:: in a mirror dimly :: A theology and culture blog with the Bible in one tab and a news feed in the other.

I was standing in line yesterday at my favorite place in the whole wide world waiting to order my drink. A crowd of roughly six people stood before and behind, a fairly informal line for a very relaxed place.

A stressed and hurried woman walks up next to me–right next to me, invasion of personal space next to me–and barks out in a French accent, “There are two lines here? I see two registers. There are two lines.”

“Sometimes there are two, but there’s only one right now,” I said, noting that only one register was occupied by a staff member. She was still way too close to my left arm.

“No, there are two lines,” she said, shoving herself basically in front of me, apparently assuming that I would go to the the register on the right that did not have a staff member attending it.

In the midst of this power struggle some old dude in a strange hat shot in front of me from the right! I was all well and good with letting one pushy, obnoxious person go because, hey, she’s obviously stressed and in a hurry. Anyone who gets that worked up over the number of lines should either have some allowances given or be institutionalized. But this new wrinkle began to test the patience.

My mind began to race. I thought of speaking up. I thought of saying, “Look, I can’t let everybody run in front of me!” But then magic happened.

The man who ran in front of myself and the pushy woman was indecisive. He dropped the ball at the crucial moment and fumbled his order. He occupied the register on the left, the one chosen by the woman who bumped in front of me. At just this moment an employee opened up the register on the right, made eye contact with me, and took my order.

I had my drink and was on my way before the line jumping guy could say “Large caramel latte.”  

I take a few lessons from this. 1. Keep your mouth shut in these situations. Things will work out, and if they don’t work out, see point two. 2. It’s amazing what upsets people in day to day life. Petty, petty, petty.

We’ll see if my friends will stop by the cafe today for a rematch.

Technorati Tags: cafe - spiral+press - northshire+bookstore - Manchester - Vermont

I know that entrepreneurs will try just about anything, but this latest plan to combat “E-Mail Attention Deficit Disorder” just has “Dilbert Cartoon” written all over it. Scott Adams is probably licking his chops right now.

Maybe it’s a good idea. I just don’t see how any manager or executive can pitch it to the rank and file with a straight face. Maybe it would help if they gave employees new job titles to match: serf, elf, dwarf, wizard, etc. That will at least create the right mood.

Technorati Tags: e-mail - Dilbert

It’s curious that the vast majority of the discussions regarding women in ministry do not spend more time on the Old Testament passages with women leaders. Scott McKnight listed these passages on his blog a few days ago: here.

233+ comments suggests that he’s struck on a very important topic . . .

 The other night we watched The Illusionist. I have never heard of it, but was quickly drawn into the story and dazzled by the camera work.

Set in Austria in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s, an illusionist wins a tremendous following because of his seemingly supernatural powers. When his childhood love is engaged to the crown price, he turns his powers toward reuniting with her and attacking the prince.

This movie truly has all that I could have asked. The filming is so good that we actually rewound some scenes just to appreciate how well they were done. The characters are developed and believable, the dialogue and action flow, and the ending was perfect. I’d say more, but then I’d be guilty of spoiling the whole thing.

I recommend renting it because it’s so much more than a movie. It’s a good story that is artfully crafted.

Technorati Tags: illusionist - movie  

Loving one’s enemies is a radical idea advocated by Jesus. There’s a sense to it though. You can’t very well make things better by hating them. If they intend to do you harm, there is nothing to be gained by fighting fire with fire.

Ghandi also said, “An eye for an eye, and soon the whole world is blind.”

So let’s lower the stakes a little here. What are we to do with idiots, jerks, fools, annoying people, the guy who cut you off in traffic, the lady who jumped in front of you in line, a vindictive co-worker, the landlord who ignores your maintenance requests, and so on? Since they’re not trying to kill us or ruin us, these people are freed up to receive mild hatred or plain old disdain. No harm done right?

I was snow shoeing this morning just stewing and stewing about someone who has done more than irk me lately. He wasn’t at enemy status, so I just had a little pity party for myself and vented angry thoughts in his direction. And–dang it–I felt very convicted. Hardly what should be coming from a follower of Jesus.

God wants his followers to be characterized by their love. I had to stop, turn from my sinful anger, and ask for his refreshing and renewal; the very thing promised by Peter in Acts 3.

3:19 Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out,
3:20 so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and so that he may send the Messiah appointed for you – that is, Jesus.

Technorati Tags: love - enemies - Jesus - Ghandi

It’s been done before. It’s still done today. And still it seems odd to say that a theology is worth killing for.

I don’t hold this view, but the Sadducees and Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day thought in these terms. Jesus challenged their theology and their positions of religious authority, and so they had him executed. Then Peter and John healed a man and delivered a controversial sermon.

“While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests and the commander of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, angry because they were teaching the people and announcing in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.” Acts 4:1-2

Throughout history the church has notoriously slain theological dissidents, reformers, and traditionalists. And while Christianity is perhaps in a more docile period, some elements of Islam have picked up where the church left off.

All of this hints at a simple truth: theology is more important and dangerous than we usually think.

Some kill for it. Some die because of it. And so we know that a theology is not something to merely meddle with. Theology is life-changing and destiny-determining.

Of course we also need to lighten up. There is no ideology or system of thought that is worth killing for. In the case of theology I would say we shouldn’t even let it necessarily determine with whom we socialize. Nevertheless, theological beliefs are vitally important. They need to be taken seriously, evaluated, and modified with the greatest of care.

Technorati Tags: theology - Christian - beliefs

I’ve been concentrating on finding good resources on theology, the emerging church, and mission. I even read some of them. But the my one frustration has been finding a good way to share them here on this blog.

I have been using del.icio.us to keep track of these articles and web sites in the form of bookmarks. My del.icio.us page has everything listed and categorized.

Perhaps the ideal would be if these bookmarks could appear on inamirrordimly as posts, but I have found a suitable compromise for now. I have added a new page called “Theology Resources.” On this page is my latest listing of theology resources.

One disclaimer, nay two. First of all, I was using del.icio.us for all of my bookmarks in the past. That is no longer the case. Secondly, I don’t always read everything from top to bottom, and simply “bookmarking” an article does not equal endorsement.

Technorati Tags: theology - emerging+church - Christian

It helps to laugh at yourself sometimes.

In my early years as a Christian I struggled with anger and was generally kind of down. My headphones were on and Nirvana was blasting into my brain.

And then Philippians 4:8 came to mind:

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things.”

I took off the headphones, grabbed all of my secular music, and tossed it into the trash can. While I can’t say this for all of my music at the time, most of it–including Nirvana–fed my anger instead of relieving it. In other words, I viewed music in terms of its affect on my spirit. Add a conservative church that supported such a move into the mix, and you have my personal views on music for about eight years of my life.

About four years ago I began lightening up. And now I laugh at myself. I laugh because I was so naive to think secular music = bad and Christian music = good. There are such things as good and bad music, but these things can be found in both camps. I still believe that we should not knowingly pollute our minds with music that has ridiculously violent or sexually explicit lyrics, but the line between what’s acceptable and what is not has become gray in my estimation.

Today I listen to David Crowder and Neal Morse, but I have also added Johnny Cash and U2: two artists I would have never listened to five years ago. And that goes especially for U2 (In my opinion Bono is an acquired taste).

And now I’ll leave the rest open for comments.  : )

Technorati Tags: music - secular - christian - u2 - david+crowder - philippians

When I talk about a ruthlessly simple church I envision a gathering of believers that is not program-heavy or particularly fixated on Sunday morning. There isn’t one form that a ruthlessly simple church must take, but it will certainly have Jesus at the center.

The arts have suffered greatly in the environs of the pragmatic, program-focused church of late, and so I’ve been wondering if there is any place for artistic expression, particularly worship in a ruthlessly simple church.

Obviously many church gatherings have music in one form or another, but I’m also wondering about painting, photography, graphic design, poetry, or whatever else may qualify as artistic expression within the limits of what is generally considered art.

If a church group desires to remain small and simple the obvious choice is to create a partnership with a local library, art gallery, or some other institution with wall space. Many local nonprofits and libraries are eager to hang art on their walls and to even host a complete exhibition.

Technorati Tags: art - church

Over President’s Day weekend we had several nice excursions that more than made up for our lousy time at Lake Shaftsbury last Thursday.

For starters we trekked up the Prospect Rock trail in Manchester. Located at Rootville Road, where route 11/30 takes a curve–near Bistroy Henry and the Manchester Bar & Grill. The trail is a one-mile, straight shot up to one of the prettiest views around–especially when compared to the amount of effort involved.

Though some have skied this trail, more folks have snow shoed up the constant incline. Snow mobiles also use the trail, which is a bonus since their trail association maintains the upper parts that become wind-blown. One drift was taller than us and had a 6 foot by 6 foot patch of rocky ice at the bottom. Thank heavens for the snow mobile association.

Since the trail was broken we found the hike to be challenging, but not completely exhausting. The wind doesn’t blow through for the majority of the hike, so even on a cold day it’s not a bad hike. I personally recommend snow shoeing this trail unless you are very, very competent on XC skis.

On Monday we hit the old Glastenbury Road and found that it suited us quite nicely for skiing. The trail was also broken by snow mobiles, but we didn’t see anyone all day long.

The trail steadily inclines up, so it’s always a slight challenge to keep moving. Of course the benefit is on the way back. I had to keep moving my legs, which kept me warm, but the slight incline also added some much-appreciated speed. This was one of the nicer skis we’ve had and the best part is that it’s free!

Technorati Tags: Glastenbury - Vermont - Manchester - Prospect+Rock - ski - snow+shoe

History and traditions assist us when interpreting the present. Take Acts chapter two for instance. The Holy Spirit is rushing down on Jesus’ followers and they are suddenly able to speak in foreign tongues. Even Peter becomes a seasoned preacher.

People want to know what’s going on. They don’t have a grid for these events, and some have already moved in to supply their own answer: these are drunken lunatics.

This is the crucial moment where Peter tosses in the essential piece of history that clicks all of the pieces together:

2:17 ‘And in the last days it will be,’ God says, ‘that I will pour out my Spirit on all people, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.
2:18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

Peter uses the scriptures as a lens through which he can interpret reality. He understands something of what God intends to do and therefore, when God’s revelation comes, he is not only ready to receive it, he accepts it and explains it correctly.

Technorati Tags: acts - church+history - peter - apostle - holy+spirit

The beginning of Acts provides a simple reminder about the mission of the church:

“‘But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.’” Acts 1:8

There is an assumption in this passage that, while seemingly obvious, is worth stating. If we’re called to proclaim Jesus, then we need to start with knowing him.

I remember speaking at a local rotary club last year. I had to give a presentation on a topic I really didn’t know much about since the previously scheduled speaker was no longer available. Needless to say, it didn’t go well. I was jumbled, awkward, and rushed through my poorly prepared points.

Perhaps this is a key to what Christians sound so awkward and are sometimes unwilling to share Jesus. We don’t quite know what to say or what to talk about because we’re not as familiar with him as we should be.

Square one with mission and the good news is knowing Jesus. We can’t take the first step in sharing him if we have never received anything from him.

Two feet of snow fell on Wednesday and Thursday in our part of Vermont. We needed it badly. All of the old snow was caked down and hard - terrible prospect for cross country skiing.

We had the morning free yesterday to go for a ski, so we began planning a little trip. Julie wanted to go to Glastenbury for a ski on the old road there. It’s actually the perfect place to ski, but I didn’t want to risk driving out into the middle of no where if the dirt roads were still not cleared off completely. Maybe they were, but I was a little  nervous about getting stuck.

So she caved in to my idea of going to Lake Shaftsbury State Park. There’s a nice little loop that runs around the park for about a mile. I remembered it as a fairly flat little trail that would be perfect for skiing.

I was half right.

The first half was fine and even the wooden bridge section had enough snow, but then we hit the ridge line. That was where our problems started.

The ridge started off steep. Really steep. I don’t remember it being so steep. I took my skis off because the trail was also narrow, so there was no way to ski up. I trudged up with my feet sinking down until the snow was over my knees.

At the top I put my skis on until I came to a downhill section that was very steep and very narrow. Are you catching on to the theme here? Oh, and the downhill part had a sharp turn with lots of skis.

I’m OK on hills, but this was too much for me to control. So I took my skis off and ran down the hill. And that’s where my problems began.

I tried to put my right ski on, and it just wouldn’t stay on my boot. Something was jammed. I whacked it, banged it against a tree and did everything I could imagine to free up the binding. It was stuck.

Julie came back and let me try her skis on to make sure it wasn’t my boot. Her skis fit fine. So she jammed her wax scraper into the bindings until she got them free. It took about 10 minutes of tough work in 10 degree weather. We began to get cold.

Then Julie tried to put her skis on and guess what happened? She worked at her skis for another 5 minutes or so until she finally worked the binding loose.

We plodded along the ridge for a while and things worked out pretty good. We actually began to have fun; all the while remembering that if our skis came loose from our boots, we may have a long walk back to the car.

We hit our next snag after descending a steep hill (I fell a lot!), crossing a bridge, and then ascending a steep hill. On the ascent I fell and of course it’s hard to put a ski on while on a hill and it’s even more difficult to hop up a hill covered in two feet of snow with one ski on. And remember, that one ski is two feet above whatever your other foot is resting on.

I hopped up and sure enough the binding was stuck again. Julie, my ski binding genius of a wife passed her trustee tool, instructed me in her ways, and I was able to dig it out.

At this point we were close to our car and we eagerly removed our skis and zipped home. I apologized profusely, but Julie didn’t mind too much. She’s seen a lot worse: boots falling apart, skis snapping, and that sort of thing. At least we got to ski.

If you want a good place to ski go to Glastenbury Road. If you want a good place to swim and hike in the summer, go to Lake Shaftsbury!

Technorati Tags: ski - Vermont - Shaftsbury - crosscountry+skiing

I’m not a defeatist. And I believe that lowering our expectations for church is not necessarily mean we’ve lost anything. It just means we’ve been looking for the wrong things in the wrong place.

What do we expect from church? Worship, education, fellowship, outreach, pastoral care, children’s programs, adult activities, small groups, prayer meetings, a young adult gathering, and the list goes on.

This is a very tall order to fill for any organization. No wonder my Master of Divinity took four years to accumulate 90 credits worth of classes while my friends breezed through masters programs in 2 years with 40-50 credits to complete. We expect a lot out of our churches.

So let’s step back and lower those expectations to one or two things. In other words, let’s make sure we have the two most important parts of church right before we expect anything else to happen.

What would it look like if we made meeting with God our number one priority when we meet together? What would it look like if our second priority was encouraging one another? There may be room for other things eventually, but the top priorities must come first.

Technorati Tags: church - Christianity

Is your church becoming too crowded? Are you unable to find enough seats for your family?

John O’Keefe over at ginkworld visited a church that solved the unwanted visitor problem in a “creative” way. (HT Jordon Cooper)

Technorati Tags: church - visitors