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| My mom and I are in Branson for a few days before I leave for Kazakhstan. We've been enjoying doing virtually nothing (which is pretty far removed from the pack-everything-we-can-into-this-trip-until-we're-utterly-exhausted vacations of my childhood). However, tonight we went to see The Presley's, a country-comedy show. I actually really enjoyed it, despite my... antipathy for country music. It's like it was designed for someone with ADD, and so anything that I didn't care for didn't linger on for more than two minutes max. It was really funny and the musicianship was incredibly impressive.
However, as can be expected in Branson, MO, the religious messages got a little... confusing. There were several Christian Southern Gospel songs, like "I'll Fly Away." Then, at the end, one of the Presley's recited the lyrics to a Johnny Cash song, called "Ragged Old Flag." Here's one of the stanzas:
"So we raise her up every morning
And we bring her down slow every night,
We don't let her touch the ground,
And we fold her up right.
On second thought
I *do* like to brag
Cause I'm mighty proud of
That Ragged Old Flag"
That was followed by the entire family singing "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," a decidedly Christian song. (With lyrics like, "In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea / With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me," how can it not be?) However, it also combines these lyrics with decidedly patriotic and military-centric lyrics, like, "As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free." The intersection of Christianity and American patriotism is actually a pretty frequent occurrence. If you don't believe me, go to nearly any evangelical church on the Fourth of July weekend. You'll likely hear "America the Beautiful" and "God Bless America." You'll see an American flag prominently displayed on the stage. You'll hear a sermon that probably speaks about America's role in scripture, or about how America needs to return to its "Christian" roots.
These sorts of things always make me really uncomfortable. I can't help but see lyrics like, "And we bring her down slow every night, / We don't let her touch the ground, / And we fold her up right" as religious in nature. With such great reverence paid to a symbol representing something we're called to lay down our lives for ("let us die to make men free"), I can't help but think that it competes with our call to lay down our lives solely for the cross of Christ. I don't know the proper ways I should respond to things like the pledge of allegiance, patriotic songs, and, more than anything, to veterans. I appreciate the level of commitment it takes to be willing to die for something, and I also do love many things about America, but I can't help but think that many of them place the cause of America before the cause of Christ. What should be the proper response of those who love Jesus to patriotic nationalism?
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| 10. Year One (Release: June 19) http://tr.im/kZfR This could go either way for me, but I've come to trust that Judd Apatow can make a great comedy that will conflict me with how dirty it is at times, but will draw me back in with its sweet moral center. 9. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (Release: August 7) http://tr.im/kZes I never cared for the show (TMNT all the way), but I need to round out my '80s nostalgia summer. 8. Inglourious Basterds (Release: August 21) http://tr.im/kZfJ A Quentin Tarantino movie about freakin' Nazis! With Brad Pitt channeling his character from Burn After Reading, it seems. 7. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Release: June 24) http://tr.im/kZeJ This should be an exciting movie filled with lots of blowing up. See Terminator for my opinion of which will be the better robot movie. 6. Star Trek (Release: May 8) http://tr.im/kZfd After seeing it, this should have been much higher on my list. It was Ah-Mazing. This will probably be my favorite movie of the summer. 5. Public Enemies (Release: July 1) http://tr.im/kZei Johnny Depp as John Dillinger? With Christian Bale supporting? Yes, I'm there. 4. Up (Release: May 29) http://tr.im/kZfx Pixar can do no wrong. 3.Terminator Salvation (Release: May 21) http://tr.im/kZey I could be disappointed by this, but I anticipate this being the better robot movie of the summer. Robocaplyptic future + Christian Bale - Michael Bay = great movie. 2. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Release: May 1) http://tr.im/kZeX After seeing it, this should have been a few spots lower. It was decent, but had too little Dead Pool, and wasn't as good as any of last summer's super hero movies. 1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Release: July 17) http://tr.im/kZeR I love Harry Potter, and while I've never re-read any of the books, I eagerly anticipate each new movie. | | |
| Alright, so here's the deal. As many of you know, I'm going to Madrid in May for about two weeks to work with a missions organization called International Media Ministries (IMM). I'll be helping with and being trained in the use of various media (film, writing, internet--possibly others) to reach people with the Gospel. Additionally, as many of you know, since my freshman year I've felt God's call on my life to spend at least a year after college doing foreign mission work. I've already been out of school for almost a year at this point, and I feel that if I don't do it now, it might not happen. So, I've been pondering my options, and I'm currently in a stalemate between two: spending a year in Madrid with IMM or spending a year in Kazakhstan helping to set up a Chi Alpha (XA) at a local university. I've been allowing the two to bounce around in my head awhile, and I've been praying about it with, as yet, no audible direction.  The benefits of IMM: - I would be using my degree
- I could use it on my resume when I get back
- I would be reaching a lot of people through media with the Gospel
- I would be living in freaking MADRID, SPAIN
- I would get to practice Spanish, since I've taken around 5 years of it and still am completely incapable of having a complete conversation
- They actually need a PR/Marketing person right now (which, technically, is different than my specialty, but... close enough)
- There's no definite time when I would NEED to go, so I'd have as much time as I needed to raise my support
The benefits of Kazakhstan: - I would be helping with college students at a University--something I know and love
- I would be working with the director of student missions, an amazing guy who would be able to really disciple me
- I would have direct, face-to-face interactions with people, rather than reaching them through a camera
- It's a predominantly Muslim country (especially among Kazakhs--many Russians are Russian Orthodox, although frequently it has little to no impact on their lives), which I've felt God place on my heart
Honestly, it seems like it's no contest that I should go to Madrid. But lately I've felt like Kazakhstan is where I should go. However, I found out that their trip lives in mid-to-late August, much sooner than I'd anticipated leaving. You see, to go on either of these trips, I need to raise a monthly budget based on generous donations by friends, family, and local congregations. In the economy of fear we currently live in, that's especially difficult, so I was anticipating starting to raise my support in June and attempting to have it all raised by December. Obviously, though, if I'm really supposed to go to Kazakhstan, I need to have it all raised by late July/early August. I had planned to decide which trip I was going to go on after I'd come back from Madrid at the end of May, but I can't do that now. So, to help me decide, I'd greatly appreciate it if any of you--my friends, family and community--would send me a private message letting me know if you think you'd be willing to support me on a monthly basis for 10-12 months--and, if you're able, an estimate of how much you think you could give. I understand that that's a big commitment for anyone, but please pray about it. I need to decide soon what I'm going to do and this will help give me an idea of my trip to Kazakhstan would even be viable. Thank you so much! | | |
| I'm reading through the book of John for Sunday School (I should have already finished it, to be honest), and I came across an interesting passage in John 11, verses 49-52: But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish." Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. (NASB)
On first read, I thought, A) Caiaphas is kind of a tool because he called his peers idiots, and then preceded to basically agree with them that Jesus is bad news for the Jewish political establishment, and B) that he seems to prophesy about Jesus' substitutionary atonement. As I read some of the commentaries at Lemstone, though, I got the general impression that the popular interpretation of this passage is that Caiaphas was saying that it would be better for the Jewish nation for Jesus to die rather than incite a rebellion that the Romans would inevitably squelch. The Romans would then, most likely, persecute or even expel the Jews. Caiaphas and, let's be honest, most of us would have a similar utilitarian view. But John sees in Caiaphas words a deeper meaning--that in fact the high priest was prophesying about the death of Christ that would be capable of even bringing the Gentiles into relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. However, John also tells us that Caiaphas did not do this "on his own initiative." How do we interpret this? Was Caiaphas even aware that he was prophesying? Was he aware that he was prophesying, but unaware of the actual meaning? Was he under the impression that he was prophesying the complete meaning, but God withheld from (or deceived?) him the true meaning? How might this sort of prophecy function under the free will that God has granted us? | | |
| Just yesterday in church service I remember thinking, "Oh, come on, parents! Take your kids to children's church, so the pastor doesn't have to compete with wailing during his sermon!" Then today Stanley Hauerwas punched me in the face with this: In many of our modern, sophisticated congregations, children are often viewed as distractions. We tolerate children only the extent they become "adults" like us. Adult members sometimes complain that they cannot pay attention to the sermon, they cannot listen to the beautiful music, when fidgety children are beside them in the pews. "Send them away," many adults say. Create "Children's Church" so these distracting children can be removed in order that we adults can pay attention. Interestingly, Jesus put a child in the center of his disciples,"in the midst of them," in order to help them pay attention. The child, in Jesus' mind, was not an annoying distraction. The child was a last-ditch effort by God to help the disciples pay attention to the odd nature of God's kingdom. (Resident Aliens, 96)
Of course, I'll bet that children probably enjoy children's church better than the "boring" (sometimes) adult service. But that's usually not our true intention for putting them down there. Especially at Parkade where we've frequently emphasized a desire to be an inter-generational congregation, our call to "Send away the little children" seems to stand in unfortunate opposition to our King.
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