Friday Personal-News Dump

So it's been awhile since I blogged - over a month! Yikes, clearly I have a lot to learn about building my brand. Friday afternoon is a popular time for organizations and governments and teams to release 'bad news' in what's been dubbed a "Friday news dump", when you want to attract as little cultural attention as possible. This is not the case with these things, but the timing is what it is.

But to the question of the day, "What have I been up to?"

So glad you asked - quite a bit it turns out. Here's an update complete with pictures and fun extra stuff. Apologies for some of the formatting stuff, I don't have the time or expertise right now to make it perfect.

Center for Pastor Theologians Conference

In late October, I spent three days in Chicago attending the Center For Pastor-Theologians annual conference. They intentionally address topics each year that the American Church is wrestling with. This year's theme was on "Reconstructing Evangelicalism" and it featured a terrific line up of speakers. 

The experts they brought in represented a diverse spectrum - from Kristin Kobes DuMez to Gavin Ortlund to Russell Moore to Walter Kim. I am still pondering some of the insights that were shared. I haven't sat down to really figure out my own conclusions, but the gracious-yet-assertive discussions offered many convicting truths and views. 

As with most of these kinds of events, the fringe benefits matched the direct purpose of going. I thoroughly enjoyed my time interacting with my denominational friends and peers. As we continue to consider our "Brethren identity", this conference assisted in helping us understand our place and station within American evangelicalism. The additional fringe benefit of constant access to the book publishers was worth it too. I came home with a bag full of resources and commentaries purchased at a discounted rate.

Milford First Brethren Fun Fair

Halloween is kind of a big deal in Milford Indiana. We're a smaller farm community but the townspeople turn out for the various holiday events on the calendar. Every year I've pastored here, our church has hosted a Halloween Fun Fair in our gymnasium. Kids do the ring toss, corn hole, Plinko and other games to get pieces of candy. I've arranged the games to give a subtle Gospel presentation though I'm not sure it kids really notice it. We do give out Bibles as part of our Grand Prize table. It's a fun way to connect with our community and redeem the holiday (even if in a subtle small way). 

This year, a highlight was adding a Face Paint station which allowed my son to be both Capt. America (in costume) and Spiderman via his paint.

Grandma Guiley's Funeral

On the other end of the spectrum was the home-going of my last remaining grandparent. Grandma Sue was a wonderful grandma and beautiful light for Christ. We had family come in from all over the country and it was neat to reconnect with aunts, uncles, and cousins who I hadn't seen in year. 

I'm grateful for my grandma's legacy and encouraged that we were able to celebrate her life and witness well. 

Miscellaneous

I would like to mention that I'm serving as chaplain for the Grace Lancers men's basketball team for the fourth year. It's been a good start to the season with some clear indications God is doing things in the lives of these young men. They are good people and good players - currently #3 in all of NAIA!

Please pray for our one true freshman, Hagen, who has been diagnosed with cancer and will be undergoing some surgery and treatments within the next month. 

And as I've alluded to in past posts, I have been listening to the old CCM records I got from my grandma. Some future posts reviewing the albums will be forthcoming.

Wednesday Wisdom (that could have been a Music Monday)

I can't find the original tweet, but a few weeks ago someone I follow posted a short thread about what they considered to be the best Disney song ever. 

I grew up in a classic age of Disney animated films with The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King and others coming out seemingly in rapid succession. All have well-loved music that was written for those films. More recent classics like Frozen, Moana, Encanto, and Coco have continued that Disney musical film legacy. 

But this tweet didn't identify any of the songs from any of those movies as the best ever. Instead, they called back to a movie from 1973 and the animated Robin Hood movie. But even then, this individual didn't select some of the memorable upbeat tunes like "Oo-de-lally" or "The Phony King of England". Instead, they chose this:

Once I saw this was their pick, I immediately understood. This song stands out. It stood out to me even as a young kid when I watched this movie. I had these lyrics stuck in my head still as an adult. The song matches the film's mood perfectly. And it sits in lament. It lets even a younger viewer grapple with the stakes of what is going on. The song allows the movie to not cheapen the comeback of Robin Hood and his crew with a quick resolution. It wallows in the darkness.

And while it's not my favorite Disney song ever, it has my enduring respect because of the uniqueness of it's tone and subject matter. 

On top of this, that scene also is spiritually instructive too. I used it as a sermon illustration a couple weeks ago because it matches well the instruction in 1 Peter about how God's people should respond to suffering. What do those characters do during the song? They care for each other, help feed and care for other sufferers. And the capper of the Friar and his assistant ringing the church bell "because it might bring those poor people some comfort. And we must do what we can to keep their hopes alive." 

I mean, read 1 Peter 4:7-11 and tell me that isn't exactly the point of Peter's letter.

So tip of the cap to Roger Miller, who wrote the music and lyrics. And shoutout to Mumford and Sons for their apparent love for the song as well. 

And if you are going through some struggles, let me encourage you to find some grace in an overlooked classic Disney song and God's Word to his people in the letter of 1 Peter.

Tuesday Theology Thoughts - When Not to Take the Bible Literally (?!?)

It is one of those verses that has always left me unsettled. I've heard it taught to be 100% true at face value for here-and-now and I affirmed that for a long time. 

"Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted," - 2 Timothy 3:12 (ESV) 

Suffering and being persecuted for our faith in Christ is a common theme in the New Testament. See John 15:20, Romans 12:14, 1 Corinthians 4:12, the entire books of Acts and 1 Peter for starters.   

These passages cause my unsettledness to rise up in my gut like spiritual acid reflux because I look at my 42 years on this earth and I don't relate. I committed my life to Christ at the age of 4-5 and as long as I can remember have loved Jesus and wanted to live for him. I have not been persecuted. I have not had to suffer for Christ. 

Is something wrong with me? Am I not doing it right? Do I not desire to live a godly life enough? Was Paul wrong? 

All are questions that flash into my head as I try to figure it all out. I can't just dismiss 2 Timothy 3:12 as a verse out of context because there are so many others that imply the same thing. 

In preparing for this past Sunday's message on 1 Peter 3:13-22, I think an answer revealed itself that solves the interpretive tension (for me at least). And it all paid off by going back to the basics.

Whether you are interpreting, studying, or just reading the Bible, it is essential to remember that the Bible was written to people living in a world much different than ours. It was written for our benefit, but it's not a 1:1 proposition. 

There are differences to be accounted for. Principles to be discerned and applications to be made at the end of the process.

The differences to account for with 2 Timothy (or any of these other passages)?

• Christianity was a new emerging faith at the time 1 Timothy was written (likely early to mid-60's AD). 
• Christians were the cultural minority by a large margin.
• Christianity was drawing widespread suspicion and social hostility in the Roman Empire. Outright persecution of Christians was beginning to occur and would swell in the coming years thanks to Nero. 
• Christians faced the loss of their freedoms, livelihoods, social relationships, and even lives because they worshipped Jesus.

None of the above are true of the USA in 2022. 

Can we scour the headlines of the past twenty years or so and find some exceptions? I will grant that it is possible, but rare.

So I am now quite comfortable in concluding that suffering and persecution are not prescribed for us right now like it was then. Things could always change of course. 

And more importantly, while we may not have to suffer for Christ, we are called to other acts of obedience that may prove painful. We need to sacrifice for Christ for one. Our time, money, attention, priorities, and lifestyle are all things we are called to as disciples (Mark 8:34-38). Secondly, we need to surrender things in our lives for Christ like sinful habits and activities that hinder our spiritual progress (Hebrews 12:1-2). 

These things are not unrelated to suffering. I would compare them to this:

Surrender would be the outer ring. It is a voluntary decision to "suffer" in a sense. But it is not exactly what the NT speaks about when talking about trials, persecution, and suffering.

Sacrifices are also voluntary choices, but are often things we do or don't do in addition to the fundamental things we surrender to Christ when we are redeemed. These can be tough to commit to and experience but have a positive intent.

Suffering is the center of the target. These are specifically things we must endure that are not self-inflicted or personal choices. They come from the outside and are not thrust upon us for redemptive purposes or intentions by those directly involved. God does use them for good ends of course.

So when I encounter a passage like 2 Timothy 3:12 or 1 Peter 3:13-22, I should have enough humility to understand that this doesn't directly relate to me. It may apply to our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan or China but I should not totally equate my sacrifices to their sufferings. 

You may still be thinking, "But Lee, Paul says 'all' Christians seeking to live godly lives will be persecuted. Don't you take that literally? Doesn't the Bible mean 'all' when it says 'all'?"

Remember, he's writing to a particular audience at a particular time in history that is greatly different than today. 

Also take note that he does qualify to an extent in 3:13. 3:12 is not a finished sentence, Paul's full thought is,

"Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived."  

He's not making a sweeping statement about the rest of history moving forward here. He is describing their current cultural climate and preparing Timothy to lead in it - see 3:14-4:5.

I find it rewarding when I can process through tensions I find in God's Word. I hope this all makes sense to you the intrepid reader who has made it this far. I may end up editing this later but I'd hope it might caution you from adopting the kind of "persecution complex" that is rampant in American Christianity today.

Tunes for a Tuesday - Agnus Dei

I got a collection of records recently. 

My mom and other relatives are going through my grandma's house and preparing to sell, donate, or get rid of all of her stuff now that she's living in an assisted living facility. Not a whole lot interested me when I stopped by, but I did take a box of records. I didn't even take time to look through the whole set until later, but I could tell this was 70's and 80's Christian music. 

We don't have a record player but there's enough "Christian classic" stuff in there that we may get one soon. First albums of Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith. Top-selling Sandi Patti records, a Gaither Vocal Trio album, and randomly, a Lilly Tomlin comedy recording. 

At some point I will do blog reviews of some of these albums for sure. But they led me down a road of some of the songs and albums that I grew up with in the late 80's and 90's. 

Eventually I stumbled back on an old favorite that I liked "before it was cool". By the aforementioned, Michael W. Smith, Agnus Dei was the next to last song on his popular "Go West Young Man" album. 

It is quite a musical contrast from the rest of his album. It is symphonic, classical, written for a choir. It is beautiful worship. 

The song may have been lost to time, if not for a project Smith produced in 1998 that featured singles by a variety of popular CCM artists. Third Day, a Georgia-based rock band, put their spin on it. As the album's Wikipedia states, this version "is still played on the radio today". It was a CCM mega-hit that turned the song into a rugged worship song that was all the rage in those days.

After taking this drive down memory lane, something struck me. Is there a precedent for this at all? A song taking off in popularity 8 years or so after it was originally recorded?

The answer is yes, but it's pretty rare. Covers are very popular if you do any kind of dive into YouTube, but how many really take the original to a different level?

• In the CCM world, the only comparison that jumps to mind is "In the Light" which was written and sung originally by Charlie Peacock and then sent to the stratosphere when dc Talk covered it for the Jesus Freak album.
• In the pop music world, I would compare this to "I Will Always Love You", where Whitney Houston remade the Dolly Parton song and turned it into a 14-week chart-topper.

I would point out one big difference with Agnus Dei. The above songs are examples of improvements on an original. And this is a matter of opinion, but I think the original Agnus Dei is much better. At the time, I loved the Third Day version as I was really into that style. But given some time and space and a changing musical palate - I prefer the original. Some songs just need to be sung by groups and choirs and great vocalists.

Side note and bonus feature: I am not too entrenched in the old classics to admit that if someone has made a better version, it's these folks. I don't know who the Cottrell's are, but they and their church choir (?) did an inspired job arranging two special worship songs here:

Tuesday Thoughts

It's been a rough summer for my blog. Given this is only the second post since May, I think it's beginning to feel neglected. 

So I thought to myself, what should I write about? 

• Reflections on my current sermon series? I mean I did manage to preach through 1 Peter 2:11-17 and the commands to submit to our governing authorities, no matter who's in charge. All done without infuriating my more politically-passionate congregants. Yay for small victories!
• Reactions to the latest evangelical leader "falling from grace"? I have some ideas, but not in the mood to share them to be honest. 
• Share news of the latest storm that hit us and try to make a spiritual metaphor out of trampolines hitting electrical poles? Nah, it's crazy and interesting, but not that amazing.
• Promote the publication of my commentary on 1-2 Kings? It's exciting and those books have surprising relevancy for today - but maybe another time.
• An update on the lessons I'm learning helping 5 churches through their pastoral transitions this summer/fall? Maybe sometime soon. 

Am I just creating a list on this page to come back to at a future date when I'm short of ideas? Yes probably. All of those things might be worth further elaboration. But today, I think I'll just give some shoutouts and praise to some fellow pastor friends.

If I wanted to mention all the pastors I know and have great respect for, the list would be super long. But these three stand out because they are like the kind of life-long friends with whom, though separated for a long time, you can still pick up where you left off before like there's been no absence at all. 

My guys Mike, Tim, and Cory fit that description. I don't have the same kind of relationship with each of them as the others but they do share some things in common. 

• They are all my age, probably all seen as "younger" pastors. 
• They are all like-minded people. I don't share the same theological convictions on every point with every one of them, but they are all teachable and willing to dialogue and learn. I try to be that myself and I appreciate that in them. 

To close, I'll just mention an example of why I'm thankful for each of them.

Mike - He pastors the church I grew up in and has shepherded it into a flourishing "mid-sized" church that has a renewed vision for how to impact its community, even as it is located a bit outside the city. We are good friends and accountability partners as well. 

Tim - I just ran into him a couple hours ago and we had a lovely conversation about serious (see second bullet point at the beginning of this post) and silly things (Henry Holsinger t-shirts).  We think alike and I try to emulate his posture towards people and ministry. I could hang out with him every day and be a much better pastor.

Cory - He has a young family that is going through the same adventures as we are. He also offers gracious pushback in discussions and recently offered needed insights on Biden's loan forgiveness orders (of all things). 

Shoutout to those guys and the encouragement they give me directly and also indirectly through their lives.

Stasis and Stagnation

Stasis is defined in Webster's as "a state of static balance or equilibrium". I've been thinking a lot about stasis recently. Mostly from my couch.

I just turned 42 yesterday and adding to that our two toddlers at home, I am realizing how the older I get the more comfortable I am being still and static.

And I'm realizing it takes a little extra effort to break up the stasis. 

I had a similarly aged friend tell me that many mornings it is tough for him to get out of bed, but once he does he's up and awake. I definitely relate to that but for me it also applies to the couch, during the day, or in the evening, when the kids are running all over the place an tearing up everything.

I don't want to be the dad who's always lounging around on his phone or watching tv, mostly ignoring his kids. People are constantly telling us that while this is a crazy time of parenting, "it goes by so fast" and we should "cherish it". And I do, we do. Sometimes. 

Other times I let myself get annoyed at their endless energy or constant inquiries. 

Much like my friend's morning routine, I am finding that my penchant for stasis can be easily overcome by a little willpower to just get up. By just putting down the phone and starting to interact, I find the energy and joy to play with my boys or pick up some of the mess they've made. 

Rest and stillness have their place in life. But there's a difference between stillness and stagnation. Balance is good, using it as an excuse for laziness is not. 

These kinds of lessons spur me on in other areas beyond our living room.  Motivation to exercise can start by just 'getting up' and making some time. And my faith walk can certainly slip into stagnation. But a little extra time a little more honesty with God can go a long way to building some positive growth and spiritual momentum.

And of course, just opening up my blog page and typing out some thoughts can start my first post in over a month. 

In whatever area of life you're static in, I hope you can find that little push to fight that stasis and get going.

Lament

Yesterday saw another mass shooting, this time in an elementary school. Within the last two weeks, we've seen elderly people of color gunned down in supermarkets and Asian-Americans attacked in their place of worship. Yesterday was kids and teachers in a school.

We grieve, as we should. 

We get angry, as we should. 

We search for answers, as we should. 

But something is missing. 

We do not truly lament as we should. 

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This past weekend saw the Southern Baptist Convention release it's third-party report on it's failures to properly address abuse over the past several decades. 

This past weekend saw another pastor admit to egregious immorality. This time it was in my hometown.

We grieve, as we should. 

We get angry, as we should.

We search for answers, as we should. But something is missing. 

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Lament, as I see it in the Scriptures, is an inner and outer wrestling with the reality of injustice, pain, sin, and suffering. Not necessarily all of those at once, but allowing one or more of those things to set in your spirit, languishing with the trauma and not brushing it aside or pretending it doesn't exist. 

Lament involves grief and anger and answers, but it is more than that. 

Lament is facing the consequences of idolatry head on (see Lamentations).

Lament is part of repentance and healing. And I would argue it is such a vital component of each that you cannot repent or heal without true lament. 

Lament is the choice to confront your broken condition and broken circumstances and ultimately turn to Jesus - not for an explanation or answers but for his presence. It holds back no questions and lets out all emotions. It doesn't worry if it is "proper" to vent, it just does. 

Lament is Jesus' groan of anger and sadness at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:33,38).

Lament is Jesus' weeping over Jerusalem as he approaches it before His Passion Week (Luke 19:41-44).

We in the West have trouble lamenting like this. Those families and communities affected will lament, they have no real choice. But lament should be the response of the rest of us too. 

Instead we try to move on quickly. We find excuses why we should and why things should remain the same. It is easier to pretend the problems don't exist. It is easier to pretend it is enough to address the symptoms rather than the disease. It is easier to believe that since no specific solution will prevent all of these tragedies that we have to give up trying to do anything to prevent some of these tragedies from repeating themselves in the future. 

We need to Lament. 

Lament will bring healing, repentance, and change. It will lead us to Jesus.

I use this blog to often feature music I appreciate and enjoy. Here's a song of lament that I happened to revisit last weekend, I think it can be instructive in its own way.