porchpondering.com

where's Gomer?

Last night Joy and I were talking about the reading guide we're using for the minor prophets and we both came to the conclusion that Hosea is a difficult place to start. Lots of thorns and thistles make for slow going. It’s hard to grasp the implications for all the places that Hosea mentions. The judgments pronounced by the prophets can be overwhelming but these are words we need to hear.

If we paraphrase part of his message we might hear Hosea saying, “Don’t fake a relationship with God and then do as you please. Just saying good words is not enough. Your words must be matched by a pure heart and right action” (cf. Hosea 8:13-14; 10:2, 4).

Hosea is concerned about the poor quality of soil in the hearts of the people and so he says, “Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you” (Hosea 10:12). The verse that follows this plea demonstrates Hosea's awareness that the people were living according to a different standard. It makes me wonder about who sets the standard for our lives today.

Listening to Hosea is no easy task but I’m sticking with it. What about you? [hint: if you're reading this column and you want to make my day, just hit the comment tag below and say something…thanks!]

hardware vs. software

Last week I upgraded the Bible software on my computer and I now have an absolutely amazing research library at my finger tips. But even so, I like my handheld Bible better. It’s an important piece of hardware in my life. This kind of Bible was new technology back in 1450 when Johann Gutenberg was printing in Mainz, Germany. Bibles are incredibly accessible today. We might even think they have always been as available as they are now. Not so, Luther was one of the first to translate the Scriptures into the language of the people and thankfully, his work spread because of Gutenberg’s new printing technology (an excellent example of the good use of new technology).

Oh well, here are my reasons for spending time with the leather and paper version: 1. I don’t have to plug it in; 2. I can write in the margin or underline as needed; 3. no whirring noise of the cooling fan; 4. I’m familiar with the location of certain verses according to where they are on the page (Phil. 1:27, upper left); 5. it’s portable, easy to open (no start-up delay), and if it gets lost my name is inside (who would ever steal a Bible? if someone does maybe he or she needs it more than me); 6. it never crashes though it does have a few torn pages; 7. I’m not an efficient search engine so when I look for something I usually end up finding more than the one thing I was looking for to begin with (that’s a good thing when I have the time; when I don’t I’ll use my cool computer).

I’m sure you can add more reasons but that’s my quick list. What do you think?

water mission

When I was in college a friend of mine, Joel (who is now the Executive Director of PATH) was working with recent immigrants to the U.S. During those years Joel focused his attention on providing tutoring and other essentials to help with the social integration of these new residents who came from Laos and Cambodia. Joel always looked to the world beyond himself and so I was not surprised when he invited me to get involved in this project. I would have been worthless in terms of helping with Algebra or Calculus so Joel asked me to help in a way that was consistent with my gifts. One of the skills these students lacked was something we consider basic to the maturation process: these students didn’t know how to swim and they were 14 - 16 years old! The lack of swimming skills eliminated them from participating in many things we consider normal, especially since they now lived in a beach community. At the time I was teaching swimming at the Y and so Joel asked if I would take on some extra lessons on the side. Teaching those young men to swim that summer was the best part of my whole year.

I believe God wants us to serve in ways that are consistent with the gifts God has given us. And I believe we must be willing to stretch a bit beyond our comfort zone in order to “do love.” Serving others always demands something from us but the few extra hours I spent in the pool that summer were not an incredible sacrifice. It was fun. I was glad to be able to do something.

Yesterday I read a blog from missionaries serving in Nicaragua and it caused me to remember this experience so many years ago. It also caused me to wonder if, perhaps, God might have more swim lessons lined up for me to teach in the future. Just a thought…we’ll see where God leads.

reading more than red letters

I once heard a television preacher tell people to “read the red and pray for the power.” He was referring to the version of the Bible that prints the words of Jesus in red letters (as far as I know Jesus didn’t actually speak in red letters). Certainly, there is great gain in reading the words of Jesus (especially in context and so we need to read the black letters too) but it seems Christians are inclined to spend more time in the New Testament and less time with the Holy Scriptures that Jesus read (the larger half of the Bible we call the "Old Testament").

Yesterday I announced a challenge to the people attending Village Presbyterian Church to read through the minor prophets during the remainder of April and the month of May. I even provided a reading plan to help schedule the journey through these 12 prophets (copies available here). Since we started with Hosea maybe I should have provided a warning with this challenge: parts of the Bible are not suitable for children, they might even get an NC-17 rating by today’s standards. Consider the second paragraph of Hosea: When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, “Go, take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD.” So he went and took Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son (Hosea 1:2-4, NRSV).

Did I read that right? The Lord tells Hosea to marry a prostitute? Most people would fail a pop quiz on that question. As strange as that instruction seems it does dramatize the way that Israel had rejected the Lord. Gomer (funny name for a wife, eh?) bears three children and the name of each child highlights the Lord’s rejection of Israel. And yet even in the midst of that rejection and the hardship that follows the Lord declares: "Therefore, I will now allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. From there I will give her her vineyards, and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she shall respond as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt" (Hosea 2:14-15, NRSV).

The Lord wants us to experience more than a casual relationship; the Lord wants us to know that we are led by the bands of God’s love. Consider these words from Hosea 11:1-4:

[The Lord says:] When Israel was a child,
I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
The more I called them,
the more they went from me;
they kept sacrificing to the Baals,
and offering incense to idols.
Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
I took them up in my arms;
but they did not know that I healed them.
I led them with cords of human kindness,
with bands of love.
I was to them like those
who lift infants to their cheeks.
I bent down to them and fed them.

May God grant us strength and insight as we listen to the “seldom-red” sections of Scripture.

what I do

Yesterday my mother-in-law had an interesting conversation with my daughter, Mackenzie. "What kind of work does your Daddy do, Mackenzie?" she asked. "He types," said Mackenzie. Knowing the work of a pastor requires more than typing she pressed, "Does your Daddy read too?" "No, he just types," said Mackenzie.

I guess I need to be more intentional about reading, especially in front of my daughter.

Jonah in watercolors

The piece to the left is a work by Chinese artist He Qi, professor at Nanjing Union Theological Seminary. You can find more of his art at this address. Recenty, I’ve been looking at lots of "Jonah inspired art" and I’m surprised that I only seem to find images of Jonah and the great fish. Most are spectacular representations of a terrified man being swallowed by a giant sea creature. While that’s part of the story (maybe one of the more exciting parts), it’s not the whole story. Where can I find a rendering of Jonah fleeing from the presence of the Lord or purchasing a ticket to Tarshish (1:3)? Where can I find a picture of Jonah sleeping (1:5)? Where can I find a portrait of Jonah hearing the word of the Lord (even though he doesn’t seem inclined to obey it; he still heard it not once but twice)? What about a painting of Jonah preaching to the people of Nineveh? According to what we read in 3:4 he delivers an excellent "fire and brimstone" message. What about a shot of Jonah sitting outside the city waiting (and hoping) for destruction to come to Nineveh (4:5)? What about a picture of Jonah debating with God about who is worthy to receive good news and who should perish (4:9)? What about a picture of Jonah opening his heart as he comes to realize the love God has for the whole world…is that what happens in response to the question God asks in 4:11? Perhaps Jonah has something in common with the Grinch. Both have a heart that is two sizes too small. The Grinch had a conversion experience. I wonder if Jonah had one as well.

Clearly, there are so many more approaches to an artistic rendering of Jonah that I’m more than a little disappointed to be limited to whales and water. What I like about He Qi’s work titled, “Jonah and the Whale” (© 2001, by the way), is that he includes more of the story. The fish is there, ready to swallow Jonah but the larger figure surrounding the boat is suggestive of the presence of God. It is impossible to reduce God to a mere image but perhaps the hand represents the fact that God is in charge of the whole situation. Jonah can do nothing to escape God’s presence or God’s mission for him, or God’s love for the whole world. With all the focus on Jonah I think it is good to be reminded of who is actually the main character in the story. I’m looking forward to kicking off this new series on Sunday. Here is the outline for the weeks to come:

Sunday, April 25 on the Town Green, 10 o'clock
Jonah 1, “When God Calls”

Sunday, May 2 at the Oak Knoll Club, 10 o'clock
Jonah 2, “Jonah Calls Back”

Sunday, May 9 at the Oak Knoll Club, 10 o'clock
Jonah 3, “God Calls Again”

Sunday, May 16 at the Oak Knoll Club, 10 o'clock
Jonah 4, “Called or Callous”

Well that’s all for now. Hope to see you on Sunday, if you happen to be anywhere near Ladera Ranch.

Frisbee

I got to throw a Frisbee this morning after meeting with the Wednesday Men’s Group. It’s been a while since I’ve thrown but the fun was quick to return. My friend said he likes playing Frisbee because it’s a game that makes people smile. I wonder if Jesus ever threw a Frisbee with his disciples. I wonder what they did for fun. For an in-depth look at the history of the Frisbee check this out.

rain falls (or not)

As rain fell all across Southern California this past weekend, I couldn’t help feeling thankful for the incredible weather we enjoyed on Easter Sunday. It was a bit cloudy the day before Easter, it even drizzled a bit on Saturday night but when Easter morning arrived it was a day of glorious sunshine. “Thank you, Lord.” A year ago we organized a series of outdoor park gatherings prior to Easter (before the launch of our Sunday service last July) and it rained every other weekend for several months. Thankfully, we “happened” to have the good fortune of having planned to meet on the sunny weekends (there is no way to measure what would have been my great disappointment had we scheduled the rainy weekends). “Thank you, Lord.” And we have a similar story of good weather for our outdoor Christmas eve service. No rain prior to the service but lots of rain afterward. Once again, “Thank you, Lord.”
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus observes, “God sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45). Such a statement makes me stop short of claiming any special favor from God but so also I’m glad when the rain doesn’t fall (especially when we have an outside event planned). Recently I was watching the movie “Gandhi” and I was surprised by a comment from Charlie Andrews, the Presbyterian missionary in the story. Gandhi challenges him to see God at work in the everyday events of the world. Charlie replies, “I’m not so egotistical as to believe that God plans his day around me.” On the one hand, he is right. The world didn’t revolve around Charlie and it doesn’t revolve around me either. But on the other hand, I think it is possible for us to fit into a much larger plan, one that is far beyond us, one that might even include rain on our well-crafted plans.
My faith was renewed once again this morning as I read through the book of Jonah. It is clear from the story that God “appoints” (Hebrew: mānāh) the natural elements for God’s own purpose. God appoints a “great fish” (not necessarily a whale as many are taught in Sunday School) to deliver Jonah (1:17). God appoints a plant to provide shade for Jonah (4:6). God appoints a worm to attack the plant (4:7) and God appoints a “sultry east wind” (4:8) to push Jonah to the breaking point. The story of Jonah helps us to see that God is very much at work in the world.
I don't expect God to plan everything around me but I would like to learn how I might learn to plan my life around God. I’m grateful for God’s provision for us in this small corner of the world called Ladera Ranch. How about you? How have you experienced God’s provision in your life? I would love to hear your story.

sabbath

today is a day of rest!

daily?

It's Sunday night and this has been a long day. Do I have to blog daily? We had the privilege of hearing my father-in-law, Rev. George Johnson (a Lutheran Pastor), preach this morning at Village Presbyterian Church. His message focused on Thomas from John 20:19-29. I had a bit of trouble during the Children's Moment getting kids to see beyond "Thomas the Tank Engine." As soon as I mentioned the name Thomas, they took things in a totally different direction. For me it's important for children to know they have a voice in the church but I think next week I'll be teaching kids how to raise their hands before they speak. I'm still learning too.
The sermon helped us to see how our doubts can sometimes lead to a deeper expression of faith. In the end Thomas declares, "My Lord and my God." This statement is an early creedal formula of the church. This morning I was glad to hear that God is bigger than any doubt we might have in our lives. I think the message was right on the mark in terms of giving us the freedom we need to explore issues of faith. It seems that every one of the Gospels highlight the presence of doubt even in the midst of faith. Perhaps it's helpful, and even healthy, to admit our doubts so that God (and not we ourselves) might help us to overcome them. Thanks George for bringing us a good word this morning.
Next week we're gathering on the Town Green as we begin a new series on Jonah. Of all the Old Testament figures that Jesus could have mentioned in his teaching, I find it interesting that he mentioned Jonah (see Matthew 12:39ff; Luke 11:29ff). Hope you can come and hear the story next Sunday in a new way. The story of Jonah still speaks to the church today. Are we listening?