Christ's Divinity Should Inspire Humility, Not Arrogance

Was impressed by this quote. Follow the link to read the entire article.
Jim Wallis: Christ's Divinity Should Inspire Humility, Not Arrogance
Jesus being the Son of God does NOT mean that Christians are better, more right, more righteous, more moral, more blessed, more destined to win battles, or more suited to govern and decide political matters than non-Christians. Instead, believing that Jesus was the Son of God would better mean that people who claim to believe it ought to then live the way Jesus did and taught. And on that one, many of us Christians (who believe the right way) are in serious trouble when it comes to the way we live. Those who believe that Jesus was the Son of God should be the most loving, compassionate, forgiving, welcoming, peaceful, and hungry for justice people around - just like Jesus, right? Well, it's not always exactly so.

The Message of Christmas

I was struck by this cartoon in the Sunday paper. It is written by Jef Mallett.

12 Days of Christmas Trivia

People across the world celebrate Christmas with great fun and fervor. Christmas or 25th December is considered the starting of Christian year. It continues up to 6th January. It is known as the Epiphany day. People in England were unable to celebrate Christmas from 1558 to 1829. During this period, ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ was written.

In the pear tree, there is one partridge. This partridge stands for Jesus Christ.
Two turtledoves symbolize Old Testament and New Testaments.
Three French hens symbolize faith, hope and love.
Four calling birds stand for four gospels.
Five golden rings symbolize first five books of old testaments.
Six geese symbolize six days of creation.
Seven swans symbolize sevenfold gifts of spirit.
Eight milking maids represent eight beatitudes.
Nine dancing ladies symbolize nine fruits of spirit.
Ten leaping lords symbolize ten commandments
Eleven piping pipers signify eleven faithful disciples.
Twelve drummers stands for twelve points in Apostle Creed.

Blood Diamond

Last week I went to see the movie Blood Diamond. I wasn’t expecting much except for an action thriller. Actually I had not even heard of the movie until the day before when my brother-in-law and his son suggested that we go out to see the film.
The film did not lack for action. Several street battle scenes vividly captured the confusion and violence of a rebel attack, but I was pleasantly surprised to see this movie was more. Some movies entertain. Some challenge the way you think, encouraging you to see the world in a different way. And some try to change the way you live. Blood Diamond to my surprise accomplished all three.
The underlying theme is the selling of diamonds to support rebel armies and governments in Africa. Set against the backdrop of the chaos and civil war that enveloped 1990s Sierra Leone, "Blood Diamond" is the story of Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), a South African mercenary, and Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), a Mende fisherman. Both men are African, but their histories and their circumstances are as different as any can be—until their fates become joined in a common quest to recover a rare pink diamond that can transform their lives.
The story is of Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), a fisherman in 1990s Sierra Leone whose village is attacked by the Revolution United Front—the rebel army in an ongoing civil war. The RUF capture him, separating him from his wife and children, and put him to work in a diamond mine. There he finds a diamond—a rare and extremely large pink diamond. He knows it’s worth a huge sum, enough to rescue him and help him find his family.

Solomon’s relentless pursuit of his family and specifically his son was the most impacting sub-theme for me. Even after his son has been turned into a child-soldier by the rebel army and rejects his father, Solomon did not give up the pursuit. (Spoiler ahead) Solomon whit a gun pointed at him from his child’s hand calls to him and tells him his name and who he really is, accepting him even though his son has ventured into the life of a child soldier and committed atrocities. The same is true of our Father God who sees not the rebel but the son who he loves and is pursuing at all cost to rescue. This one scene made the movie for me.

However there is a larger message being portrayed. There are still an estimated $23 million of conflict diamonds being smuggled into the international market each year. Nevertheless, diamonds are one of the biggest sources of legitimate income for many African countries, and they have been the foundation of wealth for many rising nations. Here lies the dilemma.
Blood Diamond has been criticized for being too heavy-handed in message—an unfair accusation, considering the ambiguous nature of the diamond in the movie--and interweaving too many characters, issues, and plotlines. But Blood Diamond is a perfect example of the political and moral power that a movie can potentially exert. The issue of conflict diamonds is not a new one; activists have fought for years to bring this issue to the consciousness of consumers. The U.N.-sanctioned Kimberly Process for the certification of conflict-free diamonds has been in place since 2003, but today, blood diamonds are still an ongoing issue and a significant source of funds for terrorists and illegal armed operations. It remains to be seen whether Blood Diamond will succeed in making this problem one in which consumers, not just activists, insist on change. But if anything could achieve that, this movie could.

Currently Reading

Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts the Faith and Threatens America: An Evangelical’s Lament
Randall Balmer
Book Description
For much of American history, evangelicalism was aligned with progressive political causes. Nineteenth-century evangelicals fought for the abolition of slavery, universal suffrage, and public education. But contemporary conservative activists have defaulted on this majestic legacy, embracing instead an agenda virtually indistinguishable from the Republican Party platform. Abortion, gay marriage, intelligent design--the Religious Right is fighting, and winning, some of the most important political battles of the twentyfirst century. How has evangelical Christianity become so entrenched in partisan politics?
Randall Balmer is both an evangelical Christian and a historian of American religion. Struggling to reconcile the contemporary state of evangelical faith in America with its proud tradition of progressivism, Balmer has headed to the frontlines of some of the most powerful and controversial organizations tied to the Religious Right. With a skillful combination of grassroots organization, ideological conviction, and media savvy, the leaders of the movement have mobilized millions of American evangelical Christians behind George W. Bush's hard-right political agenda.
Deftly combining ethnographic research, theological reflections, and historical context, Balmer laments the trivialization of Christianity--and offers a rallying cry for liberal Christians to reclaim the noble traditions of their faith.
Shadow Cities – A Billion Squatters. A New Urban World
Robert Neuwirth
Book Description
Investigative journalist Robert Neuwirth lived among squatter communities from Rio to Bombay to Nairobi to Istanbul to give us an impassioned, inside view of squatter life and a glimpse into the urban future. He met people in Nairobi who built homes with their bare hands, Turkish families who plot land invasions, and children in Rio whose parents justify outfoxing the authorities as the only path to a better life. And he shows us that in cities like Rio, squatter settlements have become decent places to live for formerly landless people. Tracing the notion of private property from the enclosure movement in Europe to the settlement of the U.S., Neuwirth shows how squatting rights may actually be seen asmore "natural" than the current laws practiced in the U.S.
In almost every country of the developing world, the most active builders are squatters, creating complex local economies with high rises, shopping strips, banks, and self-government. As they invent new social structures, Neuwirth argues, squatters are at the forefront of the worldwide movement to develop new visions of what constitutes property and community.

The J Curve – A New Way to Understand Why Nations Rise and Fall
Ian Bremmer

Book Description
What Freakonomics does for understanding the economy, The J Curve does for better understanding how nations behave. The J curve is a visual tool that allows us to see at a glance why some crucial countries are in crisis and unstable while others are prosperous and politically solid. In this imaginative, playful, and practical guide, Ian Bremmer, an expert on the politics of international business, turns conventional wisdom on its head. He reveals how the United States can begin more successfully to act in its own interests.
But The J Curve is not only for policymakers and their critics. It can help investors better manage the risks they face abroad. It answers puzzling questions we all have. Why does North Korea seem to invite a military conflict it can't possibly survive? Why is India so surprisingly stable? What are the internal pressures eroding stability in Saudi Arabia? How long can China's politics resist the pressure for change provoked by the country's economic revolution? Why are Iran's ruling clerics trying to push their nation toward international isolation? What will happen to Israeli democracy when demographic pressures change the balance of political power within? And crucially, how should the United States respond to the challenges posed by these questions?
U.S. policymakers have sought to manage security threats with a simple formula: reward your friends and punish your enemies. Has it worked? The U.S. imposed harsh sanctions on Saddam Hussein's Iraq and isolated it from the international community. This strengthened the dictator's grip on the Iraqi people and the country's wealth. The world now faces a similar dilemma in Iran. Will the United States continue to try to isolate that country or can Iran be guided into the international mainstream, allowing its people eventually to directly challenge their harsh leaders?
Bremmer's tour of the nations of the world -- our friends, our foes, and others in between -- shows us how to see the world fresh, get rid of shopworn attitudes, and discover a new and useful way of thinking.

THE "Blind Horse"

Sometimes I have felt this way.















For an explaination see original post for this blog.
At the botom of the page.

A Walk through Bethlehem

I made a few friends the last two weeks as I became involved in a community drama that is jointly produced by several churches in the Mooresville area.
The production involved leading a group through the city of Bethlehem on the night of Jesus’ birth. Guests are brought to the city gates as the host explains that they are about to enter the city of Bethlehem 2000 years ago. This is done amidst the reading of the decree of Caesar Augustus that all must be taxed by a Roman official. The host then explains a little of the culture and circumstance regarding this small Judean village.
After passing through the gates, visitors can glimpse the main street of the city with shops, villagers, travelers and of course the occupying Roman army.
Here the guests are introduced to a guide, (that was me) who is persuaded to lead these visitors from a far, far country into the city and perhaps locate for them a place of lodging.
Beginning with the tax collector setting the stage of the oppression the Jewish people under an occupying Roman military we wound our way along the street which was masterfully built to resemble an ancient market.
Each act of the drama was performed with interaction from the guests. Each shop along the market was a scene including an interaction with the town gossip who informs us of an unmarried woman who claims to be a virgin. The people of Bethlehem we met weave a story that leads to the shepherds in the fields. There the heavenly host (actually only one angle, but the effect was good, the angel seemed to appear out of the night sky and then disappear into blackness once the announcement was made.) This lead us back to the stable where we discover the Christ-child just as the angel had said.
I learned that this was the third year of doing this drama which the organizers hope will become an annual tradition in the community. This year the two night performance drew over 1200 people not including the cast of 100 plus many other volunteers. This more than doubled last year’s attendance of 500.
LINK TO A SLIDE SHOW OF THE EVENT

Currently Reading

Living on the Devil’s Doorstep – From Kabul to Amsterdam

Floyd McClung

Living on the Devil’s Doorstep is a dramatic example of the difference one family can make when they are willing to trust God and walk in obedience to His call on their lives.When Thousands of young people checked out on Western society and sought enlightenment in the East, Floyd and Sally McClung set aside the comforts of American suburbia and settled first in Afghanistan and later in Amsterdam.In Kabul, Afghanistan, a key stop on the hippy trail and finally in Amsterdam the start of the trail many young people followed in the 1960’s and early 70’s, the McClung’s committed to meeting the penniless, the drugged, the sick, and the disillusioned right where they were.

Why We Want You To Be Rich - Two Men One Message

Donald J. Trump and Robert T. Kiyosaki

with Mededith McIver and Sharon Lechter

Interesting concept as Kiyoskai begins each chapter with his story-telling style while Trump finishes with a brief post-script expounding more concisely on the topic. Found the book in the library and would not suggest spending dollars for it.

The PAPA Prayer – The Prayer You’ve Never Prayed

Larry Crabb

Dr. Larry Crabb has written his most practical, user-friendly book to date with "The PAPA Prayer." He uses PAPA as his acrostic or acronym to develop a four-fold model of relational prayer. P suggests: "Present Yourself to God," A is for "Attend to How You're Thinking of God," the second P relates to "Purge Yourself of Anything That Blocks Your Relationship with God," and the second A teaches readers to "Approach God As the `First Thing' in Life."

Here and Now

Henri J. M. Nouwen

Most touching is Nouwen's account of his near-fatal accident when hit by a car while walking over ice to help a handicapped boy. Nouwen goes through many emotions: real anger when gas station attendants refuse to drive him to the boy, a realization that the accident has given him a new pespective on his life, peace in the face of death but also the realization that "it was not love that kept me clinging to life but unresolved anger." When he does survive, he asks, "Why was I asked to return to a place where love is so ambiguous?" Brief but profound are his responses to the experience as he realizes God's call to deeper trust in God and to radical freedom. Nouwen's personal narrative is an important book for many people pondering the mystery of life and death, regardless of their religious commitments. From Library Journal

First Things

Recently I have been reading The PAPA Prayer by Larry Crabb. I have been struck by his incites and his transparency. One of the chapters dealt with the value of not confusing things of first importance with those of second.
In the discipline of prayer the value of closeness with a Father rather than closeness of what I perceive as my due (a more polite way of stating this is to call it a “need”.) becomes the difference between first things and second things.
“People who get close to Christ often see good things happen.” (Fill in the blank of good things with your particular struggle or concern.) Crabb terms this a second-thing blessing. He goes so far as to demand a celebration when a second-ting blessing arrives. But then the warning, “second-thing blessings can feel so good that we start thinking they are “first-things.”

God warned the nation of Israel of the same:

“When you have eaten and are satisfied,
praise the Lord your God
for the good land he has given you. (celebrate?)
…be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God…
Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied

(whatever you filled the blank in with above, i.e. your husband/wife, a child, finances…)
…you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of slavery…
Deuteronomy 8:10-14

“In this life, the feeling of satisfaction that comes when a marriage improves or a child turns back to God, or an inheritance solves our financial problems or a career takes off often feels stronger and brings more pleasure than our experience of God. We are foolish to dampen that pleasure, but we are in danger of living for it, of thinking that blessing from God satisfies our souls more deeply than God himself.” (Crabb, The PAPA Prayer)
To be clear, the relationship and experience of God is the first-thing and the result of a changed situation is a second-thing.
How can this possibly be? Might it be that our relationship with God is so shallow that the pleasure it brings really is less than the pleasure we feel when life goes well.
May I find my life in Christ and the love of a Father God which sustains me! And may it be so for you also.