It was late, very late actually. We sat for 3 hours in Dallas because of storm. Riding out an early spring Texas storm not so safely nestled in the cigar like fuselage of a Boeing 707 is not a lot of fun. It was exciting though. Before the tarmac crews were able to get the metal bird anchored to the ground we bounced round like one of those ping-pong balls in a lotto machine. One particularly frightened woman began to mutter something about not wanting to die while on a parking lot stuffed into a human sausage-making machine. I pointed out that while this was not as much fun as the tornado rollercoaster at Six Flags, it did beat being on the plane when it does these kind of gymnastics at 30,000 feet.
That was hours ago now. We were now in a holding pattern circling the City of Chicago. It seemed that the storm, which hit Dallas, had also delayed air traffic across most of the Midwest as it made its trek across the southern tier of states. Tired, hungry and thoroughly disgusted that air travel was punctuality challenged, I looked out the window of what I was beginning to believe would be my airborne hotel room for the night.
Chicago, at 12:30 am, from the sky is deceiving. The vast expanse of bright lights, matted on a carpet of blackness is breath taking. It is as if someone took a piece of black velvet and scattered thousands of tiny diamonds across it. For a split second, I thought to myself how beautiful a city Chicago was. Then, just as quickly, I returned to the world of the coherent and remembered why I was suspended several thousand feet above this giant farm of lights. I was to be in a business the next day on the near north side, trying to figure out why the inventory shortage numbers had come in at fifteen percent. The image of the store and the particular neighborhood it was in brought me back to reality much as if someone had poured ice water down my back. My eyes were drawn from the scattered brilliance of the diamonds and now seemed to concentrate on the flashing red and blue lights that now seemed to dominate the city streets. You see there is another perspective one has in that position, one can see the activity of Chicago’s finest as they race from one crime scene to another, their flashing beacons evidence of the real problems of any big city. I suddenly thought of how the same scene I was looking at might appear to the men in blue who were seeing it from ground zero.
Perspective; it is all about perspective. What might be beautiful from one vantage point might be terribly ugly from another. What might appear peaceful from the safety of several thousand feet might actually be frightful from a closer vantage. The city wrapped in brilliance and apparent sterility at 10,000 feet was actually full of death, filth, pain, and suffering at zero feet.
So often, the Church views life from 10,000 feet. We see the brilliance and beauty of life. We see the mask that others put on in order to appear normal and acceptable. It is a comfortable way to minister. Do not get dirty, do not face hardship, and do not let anything draw you away from your stained glass vantage point as you circle life at 10,000 feet.
As I read the Gospels, I find that Jesus never shied away from the dirty side f life. In fact, it was to the unseemly He ministered too. Of course, from their seats in the synagogue, the Pharisees viewed this as inappropriate. They viewed Jesus ministry as invalid because He choose not to confine Himself to the clean and sterile viewpoint at 10,000 feet.
Christianity is not just a noun it is also a verb. We need to get out of the holding pattern, land this plane, disembark, and get to work. By the way, I walked out of that store the next night to find my rental car had no unbroken glass or un-slashed rubber. Didn’t see that coming from the air.
Enjoy the Java
Jim
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
In Defense of Marriage
I come before you today as a husband, a father, a grandfather, and a leader of people. I stand here today with no intention of condemning individuals, or fostering hatred toward any person. I stand here because of my concern for my family; my family of today and as a grandfather, my family of tomorrow. I stand concerned for the people whom I influence, counsel, and love. I come today not in a spirit of hatred, for the apostle Paul writes in Romans the first chapter that hatred, as well as homosexuality is a sin, but in love. It is love that has compelled me to speak today, the love for my family, my friends, and for anyone who is deceived into thinking there is freedom in any sin.
As a Christian, I have set as my standard, (the foundation of my behavior), the Word of God. It is from the Word of God that I find His expectation of me, and from here, I form the basis for developing the next generation of my family. It is from this standard, I find that which is needed to maintain the level of character that is conducive to a good society. As a Husband and a father, it is my role to protect those whom I love from harm. It is also from that Word that I find His wonderful grace that has restored me from a life of destruction into a life that is filled with hope and a future; a grace available to those who receive it.
In my role as a husband and father, I am compelled to stand against the recent ruling declaring that the law passed by our representative government, defining marriage as being between one man and one woman is unconstitutional. I believe this to be a deliberate attempt by forces outside our state to undermine the firm foundation that we in the mid-west have enjoyed, the sanctity of marriage and solidarity of the family. To understand that this ruling has any other effect is to ignore the very foundation of family, one man, and one woman committing to a life long journey and bringing into this world new life to be shaped and molded into the next generation. As the leader of a family, I feel threatened by the fact that this ruling now opens the door to require my children be taught a standard that I firmly believe is sinful and will lead to destruction. I feel threatened that this will lead to further degradation of respect to our roles as parents, and grandparents. I feel threatened that the most sublime illustration of God’s love that is used to demonstrate His relationship with us, has been altered to now represent that which the Word of God, the standard I use in raising my family, declares as sinful and worthy of eternal separation from God. As a leader of my family I vow to stand against anything that would threaten the well being and future of my greatest legacy, my children.
As A leader of people, I stand here before you concerned about the future of our society. I am not concerned that homosexuals or homosexuality in and of itself will destroy our society. Instead, I am concerned about the further erosion of standards in general; standards that I believe are under attack because of their origin, the Bible. It concerns me when the judicial branch of the government can effectively overturn the will of the people as demonstrated through their duly elected officials, and rewrite the standards of society. It concerns me that a standard that has been held for so long, a standard that until recently was not even considered challengeable, cannot only be challenged, but shattered by the opinion of four people. It concerns me when the will of those outside our state is forced upon us affording us no opportunity to respond in time to prevent it.
Today I call upon those of you who stand with me. I implore you to search your hearts and understand there is no place for hatred in this fight, for this fight is not against people but instead it is a fight in defense of an institution that has existed throughout all human history. An institution that is currently being radically redefined in unacceptable terms. As Christians, we are called to identify sin, not to tear down those who are ensnared in it, but instead to show them the light of the good news, the Grace, and love of Jesus Christ, and by doing so lift them up.
Today I call upon those who are at the heart of this issue, those who have chosen a homosexual lifestyle. I tell you that we do not hate you, but we want to maintain a standard that has been dear to us and we feel has been of vital importance to the advancement of our society, we want the sanctity of marriage restored. We do disagree with the lifestyle you have chosen. However if that is the choice you have made the consequences of that choice are between you and God. We will not condone the behavior, but neither will we turn you away. Your standards are in conflict with our standards, but that does not mean the established, Biblical standard must therefore be abolished. You are no less of a citizen, you are no less a member of a family, you are no less a friend because of your choice. Based upon my beliefs and what I read in the Word of God, I will continue to pray for you as I pray for all who I feel are deceived by sin. I will treat you no differently than I have ever treated you, nor will I treat you any differently than I treat anyone else.
I also speak to those members of the clergy who recently commented that all Christians are joyful for the recent ruling. I would say in the strongest way I can, please do not speak for me, and please do not assume the role of being a judge concerning my relationship with God. My relationship with God is not predicated upon my acceptance of a ruling, it is predicated upon my acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice and the Grace of God, and that is something of which you have no authority to judge, however subtle that judgment might be. I will not judge the soul of another, that is strictly outside my purview and reserved for the redeemer alone, I ask you do the same.
We join today across many traditions, traditions that at times separate us. However today we realize the strength of the unity that will bind us together and allow us to see this through to victory. That unity is not a cause. Thant unity is the saving power of Jesus Christ, it is the blood of Christ that unites us and the Grace of God that calls us to declare; ‘that which God has united let no man put asunder.’
Thank You
As a Christian, I have set as my standard, (the foundation of my behavior), the Word of God. It is from the Word of God that I find His expectation of me, and from here, I form the basis for developing the next generation of my family. It is from this standard, I find that which is needed to maintain the level of character that is conducive to a good society. As a Husband and a father, it is my role to protect those whom I love from harm. It is also from that Word that I find His wonderful grace that has restored me from a life of destruction into a life that is filled with hope and a future; a grace available to those who receive it.
In my role as a husband and father, I am compelled to stand against the recent ruling declaring that the law passed by our representative government, defining marriage as being between one man and one woman is unconstitutional. I believe this to be a deliberate attempt by forces outside our state to undermine the firm foundation that we in the mid-west have enjoyed, the sanctity of marriage and solidarity of the family. To understand that this ruling has any other effect is to ignore the very foundation of family, one man, and one woman committing to a life long journey and bringing into this world new life to be shaped and molded into the next generation. As the leader of a family, I feel threatened by the fact that this ruling now opens the door to require my children be taught a standard that I firmly believe is sinful and will lead to destruction. I feel threatened that this will lead to further degradation of respect to our roles as parents, and grandparents. I feel threatened that the most sublime illustration of God’s love that is used to demonstrate His relationship with us, has been altered to now represent that which the Word of God, the standard I use in raising my family, declares as sinful and worthy of eternal separation from God. As a leader of my family I vow to stand against anything that would threaten the well being and future of my greatest legacy, my children.
As A leader of people, I stand here before you concerned about the future of our society. I am not concerned that homosexuals or homosexuality in and of itself will destroy our society. Instead, I am concerned about the further erosion of standards in general; standards that I believe are under attack because of their origin, the Bible. It concerns me when the judicial branch of the government can effectively overturn the will of the people as demonstrated through their duly elected officials, and rewrite the standards of society. It concerns me that a standard that has been held for so long, a standard that until recently was not even considered challengeable, cannot only be challenged, but shattered by the opinion of four people. It concerns me when the will of those outside our state is forced upon us affording us no opportunity to respond in time to prevent it.
Today I call upon those of you who stand with me. I implore you to search your hearts and understand there is no place for hatred in this fight, for this fight is not against people but instead it is a fight in defense of an institution that has existed throughout all human history. An institution that is currently being radically redefined in unacceptable terms. As Christians, we are called to identify sin, not to tear down those who are ensnared in it, but instead to show them the light of the good news, the Grace, and love of Jesus Christ, and by doing so lift them up.
Today I call upon those who are at the heart of this issue, those who have chosen a homosexual lifestyle. I tell you that we do not hate you, but we want to maintain a standard that has been dear to us and we feel has been of vital importance to the advancement of our society, we want the sanctity of marriage restored. We do disagree with the lifestyle you have chosen. However if that is the choice you have made the consequences of that choice are between you and God. We will not condone the behavior, but neither will we turn you away. Your standards are in conflict with our standards, but that does not mean the established, Biblical standard must therefore be abolished. You are no less of a citizen, you are no less a member of a family, you are no less a friend because of your choice. Based upon my beliefs and what I read in the Word of God, I will continue to pray for you as I pray for all who I feel are deceived by sin. I will treat you no differently than I have ever treated you, nor will I treat you any differently than I treat anyone else.
I also speak to those members of the clergy who recently commented that all Christians are joyful for the recent ruling. I would say in the strongest way I can, please do not speak for me, and please do not assume the role of being a judge concerning my relationship with God. My relationship with God is not predicated upon my acceptance of a ruling, it is predicated upon my acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice and the Grace of God, and that is something of which you have no authority to judge, however subtle that judgment might be. I will not judge the soul of another, that is strictly outside my purview and reserved for the redeemer alone, I ask you do the same.
We join today across many traditions, traditions that at times separate us. However today we realize the strength of the unity that will bind us together and allow us to see this through to victory. That unity is not a cause. Thant unity is the saving power of Jesus Christ, it is the blood of Christ that unites us and the Grace of God that calls us to declare; ‘that which God has united let no man put asunder.’
Thank You
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