A Sad Reality

Although this video does seem to strike a lighter tone it deals a sad reality that Mexico is facing. In the last year over six thousand people (including women and children) have been killed in drug cartel wars. This last January the U.S. Army releised their list of nations most likely to face revolution in the comming year and Mexico was second only to Pakistan. Please be praying for this nation as some people have already begun to say it is a failed state. Pray for our brothers and sisters who are facing an uncertain reality and pray for the governments of both the U.S and Mexico. The movie does not mention it, but most of the militant arms of these drug cartels were trained by Mexican special forces soldiers who switched sides.

Among the many issues that are making it harder for Mexico is the fact that the U.S. insistes on viewing drugs as a supply side issue, rather than dealing with U.S. demand. This in essence puts the burden on Mexico to stop drug traficing, without forcing the U.S. to deal with the issues on our side (i.e. if there is no demand from the U.S. the cartels will no longer be in business.) It is time for the U.S. to stop obsessing over illegal immigrants (many of whom are trying to escape such violence) and begin dealing with our own contribution to the drug and violence problems Mexico is facing. If the U.S. wants to help Mexico we should begin by dealing with US drug demand and US gun sales, as well as the economic problems that tend to make drug running look like a good option.

Story and Reality

I love faerie tales. I love stories and I know that they have deeply impacted my perspective on life and my role in it. One of my favorite stories is "Sir George and the Dragon." I felt the need to post this timeless classic, in my own words. (There was a second version posted earlier, but it needs more work before it should actually appear on line:)

“Sir George was a good knight. He was brave and courageous and he never ran from anything horrible and evil. His people all loved him and they all knew that he would protect them and help them any time evil beast came into his land.
It happened that one day this brave knight was riding across his country and he saw that all the fields were green and growing, and all the trees were full of singing birds, and all the children were playing around their houses, and he said to himself, ‘My land is safe and happy. Perhaps there is another land where people are not safe and happy; maybe there are people who need my help.’ So the good knight put on his shiny armor and picked up his long lance and sharp sword and left his land.
Sir George traveled many days, until at last he came go a great and dark forest. The road he was on lead into this forest and so Sir George, being brave and adventurous, traveled into the forest. For many days he rode through this dark forest, always following the road that went in front of him (for he knew it would be very dangerous to leave the road in such a dark and dreary forest.) He fought many evil and strange monsters and made the forest a safer place for all the animals that lived there, but his goal was to help people, so at last he continued on.
At last the forest began to thin and Sir George noticed a very curious thing, some of the trees were dark and charred as if someone had planted a bon fire right at their base. At first there were only a few trees like this and Sir George thought they were probably just honey trees, but with time he noticed more and more trees that were burned. “Who has been burning this forest?” he wondered. As he left the trees he noticed that many of the fields were burned and that often large strips of land were totally black and full of ash. Now Sir George knew what the problem was, it was obvious that there was an evil dragon bothering these people.
Sir George continued to follow the road, looking for any people who could tell him where the dragon was to be found. At last he came to the gate of a great city and there he met a person.
She was a young woman, hardly even an adult yet. She was dressed in a beautiful red dress with white bow on it and she was very pretty. She was standing outside the city, timidly looking in every direction. Sir George approached the young woman and asked her, “Why are you outside the city? Wouldn’t it be safer to be behind great walls and a thick gate? There is a dragon out here, you know.”
The girl looked up at him and said, “I know, but the dragon has held my fathers people in their city for so many days, and each day he comes and demands a sheep in payment or else he will kill everyone. We finally ran out of sheep, so the dragon has demanded a person. One young maiden must be sent out every day or else we will all be killed.” The young woman was obviously scared, but her voice remained steady as she spoke. “As the princess of the land I thought I should come first. Perhaps if the dragon killed me he would leave the rest of the city alone for a while.”
Sir George looked kindly at the young woman. “Never fear. I am a knight and I have faced many dangers and many evil beasts. I will kill this dragon and you will not have to die.” The little girl smiled sadly at the good knight. “This is a big and evil dragon, he will certainly kill you and then come and destroy the city. It would be safer for you to go into the city.”
Of course Sir George would not hear of this, for he was a brave and good knight, so he told the young woman to lead him to the evil dragon. The girl started walking down the road away from the city. After a few minutes they turned a corner and there, flat across the road, lay the dragon. The sound of Sir George’s horse woke the dragon and he turned his terrible green eyes on them. Sir George lowered his lance and road strait at the evil dragon, calling out to him, “I will not let you terrorize these people any more!” With that Sir George’s lance pierced into the dragon’s thick stomach and pushed into it heart. The dragon fell dead on the road and Sir George returned victoriously to the young woman.
Sir George used the girl’s sash to make a noose for the dragon and the two of them returned to the city, pulling the dragon behind them. Of course, everyone was thrilled to see the princess alive and they were so grateful to Sir George for saving her life. The king asked Sir George to stay in the city and he and the princess got married and ruled the city fairly and wisely.
Today we call the brave knight Saint George because he was so good and kind, and so brave in fighting evil."

ST Patricks Breastplate

Greetings to all. In honor of St. Patrick's day I thought to break with tradition and post something about St. Patrick himself (and not just drinking). Legend has it that this is the prayer St. Patrick wrote before confronting one of the pagan kings of Ireland. The Lord gave him victory and protection.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the threeness,
Through the confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
Through the strength of his descent for the Judgment Day.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
In obedience of angels,In the service of archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,In prayers of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets,
In preaching of apostles,In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun, Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire, Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind, Depth of sea,
Stability of earth, Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me, God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me, God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of demons, From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear, Alone and in multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets, Against black laws of pagandom
Against false laws of heretics, Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.

Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me abundance of reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ in me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation.

Shire

I have made a discovery, one that makes me happy and that keeps me humble. I am simple! I love the simple and straightforward, like a good book on a rainy day it fills me with joy and hope. I love to sit quietly in the evening with a cup of tea and listen the silence of a sleeping house. For all that I enjoy of the great towers of Gondor with their deep learning and their elegant beauty they are cold as stone. I am more at home in the Shire, with it cheerful pubs and the smoking of pipes in the twilight with old friends. The green and domestic call to a deep level of my heart in a way that the exalted and ancient cannot.

I think this is why I am being led away from academics and away from the life I thought I would lead as a professor of history; and toward the ministry. The ministry is human, it is interested in people and their lives, it seeks to comfort and help those who are hurting. It's business is with the domestic, with the everyday lives of the people it seeks to serve. The extraordinary comes and is dealt with, but most of life is about the mundane and simple, the things we take for granted until they disappear. One of my favorite parts of "Gilead" by Marilynne Robinson, is when Rev. Ames goes to fix the faucet of one of his congregants. It is simple, a small help to an elderly woman, yet it is as much a ministry as comforting the family of a child who has died.

Academics must concern itself with the profound and the expansive. It is always seeking the New World, the idea or thought that has not been expressed. At their best the academic is seeking to help people, but doing so through the book and the pen, through the great learning of ivory towers. History, by and far, deals with the extraordinary. It is interested in the great events. There is little room for a cup of tea in an old farm house or a visit to a neighbor to talk of the rain. History is the study of us as a group, the milestones we have faced and the changes we have experienced, and it is important. History illuminates the world in which we live, it opens the door for us to see each other in a context greater than our own, but by and far people live outside of recorded history. The great deeds of the century pale beside the petty fights and simple pleasures that God has given us, the ones that fill our lives.

"Agape love is radically different. It involves a revolution in outlook without parallel in history, a complete transvaluation of all human understandings of love. It is to be unconditionally committed to the well-being of another. It is sacrificial, seeks not its own, is gracious and forgiving, spontaneous and joyful. It is empowering, not controlling. It is directed to both the good and the evil - it is love for one's enemies and one's friends. It is redemptive, not punitive. It seeks to win one's enemies, not destroy them. It seeks peace, not violence, in the name of redeeming the situation." Paul G. Hiebert "Transforming Worldviews"

This is the love that God showed us. He looked on rebels and traitors and then forgave us for our rebellion and payed the price we should have paid. He chose to restore us to Himself, rather than destroy us as He had every right to do. He looked on the most wretched and foolish of men and then said, "I love you and want you to follow me." We cannot even begin to imagine such compassion, such extravagant love that would bear the cross and shame for rebellious humans.

Such a love is beyond my comprehension, let alone my reach. I can hardly bring myself to think of another person without thinking of them in relation to my desires and needs, let alone unconditionally commit myself to their well-being at the expense of my own. What does it mean to have Agape love, to empower even ones enemies and to identify with the most down trodden and abused of people. Surely it means more than just feeling bad that bad things happen, or feeling sorry when we see someone sleeping on the street. It means giving without receiving and paying any price to love another.

I am not sure I am capable of loving as God calls us to. In fact I am sure I am incapable of loving with the extravagance of agape love. As C.S. Lewis said, "I am mercenary and self-seeking through and through. I want God, you, all friends simply to serve my turn. I talk of love as a scholars parrot may talk Greek, but self-imprisoned always end where I began." How then can God ask us to love our neighbor as ourselves or call us to love our enemies with this incredible love? It can only happen as God works in our lives, transforming us into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. Yet we must be willing to act, willing to step out in faith and touch the lives around us. Heibert suggests that prayer is an offering of oneself to the work one is praying for. As I ask God to teach me how to love others I know He will push me into places I do not want to be.

Relationship and Process

I suppose it is a natural part of being a modern American that I expect everything to happen immediately. I can buy a book off Amazon and have it shipped next day so that I only have to wait a few hours for it to arrive at my door, and I can make a pizza in a matter of minutes with a microwave. All in all, I can expect everything to happen with this simple immediacy of modern life...except for the things that are most important to me.

It is so hard for me to recognize the reality that relationships are a process and require work and time and dedication. I want them to be fast, something that comes like my new book: in 24 hours and all tied up in a neat little package. I don't want to have to deal with people, they're messy and tend to disagree with me (the nerve of them!) I don't want to have to wait and certainly I never want to have to work at it. I want to drift through life without expending any more energy than absolutely necessary, yet enjoy friendships and relationships that really require time. But that is not how life works. Life and relationships require work and effort and sometimes they require passing through pain and anger and conflict.

Conflict is hard for me. I have spent most of my life avoiding it as though it were a deadly plague. I don't like fighting, arguing, or even the idea that their could be a disagreement, in fact I would rather let go of my dearest rights than be in conflict with another person. This makes relationships especially hard. If there are no relationships there are no conflicts, so my little solitary world is a wonderfully peaceful place to live, but it is also incredibly lonely. It is taking a long time for me to understand that I need to step out into the conflict and pain, that the payoff is worth the price.

An Ironic God

I was struck today by how ironical strait forward the Bible can be about major stories. I have always noticed this when I read in I and II Chronicles and I and II Kings, but I was really nearly laughing as I read today. I had to retell the story to myself, and even then the irony and humor of it was inescapable.

Here we have this king, Ahaziah, who is not a good king at all. He somehow manages to fall through the latices in his house and hurt himself (I suppose it might have been common to fall through latices at the time, but it does sound a little strange.) Anyway, being as he was evil and rather stupid he decided to send messengers to Ekron to ask Baal-Zebub if he would get better or not. Well, his messengers never actually get to Ekron because on the way they are met by Elijah who asks them, "Is there no God in Israel that you send to Baal-Zebub to see if you'll get better or not? You blew it, now your going to die!"

The messenger, being a wiser man then the king, doesn't bother to continue to Ekron, he just turns around and goes back to the king and says, "We met this guy in the wilderness and he said you would die." It appears the messenger didn't actually find out Elijah's name because the king has to ask him to describe this guy who said he would die. So the messenger describes him as this man wearing a furry coat with a leather belt. (sounds like such an obvious good source!) and the king says, "Oh, I know who that is, that is Elijah the Tishbite." (I really haven't read up much on Isreali fashion in this era, but I suppose it is safe to say that hairy coats were not in vough).

Anyway, the king doesn't like Elijah very much (mostly because he tends to tell people things they don't want to hear), so he sends fifty men to arrest him. Now, the fifty men come to a hill and Elijah is sitting on the top of the hill looking down. Picture it, this man in a hairy coat with a leather belt sitting up on top of this hill watching fifty men come to arrest him. The captain of the fifty yells, "Hey you! Man of God! We are here to arrest you!" And Elijah, from his mountain top yells back, "If I'm a man of God you will be consumed by fire!" Immediately the entire fifty men were burnt to ash. Someone goes back to the silly and evil king and tells him, "Hey King. Hows it going? ... You know those fifty, well of course you know the fifty men you sent to arrest Elijah. It seems they kinda had an accident. It seems they all got burned up..." Now, one would suppose that if your fifty men were burnt up by fire from the sky you might realize it was a bad idea to arrest this fellow, but did Ahaziah do this? No. He immediately order another fifty men to go and arrest Elijah.

So off march the next fifty till they come to this hill, and there is Elijah, sitting on top in his hairy coat and leather belt. So this captain yells up, "Hey, You, Man of God. The King wants us to arrest you!" What does Elijah do? He yells back, "If I am a man of God you will all be burnt by fire!" And again, whoosh, there go all the kings men into little piles of ash. SO... once again some poor person has to tell the king that his army has been burnt by falling fire. Now, if one is silly and foolish and doesn't catch on very fast they can often ignore fifty men being burned by fire from the sky. But this was more serious, it was one hundred men burned up by this prophet. The King immediately says, "Send another fifty men to go and arrest this prophet. (I suppose as an aside he might have said, I can keep doing this all day!)" So another fifty men all say goodbye to their wives and sweathearts and go walking up to the hill that Elijah is still sitting on.

Now, this captain was much smarter than the others, so instead of yelling up about Elijah being a man of God, he throws himself on the ground and says, "Please don't kill us!!!" So God tells Elijah, "It's okay, you can go with this guy." So Elijah comes down off the mountain and goes with the fifty men to see the king, and he tells the king (again) that he is going to die. Sure enough, the king dies a few days later......

Wow, what a story!