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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A Time for Reflection

National Day of Prayer (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Presidential election that took place this past Tuesday didn't exactly go as I had hoped.  OK, in my mind is was an unmitigated disaster. I had really hoping that Mitt Romney had the momentum and would have defeated Barack Obama to become the 45th president.  I had also hoped that the Republicans could have gained ground in the Senate.  Unfortunately, none of that happened.

It has been a while since I have posted anything on this blog.  It isn't that I am despondent over the results of the election, though I am disappointed.  The bottom line is that I have been really tired.  For most of the past 4 years, I have been very active in following politics and the issues.  On this blog, on Twitter, and on Facebook, I have been actively promoting the conservative cause.  I need a break.

The entire election took a lot out of me.  I had a conversation with my sister the day after the election.  We talked about where we are as a country.  In our home state of Maryland, we had laws passed that gave illegal immigrants in state tuition rates and we passed a law that allows same sex marriage.  Morality and the rule of law used to matter, now they are considered old fashioned or worse.

She told me of something that happened to her youngest son.  One of his friends asked him who he hoped would win the election.  When he said Mitt Romney, his friend called him a racist.  These are kids that are 12-14 years old.  How did we get to the point where if we disagreed with somebody's policies that we were all of a sudden racist because that person happened to have a darker shade of melanin?

In the apostle Paul's letter to the Christians at the Church of Philippi he wrote:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. (NIV Phil 4:8)

So that is what I am going to do. I am taking some time to reflect on what is really important in life.

At various times in my life, I have been the holiest of saints and at other times the basest of sinners. Of late, I have become increasingly more irritable and finding that things that used to not bother me are making me more intolerant.  I don't like it one bit.  So, I am going to do some reflecting.  I am going to spend more time catching up on my reading and thinking about things that are noble and true.

Buddha and Jesus: Could Solomon Be the Missing Link?

There have been a number of books putting forth the theory that the teachings and ministry of Jesus was influenced by Buddhism.  The theory suggests that during the period of His life that is not discussed in the Gospel accounts, Jesus traveled to India where he studied under Eastern sages.  It is an interesting theory, but one that can not be proven definitively.  Granted, there are a number of parallels in their teachings, but there are  a number of parallels between most religions.

R.E. Sherman has put forth a different theory for the many parallels between the teachings of Jesus and those of Buddha.  In is book Buddha and Jesus: Could Solomon Be the Missing Link, Sherman puts forth the idea that Buddha could have been influenced by the writings of Solomon.  During the diaspora, the Jews could have settled in India and brought scrolls of Solomon's teachings with them where Buddha could have been exposed to them.  Since Jesus was a Jew and often quoted Old Testament scripture, it would have been natural for his teachings to be influenced by Solomon.

In the first part of the book, Sherman introduces the reader to Buddha and Buddhism.  He devotes a good bit of time laying out Buddha's Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold path and argues that you can see precursors of Buddha's teachings in the Proverbs of Solomon and the Book of Ecclesiastes.  Starting with a proverb of Solomon, Sherman then shows similar proverbs and teachings from both Buddha and Jesus to make his case that rather than Jesus being influenced by Buddha, both were influenced by Solomon.

The second half of the book, Sherman devotes to comparisons of the similarities and differences between Buddha and Christ.  He discusses the idea of whether or not somebody could be both fully Christian and at the same time be a Buddhist.  He argues that while there are a great many similarities between Buddhism and Christianity, there differences are so profound that they can not be reconciled to be both Christian and Buddhist.

For his part, Sherman is a Christian.  However, he see the benefit of recognizing the good and having respect for those of divergent faiths.  He feels that there is much that can be learned from others and that we should not have an arrogance in our own faith that makes us think we are superior to others.  He points out the positives and negatives involved in both Christianity and Buddhism.

The book was a very thorough examination of the subject matter.  There was a bit of repetition of a lot of materials.  The one drawback that I had in reading the book on my Kindle is that there were a number of charts in the book.  A lot of the charts would not fit on the screen of my Kindle so I could not read the full quotes of the proverbs being discussed.  Other times, the text was so small that I could not read the charts.  All in all though, a very informative and interesting book.

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I Surrender All

Usually, when I read a book I read a little at a time.  A chapter or two a day.  For most books, it usually takes about a week or so for me to finish.  The book I just finished yesterday, I Surrender All: Rebuilding a Marriage Broken by Pornography by Clay and Renee Crosse was finished over a two day time period.

There are a couple of reasons why this book was read so much more quickly than most books.  First, I have been off of work the last two days so I have had some more free time on my hands.  My son has also been home, so he has been playing some games on my laptop.  With him sitting next to me playing, I would read. Another big reason that I read the book so quickly is that I found myself relating to Clay Crosse's story.

Clay Crosse made his name in the Contemporary Christian Music field. He had several big hits, won Dove Awards (the Contemporary Christian Music version of the Grammy) and toured the country performing his music.  Crosse has been a professed Christian most of his life.  The book details his addiction to pornography and how it almost cost him everything he held dear.

Crosse was exposed to pornography at an early age when he was in the fourth grade.  He reveals that it started with some magazines and eventually moved on to movies.  As he delved more and more into the world of pornography, he needed it to become more graphic and more intense.  The more he watched, the more he wanted to live out those fantasies that played in his mind.

While he never physically committed adultery, he knew it was just a matter of time before he would give in to the temptation.  He came to the realization that he needed help.  He also confessed his double life to his wife.  Her part of the book talks about her feelings and how she came to forgive him and rebuild their marriage.  It was not easy.

The key for the couple in turning around their lives was in turning to faith.  While both of them had been professing Christians most of their lives, they were living a superficial form of Christianity.  Both were more concerned about how God could bless them and not in having a deep relationship with God.  They were both caught up in the material blessings of success, and Clay had the added burden of lust through pornography.

By discovering that their faith was lacking, they were able to build a deeper faith.  It allowed them to save a marriage that was on the brink of collapse.  Eventually, their story became a ministry to help others who were struggling with similar issues.  God was able to take the bad in their lives and turn it into something good and positive.

I think that everybody could benefit from their story, whether or not they are struggling with issues like lust and pornography.  The root of their problem were not these things, but rather the focus on themselves and not on God.  By refocusing on the right things, they were able to get back on the right track.  That is not to say that they don't still struggle, but that they now know better how to stay on track.

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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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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.

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A New Opportunity

Over the weekend, I received an email from one of my blogging buddies, FishHawk of the As The Crackerhead Crumbles and FishHawk Droppings blogs.  He was telling me that he had started a new blog, The Tribulation Times Herald-Exhorter, and he asked me if I would be a contributor to the new effort.  He describes the purpose of the site as:

This site is meant to present as many views as possible of what we may want to believe is the truth about a number of subjects. For the more closely we seek to examine such, the closer we can come to accepting what our Heavenly Father actually says is absolutely true. For He will be there to counter what is not right, and He truly is interested in every aspect of our daily lives. Ah, but who is so deaf as the one who does not want to hear?

No, this is not for just articles about the possibility of us truly being in the end times. For it has been personally revealed to me that every day in this world is one of tribulation. In fact, even what we would naturally consider to be the best of lives is absolutely miserable in comparison to the worst of lives in our Heavenly Father’s Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, be assured that this is a place for articles on politics (both secular and religious), business practices, social issues, environmental concerns, as well as spiritual matters—not all from a strictly “Christian” perspective, neither. 

First, I would publicly like to thank FishHawk for his gracious invitation to be a part of this new site.  I have never met FishHawk, and we only know each other from our blogs and comments on those blogs, so I am flattered that he asked.  I have accepted his offer to be a participant.  At this point, I am not sure what types of contributions that I will make, but I have a couple different ideas.  There may be some items that I post on The Tribulations Times Herald-Exhorter that I will also cross post here.  Either way, I am interested in seeing how this turns out, and I encourage you to give the new site a visit.

On the Horns of a Dilemma

Image via WikipediaI have always tried to be respectful of the religious beliefs of other folks.  In my past, I have been active in fundamentalist Christian denominations.  Currently, I would say my beliefs are in flux, though I do still consider myself to be Christian.  While a lot of my social views would be in conflict with my former congregations, I still respect and support the right of those congregations to espouse those views.  In the immortal words of John Lennon, "Whatever gets you through the night, is alright, is alright."

The reason I bring this up is because I am facing a bit of a dilemma within the Dickster household.  A few years ago, my wife decided that she was dissatisfied with the Catholic Church and went on a pilgrimage, as it were.  She went with my support.  She ended up deciding to join the Mormon church. Again, I gave her my full support and attended her baptism into that church.  She also understood that I had no interest, and still have no interest in becoming a Mormon.  Nothing wrong with it, just not my thing.

The reason this is now a dilemma within our household is that she has recently informed me that the missionaries in her church want to talk with me.  She has told them repeatedly that I have no interest in joining their church, and she would prefer that they not push the issue.  They are continuing to push the issue.  The first time my wife told me that they wanted to come talk to me, she said that they might be coming by that day and the reason was to talk to me.  She had told me ahead of time not to answer the door.  Sure enough, they showed up that afternoon, and I did not bother to answer the door.

Recently, she informed me that they dropped by again when I wasn't home.  Their purpose was to talk to me. Again, I want to be respectful of the religious beliefs of other folks, but at the same time, I do not want those folks trying to force their beliefs down my throat.  My wife has repeatedly told them not to speak with me.  She knows all too well that I can be a bit of an asshole if I feel that I have been sufficiently provoked.  OK, she would probably say that I can be a bit of an asshole even if I haven't been provoked.

The way I see it, I have two choices.  I can continue to avoid speaking with the missionaries.  This way, I can be respectful of their beliefs and continue to support my wife's decision to be a part of their congregation.  Or, I can speak with them.  If I speak with them, there is a pretty good chance I can be respectful and firm enough to convince them that I have no interest in their denomination.  There is also the chance that if they push the issue to hard that I could say some things that would be less than respectful.  So, if you were me, would you continue with avoidance, or would you talk with the missionaries?

Hate in the Name of Jesus

I confess that I am not currently what you would consider a "religious" person, though at times in my past I have been.  I do still consider myself to be a Christian, but I have also read a bit of Buddhism.  Even though I no longer consider myself to be a religious person, I do have a great deal of respect for those who are dedicated to their faith.  It offends me to see the lack of respect for the Judeo-Christian foundations of this country, and what can be perceived as attacks against Christianity.

Likewise, I take offense at those that pervert the message of the Gospel of Christ.  Instead of a gospel of love, they preach a gospel of hate.  Now, I am not talking about those mainstream churches that preach out against sin.  As one pastor I was associated with used to say, "Love the sinner, hate the sin."  I do believe that you can be against certain acts that religious groups would consider sinful, and still be respectful and loving to those who engage in those acts. 

Instead, I am talking about people like the folks at Westboro Baptist Church who hold up signs saying "God Hates Fags" and protest outside of the funerals of our fallen soldiers.  I once heard the late Rich Mullins jokingly say in concert video made a few months before he passed away, "I know that vengeance is mine thus sayeth the Lord, but I just want to be about the Lord's business."  Unfortunately those of the WBC and their ilk, take that as more of a calling.

The reason I bring this up today, is that I was driving home from work this evening when I saw a truck similar to the one pictured here.  The only difference is that the one I saw had a picture of the twin towers from 9/11 instead of the two guys kissing.  My first reaction was that I wanted to drive up next to the guy and flip him the bird.  Not a very Christian impulse on my part, I admit.  Instead, I was fortunate to be in a fast moving lane and motored on ahead of the offending vehicle.

As I continued on my merry way thinking about the truck, I wondered to myself if it was the folks from WBC.  I don't think it was, but it is hateful nonetheless.  After a few minutes, the radio was reporting an overturned vehicle had just been reported around the area where I left the truck in my dust.  Immediately, I wondered if the truck was somehow involved in the accident, and thought, if so, they got what they deserved.  Again, not a very Christian thought on my part.  It turns out the accident was heading in the other direction.

In closing, I want to quote Rich Mullins once again from the same video, "This I know will go against the teachings of all the popular evangelical preachers, but they're just wrong.  They're not bad, they're just wrong.  Christianity is not about building an absolutely secure little niche in the world where you can live with your perfect little wife and your perfect little children in your beautiful house where you have no gays or minority groups anywhere near you.  Christianity is about learning to love like Jesus loved, and Jesus loved the poor, and Jesus loved the broken."  The whole monologue is below and is worth spending the 10 minutes to watch it.

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Will the World End in 2012?

You probably would have to be living under rock not to have heard the predictions of planetary destruction that the planet faces in 2012.  For years, I have been fascinated with Biblical prophecies of the end times, starting with Hal Lindsay's "Late Great Planet Earth" and others.  So I was very excited when I saw that I could have the opportunity to review Raymond C. Hundley's newest book "Will the World End in 2012" for BookSneeze.com.

Dr. Hundley is a former pastor and seminary professor, so his treatise of the subject matter is from an evangelical Christian viewpoint.  He tackles ten possible scenarios for the end of the world in the year 2012.  Among these are the predictions of the Mayan calendar, possible solar storms, the eruption of a super volcano, the predictions of Nostradamus, and prophecies of the end of the world from a number of different religions.

Given Hundley's background, not surprisingly, the longest chapter in the book is the chapter on the religious predictions of the end of the earth.  The Old and New Testament prophesies get the most ink.  However, Hundley does an adequate job of including prophesies from the Muslim faith, the I Ching, the Hindu faith, and the Hopi Indian tribe.  In the chapter on the Mayan calendar, he does a great job of quoting multiple sources, several of which conclude that 12/21/12 is an end of the world event, and several that quote it as a "changing point" in the world order.

Hundley also addresses some of the predictions of world doom from scientific possibilities.  In these areas, I felt a little shortchanged as a reader.  It would be the one complaint I would have against the book.  For instance, the chapter on possible solar storms in 2012, a subject I am very interested in, contained a mere 3 pages.  Other chapters that harbor potential peril for the fate of the planet  based on scientific fact are not quite as short as the solar storms, but are among the shorter chapters in the book.

All in all though, I enjoyed reading "Will the World End in 2012?"  The subtitle to the book is "A Christian Guide to the Question Everyone's Asking," and as such has the expected evangelical call to acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior.  The epilogue calls for Christians that have read the book to live their lives as if the world would end in 2012 or tomorrow and live a life in honor of Christ.  Even if you are not a religious person, or interested in Christianity, this book does have a lot of information about the possible "end of the world" in 2012.  The author reaches his conclusion.  It could, but you will have to read the book for the details.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com's book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Dalai Lama Receives Human Rights Award

Image by Akuppa via Flickr

A few years ago, I went through a period where I was reading a lot of books about Buddhism.  .My two favorite writers were Thich Nhat Hahn a Buddhist monk from Viet Nam who lives in exile in France.  I started reading him because several of his books dealt with Jesus Christ and the Buddha as spiritual brothers.  The other writer is the person that most Americans would think of when thinking of Buddhism, His Holiness the Dalai Lama the exiled leader of Tibetan Buddhism.

The Dalai Lama is in DC this week for a series of meetings.  In spite of his claims of being a big proponent of human rights, President Barack Obama will not be meeting with the Buddhist leader.  The decision came after the Chinese government has encouraged countries not to meet with the leader.  So, Obama, the great appeaser has decided to give in to the wishes of the Chinese rather than do what is right.  It will be the first time since the Dalai Lama began visiting DC that a sitting president has not met with him.

Fortunately, all in DC are not of the same mind as the President.  As much as I loathe just about everything that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi stands for, she did present the Dalai Lama with the first Tom Lantos Human Rights Award. So I thank Congress for recognizing the work of the Dalai Lama.   

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Beer & Jesus

Image via Wikipedia

Since Bowie Living posted about Al Franken & Health Care Reform, I have decided to post about something I saw today while driving through Bowie.

This morning, I was driving around Bowie running a few errands before we head off to the Bowie Baysox game this afternoon. I was driving past the Sacred Heart Catholic Church where they had two signs out on the side of the road promoting their Labor Day Festival tomorrow. Nothing unusual there. Most churches have signs outside announcing events that are taking place.

The thing about the signs that I thought was unusual, and bothered me, is that one sign had a Budweiser logo and the other a Bud Light logo. Now I like a cold Bud as much as the next guy, maybe more, and I realize that not all religious denominations believe that drinking alcohol is a sin. I am definitely not a prude, but it seemed an odd and inappropriate juxtaposition of a church activity essentially being sponsored by a brand of beer.

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Music Monday-Rich Mullins

Image via Wikipedia

When I was in my 20's, I was very involved in the Christian faith, in particular Baptist churches. I did all of the things that good baptists were supposed to do; Sunday school & service on Sunday morning, Sunday evening service, and Wednesday prayer service. With one group of friends, I attended a weekend event called "Creation" which I affectionately refer to as "Woodstock for Christians."

I first became aware of Rich Mullins as a songwriter, not as an artist. The first song that I ever heard that was written by Rich was "Sing Your Praise to the Lord" when it was released by Amy Grant. Next, Michael W. Smith released his version of "Awesome God." I was in California on business, and feeling sorry for myself and in need of some comfort, so I went to a Christian bookstore and bought my first two Rich Mullins albums, "Songs" a greatest hits compilation, and " The Jesus Record."

I so not want to cast aspersions on the motives or spirituality of other artists in the Contemporary Christian Music genre. However, Rich Mullins was a unique individual. In his field, Rich Mullins was very successful, both as an artist and a songwriter. He could have led a comfortable, if not wealthy lifestyle. Instead, all of his royalties went to his church, and he had them pay him a salary equal to the salary of the average worker, the rest to charity. At the time of his death, he was living on a Navajo reservation teaching music to children.

The reasons that I am no longer active in the church are many. Some of them due to my own frailty as a human being. Some due to some bad experiences that I had within the church. At the time I left the church, I often felt that Jesus himself might not be comfortable in today's church, especially not in the big mega churches. Don't get me wrong, there are a great many sincere and caring Christians within those churches and I greatly admire their faith. Sometimes I wonder if Rich Mullins felt the same way. In a concert that was recorded shortly before his death, Rich says the following:

Jesus said whatever you do to the least of these my brothers you’ve done it to me. And this is what I’ve come to think. That if I want to identify fully with Jesus Christ, who I claim to be my savior and Lord, the best way that I can do that is to identify with the poor. This I know will go against the teachings of all the popular evangelical preachers. But they’re just wrong. They’re not bad, they’re just wrong. Christianity is not about building an absolutely secure little niche in the world where you can live with your perfect little wife and your perfect little children in a beautiful little house where you have no gays or minority groups anywhere near you. Christianity is about learning to love like Jesus loved and Jesus loved the poor and Jesus loved the broken

My blogging buddy Mike Golch at Rambling Stuff features a lot of hammered dulcimer music on his blog. Rich Mullins incorporated the hammered dulcimer in a lot of his songs. The first song that I want to feature is "Calling Out Your Name." The hammered dulcimer is featured prominently in this song, especially in the intro, plus they lyrics are very poetic and beautiful.

The second song I want to add is "Hold Me Jesus." This is a song that I always seem to gravitate to when things in my life get hectic and crazy and I need to feel comfort. Rich Mullins described it as a prayer that he wrote when temptation nearly got the better of him.

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

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