Evocative lyric for the day. . .

"She was sitting cross-legged on the hood of the Ford
filing down her nails with an emery board."

~ from Young Love by The Judds

The Sacred Desk

The sermon tomorrow will be an exposition of Deuteronomy 7:1-5.
None of us are held hostage by our sin - every sin in our lives is an invited guest. The Israelites could not complain when pagan peoples and elements poisoned the promised land and became a thorn in the sides of generations to come. God had defeated those seven nations that were greater than them. Israel let them up off the mat. When we become believers we find our "promised land" in much the same shape that the Israelites found theirs. We find that it is not unoccupied but filled with many well fortified and defended strongholds of sin, deception, and rebellion. All of these strongholds are stronger than we are but God has defeated them. It is our calling and life's purpose to "tear down", "smash", "hew", and "burn" all those institutions of our former disposition and build and inhabit that city on a hill from which flows milk and honey.

OED anyone?

An "icononym" is a brand name that, because of the brand's overwhelming success, has come to identify its particular product and all other products like it.

Don't ever venture out of the house on any errand without something to read (or little children to entertain) lest you find yourself using a waiting room to do only that - wait. But if you should forget your book, magazine, or offspring one day - try and come up with as many icononyms as you can - it might be sorta fun if you're easily amused.

Here are just a few to get you started:

Q-tip
Kleenex
Bondo
La-Z-Boy

The Life and Times. . .

So the showerhead in my bathroom is kinda broken and spraying water everywhere. It's a good thing there's another shower in the house that I can use for the next four months while I do the repairs.

Ooh Rah. . .

Friday morning of last week I drove the two and a half hours southeast to Parris Island, South Carolina to watch my good friend Walton Satcher go from recruit to marine as he graduated from boot camp. The ceremony was stark and absent much of the pomp and circumstance that I expected. That doesn't mean it was forgettable. One sight etched in my memory came in the minutes leading up to the service. I arrived over an hour early and found Walton's family and took my seat with them. The grandstands that flanked the large reviewing deck were full of men in slacks and collared shirts and women in sundresses. It was a beautiful sun-splashed affair and the occasional sea breeze off the nearby Atlantic was a welcome refreshment. All around there were light hearts and loose tongues as strangers shared the histories of their marines with one another. Digital cameras were click-clapping away, water bottles passed around with snacks, and everyone fidgeting. What will never escape my memory was the ominous sight we all could see some two hundred yards off to the right of the deck. During this entire time the whole of company D including six platoons of marines in full dress uniforms stood at perfect attention along a stand of crape myrtle trees quaking gently in the breeze. I'm not sure I've ever been so near anything so fierce in appearance my whole life. I haven't been able to shake the thought of those men that day nor has my heart cooled from the fervor of the gratitude I felt for their commitment and sacrifice. I pray they be instruments of God's wrath alone and know the blessedness of peacemaking in all their endeavors. God bless you Walton.

The Sacred Desk

Tomorrow's message will be an exposition of Proverbs 9:13-18. Christians would do well to consider that during our pilgrimage here on earth we are more prey than predator and to prepare accordingly. Clamor preys on the simple, temptation on the discontented, folly on the ignorant, and death on the loveless. Christians stroll through this world of danger as a tourist might stroll through a zoo full of ferocious animals - unarmed and unalert. The lion is in a cage at the zoo of course; but there is no such restraint for our enemy. "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (1Peter 5:8)

From my morning shave with NPR. . .

Okay - what six-letter hyphenated word meaning "eager" can have two of its last three letters changed to create another six-letter hyphenated word meaning "none too eager". What are the two words? Here's a culture clue for those who once called East Hubbardton Road home - think George Wendt, Michael Keaton, and "We're breaking the ice! It's all brand new oooh oooh ooh!" That should help.

The Life and Times. . .

So a couple of the teens in my youth group were encouraging me to wear some trendier clothes ~ "like a NorthFace jacket or something."

"I don't think so" I said, "there's no way I could pull something like that off. I'd be such a poser."

"John, dude," one of them replied, "you're not pulling off the clothes you're wearing now."

OED anyone?

A "retronym" is a term created to clarify an existing word rendered obsolete by advances in technology or changes in social practice.

When I was in California recently I challenged the mountain people to come up with as many retronyms as they could - Lisa was a savant with this by the way. I think it's a fun way to pass the time when the present isn't good for much more than the passing. Here are a few to get you started:

Acoustic guitar
Organic food
Snail mail
Summer Olympics
Free-range chickens
Coca Cola Classic
Traditional marriage

I used this in an introduction to a sermon I preached recently in which I attempted to explain the prevalence of the retronym "personal relationship" in Christian conversation and literature that discusses our relationship with God. It's a term made necessary by philosophical movements such as the enlightenment which savaged the personality of God reducing our Creator to little more than a force. I, at least, thought it was interesting - and that's the only goal I have in preaching - to keep myself awake.

Zarathustra wasn't all wrong. . .

"One repays a teacher badly if one remains nothing but a pupil." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Nietzsche was a german philosopher who employed his gifts of writing and rhetoric to expose the weaknesses of Christianity. His success in this was limited to his treatment of the Christians who served as living evidence and testimony to the faith. These "little Christs" were way too little for Nietzsche - lazy, sloppy, emasculated, saccharine, and apathetic. Given the gravity of scriptural claims, how could these people who confessed that the Bible was true live such dispassionate lives? Christians must stop being content to be career internists - always studying, growing, and workshopping but never venturing. As disciples of Christ - we are certainly repaying our teacher badly. As George Bernard Shaw has said ~ "Christianity would be a great thing if anybody ever tried it."

The Sacred Desk

I'm preaching on Genesis 8:20-22 tomorrow. A centaur is neither man nor horse but something entirely unique. God, as this passage evinces, is neither wrath nor compassion, justice nor mercy, sorrow nor jealousy but a wonderfully unique tempered alloy of these characteristics - the forged sword of which executes His will perfectly. As we seek to know the Father may our charge be "not in part but the whole"!

My vote for best rock lyric of all time. . .

"It's these expressions I never give that keep me searching for a heart of gold."

~ Neil Young

Enhance your uni-media experience

Hey - if you want to see some live streaming video of my fair city - ESPN is airing coverage of the Masters golf tournament today from four to seven and CBS will do the same Saturday and Sunday. It's safe to say that my yard at the parsonage is a little more botanically diverse than over at the Augusta National - they hold a very dim view of dandelions I'm afraid.

Happy Birthday Mom!

I always looked forward to having my fingernails cut when I was a little boy. My mom had this special pair of scissors that she kept in a little case that sat atop the dresser next to my parents bed. The scissors were small but heavy and the blades were curved ~ I thought they were so neat. But the thing I loved the most was that brief moment stolen from an always crazy day when my mom and I would sit on the edge of the bed and she'd carefully clip my nails and we'd chat about this and that. Those nails never grew fast enough and the passing of those moments was never slow enough. I love you Mom - happy birthday!

The Life and Times. . .

So I was sitting in the Dunkin Donuts the other evening working the day's crossword puzzle when a young mother with a stroller and two little ones in tow sat down at the table next to mine. Her little girl was fascinated with the object of my industry and soon sidled up next to me and innocently shouted out to her mom: "What he doin there Mommy?" "Oh," she replied "he's just playing one of those games that Grandpa likes to play." Yikes - I certainly hope I'm not Dowling Park material just yet.

Lex Rex

Did you know that King David mentions the law of God in all 176 verses of Psalm 119? When I hear mention of the law ~ my mind entertains notions of oppression, obsolescence, and negativity. For David, however, God's statutes are cause for singing and shouts of joy. Obviously David wasn't looking to the law for salvation - he was an acknowledged sinner whose faith was in the promised savior. Why, then, did he meditate on the law both day and night? I believe David recognized God's commandments as the surest way to know the personality and character of his heavenly father. God's laws are not arbitrary or just made up; but are rooted in His unchanging nature (God hates adultery because of His fidelity, e.g.). Without the law and as ones orphaned from the divine, the only clues we'd have of what pleases, vexes, and interests our heavenly Father would be from our own consciences and the natural order. Hardly enough there to satisfy the heart's desire for fellowship with the Lord. Christians enjoying the freedom won for them through the promise of the new covenant often neglect the law - what a shame. I'd really love to have the heart and mind of God and find the discernment and application of His will to be less of a struggle. I'm determined to make the meditation of the law a more regular part of my devotional life - it's easily the second greatest gift given to mankind.

The Life and Times. . .

The girl working at the grocery store checkout line last night asked me why I hadn't brought my son with me. "He's so cute!" she said with a smile and a toss of the hair. "I don't know where he is" was my only response. We then embarked on an awkward conversation about my begotten in which I tried my best not to lie. I don't know why I didn't tell her that she must have been mistaken from the start - I suppose I just didn't want to let her down - she was so excited. The sad thing is that I'll have to find a new place to buy my peanut butter and cereal.

Never too clever

"A true poet does not bother to be poetical.

Nor does a nursery gardener scent his roses."

~ Jean Cocteau

This is a helpful sentiment to consider as I finish preparations for this Sunday's sermon. I know where the temptation to gild the lily of scripture comes from - laxness in contemplation and anxiousness to entertain. I'm preaching from Romans 3:19-20 tomorrow. I was attracted to the idea of the law causing every mouth to be closed.

Austerity is rarely underrated

It's pretty monastic in here.

I'll try to hang some pictures to orient and entertain any company I may have and I'll try and find furniture for the empty spaces. The echo from these few words has such a disconsolate tone.

But know this - I'm an internet homesteader now and I'll try and farm these forty acres for the Lord.

Good night California, Vermont, and beyond!