A Journey Through Les Mis

Most people start their summers with a reading program or list to work though. I am ending mine with one. 

And literally one. For some time, I have had an itch to do some personal, soul-enriching reading. Something that's a classic. "The Count of Monte Cristo" was at the top of my list. But after a couple of failed attempts at finding a copy for my own, I went with Plan B. 

The copy I got at our local library seemed off though. Upon closer inspection, it was an abridged version. If I wanted abridged, I could just watch the musical movie again. I wanted the full meal not the appetizer. And thankfully, my wife had a copy she'd purchased years ago - the Fahnestock/MacAfee update of the Wilbur translation for all you nerds out there. 

Apparently this version has earned the moniker "The Brick" due to it's size and shape. I am 194 pages in as of this writing. 194 out of 1,463 or 13.3% of the way through.

I thought I'd use this blog to record my reflections as I work my way through this masterpiece. I will try my best to avoid significant spoilers but as Lenny says in That Thing You Do, "I make no guarantees". A couple general observations before some specific ones. 

• Recognizing the size of this book, I have also recognized that I'll need to pace myself. Hugo's writing is far removed from our social media sound-bite sized posts. If you're embarking on this journey, be ready for digressions. Abide the 19th century language describing a culture and time far-removed from us. Stick with the elongated prose. You'll likely find it interesting and the author does let it all pay off at different points. I have found myself stopping at random spots to let the story ruminate in my mind (for example, you'll note pg. 194 is not at a book, part, chapter or section ending).
  
  
• Having traveled in France twice, it's mind-blowing to consider some of the history of the places I've been. I don't know it in a comprehensive sense and it is not my heritage. Yet it is fascinating.
  
  
• I was familiar enough with the story, given the 2012 movie adapted from the musical. I did not have any history with the story prior to that film and found it to be excellent and stirring. 

Now here are my specific thoughts through Part 1 "Fantine" Book 5 "The Descent" (though not all the way through Book 5 as noted above):

• I was a little surprised and very much appreciated the book's early focus on Monseignour Bienvenu/Bishop Myriel the Bishop of Digne. Given my only frame of reference is the movie/musical where he is a minor character playing a major role in a significant moment (spoiler avoided!) - this fuller picture adds great profound beauty and meaning to the overall story. 
  
  
• I wish I had space, and no worries about your attention span, to quote all of page 51 but this should suffice:

"For after all, we repeat, men like advancement. A saint addicted to abnegation is a dangerous neighbor; he is very likely to infect you with an incurable poverty...in fact, more renunciation than you would like; and men flee from contagious virtue. Hence the isolation of Monseigneur Bienvenu. We live in a sad society. Succeed - that is the advice which falls drop by drop from the overhanging corruption...[Success'] false similarity to merit deceives men...Prosperity supposes capacity. Win in the lottery, and you are an able man. The victor is venerated...They confuse heaven's radiant stars with a duck's footprints in the mud."

• Again, the awareness of the plot prepared me for the transformational interaction between Jean Valjean and Bishop Myriel. To encounter it early in the actual story - and to see it coming as Hugo put the pieces in place - was gratifying. 
  
  
• Petit-Gervais!!! I mean wow. I had to google that character in hopes of some full-circle moment in the novel. (SPOILER ALERT) Alas, it doesn't seem like it will be amended. There's a life lesson there though - not all mistakes can be directly atoned for. 
  
  
• The despair of Fantine seems to be hitting its peak or better yet, it's nadir. This is the part where we grapple with societal injustices, systemic abuses, and our own personal biases.

TL;DR, so far so good.

Now What?

We just finished celebrating our nation’s 250^th anniversary. I assume many of us got together with family and friends, attended parades, watched fireworks displays, and clothed ourselves in red, white, and blue.

With the festivities having concluded – now what?

Hopefully we continue to be thankful for our freedoms, participate in our democracy, and enjoy the blessings of living in the USA. It is easy to take for granted all that it means to live in America in the times that we do. It is easy to take for granted all the sacrifices that have been made for us to get to this point. That is why it is good to remember; good to celebrate.

There is a strong parallel to our Christian faith too. For those who believe in Jesus, we can easily take for granted all the blessings God has given us – forgiveness, victory over sin and death, being adopted into His family etc.

I find it helpful to remember that my salvation is not just a past event. It is also a present process and a future promise too.

Sometimes I take for granted that our salvation has a past, present, and future aspect to it. We have been saved, we are being saved, we will be saved.

It is easy to only dwell on the past aspect of our salvation. For many of us it was a momentous decision. Whatever it looked like - praying a prayer, walking an aisle, in a big crowd, or all alone – committing our life to Christ saves us from sin’s penalty and power. When we trust in Christ as our Savior, we have been saved from sin. As Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved…”. Salvation is something we can claim and possess by trusting in Jesus.

But it is also a path we walk on. Paul says in Philippians 2:12-13, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you…”. He says something similar in his first letter to the Corinthians, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1:18). Theologians call this the process of sanctification, where God conforms us more and more into the likeness of Christ.

The past and present aspects of salvation assure us that we have been saved and we are being saved. And the future aspect of our salvation is what we have to look forward to. It is the completion of our salvation, where all the promises of God will be realized, we will be perfected, and sin will be no more.

Romans 5:9-10 brings the whole process together, summarizing it this way: “Much more then, because we have now been declared righteous by his blood, we will be saved through him from God’s wrath. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, since we have been reconciled, will we be saved by his life?”

We have a glorious future ahead of us. Our past has been forgiven by God, our present is empowered by God, and our future will be with God. The past, present, and future aspects of our salvation are the ultimate blessings to celebrate, enjoy, and share with those around us. Let’s never lose sight of those truths and never take them for granted.

 

 

 

 

More Than You Can Chew

 

 Have you ever volunteered for something only to realize it was much more of significant task than  what you anticipated?

I recently had that happen. It wasn’t exactly “volunteering” but I had accepted the offer to teach a class at Grace College as an adjunct professor. The class would be a two-week module after the regular semester had finished.

At one point I was told the class would be cancelled due to low enrollment, only to find out a month before that it was back on. I knew it was a theology class – and I love theology – so what could go wrong?

Well, as I prepared for this, I began to realize I may have bitten off more than I could chew. Four hours a day, Monday through Friday, for two weeks, lecturing and discussing Christian theology. I realized the students would be “drinking from a fire hose” in many ways – and I might just be doing the same if I wanted to make the course engaging and encouraging.

I must give props to the former teacher and local pastor Pat Park for giving me his time-tested insights on how to lead these students. The students themselves were not Bible majors but needed the course for their future graduation. They proved to be good listeners, have inquisitive minds, and were very teachable.

We came together as professor and students to grapple with complex doctrines like the character of God, the nature of sin, and what Scripture says about future events/ It was not easy as a teacher nor I’m sure for the students to work through dense but fundamental elements of faith in the schedule we had.

Having completed the course, the applications and greater understanding from the class proved to be worth the density of the course pace. From my teacher’s seat, it helped me streamline my communication to effectively teach biblical truth in a way that made sense. I had the freedom to share different perspectives on certain subjects and that helped us all learn how to think through our faith. I find that the “how” is just as important as the “what”. If the steps are sound arriving at a conviction or conclusion, then I can trust the Spirit of God to have led no matter the results or conclusion that was actually reached.

All in all, there are times in life when it can be a healthy thing to “bite off more than you can chew”. If we don’t push ourselves, will we really ever grow or mature? If we don’t try hard things, what sort of accomplishments will we ever achieve?

These questions will readily apply to many facets of our lives: education, professional development, relationships et al. Let me directly apply it to our spiritual lives. As we all head into this summer, my prayer is that it would be a summer of growth for you. I would encourage you to push yourself to understand God in a greater way. Challenge yourself to spend more time in his Word, prayer, service, and worship. Read big books that feel like that “fire hose”. Study those faith concepts that aren’t quite crystal clear to you. Engage in small group or individual discussions that are geared to apply the things of Jesus.

My hope is that you will look back on that journey much like I do with this theology class – recognizing the hard work it took but grateful for the rewarding results that came from it.

 

 (this article was originally written for our local Mail-Journal paper in Milford)

What Moved Me in 2025

We have arrived at the end of another calendar year. 

2025 was quite a year for sure. 

Over the last couple weeks, as I've been reflecting on all that transpired in and around my life, I found myself remembering all the big and little things that moved me.

As he was fighting a losing battle with cancer some 30 some years ago, Jim Valvano gave a rousing speech that is famous for his ending mantra, "Don't give up, don't ever give up". At the beginning of this address, he mentions three things people should do every day of their lives, "laugh", "think", and "have our emotions moved to tears". If we do that every day, Valvano states, "that's a FULL day".

It is in that vein that I offer this list of things that stand out to me from 2025 because they made me laugh, think, or moved me to tears. Some of this list was inspirational, some involved pain, some of these things just left an imprint on my soul. Some were a mix of all of the above and more.

I offer three general things and then three specific things that really moved me this past year.

Generally: 

• Family - Our boys are growing up, with both now in elementary school. The development of their character and personality is a joy. Make no mistake, parenting two boys under 8 is exhausting but has special moments all the time. Family life was also filled with challenges too. My wife had significant health struggles. My mom did as well. Family is an area I see God constantly refining me in my own sanctification. But in my weakness, He is strong. 
• Funerals - I recently attended the memorial service of the former president of my alma mater, whom I'd had as a professor and whom I'd also worked under for a time. He was a man of sterling faithfulness and we celebrated that. That experience reminded me of the other funerals I officiated and attended this year. Good people with good legacies. Life is fleeting and I appreciate the reminder that this life is not all there is - and that Jesus has conquered the formidable enemy we all have.
• Pastoral Ministry - Tomorrow marks 13 years of serving at Milford First Brethren Church. It has been so rewarding, such a blessing. We are a smaller, aging congregation with plenty of limitations and weaknesses. But we make a difference in our community and beyond. It is such a joy to see God work in people's lives and to be a conduit for God's grace to those inside and outside the church. And even personally, God has shown up as I've led, studied, and proclaimed his Word at various points. Those moments keep me going.

Specifically:

• Andrew Peterson's "A Liturgy, A Legacy, & the Songs of Rich Mullins" album. This album is a recording of a live concert he did along with numerous musician friends as a tribute to the CCM legend. Mullins has long been an artist whom I deeply respected and the older I get, the more I appreciate his catalog. Few people could credibly take on this kind of tribute while matching the "heart" of Mullins - and Peterson is certainly one of those few. The entire album honors and celebrates one of the all-time albums in Christian Music history and leaves you not just grateful for Mullins - but drawn to Jesus. And that's just how Rich would have wanted it.
• "Downstairs" - Twenty One Pilots - This song stands on a drastically different end of the musical spectrum as Peterson/Mullins but it reflects a similar spiritual perspective. Twenty One Pilots are a band who transparently wear their heart on their sleeve in so many of their songs all of their art. This one is particularly raw, and humble, and lamenting, and doubtful, and worshipful. These lyrics in particular will both haunt me and be part of my own prayers for a long time:

You can have all I've made and all I've ever known
You can have both my lungs if you ask me so
'Cause I-I-I want to be the one after your own heart
And I-I-I might doubt the process like I doubted the start

        When you can find multiple videos of vocal coaches and musical analysts getting emotion                     themselves over the content and construct of this song, you know it is something special.

•  "Wake Up, Dead Man" - This movie, now streaming on Netflix, is the best portrayal of the Christian faith that I have seen in a long, long time. It pulls no punches in its honest portrayal of the strengths and the weaknesses of Christianity (western, evangelical and Catholic). It is impossible to miss the critique of the growing power-hungry passion that has taken over many who call themselves Christian. It is also impossible to miss the beauty of Christ-like service and devotion that is portrayed too. This is the third of the popular "Knives Out" franchise that features detective Benoit Blanc (played by Daniel Craig) solving a crime in a dramatic fashion. This installment however flips the narrative on its head from what we've come to expect from these "whodunnit" movies. And in doing so, it leaves room for the truth of the Gospel to land powerfully. The director Rian Johnson is a former evangelical who no longer professes to be a Christian. In the hands of another with his background, one would expect a scathing rebuke. Instead, he offers an accurate depiction of the way of Christ in the face of brokenness, corruption, and shame.

Bold Humility

 

I was recently at a pastors conference and the speaker challenged us to embrace to seemingly opposite qualities – boldness and humility.

In many ways those are opposites. But they can be complimentary in the lives of pastors and non-pastors alike. 

I won’t rehash someone else’s ideas but the point was to have boldness and confidence in proclaiming Jesus and serving him. At the same time, we must also embrace humility as we imitate Christ’s selflessness in the way we live. 

Bold humility is not an oxymoron when we define our terms. Our confidence is not an arrogance founded on our own merits. It is based solely on our risen Savior (see Philippians 3:7-11). Our humility is not a self-denigrating, “woe is me” attitude either. It is rooted in a gratitude for all God has done for us.

These twin traits can be balanced with a healthy self-awareness. It is easy to let boldness become pride if we lose sight of Christ our foundation. Being aware of our own hearts can operate like a thermometer, alerting us to when we’ve drifted too far into self-focus instead of being Savior-focused.

When in balance, we can boldly “press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Phil.3:14). As we press on, we can do so with a uniform of humility. As Peter says, “clothe yourselves with humility toward one another…humble yourselves, therefore under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7).

In our relationships, in our anxious circumstances, in our uncertainties, it is a courageous and bold endeavor to humbly trust God and his will.

One new song expresses this balance of boldness and humility well. Twenty One Pilots are not a Christian band per se, but in their single “Downstairs” they begin and end the song by saying “Cause I want to be the one after your own heart, and I might doubt the process like I doubted the start.” The bold declaration to be marked as David, “a man after God’s own heart” is tempered with the humble admission of doubt and struggle.

Maybe in your spiritual journey you don’t resonate with that tension. I certainly do. Yet I will continue to boldly trust Christ, even in the struggles. Because I know they exist in part to humble me and remind me of my need for God’s grace.

God’s grace is such a beautiful gift, granting us confidence but keeping us humble. May we all live boldly and humbly for Him.

Getting Rid of Good People

Milford First Brethren, the church I’ve pastored for 12 years, is not a large church by any metric. We love each other, love our community, and generally try NOT to run people off.

Recently we had to do just that. Ultimately though it is an occasion to celebrate. Having said that, maybe I should elaborate a little further. 

Duane and Lori Harmon have been faithful members of our church for a while now. Even before attending our church, one ministry passion they had was routinely serving on work team projects at Riverside Christian School in Lost Creek Kentucky. Riverside was created in 1905 by The Brethren Church as an educational ministry to those living in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern Kentucky. The school seeks to be a beacon of light in an area ravaged by poverty and economic downturns.

Earlier this year, the Harmon’s felt the Lord directing them to a bigger commitment to serving the school. Apparently, a sermon I preached on Abraham following God into the unknown was the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’. Shortly after, they told me and announced to our church that they were moving down to Kentucky for the school year. Duane, a retired licensed plumber and farmer, is focused on building and grounds projects while Lori is working in family and community relations position to better assist the families of the students.

So given the obvious move of the Spirit, we had no choice but to “get rid of them”. At the end of August, we officially said goodbye, praying for and commissioning them for this work. I hate to see good people leave, but I am so thankful for the reason for their departure.

God has already been providing for them, from a friend’s semi-truck trailer to carry all of Duane’s equipment in one trip, to the work being accomplished, and of course the friendships that are being made.

In the middle of all of this, I had to remind myself and our congregation, we are not “losing” the Harmon’s. We are sending them off to serve as our ministry hands and feet. I would not normally say this, but it fills my heart with joy to get rid of these good people.

 

 

 

For the Skeptic

  (The following is an article I wrote for our local newspaper, the Mail-Journal) 

I am an admitted skeptic. It feels naturally ingrained but maybe I took all the “critical thinking” exercises too seriously in my education. Maybe life has taught me it is more fun to play the “devil’s advocate” role. 

This character trait can certainly make living into my vocation as a pastor interesting for sure. My own natural skepticism certainly makes me sensitive to those outside my Christian faith – and our world does not lack for critics and doubters of Christianity. Unfortunately, we Christians can provide them with plenty of ammunition unnecessarily with our failures, our stupidity, and our hypocrisy. On that front, my goal is to simply do my best to avoid those kinds of mistakes myself.

In cases of skeptics who question more fundamental aspects of the Christian faith, my goal is to listen to their questions and consider how I might answer or how the Church has historically responded to those issues.

Some Christians seem afraid of hard questions or apparent inconsistencies or irrational claims Scripture poses. I mean, walking on water? Who’d believe in that?

Instead of being afraid or avoiding skeptics, I find encouragement in the story of James in the New Testament. I’m not talking about either of the disciples who had that name, I’m referring to Jesus’ brother (Matthew 13:55). James goes through a pretty fascinating transformation if we trace his story through the New Testament.

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James%2C_brother_of_Jesus

He and Jesus’ other siblings are described as concerned about Jesus’ early Messianic activities in Mark 3:31-35. They are even described as unbelieving in John 7:5. Yet as the story of the early Church unfolds in the book of Acts, James appears as a main leader of this new Christian movement (Acts 1:14, 12:17, Acts 15:13-21, see also Galatians 2:9-12).

So what do we make of the change? How did that happen?

We are not given all of the details, but it is pretty obvious what the inflection point was.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:7 that after he rose from the dead, Jesus “…appeared to James, then to all the apostles”. We are not given any recorded details about it, just that it happened.

Incredibly, encountering the risen Jesus changed James from being a skeptic to a committed follower. He, along with the rest of his family are identified as participating in the disciples’ gatherings in the days after Jesus ascended to heaven (Acts 1:14). His writings made it into the canon of Scripture (see the book of James). His character earned him the privilege to be the overseer of the church in Jersualem until his death in the early 60’s AD. Church tradition shares that he was such a prayer warrior, he was known to have “camel knees” – calloused from spending so much time in prayer.

Jesus’ resurrection may be the most “unbelievable” of miracles for any skeptic. But what if it is true? James’ testimony sure supports its veracity.

So for any skeptic out there, let me encourage you to look into Jesus’ death and resurrection. It won’t solve all your problems or answer every difficult question. But it will introduce you to the One who knows and cares about your problems and understands your questions. And he’s done something quite miraculous about those things.