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What will heaven taste like? It will be less like our ordinary Sunday services than we might imagine.

Our son and his wife recently moved into a neighborhood outside Miami, Florida, into a neighborhood which they describe in terms befitting the United Nations. They are white, their immediate neighbors are black, Cuban, and several other nationalities.

That is quite a bit more like what heaven will look like.

This past Thursday, Hope Presbyterian Church, the church I pastor, joined with St. Paul’s Missionary Baptist Church, pastored by my good friend James Roberts (pictured), for a joint Thanksgiving service. Pastor James brought with him their Young People’s Choir. You can hear a selection of their offering here. It was a wonderful service.

Is this what heaven might sound like?

It all suggests to me that heaven will not taste like anything familiar. But it also suggests to me that when we get to heaven, our taste for that which is not familiar but glorifying to God, will grow.

So you think you’ve been called to vocational ministry? We tend to romanticize that prospect. We find that someone has loved us in Christ, and we want to give that love back to others. That is a noble desire, and often it is God so leading us.

But never go into such things with eyes closed. I was struck in my devotions the other day with the counsel that Jesus gave to the 72 as he sent them out to do ministry in the world. What do you think of this counsel?

“Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.” (Luke 10:3)

How pleasant, it made me ask, is it for lambs to be among wolves?

Never romanticize ministry.

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Update: I should say that this post appeared this morning as a mere accident of timing. It could wrongly be taken that this showing up on a Monday means Randy had a bad Sunday and needs a hug. Not so, although the hug is always welcome, I had a fine Lord’s day. This comment was just a reflection on the whole nature of any serious ministry engagement. It will have its joys, but it will have its pain as well.

I’m sure you won’t believe me here, but there really is a WRPSS, the World Rock-Paper-Scissors Society. There is strategy (!) as well as tournaments paying real money. Amazing. Is there also a World Punch Buggy tournament?

Did YOU know what country rules Greenland? You lose if you said Iceland.

Scouring the web, Snowbot discovered this post which appeared a full week ahead of my call for a ‘Holiness Bible’. I did not copy. Honest. You can tell I’m honest, by the way. Just look at my Bible.

Finally, if you want Christmas presents not made in China, visit Nigel and Cheyenne’s studio this Friday and Saturday. Good stuff! (For those who do not know, Nigel and Cheyenne are accomplished potters (Nigel just returned from presenting a guest lecture at the University of Florida who do first class work. They also happen to attend Hope Church.)

In this post on the Image Blog, Jeffrey Overstreet gushes (again) about the movie The New World: Here is a portion:

“That’s why I often revisit Terrence Malick’s masterpiece—The New World. The film has become like a liturgy for me. And this new Extended Cut, just released on DVD, could not have come at a better time. I’m exhausted by recent election coverage, campaign promises, and idealism that is as unrealistic as it is inspiring. I need to regain my perspective.

“Watching The New World again, I’m amazed at how Malick has improved upon an already brilliant tapestry, weaving in more than twenty new minutes that greatly enhance its poetry. No film that I can name is more attentive to the influence of natural beauty upon human beings. And no film more clearly illustrates what Psalm 19 has always claimed: That creation “pours forth speech” day by day. While friends complain that the film was already too long, I’ve caught Malick’s fever. As he meditates on the reflective qualities of still waters, they restore my soul.”

I once had this movie at home in my hand ready to watch, and several of my children told me to not waste my time with what they judged to be the most boring and unbearably long film in the history of the motion picture. And now it’s out in an extended cut.

I’m curious: have any of you seen it? If so, do you see any qualities in it that would make it worth a two and one-half hour investment of time?

Job acknowledges the sovereignty of God in all situations. “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away,” he says. He does not try to protect God or to defend God or to strip God of his rights as creator. He simply acknowledges the fact that the Lord gives and the Lord takes away.

This past year has seen its share of his taking away. I’ve experienced that in our church, and I’ve seen it in the lives of a number of friends.

But it has as well been a rich, rich year of his giving. How so?

* In the past year, God has given to my oldest daughter a wise, godly, loving husband. Since her preteen years, she has longed to be a wife and mother, and the first half of that desire has been met by a man perfect for her. And then, the second half, that of being a mother, is, shall we say, incubating.

* My middle son was previously married and divorced, and has a son. He could not imagine any woman being interested in him after that. However, I got to watch late this spring as he stood before a young woman, with a tear on his cheek, and heard her pledge her troth to him. And what a woman God has brought him. Bright, sensitive, joyful, one who loves God and loves him. We could not be more blessed.

* Then there is the woman whom God gave five years ago to my oldest son. None of us Greenwald men are easy to love, but this woman is such a perfect fit for Seth. She laughs with him, and when necessary, laughs at him. They rejoice in the same things and pursue together the heart of God. She and my wife have so much in common that as they prepare to move, I’m wondering if Barb’s sorrow is more for losing Amy than for losing Seth.

* In the past year, a dear friend surprised Barb and I with a gift of a trip to Chicago. We would never have conceived such a trip nor planned for it. It was given to us, and it was such a delight to spend time together in such a neat place.

* While in Chicago, we celebrated thirty years of marriage. What a beautiful woman God has given me, one whose beauty deepens with age. And Barb has such patience (I think long-suffering is the right concept) to endure a life with me for all these years. I’m having to repent daily of my failings as a husband. But she soldiers on loving me.

* We were awed during that trip that God has also given us two maturing and responsible daughters. Twice in the past year they have been left at home to care for the household, to be the people in charge, and to do so without our guidance and intervention. And during our absence, we had no worries at all about their behavior or responsibility. What a blessing they are to us.

* In the past year, all three of my youngest children stood, at different times, before the congregation of Hope Church and professed their faith in Jesus Christ. How deeply we celebrate that. But are they fully perfected saints? Of course not. But their desire to take this stand before God’s people reveals where they want their heart and life to be. They profess faith in Jesus not because Barb and I are something special; they have done so because God has been faithful to his covenant and has drawn them.

* And then there were the Rays…

A blog is such a self-indulgent thing, and so I could keep going well beyond the limits of anyone’s patience, but I’ll end here.

The Lord does at times take away.

But he always gives.

Blessed be the name of the Lord.

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Note on the picture: I KNOW that is a chicken and not a turkey. I figured everyone else in the world would be putting a turkey picture on their Thanksgiving posts. I just wanted to be different.

I normally post these tidbits on Sunday, but this has been an atypical week and so this is as soon as I could get to it. Some interesting stuff here:

On Singleness. Those of us who are not single would benefit from reading this honest post by someone who is. A quote to whet your appetite:

That’s the trick about marriage as a goal. It’s not like learning to dance, or committing to losing weight. It doesn’t take will power to find a mate. It takes a mate. It takes a miracle. Oh, that I could just go to the store and pick one up!

The rest of us have so much to learn.

Where have stories gone?
Seems an odd project for MIT.

While we are referencing the NY Times, some other tidbits:
The current economic downturn may open up opportunities for ministry, if we understand the importance of community. What do you think?

Stats can be misleading, but it turns out that TV watchers are less happy. Hmmm.

We all hate phone menus. This is why. (Thanks, Gail, for this one.)

And this, from James Fallows. This is why I like this guy’s blog. He’s liberal and progressive and articulate, so he makes me think. But his interests vary widely, and I like that. Read his post on Why didn’t I know this before? (Math dept: Benford’s law). Fascinating.

And finally, if you want to be challenged in prayer, and you’ve not already seen Geoff’s post, read this.

Every now and then marketers in the Bible racket comes up with a Bible to fit the latest fad. On top of Women’s bibles in pink, Men’s bibles in camo, Youth Bibles with rock themes, and so on comes the new Green bible, which highlights biblical passages which encourage care for the environment.

I’m not sure how well the green Bible will sell. I’m actually surprised it will sell at all. I myself have had a great idea for a specialty bible. I call it the “Holiness” bible, though friends think it should be called something else.

What I propose is a bible prepared for sale along the lines of distressed furniture or pre-faded jeans. These would be leather bound and large. The binding would be scuffed and worn, the pages wrinkled and a few torn. Page after page would have underlining, highlighting, and hand written comments in the margin. For extra authenticity, the markings would fade out around Leviticus, pick up again through Psalms and Proverbs, and puddle extensively in the New Testament.

So you see, with such a bible one could give the impression of holiness with none of the real work.

Is there a market for such a thing? Why, there could be a whole industry spawned by guys looking to impress good looking Christian girls. And we pastors – who wants to show up at a bedside and read a psalm from our iPhone when we could assure our parishioners of our deep passion for the word by reading to them from such an obviously well worn ‘sword’. It could be a boon for unbelievers wanting to visit a local church but not wanting to be pegged as ‘the non-Christian’. I tell you, this is marketing genius.

Are you listening Crossway? Zondervan? Nelson?

Those who know something about current debates in evangelical and reformed theology will find a measure of pleasing irony in the following quotes from Anglican Bishop N. T. Wright. Those who are unfamiliar with the debates can read these words for the profit in them. For these are great and wise words.

[Caveat: Do not presume to make a judgment regarding my opinion on the matters of debate. I simply find the observations made here to be so true and so well said that I wanted them to be heard more broadly. No doubt the one making these observations is making them from the crucible of experience.]

“…There is an ever-present danger of false teaching in the church. Coupled with this there is, of course, an ever-present danger that people will imagine false teaching where there is none, or will label as ‘false teaching’ something which just happens not to coincide with the particular way they are used to hearing things said.

“But noting the dangers of wrong analysis doesn’t mean there isn’t after all such a thing as false teaching. There is, and it matters.

“The trouble is, of course, that false teachers seldom give themselves away easily. What they say sounds clear, convincing and attractive – as does a great deal of good and wholesome teaching. Many Christians, for good reasons, like to believe what they are taught and to take it on board with humility and trust, and so are easy prey for those who have subtly different ideas and a clever way of putting them across. But Paul sees that the church is caught in the crossfire of spiritual warfare. It isn’t a matter of simply getting one’s doctrine correct out of a sense of intellectual pride. There is a battle raging for the redemption and renewal fo the the world and of individual people, and the church is up against the powers of darkness. …What they need is both the assurance that victory will be theirs and the promise and prayer of fresh grace to be with them in every need.”

N. T. Wright, Romans for Everyman, Volume 2, pages 136-137

In contrast to the movies which immerse us into a violent world, an immersion we somehow vicariously, but safely, enjoy, there are other films which seem to celebrate the pleasures of friendship and family, and do so without overly sentimentalizing either.

Two men who seem to do this consistently are Tom McCarthy and Peter Hedges. Hedges wrote the screenplay for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and About a Boy and wrote and directed Pieces of April, and the recent Dan in Real Life. McCarthy has but two movies to his credit (though he has acted in many): The Station Agent and The Visitor. All of these movies are worth watching.

The question here is not whether we should or should not watch these, the question is not whether we should or should not enjoy what we see in them. The question is this: what do these movies, all exploring the lives of men or women in some measure alienated from family and friendship, tell us about the world in which we live and the longings that are found there?

Pieces of April is worthy of note here because it focuses upon a prodigal daughter reaching out to her estranged and highly dysfunctional family through her preparation of a Thanksgiving dinner. Watch it this week. You will be touched, not only by the urge toward family reconciliation, but as well by the beautiful picture of community which is displayed. Dan in Real Life is a rare film that sets the struggles of its main character in the context of a healthy, functioning, strong family, and it is that family that surrounds the character in his point of need.

The Station Agent is an odd little film (oddly, Patricia Clarkson is in both this movie and Pieces of April) about several rather odd characters who find friendship, and through friendship find themselves reconciled with their lives and with others around them.

The Visitor is the most recent of these films, and is a bit heavy in its full frontal (and tilted) consideration of America’s immigration dilemma. It, like the others, takes a man who is by life battered and bored and reintegrates him into real life through friendship.

None of these movies were box office smashes, but all are wonderful stories. And each reminds me why I enjoy watching movies.

But if they at all reveal a cultural longing for relationship and reconciliation, we can perhaps judge that the efforts the church makes to both exist as a real community and to as well facilitate community where we live are well worth the effort, though immediate measurable results are not visible.

I’d love to hear what others think.

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[Note 1: Both Pieces of April and The Station Agent have some scenes of drug use. As well, Pieces of April includes some unsettling pictures of, well, suffice it to say that a character is suffering from breast cancer. Further be warned that Pieces of April requires watching within reach of a box of Kleenex. You have been warned.]

[Note 2: Before you conclude that my movie watching habits have been rescued, redeemed, and focused in a more wholesome direction, you should know that next in our queue is Hellboy II. And of course, before you think me lost forever in the other direction, you should watch and ponder Hellboy I, a film in which the main character is thrown a cross necklace which burns the mark of the cross into his hand. The one who throws it to him says as the camera focuses upon the mark of the cross, “Remember who you are. This was given to you by your father.” Based upon the strength of that image and reminder Hellboy regains the capacity to do the right thing. Very interesting.]

Early this morning was posted on this blog a piece about sloppy mistakes in pop culture. I pointed out obvious errors in the movie My Life Without Me and in the book State of Fear by Michael Crichton. The problem is, I did not submit this post to an editor before posting it. My wife (and editor) called me having great fun at my expense, pointing out that I had listed the author of the book as Tom Clancy. She thought for a moment that I had done it on purpose as a little tongue in cheek bit of irony. No. If you could have seen beyond the egg on my face you would have seen the red face of embarrassment.

Ah, humility. How often have I tasted thee!

But, in retrospect, Barb demonstrates to me the value of a good editor. She keeps me from embarrassing myself. I have returned and fixed the post before many of you saw it. But, of those of you who did see it, how many CAUGHT the mistake? If you saw it, keep in mind that I put it there on purpose, as a test. Yep. That was why.