The Gate Is Narrow

An article by Shankar Vedantam describes an interesting psychological trait known as cognitive dissonance quantified in a study by social psychologist Roy Baumeister:  “the same people dealing with the same kinds of hurt perceive hurtful actions in entirely different ways, depending on whether they are the ones causing the hurt or the ones being hurt.” 

People in the research group felt when they did something that upset or offended others, the effects were less hurtful or lasting than when they themselves were the offended party. Vedantam states this is the main source of conflict “in our personal, professional and political lives.”  Yes, we know we do things in our lives that are wrong, but we’re “good people,” so it’s not as bad as when others hurt us.  We’re not always so sure they are good people.  Their intentions may be more sinister than ours ever were.  Of course, this “reasoning” happens largely on a subconscious level. 

I guess this helps explain why people of faith sometimes are quicker to identify the shortcomings of others than to see their own.  Jesus pointed out how people jumped on the speck in another person’s eye when they had a log in their own. 

It seems there are implications in our cognitive dissonance for confession and forgiveness.  Following Jesus is not an easy thing to do. 

Apparently, it goes against our nature.

Frank The Beagle

On our morning walks, Mary and I pass a house guarded by a beagle named Harley.  I think Harley was trained on the “invisible fence” technology, because he never steps beyond a certain point on the edge of the yard.  He also barks at us every time, acting as if he’s certain we have mischief on our minds.  When I see him, I am reminded of a beagle I knew long ago in college.  His name was Frank, and he ran with a black Lab named Baron. 

They were regular visitors to my dorm room. Baron and Frank belonged to the same family, and always traveled as a unit.  When they showed up at the dorm, Baron jumped onto my bed and Frank sat where he could get a good view, and stared at me.  He stared for long stretches at a time.  Sometimes he whimpered as he stared.  Frank was a real trip. 

When I was a senior, I had the use of a car.  After learning where Baron and Frank lived, I sometimes took them home following a long afternoon of being stared at by Frank.  These two dogs hopped into my car and always took the same positions.  Baron laid down over the hump on the floor in the back, and Frank sat up front in the passenger seat, paws on the arm rest, looking out the window.  They did it every time.  When we arrived at their house, I merely opened the car doors, and out they bounced, happily checking back in with their owner, Mrs. Simpson. 

One time, Mrs. Simpson invited my roommate Jeff and me to her home for dinner.  She was a gracious lady, and her adult son lived with her.  I remember we sat in the back yard and enjoyed a cookout.  She served beer to Jeff and me, but we really didn’t want to drink it.  I’ll never forget how every time Mrs. Simpson looked away, Jeff flung a splash of his beer into her flowerbed.  I just sipped mine – very slowly. 

Mrs. Simpson spoke with a slow drawl, and she spoke a lot.  We were thoroughly entertained as she described how one day she saw the dogcatcher’s truck parked in front of her house.  Frank was detained yet again.   Mrs. Simpson described the scene. “Ah went ow-et, and looooked in back of that tru-uck, and Ah said, ‘Fraaannk.  What’re you doin’ in they-ah?’” 

Hearing it all being recounted as we humans ate hamburgers and some of us avoided drinking beer, Frank just stared, perhaps embarrassed that his misdeeds were disclosed in front of company. 

Lambs, Wolves, And The Spirit

As the story goes, there was a boxer named James (Quick) Tillis whose training headquarters was in Chicago some 25 years ago.  Tillis originally was from Oklahoma. His first day in Chicago was a memorable one. "I got off the bus with two cardboard suitcases under my arms in downtown Chicago and stopped in front of the Sears Tower. I put my suitcases down, and I looked up at the Tower and I said to myself, 'I'm going to conquer Chicago.' When I looked down, the suitcases were gone."

 

The gospel lesson for this Sunday features Jesus telling the seventy followers he commissioned to go out ahead of him, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves.” (Luke 10: 2, 3  NRSV)

 

Jesus didn’t mislead the people.  It wasn’t going to be easy telling others about the new life Jesus promised.  Some would be receptive and welcoming, others would be less than friendly.  But, in order to reach the receptive hearts, the people influenced and changed by Jesus had to get out there.  When they returned, the seventy evangelists were filled with joy, amazed at what God accomplished through their efforts.

 

We don’t know who those seventy people were.  We aren’t told they possessed extraordinary talents or spiritual gifts.  Luke doesn’t say that Jesus trained them using the latest marketing techniques or gimmicks.  What we do know is they were called by Jesus to be his followers, and sent out on a mission, backed up by the power of God’s spirit.  They had a straightforward task:  share the love of Christ and declare that God’s reign was near.

 

They couldn’t say, “Where are we going to get the money to do that?” because Jesus told them not to take anything with them.  They weren’t able to protest, “We’ve never done that before,” because Jesus suspended their religious rituals and prohibitions.  Jesus dismissed their resistance to those who were different from them.  He instructed them simply to move on from folks who didn’t embrace them.

It seems he thought of everything.  There were no more excuses.  They went.

Give Me "The Bible" For $400

These statements appear in an online article at the DisciplesWorld site:  “Almost 60 percent of Americans say religion is ‘very important’ or ‘extremely important’ in their daily life, according to a 2006 CBS News Poll. Yet polls also show that only half of Americans can name one of the four Gospels. Most Americans can't name the first book of the Bible, either.   Evangelical Christians don't do much better than the general population. Only 44 percent of ‘born again’ respondents in one Gallup poll correctly identified ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’ as a verse from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. By contrast, 37 percent of other respondents got it right."

I once overheard some Star Trek aficionados talking about how people dissect movies of the series, virtually frame by frame, to make sure there are no errors in references to the invented mythologies of related events or characters from Star Trek “history.”  Others spend time learning the faux “Klingon” language, or translating documents.

I’m not picking on Star Trek experts, but only drawing a comparison.

Sometimes it seems the focus of biblical knowledge is on trivia, or on trying to prove a point that may or may not need proving.  I once endured a lecture on how there really were five people on crosses at Jesus’ crucifixion rather than the generally assumed three.  The intense lecturer was basing his hypothesis on the descriptions in the various biblical accounts of those being crucified with Jesus.  He was, of course, relying on a particular English translation of the texts, rather than studying them in their original language.

It’s a loss that more people of faith are not conversant with the scriptures, and that they fail to take advantage of opportunities to become so.  It would make a tremendous difference in the life and ministry of the church if people paid more attention to their spiritual growth and development.

I really don’t understand how they can be satisfied with what the church has become as a result.   People on the outside aren’t impressed, I know that.  

Amber Waves Of Grain

Last year on the Fourth of July, we were in Denver and decided to drive up to Cheyenne, Wyoming for the day.  There is an historic railroad station on the town square, a huge Western apparel store, and lots of little shops.  We took the trolley bus tour of Cheyenne, which is the state capital, and saw local landmarks and homes of prominent citizens from the town history.  A claim to fame of Wyoming is being the first territory to allow women to vote, a necessary maneuver in the evolution toward statehood.  We even passed by a Disciples church there.

On the way back to Denver we stopped off at the Terry Bison Ranch, which spanned almost 30,000 acres, including across state lines into Colorado.  While it is a working ranch, they also have campsites, a store, and restaurant.  We watched a few of the ranch hands as they worked on breaking a horse, then we took the ranch tour, seeing camels, horses, ostriches, and a variety of other animals along the way.  The highlight of the tour was ending up alongside a herd of bison (with a few Longhorns and yaks thrown in for good measure).  Our visit was rounded off with a meal of bison ribs and other barbecued delights.

We have a vast and diverse country, and it’s a pleasure to explore different parts of it, meet the people, and see how they live.  I never in my life thought I would see a place like Wyoming, but now I have.  It was a nice way to celebrate the birthday of the United States.

When we got back to Denver that evening, there was a furious thunderstorm, so we watched fireworks on television – from the Mall in Washington, DC.

Keep Your Hands On The Wheel, And Your Eyes On The Road

Golf legend Arnold Palmer once told of a lesson learned:  “It was the final hole of the 1961 Masters tournament, and I had a one-stroke lead and had just hit a very satisfying tee shot. I felt I was in pretty good shape. As I approached my ball, I saw an old friend standing at the edge of the gallery. He motioned me over, stuck out his hand and said, ‘Congratulations.’ I took his hand and shook it, but as soon as I did, I knew I had lost my focus. On my next two shots, I hit the ball into a sand trap, then put it over the edge of the green. I missed a putt and lost the Masters. You don't forget a mistake like that.”

According to Arnold Palmer, he felt he pretty much had it made, as far as that golf tournament was concerned.  He was going to win.  But rather than focus on what needed to be done, he let his concentration slip, and his victory got away from him.

Churches typically are established with the mission of providing a Christian witness in a new way or new location.  Energy and excitement run high.  People share a vision and common purpose.  Nothing seems impossible, despite the challenges ahead.  God has called the congregation to an important ministry, and God’s spirit will see them through.

Time has a way of tempting us away from our focus on a vision.  As churches become settled, programs are designed, organizational structures are formed to administer the programs, power and authority for decision-making become important, and before long, the steep slide toward irrelevance begins.  Focus is diffused, and the vision that inspired the founding of the church dissipates.

Vision is vital to the health of a congregation.  It’s a vision nurtured through worship, prayer, study, service, giving, and other spiritual disciplines.  It’s a vision given by God. 

Looking away is a costly mistake.

Once More -- With Feeling

This is a free site, so I have to put up with factors beyond my control.  The hosts of the site apparently changed some of the settings, eliminating the counter I had and the links I displayed with images.

I have placed a new counter at the top of the page, and added a guestbook (please sign in!) and poll to make it all more interactive.   The poll is at the bottom.  I couldn't figure out a way to put it higher, unless it was at the very top, pushing everything down further.  So, as the title of the page says, "Here you go!"

With my tail between my legs, I added the links under the calendar, so they are smaller and less attractive than before.  I'm trying to comply with the site rules, as I do appreciate the opportunity to do this blog without paying for it.

 I hope it's not too awkward and stone-age in appearance, but I think we can proceed from here.

 Again, I appreciate your interest, and I will endeavor to post entries of interest to you.

To Be Continued
I am taking a brief break from the blog, but will resume soon. Thanks for your interest.

Long Overdue

The Disciples in the region known as the Capital Area (D.C., Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Delaware) own a campground near Antietam, Maryland.  I always was amused by the name of a church we drove past on our way to take our sons to church camp.  Sitting maybe seventy-five yards off the road, surrounded by a lot of open space was the Battlefield Bible Church.  Maybe the name reflected the location, or perhaps, they just were honest about who they were.

There were times we drove by the church when there was a chain across the end of the driveway leading to the parking lot -- just two little poles and a chain.  No fence or other barrier interfered with the possibility of simply driving around the poles and the chain onto church property.  But still, the message was clear:  Keep out!

According to news reports, today two factions referring to themselves as part of  "America's other Baptists" "will worship together for the first time."  "It is an effort to celebrate our common heritages as Baptist Christians and to affirm our commitment to work together more collaboratively," said the Rev. Daniel Vestal, national coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. "The Baptist witness is much richer and more nuanced than is characterized so often in the public square now."

It's been a long time coming.  Issues of theology, doctrine, race, and politics have been allowed to keep these Christians from fellowship within a common faith tradition and heritage.  Despite our penchant for seeking Christian unity, we Disciples are in no position to cast aspersions.  Our original American frontier Restoration Movement has broken into at least three distinct groups.  Who are we to disparage Baptists for their divisions?

The separation and alienation of Christians surely weaken our witness to the love of Christ.  We may laugh at the irony of a church name like Battlefield Bible Church, but it is laughter we hope will disguise our embarrassment, shame and spiritual pain.

"Where Your Treasure Is..."
All that we possess truly belongs to God, and as stewards of the abundant blessings provided by God, we are called even to recognize the spiritual nature of money and its use. Christians seek God’s leading and direction for all aspects of life, through worship, study of the scriptures, and prayer. Other spiritual disciplines also help us discern God’s will. The ways we use our money, including the offerings we make to God, provide a testimony to our faithfulness.

Steve Johnson, Executive Director of the Ecumenical Stewardship Center, in which the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) participates, relays in the 2007Giving magazine a philosophy known as “Rambam’s Ladder,” developed by a 12th century rabbi. As Johnson describes it, the ladder illustrates “eight levels of tzedakah, which translates roughly as ‘charity’ or ‘justice.’ Each rung represents a higher level of virtue.

1. Giving begrudgingly and making the recipient feel disgraced or embarrassed.
2. Giving cheerfully, but giving too little.
3. Giving cheerfully and adequately, but only after being asked.
4. Giving before being asked.
5. Giving when you do not know who is benefiting, but the recipient knows your identity.
6. Giving when you know who is benefiting, and the recipient does not know your identity.
7. Giving when neither the donor nor the recipient is aware of the other’s identity.
8. Giving money, a loan, your time, or whatever else it takes to enable someone to be self-reliant.”

Ascending a ladder enables us to reach higher than normally we can reach, and it becomes more difficult to climb, the closer we step to the top.

But, the top is where we endeavor to be, for it’s at the top of the ladder where we’re able to do what needs to be done.