Everyday Heroes

Crest of the Order of St. Benedict (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are some people that if you passed them on the street, you would never give them a second glance or thought.  Ordinary looking people that do not look like anything special.  The type of person who you would never think would have a lasting impact on the world.  Sister Jeannette Murray was one of those people.

Sister Jeannette was a nun of the order of St. Benedict.  She was a member of the Saint Gertrude Monastery in Ridgely, MD.  Sister Jeannette began her career as a teacher, specifically in the field of Special Education. In 1960, she landed at the Benedictine School for Exceptional Children to teach kids with special needs.  It also happens to be the school that my son now attends and my nephew graduated from.

Sister Jeannette was a tireless advocate for those that she labeled "her kids."  Through her guidance and perseverance, the Benedictine School has become one of the top schools in the country, much less the state of Maryland, for children with special needs.  But the school is not the only thing that Sister Jeannette was a big part of.

As the kids grew and left the school, they still needed a place to go where they could lead productive lives.  So, the Benedictine Community also took a leading roll in establishing a vibrant open community for adults building several group homes and establishing a number of vocational programs for adults with special needs.  My personal favorite is the Busy Bees Bakery in Denton MD.  They make a mean pumpkin roll.

Sadly, on Thursday, March 21, Sister Jeannette passed away, perhaps fittingly, on the day of the Feast of the Passing of Saint Benedict.  Thankfully, Sister Jeannette got to see the last piece of the puzzle completed before she was called home.  The Benedictine Foundation recently dedicated two new retirement homes for her children who are approaching that stage of life.

Sister Jeannette barely stood 5 feet tall, and I would hazard to guess that she didn't tip the scales at 100 pounds unless you slipped some rocks in her pocket.  Still, her impact will last well beyond her years on earth.  The Benedictine Foundation is on solid ground with a group of people who are passionate about carrying on the work of Sister Jeannette.

My initial interactions with Sister Jeannette were not positive.  My son was having a difficult time adjusting to the school when he first started to attend the school.  However, in the last year, Sister Jeannette told us how much he had grown.  She even went so far as to say that he was her "buddy."

Sister Jeannette will never be known like Mother Theresa but her impact on those she came in contact with will last as long as the impact that Mother Theresa had.  May you rest in peace, Sister Jeannette.  I am sure you will be continuously watching over your kids in the Benedictine Community from above.  God bless you for all you have done, especially for my son and my nephew.

Confirmation Day Update

Last week, we went to our son's school for his Confirmation in the Catholic Church.  As I mentioned in my post last Sunday, I was extremely proud of how well he has done in church and how much he has grown.  We were very grateful for the work that the lady who conducted the classes did for my son and the other kids that had their Confirmations that day.

This week, we received a card with a handwritten note from the woman that conducted the classes.  This is what she wrote:

I want to take this opportunity to say thank you for giving me the privilege of preparing your son for First Communion and Confirmation.  He did an excellent job and you can be very proud of him.

I was blown away.  Here, we should have been expressing our gratitude (which we did) for her hard work and she was writing to us to thank us for letting her prepare our son for the sacraments.  This type of attitude goes to further enforce in our hearts and mind that our son is in the right place.  The people there really do care about the kids and make an impact in improving their lives.

Confirmation Day

There are some days when you just can't help but be proud of your kids and want to brag on them a little.  Today happens to be one of those days.  We went out to my son's school to celebrate the sacrament of his Confirmation in the Catholic Church.  Aside from the obvious significance of the event, it also served to show us just how much our son has grown since we made the decision to send him away for school.

When our son was younger, we tried taking him to churches whenever we had a wedding to attend or a cousin was having First Communion or Confirmation.  His behavior during those attempts was, in a word, atrocious.  More often than not, my wife or I would have to take him out of the sanctuary into the vestibule so that his outbursts would not disturb the others in the service.

When the school first approached us about our son going through the classes that they gave for First Communion and Confirmation.  We were concerned about his past behavior and whether or not he would understand what was going on.  I still don't know if he fully understands the significance of the sacraments, but his behavior during church has been exemplary.  He really enjoy going to church.

The thing I like about attending the mass at the chapel in his school is that they tailor the homily to the special needs kids in attendance.  The priest reads the gospel to them like he is reading a bedtime story to the kids.  He then gives a very short homily, again as if he is telling the kids a story.  It allows the kids to not get bored while listening to the sermon.

My son, really likes the priest that they have at the school.  Whenever he sees Father Paul, his face lights up in a big smile and he says, "It's Father!"  Father Paul always comes over to my son and greets him with a fist bump.  I think it is pretty cool.

Today, while watching my son during the service, I was struck by how well he did.  Whenever the priest did the sign of the cross, I saw my son crossing himself.  During prayer, he placed his hands together in the typical prayer position.  During the songs, he often started to dance a little.  I think of King David dancing before the LORD.  More importantly, throughout the whole service, he did not break into any of his ritual word games that he likes to do with us.

For the Confirmation sacrament service, the local Bishop officiates the mass.  Father Paul still read the gospel reading to the kids.  The Bishop also has a background in dealing with special needs kids and did an excellent job of giving a nice homily for the kids.

Prior to the start of the service, the Bishop spoke to my son.  My son was particularly taken with the crucifix around the Bishop's neck.

Here, my son gets anointed by the Bishop.

All in all, it was a wonderful day.  I am so proud of what he has accomplished so far at the school and how much he enjoys attending their church services.  Of course, afterward we had to take a drive to the Golden Corral for lunch and then to Target to get a new CD player and CD.

Music Monday-Thomas Rhett "Beer With Jesus"

They always do those surveys where they ask people if they could have dinner with any person in history, who would it be.  Always at the top or near the top of the list would be Jesus.  I know he would be at the top of my list.

Thomas Rhett's new song "Beer With Jesus" takes the idea of having dinner with Jesus another step to sitting with Jesus in a bar, having a beer, and a conversation.  While some of my old Baptist friends might not think that a possibility, when I read the Gospel accounts of the life of Jesus I can't help but think that He would be willing to sit and have a conversation over a beer.  After all, take a look at His life, He changed water into wine, He was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard, and He was known to associate with sinners.  So I don't think it would be a stretch for Him to have a conversation over a beer.


 

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Jesus is No Joke

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have been spending a lot more time reading and concentrating on the spiritual side of my life.  On a regular basis, I peruse the Religion & Spirituality section of the Kindle store on Amazon.com.  One of the books that I downloaded and finished reading recently was a book written by Heidi Hollis entitled "Jesus is No Joke."

Actually, the full title of the book is "Jesus Is No Joke: A True Story Of An Unlikely Witness Who Saw Jesus."  From the Amazon website, here is a description of the book:

Once a skeptic of “Holy Encounters,” Heidi Hollis shares her true story of four unexpected journeys with Jesus, which led her deep into the reality of His Presence among us today. Hollis shares how Jesus and His angels revealed glimpses of Heaven and Hell, even healing her physically of an incurable disease, leaving her with the utmost passion to share His inspiration with the world!

As humanly as possible and lacking a religious tongue, Hollis pours out her raw emotions with all of the errors, yet new understandings, which came with meeting someone she highly misunderstood when she heard claims of Jesus appearing to people around the world today.

Hollis once thought that Jesus had traversed these lands long ago, never to be seen or heard from again—now, in admitting her error, she encourages others to hold their “J” for Jesus up in the air for all to see: Jesus Is No Joke!

I have to say that this was a difficult book for me to stick with at times.  Not because the subject matter was above my mental capabilities or because the writing was bad.  Quite to the contrary.  Hollis does a nice job of writing as if she were sitting in the room talking with you about the subject matter.  She injects her own brand of humor into the conversation and is very open and honest.

The reason the book was sometimes difficult to get through was that Hollis' experience in meeting Jesus was unlike anything that I have ever experienced before.  You see, prior to meeting Jesus, Hollis had an extensive background in exploring the paranormal realm.  So, when she says she met Jesus on four separate occasions, she literally means she saw him.

In addition to describing her encounters with Jesus, which also includes an encounter in which Jesus heals her  of an incurable disease, she describes some darker experiences.  After the first time she met Jesus, she had an encounter that would be safe to attribute to demonic forces trying to instill doubt in her mind about her Jesus encounter.  She also describes in detail an experience in which she saw the literal Hell.

My background tends to be more in the mainstream protestant church so you can probably understand why I saw her encounters as unlike anything that I have ever experienced before.  Shoot, in the churches that I belonged too, we even express doubt that the gift of tongues is active in the church today.

The closest that I can say I have come towards any experience like Hollis occurred 20 some odd years ago while in prayer.  At that time, it was my practice to lay quietly in my bed at night and pray.  During one nightly prayer session I experienced a presence that I can only describe as Holy.  It was unlike anything that I had ever experienced before.

If, as a Christian, I say that I believe that God the Father and Jesus the Son are both omnipotent and omnipresent, then I would have to say that anything is possible.  Just because I have never experienced anything like the visions that Hollis has experienced, does not mean that They couldn't reveal Themselves to Hollis in the manner she describes.

I do believe that there is a spiritual realm out there that most humans do not experience knowingly.  I also believe that there are people who are able to experience that realm.  In Biblical times, God spoke to the prophets through dreams and visions.  Prophesies of the last days say that God will pour out his Spirit and there will be those that will have dreams and visions.

It is not my place to try to determine if Heidi Hollis did see Jesus.  The main thing is that she believes she did and it has caused her to seek to follow Him.  If Jesus did decide to reveal Himself to Heidi Hollis in this way, then she is truly blessed.  Again, just because I haven't had these types of visions, doesn't mean that I should outright dismiss the possibility of them occurring.  The desire of my heart is to experience the presence I felt during my prayer session I described.

As difficult as it was at times to cast aside my preconceived notions while reading the book, it was enjoyable to read.  Putting aside the difficulties, there were things that I was able to take from the book like the idea of picture prayers and even a bit of an informality to praying.  If you decide to pick up the book, read it with an open mind and decide for yourself.  One thing that I am in 100% agreement with Hollis is that Jesus is No Joke.

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Fundamental Transformation

I am about to write a sentence that I didn't think that I would ever write. Barack Obama is right about one thing. We do need to fundamentally transform this country. Unfortunately he is dead wrong about the type of transformation we need.  I am not usually one that finds "messages from God" in everything that I see and hear around me. However, there have been two books and an event, the Cowboy Monkey Rodeo at the Bowie Baysox game, that I attended recently that have left me with the thoughts that I am about to share with you here.  I will deal with each individually and briefly.

The first book was On the Precipice by Chris Hambleton.  The book takes a look at the message to Israel and Judah from the Biblical Book of Hosea and how it could possibly relate to the United States of America today.  It addresses the consequences of how Israel turned its back on God and in turn, God removed His hand of blessing upon them.  As Israel continued to turn to idolatry and foreign aliances, God left them to their own devices leading to the fall of the nations of Israel and Judah and the eventual Diaspora of the Jewish peoples.

Hambleton then compares the message to Israel and taylors it towards the United States.  He argues that the United States was a unique country in history.  Unlike Israel who was chosen by God, the United States was founded upon Judeo Christian principals and relied on God in their early days.  As we have grown stronger and richer as a nation, much like Israel, we have turned away from God and rely on our own strength and wisdom. 

One cannot read our Declaration of Independence and the writings of the Founding Fathers without coming away with the notion that at the very least, they believed in a Creator and Divine Providence.  Our Constitution does not guarantee that people will be free from religion with no reference to God in the public arena, but that everyone was free to worship or not worship however they see fit.  Its purpose was to prevent the government from forcing everyone into the same creed such as the Church of England.  Sadly, we have twisted it such a way to push God further from the public square.

Which brings me to the second book that I recently read that has lead to this post.  That book was called Why Christians Can't Be Democrats by Michael DeLance Thomas.  I have to confess that I did not fully read the description when I downloaded the book.  Originally, I thought it was going to be a humorous look.  Instead, it was a serious look at the policies that the Democrats stand for and how those policies stand in conflict with Christianity.

The premise of Thomas' book is that Christianity is based on being under God's government.  God's government allows man to be free.  He argues that man's government is here to protect our rights under God's government.  However, the more we allow man's government to take control of things in our lives, the more we push God's government away from us, thus reducing our freedoms.  The goal of the Christian should be to vote for politicians that will promote God's government over man's government.

Thomas argues that the Democrats are more devoted to pursuing man's government over God's government.  Under God's government, we rely on each other to voluntarily pursue acts of charity.  Rather than to allow individuals to act freely to help others in need, man's government forces others to pay in the form of taxes to redistribute income to those in need.  The Democrats and their policies rely on man's government to a much greater degree.  To be fair, Thomas does not argue favorable towards Republicans, but does say that they tend to rely somewhat less on man's government.

You may now be wondering how the Cowboy Monkey Rodeo relates to these two books.  Fair question.  During the last segment of the Cowboy Monkey Rodeo, the man who works with the monkeys and dogs for the performance gave a little speech.  He said that we as a country had lost our way.  We had failed to adhere to our founding principals and that we had pushed God further away from our lives.

So, when I say that I believe we do need to fundamentally transform this country, it is in the form of a Spiritual transformation.  I am not saying that we need to become a theocracy.  Nor am I saying that everyone in the country needs to become a born again Christian.  What I am saying is that we need to return to the principals that this country was founded upon and that made the United States what it was.  With God's help, we can.

The Lost Scroll and the Secret of Life

Cover of The Lost Scroll and the Secret of LifeThe Lost Scroll and the Secret of Life by Tom Jankovic looked to be an interesting story when I saw it on Amazon.com when looking for books to download on my Kindle.  It had several positive reviews on the Amazon website.  Interestingly, now that I have finished the book, it no longer shows as being available for Kindle, though it is available in paperback.

The author of the book has quite an impressive background.  He has studied Christianity, Buddhism, Gnosticism, Vedanta, and Quantum Physics.  The book is an attempt to create a fictional story tying all of his fields of study into a compelling adventure for the search of a lost scroll that will reveal to the seeker the secret of life.

The concept of the story itself had great potential.  Unfortunately, the story itself fell kind of flat for me.  The characters themselves have a fairly superficial development.  The dialogue between the characters was also fairly flat.  The plot of the book was not very believable. The main character has a chance encounter with a stranger then uproots his lifestyle to search the quest.

Without revealing too much of the plot, the protagonist of the story discovers lessons along the way that challenge the traditional belief as espoused by the Western church.  He discovers that when the Roman Emperor Constantine accepted Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire, he established a committee to determine which teachings of Jesus would be allowed in the Bible and which would be destroyed.  In this manner, the Church would maintain control of the masses.

The story goes on to discuss the theories of quantum physics and how everything in the world is interconnected, no matter how seemingly disparate they appear.  The author touches upon the belief of some that Jesus traveled and studied in the East learning from master teachers.  Our hero discovers that through Buddhism, Gnosticism, and Vedanta, that Jesus was teaching that the secret of life is within each of us and that there is truth from all of the various faiths and all flow from a single Source of life.

While the story itself was lacking, I did learn a few things from reading it.  It made me curious enough to want to learn more about some of the other faith practices mentioned in the book.  I already read a lot of Christianity and some Buddhism, but now I am interested in delving more into the Gnostics and the ancient faith of Vendanta.

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done.: what most religions don't tell you about the Bible

I am constantly on the lookout for books to read on my Kindle.  I have to confess, that I am extremely frugal, so on a regular basis I scour the Amazon Kindle store looking for free or inexpensive books to download.  I have found some very enjoyable books over the last 9 months since I bought my Kindle.

There are a couple genres of books that I look to download.  I have recently gotten back into reading fiction.  Brad Thor and his Scot Harvath series is my current favorite.  I have also enjoyed the Dan Brown books.  Occasionally, I read some conservative politics.  The one genre that I tend to gravitate towards is books about the Christian religion and spirituality.

Even though I am not active in a church these days, I still am on the lookout for good books on the Christian faith.  I gravitate towards books that really dig deep and make you think, and consequently grow.  That is why I was intrigued when I saw the book done.: what most religions don't tell you about the Bible by Cary Schmidt.

I have to say that I was pretty disappointed in the book overall.  I was hopeful that the author would delve deeper into the Bible and provide me with something deeper.  Instead, I felt like I was reading something more like an expanded Bible tract delivering a simple salvation message.  It really did not provide me with anything new or thought provoking.

The author says there are basically two religions with a lot of variations among the two.  There are those that fall in the "DO" category. These religions provide you with a list of activities that you need to do to "earn" your salvation before God.  Then there is the "DONE" religion, which emphasizes the finished work of Jesus Christ and the gift of salvation to reconcile yourself to God.

Usually, I can find something about a book that I like.  The message itself was fine, as there is always something to like about the gospel message of salvation.  The delivery of the message left something to be desired.  The author constantly addressed the reader as "friend," as in "Friend, do you know where you will spend eternity?"  It got a bit annoying after a while.

To be honest, I actually considered putting the book aside and begin reading something else.  The good thing is it is a relatively short book.  Thankfully, it was one of those free books that I found on Amazon.  I would have been really disappointed had I spent money on it.  On a positive note, it would be a decent book for a new believer or seeker, but not for somebody looking for something a little deeper. 

Buck Naked Faith

When I was a kid, my parents used to tell me that doing certain things would stunt my growth.  Usually, the purpose of telling me this was to keep me from performing some undesirable behavior.  Let's face it, nobody wants to be have their growth stunted. 

To have your growth stunted, is obviously a bad thing.  There is one instance, however, where the goal is to stunt the growth of the object.  That would be in the art of bonsai.  The goal of the bonsai artist is to inhibit the growth of the tree so that it appears to have weathered obstacles and grown strong, but in reality it is all just an illusion.

In Buck Naked Faith: A Brutally Honest Look at Stunted Christianity, Eric Sandras compares the life of faith as one that is either superficial and weak like the bonsai tree, or one that is real, strong, and growing. As somebody who has had issues staying solid within the Christian community and someone wanting to develop a real Christian world view, the book intrigued me.

One of the things that has occurred in my own spiritual life is to be surrounded by those with the appearance of having the Christian walk down pat.  Playing the church game was all about doing and saying the right things.  On those occasions when I would struggle or stumble, I felt like I could not share those who were supposed to be my cohorts in the walk.

I remember the first time I had one such incident that forced me to walk away from a group I had been a large part.  It was a Baptist group, so we did not drink alcohol.  I had just been laid off from one job and my car wouldn't start.  I felt like having a beer.  When I confessed this "sin" to one of my friends from the group, rather than support, I received a condescending, "Oh, Richard," like I had committed the worst of acts.

Sandras feels that in order to actually develop a vibrant, growing Christian faith, we need to shed the veneer of acting as if we have it all together.  We need to be able to ask questions and struggle.  We need to be transparent with one another and share those burdens, doubts, and struggles.  From the very first chapter, Sandras shares some of his own struggles and failures and how he had to struggle to get through those difficult times.

Throughout the book, Sandras looks at the various techniques the bonsai artist uses to create the bonsai tree.  He then compares that with the walk of faith and how to go counter to the bonsai artist that creates a real and growing faith rather than one that only appears to be real and strong.  It was a book that due to my past struggles was one that I really enjoyed reading.

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Pagan Christianity

Image by Andrew B47 via FlickrKnowledge is power.  From the time that I was a child to this day, I have always had a great desire to learn new things.  Aside from doing a lot of reading, one of the ways that I have spurred on my desire to learn was by questioning authority or status quo, not in an obnoxious or arrogant way, but to learn the wherefores and the why's of how things work.  I believe that it helped me in my critical thinking capabilities.

When I found "Pagan Christianity?:  Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices" by Frank Viola and George Barna takes that approach in exploring the practices of the Christian Church today.  The product description reads as follows:

Have you ever wondered why we Christians do what we do for church every Sunday morning? Why do we “dress up” for church? Why does the pastor preach a sermon each week? Why do we have pews, steeples, choirs, and seminaries? This volume reveals the startling truth: most of what Christians do in present-day churches is not rooted in the New Testament, but in pagan culture and rituals developed long after the death of the apostles. Coauthors Frank Viola and George Barna support their thesis with compelling historical evidence in the first-ever book to document the full story of modern Christian church practices.

Needless to say, I was intrigued.  It is important to note that when Viola and Barna refer to "pagan" they are referring to it in the classical non-Christian sense and not in the modern understanding of being evil or satanic.  It is an important distinction.  The authors do not attack or condemn any of the practices that they explore, but rather explain their historical development.  They caution against taking the information to incite rebellion within the church.

I would like to take an aside here for a minute to relate a story from my past that relates to the chapter on wearing one's Sunday best to church.  A friend of mine, who is a graduate of Washington Bible College and a knowledgeable Christian, visited a church I was attending.  I can't remember if he wore jeans or shorts, but one of the deacons took him aside and offered to give him some money to buy an "appropriate" pair of slacks to wear to church. 

From that moment on, I have always felt that Jesus would be more concerned with somebody being there and not what clothes they wear.  In fact, the book of James admonishes against showing favor to those who wear fine clothes to the assembling of the saints.  "Pagan Christianity" shows us that the concept of wearing one's Sunday best is a relatively new phenomena thanks to the mass production of clothing that allowed the middle class to dress more like the rich.  Hardly a Christian concept.

Viola and Barna raise questions regarding the concept of having a dedicated church building, concluding that it came from Greek and Roman temple buildings, not the Jewish temple.  The idea of the sermon and professional clergy came from the Greek orators.  They argue that these things go against the concept of the priesthood of all believers and make us passive participants in the worship process rather than active.

Viola is very active in the organic church movement where folks meet in homes and all members of the church participate in the worship service, sharing what Jesus has done in their lives and what they have learned during the week.  Sharing can be in the form of spontaneous song or prayer.  The authors provide information and encourage readers to decide which format of worship works for themselves.  They do not imply that current Christian worship is necessarily a bad thing, but rather that it is not rooted in biblical Christianity, but more through tradition.

If you are interested in the historical aspects of the church and church practices, I would encourage you to pick up the book.  It is written in a loving and informative manner.  The authors are more concerned with the growth and development of the true Christian church and are not out to destroy institutions of faith. 

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The Missionaries

Image by More Good Foundation via Flickr

I try to be respectful of other people and their religious beliefs.  There are, however some limits to my tolerance.  You see, I take a live and let live approach to life.  You are free to live your life according to your beliefs, but do not feel the need to preach to me if I don't want to hear it.

First, a word about my own religious background.  Currently, I am not active in any particular religious denomination.  In the past, I have been active in Baptist churches.  I still mostly subscribe to Christian beliefs, with a touch of Buddhism here and there.

My wife, on the other hand, comes from a Roman Catholic background.  A few years ago, she made the decision to leave Catholicism and pursue other denominations.  She ended up settling on the Mormon faith.  It was not a choice that I would have made, but if it makes her happy then I support her in her decision.  She knows that I personally do not have any interest in joining her faith, and she is respectful of that decision as I am of her decision to join it.

She has told me on more than one occasions that her church's missionaries have asked to speak with me.  She has told them in no uncertain terms not to because I am not interested in the Mormon faith.  One time, they showed up while she was out under the guise of visiting her.  She had told them she would not be home and she thought they might have made the visit to see me.

This brings us to today.  I needed to run out to Target to pick up a prescription for our son before we head out to the beach this week.  As I was getting my shoes on to head out, I heard a soft knock on the door.  As I opened the door to leave, their stood the missionaries.  I told them I was just on my way out the door.  I was in a hurry because it looked like a bad storm was on the way.

I stopped briefly and told them that I would see if my wife was available.  She was not feeling great and was lying in bed.  I told them she was a little under the weather, resting, and was not available at this time.  I then proceeded to make my way to the car, as I had already told them I was already on my way out.

As I walked past them towards the car, one of them spoke up and felt the need to introduce himself as Elder so-and-so, as did the other.  I can not remember their last names, nor did I want to.  I just wanted to get on the road to Target before the rains came.  I shook their hands and turned back to head to the call.  I heard one of them say, "and you are," in hopes of starting a conversation, but I kept walking.

I just can't bring myself to address a 20-something year old as an "Elder."  To me, and elder in the church is an older person who is wise due to their wealth of experience in living in the faith.  The last thing I heard one of them say was asking if there was anything they could do to "help us."  I did not respond.

They had a bit of a stunned and dejected look as they walked away.  Ever since the day that my wife had told me that they wanted to talk to me, regardless of her telling them not to, I have wondered how I would react to them if they were to approach me. One part of me thought about debating them and telling them why I was not interested in their faith. Another part just wanted to avoid the subject entirely.

As I drove away, I started to feel a little guilty about the way I treated the missionaries.  I did not set out to purposely be rude, but the last thing that I wanted to do was to engage in a conversation with them while they attempted to proselytize me.  I told my wife what happened.  She told me that I did the right thing, as that was exactly what they were trying to do.

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Shrouded in Silence

I like a lot of different types of books.  In the past, I would primarily read books on Christian theology or living, or books about other religions and philosophy.  Fiction was not something that I read a lot of, though I have been working some more of that genre into my reading.

The type of fiction that I usually gravitate to are books that have a lot of actions.  I have really been reading a lot of Brad Thor and his Scot Harvath series.  I also like to read books that have some basis in fact and teach you something while reading a fictional work.  An example of which would be works like Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and The Lost Symbol.  Books like those cause you to think while enjoying a piece of fiction.

During one of my many visits to Amazon.com to search for new books to add to my Kindle, I came across a book by Robert Wise that I thought looked interesting.  The book is entitled Shrouded in Silence, and is the story of husband and wife biblical scholars Jack and Michelle Townsend and their quest to find the original ending to the Gospel of Mark.

One would not think that the scholarly pursuit of studying ancient biblical documents would lead to an adventure tale, but in this case it does.  The Townsends follow clues through the streets of Rome in pursuit of their quest.  Eventually, they are dealing with dangers from an anti-American terrorist group and one of their rivals in the study of ancient documents.  They survive gun fights and explosions while exploring historic Roman sites.

While I did enjoy the book and the story line, it definitely did not live up to the hopes that I had for it when I downloaded the book.  There was a lot of dialog in the book, primarily between the main couple.  As you were reading the book, it became all too clear the direction the author was taking some of the characters.  The ending of the book wound up being all too predictable.

Shrouded in Silence was one of the several books that I have found for my Kindle that I was able to download from Amazon for free or a very reduced price.  Currently, it can be downloaded for the normal Amazon Kindle price of $9.99.  The book is one of the reasons I frequently search for free books on Amazon, a book I enjoyed reading for free, but I would have been disappointed had I bought it at full price.

Breaking the Rules: Trading Performance with Intimacy with God

Recently, I was searching for some new books to download to my Kindle.  On this particular occasion, I was looking to see if there were any good prices on any of Brennan Manning's books.  I have been a fan of his since I discovered The Ragamuffin Gospel after Rich Mullin's had released his album "A Life, A Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band."

While there were plenty of Brennan Manning works available for the Kindle, none were at a discounted price.  Since I already had physical copies of all the books available, I decided not to download any on my Kindle at this time.  However, there was one book that caught my attention in my search for Brennan Manning's work.  It was Fil Anderson's "Breaking the Rules: Trading Performance for Intimacy with God."  It showed up because Manning had written the forward for the book.  Just so you don't think that price was the only issue in my decision making process, I did pay the full Kindle price of $9.99 for this book.

The opening line of the product description that I found on Amazon.com was what really piqued my interest in this book:

After years of living with a set of religious demands that he could never live up to, Fil Anderson found himself spiritually bankrupt and emotionally drained. Following a crash-and-burn in professional ministry, he experienced relief in learning to be with God rather than doing for God. Instead of desperation, he found healing, and a rich new life with God.

This opening description really spoke to me.  In the past, I have been very actively involved in church activities, though I confess it has been several years.  While I had never been in "professional" ministry, I often threw myself into the activities of the church.  I found myself participating in every activity, particularly the music ministries of the church.  It was not just going to Sunday service.  It was Sunday School, morning service, choir practice before evening service, evening service, Wednesday evening prayers service, and choir practice after that.

It was quite a busy lifestyle.  Frequently, I felt frustrated and tired.  I tried to live up to the expectations of those in the church.  However, I knew who my real self was.  I looked at others who always seemed to have it all together and wondered if they were real.  There were times when I felt that I was struggling, but when I would share  my feelings with those who were supposed to be my friends, I was sometimes greeted with an expression of severe disappointment.  Eventually, this would lead to my leaving the church.

"Breaking the Rules" deals with these very issues and feelings.  Anderson writes a very transparent account of his own struggles with playing the church game of always doing and saying the right thing in public, but struggling with his own inner demons.  On the surface, he was leading the ideal Christian life, but inside, he couldn't help but think that something was missing.  By following the rules, he did not feel that he was truly having a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Anderson relates through scripture, how Jesus frequently condemned the religiosity of the spiritual leaders of his day.  The teachings of Christ were meant to be a liberating force in the lives of his followers, not substituting one set of binding rules and regulations with another.  By taking a fresh approach to reading scripture, without the preconceptions of his religious upbringing, he was able to establish a new and fresh relationship with Jesus.

This book is very similar to the works of Brennan Manning.  It is a transparent view into the personal struggles of a man trying to be what he has been taught by the church to be.  However, by realizing that he could never be the man the church taught him to be, it was hindering his relationship with Christ.  By realizing that Jesus loved his true self and not the image he was portraying, Anderson was able to rekindle and renew his walk with Christ.

There used to be a Scott Wesley Brown song that I liked when I was listening to a lot of Christian Contemporary Music.  It had a line in the chorus that went, "I'm not religious, I just love the Lord."  This is the message that Anderson is trying to put forth in "Breaking the Rules."  It is a goal that all Christians should strive for.

Related articles

• the Maker of all things loves and forgives us (guyonfamily.com)
• God's love invites us to be real (ilifejourney.wordpress.com)
• I'm the One that Jesus Loves (philslocum.net)
• not a fan: Knowledge v. Intimacy (cornerstonefellowship.wordpress.com)

No Rapture for You

Image via WikipediaLike most Saturday nights I was scheduled to deliver pizza from 5pm until midnight or until it slows down enough that I can leave, usually around 11pm. I was kind of bummed that I was working seeing as how Harold Camping said the world would end at 6 pm. That really is something you would want to be with your family should it occur.

Technically, Camping predicted that the Rapture would occur which consists of Jesus returning to take his follower to heaven in the twinkling of an eye. Still, I have read enough of the Bible, end times theology, and Left Behind books to know you wouldn't want to be out driving around when the Rapture occurs. All of those suddenly unoccupied cars could cause some major traffic headaches.

The appointed time of 6pm came and went with a whimper. No apocalyptic earthquake, no out of control cars, nothing. I turned the radio on to WAVA, a Christian station I used to frequently listen to and not affiliated with Camping's Family Radio, and they were still broadcasting. So was the local Family Radio station. About the only sound I heard were two kids yelling they were still alive.

It is a good thing for Camping that we aren't living in biblical times. The biblical standard for prophets is perfection. So far Camping is 0 for 2 in his prophecies which wouldn't even qualify him for Minor Prophet status and would likely end with him being stoned, and I am not talking about the kind where you fire up a fat one.

Personally, I didn't put much stock in Camping's prediction. After all, I believed Jesus when he said no man would know the day or the hour of his return.  Unfortunately, not everybody was equally discerning in separating the wheat from the chaff and believed Camping's false prophecy.  There are a number of stories out there of folks who emptied their bank accounts to help promote Camping's falsehood.

I do not know the heart of Harold Camping.  I am sure that in his mind he was sincere and doing the right thing.  Much like he should have heeded the words of Jesus when Jesus said that no one but the father would know when Jesus would rapture the church, perhaps Camping should heed these words of Jesus from Matthew 7: 21-23:

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Just sayin'....

Related articles

• Harold Camping May 21 Rapture: Deceiving the Biblically Ignorant (deathby1000papercuts.com)
• Apocalypse not now: The Rapture fails to materialise - The Guardian (news.google.com)
• Harold Camping doomsday prediction record: 0-2 (cbsnews.com)
• Harold Camping: Oops, I did it Again! (slaughteringthesheep.wordpress.com)

The Dark Side of Islam

Cover of The Dark Side of IslamLast week, I mentioned that I finally got a Kindle ebook reader.  My big concern when I got it was whether or not I would actually use it enough to make it worth buying it.  At work, I rarely would take a formal lunch break.  Instead, I usually sat at my desk and ate junk.  So, I have made the decision to bring a healthy lunch to try to lose weight and use that time to read from my Kindle.  Last week, I finished my first book on the Kindle.

That book was called "The Dark Side of Islam" by RC Sproul and Abdul Saleeb.  Saleeb is the pseudonym of a former Muslim who has converted to Christianity.  The book is rather short, with only 8 chapters and less than 100 pages in total.  It is based on a series of conversations that the two had on the subject of the differences between Christianity and Islam.

The first seven chapters of the book highlight the various differences between the historical orthodox Christianity and Islam.  Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of the similarities and differences. Those subjects are the views on Scripture, the Fatherhood of God, the Trinity, sin, salvation, and the death and Deity of Jesus Christ.  With the brevity of each chapter, you do not get an in depth treatise on each subject, but a fairly high level comparison.  The two writers take turns within each chapter discussing various aspects of the topic.

In the final chapter of the book, Saleeb draws on his experience as a former Muslim and as a Christian to address what is called "the dark side of Islam."  Saleeb makes the argument that the vast majority of Muslims are, in fact, peace loving people.  However, there is the problem that can not be avoided and that is the fanatical element that are using Islam as their justification to wage jihad.

Saleeb states that Christians are not without sin in acts of violence in the name of Christianity.  However, his belief is that when Christians act in such a manner, they are acting in direct opposition to the teachings of Christ.  Muslims who perform acts of violence in the name of Islam do so based on the teachings of the Qur'an and the example as set forth from the life of Muhammad.

Normally, I am a big fan of the work of Dr. Sproul, especially in his works on "The Holiness of God" and "The Last Days According to Jesus."  His work usually is a lot more in depth than the particular book.  Still, I enjoyed the book and learned a bit more about the subject matter.  If you are looking for a brief look at the differences between Islam and Christianity, you may enjoy "The Dark Side of Islam."  However, if you want a more in depth treatise on the subject you will probably be disappointed.