Mother's Day Rant

Motherhood is a tough gig. I mean, seriously! Women are expected to stay home with these little bundles of activity for many years and without any kind of fair compensation! What is a mother worth? A whole bunch! The expectation is that the women stay home with Jonny and Susie while the man goes off to work. Then when he comes home, what happens to those expectations? Generally nothing. Many men come home from work expecting food on the table, and then to be allowed to rest from their busy day...while the wife continues doing precisely what she has been doing all day long...taking care of the children! I have talked to so many women who just feel trapped in this cycle and what can they do? They don't see any point of trying to talk to their husbands about it...they get no where doing that.

You know why this is true? Because we have been fed a lie. Yes...we here in the church have been fed a lie. We've been told by the outspoken wing of the church that men are to rule over their wives. That men are the head of the household. That women are to submit and do exactly what their husbands say. But...are they? Is that what the Bible really teaches? Did God create women to be nothing more than household slaves...serving their lord husband? I think not.

I don't think that was God's intention at all. We're going to peruse the Bible looking to see if we can find a better concept of God's plan for women. Before we do that, let me say this: Motherhood is an honorable calling. It isn't a job. It isn't a career. It is a calling. Being a mother is special. I want to say that before anyone gets the idea that I'm belittling motherhood. I am most certainly not! But, I do want to put motherhood in perspective...as well as the concept of woman in general. God did not create slaves...that much should be obvious. And yet, in so many places around the world that is what women are...in some places slaves are better off. Even in America, Christian America that is, many women are held in very low esteem by the men who believe they have authority over them.

So, let's begin our little perusal in Genesis. A fitting place I think! Genesis One tells in a sweeping way of the creation of the earth out of chaos. God took chaos and organized it. He made it orderly. And when he got around to creating mankind, this is what we read:

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

What can we see here? First of all, that God created mankind in His image. This is repeated, so it's important. Then what? What did that image of God entail? That man be created “male and female.” In order for man to hold Gods' image...mankind had to be male and female. God's image is both masculine and feminine. There is no degree of separation here, no ranking of male over female, no “headship” of one over the other. There is simply the fact that for mankind to be made in God's image, mankind had to be made...with two genders.

Now, in chapter 2 of Genesis, we get a more detailed look at God creating Adam and Eve. Does God create Eve second? One can look at it that way. The other way one might look at it is that as the final act of God's creation...Eve was the pinnacle.

But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man." For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man." For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

The idea of a suitable helper is often demeaned into something very much less than what it really is. It isn't a helper...but a soul mate, someone who is not subservient, but equal. Equally engaged in the task of ruling, having dominion over all of God's creation. This was never intended to be a one man show. It was intended to be a ruling council, a place of strength for one another.

Ah, but this all changed at the fall, you say! Well, it did indeed. But...when God says,

"I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."

he isn't saying that this is his desire...this is a consequence. The fall had consequences...for the serpent, for the woman and for the man. Mankind lost God's design at the fall.

And so women have lived over the millenia, subjected to men, ruled over by men, abused often times by men. And so it has been, even in the church for the most part (but not always!) Mankind, men and women, lived separated from their Creator. Male and female drifted along, fighting, cursing, submitting, not submitting...until one day..something happened. Jesus came to earth.

Jesus, born of a woman...is a woman subservient? Hardly...just as the woman can be understood to be the pinnacle of God's creation, so here we see woman as the very first one who knew the messiah had come! A woman, or a girl even, was the first one God told about His messiah.
And Jesus, when he begins his ministry...what does he do? He ignores cultural taboos and speaks with women. Many women followed him. A forgiven prostitute washes his feet with her tears and dries them with her hair...as a male Pharisee looks on in disgust. These are not minor things! We overlook them because we have a slightly different view of women today than in Jesus' day, but these are not to be overlooked. Jesus set a new direction for women...if men had allowed them to follow it. And indeed, early in the life of the church women did find more freedom. That is a discussion for perhaps another day.

My point here is this: Jesus came to restore creation to God's original purpose...one might say even to a more glorious purpose. One of the things restored...was women as being a part of the image of God. Women who are created, not to be subservient, but to be co-equal to men in God's plan.

Finally, Paul says some things about women that are difficult to understand precisely because of the cultural differences between his day and ours. But, I want to point out one statement he makes in Galatians 3:26-29,

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Now here is a rally cry! We live in a time of tremendous divisions. We are divided by race, by sex, by social status, by sexual orientation, by disability, by...well just about anything someone wants to divide us by they can. Usually for the sake of nothing more than personal advancement, but there are incredible divides between us. Some use these divisions to divide and conquer. Others ignore them to their peril.

But, Jesus came to tear down barriers. He tore down the barrier between God and mankind. He tore down the barrier between Jew and Gentile. He tore down the wall between slave and free (rich and poor?). He tore down the wall between the genders...male and female. Think what you will of Paul, but he was not entirely a male chauvinist!

Paul says, “You are all sons of God...” You – Jew and Gentile, slave and free, male and female. All are heirs of God.... Women don't get to be heirs by the grace of men, but by the power of God through Jesus Christ restoring the created order. As Paul says in Romans 8:

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

All of creation awaits the glory to be revealed. The sons of God...male and female.
So...what can we take from this rambling?

First, women are not second class citizens. Women have a very important and honorable place in the church and in life.

Second, women have every right...and duty ... to fully pursue all that God has for them. Men have the obligation to move aside and allow women to function in the callings and giftings God has given them.

Third, the church could be a place of enormous blessing to women...could be. God created women to be held in high regard as are men. If the church were to hold women in that way...imagine the impact we could have on the world around us?

Finally, men, honor your wives, children honor your mothers, as gloriously created beings!

Life in a small town

I had the privilege last night of saying the Invocation at our prom banquet. I wasn't really sure what to say, or what they were expecting. As it turned out...neither did they! I was at first asked to open and welcome everyone. Just as I was about to do that, the faculty member sitting across from me said, "Wait, the senior class president is supposed to open this up!" I sat back down while he went to the class president and reminded her of her duty. It was funny...then it took her several uncomfortable (for the rest of us) minutes to gather her thoughts. I'm sure most of the people in the room were wondering what my problem was!

She finally stood and did a very nice job thanking the volunteers, welcoming everyone and introducing me. I prayed a prayer I had written for the occasion and sat back down and enjoyed the rest of the evening.

It struck me as I was observing the event how precious the banquet was. It was so simple. The parents had spent the day decorating and preparing the food. The kids had spent the day preparing for the dance. I think every Junior and every Senior attended - even if they didn't have a date. Following the banquet the young people went to the nursing home and "promenaded" through the halls so the Seniors Citizens living there felt a part of this community event.

It was a very good evening....in the heartland.

The Blizzard of the Century

They warned us. They gave us a full week's worth of warning! The Blizzard of the Century...hide the children! Dig deep holes! RUN AWAY!!!! Sheesh...what little snow we have received is already melting. Weather people...they must lose everything in Vegas.

Reminds me of the current debate about Global Warming. Why is it that some people are soooo concerned that we may be destroying our planet? Why is it that they are so busy cultivating fear in the minds and hearts of so many people? Doesn't it make you wonder...what do they have to gain?

Why do people use fear tactics? When you were little..did your parents ever tell you that the boogeyman may get you if you ... didn't do what? What they told you. What were they trying to do with the fear they engendered? Control your behavior.

And in the current debate...that is exactly what the motives are for the Al Gore's and others running around like Chicken Little...they want to control our behavior. I ask you...who is controlling their behavior? Al Gore flies all over the country...the world even...in his own private jet. A bit hypocritical you say? Yes...indeed.

We began this slippery slope...in my humble opinion...when the Left started bashing cigarette smokers. Controlling their behavior by posting no smoking in all restaurants. Do I smoke, you ask? No...but you have every right to! No one should be allowed to take that from you. We are free individuals...you want to make stupid choices...go right ahead.

But the left...the hypocritical left...they want control. Imagine if they have their way regarding global warming. We will be driving dinky little cars with no power...as they (the elite) flit about in jets and Ferraris. Oh...you think they too will drive dinky little cars with no power? Get real.

Global warming is at best a debatable event. The mainstream media makes it sound like it is happening...that all scientists are in agreement. But there is a wide diversity of opinions on the subject. Oh...you haven't heard of scientists who disagree...? Well, of course not! If they disagree the media either ignores them or ridicules them. Google "global warming" and you will not find one who disagrees...but they are out there. And they are reputable.

Here for your amusement are some examples of contrary facts to the current global warming mania:
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v415/n6871/abs/nature710.html
The McMurdo Dry Valleys have cooled by 0.7 °C per decade between 1986 and 2000, with similar pronounced seasonal trends. Summer cooling is particularly important to Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems that are poised at the interface of ice and water. Here we present data from the dry valleys representing evidence of rapid terrestrial ecosystem response to climate cooling in Antarctica, including decreased primary productivity of lakes (6–9% per year) and declining numbers of soil invertebrates (more than 10% per year). Continental Antarctic cooling, especially the seasonality of cooling, poses challenges to models of climate and ecosystem change.

http://ams.allenpress.com/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1175%2F1520-0442%282000%29013%3C1674%3AVATIAS%3E2.0.CO%3B2
It is thus quite surprising that despite apparent increase in global temperatures during the last 20 years (e.g., Jones et al. 1999), the Antarctic region in general shows slight cooling during the period. Such cooling could partly explain the slight positive trend in sea ice extent observed during the 1979–96 period by Cavalieri et al. (1997).

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/295/5554/476
We have used ice-flow velocity measurements from synthetic aperture radar to reassess the mass balance of the Ross Ice Streams, West Antarctica. We find strong evidence for ice-sheet growth (+26.8 gigatons per year), in contrast to earlier estimates indicating a mass deficit (20.9 gigatons per year).

So...global warming? Antarctica is cooling...not warming. "Quite surprising" says one author. But, these little tidbits are hard to come by and are virtually ignored by the media and scientists who only support the theory of global warming. There are other sites one could go to but for the sake of time...I'll stop here.

For us older folks...remember about 30 years ago...when scientists were warning of a coming Ice Age and global catastrophe? And now...they blather about global warming and coming catastrophe? I'm no scientist, but could it possibly be that our earth..our big globe in the sky...suffers from (gasp!) climate change...regularly? That we mere mortals simply haven't been around long enough to see how things can change?

Don't let those who have an agenda dictate how you live your life. If it makes you feel better to live in such a way that you feel you're helping the climate, go for it. Just don't try to force me to follow.

A change in directions

Wow...haven't been here in a loooong time. It feels a bit like coming home to a long vacant house...kind of musty and dusty!

So many changes...so little time. The big change is due to take place pretty soon...not soon enough for me! I'm leaving the ministry...for good this time. Time to move on with life. The ministry has been like being a lightning rod for me. I got struck a bit too often for my taste. So, it's on to insurance...in a new town. Sidney, NE...a great, growing place in the panhandle of Nebraska. Cabela's is headquartered there...that will be fun!

I may start blogging again...we'll see. Kind of miss it...but I don't know what I have to say at this point.

Issues with God...life...make this my complaint place? We'll see. Soon, I'll be down to one job, albeit a busy one. I look forward to moving to Sidney...I think it will be a good move.

Well...all for now...check back in a while..perhaps there will be something that pops into my head to discuss.

Praying for the elections to be over!

I'm praying the elections will be over soon. I actually enjoy voting. I enjoy our system of government, I enjoy going to the polling place and having coffee with the folks there. It's fun.

But, I'm sick of the politicians - of all stripes. I'm completely fed up with the annoying robocalls (6/day on average from a variety of politicians). I'm tired of my mailbox being filled with postcards - sometimes 3 or 4 per candidate. What, they have so much money they don't mind sending 3 postcards to my house - the same ones? Are they hoping that by throwing away the first two I'll suddenly decide to read the stupid thing? Grr.

Now, I'm hearing of election fraud (election fraud!) already. Dems in some states are saying the Republicans rigged the voting machines in favor of the Dems so the Reps can then accuse the Dems of election fraud! I got an email from a friend of mine accusing the Republicans of somehow making recordings of their opponent's voice and setting up repeating robocalls to annoy people and drive them to the Republicans! Give me a freaking break here!

I guess the thing that concerns me the most is that there is so little trust among people. This fear and mistrust is seen pretty much everywhere apparently. My democrat friend sees Republicans doing it. I see Democrats doing it. And what does it do - it creates tension between people who otherwise would gladly disagree about some subjects but still be friends, still be supportive and caring of one another. I don't care who you think is to blame...let's stop blaming and do something about it.

What do we do? First, we take back the territory most attacked by this fear and mistrust - our own minds. If you're out there believing that hordes of Democrats are waging a secret war to destroy our republican democracy - snap out of it! It just ain't so! Maybe your mind is doing cartwheels coming up with conspiracy theories about Republicans using "annoy tactics" to manipulate people - stop - think - and think again.

Second, let the vitriol go. There is so much hatred and anger out there - and why? Because a variety of people love to stir up emotions. It sells books, it sells airtime. Hate sells. Democrats hate George Bush. Republicans hate Bill Clinton. Oh and there is a lot more hate than that out there.

Third, if your bum senator/congressman/president isn't doing what you want them to do, just vote against them. Don't hate them. Don't swear at them. Just vote against them. I see so many initiatives being launched these days that have no purpose - if people would just vote! If you don't like how your representatives are spending tax money - vote 'em out!

Finally, I'd love to see new campaign laws enacted - laws made up by common sense people. That would be those of us who live outside of Washington DC. How about this - no campaigning until October 15th. And the campaigning must be objective - if you're an incumbent you have to show people how you voted and why. That's all. If you're running against the incumbent, you have to state clearly your positions on a list of agreed upon subjects. What is your vision? What would you do differently - don't just tell me you'd be better - tell me WHY you'd be better. And if you're not, be forewarned that you WILL be voted out when you're up for re-election! And no one can spend more than say...$100,000. Is that asking too much? If you can't get across to me what you believe in $100,000 or less you're wasting my time and my money. Besides, when people and/or organizations are spending millions of dollars on candidates - we're fooling ourselves to think they care one wit about us.

I know, you probably think this is all too simplistic. Maybe it is. But how hard is it to fill out a voter card? We're making it all way too difficult.

Doing some thinking about prayer. Here is a quote from E. M. Bounds, "...prayer is simply faith, claiming its natural yet marvelous prerogatives - faith taking possession of its illimitable inheritance."

Bounds goes on to quote this scripture and then says, "Here is described a faith which realizes, which appropriates, which takes (emphasis his). Such faith is a consciousness of the divine, an experienced communion, a realized certainty."

Prayer and faith are intimately connected. Without faith, where is prayer? To whom or what do you pray without faith? And without prayer...what happens to our faith? I know the answer to that one. Prayerlessness leads to faithlessness. When I struggled with God in the past, it seemed that all I prayed for not only did I not receive, but often the very opposite of my prayers happened. So I stopped "praying." I started talking to God, I stopped making time to pray and just talked when I had something to talk about.

Now, some might say that is prayer, and I suppose it is. But I found that it didn't increase my faith much. In fact, I think my faith lessened. Maybe that had to do with the rage I felt towards God as well. Whatever, I know my faith was not increased by ceasing to pray.

So, I'm attempting to rebuild my prayer life. It won't be like it used to be - I was a bit too legalistic and really have no desire to go back there. But, I do intend to make time to actually pray and not just talk. It may still look a bit like talking to God, but there is a difference. In prayer, one expects something. When I just talked to God, I didn't expect anything - in fact, I kind of hoped nothing happened, because I felt it probably wouldn't be good. But, I intend to pray expecting answers - yes, no, maybe - something.

I do have a motive here - I hope that my faith level rises. This is what I have noticed in thinking and reading about prayer - one needs to have faith when one prays. This actually causes me some fear. I can feel tension in my gut thinking about this. Can I trust God to not do what happened to me before? Can I trust God to not pull the rug out from under me again?

I hope so.

Sunday morning

It's Sunday morning...I'm ready to preach...I'm sitting here with coffee and reading my friend's blogs and feeling more and more guilty that I'm not blogging. I haven't stopped thinking...I've just run out of time it seems to sit down and do this. So...I'll do a little blog this morning because I have to!

Actually, it seems like there is so much to blog about these days that I don't know where to begin. Maybe it's my ADHD kicking in - I can't decide what to do - or is that just because I'm the youngest in my family and can't make decisions? I don't remember. Could it be Alzheimer's? That is a fear of mine actually. Let's move away from that one.

I'm giving my last message on "Mastering Your Money" today. Yes...preaching on money at church - see my earlier blogs. The Bible is just chock full on the idea of money yet the only time it gets mentioned is when the church is in trouble and we're begging people to give. I've tried to approach it from a different perspective. When I started the series, I told everyone we were not in financial difficulties and my heart was just wanting to teach a good series on money so we would have a Kingdom perspective on money.

The elections are coming up. I'll be glad when the ads stop running. How ridiculous. Here in Nebraska we usually have pretty clean elections. Not this year. Things turned nasty early and got worse as time went on. What is disappointing to me is that we have a good bunch of candidates...but they are all Democrats. I hate that. Why did the Republicans let the good candidates lose in the primary? Well, of course they didn't "let" them...the good ones got out spent. I suppose I will have to hold my nose and vote Republican...or not. I'm just not sure what I'm going to do. My usual philosophy on elections is that party trumps person...but this year we have some really terrible persons on the Republican side. Yuck.

Well...time to get the pastor hat on. I promise not to let a month go by before I blog again...maybe...if I remember.