The Clarity of Scripture

I don't have much to say today so I thought I would invite you to join me in a research project I am working on. If anyone can offer any intelligent remarks based on the following passage of scripture, I might even cite you in an upcoming paper.

The passage is Joshua 5:13-15. For those who do not feel like looking it up on their own I have included it here:

ויהי בהיות יהושע ביריחו

וישא עיניו וירא והנה־איש עמד לנגדו

וחרבו שלופה בידו 

וילך יהושע אליו ויאמר לו׃

             הלנו אתה אם־לצרינו

ויאמר׃ לא כי אני שר־צבא־יהוה

עתה באתי

ויפל יהושע אל־פניו ארצה 

וישתחו ויאמר לו׃

מה אדני מדבר אל־עברו

ויאמר שר־צבא יהוה אל־יהושע׃

של נעלך מעל רגלך

כי המקום אשר אתה עמד עליו קדש הוא

ויעש יהושע כן׃

Pretty clear huh?

Why Soccer is not American

Last night I stayed up to watch the European League "Football" Championship game which is essentially the Superbowl of European soccer. I was happy to watch it and enjoyed the game but was reminded why "football" will never be popular in America.
1. Football is already the most popular sport. Just the fact that we call football, "soccer" and we call American Football, "football" shows that Americans are unwilling to accept the alternative. For the sake of this post I will now call soccer, soccer so that we are not confused.

2. Soccer players are whimps. Granted they are in better shape than the rest of the people on earth and their talents are absolutely amazing. But, if they get bumped, they fall to the ground, cover their face, and wince in hopes of getting a foul called. Americans want to see real violence and hits that are hard enough to actually knock a person out. You can compare the "hard" fouls of the NBA vs the "soft" fouls of International Basketball. Last night there were a few fouls that drew blood and one fight so that is a positive for soccer.

3. There is not enough scoring in soccer. It may not be right, but Americans would rather see a 10-9 soccer game than a 1-0 match. Of course the fact that last night's game was decided after 6 penalty kicks was exciting.. it just took 120 minutes of game time to get there. Some may argue that Baseball is also boring but I will offer the international alternative of "Cricket" as the counter-argument to that. They have matches that last 3-4 days and the fans eagerly await the outcome which would never be acceptable in the USA.

4. Mullets are still acceptable in soccer. Nothing to say here.

5. The fans are willing to sing, fight, and stand for the entire game. This is actually a criticism of Americans. We don't have enough fun watching our sports games (except for college sports in which the crowds are greatly aided through the work of "mixer-man". Soccer fans sing for the entire game, they fight fans of the opposite team, and they stand in the rain and snow without a break (of course they too are influenced by "mixer-man"). Some exceptions exist such as Red Sox -Yankees games, Game 7 of NBA finals, and during the commercials of the NFL Superbowl.

I am glad that MLS is surviving in the USA and that many children play the sport but please do not think we will ever embrace this sport like the rest of the world. When the World Cup comes around in 2010 I plan on staying awake along with Scott C to watch the games but it will never capture my heart.

Shaping of the Church

"Over a two-thousand-year period, but especially in the last two hundred years, we have jerked and tugged the Christian faith out of its original soil, its life-giving source, which is an honest relationship with God through Jesus the Christ. After uprooting the faith, we have entombed it in a declaration of adherence to a set of beliefs. The shift has left us with casual doctrinal assent that exists independent of a changed life. We have made the Cross into a crossword puzzle, spending our time diagramming byzantine theories of atonement. How did the beauty of Jesus’ atoning work get isolated from the wonder of restoring an authentic relationship between God and humanity?"

Western Christianity is largely belief based and church focused. It is concerned with landing on the right theology and doctrine and making sure everyone else toes the line. The Jesus trimtab, in contrast, is relationship based and world focused. It is concerned not so much with what you believe as with whom you are following. It is less invested in maintaining and growing an institution and more invested in Jesus’ passion for saving the world. - Leonard Sweet

So what do you think about this quote? Is this a dangerous position or a good position that pushes Christianity forward?

btw- I do not know what trimtab is but it is in the quote so I left it there.

Independence or Catastrophe?

Today marks the 60th anniversary of the day Israel officially became a nation. For the Israeli's they celebrate their independence but for the Palestinians living here they call this day "Catastrophe Day" when they remember the 750,000 Palestinians that were displaced 60 years ago.
Obviously this situation is quite complex and not easily solved but I can tell you that living here and being friends with people on both sides of the situation only makes matters worse. I know many Christians interpret certain scriptures that talk of Israel possessing land to be pre-requisites to the Messiah's return. This week I even heard one say that we (Christians) will stand behind Israel and help them possess their land so that we can help usher in the Messiah.
Putting all interpretation aside, I want to question anyone who feels that he or she can help usher in the Messiah. Do I support Israel's right to exist as a nation and believe that they have a role in God's plan? Yes. Do I support Palestinians and their right to fair treatment? Yes. All I want to question at this point is the mindset that says God needs us to politically maneuver in order to help His plans come to fruition. He is God and He will have his way so our job is to live our lives modeling the life and values of Jesus with everyone.

40 Days

This is a somewhat random post that will only make sense to a few but it is certainly open for all to know.
Almost 40 days ago some people to pray with us regarding future decisions. The time is up on May 19th so hopefully in the next couple of weeks we can clarify some thoughts as to what will happen with our family next year. What is almost certain is that we will not be living in Jerusalem or Arkansas.

Mother's Day

Here are a few quotes in honor of Mother's Day.

My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it.

- Mark Twain

An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy.
-GK Chesterton

One of life's greatest mysteries is how the boy who wasn't good enough to marry your daughter can be the father of the smartest grandchild in the world.
-Jewish proverb

מבהן אמצע

A long time ago I said I would ocassionally post some of my school work but lets be honest, who really wants to read college papers? But since my modern Hebrew has crossed a plateau from saying "I like cake" to basic conversations, I thought I would post my mid term essay from class. If you read Hebrew you will quickly find that this is well done for an 11 year old which is somewhere around the level of my written Hebrew.

אני הושב חשוב שללמוד באוניברסיטה ולטייל בעולם. חשוּב ללמוד באוּניברסיטה כי אי אפשר לעבוד בעבודה טובה בלי תואר. אבל אני הושב שאפשר ללמוד כשמטיילים. כשאני מטייל אני לומד גאוגרפיה ואני רואה את המקומות החשובים בהיסטוריה. כשאני מטייל אני גם לומד תרבויות אחרות. בעבר, טיילתי בהרבה מקומות ופגשתי אנשים מעניינים שאף פעם לא למדתי עליהם באוּניברסיטה. הבעיה שבלי כסף, אי אפשר לטייל ובלי עבודה אין כסף. אני הושב שאנשים צריכים ללמוד באוניברסיטה, לעבוד, ואז לטייל כשיש להם כסף. אז אפשר ללמוד הרבה דברים

What We Love

Tonight my family hosted 4 college aged students for a little Cinco De Mayo (Jerusalem Style) dinner. 2 students live here in Israel and understand the ups and downs of Jerusalem and the other 2 recently graduated from college and have been living and working in Uganda. They appreciated familiar food and a comfortable home. As always my boys were happy to entertain the guests, my wife was happy to host and make them feel comfortable, and I simply enjoyed the conversation and the opportunity to give these 4 people a break from the norms of their lives.
It is nights like these when we are reminded of our joy in serving people and helping them to rest and rejuvenate. I may be scrubbing toilets to earn money to support the family next year but I know that I will also have to be involved in teaching and encouraging other people in their personal journeys of faith. We can't wait to see what that will look like.

Shaping of the Church: Comfort & Convenience

In his book, "Forgotten Ways", Alan Hirsch writes about life in suburbs as being all about having life comfortable, convenient, and safe. He goes on to say that the suburban churches cater to this mentality and must offer the same for the people or they will go somewhere else.
I forget where it is in the Bible that calls for a comfortable, convenient, and safe faith. The Bible I read talks about followers being imprisoned, beaten, and killed for their faith. We read about people called to go into dangerous lands, to live with integrity even if it effects the income, to fast, pray, give, love, forgive, and to serve the least, the worst, and the most difficult. We hear stories of passion that can't be quenched, of faith that can't be shaken, and of a God that will be praised.

As I think about these things I wonder how the suburban church can create this environment. The truth is that life in the suburbs is good in the sense that we can be safe and comfortable and it is convenient to do almost anything (and frankly I like this life). The problem is that this can easily create complacency but since we can't move out of the "burbs", what can the church practically do to get followers of Jesus to reclaim the dangerous (or forgotten) ways of Jesus and the first Christians?

Home SWEET Home

Taking a week off to visit Greece was a nice break from life here in Jerusalem but returning home brought a certain level of comfort. It was nice to be in Greece where every meal consisted of various combinations of meat and dairy which we do not have in Israel. It was nice to wake up each morning and not have to check the news to see if "anything happened" the night before. It was nice to see churches everywhere and to not worry about how I would be treated if people knew where I was from or what I believed. My wife would say that it was nice to be able to wear shirts that "showed her shoulders" and shorts. Of course it was also nice to be in Greece for all of the other tourist type reasons but that is for another time.

With all of the great things about Greece, something strange happened when we went to the airport to check into our El Al flight back to Israel. We were greeted in Hebrew and were whisked through the extra screening process that this airline does on all of their flights. As we sat on the flight we spoke Hebrew and ate Kosher food. Upon arriving in Tel Aviv the passport control did not ask one question, they simply gave us a stamp and let us in (they undoubtably have our names cleared in their computers by now).

We then saw an Orthodox man handing out Matzah bread for Pesach (Passover) and when my wife went to receive his gift he turned away and shunned her. The next morning I woke up and checked the news to see "if anything happened" and found out that their was a fist fight between Armenian Priests and Greek Orthodox Priests at the tomb of Jesus (they consistently dispute who has the rights over certain parts of the church where the tomb is located). Next I read about a Yeshiva student who walked naked through a supermarket in protest of a recent ruling that allows stores to sell leavened products during the week of Pesach. Later in the day I was in the park with my boys and began talking with an 11 year old here who told me that "Christians are crazy... they kill Jews and mix their blood with Matzah". I then told him that I was a Christian and was hoping to mix his blood when he left the park. Maybe I didn't say that but I did inform him that I was a Christian and he changed his whole tune and was actually a nice kid (with the exception of his racism).

The rest of the week there are two protests planned by Orthodox Jewish groups against the "leaven laws", there are several restaurants that are choosing to sell leavened bread that are bracing for violence and arson attacks. Meanwhile all Palestinians who live in the West Bank are restricted from crossing the border for the entire week and some are talking about responding next week.

This week in our house we are back to using our meat dishes for meat and dairy dishes for dairy, we are sneaking leavened bread with each meal, we bought some groceries in East Jerusalem on Shabbat, we had dinner with our Palestinian friends in a non-kosher restaurant last night, we are struggling with our kids through home-school, and we are glad to be settling right back into life here. Ahhhh Jerusalem, our home sweet home.

Spring Break 2008- No Regrets

Since I am once again a college student this year Spring Break actually has significance for me once again. So for the next two weeks (I know 2 weeks is long but remember that we have no Christmas Break) I have no classes! My family will once again take a little adventure to explore the lands of the Bible. This time we will be in parts of Greece so I will be away for a few days. Enjoy.

The Fifth Gospel

Some say that living in Jerusalem is the "Fifth Gospel" of Jesus. In other words, the Gospels as we have them in the New Testament scriptures tell us about the life of Christ in His context and give us incredibly challenging examples of how to respond in everyday life but the "Fifth Gospel" forces us to see the deeper truths of these gospels and how they work today.

For example, I read about "the Good Samaritan" and often wonder why this story seems to exaggerate a culture that is so prejudice against each other that they cannot offer the slightest glimmer of grace. Then I see in the "Fifth Gospel" that this level of hatred and cultural arrogance is possible and even normal for many today. I have heard Jews refer to Arabs as "thieves, scum, and peasants". I have heard Arabs refer to Jews as "Neo-Nazis, Occupiers, and terrorists". I have heard others referring to Christians as "Soul Stealers and infidels". I have heard Armeanean Christians call Greek Christians insane, I have heard Modern Orthodox Jews refer to Ultra Orthodox Jews as "Draft Dodgers" and "leeches". I could go on because the fact is everyone here is labeled as something and who you are comes with assumptions. But then I see true Christ followers put aside all of these labels and work to love all. I see Christians threatened as they offer aid to people in Gaza. I see Jesus followers risk their "visa" status by going to Iraq to get medical help for Iraqi children. I see Christian organizations offering help to Jewish orphans that the country of Israel doesn't even help. In other words, the most needy are helped by the one group that is the "lowest" in this culture- the Jesus followers.

Fifth Gospel Chapter 2: I read about "turning the other cheek" in an Eastern culture that believes in the "Golden Rule" of "eye for eye, tooth for tooth". Rabbis and Sheiks teach their communities that it is acceptable and even necessary to respond to violence with violence. It is actually amusing to watch Western leaders try to negotiate peace when they have no concept of the value of family/tribes and the deeply ingrained value of justice in this culture. The very culture of this place requires an ongoing cycle of violence that can only end if one side is willing to accept the disgrace of not avenging a wrong that has been done. The Fifth Gospel shows a follower of Jesus who forgives the group who disguised a bomb in the form of a present that forever changed the life of his 15 year old son. My natural response is to find the people who did this and let my Middle-Eastern Side show, but Jesus says turn the other cheek because he knows that the cycle can only end through lovers of peace and forgiveness.

The Fifth Gospel also helps us wrestle with the questions about the "Promised Land" or "Chosen People". The Fifth Gospel shows us what it means to "consider the cost" or how narrow the road really is. The Fifth Gospel teaches us that following Christ still might cost us everything and that the Word becoming Flesh really is a big deal. In the Fifth Gospel we see that Jesus' example really is the only hope for the world and that followers of Jesus really do have the capacity to make life better for everyone. The Fifth Gospel also gives me compassion for the disciples and causes me to not think they were so dumb after all because it is not always easy to see how this faith works. Like those disciples, I now have things that I once thought I understood about scripture cause me to scratch me head in confusion.

In the Fifth gospel I understand what it means when God says, "You honor me with your lips but your hearts are far from me", I begin to see the value in obedience over sacrifice, and I see just how big some mountains are to move. I recognize just how many "houses are built on sand" and how I often relate more to the rich man who struggled to give up everything than to the widow who gave all she owned. I see why God rejoices over one sheep that is found and why he wept when he saw Jerusalem from the top of Mount of Olives. In the Fifth Gospel I know why it was a big deal for the disciples to stay awake with their Lord and why it is upon people that the Church is built and that the world is changed.

The bottom line is that not everyone will ever have the opportunity of "living the Fifth Gospel" and I am grateful for the opportunity that I have had. I now just hope that I am able to inspire a group of people to put the reality of all of the Gospels into practical form in the context of the USA. I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Reality Check

On this blog and our other blog we told you about the Jewish tradition of celebrating the events of the book of Esther during the holiday of Purim. One of the customs of this event is to give gift baskets to friends and to families in need. This year one family that is associated with our church here in Jerusalem received a Purim basket from someone. The problem is when their 15 year old son opened this basket it exploded and destroyed their house and critically injured the son.
The miracle is that the son is still alive but the tragedy is that people here are justifying this act of terror as an "act of self defense". The father of the son (who has been threatened because he leads a Bible Study with Messianic Jews) is calling for the grace and mercy of Jesus while many (but certainly not all) in the Jewish community say the attack was justified. One Rabbi said that the whole building would have been blown up if Jews weren't living there. On the local news, they said, "Wherever there are missionaries, there will be anti-missionaries" and they acted as if this is okay.
This weekend we took an offering to help this family repair their home and tonight Sara and I received an email calling on all across the globe to pray for Ami Ortiz (the boy seriously injured). Also this week we heard of another person from our church who is friends with "our dear Martyr Romi" who was kidnapped in Gaza for declaring his faith in Christ.
Let this serve as a reminder to all of us who are comfortable in our Western cities and our Christian nations. Living for Christ comes at a cost that we must be willing to pay. Let us join together to pray and let us not become so complacent that our faith is routine and safe.

Shaping of the Church

Now that Easter has passed and churches work this week on "follow up" directed to all of the visitors from this year's celebrations, I thought this would work as a good time to introduce a "Shaping of the Church" topic. It has been a while since I have done this so hopefully you are ready to offer some opinions and as always, hopefully some of you will have different opinions which will lead to a fight. (Okay maybe not a fight, but some real thinking).

My question is this: How should the Church utilize days like Easter and Christmas when people come who do not usually come to church? Does making these days into large productions intended to entertain or creatively proclaim the message of the day actually take away from true celebration and worship? Should churches even change their usually style of worship for these days?

Hag Samaech (Happy Holiday)

Yesterday we celebrated Easter here in Jerusalem and had a great time thinking about the message that Jesus brought to this very city so many years ago. Once again it was a joy to celebrate a meaningful holiday here while the rest of the city struggles to live up to its name "The City of Peace". You can read more about our experiences with Easter at The Jerusalem Letters .

One of the strangest things for me this year was celebrating Easter while the Jewish community celebrated Purim (Commemorating the events of the Book of Esther). Interesting traditions have formed around this holiday such as dressing in costumes, eating pastries called "Haman's Ears", and the requirement for all males to get so drunk that their judgment is severely impaired.

After our time in the park with family and friends as we celebrated Easter, one friend and I took a late night walk through the Old City of Jerusalem to "people watch". It was one of those warm summer evenings where it felt good to just be outside. As we walked through the city we noticed a large presence of Israeli Military working to maintain order and we noticed hundreds of Ultra Orthodox Jews celebrating the liberation that came in the Book of Esther. Unfortunately the drunkenness that overwhelmed the city took away from the true joy they could have in remembering the events.

We walked by a Yeshiva school where young men spend their entire days studying the Torah and we saw one future Rabbi sitting outside in a Mexican sombrero while his friend vomited in the bushes next to them. We passed hundreds of people so drunk that they slurred their speech and had trouble walking. They were so drunk that they actually thought I spoke Hebrew clearly. As we wandered through the streets, we made our way to the Western Wall which is a place of prayer and important Jewish events such as Bar Mitzvahs. The wall was packed with people which is not so unusual because the Ultra Orthodox Jews seem to spend a lot of time outside late at night. (It is not uncommon to see whole families with small children walking the streets at 1:00 AM). When we arrived at the wall we were amused at a group of young men signing a dancing together. Most of them were clearly fulfilling their requirement to be drunk.

You can see what we saw here:


This morning as I made my way to class I noticed how everyone seemed very tired and how they didn't look so good. People were sleeping on the buses and the campus was virtually empty due to the hangovers. I love the expressiveness of the Jewish culture and have no problem with loud celebrations (I think Christians should celebrate more joyfully like they did here on Palm and Easter Sundays) but I just can't figure out how excessive drinking and impaired judgment helps remember God's goodness and deliverance. All I could do is shake my head and wish everyone a Happy Holiday (even though I was referring to a different Holiday of Liberation).

Happy Easter

We are away for a couple days due to the "Purim" Holiday here in Israel. This is basically the holiday that remembers the events of the book of Esther. It has become a holiday that basically allows people to go a bit crazy here. There is actually a Rabiinical law that has been passed (not national law) that says that you must get so drunk that you cannot tell the righteousness of Mordecai from the wickedness of Haman. As a result, the country has a day or two of complete drunkeness, loud music/ partying, and most people dressed in costumes. As I write this quick update I see a man wearing a short skirt and high heals all in honor of the Jews lives being spared thousands of years ago.
I will tell you more about it later and hopefully even have some photos of ultra-orthodox Rabbis cross-dressing!

In the meantime, my family decided that we did not want the craziness of Purim to interfere with the joy of Easter so we left Jerusalem where the partying is at its worse and decided to spend a few days on the Red Sea.
Perhaps this year as the Jews celebrate their lives being spared, Christians should do the same because that is what Jesus made possible through his death and resurrection. So I will give a real post next week so until then celebrate the life that is possible to you through Jesus.

Blessed is He Who Comes

Yesterday I posted some thoughts about Palm Sunday on
The Jerusalem Letters
and I told how our family celebrated with thousands others on the streets of Old Jerusalem. Today I wanted to continue the theme and add a few more thoughts.

The first church I worked at (Lake City Community Church) had a Palm Sunday tradition when they gave all of the young kids palm branches, they put them in front of the church, and sang songs like "Hosana in the Highest". Out of all of the children in the church, each year we watched about 20% of them actually sing along with the music, 10% just stood there staring into space, 30% waved continuously at their parents (or random strangers), 10% danced to the music, 5% picked their noses, 5% walked off the stage, 5% would sit down and dissapear in the crowd, 5% cried, and the remaining 10% would happily beat each other with the palm branches. (I am confident that my kids would fall into this last category if given the chance). The point is not what the children were doing as much as the point being that there is something pure about kids worshipping the Messiah. They don't bother with conspiracy theories, political debates over the role of the Messiah, or source critical approaches to the prophetic texts. They simply worship.

This year I had the complete joy of not only participating in this celebration including believers in the Risen Messiah from all over the world, but I had the added joy of watching my family join in as well. At one point we were at the intersection of St Stephen Street which leads into the Old City from Mount of Olives and a Hispanic group was playing guitars and banging drums while singing "catchy" worship songs. I looked over at my 5 year old and saw him standing on a pillar, clapping, and joining in the singing. His smile was priceless and his Savior must have been pleased.

Earlier in the day we were at home and read the account of Jesus' entry into the city and we talked about it as a family. My 8 year old wanted to know how to write the Hebrew wording from Ps 118:26 (which is quoted in Matthew). I wrote it for him and he proceeded to give a fairly good attempt at writing the transliteration (how it sounds in English) underneath the words. I firmly believe that knowing Hebrew assists in appreciating the scriptures but I am not one who thinks it is somehow more "spiritual" but hearing my son say the words in their original language had a special meaning.

Our Messiah has come and He saves! As they worshipped nearly 2000 years ago, may we worship and say, "Blessed is who comes in the Name of the Lord!"
Baruch ha-ba ha shem Adonai!
Psalm 118:26
ברוך הבא השם יהוה, ברכנוכם מבית יהוה׃

The Daily Grind

In the past several years leading up to this year in Israel, I had a weekly routine of meeting at our local "It's a Grind" coffee shop with a friend (Derek) to discuss issues of life, God, theology, and ceramics. Later in the week I would have a similar conversation with college students at the same coffee shop. As the years went by, this place became like "Cheers" for me. I knew all of the employees and at least knew all of the regular patrons by face and the made up name I gave to each of them. There was homeless Tom ( who I don't think was actually homeless), Andy my friend the Barista and Math nerd. There was Randy the owner and Handsome Rob who always had a Perrier and esspresso before working. Raymond (again, not his real name) was there all of the time watching "Everyone Loves Raymond" on his laptop. Some days there was a tall, bearded Asian sitting in the corner designing web-sites, and often I would see a business man from our church who worked from home and therefore used this place as a office.

This place is one of the things I miss the most about my old home. It's not that the coffee was great, except for the Aztec Mochas! It was that, like Cheers, it was a place where I knew an unusually wide mix of people and where we were comfortable together. Today on my beloved #30 bus that takes me from my neighborhood to school, I realized that this has some of those same dynamics for me here in Israel.
I know most of the bus drivers now and actually really enjoy seeing some of them. On the bus, I see many familiar faces and even have some sort of unspoken bond with many of them that I see on the bus each day. Today I sat by Crazy Moshe because no one will ever sit by him. I'm not sure if he is actually crazy, but he is an Orthodox Jew with the suit, hat, and long- thick-grey tendrils coming out from his brown (not black) hat. His beard is dark black contrasting with his gray hair, his clothes are dirty, he talks to himself (at least I don't think he is talking to me), and he always wears gloves. In front of us was Paul (named after a friend I have in California who looks just like him). He is a student at the University and rides the bus from the same stop as me. Then there was Dreadlock (guess why he has that name) and a girl from Ethiopia who works as a Security Guard at the University. Next to me on the other side was a drunk Jewish man and in front of us were two Arab students heading across town.
By the time we neared the campus, I looked at all of the people in the bus and marveled at the diversity and thought that this is one thing from here that I will miss. Although we don't really know each other, if we saw each other anywhere other than the bus the moment of recognition would bear testimony to the silent bonds that form while sitting in Jerusalem traffic. This isn't as deep or thought provoking as my time in "Grind", but it is equally satisfying on many levels.

By the way, I am a regular at one of the campus coffee shops and will miss Romi, the Barista who knows what I want before I ask. The Latte he makes really sucks, but it is the best Israel can offer.

The Problem With Dog Poop

Today it was about 75 degrees here in Jerusalem and tomorrow they expect the temperature to reach 80! After 3 fairly cold months this feels great but there is a problem with it.
As many of you know (or should know) trouble is brewing once again in the Gaza Strip. Hamas (a designated terrorist group) took over the strip last summer and since that time Israel has kept that small piece of land under siege. Everyday from behind the walls, people have been launching rockets at towns in Israel. Since last summer , around 2000 rockets and mortars have been sent into Israeli towns. This week the Israeli military raided Gaza Strip in an effort to stop the rockets. Now, the leadership here says that they will launch a full scale attack against Hamas when the weather gets nicer. (I guess problems in Israel are like dog poop. In the winter the poop freezes and you kinda forget about it for a while. Then when the weather gets warmer, that poop warms up and begins to stink).
Already this week the security is tighter and some protests have occurred throughout the West Bank and here in Jerusalem. It seems that everyone knows that there will soon be a war in Gaza but no one knows what this will do to the rest of the country. I have already been a bit more cautious on buses and I have been much quicker when visiting crowded public markets just to reduce the chance of being caught between retaliatory attacks.
My wife and I were in the World Trade Towers on September 10th, 2001 and we remember how strange it felt to wake up the next day and see what happened. But after that time, I never worried about entering a building or getting on a bus or train in America. Now we know that Springtime is here, the dog poop is thawing, and soon Hamas and Israel will collide. Our hope is that innocent people are spared.

A New Semester

We have begun a new semester here in Jerusalem and I am actually excited for it. All of my papers are in from the last semester so now is time to turn the focus. Because I am also beginning plans on returning to America and working as a teaching pastor somewhere, I wanted to keep my schedule light.
I have Hebrew 10 hours a week so I can improve on my sentence, "I like cake". Then I have one class specifically studying the life of Abraham and another examining Theophanies (appearances of God) in the Old Testament. One class is taught by a professor from Finland... yes I will try to play my "I am Finnish" card to get a better grade. The other class is taught by a Jewish man who resembles the appearance of Albert Einstein. He has a full head of messy gray hair that protrudes out from under his Kippa.

Both classes read only in Hebrew and both require extensive preparation of the text each week. Because my classes last semester had more to do with the background of the Bible and not the text, I am excited to spend the time diving into these books. I will likely combine my preparations for preaching next year with some of the texts we will be examining. So, for the next 3 months I will work to become an expert on OT texts and hopefully will have some fresh insight to share. If not, I will try to impress you by speaking Hebrew.

Check in later this week for the next "Shaping of a Church".

(Almost) Everything that's on my mind

The following are random thoughts in no specific order...

We were in Egypt last week so I have been absent from the blog world for a few days.

My 8th month old baby has already been to 4 different continents and has "seen" the Redwood Forest, Windsor Castle, the Pyramids of Giza, ancient Petra, and old Jerusalem. What will his checklist look like by the time he is 30?

My older boys (8 and 5) know the difference between Jews, Muslims, and Christians and actually have real conversations about the relationship between these religions. Don't worry, they still think words like burp, fart, and toilet are funny.

An Egyptian man offered me 5 camels for my wife and kids but he wouldn't throw in the "Pyramids" keychain so we were unable to reach a deal.

I am ready to live in America again but probably need to find a job.

I realized that I have the best 3 boys and wife that money, or camels, can't buy.

Like a normal college student I am counting the time until Spring Break and then the end of the semester. The difference is that I do not care about the degree, I just want to learn. I have become one of those annoying old people that do all of the reading and that come with new questions and proposals for the class.

"Bucket Lists" cause people to quit jobs and live in the Middle East... or the Bahamas.

More than one month of winter weather is too much. Thank God for California.

If I was a billionaire I would be doing the same thing that I am today but I would be doing it from a nicer home, a newer computer, and my butler would be washing my empty glass of fresh squeezed Pomegranite juice... and I would probably have a car.

I have read about 7 good books and 3 bad ones in the past 4 months.

I set aside 1 minute every day so that at the end of the year I have a few hours to myself.

I have Dave Crowder, Bone Thugs, Norah Jones, Jars of Clay, and Poison playing in the background while I study. And that is the secret to great grades.

I miss the students I used to work with but honestly hope they connect with their new leader.

I don't know why it seems like the time here in Jerusalem goes by fast but it seems to take forever to do so. Figure that out.

I may actually be the leader of a church next year and I listen to TuPac, I have read all the Harry Potter books, I read the books and listen to the messages by the Presidential candidates before I vote, I am imperfect, I will probably walk or take the bus to work, I think Chris Rock is funny, and I have only read a few chapters of "Purpose Driven Life".

This year I have learned how much I don't know.

Retirement is fun, but coming out of retirement is not going to be easy. Since I want my boys to eat I guess I better suck it up and make sure they have all they need.

Having less food, no car, a small house, and a few suitcases worth of possessions is actually an okay way to live.

Traveling is great and seeing people and places all over the world seems necessary to understand and lead people, but I look forward to returning to my home and being in a place I know. (At least a place where I know the language fairly well).

זאו

Ode to Church as we Know it

This is this week's addition of "the Shaping of the Church" that is intended to create some dialog regarding the focus and potential direction of churches in an American context.

I have been talking a lot about the need for change in churches and my personal desires to be a part of something that feels different from the same old story. In fact, it is not difficult to find people roughly my age and background saying the same things and longing for something new.

Before I mislead you into thinking that everything to do with the "Western Church" as we know it is bad and that everything new is good, please allow me to say that I am grateful for the Western Church. Throughout the history of the "Western Church", we have seen some terrible things happen but we have also seen some amazing things happen.

Lets face it, how many millions of people have received food, shelter, clothing, medicine, and love throughout the entire world as a result of Western Churches. When our federal government was locked in bureaucracy after Hurricane Katrina, it was the Church there meeting needs. When racial hatred continued in the south, it was the churches (not all I admit) that joined in the cry for justice and civil rights. How many people have felt completely hopeless and ready to give up on life until followers of the risen Jesus (from the Church) meet them and love with the unconditional love of God.

Turning to less practical matters, it is the Western Church that encouraged the dialogue between science and theology. It is this same church driven by "baby boomers" that pushed the limits on acceptable worship and paved the way for a new generation of new churches. The Church has forced mainstream culture to wrestle with how to expand the message of tolerance even to those with religious convictions. It is the Church that has delivered messages of hope and practical advice for daily living.

The Church that people like me want to resist and reform is not all bad and still offers hope and guidance to millions of followers today. I do believe that millions more exist who are hungry for meaning in life who have not been able to find that meaning in or traditional churches and who are more likely to in a new church, but let us not be so naive as to believe that everyone will like a new approach.

This new style of church that I talk about often appeals to people because it comes with the promise of really accepting people no matter where they are at in their own spiritual journeys. But that acceptance must also include accepting those who lead and who attend the "Traditional Western Churches" that we are challenging. The truth is that we all have different tastes and styles, and as long as Churches (old and new) live the message of Jesus and seek the priorities of God, I don't care what style is used. As Paul said in his letter to the Philippians, the good news being spread is what matters to me. So thank you traditional western churches for your years of pursuing the truth of the scriptures. May we stand side by side in our efforts to show the world the love of God and to actually be a part of blessing the world through our lives... but you can keep the Starbucks cafe in your lobby, I don't really want it.

Time for Lent Again

The season of Lent has begun and it is the time of year when believers all over give up a vice or a pleasure for the period of 40 days leading to Easter. Because I live in a country that does not acknowledge Easter, and the majority of the people who do celebrate Easter here belong to the Eastern Churches who follow the Jewish calendar and not the Roman calendar used in the West, I did not even realize we are already in this Saeson. (This year the Eastern churches celebrate Easter 3 weeks later than the Western churches). In other words, I have a few more days to decide what to give up so here are some of my preliminary ideas:

What to give up this year for Lent:
I will give up:
1) eating Pepperoni Pizza, Bacon Cheeseburgers, and Ham.
2) eating all shellfish and animals with split hooves and who chew the cud.
3) I will not work.
4) I will do no chores on the Sabbath.
5) I will not drive my car.
6) I will reject all temptations to drink mochas and American Beer.
7) I will not spend any money at Chipotle or Baja Fresh.
8) I will not watch ESPN or the Food Network.
9) I will only eat sandwiches on Pita bread.
10) I will read the Bible in Hebrew.

Remember that this list is just a preliminary list so please do not feel too impressed with my obvious commitment to self-sacrifice and unwavering pursuit of perfection for the Lord. I will keep you posted on the progress.

On a serious note, it is hard to believe that it was a year ago when the group I used to lead took the season of lent to "give up negative" and focus on doing something positive. As a result of the group's desire to do something positive, they raised around $8000 to build wells in Africa through Lifewater. I recommend that you use this season to focus on something positive. It is amazing what you can accomplish is such a short time.

Rhetoric and Philosophy

The other day my wife and I were talking about the gift of rhetoric and the example given by (Socrates?) about the ability for a philosopher skilled in rhetoric to convince a less informed crowd about his/her superior knowledge. The example given was a philosopher convincing an uninformed crowd about some medical procedure he knew nothing about and a knowledgeable doctor without the gift of rhetoric being unable to convince the same crowd of the truth.

I could take this example and show how it plays itself out daily in poilitics, education, and religion, but for the sake of this post I have a confession to make. I am currently living in Jerusalem and studying Hebrew (and other subjects) at Hebrew University. This is a University that prides itself in its level of education but it is one that holds dearly to a "German-Style" evaluation and grading proceedure. In other words, comprehensive exams without any subjectivity are preferred. This means that one cannot B.S. his/her way through the exams. For a person like me, this is troubling. Because I have spent most of my education in Humanities where I have the luxury of waxing-eloquently through the course material, my style of limited studying for exams is having its limits tested.

In addition to my exam-preparation techniques, I have the added workload of being a good father, husband, and tourist. All this to say, I feel like I am learning at a break-neck pace but my grades in some classes (especially Hebrew) are not ones to write home about. The fact that I am learning the language will be helpful when I return to America and use "rhetoric" to show my knowledge of the subject but it simply does not help the ego here and now that you know the truth, please do be impressed there.

I am a firm believer in aquiring knowledge in all areas (remember my quest to get rid of uneducated Christians), and I enjoy the process of learning new things. But I am also a believer in the adage "knowledge puffs up" and I have a pet peeve against those who live to show others how smart they are. So I guess I am saying that for all those (like me) who like to use rhetoric to show off their knowledge, just keep in mind that you are not as smart as you think you are. in fact, I reccommend that you spend time with people who make you feel dumb to help keep the ego in check and to remind you that pride comes before the fall. So here's to all of us that feel "dumb" sometimes. Don't give up the pursuit of knowledge and truth but please do not ever feel like you have arrived.... because you probably haven't. ! מזל תוֹב

Super Tuesday (Shaping of the Church)

Today is a decisive day in American politics and I have fortune and misfortune of being away from the country so I miss all of the hype of the presidential primary season. As I look at the candidates I am excited to see that at least this election will come with some new choices for American voters. We will have either an African American (Obama) or a woman (Clinton) on one side and we will have a republican who is willing to admit that his ideas change in time (McCain) or a Billionare (Romney)... okay so the billionare thing has been done before. Either way we look at it, we will see some type of change in the country, for better or for worse.
Without making an official endorsement for anyone or responding to any of his specific ideas, I did want to mention something that Barack Obama said that caught my attention,

" Today, you can join nearly half the nation in saying that we are tired of business-as-usual in Washington, we are hungry for change, and we are ready to believe again."

I know that this is a typical rhetoric among politicians but allow me to take these words and move them to the church. From this point on I will post an idea every week or two called "The Shaping of the Church" and it is intended to involve all of you in a conversation that will hopefully lead to the formation of some healthy ideas. For now, I want to begin with Obama's words for the nation, "Today, you can join nearly half the nation in saying that we are tired of business-as-usual in Washington, we are hungry for change, and we are ready to believe again."
As for me, I am tired of business as usual in American churches, I am hungry for change, and I am ready to believe again". I'm tired of basing the success of the church by the number of attendees or the money that comes in. I am tired of pastors giving simple sermons that they have been giving for years seemingly out of obligation and not an excitement for new discoveries of truth. I am tired of churches saying they "accept everyone" but get incredibly uncomfortable when "everyone" walks through their doors.
I have seen enough "church models" mimicked in communities all over the country in hopes that "mega-churches" will be duplicated. I have witnessed too many pastors and other leaders sacrifice their families, friends, and their own personalities, "in the service of the Lord". I am disgusted when the church works to follow the corporate model of leadership and labors to keep "the shareholders" pleased (I will address the "shareholders" at another time). I am done with the endless desire to build bigger buildings and bigger programs (buildings and programs are not necessarily bad, but how many needless buildings are built for image?)
I lose hope in this system when I hear endless stories of people feeling "burned" or rejected by their church and the leadership. I am angered when church leaders and/or volunteers hurt innocent kids and ignore the needs of the under-privileged or the justice of the oppressed. I grow weary with each story from those who are not followers of Jesus who say they don't want anything to do with the God of "those Christians" because Christians are not kind or pleasant.
I believe that the Church (the Bride of Christ) is a good thing and it is necessary for joining with God in His redemptive work on earth. Rob Bell, the teaching pastor at Mars Hill Church in Michigan, refers to the Bride of Christ as a beautiful thing. He goes so far as naming their church's conference the "Isn't she beautiful" conference. The problem is that for many, the bride is not beautiful, she is ugly.
As my family considers plans to return to the country and lead a church, we are wrestling with the desire to make the Church better in the process. It is time for me to believe again and to be a part of a movement that helps others believe again. I do believe that a gathering of followers (and people searching for truth) of the Risen Messiah can live in a way that causes others to believe again. I do believe that we can be a part of a movement that revolutionizes the Bride of Christ. Maybe I'm crazy but I guess I just have the "audacity to hope".

So here is an assignment. Read Isaiah 1 (which is about Jerusalem around 700 BC) and let us look for the heart of God. Let us take this passage out of context slightly and apply it to churches you know. If we were part of a renewed movement, what are some things it should (or should not) look like?

Jesus is Difficult

In my 13 years of working with people in church settings, it is amazing how many times I had to help people struggle with the fact that following Christ is not easy. I believe there is a tendency within churches to over-simplify difficult things in life by saying helpful things like, “just trust in God and everything will work out”, or “ if you just have a little more faith you can overcome this struggle”, or “you need to be praying and reading your bible more and then things will go better for you”. Although these are good things to do, the problem is that when they do not work as a magical formula for a better life or and easy life, people lose hope.

Christians tend to give easy memorized answers in difficult times but I have found that these are not words that often comfort someone in a major crisis or that motivate a person who is making poor choices in his/her life. In these cases sometimes all we can say is, “Life is difficult and living like Jesus is even more difficult… sorry”.

The truth is that following Jesus will not always make you feel great but I do believe that you will never find someone at the end of his/her days regretting any effort to embrace the ways of Jesus. How many times have you heard a person reach the end of his/her life and say things like, "I wish I would have cheated on my taxes more because then I would have had more money", or "I wish I would have spent less time with orphans and spent more time on myself", or even "I wish I would have just given in to every sinful desire instead pursuing a life lived for God". We all know that living for ourselves would be easier but is it better?

For example, Jesus says “blessed are the peacemakers” but I think it is more fun and exciting to fight.
Jesus says, “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (right relationships with God and others)”, but I think it is easier to hunger and thirst for what I want.
Jesus says, “I do not condemn you, now go and sin no more” but I only like the first part of that saying.
Jesus models a life of service of others, of compassion and forgiveness, of extreme devotion to God the Father, of purity, in positive relationships with others around him (even the Pharisees if you care to study those passages properly). He gave us an example of God’s character and told us to do the same so that the world could have hope in something better.

The problem is that the way of Jesus is unattainable for us so it is just easier to fall on the grace of God and give up. The problem is that this doesn’t actually make our lives or the lives of others around us any better. Most thinking people would agree that decisions to live for ourselves hurt more people than it helps but for some reason that truth doesn't seem to be enough to motivate many of us to avoid selfish living. Perhaps the fact that churches have tried to simplify the answers and to fit everything into a formula has actually hurt. Maybe when the simple forumlas do not work is when followers lose hope and actually allow themselves to fall further away. I think it is time for churches to quit hiding behind quick fixes and simple formulas that can be attained in a 30 minute message and help followers of Jesus come to the realization that this is not an easy road, but it really is a good road. Jesus actually never gave a message titled, “How to have an amazing life”, or “10 ways to be a better person”, but he did say that he comes to give "life to its fullest".

I don't believe that Jesus gives us a list of "do's and don'ts", but he did leave an example of how to live in a way the refreshes, renews, and joins in the revolution of reclaiming the earth that God created. I’m calling on followers of the risen Jesus to choose the hard road. To give up the pleasure of gossip, to give up the fighting over trivial points in theology (because I believe we are all wrong on some things), to give up our pursuit of personal pleasures that only hurt others, and to give up our arrogance and disdain for those not following Jesus. I’m calling on all followers to smile more, to laugh more, to encourage more, and to put others first. Let us recognize that we have chosen a “narrow” road but it is a road that brings hope to the entire world.
I will end with the words of a songwriter that I often quote (not Eminem, the other songwriter).
“The world says follow your heart, but my heart just led me into my chest. They say follow your nose but the direction changed every time I went and turned my head. They say follow your dreams, but my dreams are only misty notions. But the father of hearts, the maker of noses, the giver of dreams is the One I have chosen and I will follow Him”…. and that is difficult but it is good.

Snow Day

We are taking a day off from things here in Jerusalem today because of snow! IN this photo, the valley between the hill and me is the valley of Gehenna (or what is referred to as hell). So if you ever gave something a "snowball's chance in hell" today there is a good chance!

The Elephant in the Room

As my family looks into returning to America and leading a church we consider returning to our home in Southern California as a favorable option (although we still have some other areas we are considering). We are grateful for the support and humbled by the kind words many of our friends have shared with us regarding our future plans. In my own selfishness, I would love to return to our area and serve in a gathering of people who connect with my style of teaching and thinking. If this option works out, we also know that there is an "elephant in the room" that I am hereby letting go.

The truth is that returning to an area that I have lived in for 8 years also happens to be the same general area where the church that I worked in for 8 years still exists. Unfortunately over the past 4 years many people have left that church for a whole variety of reasons and those reasons are not ours to speculate about. In that area my wife and I know quite a few people who no longer attend any church or they only attend and "hide" in the back because for one reason or another have lost hope in the Church. In fact, in my 13 years of working in churches I too have been hurt and have even seen some of my hope in the "Bride of Christ" diminish. I know that by returning to the area, a potential exists for some to see this as a move to "compete" with my former church. In fact one person from that church (not the leader so please do not rush to judgement) already asked that I do not return to the area because "that will stir up problems". For one, I do not believe that my return would have any effect on that church and secondly, my return would not include a "competition" mentality.

The truth is that my former church wants the same things I do and that is to help Jesus become a reality in the community. It also happens that my ecclessiology, my missiology, and some of my theology are not the same so our appeal is to an entire different person. The most important truth is that only through Christians modeling love and grace can we truly help the world to see the true power of the Risen Lord. I love my former church and the people there and I want them to succeed in all they do. They just hired a person to replace me there and I honestly wish him well and from what I hear he will be a great fit and probably do a better job than I could do right now.

The point is this. If I return to that area to serve in a church one goal is to provide a place where people can have hope restored. I want to be a part of a place that walks in love and grace and pursues justice and peace and the things Jesus spoke about. I want to be in a community where my friends who are not followers of Christ can come and truly feel the love of God through each person and where they can take a step closer to knowing the creator of the world. I want to live a life of reconciliation which includes walking in peace with all local gatherings of followers.

My possible return to the area is not a move to hurt any church in that area, but on the contrary, is to help make them stronger. If any would choose to journey with me and who harbor feelings of hurt or bitterness towards any other gathering, today is the day that I ask you to let it go. Let us forgive, let us love, and let us pray for those who persecute. Let us not gossip, let us not slander, and let us feel the weight of forgiveness and the joy of true community even if those sentiments are not reciprocated.

Today I thank my former church for the years we had together and today I pray for your future. I may soon be a partner in your community and you may even see some old familiar faces serving with me (you also may not). From this day forward the elephant has left the room. There is no need for feelings of competition or jealousy. Today we (me and all like-minded) choose to fight for those who have no voice. We choose to love those who no one loves. We choose to follow the God of the Bible who changes lives through a revolutionary message of love and not through manipulation. We take seriously the command to "take care of the alien and stranger (even if they are illegal aliens)" and we do not fear those who believe differently or act differently. We choose to be part of an ancient revolution.

Since I am slipping into "preacher mode", allow me to end with this quote from a Jewish scholar named David Flusser. "... I believe that the contents of his [Jesus] teachings and the approach he embraced have always had the potential to change our world and to prevent the greatest part of evil and suffering".

This is what I want to be about so all who want a competition or who want to live by making comparisons, you will journey alone because I will not be joining you.

There. The elephant has left the building.

The Pastoral Primaries

When our time here in Jerusalem is over and I am forced to end my retirement and re-enter the work force we have endless possibilities. We can move anywhere and do almost anything. As of right now, I do feel that it is the time in my life where I want to go somewhere long enough for my kids to make friends and make it through school. I also am at the point where I will probably work as a senior/lead pastor for the next phase of life. (This or possibly be a driver for UPS)! Obviously I want to go where God leads us and all of this can be changed by things I can not anticipate so please do not hold me to the following conclusions.

I have found inspiration from the presidential primary season in America in helping me to decide where exactly I would like to work when returning to the country. I have decided to do my own "primary" that will work in the opposite direction of states choosing a candidate. In this, it will be the candidate choosing the states. The best way to do this is to work through a process of elimination so at the risk of offending readers from all over (as if there are readers from all over) here are the first states to be eliminated:
All states east of California and south of I-80.
Arizona, New Mexico, Alabama, and Louisiana are too hot.
I was born in Georgia but don't drink Iced Tea.
Florida is a better place to visit than to live.
Mississippi is out because I do not speak the language.
The Texas state sign says, "Proud home of George W. Bush".
Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and the Carolina won't work because I cannot even name one country music song.
I also have eliminated Kansas, Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada, Montana, the Dakotas, and Iowa on principle.
I eliminated most of the East Coast because I do not dress "preppy" enough to live there.
In fact, lets be honest most of the country is eliminated because I just wont fit in. Some of the New England states are still in but drastically trailing in the polls. St. Louis, Chicago, parts of the upper Mid-west, and Denver have some appeal but probably won't make the cut because they are just too cold. So it is the West Coast that leads in the polls but that only makes sense because I am from the West Coast and because after living for a year in Israel where people are uptight, I think I need to return to the land of "casualness".
So in the next few months I will use this site to include all of you in an open dialogue in shaping some ideas for church. The important thing for me is to be a part of a gathering of people who are interested in following the God of the Bible and not one that has been confined by the limits of often faulty theology and manipulated by political motivation. I am interested in joining with the churches who are waking up to the reality that the American church has lost touch with the world in which it lives and it has lost the revolutionary power that the universal Church had in its origins.
Part one of "shaping of the church" will come later this week so please join in the process.

By the way, this is my disclaimer to God. If you really want my family to move to Texas we are willing. Just remember that we already are spending a year in a place like Texas where 1) we are not fluent in the language, 2) where everyone man and woman carries a gun, 3) where they like to build big fences to keep people out, 4) where we are the minority religion, and 5) where the people would be willing and eager to fight any country up for the challenge.

When Words Don't Work

Today we found out that our 5 year old son's best friend was just diagnosed with a rare heart disease that requires a heart transplant. Nothing we can say can add understanding or comfort to the parents and no words can even help a 5 year old understand exactly what is happening to his friend. So today from 5000 miles away we try to pray and we eagerly await his surgery that happens tomorrow that will hopefully give him some more time as they wait for an adequate match for a transplant.
So today I ask all of you to pray for this boy and I leave you with these words from the songwriter Rich Mullins;

"Hold me Jesus, because I'm shaking like a leaf
You have been King of my Glory, now be my Prince of Peace"

Now I know I am a college student

This post is evidence that even though I am a few years older than most college students, I still possess the same qualities that are required to be a successful student. You see, right now I am writing a short paper that is due this week. As you can see, by "writing" this paper what I mean is that I am finding many other things that absolutely need my attention at this time. Like any good college student I will probably keep finding other things to do until the night (or morning) before the paper is due and then I will get it done without a problem.
Just the other night one friend emailed a link to a web site and asked my thoughts about the ideas presented so I immediately checked the site and replied to him with a two page response. To be honest, I was impressed with my response and even graded my own paper, giving myself an A- only because some arguments were not as well supported as they should be, but nonetheless, it was a quality work. Okay, enough wasting time, NOW I must go and complete this paper and I will not do anything else until it is done.... unless one of you asks a question that requires response and then I will be happy to procrastinate.

Retroactive New Year's Resolutions

Many of you know me well enough to know that I tend to be very rigid and driven by goals, schedules, and the pursuit of fame and fortune. Okay, so I am not driven by schedules.
Anyway, this is the time of year when many people like to make lists of goals for the New Year and they like to reflect on the year behind. Since I actually do not operate off of lists or schedules I thought this year I would write my 2007 goals now instead of worrying about what the year ahead might bring. It is like those of you who write lists for everything and if you accomplish something not on your list, you write it on the list retroactively so that you can check it off. Consider these my retroactive New Year's Resolutions.

2007
X Have a baby: preferably a boy with blue eyes and dark hair. Oh yeah, with minimal crying and always happy.
X Miss a plane and spend a day in Zandorf on the North Sea in Holland.
X Bring a group of students to Uganda.
X Retire from my job and travel the world.
X Drive my car through a tree.
X Learn a new language.
X Rent out my home to friends and live in the Middle East.
X Become friends with a Monk, a Rabbi, an Armenian Priest, an Accomplished Archaeologist, and someone from Poland.
X Spend Christmas Eve in Bethlehem.
X Drink Turkish coffee with a Bedouin Arab.
O Sleep through the night without interruption. (This is for next year).
X Celebrate Chanukah with Jews who follow Jesus.
X Meet friends in England and spend the day with them and my family.
X Take time to think and study and prepare for whatever is next.

There is probably more that I should have put on my list but I do not want to set my goals for last year too high.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

Last night on Christmas Eve my family drove 3 miles down to road to the crossing from Israel to the West Bank. We parked our car and went through the multiple turnstiles, passport checks, passed the heavily armed Israeli Defense Soldiers, and finally passed the enormous 30-foot high concrete separation wall into the Palestinian Territory. From here we took a five minute taxi ride to "Shepherd's Field" near the town of Bethlehem where we celebrated the birth of the Messiah Jesus along with about 50 other believers in Yeshua.
After singing songs about a baby born in the town where we were standing and about Angels appearing to shepherds in a field perhaps where we were, we headed to dinner with some friends. We ate a Palestinian restaurant called "the tent" and sat at the table with a couple (a Palestinian Christian and his British wife and 4 boys) and another couple from Bermuda with their two boys and we experienced Christian fellowship over some great food. For the first time since moving to Israel we heard Christmas songs playing in the restaurant and we realized that there is beauty in the simplicity of the season. God came to us and through him the earth can have peace. Our Christmas service contained no "special music", no dramas, no eloquent messages, and no promotion for a particular church. It contained people celebrating the messiah and then friends sharing food together before returning home.
As we returned home through the separation wall and watched an impressively armed escort leading dignitaries in a huge caravan into Bethlehem for the midnight mass we looked and saw graffiti on the wall. One piece of graffiti said, "Peace to earth and goodwill to men". The wall, the guns, the armored vehicles, the Israeli flags flying in site of the Palestinian flags, and the intensity of the conflict between these two people groups cannot hide the message that peace is only found in the Messiah. 2000 years ago Palestine they felt the pressure of the Roman government and longed for a leader to come and to deliver them from the "occupying" forces. He came to a town called Bethlehem and showed the way to peace. People still long for this message today so all followers of the Messiah Yeshua should show the way to peace through our lives. Let your Christmas this year fly in the faces of the "separation walls" and the hatred that fills our lives. Let us remember that flashy Christmas services and beautiful churches will never bring the message of Jesus to the world. Peace comes through our lives so may peace reign on earth and may there be goodwill towards men through your lives.
Merry Christmas

Don't forget to check out more thoughts from my wife at The Jerusalem Letters .

The Faith of Jews, Muslims, and Parents

Earlier today I was sitting at my desk attempting to work on some Hebrew translations and my two older sons came in to give me a reason to procrastinate. In an attempt to keep the conversation light, my oldest son asked, "Dad, what do you believe in that you cannot see?" As I prepared to answer he jumped in and said, "I believe in God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, air (because you can't see it), and Santa Claus. I smiled and told him that those are good things to believe in and he agreed but did say that grown-ups don't believe in Santa but he wants to this year.
Then tonight my wife showed me a letter that he wrote to Santa and it basically explains that he once believed and then didn't, then did, and then he stopped believing, but now he wants to believe because he has two requests for gifts. The point of this post isn't that my son wants to believe in Santa this year, it is really just to share one line from the letter that I loved. In his explanation that he wanted to believe in Santa again he said, "(now that I believe in you [Santa]), I believe in something that Jewish people, Muslims, and parents do not believe in".
I love the small lessons that we gain from the mouths of children. Here is my son living in a country dominated by Jews and Muslims, (and parents) and he acknowledges that he has to make a choice to believe. It reminds me of the passage in the book, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" when the children are talking with the professor about the story the youngest sister, Lucy, told them about a magical world hidden in the wardrobe. When the older children tell him that the possibility of another world is too crazy to believe, he responds by questioning the quality of their education.
It seems that the ability to believe in the unseen is a trait we too often overlook. Even now I am doing research into Biblical texts and their literary environment and most of the scholarship begins with the assumption that religious texts are too incredible to believe. I agree with the professor that there must be something wrong with the educational system that does not allow belief. I side with Chesterton who once said that the incredibility of the story of Christ is the thing that convinces him it must be real. As the church father Tertullian said, "I believe because it is absurd".
For my son, belief in the unseen is perfectly acceptable even if Jews, Muslims, and parents do not agree. I personally side with my sons.

Another Deep Thought

We went to Jordan for the weekend and I saw this camel drinking coke. Another example of the amazing education I am receiving this year...

Food Fit For a King

In my travels around the world I have had the opportunity to experience some memorable times set around food. I've had some good memories such as having cheese and wine in a small cafe in the shadows of the Eifel Tower and some unique experiences such as eating hot dogs with mustard for breakfast along with Bosnian coffee in an orphanage in central Bosnia. This week I had a new experience that ranks near the top. As the country of Israel takes this week to celebrate Chanukah, the nightly lighting of the Chanukah candles takes place everywhere. This week after a late night of classes I stopped by the student "watering hole" on campus with a Jewish friend.
During the course of our discussions about our classes, our faith, and American politics, we were interrupted as someone brought a large Chanukia (Chanukah Menorah) and placed it on the bar. He then made an announcement that he was lighting the candle and began singing the traditional song. It essentially is a song/ prayer giving thanks to the God and King of the Universe for sustaining the Jewish people. In a moments time, the entire place was singing and celebrating this moment. As the song ends with "Amen", the entire place errupted in applause. I felt for a moment that I was sitting in an English pub watching World Cup Soccer and singing pub songs. Perhaps this is what it was like as the writers of the "great hymns of the faith" sat in pubs and inserted Christian theology into the songs in the bars.
The song ended then someone came around and handed out traditional "jelly-filled" donuts. As I sat with my Jewish friend from Boston eating donuts to go with our Israeli brewed beverage, we both commented that this was a first for us. We finished our donuts and conversation as the candles burned brightly on the bar (and as the thump of the typical Israeli techno music echoed through the room). We thought that we may be missing the atmosphere of the American Holiday season, but this was a nice consolation prize.

Hag Samaech (Happy Holidays)

It is one of the Holiday Seasons here in Israel (although not the most important) and we are completely enjoying the entire experience. We celebrated the first night of Chanukah with some friends in the neighborhood complete with traditional donuts, traditional prayers, and games. My wife will give the full story at The Jerusalem Letters so check it out there.

One thing that really stood out to us was the enriching experience that the Festival of Lights or "Chanukah" has for followers of the Messiah Jesus. First of all, it was enriching just to be in Jerusalem where this event originally took place just as Jesus was in John 10 where it says he was in Jerusalem for the feast of dedication. In addition to that, this holiday has great Messianic symbolism and is worthy of a study so go and study because that is not the point of this post.

One thing that came out of our time last night was the hope for the Messiah and the belief that the Messiah will come during a "Year of Jubilee". This is a year that happens every 50 years and is intended to forgive all debt and return land to rightful owners. Basically it is a year of redemption and forgiveness. It is a year that puts all people back on equal ground before God. So it is plain to see why tradition says that the Messiah will come on a year of Jubilee.

I can't be exact on all of these dates but it looks like 1) During the time of Christ the year of Jubilee was 28/29 AD. 2) Jesus spent 3 or 4 Passovers during his public ministry. 3) Jesus was crucified in 32/33 AD. Which means that it is likely that the Messiah Jesus began his public ministry during a year of Jubilee. In other words, he came to forgive debt and offer redemption on the year the nation of Israel was commanded to do the same. I will do a little more research to check these dates but it is pretty amazing if this is the case. And if it is not the case, it is still pretty amazing that Jesus offers redemption and forgiveness of debts.

Ho Ho Ho

What's wrong with the world besides me? This Christmas season there are some department stores that are restricting Santa Claus' use of the term "Ho Ho Ho". They actually claim that this famous laugh by children's most beloved character may offend some women. Apparently the term "ho", even if used during a laugh, is a degrading term for certain women. No real alternative has been offered but I presume that they prefer a more politically correct term such as "professional woman of the night". Some might think it strange for Santa to bring up a questionable profession while laughing or for carolers to insert a comment about prostitutes in the course of spreading Holiday cheer, but if this makes these stores feel like they have protected women from hearing degrading names all throughout the ever lengthening Christmas season then I am all for it.
Okay, in case you do not sense the sarcasm in my (writing) voice allow me to tell you that this whole thing is pure claptrap (that is a thesaurus word for nonsense). This is one of those issues where some people make issues out of non-issues especially in light of the fact that Santa has been saying "Ho" long before rap music popularized a new use of the term. It is like when stores say they will not say, "Merry Christmas" because it is too religious and in the process they offend even more people than they would offend if they used the phrase in the first place. This over-reaction is also like when Christians boycott stores for saying "Merry X-mas" thinking they are proving a point (when in actuality the "x" in Christmas is the Greek letter that begins the word "Christ" so it is actually a Christian abbreviation).
The point is that people over-react too much. Just this week I was talking with a world-renowned archaeologist who writes for the journal "Biblical Archaeology Review" and he was criticizing the large number of pastors who cancel their subscriptions when the review publishes information that goes against their assumptions about the Bible. He told me that he just couldn't understand how pastors could have such weak faith. Here was a Jewish man saying that these Christian pastors should have a strong enough faith in Jesus to not be affected by information published in a journal. As I walked away from that conversation I thought about his point and how much I agreed with it and how much I see this overreaction everywhere.
I walked out into the cold Jerusalem air and thought that this would be a great year of celebrating the birth of Jesus here in His homeland. With Christmas less than one month away, the cold air and the lights (for Chanukah) put me in the "Holiday Spirit". I thought that all I needed was some Christmas music so as I walked to the bus stop I turned on my i-pod and I listened to 2 Pac sing "Ho Ho Ho". And now I am in the Christmas mood.

Mud

We went to the Dead Sea this weekend instead of studying. I put mud on my body. Now I feel like a baby's butt. (Not emotionally, it is my skin that feels like a baby's butt).

Fascinating Discoveries

Some have asked why I moved my family across the world to study the Bible when I could do that in quality institutions in places like Dallas, Texas. It is a legitimate question and one that I could answer 100 different ways. My first response is "have you been to Dallas?" Another response is that I needed a break so I thought moving to the Middle East would be a perfect place to rest my body and mind. Another answer is that after working in churches for 13 years, Israel sounded safe and relaxing. Perhaps another answer is that I always encourage college students to take a semester to live in a different culture and I never had the opportunity to do that for myself so I dragged my family into this adventure. Still another answer is that I knew that I would have to leave my last church so I took this opportunity to check off some things on my "to do" list for life.

The most accurate answer is that what better place to study the Bible than in the land where the history actually took place. For example, as a family we looked at the passage in John 5 when Jesus heals the cripple man near the pools of Bethesda after walking to the pools and viewing them in person. Also, each week I have a Biblical Archaeology class (which is like taking gym class in college to raise the GPA) and we discuss the rise of the city of Jerusalem in Jewish theology and consequently in Christian circles and I can walk down the hill and look at the actual remains for the things we are talking about. You can compare studying the Bible here to someone moving to Italy to study Art, or to someone moving to Antartica to study ice, or even to someone moving to the Moon to study gymnastics (think about that one). You get the point.

Many of you want to know the things I have learned so far and I am not prepared to write a paper for all of you answering that question, but I can give a few startling new facts I have learned so far. 1) The number 30 bus doesn't always come, 2) It gets cold in Israel at night, 3) Cheddar cheese costs $10 per pound, 4) More people speak English here than in parts of Southern California, 5) it turns out that Jesus was a Jew.

Now you can rest easy knowing that I am getting my money's worth here.

More serious thoughts will follow in the weeks ahead.

Shabbat Shalom

One thing you will notice if you visit Israel is the frank nature of the locals and the apparent lack of friendliness and small talk. For example, if you walk passed a person on the street, make eye contact, and say “Shalom”, do not expect the pleasantry to be returned. When purchasing food at a store and you say “Todah (Thank You)” when you receive your item, do not expect to hear “You’re welcome”. One Israeli friend of mine even joked about the formal nature that Americans’ have when introducing friends to each other. According to the Israelis here, you do not need to be polite or formal, just begin talking. Unless you are from the Northeast, this comes across as rude behavior to most Americans. After spending some time here, it is easy to adapt to this culture and learn that it is not personal, it is just Israel.
With this said, there are two days every week when this culture lifts and the opposite of the norm takes place. Every Friday and Saturday, people great each other with “Shabbat Shalom” which literally means “Peaceful Sabbath” or you can translate this to say, “Have a nice and peaceful Sabbath”. In stores, on the street, and even on buses people transform into friendly faces and warm greeters. To add to this transformation, around 4:00 PM on Friday everything shuts down. The buses stop running, the stores close, people quit doing housework, and the focus for the next 26 hours is on God and family.
For us, we wake up Saturday morning, pack lunches for the day (which is technically prohibited for Jewish people), and walk to worship at our church. After church, we walk to the park usually with other families, and spend the afternoon making our way home. It is difficult to explain how relaxing this is. To spend the entire day walking, relaxing with family and friends, and whole-heartedly holding to the “do not do chores” rule is a nice way to live. It must be a glimpse of how it was in America before someone decided that we must always work and always be productive. Now it seems that if people are not at work, they are involved in organized sporting events, work around the house, frantically driving around town to run errands, or countless other activities that prevent true rest. I even have friends in America who work at churches and never have a day off. They justify it by saying that they rest when they really need it but is that really the point?
The point of resting on the Sabbath is to avoid all human efforts to produce and get further ahead in life. It is about taking time to reflect on God and the blessings that he gives us. I love the Sabbath and I fear my eventual return to America, where we do not even take off once sacred days like Thanksgiving and Christmas, will produce frustration. I know it is a part of the culture that I want to fight against and do all I can to preserve this age-old tradition of focusing on God and Family. If possible, I recommend re-arranging your lives the best you can to do the same and refocus on what matters.

Shabbat Shalom.

Evolution of the Senior Pastor

A few weeks ago I talked about the joys of my new life as a retired person. In this new life I spend around 50 hours per week either in class, studying, or reading in preparation for those classes. Because something is not right with me, I have added a significant amount of additional reading and study on a few topics that interest me outside of my coursework.
One of my major projects this year is to evaluate the Church in America and to take an academic approach at recognizing some major issues in hopes of coming to useful conclusions. So far it has been interesting to trace the earliest Pagan and Christian literature we have outside of the Bible to notice some trends emerging. In its infancy, the Church demonstrates an uncompromising commitment to Christ and works to live at peace with the Roman Empire and in recognition of their Jewish roots.
By the 4th century, we see various Bishops such as Ambrose of Milan wielding their influence and political power. These Bishops actually experienced open relationships with the emperors (Constantine in particular) and were even able to begin outlawing all religions other than Christianity. The church leaders gained an increasingly greater level of power while the “average” Christians seemed to gain less influence in their own churches. To demonstrate this change in thinking Ambrose says, “Palaces belong to the Emperor, and churches belong to the Bishop”.
It is interesting to note that as time moved on, the numbers of “Christians” dramatically increased and therefore the political influence of Christians also increased. Along with this, church leaders began to say things like “We are the head of the church”. Could it be that this mentality is the distant ancestor of the system we possess today with “Senior Pastors”? I am not sugessting that churches should eliminate the title of "senior pastor" because the culture in countries like the USA virtually make it impossible for people to understand the structure of a church without this position. But I do wonder if some of the problems in many churches today come from people believing that they are “the head of the church” while somehow forgetting that Christ is the head.
How many times do you hear senior pastors and congregants speak in terms of “My church or your church”? Does this type of thinking make church leaders too powerful and therefore too susceptible to needing to have it “their way”? Sadly, as the early Christian church shifted from a persecuted body of people all pursuing Christ and desiring to know and please Him to an organized political force led by powerful men, we see less and less evidence that these people had any relationship with God. History proves that some of these men actually did not have a relationship with God but enjoyed the power given by leading churches.
So as I leave Israel next year and most likely re-enter the Church world as a “Senior Pastor”, or even better, simply as a “Pastor/Overseer”, what can be done to avoid the mistakes we see so often today? Can churches today find persons for leadership like the ones described by Origen in the late 2nd century when he said, “We call upon all of those who are competent to take office, who are sound in doctrine and life, to rule over the churches. We do not accept those who love power”. How can Christian leaders ensure that they do not “love power” and how can churches ensure that their leaders do not “love power”?

To Live and Die in L.A. (or the West Bank)

This week our speaker at church was a man who starts Christian churches and schools around Ramallah and other parts of the West Bank. This is how he was introduced, “Our speaker today has a very credible and serious threat on his life so we are grateful that he is still with us… so please welcome …” He then got up and spoke without ever mentioning the threat on his life or the ministry that he does in the West Bank. He simply shared about the love of God and His acceptance of us. At one point he did mention the power of forgiveness and the need to pray for the forgiveness of those who persecute us but that was more in reference to the fire set at our church than in reference to the people who want him dead.
When he was done speaking the congregation was told, “Keep Isa in your prayers because the same people who killed Rami two weeks ago are the ones threatening his life.”
This is really the closest thing I have ever seen to the life of the early church. This is the closest I may ever get to understanding what it must have been like for Paul and the disciples of Jesus. The man I saw this week is simply counting the days until the enemy takes him down but he will not quit what God has challenged him to do.
At times it seems easy to say that we would die for Christ but mainly because we never really have to face that decision. I believe that if I was cornered and asked to “deny Christ or die” that I would gladly choose death. But if a threat was on my life that said, “quit your ministry or die”, I am not sure that I could continue. I would easily find a good reason to go somewhere else but here we see an example of a person who lives with a threat on his life everyday.
I can’t imagine what it must be like to go to work and wonder if he will arrive. What must it be like to walk from your house and hope that the people after you are not waiting on the street? Imagine the fear that must be overwhelming at times. The daily choice to live for Christ and follow His call in the face of these threats is difficult for me to fathom. Perhaps this daily reality that death lurks around every corner caused the apostle Paul to write, “For me to live is (for) Christ, and to die is gain”. I admit that my concept of this commitment to Christ and the consequence of following Him is lacking. Honestly, I am not even sure that I ever want to have this concept to become more real to me.

Truly it is easier to die for Christ, than to live for Him.

God's Chosen People

I hate to break up the good conversation that is happening in the previous blog, but I think we must take a moment to pay tribute to God's favorite baseball team, the Boston Red Sox. I found this Kippa proudly displaying the Red Sox colors. So all good Jewish people can pay tribute to the Red Sox and demonstrate their humility before God at the same time!