A Clear Vision

"The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision. It's got to be a vision you articulate clearly and forcefully on every occasion. You can't blow an uncertain trumpet." This quote is attributed to Theodore Hesburgh, an American Catholic priest who was president of Notre Dame, 1952-1987.

I believe the loudest noise in our nation is the dissonance of leaders who are uncertain trumpet players. In government, in certain segments of the church, once great visions have faded away to be replaced by fuzzy politics and shaky theology.

Politically, we see those who complain about paying taxes, but still want, for example, no potholes in the highways, demand adequate law enforcement protection and hope for better education and safety for our kids. Not to be outdone, there are others who use vague math to promise to pay for more and more programs while basic services are suffering. It seems  reasonable citizens everywhere realize a balance must be struck between the two ideologies and yet our leaders aren't getting the message. 

All we hear is more noise, including lots of trumpet-blasting about issues to keep us distracted and divided. Gun control, abortion and gay marriage...do we really believe these are the most important issues facing our country? I know some readers will say yes, but my contention is: If our national debt is not brought under control, if reasonable compromises cannot be reached, none of the distractions are going to matter much at all.

Let's bring this back to Christianity and how followers of Jesus should be behaving, which has always been the point of this blog. 

Many religious leaders have been worse offenders in this whole mess than the government. The same distractions within the government are roiling the world of the church. About half of all marriages end in divorce and yet, we claim to have the moral high ground in telling others who they can or cannot marry. It would seem, this being the case, the only "reasonable" course of action is for the church to lobby for divorce to become illegal (except perhaps in the case of spousal abuse) alongside demanding no gay marriage. The hypocrisy surrounding this issue is more than a little astounding.

If the idea is that every child conceived must be allowed to be born, regardless of what kind of hell on earth that child will be living in, then the Church better darn well get busy setting up a network of families to adopt unwanted children, figure out a way to provide healthcare for those born into poverty and make sure every child in America is properly fed and clothed and has access to a good education. If one's definition of pro-life means only the right of every child to be born, then the entire point is being missed. 

Christians, I would ask if you agree with the following assessment: The spirits of the unborn (whether they have not come into the world because of abortion or natural miscarriage) are safe with God. Do you agree? Based on the tenets of fundamental Christianity you MUST agree, and doesn't that seem like a good place for those spirits to be? I don't know anyone who thinks abortion is a good idea, as I do not, most especially after the first trimester of pregnancy. But if you say I don't care about the unborn when I try to at least start a conversation about abortion, then you are flat-out wrong and you don't know me at all. Because I do care so much for children is why I despise abortion being kicked around as a political football. 

(Whether or not we agree on this issue is beside the point I'm getting ready to make: If you think I don't care about the health and well-being of children, please let me know and we can stop being friends immediately. I'm taking a stand here; I invite you to take a stand as well.)

And as for gun control, Christians have your personal opinions about what is being discussed on a national level about this matter, but stop perpetuating the hysteria that the government is trying to take your guns away and stop trying to bring Jesus in on your side of the issue. That's another distraction from the real issues and frankly, for religious leaders to try to say God is not in favor of certain restrictions in gun ownership is offensive. 

If I have not clearly articulated my position on these few issues, please ask me to clarify. I invite everyone else, especially those who are followers of Jesus, to also think through why you have the opinions you do. Frame them in the context of scripture, not from what outside sources tell you should be your opinion, myself included. The noise from these current trumpets must be quieted before we can find harmony in the soul of our country.

 "Where there is no vision, the people perish." (Proverbs 29:18)

A Lesson from Javert

I finally made it to the movie theater to see the most recent version of "Les Miserables." Most readers will know it is based on the stage musical of the same name which is based on a book by Victor Hugo. For those who are not fans of singing dialogue, I would recommend the book. (The 1998 non-musical movie with Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush was pretty good, too, and far less of a time commitment than reading the book.) Regardless of the presentation format, I recommend the story.

In it there are dozens of messages relevant to a Christian worldview, including the importance of charity, repentance, honor and forgiveness. While there are many wonderful characters in the story, one who has always stood out to me is the tragic antagonist, police inspector Javert.

During the course of many years, Javert relentlessly pursues a man named Jean Valjean over matters related to Valjean's initial crime of stealing bread for his nephew who is starving. Javert seeks justice which is blind. He makes no provision for repentance or forgiveness. He has no shred of compassion. In his mind, even the most minor offense must be punished to the fullest extent. In the name of God, he is cruel and merciless. In the end, nearly unexplainable mercy is extended to him by Valjean who should have every reason the hate him and see him dead. Javert convinces himself he cannot live in a world where there is such unconditional forgiveness.

For those who have a relationship with Jesus it should never be forgotten that such a relationship is based on grace and forgiveness of our transgressions. We must always extend that same grace and forgiveness to everyone we meet. For many, it seems everywhere they look all they see are sinners, people who are not on the right path, people who need to be reformed. And not only that, the Javerts of the world feel it is their job to point out the mistakes of others, to humiliate them and punish them for their alleged wrongdoing.

Such a view is not healthy, as Javert discovers. His life contains no joy, he is consumed with rage. When one's view of God becomes so narrow all that can be seen is how wrong everyone else is, the point of the teachings of Jesus is missed. Judgment is not our job. Anger at injustice can change the world for the better. However, constant anger at those around us destroys the best we have to offer. Let us all be consumed with mercy, not bitterness.

The Role of God in Public Schools

Rev. Adam Hamilton is the founding pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas.  He has written a thoughtful piece on the role of God in public schools. It's a topic I mentioned two weeks ago, and I would encourage all who are interested to check out the link below to read it.

http://www.adamhamilton.org/blog/view/86/put-god-back-in-public-schools#.UOmgcnfzG1S

Everyone in the World Has a Bucket

As any new year approaches, it is common to offer re-caps and “best of” lists. This week I’m revisiting a column which garnered many positive comments the first time it appeared three years ago at the beginning of another new year. As we’re leaving a year which has seen its share of heartbreak and destruction, it is more important than ever for each of us to immerse ourselves in the wisdom which is at the heart of this simple message: 

I'm convinced that children have a better grasp of theology than almost any adult I know. Scripture solidifies that opinion when quoting Jesus as saying, ". . . Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 18:3-4) Children, it would seem, may have the upperhand, spiritually. When they speak we probably should listen.

When my grandson is asked what he learned at school, usually he'll say something along the lines of, "Same old thing." But one day, not long ago, he had a new thing to say. His teacher had read something to the class which one of his friends had brought to school.  "Everyone in the whole world has a bucket," he told me with the wide-eyed, earnest enthusiasm of a seven-year-old who had just found a way to express a great truth he had always known. There's no telling exactly how the story went originally, but he continued with his interpretation.

"Some people are bucket-dippers, and some people are bucket-fillers. When someone is a bully and they say or do mean things, they're a bucket-dipper, and they're trying to empty someone else's bucket so they can fill up their own. But they can never fill up their own bucket by being mean; it really just makes their bucket empty. When someone is a bucket-filler, they do nice things, like say hello to the mailman or smile at everyone. When they do that, they're trying to fill up other people's buckets, but they're really filling up their own bucket, too. Being nice is the only way to fill up your bucket."

Psalm 8:2 says, "From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength because of Your adversaries, to make the enemy and the revengeful cease." 

If we all try to be strong by being bucket-fillers every day, eventually the bucket-dippers will be silenced, because everyone's bucket would be full. And when everyone's bucket is full, there won't be any reason to fight.

Peace on Earth, Goodwill to All

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) was an American poet whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride” and “The Song of Hiawatha.” He wrote the kind of poetry which children read when I was in school. In fact, I memorized his poem “The Village Blacksmith” when I was in fifth grade. It begins with a line of verse I have never forgotten:

Under a spreading chestnut tree

  The village smithy stands;

The smith, a mighty man is he,

  With large and sinewy hands;

I suppose the poem reminded me of my own father. An honest, hardworking man, he was bighearted, friendly and loving. In my mind he was invincible. I felt safe and secure in his presence. With dad on my side, troubles of the world could not come near and no evil would befall me.

I long for every child to feel that way, to live in a world where innocence is not shattered by unimaginable tragedy. A world similar to what I remember, where I could ride my bike on our county road to my friend’s house two miles away and no one worried because the neighbors in the four houses along the way had known both of us since we were born. They would be on the look-out for our safety, not looking to do us harm.

I wish no child had to worry about meth houses next door, abuse or being shot in random acts of violence. But the truth is, the world has never been as idealistic as my fifth grade self remembers it. Cruelty and exploitation have always existed even if I was shielded from it when I was young.

Likewise, faulty theology would have us believe God has somehow abandoned schoolchildren or looks unfavorably on our country because outward displays of religion and, allegedly God himself, are not “welcome” in certain places. Well, here’s something else I learned as a child: God is everywhere. We will not be saved from every evil, or delivered from all loss and grief, but he has promised to never leave us or forsake us. He grieves with us, his spirit is waiting to bring us comfort.

If the test of God’s love and protection is that there is no destruction where he is welcome, then our men and women in the military would never see harm and everyone in hospitals would walk out whole and healthy, because I assure you prayers abound in “foxholes” and intensive care units.

As we grieve as a country for the loss of life in Connecticut, some are asking why God seemed to be absent there. I do not pretend to have all the answers, but I have a thought and it brings us back to Longfellow. A century and a half ago he penned a poem during another time of mourning in our nation's history. Not only had he recently suffered personal tragedy but the Civil War was raging on with all its horrors and bloodshed. This, I would add, despite teacher-led prayers and an abundance of Bibles and other outward displays of religion in schoolhouses throughout the land.

Later set to music by composer Jean Baptiste Calkin in 1872, Longfellow’s poem is now a familiar Christmas carol, “I heard the bells on Christmas Day.” Here is the original poem:

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

and wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along

The unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,

The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime,

A chant sublime

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth

The cannon thundered in the South,

And with the sound

The carols drowned

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent

The hearth-stones of a continent,

And made forlorn

The households born

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;

"There is no peace on earth," I said;

"For hate is strong,

And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The Wrong shall fail,

The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men."

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ, we must not despair at what we see and hear in the world. Let us all do our part to raise up children of faith and not depend on others to do it. Show young people how to be generous and giving. Don’t plant seeds of fear in their young minds so that they become afraid of living. Take time to point out the beauty of art and the wonder of nature. Don’t look for danger to be lurking around every corner. Be always hopeful in your own heart.

Take comfort in knowing that peace and goodwill can prevail. God has provided the Way through the teachings of Jesus for society to be transformed. We must show we have the will to live according to his word because it is up to us to change the world.

What Are We Teaching Children?

Some readers of my Sunday blog know usually it is a re-post (or close to it) of what I write for the West Plains Daily Quill's religion page on Friday. What appeared on the religion page on December 14 was written before the events at Sandy Hook Elementary School. In the midst of everything else going on Friday, I did not think to try to update or change what I had written. It ran as written before 9 a.m. I read it now with a different perspective than when I wrote it, but I'm glad I didn't try to change it. I will not be part of stealing a bright future from my grandchildren. I am still hopeful. I will not allow the actions of a mad man to steal my faith. We cannot let him, and others like him, win.

 

On Thursday I had occasion to interact briefly with pre-schoolers who were getting ready for "Miss Pam" Coffman's annual Little Red Firehouse Christmas program. Every December Pam teaches the kids at her daycare center a few holiday songs which they perform for their parents and grandparents at the Avenue Theatre. I had to smile as they talked to me, speaking excitedly about the imminent arrival of Santa Claus. (Somehow, Pam always makes arrangements to have him stop by the show.) The tiny girls twirled in their new dresses, touching the pretty bows in their hair. Some of the boys proudly showed off their new boots or sweaters.

A little later in the evening, I attended Glenwood School's Christmas program to listen to the students sing songs of the season. My grandson's class sang about hot chocolate, and then they threw marshmallows out to the audience. Great fun. It was difficult not to get teary-eyed about another song of the evening,  "Welcome Christmas," when the kids clasped hands and sang, "While we stand heart to heart and hand in hand." I always tend to be hopeful about the future when I'm privileged to spend time with kids.

But it doesn't take long to get snapped back to a different reality: the non-stop chatter amongst adults about the "fiscal cliff," talk of ancient calendars or a headline for an Internet news story "4 in 10 Americans Believe Severe Weather Evidence of End Times." I don't know when the world or anything else is going to end, but I'm sad and angry for how society -- that's us, you know, all of us -- is stealing hope from our children every day. It's one thing when we want to get ourselves all worked up talking about the horrible state of things, but I think we forget sometimes that little kids and young people hear everything we say. They take it in and think about it. They get upset and worried about what might happen. They would probably like to look to adults for answers to hard questions, but how could they get a word in when we're complaining so much?

If I could have just one Christmas wish, it would be for all of us to keep a close watch on our words. Let's not steal hope for the future. Let's not make young people doubt their faith. Let's allow our children to be happy and blessed. Remember Jesus as an infant and the great love and care his mother bestowed upon him. Let's protect our children now in the same way. Doesn't that seem like the real reason for the season?

The Cliff and The Least of These

I've been thinking about the fiscal cliff, especially as it might relate to my novel "The Least of These." I finished writing this book thirteen years ago. It was published in 2008. What I used as a main plot point, the economic collapse of the U.S., seemed unlikely at the time. But now I'm feeling like it's more than a little prophetic. The premise is this: at some point in the (not-too-distant) future as the federal government is facing bankruptcy, the "Public Assistance Reform Act" is enacted. Here's an excerpt from the book:

"There were, of course, a multitude of reasons for the crash of the economy...For too many years, as political partisanship ran rampart, there had been no long-term planning within the federal government. Sustained periods of economic growth seemed to foster a sense of invincibility and a mood of reckless optimism about the country's future. Slight downturns were never viewed as trends....but other factors were also at work.

"The protracted war on terror had dragged on for many years in an attempt to make the world a safer place, and it resulted in varying degrees of success. But whatever limited success achieved around the world came with an unimaginably enormous price tag--one that left the United States buried deep in devastating debt.

"An unprecedented number of deadly and phenomenally costly natural disasters, hurricanes, floods, drought, earthquakes, tornadoes, had pounded North America unmercilessly for several years in a row. County after county in state after state had been declared federal disaster areas, and emergency money from public funds had been poured into the affected areas.

"....Continuing high unemployment brought about by a sustained downturn in the economy not only contributed to the demise of Social Security, but had also overloaded an already faltering welfare system that had been on its way out for many years....

"Finally, the longstanding and ongoing habit of appropriating tens of billions of dollars for all kinds of programs and projects without ensuring there was a source for those funds had quite conclusively caught up with the federal government. A very simple yet significant principle emerged and soaked in; there was no more money to spend...."

This is an over-simplified commentary on what might cause financial disaster, but that's because government bankruptcy is not the main focus of the novel. The main focus is what happens next, and in my rather optimistic view (in the context of the book), the outcome is good. Churches, businesses, individuals work together to change society. The full meaning of the teachings of Jesus and his call to minister to "the least of these" is recognized and implemented.

I've never been particularly good at promoting this book, but now is the time for our country to hear a message like this, whether it's mine or someone else's. If you're looking for a Christmas gift for someone who is interested in current events, but would also like to read an optimistic story of faith and hope, I encourage you to buy "The Least of These." It's available all over the place online (amazon, etc.). It's discounted on Christianbook.com. 

What's waiting for us beyond the edge of the cliff? Maybe it's the best thing that could ever happen to society.