Month: February 2011 Page 1 of 2

Couch to 3.21K

On February 25, 2011

My “spunky lady” pushed me today. She surprised me by demanding that I run 20 minutes uninterrupted. I thought she was being a bit overly confident in my status, since to date we’ve interlaced running and walking. But what she says, I do.

Found out why I pay her the big bucks. I did 3.21 kilometers in 21:30 (I did not want to stop – imagine that!). I know, I’m not setting any speed records here. That’s a 5K in about 33:29. But still.

My son’s had a rough go of it. He took a couple days off last week complaining of soreness. My wife took him to the store on Monday and found out his shoes were two sizes too small. (Who ARE these parents, anyway?) That afternoon, I ate his dust.

But then he got a bad cold and has taken two more days off. And yet, something tells me that ten-year old legs are a bit more resilient than 54 year old legs. He should do fine.

Getting Out of the Way

By Randy

On February 23, 2011

In Preaching

Tim Keller was recently interviewed by a writer for the Atlantic Monthly about his new book. I’d encourage you to read the whole interview, as it gives a real sense of the breadth of his reading the the passion of his heart.

As a preacher, though, I resonated with his discussion about how in his writing he simply wanted to get out of the way and let people see Jesus, that is, do justice to the material, which in this case is the gospel of Mark. He says,

There’s a true story, evidently, of [Arturo] Toscanini. He was director of the NBC Symphony Orchestra years ago, here in New York. And there was some place where he had just conducted—actually it was just a rehearsal. He conducted a Beethoven symphony. And he did such an incredible job with it that when it was all done, the musicians gave him a standing ovation. And he started to cry. He literally started to cry, and he actually had them sit down, and he wouldn’t let them applaud, and then he said, “It’s not me, it wasn’t me, it was Beethoven.”

Now, what he’s getting across there is a feeling like, “I’m just trying to do justice to the material.” And usually I don’t. And if occasionally I do ok, you shouldn’t be applauding me. It’s just, I got out of the way. I just got out of the way and we actually heard how great the music was. And I feel the same struggle. I’m just trying to get out of the way. And you can’t. In other words, when you’re actually reading, and you’re getting directly a sense of the greatness and the attractiveness of Jesus—and by the way, to say he’s attractive doesn’t mean he’s warm and toasty all the time. I mean, sometimes he’s scary, but he’s still attractive. I just want to say, I want other people to have the same experience I’ve had as I’ve read. And I never quite get there.

I know the feeling. How hard it is to get out of the way. But on those rare occasions when I do and I know that people are having to deal with Jesus and not my words, that is a joy.

The Offense of the Off-handed Comment

By Randy

On February 22, 2011

In Uncategorized

Recently I had an occasion to hear a prominent and respected evangelical leader speak to about 400 gathered people. In his message, which was full of worthwhile and thought-provoking content, he referred to his reading of the New York Times “with his nose plugged”. He almost apologized for reading the Times, saying he had to do it because of his radio program.

I can guess the audience that “nose plug” comment was intended for, but it, like many off-handed comments we make, was neither necessary nor wise.

First of all, I think one SHOULD read the New York Times. It IS one of the primary media of our day and its reach is broad. We should not apologize for doing so as if we are doing something shameful.

But, secondly, when we speak, to four-hundred, to four-thousand, or even to four, we ought never to assume that our inside ‘jokes’ will be uniformly appreciated. I merely lost respect for the man. But suppose there was someone there who had just ended a five year stint writing for the Times. How would he have taken that snide dismissal of his work? Or if someone there was simply wrestling with the claims of Christ, he may (unnecessarily) leave thinking either 1) he must, in addition to coming to trust Christ, come to mistrust the New York Times, in order to be a Christian, or 2) that he has no more taste for Christian things because of the “Christian” take on something he holds dear. In either scenario, the offense is not the cross, but the carelessness of the speaker.

David Bisgrove, Associated Pastor of New York City’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church, stressed this point in an extremely helpful presentation to the Gospel Coalition in 2007. He said

In most (even thriving) churches, the whole service usually assumes: 1) a lot of Biblical knowledge, 2) a ‘we-them’ mentality (we Christians vs. the big, bad world), 3) much evangelical terminology. Thus most Christians, even when they are edified in church, know intuitively that their non-Christian friends would not appreciate the service.

He illustrated this point by noting a time that he was preparing to preach and saw Robin Williams sitting in the middle of the congregation. He was glad, as his mind scanned his notes, that he was making no disparaging comments about Hollywood.

People misunderstand me every time I talk in this way. My plea is simply this: The cross will be offensive. Let us not, therefore, find other ways to offend with the result that those who need to hear the cross never can.

Personal Trainer: $2.99

By Randy

On February 21, 2011

In Life

I realized the other day that I exercise best when I have a measurable goal. Living longer and improving my general health is good and all, but obviously has not been sufficient to get me into a regular exercise routine. So, I set a goal. I turn 55 in April. Perhaps there is enough muscle and lung capacity to run 5K by 55? It has a nice ring to it.

Typically when I get such notions, I start fast, hurt myself, grow to despise the whole idea, and conclude that even people who exercise die, so why bother.

I needed help. A little research showed me that, of course, “There’s an app for that.” (Follow that link; you won’t be disappointed.)

I landed on a spunky little gal called “Couch to 5K“. The name pretty well summed up my situation, so I shelled out the $2.99. What I now have is a lady (I could change her to a man, but I’ll stick with the default for now) who three days each week tells me how long to warm up, when to run, when to walk, when to run again, when to walk again, and when to cool down.

I’ve been at this for over four weeks now. I do what she says. Today I combined running five minutes with walking three. Wednesday the plan is to run eight minutes, walk for five, and run for another eight. Slowly, slowly, she is working me up to the point where, I do believe, I’ll be able to do this.

So, my goal date is the Corporate 5K, April 14, in Orlando. It is an evening run/walk attracting nearly 13,000 people. I think I just might pull this off.

Better still is that my ten year old son is training with me. We, with my wife walking, should be able to run it together, though, if today is any indication, ‘together’ is meant loosely. I expect to see a lot of his back.

And that is priceless.

Prayer, Social Action, and the Daily Paper (the What?)

By Randy

On February 21, 2011

In Christian Life, Politics, Prayer

That many aspects of Richard F. Lovelace’s warm and wise Dynamics of Spiritual Life show the book’s age (it was first published in 1979) is illustrated in his assumption that Christians or anyone still reads newspapers. No doubt, he had never heard of the internet. Dated caveats aside, I wish I had read this book in 1979, so full of sense and Biblical wisdom it is. Representative is this, an encouragement I need to take more seriously:

Most American Christians would probably assume that prayer…has little to do with social action. This is because most of those who are praying are not praying about social issues, and most of those who are active in social issues are not praying very much…. Local congregations pray about their members, programs, budgets and evangelistic outreach. How often do they pray about the social needs of their community or the nation?…The best advice for both ministers and laity is to read the daily paper [!] while thinking biblically in dependence on the Spirit, turning the information gained into prayer. (392-393)

See? Warm, wise, life-changing spiritual common sense.

Prayer for Spiritual Renewal

By Randy

On February 16, 2011

In Prayer, Theology

Gordon Fee concludes his God’s Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul (discussed yesterday) with prayer drawn from three sources: David, Moses, and later Christian hymnody.

Oh God, you are my God,
Earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirst for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.

If your Presence does not go with us,
do not send us up from here.
How will anyone know
that you are pleased with…your people
unless you go with us?
What else will distinguish…your people
from all the other people on the face of the earth?

Holy Spirit, all divine,
Dwell within this heart of mine;
Cast down every idol throne,
Reign supreme, and reign alone.

Let all God’s people say, “Amen.”

[Sources: Fee, page 903; Psalm 63:1; Exodus 33:15, 16; Andrew Reed.]

The Holy Spirit in the Christian Life

By Randy

On February 15, 2011

In Theology

Gordon Fee believes, I think rightly, that the place, role, and ministry of the Holy Spirit are overlooked and downplayed in many churches. As a corrective, in his monumental God’s Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul Fee first exegetes all the relevant passages dealing with the Holy Spirit in Paul’s letters and then offers 100 pages of theological reflection derived from that exegesis.

At the end, he offers an appeal to the church to pursue a way forward. He does not naïvely call upon us to the restoration of some ‘primitive’ Christianity. Rather what he hopes for is that we would recapture

“…the Pauline perspective of Christian life as essentially the life of the Spirit, dynamically experienced and eschatologically oriented — but fully integrated into the life of the church.” (page 901, emphasis his)

I think his is a hope and desire worth sharing. As others have noted, the Christian church is often confessionally trinitarian, but functionally bi-nitarian. I see that in my own practice and language. To Fee

“…a genuine recapturing of the Pauline perspective will cause the church to be more vitally Trinitarian, not only in its theology, but in its life and Spirituality as well. …our theologizing must stop paying mere lip service to the Spirit and…the church must risk freeing the Spirit from being boxed into the creed and getting him back into the experienced life of the believer and the believing community.” (page 902)

Such a movement will restore life and power to the church, and be central to the divine intention that the “…glory of the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:14)

“This will mean not the exaltation of the Spirit, but the exaltation of God…. Ethical life will be neither narrowly, individualistically conceived nor legalistically expressed, but will be joyously communal and decidedly over against the world’s present trinity of relativism, secularism, and materialism… . And the proper Trinitarian aim of such ethics will be the Pauline one — to the glory of God, through being conformed to the image of the Son, by the empowering of the Spirit.” (902)

It’s a good and worthy dream.

Great Romances

By Randy

On February 14, 2011

In Uncategorized

In my wanderings last week, I heard about a PBS series called Great Romances of the 20th Century.
Great romances 20th

Great Romances of the 20th Century examines many passionate love affairs, including those of Jackie Kennedy and John F. Kennedy, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, Juan and Evita Peron, and Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Great Romances unlocks the secrets that were behind some of the world’s most famous and rapturous relationships.

I suppose those ‘secrets’ would be fun to hear, but this is really not about ‘great’ romances, but ‘celebrity’ romances and celebrity romances, as Donkey so unceremoniously pointed out, watching the dragon spit out Lord Farquaad’s crown, never last.

Hollywood is not the first place I’d look for great romances or for secrets of their longevity. More likely are such to be found at the tables around us at church dinners populated by broken people who have learned to love one another ‘for better or for worse’. More likely they are to be found in the lives of the old couple walking hand in hand on the beach. These relationships might not make good TV, but they would make a great study for those newly married or contemplating marriage.

A year ago, I surveyed a half dozen couples who had reached at least thirty years of marriage. These are not couples who have faced an idyllic life. They have experienced shattered careers, cancer, and near divorce. But they are together and thriving and I asked them why? Their answers, which are really no secrets, are wonderful and inhabit my hard drive still awaiting processing and posting.

While that waits a future day, on this one which will expose some of us husbands as being thoughtless and others as sweetly romantic, which will cause some to celebrate the ‘in relationship’ tag on Facebook and others to curse it, we remember that great relationships are not built upon romance at all, but on love, which is something far greater and deeper and harder.

Happy Valentines Day!

Separate Accounts

By Randy

On February 9, 2011

In Uncategorized

Here is a great little assessment of the “wisdom” of marriage partners having separate financial accounts. A snippet:

The way I see it, there are no individual expenses; that ended when 130 of our nearest and dearest watched us swear to love, honor and cherish. If Peter had no income at all, he would still need clothes, haircuts, and the occasional night out with friends; likewise with me. That’s one of the things we both signed on to provide the other person. So who cares whose income it comes out of?

My experience with marriages in trouble suggests that her concerns are absolutely correct.

Political Theater

By Randy

On February 9, 2011

In Politics

All the world is a stage and all of us who strut upon it are actors after some fashion. And in the political arena, where men and women must gather coalitions and support from a myriad of diverse points of view, I suppose that success depends upon a high level of thespian skill.

But I am so put off by blatant political theater. And at this point I can’t determine whether that is because I am at heart self-righteous and able to see the sins of others so much better than I can see the same sin in myself, or whether I am attune to something rotten in American politics.

It may be both. When it is so clear that the act of an elected official is aimed not at accomplishing anything of public value, but simply at making political points, I think I am justified to be put off by the smell.

Recently, newly elected Republicans in the US House of Representatives pushed a measure to repeal the Obama health care plan passed by the previous Congress. They pushed this knowing that it was meaningless. It would not pass the Senate. That a bill was submitted which all knew would accomplish nothing more than gain supporters “I-stood-up-to-Obama” points seemed not to bother any of them. But it was pure theater designed to amuse, if not deceive.

Monday, in similar fashion, Rick Scott, the multi-millionaire governor of Florida, unveiled the parameters of his new state budget. I was hopeful, but I should have known better than to expect something serious when Gov. Scott chose a gathering of those living under the ‘tea party’ label as the place to reveal his plan. He was playing to the house. His budget has no chance of passing in its current form. It is not realistic. And yet he can stand with a straight face on that stage and enjoy the cheers of those he is duping into thinking he is actually doing something. It is all theater. Why do we buy it?

Of course, all leadership demands drama to some degree. Henry V’s “Band of Brothers” speech is of course all Shakespeare, but something like it needs to be delivered before men head into battle, or little leaguers head into their first game. At some level, of course, it is dramatic and needs to be. And sometimes symbolic acts need to be taken. That, too, I understand. But drama and symbol must be wed to integrity. Anything else is mere play-acting.