The amount of time, energy and brainpower spent on useless, irrelevant, vain, and destructive pursuits is impossible to quantify, but without question is staggering.  Think of the trouble to which many people go to "try to beat the system" through financial manuevering or criminal activity.  How many of us wish we had back even a portion of the time spent "surfing the Internet."   Some folks go out of their way to think of and spread negative comments and impressions about others.  This last one, especially, is common in churches.

The local newspaper today has an article about a man who has devoted his life to discrediting, smearing, and spreading vindictive rumors about both Clintons, but is especially gearing up his efforts to prevent Hillary Clinton from becoming president.  This person is quoted in the paper as loudly declaring in a restaurant that Sen. Clinton (D-NY) "was sleeping with both of her law partners, Web Hubbell and Vince Foster.  And she's a lesbian, too."  He proclaimed that daughter Chelsea was fathered by someone other than the former president.

The person making these claims, according to the article, is a "perpetually indignant, single, 43 year-old," and "pretty much devotes his life to hating the Clintons and spreading wild, unsubstantiated allegations about them."  He lives off an inheritance, holds no job, and spends as much as ten hours a day engaged in this "hobby."  He hounds media personnel with emails and telephone calls, and even paid for recorded phone messages to flood potential primary voters in South Carolina with damaging accusations about Sen. Clinton.

If Sen. Clinton loses or is eliminated from the race, this guy plans to "take a vacation."  From what?

It's sad to see so much emptiness in the lives of people that they fill themselves -- and try to fill others -- with useless, pointless, distracting, or hurtful nonsense.  It's especially sad because they so often have no clue as to what they are doing or why.  Loneliness and isolation generally are the results, which likely is part of what they are trying to overcome.

Lent calls us to empty ourselves -- to take out the trash from our lives, so to speak -- and as we engage in spiritual focus and discipline, God will fill us in new, beneficial, positive and blessed ways.

Lent can be a time to shake things up in our lives, as it is a period of reflection and penitence.  Hopefully, when Lent concludes with the glorious celebration of Easter, our lives, our faith, our outlook, and our sensitivities are different from what they were on Ash Wednesday.  Lent is a time of transformation.

In her book Unbinding the Gospel:  Real Life Evangelism, Martha Grace Reese offers a suggestion to stimulate that transformation (and it can be done anytime, not just during Lent).  At the end of Chapter Five, she writes, “Let’s try to scramble your patterns!  Change something in your way of interacting with God.”  It is entirely possible to get into a rut in our spiritual lives.  Perhaps the more familiar and well-worn our spiritual practices become, the less impact they have on our hearts and minds. 

Reese offers some alternatives.  If our prayers usually are focused on the needs of others, then, she suggests, we should pray for insight into how we’re selling ourselves short in our relationship with God.  She encourages us to uncover and acknowledge “an old hurt buried in you,” and lay it before God for healing.  Reese nudges us to take up a spiritual discipline we have not practiced before, such as keeping a spiritual journal.

Perhaps we should spend time in meditation, as a new approach to prayer.  She offers the “Jesus Prayer,” and the use of prayer beads as means by which to explore new aspects of spirituality:  be relaxed in your breathing, work a bead in your fingers, and pray, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.”  Repeat the process for each bead on a necklace or other string of beads (even Mardi Gras beads will work!).

Reese says to switch up the music we listen to, or the Bible translation we read – in short, anything that might give us a fresh perspective and new energy for our spiritual lives.

Lent is a great opportunity to take her advice!

Last year I attended a workshop in which the speaker indicated things were up for grabs as far as the church was concerned.  We needed to evaluate what we were doing and look for new ways to be the church and to make our witness to others.  The whole idea, though, was that we would go about the business of making disciples, as Jesus commanded prior to departing the earthly realm.

OK, fine.  No problem – except that this person was not willing to give up his denominational identity.  When I asked him why the upheaval stopped short of denominations, he said something along the lines of, “I don’t want my denomination to go away.  I love my denomination.”  Same here, but if God has something else in mind…

It turns out plenty of folks don’t care whether their denomination stays or goes, because they are just as likely to switch churches as they are to try a different make of car when it comes time for a trade-in.  Perhaps, more so.

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life conducted a gigantic survey (35,000 adults) and peeked into the confusing landscape of American religious life.  Over 40 percent of those polled indicated they no longer were affiliated with the church of their youth.  People are opting for a more personalized religious experience, and holding membership in a church means virtually nothing to an overwhelming number of people.  Among the unaffiliated, many consider themselves spiritual, but not religious.

More than one-fourth of the survey respondents said they had switched faiths:  from Christian to Jewish, from Orthodox to Roman Catholic, etc.  Some gave up on religion and faith altogether.  One person included in the survey sample was raised as a Buddhist in Vietnam; became a Catholic as a teen in the United States; and now says she has no affiliation.  She is uncertain whether she even believes in God.  But, she and her husband  “make our own faith within what we can do for ourselves in our own lives right now.”

I don’t even know what that means, except to say that God is pushed aside, if not completely out of the picture.   It seems that God is relegated to a less-than-worthy status in all of this, as church, faith, and spirituality are seen as matters of convenience, preference, or expediency.

In my view, the Religious Right of the last thirty years or so has done more harm to the church than it has done good in the world.  Whether or not the Religious Right is clearly and properly understood, my sense is many, many people have associated it with the church in general, and they are negatively impressed.  The caricature is of hate-spewing money-lusting hypocrites who wish to impose their ultra-conservative opinions on everyone else, in the name of Jesus.  Did I get it right?

If indeed this is somewhat close to accurate, lots of folks consequently are turned off by the church, as they perceive it to be represented by the loud mouths of the Religious Right.  The Religious Right has been an albatross for the rest of us, as we are put in a position of demonstrating we are not numbered among its adherents.  Often, we never get the chance.

The current national election cycle is focusing light on the widening cracks in the armor of the Religious Right.  No one Republican candidate caught the fancy of evangelical voters.  The endorsement of Rudy Giuliani by Pat Robertson resulted in barrel bottom-scraping support.  Younger evangelicals are refusing to have the lid of their elders’ box clamped down on them.

David Kuo suggests that the nominating process for the Republican presidential candidate is more about determining the future direction and leadership of the Religious Right.  According to Kuo, the cemetery and the pasture are the places to look if you want to find the fading leaders of the Religious Right.

He predicts that this segment of the population will, in the not-too-distant future:

1. Probably be more progressive;
2. Likely not be Democratic – yet;
3. Be more spiritually cautious and politically shrewd;

Kuo indicates that younger evangelicals see more to be concerned about than abortion and same-sex marriage.  Poverty, HIV/AIDS, immigration, human rights, and the environment are among the justice issues to which they want to apply their understanding of the faith – without being as heavy-handedly political as their forbears.  Cameron Strang, founder and publisher of evangelically-oriented Relevant magazine suggests, “Young Christians simply don’t seem to feel a connection to the traditional religious right.  Many differ strongly on domestic policy issues – namely issues that affect the poor – and are dissatisfied with America’s foreign policy and the war.”

To me, this is a sign of hope.  If thoughtful, caring people of faith can address pressing issues and concerns with intelligence and discernment, then it reflects positively on the whole church.

The story and teachings of Jesus really are difficult for people in a wealthy nation with a success-oriented culture. 

The Old Testament text for Sunday is a story from the Exodus, and the good folks rescued by God from slavery and misery in Egypt are not happy campers, out there in the Wilderness of Sin (what a name for the place where this story occurs).  They don’t have water, and of course, they are thirsty.

Rather than turning to God in prayer, maybe with a little fasting thrown in, they turn on Moses, who was appointed by God to lead them to the Promised Land.  It’s difficult to blame the people too much, but God saved them and set them on their journey, making promises of provision and care.

It just wasn’t happening in the way the people thought was appropriate or expedient.

It turns out that being set apart as a “people of God,” with promises of a new homeland, an identity, and a purpose given by God does not mean that everything will be lollipops and roses.  Maybe we think that’s what it should be, but instead we discover that there often is conflict, tension, stress, uncertainty, and the necessity of sacrifice.

Jesus himself spoke of sacrifice, alienation even from family members, the reality of suffering and death, but again with the promise, and ultimately, with the example from his own case, of God’s care even to the point of new life.

God’s people, from whatever era, spend a good bit of time shuffling around in the wilderness – sometimes because that’s where God calls us to go, and sometimes because we lose sight of who we are and whose we are.

Meanwhile, a so-called “prosperity gospel” sells pretty well to folks like us.  Declare your faith in God, or embrace some doctrines (usually that somehow end up demonizing others while helping us avoid responsibility for our own sinfulness), or proclaim the inerrancy of scripture, and God will bless you with financial and material rewards.  This approach can be hard to resist.  It puts one in control of his or her fate.  We like that.

More than once, the folks in the Exodus wilderness realized that the “prosperity gospel” was nowhere to be found, but in the end, God was there.  Sometimes proponents of the prosperity gospel forget about God altogether.

The pastor of the mostly African American church in Columbus, Ohio decided something had to be done.  Following four deaths in the congregation in a week’s time, Rev. Keith Troy stopped the Sunday morning worship service and asked for all the men present to stand up.  He instructed the deacons to hand out paper and pencil to the men, who were to write down their names and phone numbers. 

Rev. Troy told the men, “I want you to see a doctor within in the next three months.  If you can’t afford it, the church will help pay.  If you have no transportation, we’ll find someone to give you a ride.  One way or another, every man in this church will see a doctor, and soon.”   So, the men had to get a check-up, and that’s exactly what the church would do as well – check up to see that they did.

Troy said his concern was solidified when a 58 year-old man in the church died because of diabetes and high blood pressure.  “We didn’t have 900 meetings about it – it was just one of these moments of inspiration,” Troy said, explaining his spontaneous directive to the men in his church.

Apparently, black males are among the least likely to seek medical help or advice.  They also are the most likely to suffer strokes, have high blood pressure, or become obese.

Some predominantly African-American denominations are beginning to acknowledge and address these and other health-related realities among their parishioners, forming partnerships with state and local health agencies and launching educational campaigns.

Since his little outburst during worship, other churches have sought information from Rev. Troy and his congregation, and even a few hospitals have offered their assistance.  There has been a good response from the men of the church, as Rev. Troy gleans from the weekly updates he receives on which ones visit a doctor.

Describing the importance of this emerging health emphasis and ministry in his church, Rev. Troy maintains, “What we do on Sunday has got to impact Monday through Saturday, and if not, what are we doing?”

Can I get a witness?

The poem about the dog I posted here last week reminded me of the many dogs I have known over the years.  Several were regular characters in my life during my days at East Carolina University.  My favorite was Bear.                                                                      

Bear, named by me because of his size, was the biggest yellow Labrador retriever I ever saw.  I knew him all four years at ECU and he was a frequent visitor to the dorm.  A janitor told me Bear was around the campus for at least 10 years.  I eventually learned where he lived, and that his real name was Duke.  The one time I called him by his real name, he looked at me totally confused.  He was Bear to me. 

I’ll never forget the afternoon I went to meet a friend of mine who was earning a few extra dollars by serving as the proctor for an exam in the absence of the teacher.  Bear tagged along as I hustled across the campus.  He bounded into the classroom building with me, which wasn’t unusual at ECU in those days, but suddenly he slammed on the brakes.  I turned back. “C’mon, Bear, what’re you doing?”  Panting heavily, his brow was furrowed.  Something truly was upsetting him.  He frantically looked around, standing near the doorway, trying to figure out how to get where I was, down the hall.  “C’mon, Bear.”  

He started walking carefully, yet hurriedly, along the edge of the hallway, as close as dogly possible to the wall.  The only thing I could figure was he was frightened for some reason by the tile pattern on the floor.  It had a checkerboard effect, and he must have thought the black tiles were holes.  The edge was solid, and that’s where he walked. 

I finally got him up the stairs, and we struggled again on the second level.  By now, Bear was beside himself, his deep-voiced displeasure echoing thru the empty hallway.  We went into the room – yes, I took the frenzied dog with me into the classroom where people were taking an exam – I made plans with my friend, and told him I had to get Bear out of there.   So, with great effort, I managed to coax Bear down the stairs, back again along the edge of the hallway on the first floor, and when I opened the door for him, he ran out of that building faster than I ever saw him move before.  He didn’t look back.  

Another day, after I served Bear some dog food (hmmm, why did he keep coming back?), I got out the broom to sweep up crumbs he left.   I said, “Bear, I should make you sweep the floor,” and offered him the broom.  Much to my surprise, he took the handle in his mouth and dragged the broom across the floor over the crumbs!   If you don’t believe me, look here.

“No miracles, no preaching, no rude behavior.”  Those are the rules for people that choose to chime in on Jesus’ candidacy for president.  That’s right.  Jesus is running for president of the United States – at least in the mind of Stephen Heffner, who has set up a website called “Jesus in 2008,” that “invites participants to infer his stances on modern politics and choose a contemporary running mate, using the results as a voting guide in November.”

Heffner determined that the actual candidates, and the process used to narrow them down, all fall short.  So, we need to figure out what Jesus would say about the issues and find someone who reflects his positions and views.  Good luck on that one.

There is a qualifier, though.  Only part of Jesus is running for president.  The divine side of Jesus’ persona is disqualified from the race.  The candidate Jesus is “Jesus the man, the revolutionary individual who comes to us through history as a model for ethical and moral human behavior.”  Would that be the Jesus of William Barclay?  Marcus Borg?  Jon Dominic Crossan?  Pat Robertson?  (I’m sorry – that’s supposed to be a joke)  John Hagee?  (I can’t stop myself!)  James Dobson? (At least, it would be clear that Jesus is a Republican!)

To his credit, Heffner is open in his attempts to water down Jesus.  Most of us remain more subtle and self-deceiving.  But, what’s the point?

After forty days of fasting, when he was at his most vulnerable, Jesus rejected earthly position and power.  He saw the vanity of “glory and all this authority” over the “kingdoms of the world.”  Running for president, or prime minister, or even grand poohbah would never occur to him.

Jesus campaigns for hearts, not votes – and the results have the potential for a deeper and longer lasting impact on human life.

Here’s a surprise:  “When asked about voting habits, belief in God or their feelings toward race and gender, Americans are notorious for answering what they think pollsters want to hear.  Church demographers say the same rings true for church attendance.” 

This tidbit comes from an article by Amy Green of the Religious News Service.  It turns out that more people identify themselves as Southern Baptists than actually are counted by that denomination, which claims to be the most numerous Protestant denomination in the United States.

Officially, there are 16.3 million Southern Baptists (as distinguished from other Baptist groups), and some reports indicate only 6 million attend worship on a typical Sunday.  “The reality is, the FBI couldn’t find half of those if they had to,” remarked one pastor.  Lest you think this is about ridiculing the Southern Baptists, rest assured, other denominations, and congregations within those denominations, have the same difficulty with counting, adding, and subtracting.

Some churches play fast and loose with their membership figures because, well, bigger is better.  In some denominations there is a financial assessment based on membership numbers, so in that case, it’s not entirely negative in the eyes of the congregation if the figures slide downward a bit.  Sometimes people join a church, however that occurs in a particular tradition, and are never heard from again.  Member or not? 

Others join one church, eventually disappear, and join another.  No one bothers to inform the first church.  Are they members of two churches, counted twice?  Apparently, the Roman Catholic Church never removes anyone from the membership rolls until they die, or submit a written request to be removed.  There are a lot of invisible Catholics among the 69 million names on the books in the U.S.

In the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a person can be a “participating” or “non-participating” member.  To be among the former, one simply must either show up for worship once during the year or make a financial contribution.  Every church in which I have served as a pastor, had membership levels far outdistancing the reality.  It seems that somewhere along the line, perhaps in the same year everywhere, attempts at precise record-keeping collapsed.  How many members are there in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)?  God only knows.

It’s kind of funny that among the first questions people ask in discussions about churches is, “How many members do you have?”  Rarely do you hear, “What is the focus of the ministry of your church?”  or “How is the spirit of Christ manifested among the people there?” or “What difference does it make that your church is there?”  Those kinds of questions might prove to be embarrassing.

But then, the New Testament doesn’t portray Jesus as saying “Make church members of all nations.”  I believe the word he used was “disciples,” which means “one who embraces and assists in spreading the teachings of another…an active adherent, as of a movement or a philosophy.”

How many of those do we have?

In The Christian Century magazine, there always are thought-provoking articles, interesting columns, and informative news reports.  There also are poems.   A poem in the current issue is relevant to Lent and the emphasis on prayer.  It is by Rodney Clapp, and I will share it with you here.

Lessons in prayer; from a dog

He assumes his still posture

two feet from the table.

He is not grabby,

his tongue is not hanging out,

he is quiet.

He wants to leap,

he wants to snap up

meat and blood.

You can tell.

But what he does is sit

as the gods

his masters and mistresses

fork steak and potatoes

into their mouths.

He is expectant

but not presumptuous.

He can wait.

He can live with disappointment.

He can abide frustration

and suffer suspense.

He watches

for signals,

he listens for calls

of his name from above.

At hints that

he may be gifted

with a morsel,

he intensifies his

already rapt concentration,

he looks his god

in the eye, but humbly,

sure of his innocence

in his need,

if his need only.

On the (often rare) occasions

when gifts are laid on his tongue,

he takes them whole,

then instantly resumes

the posture of attention,

beseeching, listening, alert,

the posture of hard-won faith

that will take no for an answer,

yet ever and again hopefully

return to the questioning.