Merry Christmas to all!

We've been out of town visiting family so I could blog my Christmas greetings earlier. It's bee quite a Christmas for us/ Clare's been sick since Saturday & running a fever. With the holiday and being out of town we had limited medical resources & didn't want to end up in the ER. Fortunately, we got her in to her pediatrician yesterday. It's made for some sleepless nights. Other than that, it was a good Christmas fo all in the Ponchak household & I hope a good Christmas for you too. Remember, the Christmas season doesn't end on th 25th, it only begins & lasts until the Epiphany on January 6th. So enjoy your 12 days of Christmas.

I have a confession...

I really suck at this blogging thing. I can't believe I haven't posted anything since Nov 6th. It's not that I haven't had any ideas; I just haven't had any time. So here's my attmept to make up for some lost time:



My baby had her 1st birthday last Saturday. I have no idea where this past year went. It just flew by. Happy birthday Clare Bear.



These billboards have been up around our town for several months & they piss me off every time I see them. The "Perfect Church"?! Sorry, but there is absolutely nothing "perfect" about a cookie-cutter mini-megachurch with no sense of connection to the historical Church and no sense of sacredness or mystery. Sing some warm & fuzzy "worship" songs for 20 minutes, enjoy some flashy, entertaining skit/video, listen to a "sermon" giving bullet points on how to get God to bless & prosper you without any mention of sacrifice, toss in your tithe to "sow a seed" so God will be contractually obligated to bless & prosper you, say a little prayer & get your ticket to heaven punched. Let's not forget to replace real, meaningful community with fake, shallow conversations aimed at keeping up the appearances that all is well least you be shunned.



That's Episcopal Archbishop Schori, head of the Episcopal church in the US. She said some pretty damn crazy things. She implied that having children is displaying poor stewardship of the earth. That of course, got me thinking about the Protestant & Catholic views on contraception. I wrote my senior thesis about contraception, specifically about the Catholic document Humanae Vitae. I was heavily influenced by John Paul II's theology of the body. Lisa and I have never practiced artificial contraception. We have used a loose form of Natural Family Planning (NFP), but mostly we've kept God in our bedroom & our lives open to any new life he wants to entrust to us.

What I find interesting is that until the early 1930's all major Christian denominations held that artificial contraception was morally wrong. That all changed, like dominoes in a chain, when the Episcopal Church decided that it was no longer sinful. They argued that the bible didn't specifically forbid it & passages used to discourage contraception were being taken out of context--never mind 1,900 years of Christian teaching tradition. They felt that this was a private matter and the church had no business poking around in a married couple's bedroom. Soon after denomination after denomination gave in to the same bad theology & logic and acceptance became so widespread that it seemed that to even question the morality of contraception was itself morally questionable.

Now sit back and read that last paragraph again but substitute "artificial contraception" with "homosexual behavior" and you can see where we're heading. And once again, it's teh Episcopalians leading the way.



And finally, now that it's almost over, Happy Advent to everyone. I've enjoyed reading some fo Kyle Potter's blogs about his War on Christmas. You can check it out for yourself here and here.

politics and God

I can't wait for tomorrow to come & pass. I really don't think it matters who wins. I don't think I even care at this point. I just want all the damn political adds to stop. All of the bickering, lies, contention, and hollow promises to end. I've read that the Religious Right is growing indifferent to politics and possibly breaking up. I think this is a good thing. For far too long too many Christians have been worshiping at the altar of politics, convinced that the hope & salvation of our country lies in electing the right candidates & passing the right laws.

I do believe that as a citizen of the US I have solemn duty to participate in the democratic process. I believe that as a citizen of God's Kingdom I have a moral responsibility to evaluate and vote for the candidate that will best lead with integrity and morality. The problem is that all too often our real choice is chosing the lesser of two evils. I must also keep in mind that our only true hope is in Christ. Prayer is more powerful than ballots or bullets. Whenever I get frustrated or discouraged with politics and/or current events I remember the words of Psalm 2:

Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather
together against the LORD and against his Anointed One.
"Let us break their chains," they say, "and throw off their fetters."
The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.
Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath,
saying,
"I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill."
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD : He said to me,
"You are my Son; today I have become your Father.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance,
the ends of the earth your possession.
You will rule them with an iron cepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery."
Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed
in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Christian Suffering & A Holy Death

Clive Cabey is a brother to me in the deepest sense of the word. We were college roommates and best man at each other's weddings. We taught together at Hackett Catholic HS in Kalamazoo, MI, and left the Catholic church together to join the Vineyard. We've shared intense joys and sorrows together. Last week Clive lost his father to cancer. I wanted to share (with his permission) an email Clive sent about his father's passing. As you read it, think of Paul's words from Philippians 3:10-11, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." Please keep Clive and his mother in your prayers.


Around 3:30AM this morning my father, Charles Cabey, went to be with the Lord. As many of you may remember he was diagnosed with terminal cancer in February of this year. His last days with us were hard as he suffered much. But they were inspiring because we saw him being transformed day by day more & more into the likeness of Our Lord. Wednesday morning he awoke from being in a deep sleep for several days and he called for me saying that he was to die soon. Emily & I went over to my parents' & sat at his bedside. He opened his eyes and told me " God is alive. God is alive in all things. Jesus is THE Lord not A Lord. Jesus is not the Lord in certain things. He is the Lord in ALL things". He told us how much he loved us and then he said he was happy. I prayed with him and read the Psalms with him & as weak as he was he repeated several of the verses as I read them. These were his last words to me as he went back into a deep sleep that he did not awake from until he went to be with the Lord this morning. The Sunday before he indicated that he was beginning to experience the presence & the light of the Lord. For weeks before he died his every waking moment was spent vocally praising and giving thanks to God. In the past few years I have witnessed my father becoming more and more like Christ and growing to be a man of great faith and purity of heart. The past few months tested his faith but did not destroy it. Instead his faith was strengthened even more... I can only hope to be more like him as he persevered in his faith in God's goodness and his praise of our Lord to the very end.

My Dad went home to be with our Lord. I wanted to share with you his final words. And to ask you to pray for us to have strength and to be able to immitate his faith.

thoughts from captain sacrament

it's been a little busy lately so not much time to blog. i did come across thes following links from kyle potter and thought they we're definitely worth sharing.

• Jesus Christ Does Not Want to Come Into Your Heart and Live.
• Jesus Christ Is Not My Personal Lord and Savior. Or Yours.
• Nobody's Spending Eternity in Heaven.
• You Are Not Called to the Ministry.

learning from the amish

I don't agree with all aspects of Anabaptist theology, but was really touched by the comments by the Amish in the aftermath of the shooting this week. From an article on CNN:

A grieving grandfather told young relatives not to hate the gunman who killed five girls in an Amish schoolhouse massacre, a pastor said on Wednesday.

"As we were standing next to the body of this 13-year-old girl, the grandfather was tutoring the young boys, he was making a point, just saying to the family, 'We must not think evil of this man,' " the Rev. Robert Schenck told CNN.

"One person who had had almost daily encounters with him said that she noted that he never looked into anyone's eyes, he never looked into anyone's faces, and she knew that there was something deeply troubling about him," Schenck said.

"Although she did say, she was very careful to say, that Charles Roberts was not an evil person. That he was a deeply troubled man, that he had, in her words -- the sort of modest words of the Amish -- that he had problems of the heart."

being Christ-like

I don't agree with all aspects of Anabaptist theology, but was really touched by the comments by the Amish in the aftermath of the shooting this week. From an article on CNN:

,/em>A grieving grandfather told young relatives not to hate the gunman who killed five girls in an Amish schoolhouse massacre, a pastor said on Wednesday.

"As we were standing next to the body of this 13-year-old girl, the grandfather was tutoring the young boys, he was making a point, just saying to the family, 'We must not think evil of this man,' " the Rev. Robert Schenck told CNN.

"One person who had had almost daily encounters with him said that she noted that he never looked into anyone's eyes, he never looked into anyone's faces, and she knew that there was something deeply troubling about him," Schenck said.

"Although she did say, she was very careful to say, that Charles Roberts was not an evil person. That he was a deeply troubled man, that he had, in her words -- the sort of modest words of the Amish -- that he had problems of the heart."

just shut up

I came across a great blog touching on one aspect of some of the recent controversy about the Pope's comments on Islam and the state of Christianity in the West.

liturgically inspired rant

The liturgical calendar's readings for today included this passage from 1 Corinthians 9:24-27:

"Remember that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize. You also must run in such a way that you will win. All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I am not like a boxer who misses his punches. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified."

That last sentence from Paul caught my attention and got me thinking. That sure doesn't sound like the sentiment of someone who holds to a "once saved, always saved" assurance of salvation kind of gospel. In fact, it sounds like someone who believes that there is more to being a Christian than just saying some prayer. It's almost like Paul believes that we should "work out our salvation with fear and trembling' (Phil 2:12).

I've never really understood the whole, once saved, always saved thing. Of course, it goes well with a bar-code faith that insists upon a one time, heart felt prayer being the only requirement for salvation. What's funny is that those who hold to a strong, unwavering view of assurance have a hard time with people who seem to have lost the faith. Charles Templeton, former evangelist & friend of Billy Graham renounced Christianity in his book Farewell to God. There's a website devoted to being a support network for "Ex-Christians". There are countless stories of once faithful believers who have lost the faith after personal tragedy or witnessing great suffering. The general response given to these examples is to immediately assume that the individual did not really mean it when they prayed the prayer--they we're posers, not really Christians.

But then, how does anyone really know if they were sincere enough when they said the prayer? How can you or I be sure that we really had faith when we prayed it? If we can't really be sure, because I may be ok today & go on a homicidal rampage or suffer a great loss tomorrow, then do I really have assurance of salvation? They seemed sincere. They seemed faithful. They seemed to by just like me.

I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it, our theology matters. What we think about God has a major impact on how we live. Even USA Today recognized this simple reality within the scope of politics this week. If I believe that nothing I do can change my standing before God after I've prayed the prayer, then it's not surprising that I can go through life without allowing my faith to have a great impact in how I live.

I think the New Testament is clear that salvation can be lost--not taken from me, but forfeited by me--and that being a follower of Jesus is a daily event. We sing songs about God's mercy being new every morning. We pray to be given our daily bread. We read that God provided manna and quail daily that could not be stored up or kept overnight. The bible is pounding out a message that we must take our walk with God on a day-to-day basis. Why would salvation be any different? Every day I am presented with a choice, "life or death, a blessing or a curse" and I must choose daily to follow God. If Paul can say that he was concerned that after all he had done he may still be disqualified from the reward, how much more should I be concerned.

This concern is not rooted in despair & human effort. It is grounded in faith and maintained by grace. When I choose to follow Jesus I enter into his grace and there is nothing that can take me away from that but my own will--the rock so big God can't move it. He will not force me to love him. He will woo me, court me, call to me, but he will not rape my will. If I choose to walk away, he will chase me & hound me, but he will not force me to be with him. In this sense I am assured of salvation as long as I choose to remain in his grace. It takes discipline to do this, to train my body of flesh to stay put & not to chase after every little temptation that comes my way, but it can be done. And that is source of my hope.

theology matters

I was reading Brant’s blog the other day & he linked to this article in the current issue of First Things about the liberal fear of right-wing, religious conservatives trying to turn the US into a theocracy. In the midst of the article I found these quotes about the practical impact of premillenial dispensationalism that got me thinking.

• Balmer informs his readers that "the belief in dispensational premillennialism" explains the lousy church architecture of the last fifty years: "Why invest your resources in building or ornamentation when Jesus will return at any time?"
• "Why care about the earth when the droughts, floods, famine, and pestilence brought by ecological collapse are signs of the apocalypse foretold in the Bible? Why care about global climate change when you and yours will be rescued in the Rapture?"

I think there is more than a grain of truth to these ideas. Our theology, especially our eschatology, has a profound impact on how we live & act in this world. Buying into premillenialism with it’s escapist emphasis on the Rapture will naturally lead one down a path of apathy and fatalism towards the current events in the world and issues of significant global concern. It offers up a false hope and discredits the important role of suffering in the spiritual life.

ranting on religion

There's an interesting topic being discussed here about this book written by Spencer Burke on the controversial subject of Hell. This is apparently a hot topic within the Emerging Church crowd, especially since McLaren's book on the topic came out. I wanted to touch on this quote Scott McKnight used in his review of Spencer Burke's book:

1. We need to get beyond religion. The problem today is “religion” – institutionalization of the Christian faith, focus on propositional creeds, driven by Sunday morning services, and propped up by the economy of the church that keeps people coming back and the staff fully paid.
2. We need to get beyond religion to find a spirituality.
3. We need to discover that following the way of Jesus can get us beyond religion to find this spirituality.
4. What we will find beyond religion is grace.
5. People who will take us into that grace, where we find the “sacred beyond religion,” are heretics. Jesus was the “original heretic.”
6. Panentheism is reality: we are all “in God”. This is not the same as “pantheism” which contends in one way or another that all is god.

Please bare with me while I rant about this...

1. I'm tired of the "we need to get beyond religion" thing. I know that's the cool, emerging church kind of thing to say, but it's crap. We need to get beyond ourselves. We need to get beyond our hang ups. We need to realize that "religion" in itself is not a four letter word. God is big on religion, at least that's the impression I get from the Bible. He's not a fan of empty religion. He doesn't want lip service. This doesn't mean he's opposed to religion, just our crappy attempts at it. Seems to me that a fairly good part of the Pentateuch is concerned with God dictating the details of forming a religion for his people. He likes liturgy, smells & bells. He likes spiritual discipline. He appears to be a fan of order and structure.

I'm also slightly appalled--though not surprised--at his assumption that creeds are somehow a bad thing. They are essential tools of defining who we are as a people. The early church--people much closer to the Apostle's than we are--thought creeds were important. It's this contempt for our fathers that condemns us to reinventing the wheel over & over again.

2. Sorry but what we need to do is let spirituality infuse our religion and let our religion guide & form our spirituality.

3. Following Jesus is going to lead us toward godly, Spirit-empowered, living religion. Jesus didn't come to destroy religion but to show us how to have true religion (Matt 5:17).

4. Religion is NOT opposed to grace. It is where we encounter grace, receive grace and practice grace.

5. Sorry, but I just wanted to vomit after reading that one. Jesus was a heretic?! Are you kidding me? Sorry, but heretic has never been considered a positive comment/trait. I can't even talk about this one.

6. Sorry, but we're not all in God in the same way. This gets to the neo-universalist argument Burke & McLaren trumpet: "How could a loving God send someone to Hell?" Um, are we not reading the same Bible? Sin separates us from God. Sin cuts us off from God. Sin makes us dead. It's the human condition. God made a way through Jesus, but you've got to be in Christ to be saved, to participate in the life of God. The NORMAL way for that to happen is through baptism and faith. That is what those messy, inconvenient creeds remind us about. This doesn't mean that God can't act in an extraordinary, supernatural way to those who never heard the gospel, but it also doesn't mean that everyone is automatically made a part of the Kingdom by default.

What I don't like about...

Catholicism

• the whole priest abuse scandal & cover up attempts by numerous bishops
• insisting on celebacy for clergy
• using bad theology to justify bad doctrine: a priest acts "in persona christi" and represents Jesus as the groom with the bride as the church therefore priests can't be married
• claims of infallibility preventing the church from admitting/correcting mistakes
• encouraging a dual-caste system of religious/clergy vs laity

Evangelical Protestantism

• shallow, oversimplistic approach to faith
• general lack of any sense of history or connection to the historical church
• extreme individualism leading to a me-first, me-centered approach to spirituality
• poor attitude towards children--they're often tolerated as second class citizens

Emerging Church

• Brian McLaren
• Too much effort spent trying to reinvent the wheel
• Theological sloppiness
• Some, not all, can be too critical and prideful

Orthodoxy

• Way too tribal/ethnic
• Perceived lack of evangelistic concern/effort
• Not willing to be more flexible in worship
• Triumphalism to the extreme

surreal dining experience

We went to Moe's Southwest Grill tonight for dinner--$5 burrito night! Anyway, we're sitting in the dining area where they have at least one TV tuned in to the Animal Planet channel. The TV is muted so it's merely there to serve as visual noise. So far there's really nothing out of the ordinary. That's when I noticed what was showing on the TV. Animal Planet was running a show about medical use of maggots. They were showing images of infected, non-healing flesh wounds as doctors placed "sterilized" live maggots in the wounds to clean them. It's exactly the visual images any restauranteur would want to show to a room full of people coming to my business to eat with their friends and families.

spiritually schizophrenic

I've been feeling rather schizophrenic lately, drawn in different directions by different expressions of the faith. This has been stirring in me for some time and has become more pronounced this summer. I'm not really sure what to do about it if anything. I've been reflecting on different spiritual traditions, the positives and negatives, and how I feel/respond to each.

Catholicism
I was born and raised Catholic. I came to know Jesus as a Catholic. I was baptized in the Holy Spirit as a Catholic. I have a degree in theology from a Catholic college. I was married as a Catholic. Two of my daughters were baptized in the Catholic church. Needless to say I have a certain affinity towards Catholicism, but I am no longer a practicing member of the Catholic church. For those unfamiliar with our story Lisa & I left the Catholic church to join the Vineyard in 1996-97 (it was a process). We didn't leave because we were angry or disgruntled, but because we felt God calling us to the Vineyard & the larger Body of Christ. We didn't know if it would be temporary or permanent--and still don't quite frankly.

If you've never been Catholic it may be hard to understand, but there is a deeper identity there than just a denominational affiliation. Being Catholic carries with it a sense of identity in much the same way as being Jewish is more than just holding to a set of religious beliefs & practices. I have found very few, if any, Protestants who can relate to this. As a Catholic you belong to a certain people group, a subculture. Ironically, it is what many in the emerging church are now trying to create in their own communities. The other positive about Catholicism is its inclusiveness. There is a united diversity in any Catholic parish, just like any family. On one hand you may have a charismatic prayer group, on the other a rosary group, but despite their differences there is that deeper sense of belonging that unites in spite of the differences. You don't find this in Protestant churches. We've become too fractured, our diversity is a source of division and resentment. Protestants have managed to form their own denominational clicks that gather similar groups together to the exclusion of others.

Evangelical Protestantism
I'm not sure I've ever really been an evangelical, but I've been living in its culture for about 10 years now. I do believe that having a personal faith is essential, but I don't buy the idea that reciting the Sinner's Prayer is the only way to do that. I am very grateful for the experiences and opportunities I've had within the Vineyard. The emphasis on Kingdom theology and being naturally supernatural has provided a great answer to some of the stranger excessives of charismatic theology/practices. The Reformation was crucial in challenging and correcting various abuses in the Catholic church & likely ultimately lead to the wide-spread changes in the Second Vatican Council. We need to be reminded of the importance of having a personal faith and devotional life, the primacy of scripture and the priesthood of all believers. Within the Vineyard in particular (my experience of evangelicalism) the importance of worship has been a great influence in my life.

Emerging Church/Neo-Monasticism
This is really where we've been at for the last few years. Matthew's House has been an experiment in doing church differently from day one. We've sought to capture some of the simplicity of the early church by meeting in our homes in some informal gatherings. We've helped people detox from churchy religiousness and reconnect with a simple love of Jesus and one another. We've experienced great relationships and treasure everyone we've come in contact with, even those that have decided that our little form of church wasn't for them. We've been able to teach ancient methods of prayer (lectio divina, daily office, etc) and develop a deeper understanding of baptism and eucharist than many had previously. Through the wonders of blogging we've made real friendships with people who share similar passions and ideas. There has been a greater sense of genuineness in our weekly gatherings than in many of my other experiences with church. I deeply love and care for the people who have decided to come along side of us on our own spiritual journey, and have been blown away by the acceptance and openness to new ideas from them. I think there are some definite similarities between what we're doing and what some are calling neo-monasticism--small groups of people committed to sharing a common purpose of life, a common meal & worship, and common values.

Eastern Orthodoxy
My good friend Clive and his wife joined the Orthodox church about 18 months ago. Clive is batting for the cycle having been Catholic (we were college roommates & taught at the same Catholic high school), then left with us to join the Vineyard before making the trek to Orthodoxy. I'll admit that his conversion threw me for a loop initially. I've had limited experiences with Orthodox liturgies which I considered painfully dull and Spirit-less. Like many I had a prejudiced view of Orthodoxy as backward & overly ethnic in its nature. Clive has helped chip away at those perceptions. I've spent time looking at Orthodox theology and am very drawn to it. I love their embrace of the mystery of God and their authentic historical connection to the early church. The OCA (Orthodox Church in America) is a English-speaking, ethnically neutral expression of the faith. They are attracting evangelicals in large numbers--there was even an entire Vineyard congregation in CA that converted. Unfortunately, there are no OCA churches in Lakeland and with commuting 2-3 hours a day during the week I'm not up to another long commute on the weekend to visit an OCA parish. I would like to see what their liturgies are like sometime.

Franciscanism
Lisa & I both attended the Franciscan University of Steubenville (OH). For four years we were surrounded by Franciscan priests and Franciscan spirituality. We both became members of the Secular Franciscan Order--Lisa permanently professed & I finished my noviate year before graduating. We have always felt a closeness to Francis and his simple example of following Jesus (heck we named Clare after Clare of Assisi, Francis' friend & companion). I often still wear my Franciscan TAU cross. We have tried to live our lives in accord with Franciscan values. Of course, part of the Franciscan spiritual feeds back into some of the Catholic qualities I mentioned previously.

I guess I'll end things for there now by bring things around full circle. I'll try to post some of my critiques of some of these traditions soon. There's certainly a ying-yang effect that pulls me in one direction then pushes me away again. I'm not really sure what I'm getting at with this post. I think that right now there's a stirring and longing within me for something, but I'm not sure what that is yet.

pics from my new camera

I accidentally deleted my previous post about getting my new camera. Here are some pics I took with it.

busy, busy

I haven't been blogging much lately--been pretty busy. I'm turning 35 this week. I remember when that sounded like an "old" age, definitely a grown up age, an adult age. Now that I've made it here, it doesn't feel that old.

my little artists

In May, Mary had one of her art class paintings from school selected to be placed on display at the Polk Museum of Art here in Lakeland. That's her pointing to her painting of a kitty (the one on top) when we visited the museum.

Last month, Anna was awarded a two-week scholarship to the museum's summer art sessions. She had classes in sculpting clay, three-dimensional painting and "big" painting. That's her standing next to her big painting masterpiece painted on a 4x4 piece of plywood. I love the painting, but I can't figure out how & where to hang a 4x4 piece of plywood in our home.

I'm very proud of both of them. I've really missed Lisa and the girls this week & can't wait to have them home tomorrow.

Declaration of Dependence

Today our nation celebrates it’s independence; I want to celebrate my dependence.

I’m dependent upon my God for all that I have. Every breathe, every heartbeat, every sunrise & sunset is gift from above. More than that, I have a God that loves me with a perfect, unfailing love that knows no limit. I am completely dependent on that love for any faith, hope or love of my own. I am utterly dependent on God’s grace to give me life, not just physical life, but real life in Him that will never die.

I’m dependent upon my wife for making and keeping me the man I am today; for making me complete. Lisa’s been at her parents’ house for a couple days and it has made me realize how much I love & need her. She is my soul mate. I don’t sleep as well when she’s not in the bed. I feel that part of me is missing. I depend on her to make me the whole person I am.
I depend on my girls to make me a better dad, and to better understand the Father’s love for me. I depend on them to bring me joy and make me proud. I depend on them to teach me how to love like the Father and how to receive unconditional love. I depend on them to make me laugh and to make me smile.

I depend on the Church and my church to help me live out my walk with God. I learn the value, joy and hardship of being in communion with others. I see the diversity of God while at the same time see his unity as well. I’ve depended on the Church to carry on the teachings and truths of Christ, to give me the scriptures and traditions (good & bad) to learn from. I depend on those who have gone before me, like Francis of Assisi, to give me an example to follow of how to be a good disciple.

I depend on my nation and various levels of government to provide safety and security for my family, and for financial stability. While I know that it is God whom I ultimately trust for these things, I recognize that he uses earthly government to bring these things about too.
I’m glad to have freedom, but I’m grateful to be dependent.

name change

you may have noticed that this is no longer "tom & lisa's blog" but just "tom's blog". that's because lisa has her own bloggy thing going on now.

emergING not EmernGENT

Revelant Magazine had a good article on the Emergent movement, not to be confused with the emerging church. Emergent is the more formal organization that includes guys like Doug Pagitt and Brian McLaren. Just for the record, our community may be considered part of the emerging church, but we have nothing to do with Emergent. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the Emergent gang. I'm particularly concerned with much of their theological sloppiness and careless disregard for the importance of doctrine. We've been studying some church history in our gathering and tonight discussed some of the background around the Council of Nicea. They considered theological terminology & the finer points of doctrine to be very important, thankfully or else we might all be Arians instead of Christians. I get the impression from some of their recent writings that Pagitt & McLaren wouldn't necessarily be too upset about that as long as we could all just get along.

Anyway, there was a great quote from Len Sweet in the article, and I think it holds true for the emerging church as well as the Emergent gang. The article mentioned that Sweet was concerned that the overemphasis on how we do church has taken the focus off Christ. Then Sweet says:

"And that [the overemphasis on how to do church] brings me to a related issue: confusion between relevancy and recency. Some of the most relevant things are not the most recent, but the most ancient. Without a historical sense, or the spiritual discipline of histoical context, there's confusion between keeping relevant and just keeping up. we have to be in touch with the culture but in tune with the Spirit."

I've been thinking much lately about this kind of stuff; about being the church, about being community, about being connected to the larger Body of Christ, about theology and history, about worship and liturgy.

I was right

Nacho Libre is hands down the funniest movie of the year. I couldn't breathe I was laughing so hard. Funniest movie I've seen in a long time, if not one of the funniest I've ever seen. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it was very funny.

close call

seven comments on ben roethlisberger's recent accident:

• 1. he is one lucky s.o.b.
• 2. i think he owes every steeler fan a minimum of $500 for mental anguish

3. does it make me a bad person to admit that my first reaction to hearing that he was seriously injured while riding his motorcyle was "there goes the season"?

4. he's an idiot. wears a helmet to work because a 350-lb lineman might hit him, but doesn't wear one while riding his motorcycle when a 3000-lb car could hit him.

5. i hope the little old lady that hit him has police protection because steeler fans can be absolutely insane when it comes to anything negatively impacting the team.

6. here's hoping he'll be ready for the start of the season.

7. i'm guessing his next contract is going to have some language in it about riding motorcycles--especially without a helmet.

7. anyone riding a motorcycle without a helmet is an idiot. lawmakers that have repealed laws requiring helmets (like in PA or here in FL) are idiots too. it's against the law in FL to ride a bicycle without a helmet, but not a motorcycle. go figure.

Rats!

I woke up to a sight like this greeting me this morning in my bathroom. That'll get your blood going! I gentlely closed the lid and walked back through the bedroom. Lisa woke up and asked what I was doing. "There's a rat in the toilet" I calmly replied. I put on some work gloves & went back into the bathroom. As I stared at the toilet I played out my options. I could: A) flush the poor little bastard, but that could clog the toilet, B) grab him & run out of the house then throw him across the yard hoping a stray cat would find him, but then again he could just come back in the house, or C) reach in there and hold him under the water to drown him, but he could bite me. Then I saw it, the plunger! I used that to drown the little guy then grabbed him by the tail to dispose of the body. This is the fourth rat to meet his/her untimely dimise on my watch & each time the grim reaper has taken a different form: trap, poison, squashed by a pot & drowning. Next time I'm going for a flaming aerosol can. Until then no more blindly sitting in the dark during a late night potty run.

playing along

Alan and A started this whole thing about posting pictures of their bookshelves so I thought I'd play along and post some shots from mine as well.

stuff

• Lisa and I celebrated 13 years of wedded bliss on 5/22. I meant to blog about that back then but time got away from me. There's been ups and downs, there's been times that were better & some that were worse, there's been sickness & health, we've never been "rich" but we've been poor and through it all I can't think of another person on the face of the earth I would have rather spent this time with. God really new what he was doing when he put Lisa in my life and I am very grateful for that.
• I know that there tends to be a good amount of healthy (and unhealthy) criticism of politics and blind patriotism by those in the emerging church scene. I myself wrestled with recent decisions regarding the use of military force in Iraq. On this Memorial Day I remain grateful beyond words for the sacrifices made by those who gave their lives, and continue to do so, for my freedom.
• Theology matters. Understaning who God is matters. It might seem boring or confusing but it is not trivial. Asking theological questions, asking deep questions is never a waste of time.
• History matters. We do not exist in a vacuum. The bible does not exist in a vacuum. We are part of a people with a history that stretches back for centuries--and I'm not talking about all the way back to the 1500's. Understanding how the Church has interpreted scripture, what it has taught about spirituality and morality helps shape our own spiritual development.

welcome to the 21st century

the ponchak house is now wireless. hot diggity!

What the?!

I was recently reading an article by a leader in my current denomination. The article was about the importance of tithing & budgeting as a church, not just as individuals. Along with the usual crap about God blessing people in a twisted a quid pro quo theological system--you know, the more you give, the more He'll bless--was this little gem of advice:

"When you break it down, our budgets should look something like this:
10 percent of your budget should be given to benevolence, missions, or outreach.
10 percent should go to your savings account...
20 percent should go toward ministries -- children, youth, worship, men’s, women’s, etc.
35 percent of our budgets should be designated to our salaries.
25 percent of our budgets should be designated for building and operation costs."

So 60% of a church's budget should pay professionals to do what we should all be doing (ministry) and to pay for a nice place to meet. That is why we have decided not to do the typical church thing. Our 2005 budget looked like this:

• 56% - Benevolence: locally & globally (tsunami & hurricane aid)
• 23% - Group functions: meals, art supplies, etc.
• 15% - Operating costs: website, corporation fees, software, etc.
• 6% - Miscellaneous expenses & savings

I like to know that I am a part of a community that spends the most amount of the money being offered each week on helping others in need. I think that is a much better use of our resources, and a much more scriptural practice. Personally, I'm not satisfied with only 54% of our money being spent on others, I'd like to see that figure be much higher. Can you imagine what the world would be like if the church as a whole got it's budgeting in line with the heart of God? What if our benevolence budget was given the priority & percentage that our building and salary budgets? What if sold our multi-million dollar auditoriums and sanctuaries and gave that money to the poor? I seem to remember Jesus recommending something like that.

nfl draft 2006

I confess to being a bit of a draft nerd--though not as much as I once was. In 2000 we had just moved to the Tampa area and I entered an on-line draft contest on the Buccaneers' website. You had to fill out you own mock draft. I finished in second place out of all the entries & missed first place (tickets to a game) by just one pick. I did get a nice prize package of shirts and hats for the Bucs which I promptly gave away since my loyalty remains with my Steelers. I'll be hanging around today checking in on ESPN or NFL.com to keep up with who's picking who. Since my boys are the World Champs they're scheduled to pick last which makes it very difficult to figure out who they'll take. They need a safety or a center. They'll also need to replace Randle El as a slot receiver/return man/trick play threat. I'd like to see them take Michael Robinson (QB-Penn State) to fill the trick play role. He was QB at Penn State, but also played receiver & running back there as well.

new photos

I got tired of the slow upload time (even with our cable modem) for Fotopages so I just created some of my own photo albumns for now. Click here for pictures of our vacation up north last month.

If anyone out there knows of a better, easy to use, free photo hosting site please let me know.

Alleluia, Christ is risen!

We gathered as a community last night around a backyard campfire for our easter vigil service. We read the Old Testament stories of God's calling and saving his people. We shared the light of Christ from our easter candle, and shared in his body & blood during communion. At the start of our celebration of the empty tomb I recited the Exultet, the ancient Easter proclamation. It is my favorite prayer/hymns of the church so I thought I'd share it here as well.

Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing choirs of angels!
Exult, all creation around God's throne!
Jesus Christ, our King is risen!
Sound the trumpet of salvation!

Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor,
radiant in the brightness of your King!
Christ has conquered! Glory fills you!
Darkness vanishes for ever!

Rejoice, O Church! Exult in glory!
The risen Savior shines upon you!
Let this place resound with joy,
echoing the mighty song of all God's people!

It is truly right that with full hearts and minds and voices
we should praise the unseen God, the all-powerful Father,
and his only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
For Christ has ransomed us with his blood,
and paid for us the price of Adam's sin to our eternal Father!

This is our Passover feast,
When Christ, the true Lamb, is slain,
whose blood consecrates the homes of all believers.

This is the night,
when first you saved our fathers:
you freed the people of Israel from their slavery,
and led them dry-shod through the sea.

This is the night,
when the pillar of fire destroyed the darkness of sin.

This is the night,
when Christians everywhere,
washed clean of sin and freed from all
defilement, are restored to grace and grow together in holiness.

This is the night,
when Jesus broke the chains of death
and rose triumphant from the grave.

What good would life have been to us,
had Christ not come as our Redeemer?

Father, how wonderful your care for us!
How boundless your merciful love!
To ransom a slave you gave away your Son.

O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam,
which gained for us so great a Redeemer!

Most blessed of all nights,
chosen by God to see Christ rising from the dead!

Of this night scripture says:
"The night will be as clear as day: it will become my light, my joy."

The power of this holy night dispels all evil,
washes guilt away, restores lost innocence,
brings mourners joy; it casts out hatred,
brings us peace, and humbles earthly pride.

Night truly blessed, when heaven is wedded to
earth and we are reconciled to God!

Therefore, heavenly Father, in the joy of this night,
receive our evening sacrifice of praise,
your people's solemn offering.

May the Morning Star which never sets find this flame still burning:
Christ, that Morning Star, who came back from the dead,
and shed his peaceful light on all mankind, your Son,
who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.

holy days

Palm Sunday has just passed. Passover began this evening at sundown. Tomorrow marks the start of the Easter Triduum (three days). Our community will gather for Holy Thursday for a communion service, Good Friday for a meditation on the way of the cross, and Easter Vigil on Saturday evening to celebrate the resurrection. We'll finish things off with an Easter party and our traditional egg hunt for the kids.

As we gathered for our All Group meeting this past Sunday I reminded everyone that these are holy days. To be holy is to be set apart, and these days should be set apart for us. They should be set apart to tell & remember our Story. As a community we do this by gathering on consecutive evenings. I also encouraged everyone to find some way to personally mark these days, perhaps by reading the Gospel accounts of Christ's last days leading to his crucifixion and resurrection.

I am grateful to my parents (and my Catholic heritage) for instilling in me a profound appreciation for these days. Growing up we always had Good Friday off from school (Catholic school) and my dad always had off from work. Good Friday was observed as a somber day in our home. My parents' rule was that from noon to three o'clock on Good Friday there was to be silence in the house. No TV, no radio, no phone, not even casual conversation. We were strongly encouraged to take that time to meditate upon the cross. I remember every year looking through an old National Geographic magazine article about the Shroud of Turin and what the man on the cloth must have suffered. I would read the passion narratives in my bible. Then we would attend the three o'clock service at our church. That day for Catholics is a day of fasting (three small meals) and abstenance (no meat). I don't necessarily agree with manditory proscriptions such as these, but making a sacrifice on that day seemed appropriate. As was our family tradtion--cultural and "old" Catholic--we also abstained from meat & fasted on Holy Saturday as well until after attending the Easter Vigil service, then it was time to break the fast & celebrate with a late snack.

There is something special about these next few days and I always look forward to them every year. I'm greived somewhat that the business of work & life often interfere, but do my best nonetheless to set these days apart in my heart. I pray that you will find a way to do so too.

communion of the saints

Here's an article I've just finished writing after reflecting on the losses of Chad & Palmer in the last month or so. It seems I'm not the only one doing some reflection on this subject.

A mystical Three-Legged Race
by Tom Ponchak

With the recent untimely passing of two fellow followers of Jesus (Chad Canipe and Mark Palmer) I’ve been reflecting on our connection with our brothers & sisters in Christ who have gone before us. We profess in the Apostles’ Creed that “we believe in the communion of saints”, but I have found few outside the Catholic of Orthodox camps that have any appreciation or understanding for this term. Several years ago I out together a small group teaching about the communion of saints using Hebrews 11 & 12 as a foundation.

The eleventh chapter of Hebrews is known by some as the “Hall of Faith” due the litany of Old Testament heroes mentioned in it. The author of Hebrews starts with Abel and moves through Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to Moses, Rahab, Gideon and Samson to David, Samuel and the Prophets. It celebrates all of their accomplishments made possible by their faith. It goes on to recount the stories of other unnamed witnesses and martyrs. The chapter ends in a rather peculiar manner with the following verses:

39And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect. (NIV)

We’re told that all of these giants and heroes of the faith did not receive their promise because God had something better for us. Even more radical is the thought that the fulfillment of their promise of being made perfect is somehow tied up in our story as well. Somehow, I have some part to play in Abraham or Moses getting to see their promises fulfilled. The key to understanding how this happens is laid down in the first few verses of chapter twelve:

39And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect. (NIV)

When looking at this passage it is important to remember that the original author did not create chapter and verse breaks in the letter. While chapter and verse numbers are helpful they can often prevent us from seeing what is intended to be a single flow of thought. This is the case between Hebrews 11& 12. The “therefore” should be read as a bridge from chapter eleven to chapter twelve, connecting the two segments as a single thought process. Taking this approach we can see that the reason it is important for us to “run the race” is so that those heroes of the faith in chapter eleven can receive the blessing of the promises made to them through their connection with us. They are the “great cloud of witnesses”.

So how is this supposed to help me understand the communion of saints? I believe the key word in this passage of scripture is “surrounding” in the first segment of Hebrews 12:1. For so many years I’ve heard teachings and sermons making reference to this cloud of witnesses as the saints cheering us on from the heavenly grandstands. They rooting for us and encouraging us. This paints a picture of those who have gone before us, those who have “made it” kicking back and passively encouraging us from a distance.

When I actually broke down this passage for study and looked at the Greek term that we have translated as “surrounding” I gained a whole new understanding of this piece of scripture and a new appreciation for the communion of saints. The Greek word used here is περικειμαι (perikeimai). It literally means “to be encompassed with”. It is a word used only four other times in the New Testament and those other usages provide a better insight to its meaning. I’ve printed these other passages below and highlighted the way perikeimai is translated.

Mark 9:42
"And whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea.”

Luke
17:2
"It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.”

Acts 28:20
“For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain."

Heb 5:2
“…he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness…”

Looking at these passages it becomes apparent that the cloud of witnesses is not cheering us on from the grandstands—they’re bound to us. It’s almost as if we’re running a divine three-legged race with those who have met the Lord before us, and with those who will come after us. We are inseparably united with them for the sole purpose of seeing this whole thing through to the end so that we all get the prize that is awaiting us.

That is the communion of saints. That is koinonia, fellowship, intimacy, community. That is the Kingdom of God. In some mystical way I am now more intimately connected and bound to Palmer and Chad than I ever was in this life when I only e-knew them through blogs and shared values & vision.

great family road trip of 2006

well we survived our road trip up north. we drove from lakeland to lexington, ky to mckeesport, pa to charlotte, nc and back--exactly 2,390 miles in a jam-packed honda civic with two adults, two kids and a baby, not to mention a tightly packed trunk. i took this picture as we pulled in last night at 11:15 after driving 8-1/2 hours from charlotte. in all we had a great time. clare was wonderful, sleeping for most of our driving time. out of 30+ hours in the car she probably cried for only 60-90 minutes of that time.

i'm currently working on getting our pictures up to our fotoblog. so far i've got images from our kentucky weekend there. i hope to have the rest up within the next few days. here are some quick thoughts, observations and awards:

• state with the most contstruction: florida with pennsylvania a close 2nd
• most unreasonable speed limit: 50-mph thru downtown orlando on a saturday nite. i was doing 65 and getting passed like i was standing still.
• fewest state police observed: south carolina. drove thru the whole state & didn't see one cop on the highway at any time.
• worst roads: pennsylvania, hands down
• best idea for the trip: lisa will kill me for saying this, but bringing along her battery operated breast pump so the girls could feed clare without us having to stop.
• second best ideas for the trip: tie, getting the car windows tinted (see best idea #1), and getting the girls a portable 2-screen dvd player so they could avoid boredom by watching movies
• coldest location: lexington--actually saw a little of the white stuff while we were there. we don't see that in florida unless a drug plane crashes in the front yard or something.
• most insane drivers: florida by a long shot
• dumbest traffic law: stop signs at the end of on/off ramps in pennsylvania

overall it was great to connect/reconnect with family & friends. we had a great time in kentucky at casa de creech sharing and exploring ways to express our faith in a new context. it was great to be able to have my family spend time with the girls and see clare for the first time. i got to travel to my football mecca--heinz field in pittsburgh. finally, the girls loved getting to see the former neighbor and best friend hannah at her new home in charlotte. i've said it before and i'll say it again, it's our relationships that make life meaningful and important.

palmer

our vacation has been marked with a moment of sadness as we have learned that mark palmer has passed away. i didn't know mark personally. we share mutual friends and were commrades in the Kingdom. i know his story & feel sadness for his wife, amy, and son, micah. he is now experiencing what no eye has seen or ear has heard. he is now in the loving comforting presence of God where there is no mourning or weeping or cancer. please pray for his family & faith community as they deal with the reality of being left behind.

May the Angels lead you into paradise;
may the martyrs greet you at your arrival
and lead you into the holy city, Jerusalem.

May the choir of Angels greet you
and like Lazarus, who once was a poor man,
may you have eternal rest.

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord,
and may perpetual light shine upon him.
May his soul, and all the souls of the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God rest in peace.
(from the Catholic funeral rite)

hanging

just got into lexington to spend the weekend with father creech and friends. i'm sitting in casa creech right now taking advantage of his wireless network while listening to ""rock lobster" by the b-52's. really looking forward to this weekend, should be an excellent time. then the road trip will continue to my parents near pittsburgh for the rest of the week.

being incarnational

we had our community gathering tonight, the 3rd sunday of lent. we had a discussion about what it means to be incarnational in our spiritual journal. i think this is something missed by many of the protestant persuasion who tend to fall prey to pseudo-gnostic views of the world. what i mean by that is that many people i know practice an unconscious belief that Christianity is primarily about spiritual things and physical, material things are of lesser value or importance. some take this to the extreme that any physical pleasure must have some inherent sinfulness attached to it so they don't dance, don't go to movies, don't drink, etc. their spirituality is likewise devoid of any valued physical components. that's not the way it's supposed to be.

we weren't created to be disembodied spirits. God purposefully created us to be flesh, blood and spirit. one day we will die and experience the separation of our spirit from our bodies, but this is not the original plan for us. it is the fruit & residue of original sin, and one day that will be reversed. we recite in the apostle's creed that we believe "in the resurrection of the body." on that final day we will be reunited with a new resurrected, glorified body and we will experience eternity in flesh, blood & spirit as God intended.

the early church struggled against the gnostics, a hodgepodge of various heresies all sharing in common a dualistic worldview that declared the spiritual good and the physical evil. the gnostic legacy lives on in much of christendom in the form of warped views about sexuality, iconoclasm, devaluation of the arts, or passionless expressions of the faith. the scriptures are full of examples of our incarnate God redeeming and valuing the physical as a means of experiencing and entering into the spiritual. Jesus used spit (mk 7:33) and mud (jn 9:6) to heal. people touched handkerchiefs to paul & then used them to heal loved ones (acts 19:12). God commanded moses to lift a bronze serpent on a staff so the israelites could see it and be healed (numbers 21:9). of course the old testament is full of the use of physical signs & symbols as given and commanded by God in temple worship. ultimately God himself became Incarnate, becoming flesh & blood--and he still is in flesh & blood human form in heaven.

so how do we become intentionally incarnational in our spirituality? there are plenty of examples, but here are a few. the sacraments are a great example of incarnational spirituality, physical outward signs of an inward spiritual reality. the bread & wine of Eucharist and water of baptism are very concrete physical realities redeemed by God's action. we use a liturgical calendar and colors to mark the seasons of the year to remind us of the ebb & flow of life, the sacred rhythm placed in us & creation by God. candles call us to remember Christ, Light of the world. incense is a visual image of our prayers rising up before God. i use an anglican rosary in prayer as a way to involve my body in entering into meditation. some where crosses as jewelry, but it can also be a powerful reminder throughout the day of our Savior. although most associate making the sign of the cross with catholicism its practice can be traced back to the 4th century as a means of marking oneself for Christ.

this is my body

There's bee a bit of discussion lately in the blogsphere about Eucharist, also known as communion or the Lord's Supper. More specifically, much has been said about coming to a deeper understanding of the bread & wine as Christ's body & blood. You can see what I'm talking about here and here and here and finally here. I lead a discussion on this topic with our community last week.

This can be a touchy subject. Those of us raised in Catholic, Anglican or Orthodox backgrounds have a much different take than those raised in Fundamentalist, Evangelical, Anabaptist or Reformed backgrounds. As I shared with our community, and some of my blogging compatriots have pointed out, somewhere along the line in history we lost the ability to accept as mystery certain elements of our Christian faith that go beyond rational understanding. Too often this has resulted in us trying to codify and define things that are beyond our ability to comprehend let alone explain. Naturally this results in a war of words and meanings and we lose the forest for the trees. This is precisely the case with the Eucharist--literally "Thanksgiving".

There can be little serious doubt that the earliest Christians understood that Christ was truly and really present in the bread & wine as his Body & Blood. Any honest reading of early Christian writings reveals this to be true. What is not so clear, and this is more to the point, is how the bread & wine become and are the Body & Blood of Jesus. There was no formal philosophical or doctrinal statement or explanation to describe the process. It was taken on faith as a mystery, just as the Trinity or the Incarnation of Christ was understood as a mystery. In fact many early Christians saw a parallel between the Incarnation, God becoming flesh, and the Eucharist, flesh becoming bread or more properly bread becoming God's flesh.

I think a key to understanding the Eucharist is to keep it within its original context of Passover. The first Eucharist, the Last Supper, was Jesus' final Passover meal with his disiples. For the Jews Passover is a memorial--a re-living--of the original Passover when God delivered the Israelites from captivity in Egypt. To receive deliverance the Jews had to take a spotless lamb, shed its blood, cover their doorways with the blood, and finally eat the lamb. It is clear from the Gospels that Jesus's death on the cross was the fulfillment of what was foreshadowed in the orginal Passover event. He was the sinless Lamb of God. His blood was shed. We are covered by that blood through relationship with him. Finally, he gave us his flesh--the Lamb--to eat as spiritual nourishment.

Do I understand how Jesus is present? No. Do I need to understand it? No. I do believe he is really present, that the bread & wine are somehow his Body & Blood, because he said so, and because the witness of scripture and the testimony of the early church attest to it. It is a mystery to me, but that doesn't make it any less real. It is an avenue, some would say the avenue, of grace. It gives me strength, I don't know how, but I know it does.

marked

Today is Ash Wedneday, the first day of Lent. It is a day when many Christians, particularly Catholics, have their foreheads marked with ashes in the sign of the cross. The minister says the words: "Remember, man, that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return." (Latin: Memento homo, quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris.) Lent is the season of spiritual preparation leading to Easter. It is a time for repentance, introspection and spiritual exercises.

There's something mysteriously beautiful about receiving that mark, being publicly marked and set apart as belonging to Christ. And there is something truly humbling about those words, quia pulvis es--you are dust. That mark and those words do not distinguish between race, sex, or social standing. They transcend politics and opinions. In the end, when all is said and done and everything else stripped away we all stand naked, poor, and helpless before God. We are little clumps of clay without life unless he breathes it into us.

There's another Latin saying that I also remember to keep myself in check. Tempus fugit, memento mori--Time flies, remember your death. All that I can accumulate, all the stature I can gain, all the wealth & toys I can store up will turn to dust just like this shell of a mortal body I inhabit. The only things that truly last are relationships; my relationship with God, with my wife, my children, my friends, my neighbors and my coworkers. Those are the only lasting legacy any of us can lay claim to, and they have eternal impact, but how much of my day is devoted to developing and deepening those bonds? Not nearly enough.

That is what Lent is for, to give us the opportunity to take stock & evaluate things. The practice of giving something up for Lent was & is supposed to be a means of fasting for the purpose of making changes. Giving up chocolate is nice & might help my waistline, but it does little for those things that have eternal remifications. That's why I'm taking advantage of this season of Lent and the grace that is present from God for change--metanoia, translated from Greek as repent means to change direction. I'm going to seek hard after God and the people close to me in order to build something that will last and stand when my ashes are scattered to the winds.

finally!

i've been waiting 26 years to see my steelers win the super bowl again--i can barely remember their sbXIV win over the rams in jan'80. feels good.

train up a child in the way she should go...

kicking it with clare watching the steelers win the afc championship

not seeing the forest for the trees

From a CNN story about the execution of a 76-year old prisoner:

Having suffered a heart attack back in September, [condemned prisoner, Clarence Ray] Allen had asked prison authorities to let him die if he went into cardiac arrest before his execution, a request prison officials said they would not honor.

"At no point are we not going to value the sanctity of life," said prison spokesman Vernell Crittendon. "We would resuscitate him," then execute him.

Well, at least they value the sanctity of human life.

baby update

we've posted some more pictures of clare on our fotopage.

Why I Have No Respect Left For Pat

Why did I start my C.A.P.S. petition? Why do I no longer have any respect for Pat Robertson? Just look at the following selection of quotes from the news coverage of Pat's latest outrageous statements--taken from CNN, I added the emphasis to some of them. How would you like to be Pat's official spokesperson in the first story after hearing that he reversed his position & apologized?

Exactly who is Pat serving? On January 6th he defended his comments as being what the Word of God teaches. Israel threatens to leave him out of a $50million project & all of the sudden he was wrong to say what he did? He was wrong to begin with, but to have such total lack of conviction to immediately fold on his position because it was going to cost him some money is reprehensible. No wonder the world looks at Christians as a laughing stock, as greedy snake oil salesmen, and as cold hearted and hypocritical people.

(To Israel's credit they're still excluding Pat from the development project.)

Robertson suggests God smote Sharon

Evangelist links Israeli leader's stroke to 'dividing God's land'

Friday, January 6, 2006

"He was dividing God's land, and I would say, 'Woe unto any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the [European Union], the United Nations or the United States of America,'" Robertson told viewers of his long-running television show, "The 700 Club."

"God says, 'This land belongs to me, and you'd better leave it alone,'" he said.

Robertson said Thursday that Sharon was "a very likable person, and I am sad to see him in this condition." He linked Sharon's health problems to the 1995 assassination of Israeli leader Yitzhak Rabin, who signed the Oslo peace accords that granted limited self-rule to Palestinians.

"It was a terrible thing that happened, but nevertheless, now he's dead," Robertson said.

According to The Associated Press, Robertson spokeswoman Angell Watts said of people who criticized the comments: "What they're basically saying is, 'How dare Pat Robertson quote the Bible?'"

"This is what the word of God says," Watts told the AP. "This is nothing new to the Christian community."

-----------------------------

Israel: Woe unto Pat Robertson for criticizing Sharon

Nation cuts ties with Christian broadcaster

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Israel on Wednesday said it would go ahead with plans to build an evangelical Christian heritage center in northern Israel -- but without Robertson, after the Christian Coalition founder said Israeli leader Ariel Sharon's stroke was divine retribution for "dividing God's land."

"From our perspective, such a statement made for a person that is lying in a hospital bed is outrageous," Deputy Tourism Minister Rami Levy told CNN.

Robertson had led a group of evangelicals planning the $50 million center, a joint venture with the state of Israel. The facility is to be built along the Sea of Galilee, where Christians believe Jesus walked on water.

The ministry said its decision to cut ties with Robertson was directly related to his comments. However, Israel will still continue with the project, Levy said.

-------------------

Robertson apologizes to Sharon's son

Comments follow threatened exclusion from $50M heritage center

Friday, January 13, 2006

"My zeal, my love of Israel and my concern for the future safety of your nation led me to make remarks which I can now view in retrospect as inappropriate and insensitive in light of a national grief experienced because of your father's illness," Robertson wrote.

In his letter, Robertson expressed "profound sympathy" for Sharon, who is making slight improvements after the cerebral hemorrhage he suffered last week. Robertson also called the 77-year-old leader "a kind, gracious and gentle man" who was "carrying an almost insurmountable burden of making decisions for his nation."

He added, "I ask your forgiveness and the forgiveness of the people of Israel for saying what was clearly insensitive at the time."

The evangelist also chided the news media for not conveying the "heartfelt sentiments" he also expressed the day after Sharon fell ill.

plese sign my petition

I've created a new on-line petition. Follow this link to sign the petition for CAPS (Christians Against Pat Speaking) asking Pat Robertson to stop saying stupid things. I'd appreciate it if you could forward the news of this petition on to your friends as well.

Thanks
Tom

baptism

we're getting ready to baptize clare so i took the occassion to get all theological on the subject here.