YOUR DRIVER'S RECORD WILL NOW HAUNT YOU!

State legislators here in Pennsylvania are changing PennDOT (PA Dept. of Transportation) regulations because of a Feb. 17th fatal crash involving a Perkiomen Valley school bus driver who had received a commercial driver’s license despite the fact that he had been involved in a previous fatal accident back in 1999. Heretofore, PennDOT regulations did not require a full driver history review and so the company that hired the driver was unaware of the exact nature of the driver’s 1999 accident, in which a 2 year-old girl was killed. Rep. Josh Shapiro, D-153, sent a letter to PennDOT officials calling on them to make all accident information available to school districts prior to hiring school bus drivers. State Rep. Bryan R. Lentz, D-161, pretty much agrees. So now (as of October 2010), crash information contained on a driver record will be expanded to include the “crash severity” on all driver records, regardless of the type of license the person has, to specify whether a crash resulted in fatalities, injuries or property damage.

I’m sorry, but I’ve got a problem with this. We are fast becoming a self-righteous intolerant and condemning society. What thirty-five, forty, fifty, or sixty-something year-old does not regret actions they’d committed in their twenties, let alone the shenanigans they pulled off in their teen years? There is a reason why we have a thing called “statute of limitations” in our legal system and there is good reason for having a Juvenile court system in lieu of the adult one. There is also good reason why your auto insurance company actuaries can only consider the most recent three years of your driving record respecting tickets and accidents to determine your premium. How many of us always make complete, 100% stops at every single stop sign we come to? Come on, all of us are guilty of doing “California Stops” at many stop signs where we expect and regularly see little traffic, no car coming. As a way of determining the cost of your next premium, would you like your insurance company to be able to go all the way back to your first year of driving and include every ticket, every fender-bender, and every error you’ve ever made while driving? Of course you wouldn’t! Time changes things. People change. We generally learn from our past mistakes. Yet here we are ranting and raving and giving full support to significant changes in the releasing of information about our driving records because of this one bus driver’s second fatal auto accident.

No! The past should not turn around and bite us. We should not be haunted by past accidents, if, that is, sufficient time has passed, showing that it is not a recurring, unaddressed problem (such as mounting DUI citations, e.g.). PennDOT will now offer drivers’ records that contain an individual’s entire driving history. This new policy is going to turn around and bite us. We will be sorry for it. The majority of drivers will not immediately and dramatically feel its effect but a steady flow of individuals will. A thirty five year old will not get a job he may very well have been highly qualified for, but for his driving record going back to when he was a seventeen year old driver; or a grandmother may end up receiving an underserved and quite severe sentencing with costly life-changing repercussions for a current accident because they unfairly and unjustifiably included the details of a previous accident she was involved in, twenty-five years before.

It begs the question: what is real justice? What does it mean to be held accountable, to pay one’s debt to society and be able to move on and put past mistakes behind one? No one is perfect. Yet we are moving more and more toward zero toleration for just about everything that we deem inappropriate, as if to say, be perfect or be condemned for life. Everyone requires time to grow and mature, to change for the better. Yet we are moving in the direction of not only keeping but actually using a lifetime of records to judge and condemn a person as if every past mistake must define that person for life. In the end, no one will escape the sticky incriminating web of past misdeeds, no one, not even the most law abiding and conscientious citizen. For we are all guilty of some misbehavior, some mistake in judgment, some error or miscalculation, or just plain ole foolishness of youth; and because of it, our character will be forever branded as unworthy of any respect or consideration, for the un-erased record will show how awful we really are! In this kind of environment we are safer to stand before God in judgment than our fellow citizens.

Heard of the JONAS BROTHERS yet?

The Jonas Brothers is a fairly new Pop Rock group whose fans are mainly girls in their tweens and teens. They more or less began to enter main stream celebrity status about three years ago. And now, midway through the year 2009, they already have a Disney series called Jonas, two hit albums, received five Teen Choice Awards, and command audiences in the tens of thousands while on tour around the world. Joe Jonas co-starred in a Disney original movie called Camp Rock and I understand that Disney is about to start taping a Camp Rock 2 movie that will include the Jonas Brothers again. So if you haven’t heard of them yet, you will—especially if you have blossoming young girls in the house. They are on a roll and have begun to surf the wave of success big time.

I first heard of the Jonas Brothers last year when I saw them on the Disney channel singing a rendition of “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” a song from the Disney movie, The Little Mermaid. It was sung by a pool side. I have to admit, they made it rock. It was quite good for what it was. Nevertheless, it wasn’t until the summer of this year that I truly became aware of their burgeoning popularity and rising mega star status.

Now, here’s the reason why I am writing about them. They are Christians. Yes, they are genuine disciples and followers of Christ. They are actual biological brothers and their father, Kevin Jonas Sr., is/was a pastor (was a pastor in that Pastor Jonas and his wife are now devoting their time to managing their sons’ rock group career). And, though they are low key about their faith, it is my observation that they do indeed seem to be seriously committed to Christ and actively expressive of their faith in Christ in their personal lives. But here’s the interesting thing: they are not a Christian band. They are, however, a rock band who also happens to be Christian. I believe that their way of handling themselves as a rock group who also happen to be Christian is highly commendable and quite praiseworthy.

I am impressed with the apparent genuine love and respect that they have for each other, for their mom and dad and little brother, Frankie, and for the others with whom they closely work day in and day out (some of whom apparently are extended family members, like an uncle who helps their management). In some of the interviews that I’ve seen of them [check the web, there are many] they come across as quite balanced and self-aware in a wholesome and honest way and respectful toward everyone with whom they encounter, even if that respect is not reciprocated. It seems that many non-believing, anti-Christian types out there don’t know what to make of a rock group of this caliber. The Jonas Brothers are too clean for them, ridiculing such simple faith and life value commitments as wearing purity rings (signifying a commitment to abstain from casual sex and wait until marriage to enjoy a truely intimate and personal, sexual relationship with one's chosen lifetime partner).

I have two concerns regarding the Jonas Brothers. The first concern is about the Christian community. I would hope that the Christian community—Christians of whatever denomination, background, and expression, will be supportive and respectful of this Christian family because of their celebrity status—that is to say, because of their exposure to trials and temptations that the average Christian does not face. Christians who are famous and in constant public view (be they politicians, entertainers, or even famous church leaders) face unique challenges. They need our prayer support for that very reason alone. And, because they are in constant public view, they are also in a unique position to bear witness to the presence and power of Christ’s love and grace in their lives in ways that the average Christian is not. They need our prayer support for this reason as well. The second concern I have is for the Jonas Brothers and family as such. I hope and do pray that they do not lose their way because of the great success that they are now enjoying. Thus far, it seems that they are not and are staying quite well grounded. They most likely have many well grounded brothers and sisters in the Lord that indeed are backing them up with a load of prayer and possibly giving them honest brotherly/sisterly feedback to keep them firmly grounded in Christ. Let us pray that that is the case. We can be grateful and respectful of all our brothers and sisters in the Lord who are in high profile positions, especially those in the entertainment industry. We want them not only to succeed but to succeed in ways that is Christ honoring and God glorifying.

So, my hat’s off to the Jonas Brothers. May you continue to ride the wave of success and do so in ways that bring you abundant joy and gratitude for the Lord’s blessing upon you. And may the Lord be honored and glorified in the process. We shall celebrate in heaven where I am sure you will continue to please many, including the Lord, with your music.

BE True and Being TRUE

“WHAT IS TRUTH?” Pontius Pilate asked Jesus. (John 18:38)

Is it ever right to tell a lie? Have you ever noticed that, when we gain from a lie, a little white lie, a half truth, letting someone draw a wrong conclusion by our silence, we have no problem with it? But, when we are deceived and misled, and arrive at false conclusions because of half-truths, white lies, and silent innuendoes, we are incensed! Still, it is difficult for us to accept, let alone live by, this blanket statement: “Always tell the truth! Never tell a lie!” Why is this principle so difficult to embrace and practice?

We readily excuse unintentional miss-information. A distinction is made between a spoken falsehood and an outright lie. A person may say something false believing that he is in fact speaking truth. Carl testified that the car was black. Later he finds that it was dark navy blue, which appears to be black at night. Carl is not guilty of perjury. He was simply mistaken. We can perceive things wrongly, understand things incorrectly, and confuse the facts. But we are not guilty of deceit, even if our “mistake” has dire consequences.

Obviously it is always better to “get it right” than to “get it wrong” in order to avoid “dire consequences”: the man drove off the cliff thinking that the bridge had been repaired and reopened; he was mistaken. This is why it is not only important to be able to “trust our own senses” but to also be able to trust the information (the facts, reality, or truth statements) that others give us.

“I am the way, the truth, and the Life,” said Jesus. (John 14:6) We, who follow Him, must also be a people of truth. But what does it look like to be a people of truth?

1st, being true is being authentic: genuine, not deceiving or misleading, as in the old saying, “what you see is what you get,” and as in, “say what you mean and mean what you say.” Manipulating the affection of others by pretending to be hurt, commanding a greater following by scandalizing the character of one’s rival, gaining a higher status by pretending to “know more” than one really knows, withholding pertinent information in order to gain the upper hand, or not stating one’s honest opinion or actual likes & dislikes, in order to appear congenial, these are all examples of being inauthentic and disingenuous. People of truth are always genuine, authentic, and suitably forthright, an “open book”: healthily, respectfully, and appropriately transparent to themselves and to others.

2nd, being true seeks to understand; seeks to see the “big picture.” E.g., we learn to distinguish between apparent bad behavior and the intent behind it. While hopping rocks, crossing a stream, Stan deliberately pushes Rich into the icy cold water. Rich gets a deep cut on his forehead from the fall. Stan’s motive: a venomous snake, hidden behind the rock, was just about to strike Rich with a deadly bite. Stan saved Rich’s life! Life is complicated. Things are not always as they seem. What looks good outwardly may actually be quite foul. What appears disgusting at first may actually be quite pleasing in the end. People of truth learn to dig beneath the surface, not easily fooled by all that glitters or taken-in by fast slogans, simplistic one-liners, and double-speak, or by emotional catch-words, frilly packaging, and prejudicial stereotypes. We learn to see things from all sides and all angles, especially in terms of purpose, motive, intent, values, and hidden assumptions.

3rd, people of truth line up their behavior and actions with stated beliefs and convictions, as much as is humanly possible. We say that God is first in our lives. We therefore live a life that actually puts God first in our life’s priorities. We say we believe in prayer, we therefore purposefully develop a prayerful life. We say we are followers of Jesus, we therefore learn to actually do what we believe Jesus commands us to do. In short people of truth aspire to a unity of word with action, a consistency of behavior with belief. We do what we think and act as we believe.

The majority of the time that we act inconsistently with what we believe, or avoid doing and saying the truth, is caused by our fear of bad consequences as a result of so doing: “Hi dear, what do you think of my new hat?” says the wife. “If I tell her the truth, I’ll be in big trouble. So, I’ll have to lie; after all I’m thinking of her feelings,” thinks the husband to himself.

The lie is on both sides: (1) she obviously doesn’t want the truth, when she asks, “What do you think of my new hat,” if in fact she’s ready to throw a fit, pout, cry, and emotionally hijack the situation for hearing what she does not want to hear from him. (2) He is not really showing concern for her feelings if his real motive is to avoid a bad reaction or a fight. In the end neither one gains from the lie they have both tossed at each other. In fact, they both become losers. Truth actually helps people come closer, but not without first requiring the hard work of facing its painful, yet redeeming, reality. The truth may hurt but it also sets free. For example, in an ideal world of truth-telling, the woman with the new hat might have actually asked the question this way: “I am feeling terribly insecure about my appearance; I bought this new hat in the hopes that I will look better and feel better about myself; but the truth is, I want some attention and I am hoping that this hat will bring me the attention I’m longing for. Do you think it works?” His truthful answer might have been: “Ah, yes, I have been neglecting you, haven’t I? Lately I’ve been off in my own world. You probably feel like a wallflower, unnoticed and uncared for. I am sorry. Yes, the hat does draw attention to you, but perhaps not the kind you really need or want. Let’s sit down and talk about our relationship and how we can bring back the spark we used to have for each other…. Being True requires open honesty, vulnerability, and real self understanding.


“Building Truth Muscles” (from The Market Place, Jan/Feb, 2008; p. 4):

Telling the truth may be one of the most persistent bugaboos of business. It’s a habit that can be built up, like a muscle.It’s not only good Christian behavior, it’s also good business, says Ken Byler of Higher Ground Consulting Group in Souderton, PA.Byler led a seminar on Truth-telling: The Hidden Profit Booster at MEDA’s Business as a Calling convention in Toronto, Nov. 2.

He outlined steps toward making honesty a workplace habit.
· Write a list of positive things you believe could happen if you tell the truth; write a second list of positive things you believe could happen if you withhold the truth.
· List the possible negative consequences of telling the truth and of withholding the truth.
· Review your lists and rate the likelihood of each thing happening.
· Name who or what is being protected if you don’t tell the truth (you, family, boss, co-worker, project).
· What harm will likely occur to whomever or whatever you are trying to protect if you do not tell the truth?
· If you choose not to tell the truth, what will you need to do to assuage your conscience?· By telling the truth in even the smallest things “you get practice which can pay off when telling the truth is really hard,” he said.

Judge Not, Condemn Not

"YOU ARE ALL going to HELL!" shouted the believer.

In a previous blog (Dec. 30, 2007) I said that to disagree with people of other FAITHS is neither to judge nor to condemn them; the judgment and/or condemnation of humanity are in God’s hands, certainly not ours.

Larry King asks his Evangelical guests (e.g., Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, James Dobson): “Do you believe that all Jews (or Muslims, etc.) are going to hell because they do not believe in Jesus?” It’s a direct question, seems a fair one to ask. But the expected answer makes the Christian appear narrow minded and judgmental, if not also self-righteous. How are we not judging others if we say they’re saved only by Christ? Is there no contradiction between our saying “all are lost without Him,” while also claiming that we condemn no one? No.

First, we must recognize the difference between the One who “Saves” verses the recognition of, and the means by which that salvation is received, experienced, and/or applied. Remember the movie HERO with Dustin Hoffman? He saves lives from a plane crash but gets no credit for it throughout most of the movie. A person could be rescued by someone and be mistaken about whom or what saved him. It happens.

But the real issue is elsewhere. No human is in a position to declare who is and who is not “saved,” or is, or is not “going to hell.” God says that He is the only one that can truly judge a person’s heart. We can only bear witness to our own heart-felt experience in Christ. We dare not judge other people’s heart of faith or lack thereof, only our own.

Yes, we invite others to join the journey we’re on—a life submitted to Christ. But our mistake is that we tend to equate a submission to institutionalized religious political authority and its structural standards of law and ethics with that of actually submitting to Christ. A serious problem arises when we not only believe that we should inspire, guide, exhort, sway, persuade, and encourage faith in Christ, but also believe we have the right to control, compel, and enforce our moral standards on others, such as attempting to regulate State morality laws and National lifestyle values, by imposing Christian standards & rules of conduct on all. This is what Islam expects of its followers, as I observe. But Jesus never intended this of His followers.

At a critical juncture in Jesus’ life and work, here on earth, Christ said that His kingdom is NOT of this world (John 18:36). Practically speaking this means that His followers should not be fighting against non-believers over social-political-cultural power, control, and authority in earthly governments. In short, we are fighting the wrong battles when we fight against abortion rights, gay marriages, the legalizing of marijuana, and the like. Fights of this kind are fights for worldly control over worldly systems. Yet Jesus directly tells us that His Kingdom is not of this world. Our battle is spiritual (2 Cor. 10:3-5).

We are to be the salt of the earth, bearing loving witness to the fact that there is a better way. That Way is not by means of humanly controlled power, authority, rights, and privileges; it is a way of love, self-sacrifice, submission, and obedience to God in Christ. Christians are not called to rule, lead, or define nation’s and their governing laws or authorities.

For example, if our goal, as Christians in the U.S.A., is to “make” or “keep” the U.S. a Christian nation by means of political power, controlling its branches of government, saying in effect, we rule: Christian ethics, Christian morals, Christian standards of behavior are to reign in this nation. Christian ethical and moral social agenda must dominate and everyone else must submit to its dictates. If that’s what we are doing, we have truly lost our way and are no longer proclaiming Christ’s Gospel. It has become a gospel adulterated by patriotic nationalism, a National Civic Religion essentially no different than that of the Roman Empire in the time of the NT, when Romans effectively worshiped its Emperor, its Empire, and all it stood for. But this time it is American Civic Religion. And that IS idolatry. (Note 1 John 5:21)

Consider 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 and note the embracing attitude that Paul had toward the “outsider,” the Non-believer with the alternative lifestyle: “When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or who are greedy or are swindlers or idol worshipers. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. … It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders … God will judge those on the outside.”

Christians, we must not and do not judge, the “outsider” with his/her alternative lifestyle preferences and non-moral behavior. We do encourage him/her to know Christ and leave the judging to God!


Letter to Diognetus, possibly dating from the 2nd century AD.

For Christians are not differentiated from other people by country, language or customs; you see, they do not live in cities of their own, or speak some strange dialect, or have some peculiar lifestyle.

This teaching of theirs has not been contrived by the invention and speculation of inquisitive men; nor are they propagating mere human teaching as some people do. They live in both Greek and foreign cities, wherever chance has put them. They follow local customs in clothing, food and the other aspects of life. But at the same time, they demonstrate to us the wonderful and certainly unusual form of their own citizenship.

They live in their own native lands, but as aliens; as citizens, they share all things with others; but like aliens, suffer all things. Every foreign country is to them as their native country, and every native land as a foreign country.

They love every one, but are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death and gain life. They are poor and yet make many rich. They are short of everything and yet have plenty of all things. They are dishonored and yet gain glory through dishonor.

Their names are blackened and yet they are cleared. They are mocked and bless in return. They are treated outrageously and behave respectfully to others. When they do good, they are punished as evildoers; when punished, they rejoice as if being given new life. They are attacked by Jews as aliens, and are persecuted by Greeks; yet those who hate them cannot give any reason for their hostility.

To put it simply—the soul is to the body as Christians are to the world. The soul is spread through all parts of the body and Christians through all the cities of the world. The soul is in the body but is not of the body; Christians are in the world but not of the world.

Pluralism, Many FAITHS, ONE God?

Do all roads lead to the same end?

Have you ever walked into a room full of people in the middle of an intense discussion and upon your entering the room they all stop, turn, and stare at you with that very unwelcoming, raised eyebrow look, which says, “Who are you, and what do you want?” The message is clear: “you are in the wrong place; you are interrupting us; go away.” We might calmly respond by saying, “Oh, my mistake, sorry for the interruption.” But we feel anything but calm. That, “Uh oh, wrong place, not welcome, I don’t belong, got to get out of here as fast as I can,” feeling. Rejection! Contrast that with a reception of smiling faces and open arms that say, “We’re so glad you’re here, we don’t know what we would have done without you! You belong. You are one of us: all for one and one for all.” Acceptance!

We all need to belong. That’s why in-groups and out-groups are so strongly defended. Every “group” has its unifying factor, that one thing that unites people of variant backgrounds, experiences, and values—bikers over here, hunters over there, writers in that corner, musicians in this, Republicans down here, Democrats there.

It is ironic then that the ONE, Universal Being—namely GOD—is also the source of humanity’s fiercest divisions: Muslims, Jews, and Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, and Atheists (also “faith based” though unadmittedly so), two major types of Muslims, three major categories for Judaism, and umpteen denominations of Christians. No rational, reasonable thinking person can ignore the fact that these FAITHS contradict one another. Logically speaking, it is possible that they are all wrong. But it is NOT logically possible for all FAITHS to be equally TRUE all at once, for they each make mutually exclusive, alienating, and contradictory Universal Truth claims.

A pure Universal Truth is true for all peoples, at all times, in all places. The law of gravity is a Universal Truth in physics—true for all humanity, in all ages, at all times. If you don’t believe this, try defying this truth by jumping off a ten story building, while repeating the words, “I don’t believe in the law of gravity. I will not fall.” As to religious Truth Claims, however, we obviously have divisive beliefs, separate faith systems, and competing definitions for the ONE all-inclusive BEING called GOD—contradictory Universal Truth Claims! We simply cannot accept all FAITHS as equally TRUE.

So, is it possible to assert the tenants of one’s own Faith without insulting, judging, or denigrating the FAITHS of others? To claim that “Jesus is Messiah, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, is the way of salvation for all humanity,” is claiming a Universal Truth, impossible to be true only for some people, in some places, at some times. Logically, if it is not true for all humanity in all places and at all times, it is not true at all. Thus, Christianity is either in error or—because they reject this claim—Islam, Judaism, and other Religions are in error. In short, somebody’s wrong! The Athiest loudly proclaims that ALL FAITHS are wrong; simply begging the question by not admitting that it takes just as much faith to believe in NO God as it does to believe IN God. Serious followers of any FAITH will practice their Faith without apology. Religious Universal Truth claims mean little, if they are not fleshed out—lived, practiced, and incorporated into one’s daily life. Can we respect different FAITHS without undermining, weakening, or even deserting our own Faith?

Yes, if we apply the following principles:

1. The Christian must know in whom he/she believes, not just what he/she believes. That is, he/she believes IN JESUS, not in a church, denomination, a theology, a preacher, an ethic or dogma, but in the Living, Resurrected LORD—the Person. To know Christ means to grasp, understand, and experience Him, not only intellectually but with heart, soul, and spirit; knowing means having a personal, committed, substantive experience in Him.
2. To assert one’s Faith by living it, expressing and sharing it, is not to judge, denigrate, or insult those having no faith, a differing faith, or a countering faith. We do not apologize for faith in Jesus. Insulting one’s own faith by disclaiming Christ—in the face of other FAITHS—has no integrity. But to disagree with people of other FAITHS is neither to judge nor to condemn them; the judgment and/or condemnation of humanity are in God’s hands, certainly not ours.
3. Thus, respecting all FAITHS does not mean accepting all FAITHS as equally valid. So doing is intellectually and spiritually dishonest. In that sense, there are boundaries and limitations to interfaith dialogue, though it’s a very good thing to pursue.
4. No one human can prove the rightness of his/her FAITH. God Himself must demonstrate to humanity who He is, not us. We can only bear witness to the reality of our own committed faith-experience.
5. To have true respect for the FAITH of others is perhaps to assure that we all have religious freedom of conscience, a freedom of choice, and the freedom of FAITH expression, including the freedom to dialogue and to bear witness—with a potential for the conversion of others—respecting appropriate social boundaries.
6. Religious FAITH of any kind must never be forced, controlled or manipulated. In a pluralistic society such as ours, any FAITH tradition, be it Humanistic-Atheism, Muslim, Christian, or otherwise, attempting to domoninate and control all peoples in all areas of their lives, especially with respect to religious conviction and its expression, is suspect and is dangerous to the welfare of a free and democratic society.
7. One might say, all religions agree in the Big things: Love, Truth, Purity, Righteousness, Peace, Justice, and Goodness. Yes, BUT! The devil is in the details; it’s how we particularly apply them that cause the trouble: does justice mean the death penalty, does truth mean science without God, does peace mean pacifism, does love mean accepting gay marriage? Does purity mean covering all women from head to toe? You see the problem.

The Nicene Creed (a 451 AD modification of the Creed of Nicaea of AD 324):

We believe in one God the Father All-sovereign, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten son of God, Begotten of the Father before all the ages, Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten not made, of one substance with the Father, through whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from the heavens, and was made flesh of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man, and was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures, and ascended into the heavens, and sits on the right hand of the Father, and comes again with glory to judge living and dead, of whose kingdom there shall be no end:

And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and the Life-giver, that proceeds from the Father, who with Father and Son is worshipped together and glorified together, who spoke through the prophets:

In one holy catholic [universal] and apostolic church:

We acknowledge one baptism unto remission of sins. We look for a resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come.

Wellspring Performs "Stranger in the Straw"

You know the story. Mary and Joseph arrive in Bethlehem with no place to stay. Mary births the baby Jesus in a manger and the animals discuss their thoughts on the event with a news reporter. Okay so maybe that’s not exactly how we’ve heard it but at Wellspring Church of Skippack [www.wellspringheart.org] the Christmas story is portrayed in a unique way. On Sunday, December 16th, Wellspring Church put on a play to show the story of the first Christmas.

To add another unique aspect to the play, the play was focused on a father and daughter viewing a children’s play on TV. In A Stranger in the Straw, Meghan Buseck plays a young girl who just moved to New York with her father—played by Mark Smith her real life father—and is only beginning to make friends at her new school. Hearing that the children at her school are performing a Christmas play, she begs her father to watch it with her. Though he is reluctant to watch it, she coaxes him to change the channel. At this point we see the play as it is performed by her classmates, complete with talking animals, news reporters, and a choir.

Wellspring does a great job at presenting the story of Jesus in a fun way. Throughout the play, songs are played to continue to convey the message of the story. While the songs can sometimes tend to overcome the play itself, they fit the mood of the play quite nicely. While the actors certainly aren’t shooting for a Tony Award, they do a fine job acting out their characters. There were a few slight mix-ups with lines here and there but they caused no detriment to the play.

At the end, father and daughter have a conversation slightly opening the father’s eyes to the Christmas story he had learned to reject. The play even ends with a little humorous “improvisational” dancing from a few of the actors during the final song. When all was said and done it seemed over a bit too quickly but didn’t feel rushed. The sign of a good performance, it seems, is leaving the audience wanting more and I think Wellspring’s presentation of A Stranger in the Straw did this quite well.

Reviewed by Andrew M. Meneses
Freshman student at Eastern University, St. David's PA

KILLING GOD?

"Well, where is God,” said Mrs. Coulter, “if he’s alive? And why doesn’t he speak anymore? At the beginning of the world, God walked in the Garden and spoke with Adam and Eve. Then he began to withdraw, and he forbade Moses to look at his face. Later, in the time of Daniel, he was aged—he was the Ancient of Days. Where is he now? Is he still alive, at some inconceivable age, decrepit and demented, unable to think or act or speak and unable to die, a rotten hulk? And if that is his condition, wouldn’t it be the most merciful thing, the truest proof of our love for God, to seek him out and give him the gift of death?"

The above is a direct quote from THE AMBER SPYGLASS, the third book in the trilogy, His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman. It anticipates the death of God, which happens like this: Between them they helped the ancient of days out of his crystal cell; it wasn’t hard, for he was as light as paper, and he would have followed them anywhere, having no will of his own, and responding to simple kindness like a flower to the sun. But in the open air there was nothing to stop the wind from damaging him, and to their dismay his form began to loosen and dissolve. Only a few moments later he had vanished completely, and their last impression was of those eyes, blinking in wonder, and a sigh of the most profound and exhausted relief.

This is the death of god. Pullman’s “god” is nothing more than a mere literary effigy, a caricature, an imagined cartoon figure of the true Biblical Judeo-Christian God—quite laughable, to say the least. It is only natural for such a god to die, for he was no real GOD to begin with. To take this “god” seriously is to give credit where no credit is due.

Another Character of interest is Mary. She is the tempter in the story; but her role as “tempter” is positive. As the story unfolds, we grow to like Mary and want her to succeed in her efforts. She does, and it is fitting that she does; and we are pleased. Yet, she was once a nun and, having lost her faith in the “Christian” God, she calmly explains her loss of faith by saying: The Christian religion is a very powerful and convincing mistake, that’s all. Obviously Pullman uses this character to drive home his own opinion about Christianity, doing so through a supporting character.

Then there is Metatron. Though the story makes no overt connection between Metatron and Jesus Christ, most Christian readers will see a link. But, here again we are presented with just another caricature—a false likeness to Christ—an effigy we are actually glad to see defeated.

In real life, the average reader would normally have some degree of respect for the following: God, Christ, the church and its religious teachers and leaders. In Pullman’s saga, the reader is led to dislike or have little respect for these same characters, as portrayed in the story.

Subtle as this may seem, Pullman no doubt has his real world supporters. There are many in today’s world that have been so disappointed, hurt, dismayed, and/or abused by religion, the church, and its leaders, that they have lost most if not all respect for religious types of any kind, especially clergy, the church, and its teachings. Thus, in Pullman’s tale, major religious characters are inverted, turned upside down. We want them defeated and taken out. And so, Metatron, the character most likely to be identified with Jesus, is a ruthless lord and certainly no savior—definitely not someone before whom we’d willingly bow down and worship. And the reader can only pity god for what he really is—in the tale. Anything but true, good, righteous, just, and all-powerful, he’s old, weak, and frail, and a sad victim of his own creaturely attempt to be GOD. In short, he is actually no worse, nor better, than any human we know of in the real world. Such is the death of god.

So if you are confident in your faith and know Jesus, true God of true God, Lord of Lords and King of Kings, and if you understand the true nature of God, the Father, Creator of heaven and earth, let your children read these books and then have a great, enlightening theological discussion with them. Compare the Biblical God with that of human imagination, fantasy, and mythology. Show how the Biblical God defines Himself, what He says about “who He is” and His role in the story of the human race and what He actually expects from humanity.

Discuss Jesus and the church. Tell them what you know about church history and the sins of its past. You may want to refer to the book of Revelation, chapters two and three. Talk about how and why people have been hurt by the church (everything from the crusades to clergy misconduct). Yet, point out that it was Jesus who established the church. Why did He? Show how the true church is supposed to be “the Bride of Christ” and how Jesus is the Head of the Church.

Then talk about our need to make a choice. Who and what are we going to believe? Why is faith important and necessary? What are our faith choices? How can we be sure that we are making good, wise, and true choices? Also point out the difference between being religious and being in a genuine relationship with God, through Christ, by means of the Holy Spirit? Show how and why. And above all, do all of this with the least bit of anxiety, worry, and fear. Demonstrate the strength of your own faith. Speak with conviction that Jesus is Lord and Savior, that God the Father is Creator, and that His Spirit is the revealer of the Word of Truth.

Humanity’s true story, our very own human saga, is an epic tale found in the Biblical narrative from Genesis’ “Adam & Eve” to Apocalypse’s Judgment Day.

Remember: the greatest story ever told is the truest one ever heard.

Below are more direct Quotes from Book Three, THE AMBER SPYGLASS, of the trilogy, His Dark Materials:

He meant the Kingdom was over, the Kingdom of Heaven, it was all finished. We shouldn’t live as if it mattered more than this life in this world, because where we are is always the most important place.

*

She said that all the history of human life has been a struggle between wisdom and stupidity. She and the rebel angels, the followers of wisdom, have always tried to open minds; the Authority and his churches have always tried to keep them closed.

*

The Authority, God, the Creator, the Lord, Yahweh, El, Adonai, the King, the Father, the Almighty—those were all names he gave himself. He was never the creator. He was an angel like ourselves—the first angel, true, the most powerful, but he was formed of Dust as we are, and Dust is only a name for what happens when matter begins to understand itself.

*

Mrs. Coulter says: How can it be? The Authority created the worlds, didn’t he? He existed before everything, how can he have come into being? King Ogunwe says: This is angelic knowledge. It shocked some of us, too, to learn that the Authority is not the creator. There may have been a creator, or there may not: we don’t know. All we know is that at some point the Authority took charge, and since then, angels have rebelled, and human beings have struggled against him, too.

If anyone is wondering, yes, I do plan to see the movie when it comes out. Meanwhile, blessings to all--grace, love, and peace.

Fantasy, Reality, Theology

The Golden Compass, Book One from the trilogy called His Dark Materials, is a children’s fantasy by Philip Pullman. A movie version is to be released on December 7th. Christians are in an uproar, calling for its boycott because of its apparent anti-church message. I’ve been given an assignment: read the books, give a pastoral response.

First, I’d say, FEAR NOT! Understand your faith. KNOW CHRIST and act accordingly. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. 2 Tim. 1:7

We play right into the enemy’s hands by angrily crying foul play, weakly threatening a boycott, and haughtily denouncing the movie as a THREAT to Faith, the Church, Christianity, and/or religion.

Angry offendedness only confirms the preconceived notion already held by many non-believers that we Christians are nothing more than defensive, closed minded, authoritarian, and controlling fearful little people that are threatened by the least bit of criticism, unflattering portrayal, disagreeable depiction, and/or negative evaluation, of our faith.

Yes, it’s true! This fantastical tale IS hard on the church. Reading it makes one feel as if no good, honest, intelligent, person in his/her right mind would ever subscribe to the Christian faith let alone belong to the institutional church.

The church does have a stained past—we have all heard of The Inquisition! It has promulgated the crusades; the church has wielded great socio-political control and, without compunction, has freely abused its power around the world. The historical record is there. Any writer who references or alludes to such facts about the church in fiction or nonfiction stands on solid empirical, historical grounds for so doing. We AVOID NOT the truth about Christendom, Church history, and Western Civilization.

This tale confronts us with the dark side—the misdeeds—of the historical church, ever so subtly and indirectly. However, in no way do the sins of the church diminish the Person of Christ and His message. On the contrary, this fantasy may very well provide us an opportunity: to discuss with our children topics otherwise ignored: why are we here, why is there evil, who is God, is He trustworthy and Good, is there life after death, if so, what is it like, how do we know, why must we have faith, how can we tell between True Faith and Falsehood, why do we need a Savior, is there a resurrection of the dead? Etc.

I would not lightly recommend this fantasy/trilogy. But I most certainly would NOT ban, burn, or banish it either. Remember: seek and you shall find; knock and the door shall be opened…? Depends on what one is looking for, one’s spiritual hunger, search for God, depth, wisdom.

The twelve year old heroin displays typical childish human character flaws; she’s obstinate, stubborn, disobedient, and haughty. She lies; smokes with her friends, experiments with alcohol—and gets drunk. But she’s also empathetic, brave, loving, courageous, honorable, and compassionate. Wise beyond her years, she has a heart of gold with feet of clay.

There are witches, daemons, angels, and ghosts—good and bad. Evil characters, beautiful on the outside, foul and fetid inside; and virtuous characters murderously mean and vicious on the outside with clean and true hearts inside. Everything is not as it seems. The story has the currency of all good myths, addressing universal questions of LIFE: good versus evil, love and hatred, war and peace, truth and falsehood, death and dying; subjects for which we all should be seeking answers.

Pullman has no faith in Christ. He’s antagonistic toward the Church and Christianity. Still, his fable is a doorway to questions about God. No fantasy writer escapes the great universals: Pain and Suffering, Death, Evil, Faith, Hope, Love, Truth, Fidelity, Bravery, Honor, and Courage. But his epic tale begs the question about God. He displaces the Biblical God, with an undefined animistic god—a spiritual force separate from matter—inanimate DUST having consciousness and personality. His tale embraces a form of old fashioned animism. There is nothing new under the sun!

I might ask: in whom or what do we really place our faith—is it in ourselves? We all “know” that there is a power above and beyond us, external to us. The answer is NOT IN us! That is, we are not Life’s Cause. We do not create, make, sustain, or define life. Call it Providence, the Fates, Destiny, or what not; the question’s the same: what, who is the author and sustainer of life? What is, WHO is God? Jesus Christ offers concrete answers to these questions. Christians understand this. Therefore we need not be threatened when alternative answers are given. For example, there is the age old Theodicy question: if God is good why is there evil? We are not to be threatened by such inquiries. On the contrary, we must be ready to answer them [1 Pet. 3:15]. If you are confident and understand who Christ is (note C.S. Lewis), then let your children read it; but be ready to discuss it with them. Draw out the author’s assumptions about good and evil, First Causes, sin, judgment, life, death, and God.

If we don’t want our kids to read these books—because we ourselves feel self-conscious about the fact that we have no answers to the questions they raise, or do not really believe in the answers Christ gives—they will know we are dodging, not wanting to deal with, afraid of, or uninterested in, the really big questions of LIFE. But when they ask—and they will—they’ll wonder why we’re afraid of the question(s) and why they’re not supposed to be thinking of, or asking about, such things—and we will have lost a great opportunity for us and them.

As to your child’s faith in Christ, well, if he or she is not really free to say no, when faced with the choice between yes or no to Christ, then his/her YES means very little. Think about it.

What's your Game Plan?

Keep your head in the game! That’s a title song from Disney’s popular High School Musical. Give it your all—and then some—110%! Stay focused. Don’t get distracted. Stay in the game!

Spectators watch and enjoy. Spectators are passive; they can afford distractions. Some even miss scoring moves by key players because of distractions. Yet distracted onlookers do not affect the game. But imagine a player missing a key move for lack of focus, His head’s not in the game! The outcome might be disastrous—game loss and more!—the difference between a local trophy and a World Cup Championship!

Following Jesus is all about getting IN the game. There are no spectators for Jesus; you are following—actively engaged, doing His will—or you are not.

Jesus is Spirit driven, God focused, and Kingdom minded, and so must we be. Spirit driven & God focused: Jesus did nothing willy-nilly, was not egotistical, not concerned for His own self-image, personal desires, or selfish interests. “…, then you will realize that I am He, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me. And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to Him.” John 8:28-29.

Kingdom Minded: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Luke 12:32-34.

What really is most important to you and why? Where does the Kingdom of God fit into your value system & priorities; what is it worth to you? How are you cashing in its worth in terms of time, money, talents, gifts, relationships, pursuits, interests, and goals?

Jesus said, Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Matt. 6:34. What is God’s Kingdom? Are you a Kingdom Citizen? That is, are YOU in the game? Or are you merely observing, watching from the sidelines? How does one become a Kingdom citizen? What’s expected of a Kingdom citizen, a game player, a team member? What is your life’s game plan, pursuit, focus?

Restoring Justice ...

Lock him up and throw away the key! Do the crime; do the time. Prison ministry, why bother? “Guilty as hell,” hardened criminals, they deserve prison; Right!

Yes, but we also believe in redemption, salvation, changed lives. We believe that if a man confesses and repents of his sins he can be cleansed, renewed, become a new man?

Wellspring has an historical connection with Graterford SCI (State Correctional Institute). Much of the land that the prison now sits on was at one time farmland owned by Mennonite farmers who were members of this very church (then called Upper Skippack Mennonite Church).

Also, our land is contiguous with the prison. There is this vast prison land, then us, and our cemetery. It’s as if we were destined to have an ongoing “relationship” with Graterford. It seems God appointed that we should have an active, vibrant, and viable prison ministry.

And our particular prison ministry is Restorative Justice. This is all the more fitting for us—for our church is all about God’s work, which is all about reconciliation, renewal, healing, restoration, and wholeness. In Christ, brokenness and broken relationships is/are restored.

We choose not to build this church by marketing schemes, attracting middle class families by re-enforcing unquestioned middle class values, leaving all in their comfort zone in pursuing the American dream: “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” that amounts to abandoned materialistic self-indulgence at the expense of economic justice, world peace, and other local & global social inequities.

Rather we choose God’s higher calling, a demand for social justice, peace, transformation, and the renewal of the soul and spirit, leading to a lifestyle and value system that embraces the poor, the oppressed, the lost, hurt, enslaved, social outcast and the imprisoned (be it literal or spiritual imprisonment).

The marketer says, give people what they want and you will grow. God’s agenda is quite different. Jesus says, If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. How does one attract people by inviting them to carry an instrument of their own torture, suffering, and death? Yet, that's exactly what Jesus did!

Church Involvement: Restorative Justice Signposts (Mennonite Central Committee -- Betsy Lee & Lorraine Stutzman) ...

By God’s grace we know we are working toward restorative justice in the life of the church when we …
1. Show equal concern and commitment to all who have been harmed by empowering them and responding to their needs.
2. Focus on the brokenness within the community rather than make theological judgments.
3. Hold people accountable by encouraging them to understand, accept and carry out their obligations to those who have been harmed.
4. Recognize that obligations are not intended as punishment, but as part of grace and the ongoing journey of healing.
5. Provide opportunities for dialogue, direct and indirect, between all involved.
6. Involve and empower the affected community in any related discussions or processes.
7. Encourage collaboration and reintegration rather than coercion and isolation.
8. Give attention to unintended consequences of our actions and programs.
9. Recognize and hold the church accountable for policies, procedures and structures that perpetuate injustice and harms.
10. Provide space for truth and mercy to meet.

LIFE: The Short and Long END of it ...

Life is too short! Do it while you can! Seize the Day! You only live once!
When we say this, what do we mean? Live now. Don’t waste time. Enjoy life while you can. ‘Cause before long, poof! We’re out of here.

It’s like taking a timed exam. Okay class, you may begin. The content of the exam is not difficult; the answers seem clear cut. But it’s that timing thing! “Quick, the answer to the first question is …. I can’t think clearly under time pressure! Oh, look at the clock; I’m wasting time. Good! I got that done; now onto the next question. Can I answer them all before …?” Bing! Okay class, time is up, set your pencils down and pass your exams to the front of the class.

Yes, it would seem that our lives hang at the edge of time; any second, any minute, or hour, or day, the alarm will go off, and boom! The bell rings and Life is no more. Talk about time pressure …!

But wait. Why do we live as if this life is the life, the only LIFE we have? Jesus makes it very clear that this earthly life is a mere preface, an introduction to a life to be lived in—Eternity! Jesus speaks of Life in the face of death. We are to live, and we are to live on … Forever!

Finish this sentence: We have all the time in the …! Did you say, “World”? How about Eternity or the Heavens! In that sense time is on our side. Eternity is in our favor. Time is NOT the enemy.

What about now? Considering that the end of the road here is eternity there, Peter says, “… while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by Him at peace, without spot or blemish …” (2 Peter 3:14)

Apparently we should be getting prepared for the big trip. Why then do we remain so focused on building a future only for THIS life? Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, says Paul (Col. 3:2).

He is so heavenly minded that he is of no earthly good, says the critic. Ouch! But NO, real heavenly mindedness—God Focused—actually grounds us toward real, practical, earthly needs: truth, justice, peace, patience, mercy, kindness, gentleness, goodness, self-control, generosity, love. Because we have a future beyond earth, we can live by doing the right thing on earth—even if it costs our earthly lives.

What Church has to Offer ...

Wellspring Church of Skippack! That's our church's name ...

What would it look like to live up to our name? Let me think. We would probably be …
Reviving—quenching dry, thirsty souls.
Healing—soothing people’s wounds.
Refreshing—cooling hot tempers & sorry attitudes.
Invigorating—restoring drained & sapped spirits.
Delighting—rejuvenating a spirit of joyful playfulness.

But, you know what? Thank God WE do NOT have to live up to such a name! No, really we don’t!

But God does! He is the one that must accomplish these things among us, if we but let Him. (I suppose that’s a big if, letting Him, that is.)

That’s why we’re here, isn’t it? To let Him do HIS work IN us? And boy, don’t we need the work!

And so, we, the people of Wellspring, have nothing to offer, for we are not dong the offering. God is. That certainly takes a load off our shoulders. Doesn’t it?

Okay, on the other hand, we are offering God. Yes, that’s it! That’s what we have to offer. It’s HIM. His love for us, His grace, peace, truth, care, Spirit upon us, mercy, forgiveness, salvation, HIM!

He is doing something to us, in us, among us, and through us. Isn’t that something? What a wonderful God!

We offer nothing and should never pretend to offer anything but God in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Really, God is doing all the offering. We are only here to receive it and invite others to join us in the receiving of it.

But that means we must be open ourselves to what God is offering. Yes, we want it ourselves, certainly not just for ourselves, but we ourselves do want and need it ourselves. We cannot share what we ourselves do not have to share.

What then are we sharing—giving, providing, promoting here? HIM, that’s all. His love, our gratefulness, His grace, our gratitude, His mercy, our appreciation, His call, our heedfulness, His will, our obedience, His purpose, our submission, His Glory, our gain!

Wandering Thoughts ...
Three boys were bragging about their dads.

“My dad writes a few lines, calls it a poem and gets fifty bucks for it,” said the first.

“My dad puts some dots, lines, and squiggles on paper, calls it a song and gets seventy-five for it,” said the second.

“That’s nothing,” said the third boy, “Saturday nights my dad writes a few words on a sheet of paper, gets up Sunday morning, reads it in church, and it takes four ushers to bring in the money.”
[Taken from one of those email list of jokes that go round and round the cyber world.]

IS CHRISTMAS REALLY ONLY ABOUT THE KIDS?

It is no wonder that children are the one’s that most appreciate the arrival of Christmas. After all, they are the one’s that benefit the most from its celebration. This is not a bad thing in itself until, that is, parents realize that they can’t always fulfill their own and their children’s expectations of the Christmas prize—presents, presents, and more presents—that very special gift that each and every Child is hoping for, each in their own special little heart of hearts.

In my years as a pastor, I have heard more than once a father or mother decry the Christmas season with a bemoaning “I am not able to …” or “I was not able to …” or “I will not be able to … give my kids the Christmas that I would have liked” or “that they deserve” or “that they were looking forward to”; Or, “This year’s Christmas is not going to be as good as some previous Christmases. Hopefully next year will be better.”

Such statements invite commiserating sentiments of sympathy, sadness, pity and compassion. But remember the saying, “It’s not the gift, it’s the thought that counts”? At this point I have to ask, what are we thinking? When one considers the very first Christmas and its real significance, assuming that the accounts reported in the Christmas story are real historical events, how could anyone—all right, any Believer—say that this year is going to be a “bad” Christmas, or that this Christmas is not going to be as "good" as last Christmas? Is the joy, fun, and celebration, of Christmas really to be measured by the size, cost, quality, and quantity of gifts exchanged? Are we teaching our children that the only true account of Christmas is the checking, savings, or credit card account?

Obviously if one does not believe in the details proclaimed as historical truth surrounding the very first Christmas—Jesus, Son of God, born of a Virgin: “The angel said to [Mary], ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God’” (Luke 1:35; NRSV)”—then one may make of Christmas what one wills, for good or bad. But if one believes this account to be true and truly of God, there can be no bad Christmas, can there? Not really. That very same child of Christmas, we have learned, has grown to be realized as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is indeed our everlasting hope for a future and eternal prosperity in heaven with God. By means of this child, the now resurrected Lord, we are secured grace, peace, salvation, renewal, and much, much more. Jesus went around Judea proclaiming that, because of His arrival and presence, the Kingdom of God is at hand! And it still is!

So let us celebrate Christmas for what it really IS. The very first Christmas was the concrete and actual beginning of God’s promises to humanity coming to completion—that there will someday be a better world where there will no longer be suffering, pain, torture, agony, heartache, the loss of a loved one, young or old, aging, and death and dying. Whether we are presently rich or poor, in good health or bad health, the actual meaning of Christmas and its implication for the future of humanity has not changed.

It is a light beam of hope for all, most especially the ill, suffering, injured, sick, hungry, poor, and dieing. It is my hope as well as yours, OUR hope, the hope of humanity all around the world. It is God’s answer to the outcry, “Will we ever have peace in this world?” Yes! And that peace is in this child that was born now more than 2000 years ago.

As Luke reports: “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising god and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and onearth peace among those whom he favors!’” (Luke 2:13-14; NRSV.)

Merry Christmas!!

Is Time merely a matter of Money?

Time is money! I’m tired of hearing that, aren’t you? Does time not have any truer value than money? What can or should we do with our time other than make money? After all, it is a given that our time is limited. Is it not? It may be today, tomorrow or many years from now, but it WILL happen—each one of us will run out of time.

Time is money only because money is the means of exchange for the goods and services we need to survive, not to mention the items we want in order to survive with pleasure! Time is money because it takes time to work, produce, invest, and earn it. “Work” is the operative word here. But what is work? Does work have any meaning beyond the making of money?

For those of you who know the Bible, the first thought that may come to mind is the curse that God pronounced against Adam after the fatal eating of the forbidden fruit. “And to the man he said, ‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree about which I commanded you, “You shall not eat of it,” cursed is the ground because of you, in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.’” (Genesis 3:17-19)

Observe:

First, the foundation for our existence—earth—is now cursed; the ground itself fights against our very survival (thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you).

Secondly, because of number one above, we must now “work” (toil and sweat) the ground in order to reap its benefits. The ground will no longer provide for us “freely.”

And thirdly, in time, we ourselves will return to the ground from which we came—earth to earth, ashes to ashes, and dust to dust...

What does work mean in this context? Short and simple, it means survival! Yet, I think it is safe to say that most of us are not living in “survival” mode, materially speaking. We are clothed, we are sheltered, and we are far from dying of hunger. Most of us have never had to ask, “Will this be my last meal?” when sitting down to eat. Nor have we had to ask, “Where am I going to stay for the night? Or, “How shall I protect myself against the cold? We are most likely unfamiliar with living at this level of survival mode.

So, even though “work” is survival oriented, driven by the basic necessities of life—the need for food, water, clothing, and shelter—work means much more to us than merely surviving. What do we do with our time after our needs our met? We play, we explore, and we create; we paint, draw, read, write, dance, and sport all kinds of activities. Indeed creative work and play can become one and the same. We call it the creative arts or the fine arts.

But a job that provides money to pay the bills is simply that. It is a job. It is a source of monetary income to cover the basic “necessities” of life. But for many, real “meaningful” work is a kind of “calling” or “vocation,” a creative, enjoyable, celebrative and productive engagement with the earth, adding value to life beyond merely surviving.

Are you working at a job or on a vocation?

1. Making a distinction between a job (survival mode) and a “calling,” (creative mode), what would you do if you didn’t have to make a living? Why?

2. If you come up with a total blank and are unable to identify a “calling” (in distinction to that of a job, which only brings you an income), what do you think might be blocking your vision:

A lack of faith or belief that you could possibly have anything like a calling?
A lack of perspective?

A lack of time? Are you too busy working in ‘survival mode’ that you are unable to contemplate living and working in a “vocational” or “calling” mode?

Is it possible to discover a calling? Perhaps if we …

1. Think differently and put on a new perspective. Ask yourself, if I didn’t have to work for a living, how would I spend my time? What are my particular abilities, talents, strengths, and gifts? What do I enjoy doing for the sheer fun of it? How might this translate into a fruitful vocation or calling, adding value to Life?

2. Ask, “Can I do anything about it?” Is it a question of time? Is it a lack of confidence? What is it that keeps me from translating my gifts and talents into positive and exciting productive action?

3. Evaluate our present condition? Are you pleased with what you have become or who you are becoming? What changes would you make in your life if you fell sick one day and a prophet came and told you, “Thus says the Lord, set your house in order for you shall die; you shall not recover” as the prophet Isaiah once said to King Hezekiah when he fell ill? (2 Kings 20.)

Ask the “God question”: What is God’s creative purpose for me? What might God want me to do or accomplish here on earth before I die? How might I align myself up with God’s will and purpose for my life?