Ouch!

I was in a car accident yesterday afternoon. I guess it was only a matter of time when I have 100 mile roundtrip commute everyday for work. I was taking a short cut on some surface streets in Tampa because the interstate was backed up. A woman in a small Toyota Tacoma pickup truck pulled out from a side street right in front of me. I was going about 30 mph & barely had time to hit the brakes. I hit my knees on the dash and had neck/back pain. I also got a nice seatbelt burn on my neck. EMS put a c-collar on me, strapped me to a backboard & took me to the ER. Backboards are NOT comfortable. My xrays checked out & I was realsed after 4 hrs in the hospital. Today I am sore all over & most of my neck, back, shoulder & chest muscles are very tense. Fortunately my airbags did not deploy because my front end nosed down when I hit the brakes. Now I've got to deal with all the hassles of getting the car repaired, getting a rental & dealing with her insurance company (Infinity) which has been less than helpful so far. My insurance company (State Farm) has been great--you get what you pay for. Of course the irony here is that I am a Claims Manager for Personal Injury auto claims for another insurance company (Mercury).

another mystery solved

No more wondering about where sausages come from; now I know thanks to our visit to Cypress Gardens on Saturday.

beg, borrow & steal

When you can't think of anything to blog about, link to other people's blogs...

I'm not even sure where to begin about this post from Brant.

Kyle does a great job discussing Lent.

This parable by Bish will get you thinking.

stuff on the eve of lent

It's been a while so here are some random thoughts for today:

1. I'm looking forward to Lent starting tomorrow. I like the idea of having those 40 days set aside to reset & reboost my spiritual batteries. There's something about having a period of time set aside for some intrspection that can't help but be fruitful.

2. I was invited to share about Lent & Ash Wednesday to a small group from another church in town a couple weeks ago. The family hosting/leading that group was once part of our community. They left us to get involved at another church & we blessed them on their way. It was really neat to see the influence we had on them & how they're influencing others. Their meeting was pretty much a carbon copy of our gatherings: sharing dinner, sharing needs, sharing scripture, sharing communion, and sharing dessert.

3. Speaking of our community, we are no longer associated with the Vineyard. We reached an impasse over the Vineyard's insistance that we sign a trademark agreement to protect the name & brand of the Vineyard. We had some definite philosophical & theological objections. First, it's just flat out wrong to brand or trademark the church. It stinks of consumerism and commercialism. The term "vineyard" has too rich a biblical meaning to try to claim exclusive rights to. Part of the contract would have required us to participate in legal action against other churches or ministries for unauthorized use of "vineyard" in their name. That also flat out wrong. So we stood our ground & were asked to go our way since we didn't want to play nice. Quite frankly, it's a bit of a relief. We feel more free to be who were are now.

4. Thanks to the generosity of our community Lisa & I will be traveling north next month to take part in at Vineyard Central in Norwood, OH. We're really looking forward to that.

an inconvenient truth

Sometimes this gospel thing can be really hard if we stop & consider the implications. Kyle's quote below and this story about a church & the sign below is challenging as well. I've been wondering what would happen if we really took Jesus' words & example at face value & really, truly lived them out.

“You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell."
- Jesus

"Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.
On the contrary:
'If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.'
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
- St. Paul

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."
- St. Paul

something to think about

Kyle had some great words of wisdom on his blog & I just had to echo his thoughts here:

I will continue to insist that the only legitimate orientation for the Church in the world is a Eucharistic one: we are the Body of Christ, broken, and the Blood of Christ, poured out so that others might have life. When Christians insist to the broader world that their "rights" (and even social privileges) be respected, we reveal our desire to be the masters of other people, rather than to be broken for their sake, after the calling of Jesus the Christ. Jesus refused to treat enemies like enemies, and did not refuse to be broken at their hands, for their own salvation and healing. We who were enemies of God have been healed and reconciled by the suffering love of God. When we refuse the suffering of love - and the suffering of rejection that is part and parcel with it - we set ourselves up against the divine economy of healing and salvation.

"Conscience is the most secret core and sanctuary of a person.

There we are alone with God, whose voice echoes in our depths."

Gaudium et Spes, #16

"A man of conscience is one who never acquires tolerance, well-being, success, public standing, and approval on the part of prevailing opinion at the expense of the truth."

- John Cardinal Ratzinger (aka Pope Benedict XVI)

Thomas Aquinas taught that a person must always follow his or her conscience, even if it is wrong. Following my conscience has not always been a pleasant thing, in fact it often results in problems and pain. Lisa and I have some strong convictions about things. Sometimes I wish we didn't, but we do and we believe those convictions were put there by God, written on our hearts. We also believe that on those issues of conviction there is no room for compromise or acquiescence.

Following my conscience led me to quite my first job with a wife & new baby at home because I could not continue on staff at a church with a pastor who denied the existence of personal sin.

Following my conscience led me out of the Catholic church because I was/am convinced that God was calling me to minister to the wider body of Christ. To this day, almost 10 years later, there are still former friends that won't speak to us and palpable tension and ackwardness with my family.

Following my conscience led me abandoning my goal of becoming a full time pastor for sitting in a cubicle in a job 50 miles from my homw so I can lead a small group of people in my living room with no plans to grow mmuch beyond that because I'm convinced that God has called me to disciple a few people at a time.

Through it all, at each fork in the road, each tough choice to do what I was convinced was right rather than what was easy or safe, God has always come through for us. I ended up with a better job teaching high school students in a more family-friendly town. I've been able to build bridges between Catholics and Protestants that may never have happened for some individuals on their own and formed close, new friendships in the process. I've experienced financial blessing through promotions, raises & bonuses that I never would have received on a church staff; and gained wonderful new insights into the practicality of the gospel. In each decision the risks were known, but the rewards were hidden until I made the leap of faith. God does not hesitate to bless those who trust in him. In fact, if it weren't for our convictions about birth control (or rather against artificial birth control) we would likely never have had the joy of our three girls in our lives.

I've got another big "follow your conscience" moment confronting me again. I can't go into the details at this time, but maybe I will soon. It's good at times of decision to be able to look back on the past and see the faithfulness of God.

Hog Heaven

It's days like today that make me glad to live in the south. Of course there's the great weather--74-degrees on Jan. 27th--but today was something special. We took part in our first Lakeland Pig Fest. This was the 11th year for the LPF, a regional qualifying event for the Kansas City Invitational BBQ Championships. It was the perfect blend of great food (ribs, chicken, pulled pork & beef brisket sandwiches), the sweet aroma of BBQ (I wish I had a smell-o-vision blog for your benefit) and redneck goodness (NASCAR simulators and bare-chested beer bellies). Here's a sampling of some of the pics I took.

My favorite entertainment moment of the day was this kid playing/singing Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire:

this may be a little korny but...

I've always liked the liturgical calendar & seasons and the cycle of readings used by Catholics & Anglicans including the four week psalter in the liturgy of the hours. I've found that no matter what is going on in my life, somehow those predetermined readings fit in with my life & the world around me. To me this speaks of the wisdom of God and the ebb & flow of the life he's created. I was praying the office tonight, Week 3 - Tues evening prayer, when I noticed these prayers among the intercessions for today.

"O God, in your hands are the hearts of the powerful; bestow your wisdom upon government leaders, may they draw from the fountain of your counsel and please you in thought and deed."

"The talents of artists reflect your splendor, may their work give the world hope and joy."

These are written back-to-back in the office to be prayed on the day of the State of the Union address and the announcement of the Academy Award nominations. Nice coincidence, eh?

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.