Worth My Salt

Hit and Run

2010-01-02T12:26:00.002-05:00

The Thurbers are some of my best friends ever. Aaron was my best man at my wedding, and I was his. He's a Professor of Bible and Theology at a college in the midwest. We haven't seen each other in person in years. Because of my mom's stroke before Christmas it became more difficult coordinating a little visit with each other. We were able to get about a hour and a half visit in.

We always talk theology. I'll be looking into Dr. David Well's latest book (2008), "The Courage to be Protestant." I'll be doing a review of 2 other books very soon. Greatly enjoyed a book called, "God's Battalions," based on a history of the Crusades. An excellent work.

The God that Fails

2010-01-01T16:51:00.001-05:00

Excellent Op Ed by Brooks regading recent terrorist attacks.

Flag Dedicated to CPL Brad Davis

2009-12-30T11:28:00.005-05:00

On Christmas Eve Day, my brother Leo and I hiked up Moosic Mountain here in Northeastern, PA. We had talked about posting one of the flags that I had sent to him from Iraq.

He and some friends had made the trek up there earlier in the year to post it, but the flag pole was missing. So, Leo bought a new poll and waited for me to return. Not only did he acquire the pole, but he also gathered up information about CPL Davis and printed up and laminated his picture.

Brad was killed by an IED/EPF strike on Route Florida in Southeast Baghdad during a Combat Logistics Patrol.

To CPL Davis and his Family we dedicate this flag in your honor for the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of your Country.

The Protocol for Prayer

2009-12-27T18:20:00.003-05:00

I did it the old fashioned way. I cut the newspaper article out of the paper. I've been carrying it around with me for several days now since I read it at Mom's place.

David Brooks (NY Times) wrote this article called, "Economics mimics psychology." It's the very beginning of the article that struck me, not necessarily his big point. This is what he wrote:

"In the 19th and 20th centuries we made stuff: corn and steel and trucks. Now, we make protocols: sets of instructions. A software program is a protocol for organizing information. A new drug is a protocol for organizing chemicals. Wal Mart produces protocols for moving and marketing consumer goods. Even when you are buying a car, you are mostly paying for the knowledge embedded in its design, not the metal and glass."

"A protocol economy has very different properties than a physical stuff economy. For example, you and I can't use the same piece of metal at the same time. But you and I can use the same software program at the same time."

"Physical stuff is subject to laws of scarcity: you can use up your timber. But it's hard to use up a good idea."

Here's God's good idea that can never be used up. It reminds me of the protocol economy. Let's call it a "Prayer Protocol." This morning I preached at the church Liz and I were married at more than 16 years ago. Having turned to the text of Eph. 6.10-18, The Armor of God passage, I emphasized that the Church must have a "Warfare Worldview." Vs. 18 says, "praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints."

I'm not going to repreach the sermon here, but in God's Economy He can handle our prayers, because he's got a "Prayer Protocol" that the whole Church is able to utilize at the same time. God is unlimited. Let's make our prayers as such.

Review of Pastor Mark Batterson's Book "Primal"

2009-12-20T23:52:00.004-05:00

Mark Batterson’s latest book, "Primal", is off the chain. He untethers the Greatest Commandment as we have typically known it in the Church. Jesus tells us to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. As I have learned in seminary about quality communication and preaching, Primal explains, proves, and applies the Greatest Commandment by helping us to understand it like this:

The heart of Christianity is primal compassion.

The soul of Christianity is primal wonder.

The mind of Christianity is primal curiosity.

The strength of Christianity is primal energy.

Mark does not reinterpret the Great Commandment to us. Primal is about rediscovery. He rivetingly takes the reader back to the preeminent Reformer, Martin Luther, as Mark journeyed back to Wittenberg, Germany, not too long ago, while he attended a conference there on the topic, “Do we need another Reformation?” His conclusion is “Absolutely YES.” The journey decsends deeper from there. Again, it’s not about adding something new, but relocating something that was lost.

The book is intellectually impressive and spiritually challenging because Mark masterfully captivates the reader by using illustrations from the fields of science, astronomy, anatomy, art, sociology, and history to round out some themes. But he also includes themes of real-life sacrifice and hard-earned pastoral, theological expertise from a man of humble reflection on Scripture and within the Church which he has been pioneering in Washington, D.C., National Community Church.

Reading Primal was like this: just as you would sit in front of the big screen and view a fast-paced movie that continues to produce scene-after-scene that beckons you to beg for more and get it; in Primal, I was impressed with almost every paragraph and I would ask myself, can he continue to produce high quality material in the pages to come? Mark brought the truth to bear that was like mini-explosions detonating in my mind. “That is so right on, and it’s hitting me dead on.”

If you make Primal one of your first purchases in 2010, you will not be disappointed. You may (re) discover Christianity within modernity as you know it.

I’ve read Mark’s first two books, “In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day,” and “Wild Goose Chase.” I have to think that each book is better than the other. If you dare to pick up Primal, expect to quest with Mark for the lost soul of Christianity. Positively, life might not ever be the same.

The Warrior Song

2009-12-20T14:15:00.002-05:00

This is a pretty awesome video and song about our American military. Caveat: what sounds like the voice-over of George C. Scott violates the Law of War. Other than that, enjoy!

The New Evangelical

2009-12-19T21:12:00.002-05:00

Here's an engaging article from the WSJ about the past and present of Evangelicalism.

Miracle Healing from Cancer

2009-12-18T20:28:00.002-05:00

Pennsylvania Judge testifies of miraculous healing from cancer. Read the story and watch the video here.

Soldiers get in touch with medieval roots

2009-12-18T04:00:00.005-05:00

From the Ft. Bragg Paraglide by Staff Sgt. Jeremy D. Crisp 3rd SFG PAO

Capt. Shawn Harkins lined up his broadsword. His goal, slice cleanly from right-to-left through the top one-tenth of a banana sitting on top a wooden post, then bring the blade around and slice off the remaining upper half. He had to do it in less than two seconds.

Then Harkins, commander of Headquarters Support Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, had to put on 40 pounds of chain mail and rescue a fellow Soldier wounded in the tree line. He had to do this all while warding off adversaries attacking him with dummy swords.

Harkins’ adventures were part of a team-building exercise that pitted Harkins’ group against 1st Bn.’s Operation Detachment Alpha 3111 in medieval battle. The exercise included hammer throwing, ruck marching, weight lifting and tests on ethics, morality and civics.

Operation Desert EagleWarrior, a pilot program of the U.S. Army Special Forces Command and the brainchild of USASFC Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Marc Gauthier, was a grueling, all-day event that was designed to test the spiritual,moral, ethical and physical strength and endurance of both teams. “The competition was designed to instill spiritual leadership and resilience in our warriors,” Randall said. “Our goal was to reiterate doing the right things while deployed and at home—as warriors, fathers and husbands.” The teams met at the 3rd SFG parade field to begin a 3.2-mile group run to start their journey through the competition.

Following the run were the much anticipated Scottish Highland Games. Professional highland games athletes Chris Chafin and Eric Frasure came to Fort Bragg to instruct the Soldiers in the art of throwing a 16-pound hammer, a 22-pound heavy stone and a 20-pound ball and chain. Chafin, a sergeant for the Carolina Beach, N.C., police department, has been competing professionally in the highland games for eight years,but said he felt a sense of pride in teaching his trade to Soldiers for the first time. “It’s great to come out here and support the troops,” Chafin said. “I’ve done demonstrations at schools before, but this is the first time teaching Soldiers, and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a morning.”

The Soldiers’ novice throwing abilities impressed Chafin, who said, “Some of these guys could really compete in the games. After the first two events, ODA 3111 was in the lead. Then it was time for a ruck march and an ethical test at the 82nd Airborne Division Headquarters before heading to Tucker Gym to compete in a maximum repetition weight lifting contest.

The weight lifting concluded, and the teams headed upstairs to take a moral and ethical leadership test. Questions were geared toward the history of the United States and Law of LandWarfare. After another ruck march back to the group parade field and a practical exercise, the Soldiers picked up medieval swords and armor to test their quickness and accuracy.

“We are putting everything we have into this—mental, physical and spiritual. It’s a true test of the ultimate warrior,” said Staff Sgt. Josh Thompson, with ODA3111. He was also confident on how his team was going to do in the overall scheme of things. “Oh, we’re winning. You can count on that,” Thompson said. “We’re going to take this thing.”

The final event was a hands-on application in knife forging. Charles F. Ochs, a master bladesmith with the American Bladesmith Society from Largo, Fla., showed the Soldiers how to forge blades and also offered his guidance in the spiritual and ethical aspects of how knife making and forging things from one’s own hands can instill values.

“We were created, and just as well we were given the power to create,” Ochs said. Ochs has a two-year backorder on the custom knives he makes, but he said he would make time to give the winning team the opportunity to forge custom knives from raw steel with Och’s equipment and guidance. The day ended with dinner at the Green Beret Club, where the competition’s winning team was announced. Cooks of 1st Bn. barbecued a whole hog for the competitors.

Thompson’s premonition came true—ODA3111 won the competition, winning by narrow margins in every event except the written exams. “The competitors did very well,” Randall said. “All the chaplains administering the practical, ethical exercises said the Soldiers were very engaged and interactive. It was a fun event for all of us.”

Tony Blair on the Invasion of Iraq

2009-12-12T18:33:00.000-05:00

London Daily Telegraph
December 12, 2009
Pg. 15

Invading Iraq Was The Right Thing To Do...Regardless Of WMD, Says Blair

By Anita Singh

TONY BLAIR has admitted he would have invaded Iraq even if he had known that there were no weapons of mass destruction in the country.

The former prime minister made the disclosure in an interview with Fern Britton for a BBC One religious programme, during which he was asked: “If you had known then that there were no WMD, would you still have gone on?”

Mr Blair replied: “I would still have thought it right to remove him. I mean, obviously you would have had to use and deploy different arguments about the nature of the threat.”

He added: “I can’t really think we’d be better off with him and his two sons still in charge but it’s incredibly difficult … and that’s why I sympathise with the people who were against it for perfectly good reasons and are against it now, but, for me, in the end I had to take the decision.”

The Irony of Thomas Merton

2009-12-10T08:15:00.010-05:00

Today, Thomas Merton, one of the most prolific spiritual writers of the 20th century passed away, 41 years ago. He's one of my book "friends" that I had missed quite a bit while in Iraq. My older brother Leo sent me a copy of his"Thoughts in Solitude," while I was there, which was quite a blessing. He is one of my all-time favorite reads and I own just about everything in book form that he wrote.

Merton was a Trappist Monk most famously known for his semi-cloistered life at his hermitage and religious writings while at the Abbey of Gethsemane near Louisville, KY.

Why I think about Merton as an ironic life is because:

1. though he was a monk he never quit relating and being dialogical with the world.

2. though he wrote about and modeled an ascetic Christian spiritual life, he was very real and struggled with sin like you and I.

3. though he was an American citizen by naturalization, he was friends with many internationally; frequently corresponding to numerous brilliant thinkers of his day.

4. though he was known by his published books, articles, and artwork, he has become more fully known and accessible after his personal journals have been published.

5. though he was a serious peace activist during his day, his body was flown home from Bangkok Thailand to the Abbey on a military aircraft used in the Vietnam War.

6. he died the same exact day of Karl Barth, one of the greatest theologians of the 20th century.

7. his final words to a crowd that he was lecturing to before his death were something to the effect of, "I am going to disappear now."

8. though he was Catholic, he was more.

9. though he was famous, he was mysterious.

10. though he made some poor decisions, his life and writings inspire and draw me to God.

Myles, Me, & A Christmas Tree

2009-12-09T16:17:00.003-05:00

The USA Blocks the Imam's Return

2009-12-08T08:35:00.003-05:00

What do you do with a guy like this? From Fox.com: Iranian President says the US is blocking the return of the last Imam.

800+ Friends

2009-12-06T23:04:00.008-05:00

I have to credit President, Dr. Meyer of VFCC for this friends comment. He would comment out loud that his books are his "friends." In regard to myself, I must concur.

This past week I shelved my library books that were encased in boxes located in my garage for the last 11 months. Liz had to move our household by herself [!] back in January, and since then my library of about 800 volumes of friends have been boxed up. Before I deployed I shuffled some off to the local reseller of used books, just to keep my numbers down.

When I was home on leave I was salivating to rip open a couple and delve deeply into some.

So, the time has arrived and I'm set up now. I've cracked open one that I've been waiting to reread, "The Cost of Discipleship," by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Here's a quote that I've been pondering. If I had an office in a church right now, I'd think I'd frame it, and put it up:

"Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession."

As I get back into the groove of being a Garrison chaplain, I hope to live this out.

I also purchased Francis Chan's book, "The Forgotten God," mainly on the topic of the Holy Spirit. It reads much better and is even more inspiring than his first book, "Crazy Love." I've already shifted some things around inside of myself as a result of it. This is a great book for a new and growing Christian.

Continuing about books that I've recently handled, I just picked up my copy of "Primal," by Mark Batterson.

I was fortunate to get a free copy by signing up at his site, http://www.blogger.com/www.evotional.com, when he was offering it to bloggers if they would publish a book review on their own site. Ergo, I'm scheduled to publish a review of Primal between 15-23 December. Stand by.

Already I'm loving it!!! I think Mark continues to out-do himself with every new book published.

Switching gears back to my Friends on the book shelves: it's difficult to maintain a library so it doesn't get out of hand. That is, book management, especially when I expect to move around quite a bit over the Chaplain career.

Glad to know the Barnes and Noble "Nook" is on the way.

Peace out,

Paul

Black and Blue

2009-12-03T14:22:00.013-05:00

Black and blue. Those are the colors of our PT uniform. Blue t-shirt with our 505th Airborne insignia on it, and standard black Army PT shorts.

Today was our first day back into regular PT. Our Company is standing at attention in formation waiting for Revielle to sound off as we face the Flag. The First Sergeant calls out, "Company, attention!" "Present arms!" "Order arms!"

The weather is mild after a couple of days of rain. The level of banter this morning was almost at a piqued frenzy knowing that we're about to go on our first four mile run up the Ardennes. Nothing fast, just the typical airborne shuffle, but the banter is all about the anxiety of knowing that there are going to be a lot of fall outs.

Without mandatory PT some guys just haven't kept up with their cardio. By mile one there goes the first guy, peeling off to the side doubled over. "Oh yeah, good training!," someone yells. Lots of jeering. You could almost tell whose gonna go next as the runners start to fade from the front to the back of the pack, but they don't go quietly because of the jeering and cajoling to stay in formation and keep on going, staying with the pack. For some, it was just inevitable. Off to the side and hurl.

I don't know why I find this amusing, but I do.

Everyone knows that this day is coming. It's a matter of just getting out there and putting on a couple of miles. The pace really isn't fast. I vascilate between cheering and jeering all in good fun.

Lot's of shouting at other units running by in formation too. It's a kind of "come and fight me" attitude against each other, pride in your unit, but we all just laugh at it. Sometimes we will even mock other units who are wearing the standard Army gray PT shirt. "Get a real t-shirt!" We're wearing black and blue.

I'll never forget the day I was in a Battalion run with my old unit, shuffling up the Ardennes. We had our Signal orange flag flying high, and here comes the Infantry blue flag in the opposite direction with the black and blue uniforms of 2-Panther coming straight at us.

All kinds of horrendous yelling started coming from the black and blue. We tried to out yell them, but there was no way. The Lieutenant I was running next to turns to me and said, "Those guys are crazy!" I said, "Yep, that's my future battalion." They're not as crazy as we thought. They just have fun in a different way.

Running up the Ardennes by the DFAC (dinning facility), you could smell an Army breakfast being served up. "Hey, let's stop in and get some bacon and bagles," someone shouts. "I don't have my I.D.," another one says. "That's o.k., you go anywhere you want with this blue t-shirt on!" And, we keep running, cheering and jeering.

An NCO is off to the side of the formation calling cadence, "C-130 rolling down the strip, we're taking off like a rocket ship! Mission Top-Secret destination unknown, don't even know if we're ever coming home. Cause we're A-I, R-B, O-R, N-E." Those who can hear it, sing it, and repeat the cadence. Though we wear the black and blue PT uniform some were feeling just like the colors, black and blue, as we ran up and down the Ardennes.

If you ask the men if they had fun on the run this morning, most of them would deny it, just becaue they can. But deep down it was fun, "good training", and lots of laughs.

Can you tell I love this stuff?

Pride

2009-12-02T07:02:00.005-05:00

Isaiah 7.12-17:
12 “How you are fallen from heaven,
O Day Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
you who laid the nations low!
13 You said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
in the far reaches of the north; [2]
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 But you are brought down to Sheol,
to the far reaches of the pit.
16 Those who see you will stare at you
and ponder over you:
‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
who shook kingdoms,
17 who made the world like a desert
and overthrew its cities,
who did not let his prisoners go home?’
18 All the kings of the nations lie in glory,
each in his own tomb; [3]
19 but you are cast out, away from your grave,
like a loathed branch,
clothed with the slain, those pierced by the sword,
who go down to the stones of the pit,
like a dead body trampled underfoot.
20 You will not be joined with them in burial,
because you have destroyed your land,
you have slain your people.

Theologians will tell you that Pride is the worst sin. It's one of the deadliest. It's the kind of sin that oozes arrogance and power. It smacks of, "I know more than you." Ultimately, it lends to personal demise. Pride will always take a person down. Some people struggle with it more than others. It is sort of a cover up of things that is lacking in one's life.

Reading the "Parade" section of the newspaper on Sunday I was incredibly impressed with the interview with General Petraeus. The mantra that I hear him and General McChrystal repeat over and over in regard to the new strategy in Afghanistan is, "humility."

Humility will get you every where. As Jesus tells us, "The meek shall inherit the earth."

The Bible says, "Some trust in chariots, some in horses, but we will remember the Name of our Lord." When we come together, trusting in the Lord, there is always an element of meekness there, which is, "strength under control."

The one above came crashing down because of pride. He thought he was smarter and knew it all. Don't be that guy.

I Can't Even Imagine

2009-11-30T21:18:00.007-05:00

You've probably heard the contemporary Christian song by Mercy Me, "I Can Only Imagine". Here's the first stanza:

I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By Your side
I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When Your face
Is before me
I can only imagine

It's been very popular in the Church for some years now.

As I think about the day that we will see our loved ones and the Lord himself perhaps returning for the Church any day, I recognize a great expectation.

But, I also think about the exact opposite. What if Christians today were not the salt of the earth, a preservative force for good? What if we did not permeate every aspect of society to include (I dare say) the government? What would happen if Christians decided to no longer follow Jesus' command to be "the salt of the earth"?

The government could include: local, state, and federal. And, let's not forget other aspects of civil service like public school teaching, police, firemen/women, public works, etc. Could it even be possible? No, not at all.

Here is a post from an Army Chaplain that I think provides an excellent Biblical example for Christians following the Lord's lead to work in civil service. It's called, "In the Service of Empire." Though these examples all come from the Old Testament, it doesn't negate a New Testament view that God uses people as salt and light in every place of society, even the military:

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men" (Col. 3.23).

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (I Cor 10.31).

Most importantly Romans 13.1-7 and I Peter 2.13-17 instructs the Church to honor their government and leaders, even when they might not see things the same way. Scripture is the Church's authority. And because God is Sovereign, He knows the ultimate direction the Church must go.

Unfortunately there are some Christian leaders and authors who speak with a forked tongue. On one hand they will say that by being associated with the American government, or being patriotic, that one has become a full-blown idolater, chronically breaking the Number 1 Commandment. Their dichotomy is ever so subtle. They then will quote a Scripture here and there to cover their tracks in order assuage those working in civil service. However, carefully avoiding impunity the acerbic language always leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

So I write a pastoral corrective. And, I ask the question in reverse: Can you even imagine Christians purposely not being the salt of the earth in every part of society?

Review of "Crazy Love"

2009-11-27T21:36:00.011-05:00

I've been out of the loop in a bunch of ways having been deployed. So, I'm trying to catch up on some reading.

One of the troubles I'm having is trying not to buy too many books at once. I'm holding off on purchasing the B&N Nook since it looks like the Cadillac version of e-readers. It comes out in January.

But, I had "Crazy Love," by Francis Chan waiting for me when I got home from Iraq. I had to have my battery replaced in my truck and so over a couple of hours at the local Ford I read half of it. Then, it was lost for a couple of days in the couch. Zoe found it this morning, and I polished it off.

So, here it is:

It is a challenging book. For those of you who have read it I'm not going to air out how I've measured up in following Jesus, but highlight what Chan has emphasized. I will say that at the end of the book, he tells the reader to go get on your knees. The first available moment, I basically did that because I know that I could do more, and I asked God to help me to do it.

The book starts off relatively slow, and Chan does basically tell the reader to hang in there for the first four chapters. He was right. After that, it picks up. His writing style isn't the most engaging, but the the material is engaging and right on.

Though he talks about God's great love for you and I in the beginning I felt the title was a little "gimmicky." Yes, God loves you and I, but the book's emphasis is on how to love God back. And, rightly so, the Church needs to amp it up in this department. I'm just not sold on the Crazy Love title because I think it should have been something closer to a "Normal Christian Life," or "Cost of Discipleship" title. "Crazy" is a gimmicky word. It's what we should be doing; it's not Crazy.

I don't take Chan to be a social-gospeler, but he recaptures what has been neglected in the gospel presentation in much of the Evangelical church. How do we deal with Jesus telling others to give all that one owns to the poor and follow him? In the 20th century western world we have a difficult time making this compute. What is so amazing about Chan is that he is doing it. One example is the cost cutting of the new church building that they are constructing. Instead of a new building, they are constructing an outdoor amphitheater. He says something like, "Every time we are worshiping in church and we are cold [although this is in the southwest], we will be reminded what we are financially sacrificing for--the gospel--and become more motivated to continue doing the right thing."

That is my paraphrase of Chan in quotes. But, he give lots of modern day examples like this. It's definitely inspiring. How to live out the Christian life the way Christ meant it to be. I've been challenged not to purchase the IPhone that I'd been anticipating before I left Iraq. I've also skipped out on paying the $30.00 on the data package for my PDA phone. Do I really need it? No! Of course this is just a small gesture of spiritual restraint hopefully channelling my faith to grow stronger while in the great US of A. This might sound minute, but gee, I just left my wife and kids for a year for God and country.

I really like this quote, even though Chan doesn't claim authorship. "Christians are like manure. If you spread them out, they will help others to grow. But, if you keep them all in one place they are sure to stink." With writing like this, it is difficult for the Pharisee-leader to stay comfortable. Homogenized Christianity is sure to stink. And, one-size of Christian does not fit all, and Chan spells that out well.

It's worth the read. Warning: if you read it, you may be convicted to change your life and become more like Jesus.

Thanksgiving Vision

2009-11-25T14:32:00.010-05:00

A Jewish person once said, “Whenever you get 2 Rabbis together you get 3 opinions.” That’s the way it is with my Family, and probably yours as well.

When I think about my Family I also think about spiritual riches that we are blessed with as a Christian Family.

Christians have a spiritual heritage that dates back to the beginning of time in the Bible and flows through it into the New Testament, but really continues on throughout history. The History of the Church, whether it’s good, bad, or ugly is still our history. And, so from the time of the N.T. to the present, however form the Church took, essentially that is our spiritual roots.

One of the things that I’m not ashamed to claim as my spiritual heritage is the story of Thanksgiving and the Vision of the Pilgrims or more broadly they were called, “The Puritans.”

The Puritans have got a bad rap, some of it is deserved, but largely they were a passionate group of Christians trying to do their best. Someone once said about that Christian family, “Puritanism is the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.” That isn't quite true.

I want to talk about the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving, but also the Vision they had to be a new Christian Community that can be an inspiration to us today as the Church.

Looking back in history at the Pilgrims, and reflecting today, its quite likely that in generations to come people will be looking back in history at us talking about what we did, or didn’t do.

So, I ask, “Who were the Pilgrims?” The Pilgrims as we call them were a part of a much larger movement in the church called the “Reformation.” Generally, since Martin Luther’s 95 Thesis on the Wittenburg Door in Germany, and him saying, “Here I stand," the Church has begun to Reform herself to what she believes is a purer Biblical Vision of what she ought to be, and function.

Lutherans, Presbyterians, Baptists, and Church of England split off from Rome, and then inside of England there was a movement within her to continue to reform herself, and they were known as the “Puritans.”

The Puritans were devout Christians who wanted to see the Anglican Church continue to Reform. And, some things did change, but not enough, nor fast enough for the Puritans. King James of England, the King who inspired the King James (1611) Version of the Bible was at first open to these Puritan Reformers, but later he and many other grew intolerant of them, and the Puritans began to find themselves being persecuted. The Puritans as a movement also became interdenominational. There were Presbyterians, Baptists, Congregationalists, and Quakers.

So, some of them first left England for Holland in 1607, and later put together a Covenant in how they would live the Christian life called, “The Mayflower Compact.” Their vision for a greater Christian society caused them to dream about what it would be like to establish themselves in the New World without persecution and to become, “The New Israel.” In fact, the Pilgrims saw themselves as the New Israel ready to fulfill God’s agenda for a purer Christian Community. It would be a community government constructed around the Bible.

They then briefly returned to England and chartered a ship called, “The Mayflower.” Left in July of 1620 and arrived in late November. There was a crew of 48, and 101 passengers. It was an overloaded ship. 56 adults, 14 servants and hired people. 31 children. 1 died on board and 2 were born. Half of the settlers died during the first winter. Most were the lower class of society.

William Bradford, who was designated the Governor said, “We fell upon our knees and blessed God of Heaven. We had no friends to greet us, no inns to refresh our bodies, nor houses to retreat to. We arrived in the winter. And, it was a hideous and desolate wilderness.”

A Description of the 1st Thanksgiving: The original feast in 1621 occurred sometime between Sept. 21 and Nov. 11. It was 3 days long. The event was based on English harvest festivals. Gov. William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving and prayer that was shared by all of the colonists and neighboring Indians.

From the Journal of Edward Winslow, a Pilgrim at Plymouth MA: “After our harvest was brought in, our Governor sent 4 men to go hunting for water fowl—that probably meant geese. Those 4 men killed so much fowl that the whole community could eat for a week. At that time we exercised our arms/guns/rifles, and many of the Indians came among us and their great king Massasoit with about 90 of his men whom for 3 days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed upon our Governor, and upon the Captain, and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you could be partakers of our plenty.”

On June 12, 1630, the flagship of the Massachusetts Bay Company arrived in Salem to officially found the new colony. The company was founded by English Puritans, most of whom were educated and wealthy. A fleet of eleven ships brought hundreds of settlers to Salem. John Winthrop became the first governor of the colony.

At this point there were 2 kinds of Puritans: 1) There were the Pilgrims who immigrated to Plymouth who were generally considered more of a Separatists Movement. 2) The arrival of the M.A. Bay Company had a grander vision of continuing in the tradition of being Reformers of the Church of England, yet holding to their Puritan principles. 1630—400 people arrived, and 600 more next year. 1643: 20,000 had migrated to the New World.

One historian wrote: “Puritans provided the moral and religious background of 75% of those who declared the independence in 1776.”

More Facts: thoroughly integrated society of Christian life. Economic, political, and educational. And the heart of society was the Church: New Christian Order--The original vision of America. Wanted to be a “City on Hill”: On the Ship, Arabella, Governor John Winthrop, God had set them aside to be a model community to the world.

The Mass. Bay Code of Laws came directly from Scripture. At the end of every law there would be a Scripture Reference.

No one could be a part of the Church unless they were a converted, believing Christian. This was so important that individuals had to stand in front of the whole congregation and profess it. And the congregation would vote whether it was real or not.

All people by law were expected to go to church. But to be a member, to take part sacraments and vote, they had to be a Christian.

No one could hold any political office unless they were converted. No one could vote in society unless they were a member of the church, and in order to be a member you had to be a converted Christian. They didn’t like maverick spirits. They usually found themselves on the outside looking in if they didn’t learn to conform. I’m not just talking about the Church, but society in general. People were banished from their communities, or had their ears cut off, or were even put to death if they thought they could just be independent and live in the midst of the Christian community. Handling Quakers: kicked them out as soon as they landed in the Mass. Bay Colony. Ann Hutchinson—ecclesiastical and civil trial for bad mouthing the pastor’s theology and preaching. She was banished to Rhode Island. Witch trials broke into hysteria.

This was the Dark Side of Puritanism.

There is no perfect Christian Community, “When you find the perfect church, don’t go there, because you’re going to mess it up.”

Aldous Huxley, “Although neatness is good, it should always be surrounded by a margin of a tolerated mess.”

Rick Ezell: We were born to celebrate. God never intended for fun and laughter to be crowded out of our lives. God’s kingdom, according to Jesus, is like a wedding reception where he wants his friends to celebrate with him as though he were the bridegroom. God’s church is the ultimate party place – a place of rejoicing, celebration, and laughter. It is a foretaste of what is to come in heaven.

What happens when we celebrate? God is encountered. Joy is expressed.

Lewis Smedes put it this way: “To miss out on joy is to miss out on the reason for your existence."

C. S. Lewis said, “Joy is the serious business of heaven.”

The program of the Puritans can be an inspiration to us; an inspiration to reform ourselves without the legalization of righteousness. We are to be a community of believers who have come together to worship the living God. We are to be a celebrating community. If we don’t celebrate we have missed the heart of Christianity. And when we do celebrate, those outside the walls cannot help but want to be inside the walls.

My tea bag this morning read, “God resides in two places—heaven, and a meek and thankful heart.

What to do with technology?

2009-11-24T08:14:00.015-05:00

Watching the local news last night there was a story about the rise of the divorce rate as a result of Facebook usage.

This was something that I briefed my Troopers before we left theater as I watched it take a toll over the deployment. When I would circulate back around I would discover that marriages were on the rocks as we were heading home. "Chaplain, I did what you told me not to do. I was talking to women other than my spouse through Facebook." Time to help pick up the pieces. I'd rather work harder on the proactive part.

This technology is going to stay, and advance. Here's a story from an Air Force National Guard General "Why I Tweet." The military knows that the technology is here to stay, so it's a matter of managing it well.

Having read several articles about the rise of technology usage in the Church, it definitely poses some challenges to Ecclesiology.

Technology is like WMD. Once it's here, there's no going back. And, you can't ignore it either. So, it's about thinking Biblicly first, and then managing it wisely in one's life.

Do Not Be Alarmed

2009-11-22T16:14:00.003-05:00

Have you heard the joke about the 2 Chaplains and a JAG Officer? Well . . . I'm still working on it.

I'm posting a sermon from a Canadian Chaplain that I met through a friend who is an Army Reservist JAG Officer. Mike, the JAG Officer was a student with me in Airborne School. While in en route from Iraq he got my attention about his friend Mike the Canadian Chaplain. He said I should read his sermon. So, I did. I thought it was so good, I contacted Mike the Canadian Chaplain (Peterson) and became a Facebook friend and asked him if I could post it here, which he said, "Yes."

I think it is a very fine pastoral response to war and the times we live in. It's a little lengthy for a blog, but if you have the time, it's worth the read. Blessings, pl.

Preached this morning at St. Mary's, Auburn and Christ Church, Berwick, in the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, at the kind invitation of the Rev'd Charles Bull. Thanks to both congregations for a warm welcome and good worship. MP+A Sermon for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday After Pentecost,Preached at St. Mary’s Church, Auburn, and Christ Church, BerwickLectionary Year C: Samuel 1:4-20, Psalm 16, Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18),19-25“When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come (Mk 13:7)

It’s a great pleasure to be with you this morning, and a great honour to be allowed to share your rector’s pulpit. I bring you greetings from the people of St. Mark’s protestant chapel in Greenwood, some of whom I think some of you know, as they seemed well aware that I am in your parish this Sunday. I also bring you greetings from the Anglican clergy serving as chaplains with the Canadian Forces and from our Bishop Ordinary, the Right Reverend Peter Coffin. There are roughly a dozen of us serving in this Diocese, and we are grateful to you and to your bishops for your support of our ministry. When Charles and I were discussing my visit to this parish, we were first thinking that I would come on Remembrance Day, which would have been delightful but that is, as you can imagine, a busy time for a military chaplain. Had I been here then my sermon would no doubt have had a backwards looking quality, as is fitting for a day dedicated to historical memory. This Sunday however I want to look forward, as prompted by my text from today’s gospel reading: “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come (Mk 13:7).

Today’s gospel comes from an episode in the last days of Jesus’ ministry as described by St. Mark. Some of his disciples, like the proverbial country mice in the city, are impressed by the size and grandeur of Jerusalem and of the Temple built by King Herod. Jesus is unimpressed with these buildings, and after predicting the destruction of the Temple, goes on to describe what the last days of humanity will look like. He describes wars and natural disasters and religious confusion, but in the midst of these grim predictions Jesus says, almost casually, “do not be alarmed”. It’s that simple phrase, “do not be alarmed”, that I wish to focus on because in it we hear one of the greatest and simplest of the messages of good news that we call the Christian gospel. “Do not be alarmed” is also the hardest advice to follow when we are faced with the possibility of things ending.

Yesterday I read a news story about how a NASA astronomer is being plagued with calls and emails from people who are convinced that the end is coming – in 2012, to be exact. This scientist has heard a few teenagers say that they want to commit suicide and has also heard from several mothers saying they are thinking about killing their young children in order to spare them from the end of the world. These folks appear to be spooked by a film soon to be released by Sony Pictures called “2012”, which takes an ancient Mayan calendar, a mystery planet, and other cosmic forces and cooks them into movie where pretty much everything in the world gets destroyed. The director, Roland Emmerich, has made several previous disaster films, including “Independence Day” when the world nearly gets destroyed by aliens, and “The Day After Tomorrow”, which climate change freezes half the Earth. When I watched the trailer of “2012” on the internet, it showed some powerful religious symbols being destroyed, such as the famous Christo Redemptor statue standing over Rio de Janiero and the dome of St. Peter’s in Rome, which we see crushing the Pope and a crowd of Christians praying for mercy. While these images don’t hold out much hope for God, the trailer suggests that there is hope and that a few humans, played by photogenic actors, who will survive the coming apocalypse. Besides this movie, there are apparently dozens of books on the market describing the coming apocalypse of 2012 and giving some helpful suggestions to survive it. As a Christian I’m interested in what these sorts of films and other cultural products say about the fears of our society through the decades. Over the last three generations we have worried about fascism and communism and nuclear war and weapons of mass destruction. Today the weapons are still with us, and we fear that they will fall into the hands of religious radicals. We fear terrorism and drugs and pandemics and food shortages. We worry about financial collapse and the end of oil and we worry that we’ll have to give up our comfortable way of life. At the same time, we see signs of climate change, environmental collapse, dying oceans and vanishing species. Movies like 2012 exist, I think, because they feed off the tensions and fears that we carry within us as a society. But perhaps, as New York Times columnist Ross Douthat suggested this week, we need these fears because we don’t want our imperfect society to stumble along for ever. Rather, we need to imagine something bigger than ourselves which has the power to finish and judge us.

"Humankind fears judgment, of course. But we depend on it as well. The possibility of dissolution lends a moral shape to history: we want our empires to fall as well as rise, and we expect decadence to be rewarded with destruction. Not that we want to experience this destruction ourselves. But we want it to be at least a possibility — as a spur to virtue, and as a punishment for sin."

Now a sophisticated New York Times columnist won’t say it, even if he uses religious-sounding words like “judgment” and “sin” but as a priest speaking to you the faithful, I can say it. I can say that we as Christians have a story that begins with creation in the Book of Genesis and ends in Revelation with judgement. Even if we don’t read our bibles from cover to cover, we summarize this story every week in our creeds, including the statement that Christ “shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead” (BCP p. 71). Not only does the Christian story go from the beginning to the end of time, it is bigger than time itself, because we believe God as Alpha and Omega created time and lives outside of time. He was there before the cosmos was created and he will be there after it ends. As Christians we have a saviour, Jesus Christ, who is coeternal with God and because of his work done once and for all on the cross, as we heard in Hebrews this morning, we need not fear the end of our days or the day of judgement. The essential thing is that our names are written in the Book of Life. The rest is details. So what are we as Christians to do with this story?

I would say that we are called to spend the time we have standing with God against the work of evil in the world. We know that sin and evil are real. Christ warned his disciples that there would be wars and false messages and chaos in the world. The Book of Revelation speaks of the reality of sin and the devil, and we name this reality every time we witness a baptism in church. One of the great temptations of our time, in the pluralistic and tolerant west, is that we trivialize or downplay the existence of evil. An event like the Fort Hood shootings comes along and we look for sociological or psychological reasons, while not fully admitting that this was an evil act. When I speak to young soldiers preparing to deploy, I tell them that they need to understand that good is real, and so is evil. They will see evil things overseas. They’ve seen it, whether in the poverty of Haiti or the killing of Rwanda and Bosnia or the violence and fanaticism of Afghanistan. We see the reality of evil in every act of terrorism abroad and social injustice at home, where the needs of banks and shareholders seem to take precedence over the needs of the legions of poor and unemployed. We see the reality of evil in the steady exhaustion and abuse of God’s world. We are called to fight evil, fear and chaos with the light and love of the gospel for as long as we are given on earth, but we are also called to remember that we are mortal. Our time will end. Our lives will end. Our world will end. We need not be afraid of these things, for scripture promises us that evil, darkness and death will be defeated (Rev 21-22).

All through scripture, one of the great refrains, one of its main drifts as the Anglican divine Richard Hooker called them, is the call of reassurance “Be not afraid”. Adam and Eve hide in the garden, ashamed of their nakedness and of their disobedience, and God calls them back into relationship with him. The angels tell the shepherds to “fear not” when “mighty dread had seized their troubled minds”. The disciples are “startled and terrified” to see the risen Christ, and Jesus says “Peace be with you” (Lk 24:37). When John sees “the one like the Son of Man” in Revelation he falls to the ground “as though dead” but he is raised up and told “Do not be afraid” (Rev 1:17). Again and again in scripture, God’s hand is extended, raising us up out of fear and darkness and death, drawing us into the light and love and light of his presence. The root of all our sin is found when we ignore that outstretched hand and try to cling to our old lives, hoping for a little more time, a little more security, a little more comfort. There are many ways the world can seem to end. An IED can explode in Afghanistan. A job can vanish. A marriage can end. A diagnosis can be delivered. We can be wiped out on the highway. Darkness and death may seem to surround us. In the midst of these things, the Christian message as described in our second lesson remains as true as ever. Encourage one another. Fight for good. Be confident in the work of Christ, whose sacrifice made once and for all has set us free. This is the Christian story, and it is a never-ending story. “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed.”

Amen.

Task Force Panther--Mission Compete

2009-11-22T07:33:00.006-05:00

Task Force Panther's mission to Iraq 2008-2009 is complete.

At Zero Dark Thirty in the morning it was too early to have the youngest 3 greet me at Green Ramp. But, Liz and Myles were there. The combination of drinking coffee (at the last airport stop and on the plane) and excitement to see Family was enough to energize me for the reunion. What a great feeling . . . .

The Fall(en)

2009-11-20T06:39:00.010-05:00

My homecoming is quite a journey. It's more than a plane ride. It's so twilight zone. One becomes accustomed to living in a completely different culture: sights, sounds, smells, weather, etc. Then in a matter of days it feels like you are time-warped back into Garrison and American life: people, familiar things, safety in one sense.

But there is a kind of clashing that goes on inside of us. The deployment is over, but not quite.

The widow of one our Fallen Paratroopers was here to visit with us. Together it brings those closer to a sense of closure with new clarity.

On a bus in Kuwait I sat next to a sharp NCO and we discussed the reasons why Soldiers engage in high risk activities especially after a deployment even though they receive numerous safety briefings, ad nauseum. He took a very common sense approach and had some valid points. I asked him what he thought of the human being's fallen nature, the spiritual and moral bend to do things that cross the line. That was one to ponder.

When Paratroopers return from deployment to the desert they are very very thirsty. It's almost as if they had nothing to drink for a whole a year! That is difficult to mitigate against.

I visited a Trooper in the hospital who met terra ferma from four stories without a parachute.

Last night I took my son out to hear his piano recital. The leaves are still falling off the trees in this part of North Carolina. The church landscape was beautiful. The colors continue to pop though many leaves were rustling at my feet.

Upon the conclusion of the recital the instructor praised the children for their musical accomplishments. And, then she said something like, "If music was just about playing the perfect notes, then we would all be robots."

We are not robots. God did not create us that way, and our lives will not always play perfect notes. Life is not perfect, and somehow there is beauty in that. There is beauty in seeing a child struggle to play the perfect notes even though sometimes they are off key. That goes for you and me too. The perfect notes are out there though.

Twilight zone and time warp is going on inside of me. Driving home from the recital, my son and I are listening to Christmas music on the radio. My favorite: Peanuts, "Christmas Time is Here" (Piano Instrumental).

The Christmas music, hitting all the perfect notes pointed me to a time in the future when there will no longer be the Fall(en) or the proclivity to go in that direction. It pointed me to the Advent of the Perfect One who has shown us the perfect way. The season to celebrate that joy will soon be upon us.

In the News . . .

2009-11-19T22:29:00.004-05:00

82D, 3BCT, the Brigade which I am assigned participated in a live studio audience show via satellite with Oprah.

Sarah Palin is to visit Ft. Bragg, but not after some misgivings. Story here.

Here are some great pics of my Battalion, 2-505 or 2-Panther, HHC and Fox Companies, returning on 17 Nov 09. I arrived ahead of them at 0300, twelve hours prior to their landing and was able to greet them as they returned.

1 of 6 Myths

2009-11-16T07:55:00.008-05:00

Would you bear with me just a little for a moment? I'd like to share a pet peeve. I have a difficult time with people who have a "can't do" attitude. There are 10 different ways from Sunday why "it" can't work. The opinionators may have some influence, but they are not the subject matter experts in the field in which they are commenting.

I don't consider myself to be an idealist, but I'm no way a pessimist! Here's part of an article from the Weekly Standard written by an Infantry Officer who just returned from Afghanistan in July.

Myth: America cannot win a war in Afghanistan, the "graveyard of empires." How can America succeed where Alexander the Great, the British, and the Soviet Union struggled? This refrain belongs, as they say now in the military, in the graveyard of analogies.

The Soviets, in particular, teach us how not to win in Afghanistan. A heavily mechanized force, the Red Army was ill-suited for Afghanistan's treacherous terrain, and it was dependent on long, vulnerable supply lines. It also discouraged innovative junior leadership, which is critical against an insurgency. To compensate, the Soviets employed vicious, massively destructive tactics that inflamed the Afghan people and still scar the country with depopulated valleys and adult amputees maimed as children by toy-shaped mines.

Our present way of war couldn't be more different. We deploy light and wheeled infantry to Afghanistan, making our tactics more flexible, our supply lines shorter, and our soldiers more engaged with the locals. We also radically decentralize decision-making authority to our junior soldiers and leaders, who increasingly can draw on years of combat experience.

In short, America has a counter-insurgency strategy, whereas the Soviet Union had a genocide strategy. Afghans I spoke with always recognized the difference, reviled the Russians, and respected our troops.