pinakidion.*

January 2007 began with a focus on RM unity and the hopes of an August 2007 unity conference. However, it was not meant to be. August was a bad time for many. ICoC support was minimal. RM support was strong only if it could be located in Dallas or Nashville. The ICoC(Community) church in Nashville agreed to host the event. Organizers hope that it can happen in 2008.

However, efforts began to meet with a CoC in town. Ultimately, efforts with the North Omaha Church of Christ and the Southwest Church of Christ panned out.

In my life, I discovered that out of 100 common allergens, I react to almost 50 of them. It was cold here, so I froze a gallon of Ice tea. At that time, I was posting game stuff here, but it’s been copied over to the other site.

The most powerful thing about January, though, was living a parable and being tempted to be the bad guy in the story. I’ve never seen anyone else involved since that day.

February was slow. We had a snow day at work which means my usual rant about designated personnel. I linked to an interesting article about not doing megachurch anymore. I also mentioned James Cameroon finding the Tomb of Jesus’ family.

The church I attend did meet with the North Omaha Church of Christ and we were received warmly. More on that soon.

March saw the post from my experiences with the NOCoC. I still laugh when I think about hearing the Kingdom study preached at us in such a way as to say that we were Almost Christians. We had a good time, but nothing much came of the meeting. I promised to follow up, but was unable to do so.

Per usual, I groused about the UP. I won’t link to those because it’s pretty obvious by now. However, I also began talking about a computer project at work as well as other projects. The computer project stalled on Internet connections. Lenga is all but finished. The Hebrews classes went very well and I enjoyed teaching them. As an aside, this is also the first post when I mention Dancing Bear as the online code phrase for our second child.

We had two major events occur on the same day. My wife had a unique baby shower and her grandmother transitioned to the grave. My wife still misses her grandmother. I still hug my kids every night.

In a sign of things to come, I ask for prayers. This will lead to deepening issues in my life and ultimately to seeking treatment for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

April started off with the tail end of Teach Week. More than anything, though, my wife and I were excited about our second child due about the middle of April. This lead to the infamous Baby Pool. Dee, a co-worker, won with her prediction of 4/19 at 5:26 am. Dancing Bear was, in fact, born April 18 at 11:00pm. Her subsequent surgery was a success and I expressed much thanks to you, my online friends.

Looking back, this was the beginning of my declining mental health and faith. I do not believe that I have gotten over spending more time in the NICU or the eight surgeries that followed on Dancing Bear. Her last one was in October and we found out just before Christmas that it was probably the last one for her. Anyway, I have not really been the same since and it shows in what I chose to write about and the increasingly angry tone that came across.

My wife began to dream of building community and I joined in with my own thoughts. Little did we know that the sense of community would come to fruition with the beginning of the Nebraska chapter of Hands and Voices. We are still working to get things going. Next month will be the big kick-off.

In May, I talked about professional help in a private post that I accidentally published. Thanks to everyone that sent me encouragement after that post and to TTK that sent a great book to us. In general, I tried to use Mathematics to occupy my time, as well as the ICoC(SODM) and ICoC(CoOperating Churches). I decided to stick with math.

In the end, though, I enjoyed (and still enjoy) better living through oat rings. Brother Bear has expanded to concept to include grapes, crackers, and milk, but its still a lot of fun.

In June there were only three things of note. One was the series of articles by Roger Lamb comparing the ICoC history with the great Chicago Fire. I was mentioned indirectly in once of the articles, so I responded with the same non sequitur he asked me. The second event was a long post on Intelligent Design.

However, the one with the most far ranging effect was the first lolcat style post. Now, lolcats and similar pictures adorn almost every post. It is a disease, I know.

July saw the beginnings of work with the Southwest Church of Christ. We had a VBS with them. Later, we’d have service and a teen event together.

I spent a lot of time thinking about the Next Big Thing in religion. Despite this post and this post, I don’t think I ever got a clear idea in my mind until I saw the Unconference a few months later. I also defended my wife’s honor at a breastfeeding conference in Lincoln. Other than that, I enjoyed vacation and yet more math.

August was the bridge collapse in Minneapolis. We had a few tense days not hearing from some of my wife’s family and friends. Everyone that she knew was okay.

Lolcats posts started appearing, much to the dismay of my brother from another mother. I think my addiction at this point was beyond hope.

I delivered communion at church about Grace. Thanks to mrtool for recording it for me.

The end of the month saw the comprehensive history of the UPC, tracing its origins from 2003. One day, I hope someone more official can fill in the missing gaps.

September came with more difficult news about Dancing Bear. However, it turned out to be better than the doctor originally thought. She would not need a stent. We also discovered that Brother Bear does not have Charge Syndrome. We celebrated that news by dining out that night.

However, the same meeting made it obvious that one or both of us have a genetic issue that would lead to choanal atresia in any child we would create. The most likely culprit was me and I have a choanal stenosis (blockage) and similar genetic issues as Brother Bear. (Lack of sinus cavities on one side of my skull and other things.) I decided to have a vasectomy as soon as I could. No sense in spending yet more time in a NICU. No sense taking chances on what could be worse issues with a third child. The uncertainties were too great. The next day, my wife and I spent some time mourning that we would have no more children. We always wanted three.

This was greeted by my family as an attempt by my wife to control me. All they could ask is why she wasn’t getting fixed and why do the doctors think its my fault. They have since stopped saying these things, and I am grateful. They did, however, agree that two was plenty enough. All of us are grateful that we have one girl and one boy. They are wonderful children.

I also managed to scattershot some ideas, including hands and Voices. This lead to Mark putting me in touch with the New Mexico President of Hands and Voices. We have since met with the Minnesota President, the Colorado President, and plan on meeting with the Iowa President.

Of course, I have to mention this: KHAAAAAAAANNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!.

October had a few interesting items of note. Alan wrote about the UPC and submitted it to DisciplesToday for consideration. Instead of being considered, it generated hard feelings and libel from the editor of DToday. In the end, Alan was a class act the entire time. His apology was published. Roger’s was not. Alan’s original article was never published either.

Adventures in Unity part Two happened this month. Southwest and Omaha Churches of Christ had service together. We were welcomed as family and fellow believers. It was a fantastic time had by all. Later we went to their teen event.

Lots of other ICoC stuff happened. Not much new except the ICOC Hot News appeared. They made a big stink about an article in the Daily Trojan and won. No word on any ruckus raised about an article at Rutgers. I was wrong about this one. I thought the attention would backfire. It would take an article criticizing Raul Moreno to generate backfire, though it came from Kip.

It was also my wife and I’s third anniversary. We had a quiet dinner and great conversation. The best two gifts anyone could have. My wife is truly wondering and continues to tell me every morning “I believe in you.” I am blessed beyond measure.

November’s big event was the Naming Ceremony for our children. The church I attend allowed us to basically take over the entire service. Brother Bear didn’t have a good time, but everyone else did. The day before was a great time of family, food, and fun. It was the first time everyone had been together since the wedding. I was surprised to see my niece there. We had everyone there except my brother-in-law’s new son.

The other big event was a trip to Minnesota. All the children and grandchildren on my wife’s side of the family were in one place at one time. There is photographic evidence of five children (all under 3) sitting together nicely.

Where It Is

Eventful, no? This doesn’t even include turning 36 or Christmas, both fun events.

Months of therapy later, I am functional and somewhat able to handle things as they come. The main thrust of my counseling is akin to “taking every thought captive” through a cognitive approach. It means a few overall changes that have helped some thus far.

The number one change is having more fun. I am having more fun. I got an Omega Chess set for Christmas that I love. I play Statis-Pro Football online occasionally. I design a few games now and then. Brother Bear and I spend about two hours a day together alone. (Dancing Bear and I get about 1.5 hours).

Number two change is being more active. I have been irregular with workouts. They are generally an hour long with most of the time on a bike. I always feel good the day after a workout. In January, I should be able to go everyday again from 5:30 - 6:30 am.

Number three change is removing certain things from my life. The financial strain of our first two years of marriage has eased considerably. We are able to do some special things and my wife can actually shop for a few articles of clothing for herself. Thanks to my wife’s hard work, we are down to one bill for Dancing Bear. This was after a 5% decrease in pay because of an increased pension contribution. (I had no choice.)

I’m also removing the ICoC from my life. I went to Delphi one last time last night. Then I removed all bookmarks and links to anything remotely ICoC. I haven’t read DToday in a few days. I try not to read HotNews or even MissionMemo. Over the next few days, I hope to eliminate all of them from my routine. I know, pass the popcorn. Like Arnold, I’ll be back. Maybe I will. I hope not.

I really hope not.

Even with these changes, though, the one big issue still remains: the succession of NICU visits. None of these changes address the fact that I am still upset that both children have genetic issues. None of them address the anger that I am somehow genetically defective and can only have children with worse issues than what I have. This is the biggest battle and it won’t go away with changes to lifestyle. Like Jesus said himself, some demons only come out through prayer and fasting.

The Future

The future is the quest for an authentic faith. I want to read the Bible and not see the ICoC/RM theology in every verse. I don’t want to see an theology in those verses. I want to hear the voice of God. I don’t hear Him anymore, though I know He hears me.

The future is having fun with a people over seemingly trivial things like chess, board games, and sports.

The future is seeing my children grow up. Dancing Bear will take her first steps in 2008. Brother Bear will start his first spoken sentences and first signing sentences. When the cold is over, we can all run and jump in the park. They will visit my homeland in March. I cannot wait for Brother Bear to see the ocean.

The future is community. I don’t mean just Hands and Voices, but building various interconnected communities. One is Hands and Voices, another is the family of faith. Yet another is the community of Benson, the area where we currently live.

Happy New Year!

I wish you a very Happy New Year. May God bless you and stand with you in all the empty places where you must walk.

no lolcat for this one

As always, at the end of the year, any post that went unfinished is now a Semithought post. It is dated today because I didn’t publish them correctly. As a result, a whole lot of posts showed up at once. I cannot undo it, but oh well.

Nothing scary this year like the Halloween one a couple years ago. Just random thoughts.

Year in review later.

Mind
Empty Full
Heart

COTEM
ICOC

Did these work?

Yesterday I went to a friends house and changed the brake pads on my car. You have to understand that I may have remembered almost everything from High School, but I didn’t take Shop. Put another way, I have very little ability with the care and maintenance of an automobile. Yet, I actually changed one of them myself, instead of contracting the work out like Tom Sawyer. (My brother still claims that the only time I mowed the lawn before college, I subcontracted it out to a friend for part of my allowance.)

It’s not like someone (MrTool) hadn’t shown me before. I just had to do it. I am grateful for the immense patience given to me.

There are other things which, despite the best folks showing me, I just cannot grasp them: I cannot tie a necktie. Really, I cannot tie one. I’ve had tons of people show me. Just like curing hiccups, though, most are convinced that their unique combination of methodology and personality will be the great shaft of light into my darkened understanding. I repeat, I am unable to tie a necktie and this is not something that needs to be fixed. Kurt, MrTool, this is the wide open opportunity to compare notes. I still have at least one tie from each of you that you tied for me that remains tied and hanging in the closet. (I also have one from my brother-in-law.)

I have learned to accept it, begrudgingly. I hope you can accept it, too. I cannot tie a necktie. I have aggravated salespeople. I’m talking upscale salespeople who believe that the customer can do no wrong. Trust me, an hour plus tying a necktie the wrong way will send even the most loving, patient soul screaming into the parking lot. (He actually said, ‘excuse me’, and I never saw him again.) I have aggravated myself standing in front of a mirror thinking that this is such a simple thing, how can I be this terrible at this? Seriously, I have aggravated myself to the point of rage trying to tie one.

The first one of you that gives me a necktie for Christmas…

So what does this mean? It means that I avoid formal events wherever possible. It also means that there really is a time to give up on some things. The rub, of course, is knowing the difference between a difficult task that can be overcome with perseverance and knowing when it is time to simply stop. I seem to only know the difference way too late. As a friend used to say, this is one of those things that you’ll know when you see it.

Thinking about the difference on a broader scale, I think about a lunch meeting my minister is attending today. This is persevering in a difficult enterprise. Can we come together with others of similar faith and doctrine? (The bigger question in regards to dissimilar faith and doctrine will come soon enough.) Can we reach out and allows others to reach in? There’s ugly history involved in meetings like these. The response to an offer of fellowship could be rejected outright. We could be considered worse than “almost Christians”. The response may be more encouraging. Maybe our kids and teens can have common events. Who said that Vacation Bible School was a thing of the past?

More to the point, it’s worth it to strive for unity. It’s not because of the importance of what is at stake. Honestly, there is nothing at stake. There is a lot of potential for good, yes, there is a great joy in family coming together to worship God, true, but that is not the same thing. What is the difference between the potential of my good friend you do not know and the potential of your good friend that I do not know? Nothing. Without any realization of potential nothing is lost or gained. In this specific case, work begins in an attempt to realize this tremendous potential of two churches working together. Even if it doesn’t work out and nothing comes of the lunch meeting today, it is worth the effort.

Then there are those things that should be abandoned.

I used to keep up with the Great One and his new movement in Portland LA. I have friends that try to talk to the legion of 20-25 year old members on MySpace. After a while, I just derided what he was doing and lamented the damage caused. Starting in 2004, I tried to get the powers that were to address the issues that Kip and his teachings had on all of us. In the end, what was done missed the point and came too late to be effective. No amount of begging, pleading, or writing has any effect at this point, on Kip or the powers that be. Besides, the King has returned to LA to build another church better, faster, and stronger than the one that his enemies run. After this much times, is it important to track him? Sure he just built a church in Mumbai and is maybe organizing another in Dallas. Does pursuing this do any good?

It may for some. I certainly hope that others can bring light into our collective lack of understanding. I’ve seen others that have what could be an effective plan to address the issues still raised by our former leader. For me, though, I have to give up. I might be able to talk to a few

Community
I grew up in an area that used to be known for its tremendous hospitality. This was before it was marketable for the tourist industry. This was a time decades (and centuries) ago when the islands were isolated from the rest of the world. I don’t mean that it was a backwater sleeping away from the world at large. Believe me, World War II was fought on their doorsteps with German U-Boats patrolling the shores. Look up Torpedo Alley - you’ll be surprised.

What I mean is that folks literally washed up on shore and started their lives over. People shared what they had because it helped guarantee survival. Being friendly and peaceable was a side benefit. Hoarders were a great enemy, however, those that tried to go it alone were regarded as a curiosity. No one could really figure out why a person or family would move to the islands and then try to isolate themselves from the community. Weren’t they isolated enough?

Change in a Community
The Igbo people of Nigeria have a saying, “Igbo doam.” It means the Igbo survive. Considering that there language has a similar present tense and future tense, it can also be translated “Igbo will survive”. The main reason the Igbo believe this is that as a whole, the culture of the community is one that is open to change. An individual that will not change is considered to be broken in many ways: one way is in the community, the other is with God, himself. Another way to state this that is similar to modern western thought is ‘bend without breaking’. In this case, bending is adapting in order to survive else a person or community breaks under the pressure.

Personally, I can say that I was almost broken by recent events in my family’s life. I did not want to change the way I live my life. I did not want to change our schedule. I did not want to be far from home. Without a patient wife and a wonderful community I would have never embraced the change my family was undergoing. I would have ceased to function and literally fallen apart.

Possible Meaning
An article leaked out written by one of the Committee of Nine members about avoiding present mistakes in the ICOC. In many ways, it addresses the dangers of ’staying the course’. Reading it made me think of home and the principles of community as I understand them. The article seems to embrace a different set of principles than what I would consider.

Before I start, it is necessary to say that the article has some very valid points. This is not a bash on one of the Co9 folks. If someone is looking for a “What else the ICOC is doing wrong” type of post, it won’t be here. This is something larger than a specific denomination, but it includes them as I am a part of it, though not formally. Having put this caveat up front, let’s go on to the actual article.

Community means at least two things. One, is that a group of people look to the needs of each individual to survive. Second, a group looks to adapt in order to survive. The first principle is simple to say and difficult to perform. The second is abstract and difficult to quantify in a straightforward way. I hope to address both.

Adaptation
look at “Are we Growing” on Christian Chronicle. Not adapting, but this has nothing to do with instrumentation. It has to do with creating an ideology making God an idol and thus always making the problem “me”.

I wrote about the power of a name when our son was born. (I gave a secret name to our daughter as well.) Having a name for his condition gave a sense of power over it in a way. It answered a lot of ‘what’ questions, though the ‘why’ questions were not really addressed. A genetic fluke, one in a hundred thousand and not transferable.

Then our daughter was born with one of the same symptoms.

By definition, she shouldn’t have Goldenhar’s, and in fact, she only exhibits one trait of it. But if he has a choanal atresia (nose blockage) and she has a more severe one…

maybe he doesn’t have Goldenhar’s after all.

At that point, it felt like the earth shrugged just enough for me to lose my balance. You think you know a thing or two and it turns out that you are wrong. Nothing bad in being wrong. It’s actually pretty healthy for folks like me. Still, this isn’t the ego adjustment type of wrong that brings refreshing humility. This is the worrisome type of wrong that robs you of sleep. The former brings answers you didn’t want to hear. The latter brings only questions you don’t want to consider. I can stand being wrong and admit my hubris.

I cannot stand being afraid of what may never be known.

My wife visited with the geneticist today and talked about various things. It would seem that no matter what name or label is given to our children, we are going down the road of ever increasing rarity for a diagnosis. The new name we heard today is Townes-Brocks syndrome. It’s like Godlenhar’s, but without the facial deformities. There have only been several hundred cases ever reported. However, it has a name because it has been linked to a specific gene. Our daughter is being tested for the presence of this gene.

If that is not the right name for it, then we pursue the more obscure corners of pediatric textbooks. The effects are the same, though. There’s really not much in the way of treatment. At this point, it feels like we are just searching for a name. If a suitable name is not found for both our children, then we may get our own (Lutz’s Syndrome) or our son will keep his diagnosis and our daughter will get her own. Worse yet, we may simply be labeled UGD (undiagnosed genetic disorder).

Still, there is only so far that answering ‘what’ questions can get you. After this has happened twice, I am finally getting down to the business of why. Why do my children have cranial deformities?

From a medical standpoint, the answer is because of the genetics. It may be the SALL1 gene, it may be a result of an odd combination, it could be that one or both of us are a recessive carrier of a malformed gene. The medical answer is not really of any comfort. It reinforces the idea that forces beyond our control acted upon us and our children to create this problem. In dealing with forces beyond our control, the why question inevitably becomes emotional and spiritual.

Where was God when all of this happened?

I appreciate my well-meaning friends that have wished me well by saying, “God is in control”. I must confess that God was in control during the first trimester when this happened. If he was in control in utero when the genetic problem first began, it leaves me wondering if my children’s issues are the result of a deliberate act, or an allowed act. Jesus did not do anything to clear up the confusion, when his disciples asked why a man was born blind, he said that it was for the glory of God. Moreover, when he was crucified and allowed to die on the tree, you could argue that his suffering was both allowed and deliberate. (Results may vary, your theology may differ. Those that adhere to both/and theology are known to experience the following side effects: paradoxical thinking, equivocation, mild dizziness, and depression. Those that have taken both/and theology state that the side effects are usually mild. Please consult your clergy for more information.) This act, too, was ultimately for the glory of God, otherwise I would not be a believer today. His suffering opened up the way to the Father for me. Without his suffering, I would have no hope.

Still, why does my family suffer with this?

You could say that we are in a fallen world and this type of suffering was bound to happen to someone. After all, mankind is dramatically affecting our planet in ways that will not be clear to us for some time. There’s enough radiation in the world that maybe we are bringing genetic defects upon ourselves.

If this is the case, my family won the lottery. The wrong lottery, mind you, but a lottery just the same. We happened to be the 100th person in line when the transformer behind the grocery store blew or our parents were within 50 miles of a secret government experiment gone awry. Take a pick, I’m sure there are more creative ways to say the same thing. Genetic malformations in general are caused by man’s evil upon the planet itself. Maybe the evil is not intentional like living in an area that is a hub of telecommunications between East Coast and West Coast. (We’ve got Internet2 here.) Who knows the effects of so much cable buried underground with electricity running through it. Still, it’s a variation of the effect of man on the environment around us.

You could say that God has visited this upon us in order to teach us a lesson. Paul shared similar sentiments to the Thessalonians.

************

One of the things I have learned for a congregational study of Hebrews is that sometimes God remains unknown on purpose. Consider Melchizadek. He was king-priest of Salem. Abraham offered him a tenth despite predating the Torah by a few hundred years or more. Why Melchizadek?

************

over radiated mash potatoes - Ed from Ed, Edd, and Eddy

Ok, I’ll respond to the call. I just can’t get used to being called an oldtimer.

i.e. where/when Chuck Lucas born, family, where/when baptised, schools attended?

Born in Mobile, AL, 1939 or 1940, I’m guessing. Attended Harding, graduated from there in prob early ’60’s. Got a masters from there if I remember correctly. think that his major was history. Married Ann Trauber (sp?). Three kids, Leigh Ann, Allison, and Jonathan. And had here degree in BioChemistry, BA Harding, MA Milsapps college. Don’t know when or where baptized, but as a young person, I’m sure, and I never heard of any rebaptism.

Parents were CA and Mary. CA was a preacher. I met him on a few occasions. Very typical of mainline preachers of the day, I would say. CA was baptized by Marshall Keeble I think, or perhaps it was Chuck’s grandfather. (my memeory is not clear, and I am an oldtimer). Seems like the story was that he would go and listen to Keeble from his car at Keeble’s tent meetings. (Marshall Keeble was a fantastic black preacher who drew thousands to tent meetings. The white folks would go and listen from their cars. He was kind of a Billy Graham to the church of christ, especially among blacks. I think he died in the ’60’s). Don’t remember anything about siblings, but I think that Chuck has a sister. No brothers I’m quite sure.

Where was he before 1967 when he was ministering in Gainesville FL?

Chuck started in the ministry in Mississippi as a youth minister under a preacher named Alonzo Welch who moved from preaching to establishing Sunnybrook Childrens Home in Jackson, Miss. Alonzo was (maybe still is alive) a great man who bucked c of c nit picking regarding the “correct way to distribute church money in the care of orphans”, and put this thing together. Did some wonderful work. Chuck’s courage to think outside the box and resist brotherhood pressure was probably due to his association with Alonzo. He spoke of him like he was a father in the faith to him and brother Welch came to Gainesville from time to time. A few from G’ville went to work at Sunnybrook thru the years.

Chuck came to Gainesville in ‘67 from being a youth minister at Central c of c in Miami. It was the largest c of c mainline church in Miami–no longer exists under that name. He was hired to come and work on the campus and begin a work called Campus advance which was a pilot program where a couple of campus ministries were going to try something different. I don’t know the details of this other than that another location was in Texas, I think at Texas Tech. There was another man, Jim Bevis who was involved in the other location, as I recall. The Florida work took off, the Texas one was not as well known and I’m not sure what happened.

The concept of taking the gospel to the campus students was contrary to the way campus ministry had been done in the past by the c of c. Prior to campus advance, churches near campuses would set up “Bible chairs” and open student centers where students could come and play ping pong and take accredited course thru the Harding extension of the school of religion.

Chuck gathered the few college kids who were here at that time–I think JP Tynes was one of the early ones, Sammy Laing came later, and they began to go to the campus on purpose and try to set up studies etc. The soul talk came about by accident. Sammy was a member of Sigma Chi, and had Chuck come as an after dinner speaker at the frat house one friday night (Sammy wasn’t exactly eager to this from the way the story was always told). People started asking questions, the discussion got lively and interesting. There was a frat party that night and the girls were arriving, the band setting up, the kegs, etc, but the discussion continued. Someone suggested that they continue it in a room upstairs, and a significant number ditched the party and continued the discussion.

From this came the realization that if he could get into the residence areas and just get group discussions started that interested people would surface. It was a perfect thing for the times as it was during a time of great social change, the Viet Nam war, etc, and everyone wanted to talk about all subjects.

Soon regular meetings were scheduled at Sigma Chi, which began to be called Soul Talks by the college kids. Other soul talks were begun in the dorms. In a few short years they went from 2 or 3 a week led by Chuck to about a hundred led by college students and others. The concept was a great way to arouse curiosity which would often lead people to want to visit at church where they would see a very different type of Christianity from the stale, liturgical, stuff that most had been raised on.

After being in Gainesville for 3 years (the church was then called 14th St), Chuck’s succes on campus was having a positive effect. The older members were welcoming the students, feeding them on Sunday nights (we called it Student Supper), and befriending them. The minister, Mark Hicks, was either fired or resigned (I was to arrive a few weeks later, so I don’t know which), and Chuck was installed as the preacher/campus minister.

In the fall, JP Tynes, who was starting grad school was to become a part time campus minister for a year or so, and then replaced by a full time Sammy Laing who graduated in 1971.

We sang a lot, much of the music contemporary to its time, although not much was available, the congregation was loving, genuine, and integrated which was a real shock to some. Hippies were welcome, and people came dressed as they were. Success in numbers gradually attempted to bottle up and reproduce what the Holy Spirit was doing. The concept of “sharpness” created more of a dress code, and by the mid ’70’s the early work which was so fun and Holy Spirit driven was but a memory to some of us, and never experienced by the rest. Sorry, I think you got more history than you asked for, but that’s the danger of getting an oldtimer started….

exile

What does criticism of our recent history have to do with the cross? Probably closer to the intent of the question would be, How can you say such negative things at the foot of the cross?

The Cross represents forgiveness. In one sacrifice for all time, the penalty for sin was paid in full. The priest no longer had to offer sacrifices to cover the sin of the people, Jesus provided atonement once for all. (Hebrews 9:24-28) The connection between God and man was no longer through a caste of men serving as mediators, the connection was direct to the throne of God, himself.

Six years ago, I was sitting at my desk when someone in the office took the Lord’s name in vain.

Maybe she didn’t, she was pretty shocked by it all.

I tuned into NPR for audio coverage, CNN.com for video and one other website to find out the identities of the three other planes still in the air. At some point we gathered in the break room to watch TV and saw the second plane hit the South Tower. Many co-workers were stranded in Houston, one was stranded in lower Manhattan. Everyone was okay, though we weren’t certain until the 13th.

Two things occur to me in Remembrance of the events of today.

We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. When the loyal opposition dies, I think the soul of America dies with it.

Edward R. Murrow

and

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

Galatians 6:7

The first has political and spiritual ramifications. On the political side, those that opposed the Patriot Act and the subseqent attacks on the Taliban in Afghanistan were quickly demonized as unpatriotic. In our anger, we wanted the murders to pay, and pay quickly. We rushed to judgment and declared a global war on terror. I did, too. I was all in support of the Coalition forces charging into Afghanistan and finding Bin Laden.

The politics about this is really complicated and a bit outside the scope. FWIW, I’ve since changed my mind on a lot of things involving the war on terror and its politics. The spiritual ramifications though, have been pretty big. The biggest one is that somehow the 9/11 attacks are now required to have some deep spiritual lesson attached to it in order to have meaning. The first to speak was Pat Robertson and Jerry Fallwell. Their spiritual lesson was that God was punishing the Great Christian Nation known to men and angels as America. We were on holy notice that we had, in fact, sinned enough and that we were going to be forced into repentance by God Almighty.

That went over with many people pretty badly.

Since then, I’ve read that religious intolerance brought about 9/11, religious tolerance brought about 9/11, God’s judgment of the US and/or Afghanistan and/or the Middle East brought it. I’ve seen 9/11 tied to the books of Revelation, Daniel, Ezekiel and all the apocalyptic favorites. It’s been tied to rage, hatred, Bin Laden’s personal sin, George W. Bush’s personal sin, and/or the collective sins of the people of America. Any explanation of why that I have read has pointed to the people or ideas responsible and a subsequent call to eliminate those people and ideas.

It’s really easy to overspiritualize something. Jesus asked a pointed question in Luke 13 about 18 people that died in a tower collapse. He asked if the dead were worse sinners than any other Galileans because of their suffering. The tower falling was not a judgment on them or Galilee. Independent of those events, the audience of that sermon needed to repent - and the tower had nothing to do with it.

Ultimately, I believe the why of 9/11 is that a group of men wanted to attack the United States because they saw America as the great enemy to their god, their country, and their lives.

I didn’t say much about changes at HOPE Worldwide. Now that it is official, I can mention it.

The Gempels are retiring. By popular recommendation of current staff, Randy Jordan will be the new CEO.

In keeping with the pattern of most things ICoC, the press release is dated February 2007. We are really really weird about keeping secrets. I say really really weird because it is a euphemism for the word I’d use in private conversation.

Really really really weird.

instead of group of committees, have a ministry fair.

apologies to Chuck D.

Although unfinished a over a year old, I happened upon this website. I read the whole thing from start to finish.

It is so similar to my own experience that I couldn’t believe it at first.

This was the early eighties, but it could have been the first few years of the 21st century, or the early nineties.

Or now.

I didn’t go looking for it, but finding it has brought back some things that I haven’t thought about for a very very long time.

Going to post the year in review at some point. It was an eventful year, no doubt. A birth, a death, hospitals, counseling, highs, lows, children dedicated, etc. Been an eventful year, no? It was a wonderful Christmas. I guess that will be a separate post, though.

One thing to let you know up front: I’m done with ICoC stuff. I know, I said it before. Maybe it’ll return in six months. I dunno. For now, though. I am done. We didn’t really change. Individual locations changed some, but in the end, we really didn’t repent. We apologized and we promised, but didn’t really repent. Shame on us.

The ICoC(CoOperating Churches) are doing their thing. The ICoC(Community Churches) are doing theirs. ICoC(CoOperating) leaders are pretty much back to doing what they were doing before 2003. Kip is back to being the Pope of the ICoC(Sold-Out Discipling Movement). The more things don’t change, the more they stay the same.

Someone more respectable to me should write their history of the ICoC. You know, folks that arrived after everything codified. Folks that started in Gainesville were really shielded from common events because they escalated in leadership before they were subject to them. I’m talking about things the changing best friends every six months phenomenon. (For those that weren’t ICoC, it went like this. Every few months, the Bible Talks were changed. If your BT changed, your discipler changed. No one said that you couldn’t still be friends with your previous discipler, but the schedule really prevented it. After all, you discipler had to be your best friend. Anyway, by the time a person had drawn close to the new discipler, BTs changed again and the process repeated. The only way out of this cycle was to lead a Bible Talk, be a Region Leader’s friend, or become a part of the ministry.) At this point, I no longer want to write it. I’ve written my own history for three years now. That’s enough.

Any history really should include the research that members of the Boston Church became more and more ENFJ as time progressed. That should tell you the level of discipling occurring in the mid eighties. This was near the beginning, not near the end. It should also try to link all the other discipling movements to come out of Gainesville at the same time. This would be Bob Mumford (Shepherding), Bob Weiner (Maranatha), and others. Stories from these groups echo very similar experiences. Here’s one for reference:

http://everynationexposed.blogspot.com

More on that later.

But the year end will have no church drama, I promise. the Christmas one will be fun, if I can finish the poem.

So, I’ll be back before 2008.

February 1-2, 2008 is the first ever California ElderLink. It is at Rancho Cordova Church of Christ in Rancho Cordova, CA.

Click on this sentence for more details.

Okay, why this particular lolcat? Think about those that will most likely not be in attendance and why. (I’m thinking about people I know, not every single person that may not attend.) I would love to go, but I live too far away. Maybe we can have a Nebraska ElderLink Forum one day. A person can dream…

This is today for me. Something really weird is going on in the background, but somehow, I don’t really notice.