Monthly Archives: April 2010

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Isaiah 19

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Chuck Colson On that Day, there will be a highway all the way from Egypt to Assyria: Assyrians will have free range in Egypt and Egyptians in Assyria. No longer rivals, they'll worship together, Egyptians and Assyrians! Isaiah 19:23 (MSG)

Charles Colson is well known in Christian circles for his teaching, his writing, and his ministry through Prison Fellowship. As the years go by, fewer and fewer people remember his incredible story. His life journey led to a pinnacle position among the conservative republicans and the political elite of the Nixon administration. Then came a rapid, deep descent he did not foresee. Colson was the first person convicted in the Watergate scandal that led to Nixon's resignation. Alone, broken, sitting in prison, Colson entered into a relationship with Jesus Christ and struck out on the path of redemption which would forever change his life and the lives of countless others.

What is often forgotten in Colson's story is the name of the person who visited him in prison and shared God's Message with him. It was not one of his political cronies. They all fled when he was convicted. His friends had also abandoned him in fear that they might be soiled by the Watergate scandal. The man who reached out to Colson was his political enemy. Harold Hughes was a liberal democrat, former governor of Iowa, and recovering alcoholic. Hughes visited Colson in prison, shared God's love with the pariah, and introduced Colson to Jesus.

Several years ago I had the opportunity to see Colson and Hughes reunited and hear them speak together. They were as opposite as opposites could be. Hughes the long-haired, liberal hippie and Colson the horn-rimmed, straight-laced conservative. I imagine that there was a lot on which the two disagreed. I was touched by watching the two of them together sharing their agreement on the single-most important truth. They were a living example of what happens when we follow Jesus' command and love our enemies.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and speakingoffaith

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Isaiah 18

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Silence is not passive. For here's what God told me: "I'm not going to say anything, but simply look on from where I live…."Isaiah 18:4a (MSG)

There have been stretches along the journey when God seems agonizingly silent. There are times when it feels like God is just sitting back and looking on. This has always frustrated me. As a father, however, I think I may be capturing some understanding of this.

As a parent, you spend much of your time heavily involved in your child's life. You talk, help, direct, correct, punish, reward, chastise and praise. It's a very active relationship, especially when your child is young. As the child grows older, more discernment is required as the child must naturally gain some independence and learn to successfully strike out on his or her own path.

Sometimes I still choose to actively speak into my daughters' lives and circumstances. There are still ways I can and will be actively engaged. Other times, however, I don't say anything but simply look on from where I live. My silence is by no means an indication of indifference. My love is not less. My concern is not absent. If anything, my personal anxiety over them is even greater as I love them enough to let them go.

God's message says that when all else passes away three things remain: faith, hope, and love. If I love my child like God loves me, then I must have the faith to let go at the right time and hope God's best for them. I must also have faith that when God, my Father, seems silent in my life, it is not because He's abandoned me. It's actually an indication of His faith, hope, and love for me.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and crazyfast

Theatre Journal, Wayfarer's Journal

“KOLD Radio” Tunes In

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Wendy in KOLD Radio 001 LR
For Wendy and me, almost every evening of the past few weeks has been spent on stage at the Pella Community Center rehearsing for USP's production of KOLD Radio, Whitefish Bay. Usually, one of our productions has 6-8 weeks of rehearsal between initial read through and performance. KOLD Radio has been an interesting experience becase it was put together in only five weeks which included Spring Break and Easter when most of the cast was busy or missing. Add to that the fact that our twelve-year-old cast member lost her father to cancer in the middle of the rehearsal period, and you can imagine the pressure and emotions everyone has been feeling. The good thing is that the core of the cast and crew are seasoned veterans who have worked together a lot. We open a week from tomorrow, and we'll be ready.

While no one has heard of this play, I think it's the funniest show I've ever been involved in. I want to be sure and invite everyone to try something different for an evening and take in a play. Tickets are only $8.00 in advance, which is a steal for live theater. Click here for more information about the show and getting tickets.

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Isaiah 17

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The Divine Hours. And why? Because you have forgotten God-Your-Salvation, not remembered your Rock-of-Refuge. Isaiah 17:10a (MSG)
 

Okay, I admit it. I'm a forgetful person. Just ask my wife, whom I drive crazy with my forgetfulness. There are days when I pull out of the driveway only to pull right back in when I suddenly remember something I forgot to take with me. Somedays I'll pull back in the driveway two or three times before I have everything I need.

A few years I was waiting for Wendy at church and happened upon a book called The Divine Hours. It's a prayer guide with prayers to be prayed at four different times of the day each day. I read the introduction of the book about the ancient discipline of praying at different times of the day. I decided to pick up the book, because I thought that it would be a cool thing to try.

Over the past couple of years I've attempted to use The Divine Hours to build a habit of praying regularly throughout each day. I've come to realize how much I forget about God in the whirlwind of my daily activities. I'm pretty good at spending time in the morning reading God's Message and praying. Once the rest of the day starts, however, God easily gets shoved to the back-burner of my mind. More often than not The Divine Hours sits on my desk until the next morning when I, once again, realize that I gave God little thought the previous day and evening.

I don't want to remember God for just a few minutes of my day. I don't want to forget God as I remember all the tasks on my to-do list. I want to be mindful and engaged with God in the midst of and throughout all my daily journey. Today is a fresh start. Good habits are built one-day-at-a-time.

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Isaiah 16

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Ballot box. "A Ruler you can depend upon will head this government, A Ruler passionate for justice, a Ruler quick to set things right."Isaiah 16:5 (MSG)

While in college, I worked breakfast shift in the kitchen. My friend Claudius, who hailed from Zimbabwe, worked the same shift and we would clean together after breakfast. We talked as we cleaned and the discussion would often turn to politics. Claudius came from a very different experience in Africa and we would talk about the pros and cons of different systems of government. Democracy, Monarchy, and Socialist, we walked through them all in our after-breakfast scrub fests.

There was a lot on which Claudius and I did not agree, but as fellow believers we did come to agreement on a couple of key points. First, every system of human government is ultimately flawed because of our imperfections and sin. Because human beings are self-centered and given to lusts of the eyes, lusts of the flesh and pride, then the power of humans to govern is ultimately corrupted no matter what the system of governing might be. Therefore (and here is the second point on which we agreed), the perfect government is a loving, just, all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present God sitting on the throne.

Compared to having God Himself on the throne, every other government is just shadows, smoke and mirrors.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and blackplastic

Wayfarer's Journal

Easter 2010

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2010 04 04 Easter 013
It was an overcast, but not terribly cold Easter weekend. Saturday morning was spent in rehearsal for the big Easter services at church. Wendy and I have been so busy with work and play rehearsals that we haven't had time to clean up the house and yard in preparation for Wendy's family gathering on Easter Sunday, so we busied ourselves on Saturday afternoon getting things picked up before Jesse, Heidi and Sophia arrived mid-afternoon. They were kind enough to pitch in as we finished up some chores and we spent the late afternoon enjoying what sunshine we could eek out of the spring afternoon on the patio.

We enjoyed a leisurely dinner together. Madison, then Taylor & Clayton, stopped by to see Sophia. Sophia had been chattering on and on about both of them. When Madison arrived, Sophia climbed into her arms and clung to her for quite a while. Four over three and a half hours we sat around the dinner table in conversation. It was wonderful. Jesse, Heidi and Sophia headed to their hotel just after 10:00.

I was up early getting chicken in the crock pot and bread into the breadmaker. Wendy and I spent Easter morning volunteering behind video cameras for two of the three Easter services at church. Madison and Taylor (with Clayton looking dapper) were at the 11:00 service with their mom. Madison then headed to Des Moines to have Easter dinner with the Vander Well clan while Taylor and Clayton headed to his grandparent's house.

The Hall/Vander Hart clan all converged at our house with lots of food around 12:30. It was nice enough to stand out on the patio to bless the meal and the feast began. Everyone ate and then "filled up the corners" with seconds and dessert. After dinner the family sat around the living room and talked and laughed and talked and laughed some more. Everyone had headed from home around 5:00 p.m.

photo above: Wendy's dad, sister Suzanna, and sister-in-law Heidi enjoying some after Easter dinner laughter and conversation.

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Isaiah15

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Next. They pour into the streets wearing black, go up on the roofs, take to the town square, Everyone in tears, everyone in grief. Isaiah 15:3 (MSG)

I sat on the dock at the lake with both my parents and my teenage children. It was one of those quiet conversations that don't usually happen in the busy rat-race of everyday life, but in the peaceful tranquility of the lake, they just sort of emerge. I asked my parents about some of the things they'd seen and experienced in their lifetime. They talked about the nation-wide celebration when World War II was over when people poured out of their houses to have an impromptu party in the streets. They talked of the day President Kennedy was assassinated and the shock and horror the nation experienced.

I thought of my own journey. I remembered where I was when President Reagan was shot, when the Challenger exploded, then Columbia. I remembered the day when the twin towers fell.

The depth of human tragedy in Isaiah's prophetic messages are easily lost when we don't make connection to our own experience. For the nations he addresses, the threat of impending seiges waged by invading armies was very real. His message was, and is, sobering. While I don't believe there is much to be gained in preoccupation with tomorrow's potential doomsday, I believe there is wisdom in understanding that the blessing I enjoy today is not guaranteed tomorrow.

Today, I'm taking time to be grateful for all with which I am blessed, and to realize that it could all be tragically gone in the twinkling of an eye. I don't want to take God's blessing and provision for granted.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and quiplash

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Isaiah 14

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There is a blueprint. God-of-the-Angel-Armies speaks: "Exactly as I planned, it will happen. Following my blueprints, it will take shape." Isaiah 14:24 (MSG)

In the months leading up to the dawn of the 21st century, the world was whipped into a frenzy with fear of worldwide disaster of doomsday proportions. Everyday the news media ran stories about the impending crash of the world's computer systems. All of the world's computers had been programmed to assume the year always began with "19," and it was believed that when the year turned to "20" the computers would crash. People started hoarding food and water and made plans for their survival in the apocalyptic world of "Y2K." There were predictions of planes falling out of the sky and entire governments collapsing.

And then…nothing happened. It was all a bunch of hype. Much ado about nothing.

Now, when I hear predictions of doomsday I remember Y2K. It's not that I don't think disaster of world-wide proportion can happen. From what God's message says, I think we can safely say that it will. Nevertheless, I take heart in knowing that there is a plan. God has a blueprint. My attention is to be given to faithfully walking the path set before me, persevering on the narrow way ordained for me. Where it leads in this life, and how it fits into God's grand design is something I can entrust to Him.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and brianbutko

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Isaiah 14

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There is a blueprint. God-of-the-Angel-Armies speaks: "Exactly as I planned, it will happen. Following my blueprints, it will take shape." Isaiah 14:24 (MSG)

In the months leading up to the dawn of the 21st century, the world was whipped into a frenzy with fear of worldwide disaster of doomsday proportions. Everyday the news media ran stories about the impending crash of the world's computer systems. All of the world's computers had been programmed to assume the year always began with "19," and it was believed that when the year turned to "20" the computers would crash. People started hoarding food and water and made plans for their survival in the apocalyptic world of "Y2K." There were predictions of planes falling out of the sky and entire governments collapsing.

And then…nothing happened. It was all a bunch of hype. Much ado about nothing.

Now, when I hear predictions of doomsday I remember Y2K. It's not that I don't think disaster of world-wide proportion can happen. From what God's message says, I think we can safely say that it will. Nevertheless, I take heart in knowing that there is a plan. God has a blueprint. My attention is to be given to faithfully walking the path set before me, persevering on the narrow way ordained for me. Where it leads in this life, and how it fits into God's grand design is something I can entrust to Him.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and brianbutko

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Isaiah 13

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Judgement. "Watch now. God's Judgment Day comes. Cruel it is, a day of wrath and anger…." Isaiah 13:9a (MSG)

There are two sides to love. There is the soft side of love with warm-fuzzies, hugs, grace, and random acts of kindness. There is also a hard side of love. The hard side of love stands up for what is right, sets clear and appropriate boundaries, and ensures that justice is appropriately carried out. The hard side of love is hard because it requires tremendous strength of character to wield it, and because it appears harmful to the ignorant, casual observer. A doctor will, lovingly, injure his patient to ensure future health and wholeness. The hard side of love seems terrible, unjust, and unfair in the moment while it is utterly necessary in the context of the whole.

Let's face it. We like the idea of a safe God. Give us a God of stained-glass and angelic choruses. We like a God with babies in his arms or a gentle lamb draped over his shoulders. But the God who gathered the innocent child into his arms is the same God who made a whip and went on a violent rampage through the temple. The shepherd who gently carries the wayward sheep home must also be ruthless in killing the lion and the bear who would prey upon his flock.

A father who cares for his children must dispense both praise and punishment appropriately, and with great wisdom. Our Heavenly Father, a God of love, must also by definition be a God of judgement. Love without justice is not true love.