Yippie!

I picked up my laptop this morning. I am back in the... (Well, whatever I am in, I am back).

You never really realize how much you miss something until it is gone.

I Miss My Laptop

My laptop is in the shop with a power cord issue. I am having to use my old desktop. This thing should be in a museum of ancient history. It runs Windows 98. I mean that is so last century. I am tied down to one place, as this thing is only portable with a moving van.

Not that anyone cares about my whining.

Challenging Evangelical Assumptions, Part 2

Assumption Two: Communion is unimportant.

This is, of course, one that is not written. It is more unconscious.

This comes from the comment that I often heard, "When you take communion all the time (or frequently), it loses its meaning." How does the sacrifice that Jesus made lose its meaning. It is something we should meditate on daily? Communion is a powerful reminder of that. Churches were often scorned when they took communion weekly.

In our little church, we took communion once a quarter (four times yearly), as prescribed by the powers that be in our denomination.

Fortunately, some evangelical churches have foregone this practice and started taking communion once a month. I am glad to see the increase in participation in the Lord's Supper.

One further problem, it is still often left as an add on at the end of the worship service. We sing, we pray, we hear a sermon, and (oh, yeah) we have to take a tiny cracker and tiny cup of grape juice.

Communion needs to be more integrated into the worship experience.

Challenging Evangelical Assumptions, Part 1

I grew up in an evangelical church, the Church of the Nazarene. I was fully educated in the ways of the evangelical church. We were not fundamentalists, but somewhat legalistic. I want to examine some of the assumptions that I grew up with. (I will explore these off and on over the coming weeks, and perhaps months). Some of these assumptions are codified, and some are unspoken, and perhaps a few are even unconscious.

Assumption One: Prayer must be spontaneous to be sincere.

This is one that is not codified, but is certainly unspoken. I recall hearing criticisms of churches that read their prayers. In our church, prayers were sincere because they were spontaneous. We were somehow closer to God because we prayed in an utterly spontaneous way.

Here is the challenge I would issue. Why is spontaneity equated to sincerity? Think back on important moments in your life (proposing to your girlfriend, giving a big speech, taking a test, etc.). Were any of those spontaneous? Did you take a big test without studying? Anything that is important takes preparation. Are we not saying that prayer is unimportant if we "go off the cuff"?

As far as I am concerned, pre-prepared prayers can be very effective in focusing our attention on God. This could be done either through praying the Psalms, using great prayers of the saints, or writing our own.

Another aspect of spontaneous prayer, is that it is usually the same thing every time. Sure the order in which we pray for the missionaries.

I seems that spontaneous prayer is born of laziness rather than sincerity.

If prayer is important, it should take time.

Who Says Drilling for Oil Will Not Help?

Those opposed to drilling for oil, either offshore or in the barren ice-laden wilderness of Alaska, say that there will be no short-term benefit. They say it will be a decade before any of that oil will hit the gas station.

Last week, President George W. Bush lifted the executive ban on offshore drilling, while encouraging the do-noting-Democratic-controlled Congress to lift their ban.

Look what happened last week. Oil dropped $16 per barrel. Gas dropped nearly $0.10 per gallon. Yes, this has all been very short term.

If just talking about drilling can have this result, imagine what would happen if (and, hopefully, when) drilling actually begins. Gas probably will never again be $0.99 per gallon, but it does not have to stay at the $4.00 range.

Drill Here!
Drill Now!
Pay Less!

What's Wrong with the Boss? Part 2

An article by Franz Lidz from September 2007 talks about Steinbrenner's condition. Apparently no one associated with the Yankees or Steinbrenner's family comment on the subject.

What's Wrong with the Boss?

Is George Steinbrenner ill? Before last night's Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Steinbrenner was escorted to the pitcher's mound at Yankee Stadium to deliver the baseballs for the ceremonial first pitches. He looked terrible. He rode a golf cart and never left it.

Perhaps I have been under a rock, but is he ill? I noticed earlier this season that his son, Hank Steinbrenner, was front and center during the Jason Giambi controversy.

President Bush's Statement

It is not very often that you will hear a politician, even a Republican, say something like this. At a press conference today (7/15/08) President Bush was asked about conservation. Some pencil-neck reporter asked whether he would encourage/mandate conservation. Bush's response was priceless (from Politico.com):

"They're smart enough to figure out whether they're going to drive less or not. I mean, you know, it's interesting what the price of gasoline has done," Bush said at a news conference in the White House press room, "is it caused people to drive less. That's why they want smaller cars: They want to conserve. But the consumer's plenty bright. The marketplace works."

"You noticed my statement yesterday, I talked about good conservation and — you know, people can figure out whether they need to drive more or less," he said. "They can balance their own checkbooks."

"It's a little presumptuous on my part to dictate how consumers live their own lives," the president added. "I've got faith in the American people."

It is refreshing for a politician express faith in the American people. Most politicians (including many Republicans) think that the government has to take care of us because we are too cotton-picking stupid to take care of ourselves or make decisions on our own. Thank you, President Bush, for expressing faith in "We the People."

The Bible and Socialism

The Bible does not endorse one specific kind of government, except perhaps theocracy. It never ceases to amaze me that some folks are insistent that the Bible promotes socialism. (It also amazes me that some think it endorses capitalism or democracy.)

Yes, the early Christians shared all things in common, but it was voluntary. We should voluntarily support our fellow man who is in need. We should support our churches with our money. There should be nothing coercive about it.

No where does the Bible advocate the government taking care of charitable needs. That is our job as Christians. Jesus told us to do it. He never said, "Caesar will take care of the poor or needy."

This Sounds Painful

From FoxSports.com: Chris Snyder of the Arizona Diamondbacks

News: Snyder (testicular fracture) is progressing and he'll be reevaluated on Monday, the Arizona Republic reports.

I do not even want to know how that happened. I cannot imagine the pain he is/was in.

What's Next?

Man sues Bible publishers for anti-gay references. (From Newsmax.com.)

Can I sue a Koran publisher for "anti-infidel" references?

The scariest part is the last paragraph of the article:

U.S. District Judge Julian Abele Cook Jr., who will hear Fowler’s case against Thomas Nelson, says the court “has some very genuine concerns about the nature and efficacy of [his] claims."

More Political Hot Air

Ugh! Just when you thought that there could not be more hot air in politics, you get this story from the ABC news blog Political Punch that former Minnesota Governor Jesse "The Body" Ventura may enter his state's race for the Senate. Incumbent Republican Senator Norm Coleman is facing a challenger in the form of humor-challenged "comedian" Al Franken.

That is all we need, a hot air emitting former professional wrestler squaring off against a hot air emitting "comedian."

Thinking on the Thesis

With only 3 credit hours down, I am beginning to think about my thesis. This appears to be a bit tricky. I have to find a faculty member willing to guide me through the process. My interest is in 20th century American history, particularly the post-World War II era. The problem is that the guy who had been the 20th century American specialist recently retired. They are searching for a new one.

I have always been interested in political history, but my interest has recently been trending toward social history, specifically integration.

One area of integration that has piqued my interest is the role of the Church in integration, either with helping or hindering. In the Church of the Nazarene, there was a drive to integration beginning in the late 1940s. The Church of the Nazarene formed the Gulf Central District, which was made up exclusively of black churches in the Old South.

I would love to investigate this further to see how and why this was attempted.

My Son's Favorite Birthday Present

When I was a kid, I always felt sorry for the kids who had a summer birthday. No one was ever around for a party. They could not bring snacks to school.

My son has a summer birthday, right around Independence Day, no less. He has never really had a great birthday party. (Sure, one year, we were in Washington, DC for his birthday.) This past Sunday was his birthday. He got two great presents. First, his sister (our daughter) was put on a plane and sent to grandma's house for three weeks. Second, he got to go to Chuck E. Cheese's, where he burned through 100 tokens. It must be great to be eight.

Happy Independence Day

Happy Independence Day to all. Today is the day we celebrate our national independence. Today is the USA's 232nd birthday.

We have not been a perfect nation, but the grand experiment of representative government has been, I think, a success.

Be safe, have fun, and remember that we are ever so fortunate to enjoy the freedoms that we have.