As I read through 1 Samuel, I have come across one of the most puzzling characters in the Bible. Saul was the first king of Israel, anointed by Samuel for the job. God selected Saul, a young man who stood much taller than other men. He seemed to have all the right stuff for leadership.
Samuel promised the young man that God would come upon him in power, and that Saul would be a different person. Sure enough, as Saul left Samuel, "God changed Saul's heart."
Saul was even humble. After being anointed as king, he didn't tell anybody. Only when Samuel called him out publicly did Saul acknowledge that God had called him as the nation's leader.
But soon the power of kingship went to Saul's head. He began taking shortcuts with his instructions from Samuel. He tried to justify his actions and explain his good reasons for disobedience or "near obedience." At one point he even asks Samuel to make him look good in front of the people, in spite of his disobedience.
Eventually God removes his hand of blessing and decides to take the kingdom away from Saul.
It really gets bad when David comes into the picture. Saul becomes convinced that David is conspiring to kill him and take the throne. Saul behaves like a madman, suspecting everyone of treason. His bizarre behavior actually leads some of his subjects to work around him, but not to kill him. Saul eventually dies on the battlefield, having led his army to defeat.
So, I wonder, what's up with Saul? Did God really change his heart? Did Saul change it back? Was God's work in his life conditional upon Saul's obedience?
I believe that God changes hearts today. He transforms lives. He puts his Holy Spirit in us to lead us and to change our patterns of behavior. This work of God depends not on our righteousness, but on the righteousness of Jesus, who gave his life as a sacrifice for us on the cross. We can't undo the work of God.
That's why I just don't get Saul.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Disillusioned
I'm reading A Patriot's History now, and learning everything I never knew from American history. Somehow I missed a lot of important stuff in my school years. For example, I knew that Benedict Arnold was a traitor, but in reading this book I learned exactly what he did.
Another thing I am learning is that the partisan spirit has always been part of American politics. Last year I read Washington's Farewell Address, in which he warns of the dangers of opposing parties seizing political power from one other in alternating elections. On that basis, I assumed that after the Constitution was ratified in 1788, everyone got along like one big happy family.
We speak of our "Founding Fathers," and what they would say about various issues today. What I am learning about our history is that different founding fathers had different (strong) opinions about how government should work, and what government should do. We have always had opposing points of view, struggling mightily with each other.
What really amazes me is that both the Jeffersonian and the Washingtonian camps have left important marks on our history and traditions. From today's vantage point, it seems like we received the best from both extremes. If either party in the country's infancy had had full sway, our country would not be nearly as great as it is today.
So, my illusion that political fighting is something new is just that--an illusion. Now I'm trying to wrap my head around what really makes our country great. Why did we get the best from both sides in the controversies? What if each side had left us with its worst ideas?
The more I read, the more I see God's fingerprints on the history of this nation. Yes, we had egregious faults, especially allowing slavery anywhere, any time. But somehow, God, I believe, has really blessed us. And I think he has blessed us for a reason. Why has he so blessed me that I could be a part of this nation? I'm trying to find out.
Another thing I am learning is that the partisan spirit has always been part of American politics. Last year I read Washington's Farewell Address, in which he warns of the dangers of opposing parties seizing political power from one other in alternating elections. On that basis, I assumed that after the Constitution was ratified in 1788, everyone got along like one big happy family.
We speak of our "Founding Fathers," and what they would say about various issues today. What I am learning about our history is that different founding fathers had different (strong) opinions about how government should work, and what government should do. We have always had opposing points of view, struggling mightily with each other.
What really amazes me is that both the Jeffersonian and the Washingtonian camps have left important marks on our history and traditions. From today's vantage point, it seems like we received the best from both extremes. If either party in the country's infancy had had full sway, our country would not be nearly as great as it is today.
So, my illusion that political fighting is something new is just that--an illusion. Now I'm trying to wrap my head around what really makes our country great. Why did we get the best from both sides in the controversies? What if each side had left us with its worst ideas?
The more I read, the more I see God's fingerprints on the history of this nation. Yes, we had egregious faults, especially allowing slavery anywhere, any time. But somehow, God, I believe, has really blessed us. And I think he has blessed us for a reason. Why has he so blessed me that I could be a part of this nation? I'm trying to find out.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Anger
I'm not normally an angry person. I'm glad, too, because it takes a lot of energy. I got angry this week over some personal issues, and I learned a few things.
First, anger affects the way I relate to everything and everyone. It doesn't just affect my relationship with person I'm angry with.
Being angry changes the way I see everything. Fun things are not as fun. Beauty is not as beautiful. I cannot think very clearly when I'm angry. I have to measure my words, and my thoughts seem to swirl in my head, defying me to express them. And that's how I feel talking to a complete stranger.
Being angry makes me tired. I get exhausted when I'm angry. I need a lot of sleep anyway, and anger makes it even worse.
It takes a long time for me to get angry, but when I get there, I tend to camp out. My anger is always so righteous; I like to enjoy being so right when someone else is so wrong. (symptom of unclear thinking) Eventually reality sets in, and I see that I have to move beyond my anger. Often I realize that I wasn't nearly as right as I thought.
I can't imagine living every day angry, like some people seem to do. I don't think I could get enough sleep.
It feels good to move beyond anger and return to joy. That's where I really want to camp out. The joy of the Lord is our strength, said Nehemiah. No wonder I was so tired.
First, anger affects the way I relate to everything and everyone. It doesn't just affect my relationship with person I'm angry with.
Being angry changes the way I see everything. Fun things are not as fun. Beauty is not as beautiful. I cannot think very clearly when I'm angry. I have to measure my words, and my thoughts seem to swirl in my head, defying me to express them. And that's how I feel talking to a complete stranger.
Being angry makes me tired. I get exhausted when I'm angry. I need a lot of sleep anyway, and anger makes it even worse.
It takes a long time for me to get angry, but when I get there, I tend to camp out. My anger is always so righteous; I like to enjoy being so right when someone else is so wrong. (symptom of unclear thinking) Eventually reality sets in, and I see that I have to move beyond my anger. Often I realize that I wasn't nearly as right as I thought.
I can't imagine living every day angry, like some people seem to do. I don't think I could get enough sleep.
It feels good to move beyond anger and return to joy. That's where I really want to camp out. The joy of the Lord is our strength, said Nehemiah. No wonder I was so tired.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Amazing Help
We have been putting the not-quite-final touches on Connection Point this week. We are very excited about having our first worship celebration there this Sunday. Everyone has shown up to help with the process.
Last Sunday it was amazing to watch as we took down and packed up all our stuff from the Longhouse. I don't think anyone left without helping in some way. Even without anyone calling the shots, every piece of furniture and every piece of hardware was quickly loaded on trucks and trailers. Then the building got clean. I'm not even sure who did it. It happened so fast, probably while I was in the crawl space untangling cables.
The same crew came to Connection Point, not just to deliver, but to work. We got the construction dust thoroughly removed, installed some ceiling tiles and began to organize our stuff in our new space.
This week I have seen lots of people at CP, doing whatever needs to be done. It is amazing help, and I really believe it is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
It will be exciting to celebrate the Resurrection this Sunday!
Last Sunday it was amazing to watch as we took down and packed up all our stuff from the Longhouse. I don't think anyone left without helping in some way. Even without anyone calling the shots, every piece of furniture and every piece of hardware was quickly loaded on trucks and trailers. Then the building got clean. I'm not even sure who did it. It happened so fast, probably while I was in the crawl space untangling cables.
The same crew came to Connection Point, not just to deliver, but to work. We got the construction dust thoroughly removed, installed some ceiling tiles and began to organize our stuff in our new space.
This week I have seen lots of people at CP, doing whatever needs to be done. It is amazing help, and I really believe it is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
It will be exciting to celebrate the Resurrection this Sunday!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Maybe Marx was right
Karl Marx said that capitalism is a step along the way to socialism. This is a very uncomfortable thought to me, I must confess. To gain some perspective, it helps to look at a little history.
In the late 1700s, there was a lot of dialogue about what makes a good government. John Locke (1638-1715) and French enlightenment philosopher Montesquieu (1689-1755) advocated the separation of powers in government. Our constitutional form of government was forged during this era of philosophical/political thought. Government should be limited, they believed, and this is clearly expressed in the the Tenth Amendment of our Constitution: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited to it by the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." In other words, the powers given by the Constitution are the only powers the federal government can have. This provides for most laws to be determined by individual states.
Thus our Founders put together a system of government, based on the prevailing wisdom of the day, and began the great experiment in government known as the United States of America. It was based on the belief that liberty is a gift from the Creator and not to be taken away by any government. With that freedom comes the right to free enterprise, or freedom to carry on commerce with limited interference. We also know this system as capitalism. The wisdom of this experiment can be seen with over 200 years of freedom and unprecedented prosperity.
But there is a problem with capitalism. The owners of the means of production can become selfish. They can begin to seek only profit, while taking advantage of the workers. Think of history's sweatshops and factories relying on child labor. Marx (1818-1883) said that these conditions are a necessary by-product of capitalism, and that the workers will eventually push for a more "fair" distribution of profits and ownership. This has happened in Eastern Europe through bloody revolutions, and has happened in Western Europe through democratic reforms leading to socialism. Most of Europe is now socialist.
But things have not (yet) gone that way in the U.S.
Scottish moral philosopher Adam Smith (1723-1790) in his book called The Wealth of Nations, describes the process of free enterprise as a self-regulating system. The marketplace rewards innovation and quality, while punishing poor systems and low quality. The marketplace takes care of this as people buy good products and services and don't buy the bad stuff. Good businesses prosper, bad businesses go broke.
For this system to work, however, Smith notes that the culture must have a moral foundation. Entrepreneurs must be motivated by more than pure financial profit. They must also seek to benefit society through their businesses: they provide valuable goods and services, they provide jobs for their employees, and they also feed their own families (that is, they earn a profit).
The U.S. was begun with a uniquely moral foundation, based upon the Christian beliefs of many who settled here from Europe. Historically, our nation has experienced numerous "awakenings," in which great numbers of people have surrendered to Christ. This moral foundation has served as a check against raw capitalism. It was the moral outcry that shut down the sweatshops and led to laws against child labor, for example.
So the United States experienced favorable conditions for prosperity: freedom and morality. The freedom was granted by the Founders who created a form of government and trade based on liberty. The morality was the inheritance of the early settlers who sought freedom of religion. Of course neither our commerce nor our morality has been perfect. There have been many failures in both areas. But the free market, based upon morality, has arguably produced the greatest nation in world history.
But when the Church fails to share the gospel, problems develop. Capitalists forget that there is a higher value than profit. The poor become neglected as the church lets government feed the needy. The social unrest creates the conditions that Marx describes. The masses come to prefer the security of a strong government to the freedoms which made our country great.
So, where will we go from here? If we rely on the prevailing philosophical/political thoughts of today, then we will clearly head toward socialism. That's where Europe has gone. I do not believe that the European Union can begin to match the greatness of our country. Marx seems to have ignored the corruption that comes with power. The Soviet Union collapsed, in part, because of the corruption of its leaders. Notably, one other contributing factor in the fall of the U.S.S.R. was the rise of the Church behind the Iron Curtain.
We can return to the political structures of our Constitution, but the freedoms granted there will only go so far without a rise in our national sense of morality. That's a job for the Spirit of God to be carried out through his people, the Church. Jesus changes hearts and lives. We need another awakening.
In the late 1700s, there was a lot of dialogue about what makes a good government. John Locke (1638-1715) and French enlightenment philosopher Montesquieu (1689-1755) advocated the separation of powers in government. Our constitutional form of government was forged during this era of philosophical/political thought. Government should be limited, they believed, and this is clearly expressed in the the Tenth Amendment of our Constitution: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited to it by the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." In other words, the powers given by the Constitution are the only powers the federal government can have. This provides for most laws to be determined by individual states.
Thus our Founders put together a system of government, based on the prevailing wisdom of the day, and began the great experiment in government known as the United States of America. It was based on the belief that liberty is a gift from the Creator and not to be taken away by any government. With that freedom comes the right to free enterprise, or freedom to carry on commerce with limited interference. We also know this system as capitalism. The wisdom of this experiment can be seen with over 200 years of freedom and unprecedented prosperity.
But there is a problem with capitalism. The owners of the means of production can become selfish. They can begin to seek only profit, while taking advantage of the workers. Think of history's sweatshops and factories relying on child labor. Marx (1818-1883) said that these conditions are a necessary by-product of capitalism, and that the workers will eventually push for a more "fair" distribution of profits and ownership. This has happened in Eastern Europe through bloody revolutions, and has happened in Western Europe through democratic reforms leading to socialism. Most of Europe is now socialist.
But things have not (yet) gone that way in the U.S.
Scottish moral philosopher Adam Smith (1723-1790) in his book called The Wealth of Nations, describes the process of free enterprise as a self-regulating system. The marketplace rewards innovation and quality, while punishing poor systems and low quality. The marketplace takes care of this as people buy good products and services and don't buy the bad stuff. Good businesses prosper, bad businesses go broke.
For this system to work, however, Smith notes that the culture must have a moral foundation. Entrepreneurs must be motivated by more than pure financial profit. They must also seek to benefit society through their businesses: they provide valuable goods and services, they provide jobs for their employees, and they also feed their own families (that is, they earn a profit).
The U.S. was begun with a uniquely moral foundation, based upon the Christian beliefs of many who settled here from Europe. Historically, our nation has experienced numerous "awakenings," in which great numbers of people have surrendered to Christ. This moral foundation has served as a check against raw capitalism. It was the moral outcry that shut down the sweatshops and led to laws against child labor, for example.
So the United States experienced favorable conditions for prosperity: freedom and morality. The freedom was granted by the Founders who created a form of government and trade based on liberty. The morality was the inheritance of the early settlers who sought freedom of religion. Of course neither our commerce nor our morality has been perfect. There have been many failures in both areas. But the free market, based upon morality, has arguably produced the greatest nation in world history.
But when the Church fails to share the gospel, problems develop. Capitalists forget that there is a higher value than profit. The poor become neglected as the church lets government feed the needy. The social unrest creates the conditions that Marx describes. The masses come to prefer the security of a strong government to the freedoms which made our country great.
So, where will we go from here? If we rely on the prevailing philosophical/political thoughts of today, then we will clearly head toward socialism. That's where Europe has gone. I do not believe that the European Union can begin to match the greatness of our country. Marx seems to have ignored the corruption that comes with power. The Soviet Union collapsed, in part, because of the corruption of its leaders. Notably, one other contributing factor in the fall of the U.S.S.R. was the rise of the Church behind the Iron Curtain.
We can return to the political structures of our Constitution, but the freedoms granted there will only go so far without a rise in our national sense of morality. That's a job for the Spirit of God to be carried out through his people, the Church. Jesus changes hearts and lives. We need another awakening.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Get 'er done, on taxes
I've got less than a month to get my taxes done, so I'm finally buckling down to do it. Every year I promise myself that I will do the taxes in Feb. Then something comes up. So I promise that I'll do them by March 15, still way early. I missed that again this year, so I'm setting my sights on getting them done before April 1.
It might actually happen. I sat myself down tonight and began plowing through it. Got a good start on it all, and it's not as bad as I thought it might be.
Speaking of procrastination, there is still something I need to blog about -- David Allen in Getting Things Done explains why only smart people procrastinate. One of these days I'll write about it.
It might actually happen. I sat myself down tonight and began plowing through it. Got a good start on it all, and it's not as bad as I thought it might be.
Speaking of procrastination, there is still something I need to blog about -- David Allen in Getting Things Done explains why only smart people procrastinate. One of these days I'll write about it.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Winding Down and Gearing Up
Moving is never easy, and it always helps to have a plan. We are coming along with the construction of Connection Point, and we'll begin taking things out of the Longhouse this week. There will be a wedding at the LH this weekend, so we have to get our band equipment out anyway.
The video projector and its cables need to come off the LH ceiling and out from under the building. We will be winding up the various cables and storing them until we are ready to install them in Connection Point.
It looks like we will have a couple of Sundays without our sound system and without video projection. Then we should be ready on April 4 for our Easter service at Connection Point. I hope we can have a rough schedule of the process in the bulletin this Sunday.
Thanks to all the people who helped us clean and dream at CP yesterday. The youth group and several parents came and cleaned up. Meanwhile others were imagining how we will work the staging, sound and video set up.
We are winding down at the Longhouse and gearing up for a new era of ministry at Connection Point. Thank you, Jesus, for making it happen!
The video projector and its cables need to come off the LH ceiling and out from under the building. We will be winding up the various cables and storing them until we are ready to install them in Connection Point.
It looks like we will have a couple of Sundays without our sound system and without video projection. Then we should be ready on April 4 for our Easter service at Connection Point. I hope we can have a rough schedule of the process in the bulletin this Sunday.
Thanks to all the people who helped us clean and dream at CP yesterday. The youth group and several parents came and cleaned up. Meanwhile others were imagining how we will work the staging, sound and video set up.
We are winding down at the Longhouse and gearing up for a new era of ministry at Connection Point. Thank you, Jesus, for making it happen!
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