Black & White vs. Messy & Gray

I’m having lunch today with a hometown acquaintance to talk about the Robert Glen Coe case; he is writing about it. Robert Glen Coe was the first person in Tennessee to be executed in 40-some years back in April of 2000. It was very early in the morning of April 19th, as a matter of fact. I was there.

The case touched me in many ways. I was a freshman in high school when he kidnapped, raped, and murdered a little girl, Carrie Ann Medlin, who lived in the same county as I did. I heard about it at school, came home mad, and for the first time in my life used profanity in front of my mother: “They ought to find a tree and hang the [S.O.B.]” Instead of scolding me, she simply replied, “Is that the response of a Christian?” Ouch.

My opportunity for redemption came over 20 years later, when I served as pastor for the family of Robert Glen Coe during his many stays of execution and, finally, on that foggy cool morning when his life was ended. I’ve been with a lot of families when they have lost a loved one… but I’ve never been with a family while they sat and waited for their loved one to be intentionally put to death. It was, in a word, horrific. This wasn’t covered in pastoral care classes in seminary. It was a long ride home back with his two sisters that morning.

Don’t mishear me – murder is wrong. When I was on the county rescue squad later in life, I saw the murder scene pictures. They were awful. I know of no crime more horrific than what Coe was convicted of. But when asked about the death penalty, Jesus was fairly clear about what he thought about the matter. And God makes it clear that vengeance is His, not ours.

A lot of Christians are of the opinion that abortion is wrong; it’s a premeditated murder. I find myself agreeing with that. It is interesting to note that on Robert Glen Coe’s death certificate, the cause of death is “Homicide.” In short – capital punishment is a premeditated murder. I’m not sure Christians have any business being in the premeditated murder business.

There is no doubt that both of these issues are emotionally charged. If it had been my daughter who had been murdered, would I want revenge? Quite possibly. And if my wife’s life were possibly in danger because of the child she was carrying, would I want abortion to be a consideration? I imagine so. It may be that when our faith is thwarted by our passion, that’s when we need God and the Church the most to keep us honest.

These issues certainly fall into the messy and "gray." However, God can handle the messy and gray. More importantly, Jesus gives us the model to be with those who are in the midst of the messy and gray: that’s when people need us – and Jesus – the most.

Pax,
Sky+

Election Day

Today is an election day - primaries are held today. Since Kentucky has closed primaries and I am a registered independent, there isn't much for me to do today. Being raised in Tennessee, I've never been able to understand the concept of a "closed" primary, but there you are. When in Rome...

Actually, it's a bit of a relief. I love my country, but I hate the political process - it puts us at our worst. Days like today force me to be intentional about spiritual disciplines so I don't end up cynical and grumpy.

Speaking of Rome... perhaps the best advice on handling days like today comes from Jesus: "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, but render to God the things that are God's." That reminds me that I am a member of the Kingdom first, and an American second.

God is in control. Thanks be to God.

Pax,
Sky+

Bearing Fruit for the Great I AM

"No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing... You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last." - John 15.4-5, 16

As I shared in the sermon this morning, an acquaintance of mine used to own a winery. Ever since he gave me that first tour, I've always been intrigued by wineries, breweries, and distilleries – all of the labor, all of the planning, and all of the dependence on God's work in doing what only comes in God's time. You can't rush it, you can’t hurry it along - if you do, you ruin years of work.

I recently learned that in winemaking and grape growing, a young vine is not permitted to bear fruit for the first three years. At the end of each year, it is pruned back to preserve its strength. If there are branches that don't bear fruit, they are pruned so that the rest of the vine gets more nourishment. I’m told that without such pruning you get fruit that is subpar -– fruit that doesn't last.

I wonder if this is what is happening in the "church growth” movement. Are we trying to get a lot of numbers in our pews and statistical books, but ending up with subpar fruit? It is interesting to me that in the Early Church, prospective members underwent a 3-year catechism - the same amount of time involved in preparing a young vine for fruit. Hmmm.

Judean people in biblical times knew that winemaking was their cash crop, and did not take it lightly. Perhaps we need to put a whole lot more into making quality disciples who bear good fruit, instead of doing whatever gimmick is out there to get a bunch of fruit that isn't fit for anything except admiration on the vine.

It may be that spending time making disciples with fruit that will last will ultimately bear us more in numbers. That sounds that a better plan that using gimmicks to rush the maturation process. Paul Masson sold "no wine before it's time." That might be sound advice for Christians and disciple-making.

Jesus, the great I AM, is the true vine. Should we not bear fruit that will last for the Kingdom?

Pax,
Sky+

Prayer Disclaimer

I wrote the blog below ("Honest Prayer") at around 6 this morning. At around 7:30 this morning, one of the church staff turned her ankle leaving her house to come to work.

I did not pray the Irish Prayer this morning. Honest.

Our prayers go out for Linda, that her pain might be lessened and her recovery speedy.

Pax,
Sky+

Yes, that's duct tape. Like most insurers these days, benefits are being reduced and duct tape seems to be the answer. HMO on a roll!

Honest Prayer

I heard this old Irish prayer many years ago:

May those who love us, love us;
and those who don't love us,
may God turn their hearts;
and if He doesn't turn their hearts,
may he turn their ankles
so we'll know them by their limping.

Proper? Probably not. Honest? Well… there are days that I’ve prayed this very same prayer (in the spirit of “Know thy enemy”). If our conversations with God are at least as honest as those we have with close friends and family, sooner or later God’s going to see our worst side.

Prayer needs to be honest. It needs to be an open and candid conversation if we want to grow and mature in faith. Kingdom work and community living in the Body of Christ is dependent on honesty. If we practice being honest with God, community life is fuller, richer, and faithful. Gossip, hearsay, and behind-the-back conversations are replaced with enabling and productive communication and camaraderie.

Honest conversation can be painful… but it gives way to change, which all of us not only need but are dependent upon. When we begin to practice such, we become not stumbling blocks but blessings to each other. Then we can pray such blessings with sincerity:

May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be ever at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
And the rain fall softly on your fields
And until we meet again, May God hold
you in the hollow of his hand.

Pax,
Sky+

The New Ty Cobb?

I posted below that church politics needs a soul. While I'm on the cynical roll, let me say that I think major league baseball needs one, too.

Watching Imus in the Morning this morning, I learned that when Bonds hit his latest home run he refused to give an autograph to the fan who caught it, who was a serviceman. It was also said that Bonds had the man sign a waiver for use in his future reality show. While I'm sure that the latter part is apocryphal, it all reminds me of a quote from Rogers Hornsby, who said, "Any player who doesn't sign autographs ain't American." In Bonds' defense, the serviceman wasn't in uniform... and that's all the defense I will give Mr. Bonds.

What follows are going to be harsh words... but since Bonds has publicly declared that he doesn't care what anyone thinks, I think he'll be able to handle it.

It simply boggles my mind that someone with as much God-given talent as Bonds would be so blamed arrogant. Like it or not, Bonds is in the limelight, and in a tradition like baseball that ought to carry a sense of responsibility. Now I don't expect baseball players to be saints, but do they have to go out of their way to be jerks? It says a lot about Willie Mays that he is standing by Bonds. My advice to Bonds is that he be a little more like his godfather. Mays signed autographs. He loved kids. And people loved to yell "Say Hey!" whenever Mays was around. When Bonds is around, people like to yell... Unfortunately, they usually aren't words of support.

The jury is out about Bonds and steroids. I'm holding out hope that Bonds is truthful when he says he didn't use steroids... because I fear if we find out that he did, baseball will receive another major blow that it might not recover from.

If Bonds breaks the Babe's record, I fear he may do so with a proverbial "*" next to his record. Was the Babe to be emulated in all things? Certainly not... I mean, the guy went out and drank and womanized all night, and played ball the next day - and STILL hit home runs. But he endeared people to him, and he endeared people to baseball (even if he DID play for the Yankees). Bonds has turned a lot of folks off. As the kids say: "That's not good."

A movie was made a few years ago about Ty Cobb, simply named, "Cobb." Without a doubt, Ty Cobb was one of the greatest and shrewdest ballplayers to ever swing a bat. But nobody could stand him; his family, his teammates, fans - he went out of his way to tell folks he didn't care whether people liked him or not. The only thing nice he could say about Babe Ruth was, "He runs well for a fat man." He even sharpened his cleats with a file, and would come sliding in a base with spikes in the air. You may remember in the movie Field of Dreams when Shoeless Joe said that Ty Cobb wanted to come play, but that "no one could stand the S.O.B. so we told him to stick it!" He then erupted in infectious laughter.

I don't think Bonds sharpens his cleats as Cobb did. But he's earned a similar reputation. I would pray that he emulate the attitudes of Willie Mays and Hank Aaron - class acts, lovers of baseball and fans.

Go out in style, Barry. Get rid of the "*".

Pax,
Sky+

Even Church Politics Needs a Soul

I'm borrowing from a Jim Wallis quote from several years ago; he was referring to American politics, and how Democrats and Republicans alike sold out years ago. He said, "Politics needs a soul." I'm also reminded of a Ronald Reagan quote: "Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first."

Church politics in the UMC have gotten to this point, I believe. It's become much less about the God and people we serve, and instead is about who has the power. The recent skirmish between the Judicial Council and the Council on Bishops is one of power; in short, the Bishops are upset about their power being co-opted; however, it's quite possible that the Judicial Council might be guilty of judicial activism and thus abusing its power. Two wrongs don't make a might.

At the crux of this, at least in my opinion, is this: how in the heck could responsible leadership have let the situation that led to Decision 1032 (click here for a synopsis) get there in the first place? To the average observer, at least one of two things is apparent: (1) some pastors, D.S.'s and bishops need to take a course in conflict resolution, or (2) this was a "test the waters" case regarding homosexuality in the Church. In situation (1), at best this is a case of poor pastoral leadership. In (2), it is a very dishonest way of advocating change in an institution such as the Church, and possibly an abuse of power by the episcopal office and the Judicial Council.

What side am I on? I can't subscribe to the Confessing Movement or Good News... who have been as guilty of political posturing as MFSA or the Reconciling Movement. As far as being Wesleyan, I'd say both sides are at best "selectively Wesleyan." Both sides use the term Wesleyan much like Democrats like the word "progressive" and Republicans like the word "conservative" - it sounds good to their constituents, but it's at best giving lip service to those who want to hear it. So... while I'd like to say I'm on the Lord's side, I realize how many people, caucuses, and factions claim the same thing. So I guess I'd have more luck telling you whose side I'm not on. Maybe I fit in the Messy Methodist Middle (hey, life's messy, isn't it?).

What is truly disturbing is that the Council of Bishops and the Judicial Council - official church entities - have now become polar entities. And even within the Judicial Council there is polarization, as their latest ruling on reconsideration of Decision 1032 was a 5-4 split decision.

Are we proud that the United Methodist Church is mirroring our U.S. government in ways financial AND political? Does that mean that we have finally "arrived?" I pray not.

I'm well aware that politics is the art of the possible, even church politics. But a true church politic must model Jesus in our governance and administration. If we model American individualism and consumerism, we've lost our center and soul.

Church politics needs a soul.

Kyrie Eleison
Christe Eleison
Kyrie Eleison

Pax,
Sky+

Oh Say Can You Sing...?

A lot of folks have their underwear wedged in uncomfortable places regarding the national anthem being sung in Spanish. This discussion reminds me of a discussion that came up in a college music theory class. Some songs are hard to sing; they may be very chromatic, or have extremes in range. The Star Spangled Banner has a lot of range. I can't sing it unless it starts very low... lower than most people are comfortable to sing.

If we're gonna make changes or enact legislation to "protect" the national anthem, let's change the national anthem to something singable, like America, the Beautiful, and actually have the word "America" in it! Has anyone ever realized that The Star Spangled Banner doesn't mention the word "America?" It could be about any country.

Plus... the tune of our present national anthem is set to the tune To Anacreon in Heaven - a British tune and theme song first sung by some wealthy British esoteric society who met to celebrate music, food and drink (in short - it was just another drinking song). The range on the song is incredible... it may well be that it was written by drunks because it was the only state that most people could be in to have the courage to sing it proudly. [grin]

America the Beautiful, on the other hand, is set to the tune Materna, written by Samuel A. Ward, an American composer. It's a lot easier to sing, and fewer people screw it up when singing it.

If someone was crazy enough to write the National Anthem in Spanish, I say let them sing it and more power to them. At least I wouldn't know it when someone gets the words mixed up.

Pax,
Sky+

Don't Forget Joy

As usual... I forgot my camera. And believe you me, it was a Kodak Moment.

I've been to two proms in my life; the first one was my high school senior prom. The other one was last Friday night; our church's preschool had a "Preschool Prom." The fellowship hall looked like a ballroom; ferns and beautiful flowers, a fountain, nicely arranged foodstuffs and punch (I stayed near the punchbowl to be sure none of the preschoolers tried to spike it), a D.J. to play dance music, and a professional photographer to make portraits.

Of course, the preschool director has it as part of the yearly curriculum; practicing prosocial behavior, using our manners and proper etiquette, dressing appropriately for the occasion, etc. I must admit that the children were well-behaved. But more was gained than just children learning social skills and having confidence in public. Parents were there (also dressing the part!) and nearly all of the church staff came as well (and no, I didn't "order" them to). What did we gain? We got to see honest, uninhibited, magnificent joy... the children were our teachers that night.

Is it possible that "growing up" causes us to forget our joy in life?

I come with joy to meet my Lord,
forgiven, loved, and free,
in awe and wonder to recall his life laid down for me,
his life laid down for me.
- Brian Wren, "I Come With Joy", Hymn #617, U.M. Hymnal

Don't forget joy.

Pax,
Sky+

Faith Without Works Is Dead

Yes... it's a cheesy cartoon. It was also the only one I could find.

I've read the Book of James and often quoted it in the spirit of voting in Chicago: early and often. But it was really hit home to me when I read Eugene Petersen's translation of part of it in The Message:

Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup--where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?

I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, "Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I'll handle the works department."

Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.

Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That's just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands? - James 2:14-20, The Message

I am admittedly a workaholic, and that often has me working at the office late, carrying work home with me, or finding various hiding places to work with a laptop or pad of paper. Part of pastoral work is administration, part of it is teaching, pastoral counseling and visitation, part of it is planning worship, sermons, and liturgical/sacramental actions. And... part of it is working with the poor in pocketbook and/or spirit. I don't do the last one very well. Yet, "Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand and glove." I can't be handling the faith department and allowing others to handle the works department and call myself an effective shepherd. It has to go beyond token efforts, too.

So yesterday I went to Dyer Co. Tennessee - just 30-some miles from when I grew up - and did some disaster relief work. Several of my church members have been there several times already, and it's painfully obvious that there is much yet to be done there. This afternoon, I will help a few of our United Methodist men complete a wheelchair ramp at a residence. In theory, Thursdays are my day off. But sometimes, we get behind. I've gotten behind on my works of mercy. And to be honest, being outdoors as opposed to indoors has always been restorative to my soul.

Is it hard to find the balance? Puzzled on how to do it? As Master Po once said to Caine on Kung Fu, "That is not a puzzle, Grasshopper. It is only something you do not yet understand."

Balance, Grasshoppers.
Sky+

Changing Our Ways - WWJD?

I used to have a fascination with cars. It was a fascination that I couldn't afford when I was younger... and now when I'm at an age where I might possibly be able to afford it, it's no longer practical. WWJD? That is... What Would Jesus Drive?

My dream car: A 1970 Pontiac GTO (nicknamed, "The Judge"), which came standard with Ram Air III 400 V8 engine. It got 9-11 miles per gallon. Would pass everything on the road except a gas station. But it only existed in my dreams.

My first car (1981): a 1967 VW Type-1, a/k/a the Beetle, gave $800 for it. It was made the year BEFORE the gas cap was placed on the outside of the car, so I had to raise the trunk (which was where the hood was on most cars) to put gas into the car... which I'm sure amused many folks who drove by. However, from it I learned how to work on VW's and Porsches, which were basically the same air-cooled engine design. It had a 1300cc engine, and I think I once got it to a top speed of 82 mph. It suffered an untimely fate when a steering tie rod snapped at highway speed, and we flipped and rolled numerous times off of the highway. Remarkably, my brother and I along with a close friend walked away.

My next car (1982), which my brother and I shared: a 1972 Chevy Nova (also bought for $800). Before you say that I finally got my muscle car, it wasn't a Super Nova... it was a 4-door sedan, with a 194 c.i. in-line 6 cylinder. It was without a doubt the ugliest car in town; it was army green with a white top (looked like an Army vehicle), had "chrome moon" hubcaps, and was nicknamed "the General" at my high school as a result. It suffered from a bad water pump, which led to a cracked engine block on a frosty October morning in 1985. But, hey - it ran for three years. We got our $800 worth.

The next car (1985): a 1972 Chevy Impala (bought for $850). Now it WAS a muscle car, even though it was a four-door... and eight people could sit comfortably in it (and often did). A 350 V8 engine made that thing purr. But no matter what I did to it, it only got 8-10 mpg. Downhill.

After that... reality kicked in. My wife and I had a series of small economy cars. We now own two cars: a 2002 Nissan Maxima (a really nice car, btw), and a 1993 Ford Ranger truck. Both are super dependable. The Maxima gets about 28 mpg (not bad). My truck gets around 19 (ugh). Gas is nearly $3 a gallon.


Pastoral work necessitates a lot of driving. Both of my cars are paid for... as is a 1993 Yamaha Virago 750VX motorcycle. It gets 45 mpg. Guess what I'm riding a lot these days?

Riding the bike used to be my method of relaxation on a day off, or on a night like this evening when my wife and I rode around looking at blooming dogwood trees and azealeas. But these days, weather permitting, it's becoming more of a mode of transportation. I mean, from an environmental and stewardship point-of-view, 45 mpg vs. 19 mpg?

Some are speculating that gasoline may hit $4 a gallon this year. I suspect a lot of our ways will have to change... including our American love affair with automobiles. Will we be able to afford to drive our SUV's, our muscle cars? Will we have to look at car pooling? Mass transit? None of this is new to Europeans or Far Easterners. One day, we will need to run our automobiles on less powerful and efficient, but more economical and environmentally friendly, engines. Can we handle that?

I don't adapt well to sudden change, so I guess I'm trying to prepare myself early. So my hair may be a little messed up from wearing a helmet, and there may be a few dead bugs on my pant legs. But I suspect those changes are going to be tiny compared to future changes our nation and world will face in the years to come.

When the Chinese say, "May you live in interesting times," it's intended as a curse. I suspect rising gas prices may just be the tip of the interesting times ahead. Life isn't static - our faith calls us to be ready for change. In fact... our faith calls us to be agents of change.

Can we change our ways... and the ways of the world? Even if it means I'll never get to own my '70 GTO?

Pax,
Sky+

P.S. Would Jesus ride a Harley or a metric cruiser?

Being Responsible Stewards

David Broder is one of the few columnists that I believe tells it like it is – no matter how unpopular or brutal. He refuses to take a side in politics. Sometimes that infuriates Republicans, and sometimes that infuriates Democrats. That’s a sign that he’s probably a good and accurate reporter.

He recently wrote a column about our country’s financial mess: “Fiscal Ruin on the Horizon.” For years I’ve wondered how our government is able to function the way it does fiscally. Our government spends, spends, and spends, yet does nothing to increase income. I don’t believe in taxing and spending to death… but simply engaging in spending without taxing is worse.

The official Financial Report of the U.S. Government, of which Mr. Broder was able to secure a copy, shows that our accrual deficit (in other words, the U.S.'s credit card balance) is $760 billion. David Walker, the head of the GAO (the official bookkeeper for Congress), said that “amounts to $156,000 of debt for every man, woman and child in America. For a family, it’s like having a $750,000 mortgage — and no house.”

It was said that Everett Dirksen once uttered, “A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon, you're talking real money.” He was asked about that later in life, and he said, “Oh, I never said that. A newspaper fella misquoted me once, and I thought it sounded so good that I never bothered to deny it." It does sound good. Almost prophetic.

Why am I writing about this? Because our denomination, while on a smaller scale, is functioning in a similar fashion! When I went to General Conference as an alternate delegate in 2004, I was utterly shocked how we disregarded the recommendations of our General Council on Finance and Administration, when our treasurer said, “We have an infrastructure that we can no longer afford,” and yet the General Conference approved off-line expense after off-line expense – knowing that we would not be able to fund our budget. I can understand something as inefficient as the government to function this way, but it’s irresponsible for the Church to operate this way.

Most local churches are like families: they operate within a budget, and live within their means. I see how faithfully people give to the church, and how faithfully local churches seek to use that money. I must say that I'm proud of the church I serve and how faithful it is. My prayer is that our denomination, like our government, might be faithful with that which is given from faithful people.

I may be naïve… but hey, it’s Easter. We believe in resurrection!

Pax,
Sky+

Resurrection

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!!