the schoolwork wound down, the relief began to emerge. I know that you are just as excited for me to be done as I am - in a good way. We have accomplished a lot together, you and me... we did it.

I'm done. Tara - I'm coming home.

One Last Class...

Just finished my first lecture for my last class at TEDS.
Sniffle, Sniffle. Not really...

It's fun to be back in class, though the homework load is pretty intense...so I'm a bit nervous.

We're doing a detailed overview of the Pentateuch and Historical Books. Really fascinating stuff. Details make a difference.

This particular professor, Dr. Lawson Younger, also happens to be my advisor. It was an interesting relationships: I was supposed to be in his small group this past five years, but I only made it to about two gatherings - my schedule just didn't allow for my participation. Neat guy, passionate lecturer, knows his stuff. I'm glad it worked out that I get at least one class with him.

It's also neat that Rick and Jamie Schwartz are letting me stay in their apartment. They move in after I move out, so it's worked out nice. Except they have no A/C, and the temp in Chicago is supposed to be mid/upper 80's with high humidity. Oh well, I'll either be working in the library or Starbucks, and by the time I get to bed at midnight, it should be cooled down...some.

Off to a late lunch and then lots of studying.

Shalom.

The Apocalypse of Christ - Part Two

The other day I was listening to a podcast of Phyllis Tickle - she made a comment about how a prologue reveals most of what the story is going to include. It made me think of the prologue to Revelation - what does it tell us about the story/vision we are about to encounter? Here are some bullet points from the prologue, greetings and doxology to give us some direction.

Prologue:
* show his servants what must soon take place
* blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy
* blessed are those who hear it and take it to heart
* the time is near

Greetings:
* to the seven churches of Asia
* grace and peace to you
* from Him Who Is, and Who Was, and Who is to come
* from the Seven Spirit before his throne
* from Jesus Christ - Faithful Witness, Firstborn form the Dead, Ruler of the Kings of the Earth

Doxology:
* to Him who loves us
* and has freed us from our sins by his blood
* and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father
* to Him be glory and power for ever and ever.

Some things to take from these accounts: the apocalyptic prophecy has to do with current situations/events - and the purpose of the vision/writings is to bless, to increase grace and peace. This means that those who read/heard/envisioned this document would be encouraged, their faith bolstered, their hearts comforted. What was going on that this was important to them?

Note the Trinitarian descriptions - they are clues to what we are about to experience in this letter. The titles for God, Spirit and Jesus will be fleshed out, stories and visions will unpack what John means behind these words.

For example:
God is coming - no matter how difficult or dark are the days, do not forget that God has been and is at work such that all things will come to a culmination when heaven and earth join, when God himself dwells with Humanity.
Seven Spirits that are before the Throne are also the Ones infused within us to lead us into all truth and conviction of sin; the Holy Spirits are our link from the Holy Glory of God's Presence in the Heavens to the holes in our hearts.
Jesus Christ is a reliable revealer of God's character and work; he is the embodiment of God's promise to resurrect the dead, and despite our cynicism - Jesus Christ is the ultimate ruler to whom all kings and queens will have to give an account.

These are the main themes of the letter - whatever fantastic, weird, baffling visions/accounts you read - it all points to these ideas/actions of God, Spirit and Jesus. The book is less about details for the end of the world, and much more about the kind of God, Spirit, Jesus that will complete the work they began at Creation.

What kind of work? An unending work of love that results in our freedom from enslavement to darkness, sin, evil, rebellion; by the blood of Christ we are forgiven and made righteous such that we can form a new Way of Living, join a New Kingdom where grace and peace prevail. Where now we only see glimpses of God's Glory and Power - there is a day coming when it will be the only light by which we see everything for what it really is.

Responsibility in Life and Ministry

This note came from my friend Patti, who received it from her sister Cheri. I think it's pretty good: let me know what you think.

The difference of feeling responsible for people
And feeling responsible to people.

When I feel responsible for people...
I risk being a Bible-thumping, code-enforcing, brow-beating person of people.
I risk adopting a callous cynical view of people and God at times.

When I feel responsible to people...I realize they have a choice.
When I feel responsible for people...I want to make decisions for them.

When I feel responsible to people...They have to figure out their next step.
When I feel responsible for people...I want to tell them what that next step is.

When I feel responsible to people...I allow them to bear the brunt of consequences for their own chosen actions.
When I feel responsible for people...I tend to assume guilt, even shame, for the decisions they make.

When I feel responsible to people...I engage their journey, offering encouragement, instruction, support.
When I feel responsible for people...I try to control their journey.

When I feel responsible to people...I talk to God a lot on their behalf.
When I feel responsible for people...I talk to people a lot on God's behalf.

Love, Doubt, Neighbor

Our Lord asks but two things of us; Love for [God] and for our neighbor.
We cannot know whether we love God...but there can be no doubt about whether we love our neighbor or no.

- Teresa of Avila Interior Castle
(found: God's Politics 7.7.08)

The Apocalypse of Christ - Part One

What to do with the last "book" of the Bible? It lists as number 66 in the collection of sacred writings...no wonder so many people avoid it! Or could it be that Revelation is just too hard to understand? Or there is too much baggage from what you heard as a kid? Or you've got better things to do than read about dreams of beasts and dragons and harlots.

My friend Donnie challenged me a couple of months ago to rethink my view of heaven. More pointedly, that I would let the promise of heaven provide some hope and energy to the difficult times I face. Kind of like what Paul writes about in 1Corinthians 15 - the promise of Resurrection propels him to endure his bouts with beasts in the Ephesian coliseum. But what propels me? Certainly not any promise about future events. I took up my friends challenge and started reading/studying what the Bible says about heaven, the future promise, and salvation. Interesting stuff.

I don't think much about heaven, to be honest. Even though my brother Matt and Ben are dead and I believe they are in heaven, and I think about them often, I don't think about heaven. I believe I am going there when I die, but I don't think about dying or going to heaven very much. I'm not sure how mature or wise that is, I'm just being honest. So I've started reading/studying the Revelation of Jesus (otherwise known by it's very obscure title: the Apocalypse of Christ).

I grew up with a view of Revelation that obsessed with how we were living in the End Times and that modern people/events were fulfillments of prophecy. How many people told me that the Rapture was going to happen in our life time. First Gorbachev was the Anti-Christ of Revelation because of his rule in Russia and the red spot on his forehead (the mark of the beast!). Then Bill Clinton was the Anti-Christ! Now it might be Barak Obama! Ugh.

Is there another way to view Revelation? Fortunately there is. A lot of my reading is focusing on the historical context and literary genre of the book. What was going on in Ephesus that prompted the letter? What were characteristics of the Roman Empire that fueled the need for Revelation? What was the status of Christians in the Western provinces of Asia that necessitated this letter? The more that one digs, the more gems one finds.

An interesting theory is that Revelation is primarily a political letter; it is challenging the authority of Emperor Domitian and the propaganda of the Imperial Cult. John crafts a brilliant letter that pulls in the best of apocalyptic literature while drawing deep on the brilliance of Jewish Prophets. He draws it all together to inspire his fellow believers to Worship the One True God and live out his Way of Love. Resist the Empire! Resist the Corruption of Roman Deception. Go the Way of Christ, not Caesar.

This approach sidesteps the need to put a chronological order to the events of Revelation, it avoids the need to find modern day people/places to fit in with the characters/descriptions found in the book. It tells us a lot more about God and Jesus and the Spirit then it does about when the world will end or who is the AntiChrist.

Did you know that the word AntiChrist doesn't even appear in Revelation? Neither does the word Rapture.

What do you think about Revelation?

First Times and Other Fun Stuff

Emma's first graduation - from preschool at Sonrise!
Our first somemore's at the lake!
The first trip to the Allen County Public Library.
Look! Emma is reading all by herself!
Emma's first ride on a pony at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo!
Isaac liked the docile pony named Candy - she went verrrrrrry slow.
Levi made a beeline for the biggest horse in the stall...and smiled all the way around the corral!
Eli enjoyed his first carousal ride - he smiled most of the time...



Emma, Hannah and Alia had fun trying to sit still for this Cleo and Dot shot.
Hanging out with more cousins is fun too - Katie and Megan are from North Carolina.
When it's hot its fun to have a picnic after getting wet in the pool.
And it's always fun to get together for a birthday party!
Emma's soccer games are lots of fun for the cousins - all lined up with lunches and snacks!



It's been so long since I posted family pics, I have to go all the way back to early May! For Mom's Day we had to go to Starbucks!
Emma celebrates our gift to Tara: an external harddrive to backup her thousands of digital pictures.
Also in May we went to the lake for Memorial Day weekendd. The Isaac and Levi liked wearing their goggles on sand.
Emma made sure her goggles matched her pink swimsuit!
The water was a bit cool yet in May, so Eli just walked on the water's edge. Very relaxing.
Levi and Isaac end the May-day by enjoying a lovely sunset on Lake Pleasant.
Also in May Emma continued her soccer-ventures. In this game her coached congratulated her for being the most-improved player!
Lastly in May, Eli started falling asleep at lunchtime. He plays and eats till he drops!



June was a fun month - it started off with hanging out at the zoo! The boys were actually able to get up real close to the alligators. This was real special for Levi - he has a three foot long hard/sharp plastic alligator at home he sleeps with! Nothing like the real thing (well, except that this one lives in captivity in a non-native region...but other than that...)
Good thing we had a map! Emma kept us on track and we never got lost!
It was a beautiful, sunny, soft-breeze day - such that Eli fell asleep in the shade while praying for his ice cream!
We always enjoy the Indonesian Rainforest - especially dressing up like botanists...I think that hat's a little big on you Levi!
We always try to take a nice family photo of the kids with Tara...we try...

June was also Father's Day...we got to go to Starbucks (of course) and then to hang out at the fountain!
Here we are opening my gift...looking at pictures of the kids; Tara has a scrapbook going of pictures she takes of the kids for Father's Day. This year's pics are very cute! The garb was Emma's creative vision...

My Mennonite Heritage

The message of the Mennonites - and the Anabaptist tradition - has taken on a renewed interest for me.

My church denomination was founded by two ministers - one a Reformed minister the other a Mennonite - both from Europe. My mother grew up in Wilshire, but her family was from the Berne area - which is a Mennonite enclave. In reading through my mom's family line, there are many Mennonite ministers listed. My father grew up in Southern Ontario where there were also many Mennonites - a few of them shared the last name of Hallman as well.

But I really don't know that much about the Anabaptist tradition that gave birth to the Mennonite faith. So I asked Scot McKnight (a scholar who holds to an Anabaptist faith) who to read to get up to speed: John Howard Yoder (The Politics of Jesus), Ron Sider (Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger) and Stanley Hauerwas (Resident Aliens). I already owned (and had read major sections of) Sider's book, and I'd always wanted to read Yoder's. The reading has been very illuminating. I also found Menno Simmons' complete collection of writings online, so I've been reading through it. McKnight also has a link on his site to an older article about the Anabaptist distinctives compared to the Catholic and Protestant faith.

I didn't know/realize that Anabaptists are not considered Protestants. They weren't part of the Reformation...they consider themselves part of the Radical Reformation: radical meaning "root" - they alone went all the way back to the foundational teachings of Jesus to shape their personal and political lives.

Apparently phrases I've been using like: Following the Way of Jesus; Loving God/Loving Neighbor; these are very Anabaptistic ideas. There is a resurgence of Anabaptist ideals...and Greg Boyd has this insightful blogpost on it: Cherish Your Treasure

If you know of some good Anabaptist stuff to read, let me know. So far it's been a fascinating journey.

California Nostalgia...

Last year on the 27th of June we were wrapping up a fun day at the world-famous Monterrey Bay Aquarium. Later that afternoon while the kids took a nap I was able to sit by the pool and read my Michener novel for a couple of hours. That is what I call vacation.

Ever since Father's Day (which is when we left for CA last year) we've been saying stuff like: "Hey, we'd be in Colorado tonight!" or "Is this when we got to Monterrey?" It's been fun remembering that California Trip!

Welcome Tooth Fairy!

Here's Tara's humorous account of Emma's tooth story:
On the way home from Family Fusion tonight, Emma calmly announces, “I have exciting news – my tooth came out, but now I just have to find it!”

Since she had a red snow cone at the church, I wasn’t sure what was running down her chin. But she had indeed lost her tooth! First from her mouth, and then SOME place in the van!

She had been chewing on Isaac’s snake (don’t ask…) and she said it just “popped right out” but she didn’t know where… She was so excited though that she didn’t seem phased it couldn’t be found (Thank goodness for that!)

Upon returning home we all spent time searching for the tooth! Of course you would think it wouldn’t be too hard- but it didn’t seem to be in an obvious place (and I might mention we also had just been munching on popcorn… and amazingly popcorn kernels can look a lot like a tooth!) and so Tim and I, even after getting a flashlight, were about ready to assume it had fallen into some crack or crevice never to be found

Emma was still fine with this - we had already talked about her just writing the tooth fairy a note if she would happen to swallow it (a small fear of hers…). The boys, of course, kept yelling “Wade a minut – me think I see it! Just keeding! hee, hee, hee…”

Since the mosquitos had found the van, and we had already stripped Emma down to make sure it wasn’t “hiding” there, we headed the boys into the house… (Where Eli managed to knock open a can of pop, cause it to start spraying, and proceed to walk to the garage to show us… however having slipped in his own mess, ended up just getting really mad…)

However, before Tim and I totally admitted defeat, we went to look one more time… and while in the van we hear Isaac yell, “Wade a minut” and Emma say “Let’s ask mom if this is how a tooth feels” and sure enough they had found the tooth while in the kitchen!

When asked where Isaac found it, he laughed and said “In my shoe!”

As he retold the story at bedtime after I asked if it was in his sandal or on his foot, he said he had taken off his shoe and looked down and thought “Hmmm, what’s this? And it was Sissy’s tooth!”

It was too funny to hear him tell it! And to her credit, Emma had announced earlier in the van that whoever found the tooth could be the one to put it under her pillow and she kept to her word!