Well, yeah, it's trite, but true. Some don't like that statement because it may seem to discount what children bring to the table NOW. But the truth of this statement for the future was brought home to me again visiting churches on Sabbatical.
While we visited several different kinds of churches over the summer, the Churches of Christ we visited uniformly were filled with adults over 50 and few children. One church had 60 people in the auditorium, but only 1 child. That is a dying church.
The heart of the church seemed good. The worship seemed genuine. But that is a dying church.
I could theorize as to reasons, but my real purpose is to remind us all that ministry to children and a church culture that welcomes, expects and values children is vital. Facilities and programs that are specifically geared to children are essential.
In many ways the character or personality of the Campbell church revolves around children's ministry - that is doubly true when Campbell Christian School is added into the mix. While every church has areas of strength and weakness and no church can do all areas of ministry excellently, my summer experiences were a reminder to me that having such a focus on ministry to children and an atmosphere that welcomes and pays attention to children is wonderful. Not only that, it is -- again a cliche - an investment in the future.
My wife was talking to one family who was traveling and visited a church with their young child. When they sat down in the sanctuary, someone came to them and said "Let me show you where your child goes." But when they got to the place for children it was "full" and the leader said they did not have room. So the couple returned with their child to the sanctuary, where they were told directly that children were not allowed. Guess what? They got up and left never to return. Hope the adults upstairs enjoyed the peace and quiet because it is going to get even quieter over the upcoming years! -- as quiet as a cemetery.
A new book to read. What an adventure. As sabbatical was rolling around I had several books I wanted to read specifically for ministry and sermons. But I also relished picking one new book to read for purely personal interests (which, in fact, I have ended up quoting in sermons.) So I choose this delicacy carefully: a 600+ page book titled The Victorians by A.N. Wilson.When I got the book I carefully opened and broke it in. I smelled the ink and paper. I read the front and back covers. Then the Preface. I looked at the illustrations as a precursor to people I would meet and places I would go.A book can take you anywhere. It can open up entire worlds. It can change your perspective and your understanding. It can clarify things you wondered about or about which you had only heard a mention. In a book you can find out about yourself. Through the lives of people or the description of characters you may see yourself - for good or ill. In a book of history, you discover more about the world context in which you have grown up and by which you have been shaped.The Victorians detailed the world of 19th century England covering the reign of Queen Victoria. That history shaped the whole world - the western world in particular. To see connections and context for previously isolated data, names, events and places is exciting. Aha moments abound.
One must take time to savor and digest a book that, in effect, summarizes a life-time of study by the author and covers a century of human affairs. All big meals should be eaten slowly!
I know the writer of Ecclesiastes bemoans that of the making of many books there is no end. It can be very wearisome. But thank God for good and great books. The sabbatical experiences of reading and taking courses helped me decide to be more discerning. Why not read only great books?
People sometimes give me a book. Publishers at a conference will give away books. But why not be picky and choose great books. For some time I have had the practice of starting some books and never finishing them. If a book is not compelling, why finish? Move on to something better.
A great book can motivate, educate, refine, clarify and even change your life in small and possibly large ways. Savor a book. And don't overlook THE BOOK. (see my Reading Romans post).
In last Sunday's sermon I suggested that sometimes having our lives grounded in God dictates specific life choices such as the people who traveled to the Wind River Indian Reservation to work with the small church there for two weeks. But most of the time it means that we do the same things that most people do, only with a different purpose and attitude - a larger picture in mind.That was exemplified by the laminated card I found on the table in my hotel room in South Dakota. Some asked for the wording so here it is...
(By the way, be aware that all pictures on the blog can be enlarged by clicking on them.)
TRUTH AND SUBJECTIVITY One of the classes I took at Regent College was on the life, thought and writings of Soren Kierkegaard taught by a professor from Baylor University. In response to the rationalism of his day, K. stressed the importance of subjectively knowing truth. One way to state the concept is that truth is subjectivity, but subjectivity is not truth.First the negative. K. has been misread by existentialist philosophers who interpret him looking back through the lens of Camus and Sartre and other 20th century atheist existentialists. They realized that the "death" of God meant there is no objective, absolute truth so one must simply choose or decide what will be true for oneself. Make a choice. But the choice has no objective basis. Truth is subjective. It is only my truth.
K. predicted this development and negates it in his principle that subjectivity is not truth.
But on the positive side of the equation his goal was to get a rationalistic, Enlightenment, scientific world and a Constantinian (state church) Christianity to see that truth must be subjectively integrated into one's own life experience in order to be worth anything at all or to have any real validity.
What good is "out there" absolute, objective truth if it is not integrated into my own life? So what if the propositional statements "Losing weight is good for your health" and "God is love" are true? They have no meaning, no weight, no impact until I integrate them into my own life in experience. Or, to use a big word, until they become existentially true.
All practical truth is subjective truth - subjectively integrated into my experience. Propositional truth does matter (see my last post) but only as a foundation for subjective truth. What counts is making it my truth. That is when one will finally lose weight or find God. After all, this is really what we mean when we say that the real point of the gospel is to come into relationship with God or to have Jesus as your personal savior.
The task for the church is to bring people to a subjective appropriation of biblical truth into their everyday lives. Then the world will see the truth - truth that has once again become incarnate.
WEIGHT LOSS AND FAITHOver the years of marriage and middle age, a common thing happened: I gained weight. Slowly, gradually, consistently. For well over 20 years I should have done something about it. On sabbatical I did. As of this writing, I am down 18 pounds. As I thought about the whole process, it seems that there are some parallels with people's faith journeys.The change to lose weight was a somewhat mysterious transformation. A type of conversion. It was not a matter of knowledge although knowledge was a foundation. I have known the facts for a long time. And it does matter to know that truth about being overweight. It is important to know the truth about weight and health. But knowledge alone doesn't do the job.There was also a person who loves me who encouraged and even pressed me to lose weight. That, too, mattered. But it wasn't enough.I had even lost some weight at one point - out of sheer will power and determination to "do the right thing." But that was insufficient. The truth is that 95% of the time people who lose weight gain it back. Forced, pressured, even willed action (against one's real will) doesn't work. It takes a change of heart, mind and lifestyle.People have asked "What diet are you on?" The answer: none. I simply started exercising, being deliberate about portion sizes, and reading labels to decide what is worth the calories. And the amazing thing is that I am getting up in the morning to do a mile and a half on the treadmill. Now that is nearly miraculous. I even look forward to it! Sometimes when I go to bed I look forward to the morning workout. (The truth is, I don't always feel the same way when the alarm goes off.) Now the strange part of this is that I can't exactly tell you why I made this change. I didn't learn anything new. Kathy didn't step up her encouragement. I didn't have a heart attack. The one thing that happened was a sabbatical opportunity to change life habits. That certainly helped.So I thought about the faith journey and conversion. For many people, coming to God is a lengthy journey that is fed by knowledge but knowledge doesn't = conversion. Of course it is important to know something of the truth. But that alone doesn't guarantee commitment. And the encouragement or even a little pressure from loved ones can play a part, but of course, a "forced" response doesn't really make a Christian. Just like the 95% who revert to their former weight, most will revert to their former life.Sometimes a life event like a heart attack, birth of a child, etc. plays a role. I suppose it is parallel to my sabbatical opportunity. It is a time of changing life habits, sometimes a "wake-up" call that builds on those other factors (like knowledge and encouragement) and leads one to make a change. But the conversion to faith is a mystery. It can't be programmed. It can't be forced. There is not a formula that produces the desired result.It is a matter of an individual reaching a point where there is a change of heart, mind, will and, ultimately, lifestyle. In the matter of faith (and maybe with weight loss) there is the indefinable factor of the working of God in circumstances and lives and hearts. And when genuine conversion happens it is beautiful. And values change. (Spiritual) junk food becomes undesirable while (spiritual) workouts become attractive!So to those who care about another person coming to faith: help them see truth and encourage them, but ultimately we all have to realize it is between the individual and God. We can't predict or determine what will make the difference. We pray for that change of heart, mind, will and life.
(A p.s. to the Pathways sermon August 10)
The Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing was perhaps the grandest spectacle ever televised. And for our family there was a special connection. Li Ning capped the evening with his "run" around the upper stadium scrim and the lighting of the cauldron.
When China rejoined the modern Olympic movement in LA in 1984 Li Ning became the hero with his 6 medals in gymnastics. He then parlayed that into a sports empire unprecedented in China - becoming the Chinese version of Nike and Adidas.
He also opened a single training gym outside China - in Los Angeles, where the games had been held, and only 20 minutes from our house. Our daughter Grace became one of the youngsters to be trained at Li Ning's gym. Her hands-on coaches were Li Ning's fiancee, Chen Yongyan a medalist as well, and anoth
er Chinese national team member. (At the Grand Opening Cirque du Soleil stars performed for the gymnasts and their families.)
Grace trained 29 hours a week after school and on Saturday. We would bring her dinner in a styrofoam take-out container at 9:00 p.m. and she would eat in the the car on the way home to go to bed.
As part of the gymnasts-in-training Grace was invited to Li Ning's wedding and to go to China to train. But mom and dad said "No." We weren't ready to send our third grader to China to train in their system. Some pathways in life require too high a price to pay.
In an earlier posting I shared the Campbell church policy of sabbaticals and the blessing and benefits of this policy. My last posting shared the personal spiritual renewal found in an extended, unrushed reading of the Word. Over the next few postings I will share reflections from the sabbatical and vacation time which were combined for an extended absence from "normal" life.
Used Mustang For Sale: Just kidding, but we did put over 10,000 miles on it - mostly on the vacation portion driving to my wife's home area in Ontario, Canada and back to Vancouver for sabbatical course work - with explorations along the way.
Sunday I will use the Oregon Trail as a sermon illustration. But another thought struck me as I stood at South Pass, Wyoming looking at the remnants of the trail still visible in the arid landscape. I thought of the vast differences in our experiences "on the road." First of all, we had a road.
On good days they covered 20 miles. Eating dust. In 100+ heat. In rain, soaked to the bone. Jostling over every inch. Crossing water at risk to life and property. 
Going without water. Drinking dirty water. Dealing with attacks of bugs, snakes and Indians. Wagons breaking down - the dry heat of the desert shrunk the wood in the wheels separating it from the iron rims. Sickness with no rest or adequate treatment. Giving birth on the trail. Burying loved ones. Running low on food. Worried about making trail's end before winter. And on it went...
The way we crossed the landscape would have seemed science fiction to them. Covering their daily distance in 20 minutes. Smooth road. Air Conditioned. Stereo music. Cruise control - lest my poor leg get tired of holding the gas pedal down! Bottled water. Snacks which I tried NOT to eat. No wind. Not getting soaked in rain. Nobody died. Bridges over water. GPS - so I could know exactly where we were and where to go and how far. (Can you begin to imagine trying to explain to them getting your maps on an electronic screen from a satellite!) And on it goes...
Much of Christian proclamation and exhortation sounds needed warnings against scientific materialism as the ultimate basis for life. But it might almost sound as if we are against modern progress. Yes, there are problems and temptations - and science does not answer the real questions of life. But I am very grateful for all the modern discoveries and conveniences and the blessings to material and physical life. For as a Christian I am also a material and physical person as a child of God. And the "good old" days weren't so good.So I honor and admire the pioneers. And wouldn't trade places with them for a moment.
I have just read Romans chapters 1-8 in a way that was powerful and meaningful and spiritually significant. The secret? I had no other agenda.
Because I am on sabbatical I had the time to read in a way that was totally focused and personal. (I do have tasks to accomplish on sabbatical, but I am not on a schedule.) I sat down to read without thinking about a sermon or class application. Rather it was Paul talking and me listening - for myself. The apostle was explaining the gospel good news to me.
I wasn't trying to figure out difficult statements but simply heard them in the larger context of the letter. It flowed. I got the point.
Not only was I not reading thinking of a sermon or class, but I was not under a time constraint. That is very important. I had time to simply read Paul's words.
I was encouraged, touched, strengthened. I heard it personally. It was as if someone was explaining something to me and I simply followed his train of thought.
Try it. Read Romans 1-8 in one "timeless" sitting. For most people that will not be an easy thing to do. When can you find the house empty, no pressing tasks for an hour or so, and peace of mind?
I think I see for the first time how "busy-ness" is spiritually deadening and one of Satan's greatest weapons to undermine and prevent spiritual growth. Life-changing growth cannot be squeezed in on a morning "to-do" list. No wonder God initiated the Sabbath! Maybe he knew what he was doing!
Unfortunately modern Christianity has completely lost the Sabbath concept. First came the teaching that since the Sabbath was in the OT and not specifically "commanded" in the NT, it didn't apply or matter. Even so, in earlier days in small farming communities, Sunday was a day of church, rest, reading and fellowship. After church, people shared a large Sunday meal and relaxed around the table and then in the living room or on the front porch. (I have vague memories of such from my childhood.) But today, either church stuff goes on during the day or (for those not in a ministry meeting) they simply "do church" and then have the rest of the day to watch sports, shop, recreate, or get ready for the work week. But is the time really one of spiritual renewal?
For those who are retired may I encourage you to read the Bible in this leisurely, personal way. You have been gifted with the opportunity. I remember Joe McKissick being with us years ago and speaking about his ministry to senior saints. One of his challenging comments was that many lose a viable faith in the latter years. Surely one antidote is to have a modern, contemporary translation and let God talk to you for an hour a day!
For all of us - somehow find that relaxed time to let God's Word massage your spirit. It will make all the difference.
It is a beautiful cool spring day at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Trees are blooming and clouds hug the snow-capped mountains.I am taking a course at Regent College across the street from UBC while staying in a UBC dorm. The course is absolutely great. Regent College is or has been home to J.I. Packer, Gordon Fee and Eugene Peterson among others. Darrell Johnson is teaching my class. He is a pastor/professor who brings the heart of preaching to a scholarly understanding of the text. I have already changed my mind about a sermon series for fall or spring. Of course, this is only the first week of sabbatical, so we'll see what still happens. It is truly amazing to see topics, themes or passages in a whole new light. That, of course, is one of the things that makes real Bible study so interesting as well as life-impacting. I only hope I can do justice to passing some of this along to the whole congregation.The eclectic make-up of the class is most interesting - a little bit of everyone from all over the world. Three professors also hosted a round table discussion of the American presidential primaries and issues. Quite interesting.It was an 18 hour drive to get here, but I haven't been in the car since Sunday night. We'll see if the trip home seems longer. Crossing the border since 9/11 is a real pain. Sunday evening was a one hour wait. But the scenery from Northern California to Vancouver is glorious.
In the sermon on the Mount Jesus gives core truth about Christian living in the world. One of his best known principles is that his people are to be as salt and light in the world. The world is to notice how we live, and how we live both draws them to Jesus and validates his mission. It is such a well-known principle that we can forget how important our salt and light is and how potent it should be. Moreover, when we believe the delusion that we live in a Christian culture, we don't feel the imperative to live differently. It is easy to slide into a belief that if we look pretty much like the rest of the world, nothing is really wrong. We forget the powerful call and impact of being salt and light.Two recent articles served to remind me of this most important core truth and that it really does make a difference. Both cases are from other cultures where Christianity does not have an easy way.Chuck Colson reports that many Muslims are turning to Christ. A professor of Islamic studies wanted to find out why. His research determined that the number one reason for conversions was the lifestyle of the Christians in their midst. A couple quotes: "There was no gap between the moral profession and the practice of Christians" they knew. "Christians treat women as equals" and "adopted a simple lifestyle."The second article reports from China (Christianity Today, May 2008) that in spite of government roadblocks, people are very open to Christianity. When answering the question as to why, an interviewee responded "Many Chinese people think Christians are trustworthy. If they want to hire an employee or they want to have a babysitter at home, they prefer to invite a Christian. Christians have good reputations. During many disasters in China, churches were involved in relief work to poor areas, and even the government was encouraged. Churches are having an influence by being examples of moral behavior." (p.31)This is still the best way to "do evangelism" and spread the kingdom of God. It is our individual integrity as a Christian that is the biggest opportunity or, conversely, roadblock to drawing people to Christ. You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
