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!

Happy for Habitat

Today I was fortunate to participate in a dedication program for the most recent Fort Wayne Habitat for Humanity Home. This was house number 118 in the past two decades, quite an accomplishment.

There are several reasons why this was a special project:
* the family moving in are former refugees from Northeastern Africa
* many local-aid agencies who have been working this this refugee family
* many Christians and churches worked together to bless this family with help and a home
* this was Anchor's first Habitat project
* and we made new friends.

Louise McCracken - a member of Grace Presbyterian Church, is a board member for the FW/HH, and at the dedication today she told two stories of two different volunteers that participated in the build; it just so happened that these two vols were both Anchorites! Louise told these two stories to help highlight the joy and sacrifice that many vols experienced in making this house happen.

The first story was of Joanna Herrrick - surprise, surprise. Louise remarked that Joanna, upon bringing the meal this past Thursday for the workers who were cleaning the house, walked into the home and declared, "This is a God-thing." This tickled Louise and resonated with what we hoped and knew to be true.

The second story was about the sweet and giving spirit of Sarah Palmer. Sarah, an employee of the West State Scott's store, bought four bags of fruit, donuts, juice and supplies to bring to the build where she was also going to work with a hammer and nails. Sarah doesn't drive, so she was hoping to get a ride with another Anchorite - which unfortunately didn't work out. Being a determined sort of person, Sarah took the bus from the corner of State Blvd and St. Mary's Avenue to the corner of Anthony Blvd and Paulding Rd - the other side of town. Not an easy trip with four bulging bags of food. When Sarah showed up, Louise was surprised and delighted and overwhelmed by the gift and determination of Sarah.

As our Lord Jesus taught and demonstrated: it is more blessed to give than to receive. Thanks Joanna, Sarah, and all the other Anchorites who did their part in putting together a house by which we can bless refugees from Africa. And thanks for Habitat for making these kind of projects possible. Happy are the merciful!

Here are some pics:

Knock, Knock...Who's There?

Wouldn't you know it, but my daughter Emma is hooked on these Knock, Knock jokes.

Here's a typical one:

Knock, Knock.
Who's There?
Banana.
Banana Who?
(this is where it gets...ummm...odd...like tonight, for example, on the way home for the lake): Banana with a steering wheel on it's head!
(this is followed by all sorts of giggles!).

On and on this goes in the van:
Banana Who? Banana sitting on a steering wheel!
Banana Who? Banana coming out of a steering wheel!

My family informs me that when I was Emma's age, I also told these kind of nonsense jokes.

I actually think Emma's jokes are funny...up to a point: like after the eighth version of bananas and steering wheels I had to try and introduce anything different for Emma to make a joke about. I finally had to tell here to stop with the knock knock jokes.

She agreed.

Then she smiled.

"Hey Dad...why did the banana cross the road?"

Poverty and the Church in the USA

The issue of poverty is coming up more and more in church ministry discussions. As it should; any self-respecting group of Christians who claim to follow Jesus ought to care for the poor. But the question is often: what does it mean to care for the poor? The poor are not a monolithic group. You have white poor, black poor, hispanic poor, asian poor; northern poor and southern poor; single mother poor and widowed grandfather poor, disabled poor and uninsured poor, lazy poor and working poor. What connection is there between caring for the poor of our day and region and the poor of Jesus' day and region?

And where does caring for the poor require the church and the corporate world to work together? How can religion and economics partner rather than spar or succumb?

I'm a regular reader of Imprimis: a publication of Hillsdale College. The May 2008 edition included excerpts from a speech given by the president of the Club for Growth, Patrick Toomey. In talking about the "greatest story never told" - the greatest period of prosperity in human history - he lists too many statistics to prove how the world's economy is expanding. I was struck by the statistics he shared about American families who live below the poverty line.

...in the early 1970's, less than 40 percent had a car, almost none had color televisions, and air conditioning was virtually unheard of; in 2004, 46 percent owned their own homes, almost 75 percent owned a car (indeed, 30 percent owned two or more cars), 97 percent had color TV's, and 67 percent had air conditioning. The poor in the U.S. have an average of 721 square feet of living space per person, as compared with 430 in Sweden and 92 in Mexico.

Who are the poor that the church is to care for? And what is the point of caring for the poor? Alleviating their causes of poverty? Lifting them out of poverty? Or caring for them whether they choose to stay in poverty or not?

What is the moral/religious obligation to end poverty? Does our spiritual call to care for the poor require economic saviness and sociological wisdom? How much of poverty in America is a moral problem, and how much of it is a sin problem, and how much of it is an economic reality? And what should the church do?

The Saleh Swimming Pool

Sunday for lunch we went to our cousin Nathan's house for his high school graduation party. Excellent Texas Sheetcake!

It was hot weather for the party, and we needed a place to cool down. Our home was without functioning A/C, so Amy invited us over to their home, which was nice and cool. Funny - we hardly spent anytime indoors. Jamil had bought a big swimming pool and the kids played in it for a long time. Good fun.

At one point Emma decides to have Alia baptize her. Emma crosses her arms and gets on her knees and then instructs Alia on how to dunk her down. Emma comes up squealing and smiling. Very cute. Then Emma seeks to baptize Alia - except she has zero interest in her cousin putting her face under water. So we tell Emma to baptize herself. Which she does. And then she does it again.

I tell Emma: "You sure like getting baptized, don't you?"

"Yeah," she quips, "I really love God!"

I Will Show You

Genesis 11v31 - 12v4

Sunday begins the event: OnePrayer!

Over 1300 churches are joining together under the banner of OnePrayer - Craig Groeschel and others are spearheading this movement of bringing churches together to pray. I'm all for joining other churches in Gospelwork, and I think prayer is a pretty good idea also.

The four-week series centers on this one prayer: Lord, make us...

Each church - starting this Sunday, will inspire their congregation around their one prayer. For Anchor, our one prayer is: Lord, make us courageous.

It seems to me that most people I know - especially the ones going through difficult times (pick an issue...), they know what the right thing to do is, but they are afraid to do it (or afraid to ask for help...). Somehow it is easier to keep doing the familiar things that contribute to the problem, than do the next right thing that would move them towards grace and peace.

I came across this ancient Irish prayer the other day:
Lord, make us keen to discern your will,
make us wise to understand it,
and grant us courage to follow it wherever it leads.

Reading the ancient - Irish prayer, I thought of Abraham. Specifically when God called him out of Haran to Canaan. Lots of interesting nuggets about the story, but a few that are pertinent to our one prayer: Abraham had never heard God's voice before, Abraham was totally ignorant of God, of even his name. But the text says that upon hearing God's promise, Abraham went.

Here's the thing: God promised the very thing that Abraham wanted more than anything. Abraham had left Ur for Canaan with his father Terah many years ago, but they stopped halfway and settled in Haran. Settling wasn't a long-term option for Abraham. So when God gave permission to Abraham to complete his journey, Abraham was delighted.

The courageous action on Abraham's part was not that he left Haran for Canaan. Lots of people did that - merchants, soldiers, refugees, etc. The courageous part was Abraham's reliance on God. The key to God's promise was this: "...to the land I will show you." It was if God was co-opting Abraham's dream, as if God was saying - "I need you Abraham, I need you and your dreams/desires. Let me lead you into the future, let me lead you into getting what you want more than anything." A God he did not know or understand gives him permission to fulfill his dream...and he trusts that God! Amazing.

Lord, make us courageous like Abraham...willing to follow you to the land you will show us. Grant us the courage to trust your ways, the courage to leave behind a settled life for a blessed life, the courage to become your blessing to the world.

C.S. Lewis points out in his famous sermon The Weight of Glory that far too many people have desires that are too weak; they settle for a safe, predictable life when they could've entered into a blessed life that pours out grace and peace into their neighborhoods.

What fears keep you from having that necessary conversation with your spouse? What fear keeps you from engaging your children? Your parents? What fear keeps you from standing up to your boss? What fear keeps you from using your God-given talents and gifts to bless others? What fear keeps you from trusting? What fear keeps you from following God's way?

Abraham went - he overcame his fear to follow the Way of the LORD, and it made all the difference. Stop taking the well-traveled road of fear, take the path less travelled - courage will make all the difference.

Lord, make us courageous...to follow your Way wherever it leads.

The Worth of a Life

For Christmas 2006 my Dad gave me a wonderful gift: A Year with Dietrich Bonhoeffer -daily meditations from his letters, writings and sermons. I read a couple of entries each month, and this one today was illuminnating. Bonhoeffer's quote on life and love caused some good reflection in me; may it be so for you.

The worth of a life is measured by how much love it has.

What do happiness and unhappiness mean, what do wealth and poverty mean, what do honor and disgrace mean, what does living at home or abroad mean, what does life and death mean where people live in love?

They do not know.

They do not differentiate.

They only know that the sole purpose of happiness as well as unhapppiness, poverty as well as wealth, honor as well as disgrace, living at home or abroad, living and dying is to love all the more strongly, purely, fully.

-- from A Testament to Freedom, 241

Sunday Sermon Notes - 6.1.08

The Acts of the Apostles 16.22-34

Interesting historical note: according to F.F. Bruce, the Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles was originally one work titled "Historical Origins of Christianity". I knew that Luke was the author of the two works, and that they fit together, but I didn't realize they were originally one work. Interesting. After the second century, the four gospels were clustered together, thus the Acts were separated and put with Paul's letters. I've often wondered why modern day Bibles don't just switch Luke and John, so that in reading the gospels, you can have a reconnected story from Luke's Gospel to His Account of the Apostles.

Sunday is Baptism Day! Always a special day. And usually the occasion for a sermon on being baptized. Fortunately there is plenty of material to use in the NT. Like the story of the Philippian jailer who was saved and baptized by Paul. Fascinating story.

My point is simple: we get baptized because of what we believe. Simple enough. But to clarify - the use of the word "belief" is qualified amply enough by James and even Paul in his letters to Rome, Corinth, and others. We don't get baptized to help us believe, to indicate that we want to believe, or that we want to be seen as one who believes. We get baptized because of what we believe about Jesus - is he Lord or not?

As Rob Bell and other preachers have pointed out: the cry of the Roman citizen and slave was "Caesar is Lord". Caesar is the Savior, he is to be worshipped, he requires primary allegiance. For the jailer to announce that Jesus is Lord, and that he believes/puts primary allegiance in Christ, not Caesar - well this is a monumental step...like crossing the Rubicon. Baptism would be like physically crossing the Rubicon - for baptisms were normally done in "living water" or water that is moving - thus a river or stream and not a lake or pond.

In our century - it is still radical to publicly make known that you believe Jesus is Lord. It is even more radical to make life choices that clearly reflect this allegiance. And I don't mean going to church, reading your Bible and avoiding swear words. Because of what he believed about the Lord Jesus, and about Caesar, the jailer was going to have to make changes in his eating habits, his sexual habits, his spending habits, his recreation habits, his family habits. Not because of adopting a long list of rules to live by, but because he was gripped by the saving grace of Jesus - the forgiveness of sins. To be forgiven, and then to live as one willing to give grace, to forgive, to love as God loves us - well that is going to change a lot of habits.

The jailer was confronted with death, and received a second chance at life. He took his second chance as a gift from God and started over again - was baptized into a new way of life. Have you been given a second chance at life? What are you doing with that gift? With your life? Be baptized because you have chosen to believe in the Lord Jesus, in his Way of Life - his way of grace, forgiveness, truth, goodness, strength, and power. The baptism matters to the degree that you live what you believe. Belief with out life is dead, baptism with living belief is powerful.

Another Reason We Go To Church...

I received a note this week from an Anchorite. An experience during the week prompted him to share some thoughts with me about last week's sermon: Why Gather On Sundays?

What he wrote was authentic and poetic. It was an encouragement to me, and I wanted to pass it on.

******
We need to be in amongst others physically,
in the same place, just to know we're not alone.
Not alone with our problems.
Not alone with our self doubts.
Not alone with our hope and faith.

You and many others at Anchor continue making me feel not alone.
I would have said everybody, but I've got to open up more, to more people;
then that whole communality thing just gets better.

Difficulty, Suffering, And Hope

Rob Bell writes in his final chapter of Velvet Elvis these helpful thoughts. Ministry has been really, really hard for me lately. Plenty of suffering. And it's been easy to lose perspective, misjudge reality, become confused about my responsibilities, and to worry about what's next. These following thoughts contain helpful reminders to me about the inherent difficulty of following Jesus, the natural suffering that often results from loving and serving, and the possibility that it is all good. Maybe you'll find these thoughts helpful too.

To be this kind of person - the kind who selflessly serves - takes everything a person has. It is difficult. It is demanding. And we often find ourselves going against the flow of those around us. Which is why we are reclaiming the simple fact that Jesus said the way was narrow. We are honest about this, especially to our friends who wouldn't say they are Christians. Very few people in our world are offering anything worth dying for. Most of the messages we receive are about how to make life easier. The call of Jesus goes the other direction: It's about making our lives more difficult. It is going out of our way to be more generous, disciplined and loving and free. It is refusing to escape and become numb to and check out of this broken, fractured world.

And so we are embracing the high demands of Jesus' call to be one of his disciples. We are honest about it. We want our friends to know up front that the costs are high, which is what is so appealing about Jesus - his vision for life takes everything we have.

This is what we are all dying for - something that demands we step up and become better, more focused people. Something that calls out the greatness that we hope is somewhere inside of us.

Not only is the way narrow, but it involves suffering. To truly engage with how the world is, our hearts are going to be broken again and again. And so we are learning how to suffer well. Not to avoid it but to feel the full force of it. It is important that churches acknowledge suffering and engage it - never, ever presenting the picture that if you follow Jesus, your problems will go away. Following Jesus may bring on problems you never imagined.

What If Jesus Returns in 7000AD?

In the Christian circles I live, there is a continual buzz about the imminent return of Christ. He could come any day, so be ready.

But Christians of some sorts have been saying that for almost two-thousand years. Who's to say it won't be for another five-thousand?

For some of you, you never, ever, ever wonder or worry when the Lord will come back to earth. I've tried not to think about it for the past decade or so. But the issue just won't go away. The theological word used to describe the thinking around the return of Christ is: eschatology (in Greek - study of last things). Does eschatology matter, does what you believe about the coming again of Jesus matter?

On one level, it doesn't seem to. It doesn't really affect my purchase of wheat or white bread, of a red or blue car, of getting 7 or 8 hours of sleep, or a thousand other mundane, daily decisions I continue to make.

But don't you ever wonder what the purpose of life is?

Don't you ever wonder where history is headed?

What trajectory are our actions taking the human race?

If God is at work in the world, and he sent Jesus once, and promises to send him again at the end of the ages...what does that mean for where humanity is headed and what does that mean for how I live today?

That's the question I'm trying to answer.

My first action is to squiggle out from under the oppressive weight that Jesus might return in my lifetime. Of course he might, but odds are he won't. Pretty much every generation has had somebody who was convinced that this was the season when the Lord would return as a "thief in the night." Except he didn't.

This belief that Jesus is headed back soon because of XYZ events going on in the world tends to result in a couple of negative traits: one being short-sightedness. We do the work of the LORD with only short-term gains in mind. We think of doing Christian work with the goal of saving as many individuals now as possible...before the LORD returns.

But what if a bunch of Christians - committed to the Return of Christ - took into account that it might be another two-thousand years, or twice that: how might that shape what kind of plans we implement for being/bringing Good News to the Nations?

At Anchor I made a commitment to pastor for a minimum of a decade. For most in my profession, that's a long-term commitment, especially for a first appointment. But in the scope of the next four-thousand years, how might I change my perspective for how much of my life I invest in Anchor? How might it change my perspective for what kind of work Anchor might be committed to? I'm sure somebody is scoffing at this proposal. At Anchor most people scoffed at my thirty-year vision for the church. I was serious, too bad not many others were. I know the world changes fast, that many insist that three-year visions for a church are almost too lofty. But that just depends on what you envision being accomplished - stuff that will be forgotten in a couple of years, or stuff that will endure for a couple of decades, maybe a couple of generations, unto the ages.

Some crazy people think in terms too lofty to stay anchored in reality. Most normal people think in terms too safe, too predictable, too trivial. But if Jesus has promised to return at the end of the ages for the renewal of all things, and if he is teaching us to pray for his kingdom to come now, then there is a link between our Isaiah 61 work today and the work of the Spirit that endures into the millenia.

Brian McLaren has some helpful thoughts along this line in his book The Church on the Other Side:

Could it be God's plan for all people through all time to live with this dynamic tension - not enough patience to breed complacency, and not enough urgency to inspire panic. Does he want us to hold urgency and patience in synergy to encourage us to plant trees (a long-term investment requiring patience) and plant them today (with enthusiastic urgency)? And could it be that on a personal level, urgency always makes sense, since each of us will face our own apocalypse (called death) within this generation anyway? And could it be that on a global level, patience also always makes sense, since God's plans and time frames make our longest life span seem like a sigh?

Waiting for my Huckleberries

Saturday afternoon I planted my huckleberry seeds!

This is my third season in four years for planting delicious huckleberries. Last year was a bumper crop...I think my Mum was able to make two whole pies - one for me and one for Dad. This year I'm expanding my crop.

I ordered two packets of seeds from Direct Gardening. I filled two 18 piece egg cartons with about 100 seeds apiece. Once they sprouted, Dad took one of the cartons home. If even half of my seeds survive my amateurish attempt to farm these berries, I'll be swimming in them! Well not quite, but maybe I can have enough berries so that I can freeze some for a pie at Christmas as well as Thanksgiving and at harvest time!

If you've never had huckleberry pie, let me know. I'll be sure to invite you over at harvest-time and I will share a slice of pie with you. Along with some home-brewed Starbucks coffee, of course!

Thank you for Chicago.

That was how Isaac ended his prayer tonight, when we asked what he was thankful for. Me too, Isaac, me too.

Here's some pics of the fun we had as a family for Graduation Weekend.

Waiting for the Baccalaureate service to get started... I only had to get up with Eli a couple dozen times.

The Happy Hallman's getting ready for bed - we need to get our rest for the big day tomorrow.

Ahhhh...the pool! This was the only thing the kids cared about. Lucky for us, Mike and Jana and crew were able to join us - here Cameron and ELI are hanging on me as I drag them around the pool again and again and again...

All dressed up and ready to Graduate!

The Hallman-MacFarlane Clan - now if only Jerm and Maria could have joined us.

Isn't she beautiful!

ELIE by the fish pond...

That is one very expensive grin. A very relieved grin. A very satisfying grin.

Celebrating with the kids! I missed alot of summers at the lake...they're glad I'm going to be around to swim and boat! I am too.

Nothing better than sharing a sweet moment like this with those who love me most.

Ahhh...Tara, how do I say thank you...for sticking by me, for believing in me, for being with me all the way through. Thank you.

Dad and Mum - thank you for helping make this experience possible. Thanks for the encouraging words, for the notes, for the bran muffins on those early 4:30am drives to school from the lake during the summer...and for helping my wife and kids when I was gone. Thank you.

Thanks Shirley and Faye for spending so much time with the kids and helping Tara when I was at class. Faye - I'll never forget our conversation on the bus while travelling to the Cubs game, when you asked me if I knew what I was doing. I did. :)

It was awesome to have Tara's family join us for this joyous celebration Naomi and Jim, Amy, Hannah and Alia, and Karen! Thanks for the support, for caring about us when times were stressful, and for being there for us.

My friend Leslie; we met in my second summer - during Greek. We did four classes together that summer - Suicide Greek is what they call it...for very good reasons. Good guy, with a son named Ivan. A very cool name.

Levi wouldn't try on the hat, but the other three did...we'll see if someday they get to wear their own.



Here we are - all nineteen of us - at RainForest Cafe in downtown Chicago. It was a looong table, a loud table, a fun table.

Eli and I wear causing great distress to Levi and Isaac, who happen to have very sensitive hearts. The Yellow Snake lowers his head and sticks a long black tongue out. I just happened to be standing near it such that Eli was almost struck by the serpent, which caused Levi and Isaac to squeal. Well of course I had to stick oblivious Eli even closer the next time, which elicited cries of panic. A glance from Tara encouraged me to quit, before I made a bigger scene.

For desert, Emma requested the desserts that catch on fire: a chocolate cake served with vanilla ice cream and a big sparkler on top. Amy and Alia were quite delighted by the surprise, as we all were.

There's just something mischevious about Alia's grin...it's almost as if she swiped some of Grandma's cake when she wasn't looking. Or something...

It's Sunday morning breakfast and the kids - with RainForest Cafe souveniers in hand (giant sharp-skinned alligator and long green fuzzy snake) giving me my graduation gift: a fun book by John Wooden about building character and growing up. Definitely a book I can identify with and enjoy; especially with all the neat notes that Tara wrote inside - along with the kids autographs - of the many ways the Wooden story connects with what Tara and I have been through the past five years.

It's Mother's Day! Heading out of the hotel for Kohl's Children's Museum. Momma just wanted to spend time with the kids (and me...) on her day, so that's what we did.

There were alot of neat hands-on activities for the kids; this one included rearranging translucent geometrical shapes. Isaac and Levi did most everything together: pick up beanbags with a crane, shoot windchimes with a water gun, and much more.

Emma impressed me with her princess castle made of the translucent geometrical shapes. Her creation was all by herself, no instructions or model in front of her! Very good job sweetie...I need to get my Lego's out. Oh the fun!