Heart Warming

I am a sucker for these kinds of stories. Maybe you are, too. H/T to Mark Roberts. Enjoy! [SDG- JS]

The Bible and Recovery

I came across an interesting article this morning about an HBA documentary airing tonight on the life of Ted Haggard. Haggard was the pastor of mega-church New Life Fellowship in Colorado Springs, and then was accused of having sex with a male prostitute and using drugs. Haggard was let go as the pastor, and has struggled since. (A related article in Slate is here.)

The documentary is by Alexandra Pelosi, daughter of House Leader Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi (the daughter) claims that she and her husband are not religious people. However, as she interviewed Haggard and his family, she was drawn to the Bible. Here's how she puts it:

I’m not a really religious person. We consider ourselves to be Catholics, but we think of it more as a cultural thing. But what I love about Ted’s story, at least about Ted’s family, is that the Bible got them through. They read the Bible. They would read these passages, and it moved me. I went out and bought a new Bible. When I was making Friends with God, everybody quoted the Bible, but I was never inspired to go buy one. But this experience with Ted turned me onto the Bible in a whole new way, because he would read these passages and it would really inspire me.
People might come away from this movie being a little anti-church, but it makes you really pro-Bible. It makes you really pro-God in a way, because you read these things in the Bible and you’re like, wow.
Gayle and the kids read the Bible a lot, and they weren’t doing it for me. They got through all of this with the help of the Bible.

So Pelosi saw the family reading the Bible and doing the right things. And yet, she saw Haggard reading the Bible, and really struggling to overcome his "demons", and she was drawn to the power of the Bible.

Strength in weakness. Success in failure. Dying to live. Becoming interested in the Bible because of a man's brokenness. None of these make rational sense. And yet, that's the beauty of how God works. God can use even the most dire of circumstances to win people over, sometimes even people who are only tangentially related to the original incident.

It is not the parts of the Bible we get, and are sure of, that are powerful in the lives of others. And sometimes not even in our own lives. It is the wrestling with the Bible, as Jacob wrestled with the angel, where the truth and power of the Bible become most clear. Far from a static book, the Bible is "alive." The Bible is not a book of dead doctrine, though doctrine is important, but a living book, seeking to woo us, shape us, transform us. How cool is THAT? [SDG-JS]

Heart Pounding

I woke up this morning (My first morning in Egypt) to the sound of the call to prayer on loud speakers that blast through the city. Each Mosque competes to see who can be the loudest and sing their prayer the longest, at least that is the way it seems at 5 in the morning…

After a cold shower (They forgot to turn the heater on) and a nice breakfast of toast and tea, I stepped outside to view the site that my heart has been bursting to see. Children in need of God’s love… They were playing in the streets just the way I had visioned them in my dreams for the two and a half months of waiting… I am so excited to be here!

First thing on the list of “To Dos” was to visit Rev. Dr. Safwat N. El-Baiady, he is to the Protestant Churches in Egypt as the Pope is to the Catholics in Rome. To be honest, I was not too excited to see him since I was so tired. (Only getting three hours of sleep), but, I am not here for sleep… Right? Anyway!

The driver who was going to take us to Rev. Baiady arrived in a Compact car of some sort, and instructs Dr. Hisham and me to sit in the back seat of the car; I thought this was a little odd, since people of importance usually get placed in the passenger seat in Egypt. It did not take me long to figure out why, the passenger seat did not have an “Oh my Lord!” handle…

Now, you may be asking what an “Oh my Lord!” handle is… Well, in some places it is called the “Oh shoot!” handle, or the “Please God help me” handle, or the “Flex your arm for the ladies” handle, it was originally designed as a bar that is attached to the ceiling of a car to help people out of the car, but I know no one that has ever actually used it for this purpose, most use it for one of the above mentioned, and I use it as an “Oh my Lord!” handle that I can quickly grab hold of to brace for impact in the event of an accident… Well, I also sometimes use it to flex my muscles, but that is besides the point…

Today, I swear I was going to pull the handle off of the ceiling, for I have never used the O.M.L. handle that much in my life. I truly do believe that the driver is practicing for F1 Racing, because he was driving at very high speeds and swerving in and out of traffic nearly hitting pedestrians and cars. I must give him credit as one of the greatest and most terrifying drivers I have ever seen. Not a single scratch was found on the car, no one was killed, and I was now wide awake for my meeting with Dr. Baiady.

Kimo

Leading by Principle

Tony Dungy is one of my favorite football people. I remember him as he played at the University of Minnesota as a Golden Gopher. He moved on to play for the Steelers, then coach in the NFL at Tampa Bay and then for Indianapolis. This story today, when Dungy retired at the ripe old age of early 50's, explains why many in the NFl adore the man, especially players.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Forget for a second the Super Bowl victory and all the great players he coached. If you want to know what truly set Tony Dungy apart from other football coaches -- really, apart from a lot of human beings -- there is a story you need to read.

It sums up Dungy, who is retiring from the Indianapolis Colts and the National Football League today, as a person and a coach. It's the story of a man with a vision and the courage to stick to it quietly, no matter how much the world outside was banging on the windows.

The year was 1997. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in Dungy's second year as head coach, were showing some signs the lowly franchise might be ready to escape the so-called Curse of Doug Williams. With a young cast that featured Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp, John Lynch, Warrick Dunn, Mike Alstott and Trent Dilfer, the Bucs got hopes up with a 5-0 start.

Then, it all seemed as if the season was about to fall apart because of one man. Well, make that two men because Dungy could see the problem as clear as the rest of Tampa Bay. But that stubborn streak that would become a part of his legacy was keeping him from, outwardly, doing anything about it.

The Bucs had a talented young kicker named Michael Husted who all of sudden started missing kicks. Not only was Husted missing field goals, but even extra-point attempts were flying badly off target.

The fans and the media were up in arms. It seemed Husted had to go or else the whole season would spin out of control. It was obvious to everyone, it seemed, except Dungy.

Week after week, he stood there with his arms folded on the sidelines, never showing the slightest emotion when Husted missed a kick. The Bucs lost three games in a row.

Any other coach would have simply brought in another kicker. But Dungy had laid out a philosophy that would end up applying to every player he ever coached and he had to stick to it. He knew something the rest of the world didn't.

While media and fans were breaking down Husted's kicking technique, Dungy knew what was in the kicker's head and heart.

The real story here was Husted's mother, Ann, was dying of cancer up in Virginia.

"I always prided myself on being a pro and being able to separate off-the-field stuff from what I did on the field,'' Husted said Monday morning from his home in San Diego. "But it got to the point where my mom's situation was taking up all of my thoughts."

On the Monday after the third straight loss (to Minnesota), special-teams coach Joe Marciano sat down with Husted and said, "What would you do if you were in our shoes?'' Husted pretty much shrugged and braced himself for the inevitable.

The next morning, Dungy called and Husted was sure he was being cut. Dungy's words said something else.

"He just said, 'You're a Buccaneer. You're part of our family. You're our kicker,''' Husted said.

Mission accomplished. The next Sunday, the Bucs went up to Indianapolis. Husted made a game-winning field goal that broke his slump. The season was saved and the Bucs went on to make the playoffs for the first time in a generation. Ann Husted died after the season, but not before she came to several games and sat with Dungy's wife, Lauren, in a private box.

"What he did was relieve the pressure from me,'' Husted said. "A lot of other coaches would have just let me go. I'm forever grateful to Tony for how he handled that. It speaks a lot about the type of individual he is and how he's not going to let outside forces influence what he knows is right.''

Throughout his career, Dungy has been criticized for being too stubborn or too soft. But, deep down, wouldn't you rather have someone who cares about you and not someone who flies off the handle and listens to the whims of the world?

That should be as much a part of Dungy's legacy as all the games he won and as much as becoming the first African-American head coach to win a Super Bowl. Yes, he did things differently at times, but, in the end, you can't argue with the results.

The Super Bowl win still is fresh in the minds of many. But what Dungy did in Tampa Bay might have been even more remarkable. He took over a franchise that was in disarray, replacing Sam Wyche as the coach soon after owner Hugh Culverhouse had died and Malcolm Glazer purchased the team. In those days, the Bucs played in dreary Tampa Stadium and there was speculation about them moving anywhere from Los Angeles to Baltimore.

In 1996, a very quiet man took over a mess.

"The thing is Tony just brought this silent, commanding respect,'' Husted said. "We never felt like there was a clear road map. He came in and established what we wanted to do and how to go about it. People bought into it in the locker room and we started winning.''

The Bucs got their new stadium in 1998 and consistent winning followed. Dungy couldn't quite get the Bucs over the Super Bowl hump. Jon Gruden came in and did that. But Dungy's contributions in Tampa Bay are going to be evident for a long time. The franchise has been respectable since his arrival, and the stadium has been full for years.

Respect might be the most fitting single word to sum up Dungy's career and that's fitting. Through it all, he always earned respect.

"I think the biggest thing was you never wanted to disappoint coach Dungy because of how he treated you,'' Husted said. "I think any player who ever played for him will tell you it was an honor to play for him. The league is going to miss him and I wish you could clone him and make every coach like that because it would benefit the whole league. But you know that whatever he does going forward, he's going to keep doing it the right way and he's going to positively impact a lot of people.''

The coach stuck with his failing kicker, in the face of howling public opinion, because of his principles. You gotta admire a man like that. Way to go, coach! And Godspeed in your pursuits. May the Lord use you mightily. [SDG- JS]

Can We Spare a Minute for God?

An interesting article in the Los Angeles Times cited by Mark Roberts here, entitled, "A closer, faster walk with thee". Here's a taste:

So you're racing through another jam-packed day, late picking up the kids from basketball practice because you got stuck at the office. You still have to pay the bills, walk the dog and perhaps grab cold pizza before collapsing into bed.

When do you ever find time for God?

One publisher has the answer: "The One Minute Bible, Day by Day," whose brief readings promise to inspire your "daily walk with the Lord."

Or check out "5 Minute Theologian: Maximum Truth in Minimum Time."

Because man does not live by bread alone -- and might be tempted to eat on the run -- there's "Aunt Susie's 10-Minute Bible Dinners: Bringing God Into Your Life One Dish at a Time."

The American style of worship, like everything else in people's overloaded lives, is speeding up.

This hurried search for the Almighty partly explains the rise of a niche industry of books, DVDs, podcasts, text messages and e-mail blasts that distill the essentials of faith, from creation to the crucifixion.

The materials offer bite-sized spiritual morsels that can be digested in minutes, or even seconds, on the daily commute, aboard airplanes or at the dinner table. As "7 Minutes With God" advises: "Take 7 minutes each day to: build your faith in God, grow closer to the Father, make progress in your spiritual life."

And what about your over-programmed 10-year-old? Again, religious publishers have an answer: "The Kid Who Would Be King: One Minute Bible Stories About Kids."

"The audience is definitely anyone who's interested in a ready-made, quick little devotion they can do every day," said Tim Jordan, an editor at B&H Publishing Group in Nashville, which produces the "The One Minute Bible."

"It's not meant to replace the Bible," Jordan added. "It's meant to whet your appetite."

Publishers aren't the only ones adjusting to the time pressures on modern religious life. Rabbis and ministers, aware that worship is just another weekend option for many people, are shortening their sermons and taking other steps to entice parishioners.

"What's the scarcest commodity in American life?" asks the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. "How do we invite people to connect their life of faith with their life at the soccer practice or in the coffee shop or at the pub or waiting in line for something? I think that's the biggest challenge the church is beginning to recognize."

Traditionalists say quick-hit spirituality can be useful, but that it's no substitute for true learning or involvement in a religious community. Even some of the die-hard faithful, however, see the prophetic writing on the wall.

Leith Anderson leads a 2,900-member church in suburban Minneapolis and is president of the National Assn. of Evangelicals. He also produces a daily radio segment -- "Faith Minute" -- that is heard throughout the Midwest.

"It's preaching to people who have never been in the choir," Anderson said.

For people who are strapped for time, a one minute devotional reading is better than no devotional reading. But it certainly seems like we are trying to fit God into our lives rather than to allow our lives to fit into God's larger plans.

On Mark Roberts' blog, Chris comments:

I agree that it would be easy to criticize such an approach, so here is one quick observation. I have met many people who fall into the lifestyle trap described in the article - “When do you ever find time for God?”

What I encourage people to do is to learn from the monastic tradition (Yes, I am Presbyterian). To use small chunks of time throughout the day to meet God. I learned that the morning quiet time is not enough to sustain me throughout the day. I am bombarded all during the day with my sinfulness, stress inducers, and interactions with other people.

I try to carve out 6-7 times during the day to “pray the hours”. I think there is something to be said for a monastic way of life in the midst of the 21s century! Why not come to God at various times of the day to combat the daily grind that each day brings.

Not a bad suggestion! [SDG-JS]

Two Paths

I ran across this article the other day, and it was both encouraging and discouraging.

While vacationing in Seattle over Christmas, I read two books -- one by a famous atheist who found God, the other by a journalist who gave up on God.

British philosopher Antony Flew shocked the world four years ago this month when he announced that scientific evidence had convinced him a mastermind is running the universe. Principles such as special relativity, which guides electromagnetic forces that enable everything from genetic codes to rotating planets, could have never happened by chance, he wrote in "There is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind."

He also cites the extraordinary diverse arrangements of the DNA code, which have to be in precise alignment to work properly. Their workings are so complex and subtle, that the possibility of it all falling together by chance is "minute," he said. "[It] looked to me like the work of intelligence."

He even gives a huge nod toward Christianity that, he says, "is the one religion that most clearly deserves to be honored and respected whether or not its claim to divine revelation is true.

"There is nothing like the combination of a charismatic figure like Jesus and a first-class intellectual like St. Paul. ... If you're wanting Omnipotence to set up a religion, this is the one to beat."

It's an amazing admission from a man who led the world's atheists for 60 years.

The other book hit closer to home. William Lobdell's "Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America -- and Found Unexpected Peace" is not horribly distant from some of my struggles, which led to my recent book "Quitting Church." (A personal disclosure: Mr. Lobdell wrote an endorsement for the back cover of my book.)

Things were going swimmingly for him after he became a born-again Christian in 1992 and in 2000 snagged a full-time religion reporting job for the Los Angeles Times. At the time, I envied his fabulous articles on the corruption within Trinity Broadcasting Network, an immense Christian TV ministry in Southern California.

But his faith was destroyed not only by the dirt he was uncovering about televangelists, but also by the immense evil of the Catholic priestly sex abuse scandals. Nearly every bishop and cardinal who allowed abusive priests to rape and sodomize children has remained unpunished.

He details years of interviews he had with the broken people left behind; whose prayers God did not answer, whose lives are like shattered glass. In the end, spiritual burnout, the moral failures of many Christians and God's apparent indifference to people's suffering did him in. His faith withered and in July 2007, the Times published his 3,800-word front-page essay about his newfound unbelief. He got 2,700 e-mails, many from Christians admitting they are close to the edge as well.

Where Mr. Lobdell and Mr. Flew intersect is in believing there may be a creator God, but He has created a hell on Earth where evil people reign, good people are powerless and compromised, and prayer doesn't work.

My own research leads me to believe there are a lot more people in Mr. Lobdell's position - ready to ditch their faith altogether - than there are in Mr. Flew's shoes. The number of Americans unaffiliated with a faith has zoomed from 8 percent to 14 percent in the past 10 years. The pat answers and spiritual bromides of the past aren't working anymore.

This article is written by Julia Duin from the Washington Times, who normally writes on religion in America.

I found the part about Antony Flew fascinating. Here is a scientist who has spent a disciplined life observing the wonders of the world, and he has concluded there is a God. While not a specific confession of faith towards Jesus Christ. it is a step in the right direction.

In my teenage days, I would often go backpacking in the Sierra Nevadas, most often in the Desolation Wilderness. I often felt a heartache that the creation was so beautiful, but I was on the outside looking in. I was in the classic atheist conundrum, seeing something beautiful and not knowing who to thank! Evidently, a lifetime of similar experiences has influenced Flew.

However, I was profoundly saddened by the experience of Mr. Lobdell. Christians can be petty, hypocritical, unloving, grudge carrying. How we treat one another can be quite a spectacle for outsiders, and an offense to the cause of Christ. I wonder whether Mr. Lobdell was involved in a Christian fellowship. I wonder whether he had daily prayer and Bible reading. I wonder whether there was a supportive small group he could share with, and have his faith nurtured.

Sure, for the moment, he has walked away from the faith. But what did we, his brothers and sisters in Christ, do to nurture him, to help him grow, to assist him to cling to God in those times of reporting dark stories.

The saddest part of Duin's article is that shed suspects there are more people like Lobdell than we would suspect. I diligently pray she is wrong, but if she is correct, what shall we do? Do we just shakes our heads and walk past like the Levite and the priest on that road to Jericho? Do we comfort ourselves with our own private faith? Or do we work harder to pray and support one another, and make sure everyone is connected to a solid fellowship?

Hebrews 6:9-12 says:

9Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case—things that accompany salvation. 10God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. 12We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

Let us persevere, and help those who struggle. [SDG- JS]

Some Quotes to Ponder

• “An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.” - Bill Vaughn
  

• “Jesus was the first world leader to inaugurate a kingdom with a heroic role for losers.” - Philip Yancey, Rumors of Another World (Zondervan, 2003)
  

• “Celebrate what you want to see more of.” - Thomas J. Peters
  

• When I am in the cellar of affliction, I look for the Lord's choicest wines. - Samuel Rutherford
  

• Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you yourself shall be a miracle. Every day you shall wonder at yourself, at the richness of life which has come to you by the grace of God. - Phillips Brooks

Cars or Compassion?

An interesting article about priorities.

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 24, 2008—The ads may try to convince us that to make the holidays truly special you need a shiny, new Lexus parked in the driveway on Christmas morning, wrapped with a bright, red bow. But Corona business owner Mike Foster says he would rather keep his 15-year-old clunker and share the extra cash with kids in need.

In 2006, Mike Foster traded his luxury sports car for a 1993 Toyota Camry he affectionately calls the "Green Gremlin," allowing him to use the $600 a month savings to help rescue children from poverty through Compassion International.

"I was driving a really nice vehicle but realized there had to be more to life than feeding my ego by cruising around in a fancy sports car," said Foster. "So I decided to live with less so I could give more. My family has been sponsoring four children through Compassion International for two years and I really believe in the great work it does to help kids in need."

Upping his giving by downgrading his car felt so good that Foster invited friends to do the same - starting what he calls the Junky Car Club. It may sound like a tough sell but the Junky Car Club now boasts more than 3,000 members around the world, including Compassion International President and CEO Dr. Wesley Stafford, who proudly has commuted in a rusty, old Jeep for years.

Foster asks the club's members to join him in sponsoring children who are living in extreme poverty or give to any charity important to them.

"Mike Foster is a great example of how everyone can be part of a cause that helps children, not just during the Christmas season, but all year," said Mark Hanlon, senior vice president of Compassion International. "Of one billion people currently living in abject poverty, more than half are children."

Compassion International works with 4,800 local churches in 25 countries to provide more than 1 million children living in poverty with life-changing developmental opportunities. Through three distinct programs - infant survival, one-to-one child sponsorships and leadership development for high school graduates - Compassion gives children a hope for the future and a better life. Compassion International is committed to rescuing children from poverty, not merely sustaining them through it.

Compassion International is one of the world's largest holistic child-development organizations, addressing the physical, social, economic and spiritual needs of children in poverty. Charity Navigator, America's largest charity evaluator, has awarded Compassion International seven consecutive four-star ratings. [SDG - JS]