The Power of Pain

Kevin Robertson, the senior pastor of my church, was vomiting on an airplane yesterday. Kevin and his wife, Jennifer, are en route to an orphanage in Sudan to offer aid and assistance there.

For seven hours, a physician attempted to treat Kevin. When his plane landed in Kenya, he was rushed to an emergency room. Though his symptoms have subsided, the doctors couldn't determine the cause of his illness. Kevin planned to immediately continue on to Sudan, and as I type this, I wonder, Where in the world are Kevin and Jennifer? How are they doing?

I sent an email about Kevin to folks from our church at midnight last night. I've already gotten many replies, with people saying they're praying for the couple. And I've been praying for them throughout the day. I certainly would have prayed for Kevin and Jennifer if everything had gone according to plan. But admittedly, the fact they've hit a rough patch caused me to pay attention, and thus, pray a lot more.

Pain catches my attention. As evidenced by the emails I've received for Kevin and Jennifer, I'm not the only one who notices. Last September, I attended a youth workshop where the speaker, Christina DiMari, could barely stand up. She'd flown to Southern California from Kentucky, and just two days before the event, she'd been lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV. She had to have surgery shortly after the event.

When I later interviewed Christina, she told me she'd been inspired by another woman's illness. Christian speaker and author Beth Moore had been scheduled to speak at Christina's church. When Beth became extremely ill just before the engagement, her doctor advised her to cancel the trip. But Beth, still hooked up to an IV, boarded the plane to Louisville anyway. She was so weak she couldn't stand up at Christina's church, and had to sit on a stool as she spoke. "That's all I could think of because I was so sick," Christina told me, referring to her own moment of illness at the youth workshop. "I kept thinking of Beth and how she'd just pushed through it."

When I looked at their lives,

I saw two people who hadn't

abandoned God when things

got tough. And I saw two people

God hadn't abandoned.

Shortly after my meeting with Christina, I was facing my own pain. I lost part of my eyesight, and my physician told me it wouldn't return and there were no treatments. As I contemplated living the remainder of my life with that vision impairment, my thoughts turned to two friends--I'll call them Tom and Terry. Both are in their early 30s, and both are living with illness: Tom has multiple sclerosis, Terry has diabetes. Just knowing about their illnesses gave me hope that I could live with my vision loss. When I looked at their lives, I saw two people who hadn't abandoned God when things got tough. And I saw two people God hadn't abandoned.

I struggle with the idea of pain. Questions constantly fill my mind: Why did God choose to heal my eyesight? Why does God allow my friends Tom and Terry to be ill? Why does God allow people who are doing his work--like Beth, Christina, and Kevin--to suffer, even as they're serving him?

God hasn't given me answers to those questions. But he has stirred some deep thoughts. When I've seen people in pain, I've noticed their perspective changes. I've seen them cling to God. I've seen God give them enough strength to keep going. It was their pain that initially made me take notice, then their faith that held my attention. To an even greater extent, my own pain from my eyesight problems brought a renewed reliance on God, a deep gratitude for the good things God's given me, and a stronger sense of empathy for others.

Looking at some verses in Psalm 30, I realized the psalmist had been through depression, illness, and mourning. Painful stuff. The psalmist fully recognizes God has taken away that pain:

"I will exalt you, O LORD, for you lifted me out of the depths ..." (v.1)

"O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me." (v.2)

"You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy ... " (v.11)

Pain is a human experience we've all had, yet so few of us discuss with others. I'm happy when I can rejoice with friends about the good things in their lives. But it's when they share their pain that I feel most akin to them. Despite the thousands of years and cultural differences that separate me and the psalmist, I can look at those verses and say, "Yup, I feel you." Additionally, that presence of pain amplifies the contrast of joy in the verses. The loss was big, but God's touch was way bigger.

I'm praying Kevin and Jennifer are healthy and safely moving forward on their journey. And I'm praying that God uses their moments of pain and turns them around to a big, powerful joy, like only God can do.

To ponder:
1) What are some moments of pain you've experienced?

2) Do you tend to talk about your painful experiences? Why or why not?

3) Do you see benefits to talking about your pain? What physical, mental, and spiritual benefits have you seen?

4) What are some positive outcomes of painful experiences you've had? Would omitting the pain change that experience?

Is the Real "Secret" that Some People Are Better Than Others?

Have you heard The Secret? I can control people with my mind. At least, that's what the creators of The Secret, a DVD that promotes that Law of Attraction, would have me believe.

Well, that's not exactly how the purveyors of The Secret would put it. Those who put their faith in the Law of Attraction would describe the so-called Law something like this: You get what you think about, so if you think positive thoughts, positive things will happen in your life. It's the power of positive thinking!

Some of you are wondering, Why is Holly blogging about The Secret? Well, The Secret is one of those New Age products that's soft peddled as self-help. Then some celebrity like Oprah gets behind it. Then it becomes the latest self-empowerment craze. Christians begin jumping on board, believing it must be a good, godly idea because it seems to have a positive focus.

I can understand why people want to believe in The Secret. For some, it's a matter of wanting exclusive control in their lives. Still others like the idea of power, and the thought they might be mentally strong enough to control people. For others, it's a way to trust solely in themselves because they don't feel they can trust anyone else. And for some, it's motivated by a desire to believe in something bigger and better--a higher power. For that last group, it may be easier to believe there is a greater power within, and a lot harder to believe there is a Greater Power above who's invisible to their eyes.

The Secret is a New Age concept that's based on this logical premise: What you say and how you act affects other people. Well, duh! If a young man repeatedly tells a young woman how beautiful she is and he buys her chocolates, she feels appreciated. Like many New Age concepts, the Law of Attraction elevates human actions to the level of special powers, effectively giving human beings the potential for godlike status. New Agers believe your emotions or thoughts or actions have power. So how does any of that apply to Christians who are in to The Secret? We'll get to that in a moment.

First, let's examine the idea of control posed in the Law of Attraction. As a former New Ager who's heard various versions of the Law of Attraction before, I don't think my definition of "mind control" is far from the intended meaning. But no one would describe it that way to a mainstream, non-New Age audience because it sounds, well, loony and fictional to say you can control other people with your mind (not to mention egotistical and a lil' bit evil). Yet I'm simply following the Law's logic: Truly, don't positive events occur because of the actions of people? If I wish for a better job, what I'm really wanting is for my boss to promote me or a new boss to hire me. If I wish for love and happiness, I'm essentially wishing people will come love and care for me. If I wish for a wheelbarrow of money, someone will need to come carting it in, and I'll probably want someone to help me spend it or at least manage it. All to say, the idea behind the Law of Attraction has to be an ability to control other people, because circumstances don't really change unless there are people somehow involved.

Can you imagine if we all sat around trying to control each other with our minds? It'd be a mental Mexican standoff! That is, unless some people were actually better at mind control than others. Some people are better negotiators. Some people are better manipulators. Some people are better liars. Thus, some people must be better equipped to mentally force their will on to others.

After all, inequity is built right into the product. Purveyors of The Secret say they want everyone to know about it, yet you gotta buy their DVD. Even if they were giving it away, there's the cost of distribution, which limits who can receive it. It likely won't make it into Sudanese villages where there are no power lines, let alone DVD players to show the film. And consider its specially-designed-for-marketing name. Knowing the "secret" implies you are already better for that knowledge. It also implies that it will remain a secret to some; they either won't have access to it or won't be able to understand it. Really, if everyone on the face of the planet knew and understood The Secret, would it be a secret anymore? If everyone could equally employ the Law of Attraction, wouldn't it just make us truly equal? And who would be interested in The Secret if that were true?

Let's face it: We humans constantly strive to be better than our neighbor. We want to be wealthier, smarter, more renown or attractive. We want to be unequal. But God sees humans as totally equal: "All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory" (Romans 3:23, CEV, emphasis mine). And equally, we all have the opportunity to be reunited with God. I found freedom when I recognized I couldn't earn God's love. When I finally figured out I didn't need to physically and emotionally purge all the negativity and badness out of myself in order to be acceptable to God, I was a much happier person. As a New Ager, I was well aware I could never be good enough, my thoughts could never be pure and righteous and positive enough, no matter how hard I tried. That depressed me. As a Christian, I now know God accepts me right where I am--flaws and scars and negativity and all.

OK, Christian folk who like The Secret, let's talk directly now. Maybe you wonder, What's wrong with being a positive person? Doesn't God want me to have a joyful outlook? Doesn't God want to bless me?

There's a big difference between

thinking positively and putting

faith in your mental powers.

There's a big difference between thinking positively and putting faith in your mental powers. The Secret would have us believe we create the goodness in our lives. When I consider the fruit of the Spirit, it's all positive stuff: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. No negativity there! Difference is, we're told these characteristics aren't a result of our sheer effort. They're like fruit that grows from a fruit tree, and that tree is the Holy Spirit, which God plants in us.

Consider where the Law of Attraction places your focus. In the Law of Attraction, I'm looking for good things for myself, and believing I can get them for myself. I'm likely attracted to people who are successful--socially, financially, educationally, etc. When we look to God, we trust that he has a better plan than we do. We believe "every good and perfect gift is from above" (James 1:17, NIV)--so we give credit for the good stuff in our lives to God, not ourselves. And if we don't get good things for ourselves right away--even if circumstances become difficult--we still believe "God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him" (Romans 8:28, CEV). Further, we're attracted to humble folks who can't give us anything. We're attracted to people who've been cast away and rejected because the Holy Spirit within us draws us to help and comfort them.

Essentially, the Law of Attraction promotes human beings to the status of gods. Personally, I don't think I'm God. I can hope and wish people don't hit me as I drive down the freeway, and even think good thoughts about making it home safely. But it's a mistake to believe that my thoughts are preventing me from getting into an accident. I don't believe I have that control and power over the drivers around me, or even the road conditions in front of me.

Do you really want to be the go-to guy (or gal) in your life, the man (or woman) with a plan, the be-all, end-all for yourself? Do you really want to put that much faith in your own abilities? Or would you rather entrust your life to the One who created you?

Jesus Christ lived his life reaching out to the lowliest people in his society: prostitutes, thieves, the poor, the disabled, the sick. Outcasts and unwanteds. These weren't people who could elevate him socially or financially. While some of his followers were connected and well-off, Jesus wasn't about big pimpin'. He was homeless. And he wasn't preaching a message of prosperity or the power of positive thinking. He said God blesses those who are humble, meek, merciful, and those who make peace, those who are persecuted for doing right, those who trust God for everything. He said that God would comfort those who were grieving. (Notice, Jesus said God would comfort the grieving. He didn't say, "Boot that negativity out of your life, then your positive attitude will make everything fine!") He said people would be persecuted for following him. And yet, people followed him anyway. They were very, very attracted to him back then, and folks still are today.

I want to be an attractive person, too. But I don't want it to be just varnish--a positive attitude and a perpetual smile. I want God's love to be apparent in my life. I want to trust God a little bit more every day, and depend a little bit less on my own mind and methods. I want people to see the real joy that comes from dependence on Him. What could be more attractive than that?

To ponder:
1) Why do you think we strive for perfect lives? What does "perfect" mean to you?

2) When something good happens in your life, do you immediately say "thanks" to God? Is it hard or easy for you to believe that every good thing in your life comes from God?

3) Is it sometimes hard to believe God is constantly "at work for the good" in your life? (Holly says: "Sometimes it's hard for me to believe it, especially when everything seems to be moving contrary to my plans.") What events or occurrences cause you to question whether God has a good plan for you?

4) What do you find most attractive in other people? (e.g. a positive attitude, social status, kindness, appearance, generosity, personal achievement, confidence) What do you think is most attractive in yourself?

Seeing is Believing: An Update on My Eye

Yesterday, I was emailing a freelance piece to my editor. As I pushed the "send" button, it hit me: It's been two months since I realized my sight had returned.

You might remember I had some problems in my left eye at the end of last year. I couldn't see out of the center of my left eye, and I was having problems reading and driving. Just after Christmas, I went to a specialist who told me there was permanent damage in my eye. He said it wasn't going to get better, and there were no treatments.

I accepted the sad prognosis. But other people didn't. When I heard that friends were praying for my healing, my first thought was, That's nice. I'm glad people care about me enough to ask God for something big. Wish I had that much faith. And as soon as I had those thoughts, I started to feel like God was saying, Why don't you ask me?

Eventually, I did ask. I asked God to help me see well enough, or to have enough patience with my sight, to finish a writing project in January. When I sat down to write, I was able to read what I typed with ease. (I hadn't been able to do that for more than a month.)

On January 21, I realized the sight in my left eye had returned. I emailed the freelance story the next day.

OK, here's where I have to get really honest with you. After I got over the initial thrill of having my sight back, I was terrified. What if it only lasted for a week? Or less? Every morning I woke up with the same thought: Could I still see? Would today be the day when my sight failed? Did God even have a hand in any of this?

I told God about my doubts. At the end of each day, I told him, "Well, maybe you really did heal me. Maybe."

At some point within the last couple months, I was reading my Bible and came to Proverbs 20:12, "Hearing and seeing are gifts from the Lord." I probably wouldn't have paid much attention to the verse if I'd read it before my eye problems. But reading it at that moment, it was like God was speaking those words directly to me: "This healing is my gift to you."

Now, if God wants me to know it's really him, he can't just whisper, "It's me, Holly" or tap me on the shoulder. He usually has to hit me over the head. And he did. Yesterday, I was emailing in another freelance story I'd just finished. It reminded me of how God had healed me while I was working on that story back in January. And I was overwhelmed by the realization I hadn't worried about my vision in weeks. I'd finally accepted it as the gift that it is.

But God didn't stop there. Today, there was an email in my inbox from Christina DiMari, the woman I was writing about in January. Today is March 21. It's exactly two months from the day I realized my vision had returned.

I'm so glad God offers me so many "God moments" because collectively, I can't pass them off as coincidence. Honestly, right after my eye got better, I wasn't sure whether it was a fluke. Today, I know God wants me to see all the details he's lined up to show me he's really done this. And maybe next time when he's doing something in my life, he won't have to hit me over the head again.

To ponder:

1) Has something good ever happened in your life, but you wondered whether God had anything to do with it?

2) Consider James 1:17: "Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father who created all the lights in the heavens. He is always the same and never makes dark shadows by changing" (CEV). When something good happens, do you immediately thank God? What causes you to attribute good events to other things? (e.g. pride, entitlement, busyness, ingratitude, pain, fear, feeling too overwhelmed by what's wrong in your life to see what's good)

3) Have there been moments in your life when you were certain God was doing something for you? What made you certain?

4) Sometimes we need to surrender what we believe is "good" for us in order for God to give us something truly good. What do you need to surrender in order to receive God's good gifts?

Could James Dobson & Chuck Colson be Wrong? (Part 1)

I visited Chandler, Arizona, last weekend for a wedding, and kept getting lost on the San Tan Freeway, which loops around in a way that left me baffled again and again. I'm sure it's a no-brainer for the locals to travel on, but I'm used to driving on the grid that is Los Angeles.

Even with my friend navigating in the passenger seat, we drove for nearly an hour and a half to get to the wedding. (We were using written directions rather than maps, and later discovered we'd gotten on the wrong part of "The Loop"--it should have only taken 20 minutes to get to the wedding site.) So I began referring to this road as the "Satan Freeway," deceptive and painful in every way.

Amusingly enough, just a few miles away from the Satan Freeway was Grace Boulevard. My friend and I had a good laugh as we passed Grace, then came to Dobson Road just before we hit Satan. "Check it out!" I exclaimed to my friend. "Dobson is between Grace and Satan . . . and I think Dobson is much closer to Satan!"

OK, maybe you had to be there. Kidding aside, I've been thinking about who I trust as spiritual leaders. When I'm looking for a good Christian book to read, the first thing I'll do is to look at who's endorsing it. If ChristianityToday.com says it's good, I'll think, Hmm, this book is definitely a keeper. And if a Christian author I respect--say, Rob Bell, or John Ortberg, or Liz Curtis Higgs--recommends it, I'll assume it's gotta be some good reading material.

I've long looked to the "top dogs" of Christianity for guidance about everything from spiritual growth to politics and social issues. In particular, I've held high regard for Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries, and James Dobson, chairman of Focus on the Family. So I was more than a little disappointed when I recently found out both Colson and Dobson signed a letter last year that urged the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) not to adopt "any official position" on global climate change because "Bible-believing evangelicals . . . disagree about the cause, severity and solutions to the global warming issue."

You see, Rich Cizik, the NAE's Vice President for Governmental Affairs, has been working with scientists over the past couple years to distribute more information about environmental problems to churches. And Cizik has been trying to get the U.S. government to notice the alliance between Christian leaders and scientists on this front. (Check out my previous post, "Evangelicals and Scientists Unite for the Environment.")

Cizik was making huge strides, but then hit a road block when Dobson, Colson, and other evangelical leaders essentially asked him to back down last year. This month, Dobson and two dozen other Christian leaders signed a letter to the NAE stating that if Cizik "cannot be trusted to articulate the views of American evangelicals on environmental issues, then we respectfully suggest that he be encouraged to resign his position with the NAE."

This weekend, NAE leaders drew the proverbial line in the sand in front of the Dobson camp. They gave tacit support of Cizik's work by not censuring him and by reaffirming the NAE's 2004 position that caring for the environment (they call it "creation care") is one of the main civic responsibilities for evangelicals.

Up until recently, I thought it was natural for Christians to be concerned about this planet God has created for us. I've recently discovered that some very influential Christians don't believe we have a responsibility to care for the Earth. And some influential Christians are even saying there's no such thing as global warming, that scientists (including some prominent Christian scientists) are deceiving us with global warming warnings.

Thus, there's a battle brewing between Christian leaders who want to promote environmental activism within churches, and other Christian leaders who believe the Earth was meant to be used up, since we will one day live in heaven with our Creator. The latter feels environmentalism distracts the church from more important social issues, namely gay marriage and abortion.

I should explain here that I'm both moved by and concerned about enviromental issues including global warming. I grew up under the brown sky of the Inland Empire in Southern California. While kids in the Midwest were having snow days, we had "smog days"--afternoons when the air quality was so poor, we'd have to stay indoors all day. Thankfully, the situation has improved thanks to California initiatives such as emissions regulations and mandatory car smog checks.

When the concept of the three R's--reduce, reuse, recycle--was presented to the public, my "waste not, want not" father immediately took the idea to heart. We recycled everything: tin cans, cereal boxes, milk jugs, detergent bottles, junk mail. My parents wash plastic food containers and reuse them. I haven't used paper plates in years, and I avoid using styrofoam cups. I've used cardboard boxes for crafts. I buy energy-efficient lightbulbs. And I combine all my errands into one trip to save gas. All of this stuff is easy, and much of it actually makes my life easier. I'm simply making a choice to have two trash bags (recycling and non-recyclable items) and to drive less. I'm happy to do anything that might keep the sky over Los Angeles bluer rather than grayer.

There's a classic Chico Marx quote, "Who you gonna believe, me or your own eyes?" And while I still trust James Dobson is a good and godly man, I gotta say that this time, I'm believing the pollution I've seen right in front of me truly does exist.

STAY TUNED! In Part 2 of this post, I'll further discuss the battle over global warming and environmentalism that's happening within evangelical Christendom.

MORE: Evangelical Body Stays Course on Warming

Is There a Wrong Way to Worship?

A reader recently saw an opinion piece I'd written about yoga, then sent me this question via email:

"My church is developing a ministry that will help our members grow in their relationships with Jesus Christ via prayer. One of the objections I have heard to this ministry is that it is New Age. I abhor New Age practices and want to steer clear of its influence. At the same time, I do not believe it is right or fair to categorize every prayer practice that is unfamiliar to us--such as a prayer of examen--as New Age or related in any way. Would you have any insight, as a result of your experience, on what practices should definitely be avoided?"

Here's my reply to the reader:
________________

I agree with you 100 percent that we as a church have this problem of prejudging unfamiliar practices without even examining them. About a year ago, the worship leader at my church encouraged me to read Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline. At first, I couldn't bring myself to read the chapter on meditation. As a former New Ager, the entire practice of meditation seemed too closely tied to the New Age--even though I knew meditation was practiced by many of God's worshippers in the Bible. I enjoyed Foster's book so much that I just kept praying about it, that God would give me enough wisdom and discernment to read that chapter without either prejudging it or accepting it wholeheartedly.

When I actually read the chapter, I was amazed to discover I was already doing some of the things Foster discussed, such as slowly reading a Scripture verse and deeply meditating on its words, and looking at nature and meditating on the greatness of God. Before I read Foster's book, I never would have called my practices meditation. They were just actions that came naturally to me as I worshipped God. I came to realize that meditation itself wasn't a bad or evil practice--rather it was the goal of the practice that mattered.

To illustrate, yoga is basically stretching that's been spiritualized by being infused with Hindu worship. Many of the stretches in yoga are very basic ways anyone would stretch. I see young kids doing such stretches naturally without having ever been instructed on how to stretch. The Christian's problem with yoga itself is that stretching--something that's natural and good for us--is given the Hindu goal of becoming one with the universal mind through postures that exalt other gods. But to say that doing yoga is the only way we can stretch is like saying astral projection is the only way we can meditate. I think Christians who throw out stretching (and meditation) are, pardon the cliche, throwing out the baby with the bath water. We should stretch. But we don't have to do yoga in order to stretch.

The same can be said of prayer (and I notice you're considering one of Foster's methods for prayer). If our prayer is focused on God and our relationship with him, who is to criticize the form of that prayer? I once heard someone question whether a certain posture was appropriate for prayer because it looked "like how the Muslims pray." I believe we are made uniquely by God, and it's pretty apparent Christians worship him in different ways. Some are deeply moved to worship through upbeat music and dancing, others by quiet prayer and reflection. It would be quite silly (and unbiblical) for someone to say, "Christians can only worship God quietly, and anyone who thinks otherwise isn't a good Christian." Unfortunately, we often judge other Christians' relationships with God based on our personal experiences.

With that said, I can offer a few ways I proceed with caution when I'm considering a new idea or practice. First, I ask, "Does this focus on God and/or my relationship with him?" and also, "Is there anything in this that I recognize as being unbiblical (or that is supported by the Bible)?" Second, I ask God to give me discernment. Third, I go to a trusted source, ChristianityToday.com, to see if they've written something about it. I've also had conversations with the pastors and staff at my church, as well as other mature Christians, to get their thoughts. And lastly, I pray about it again.

There is at least one practice I wouldn't do myself, but I wouldn't tell other people not to do it, either. (And I know other people do this thing and are greatly blessed by it.) God has let me know that because of my New Age past, this particular practice is something that would be counterproductive to my spiritual growth right now. Maybe at some point, it will become a practice that God would have me do to worship him.

I'm sure God is leading you to bring these prayer practices to your church for a reason. Don't be discouraged if people aren't immediately on board--it can be difficult to get people to try anything new, from a new food to a new clothing style, and especially a new style of worship! My worship pastor did a special service on Lectio Divina, got a seemingly ho-hum reaction, and later told me, "We'll probably never do that again." I had to immediately tell him how meaningful it was to me, and how I'd incorporated parts of the practice into my devotional time. While some people might have thought it was boring to deeply think and reflect on the meaning of a small passage of Scripture, it meant everything to me as a writer and words person. I was so thankful he'd taken a chance so I could learn about it.

I have a lot of conversations on my blog that have added to my thoughts and even changed my thinking, so I'm hoping to get some more feedback for you by posting your question.
________________

WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Are there worship practices that should be avoided? How do we determine what's good or bad? What tools has God given us to protect us from false teaching? Please post your thoughts on the above question--or thoughts about my response, or other thoughts--here on the blog.

Distracted, Diverted, and Dumbed Down

SPECIAL GUEST COLUMN
My friend Brooke wrote the following piece after watching last night's evening news, where the top two "news" items were about Anna Nicole Smith and Britney Spears. His piece made me laugh, and it made me think about our values as a society, and what I personally prioritize and value. I've added some links within Brooke's piece for those who'd like a deeper education into the real news.
-H
______________________

The "News" Media
by J. Brooke Fenwick
(February 22, 2007)

Two friends discuss "The News" over coffee.

Jessie: I heard that two more Americans soldiers were killed in Iraq yesterday.

Alex: Yeah, that’s too bad. So who do you think is Anna Nicole’s baby’s daddy? I think it’s gotta be the blond guy from California. I don’t trust that other guy.

Jessie: I don’t know, but can you believe we are getting close to 3,200 soldiers dead in Iraq so far?

Alex: That’s terrible! What’s going on with Britney Spears? Is she outta her mind or what? She keeps getting tattoos, and then she shaved her head, and then she is in rehab and then out of rehab, and then back in. What’s up with that? I think she …

Jessie: It’s just a mess …

Alex: Yeah, she’s pretty messed up.

Jessie: No it’s a mess over there in Iraq and now Bush wants to send more troops.

Alex: Yeah, well duh! That’s what they get for 9-11.

Jessie: 9-11? What does Iraq have to do with 9-11?

Alex: Weren’t a bunch of those guys who flew the planes from Iraq? There’s just a bunch of terrorists over there.

Jessie: No, none of them were from Iraq. Most of them were from Saudi Arabia. Hey, did you hear Barack Obama was in L.A. the other day? I heard some of his speech. I think he really has a chance to win. What do you think?

Alex: No way.

Jessie: Why? Because he’s black?

Alex: Well, maybe. But isn’t he a Muslim? I got this email that said he’s a Muslim. You know with the war on terror, I don’t think a Muslim outta be president. I don’t think Americans will elect a Muslim.

Jessie: He’s not a Muslim. He’s a Christian.

Alex: Are you sure? The email said his dad was a Muslim. And besides, how could a Christian have a name like Barack Obama? Isn’t his middle name like Saddam, or Osama, or something like that?

Jessie: It’s Hussein.

Alex: Yeah, see? I knew it was one of those Islamic terrorist people.

Jessie: What does his middle name have to do with anything?

Alex: Speaking of Muslims, didn’t Mike Tyson become a Muslim? I heard he was in rehab, too. He’s in the same rehab as Lindsay Lohan. But it's one of those swanky, soft rehabs. They let Tyson out to go to the gym, and I heard they let Lindsay out to go shopping. What kind of rehab is that?

Jessie: You know what's really scary to me?

Alex: What?

Jessie: That we seem to be slowly losing our constitutional rights here in America.

Alex: Yeah, I hate it when people think they have a right to tell me what to do!

Jessie: Did you know that Congress passed a law and Bush signed it that kind of does away with habeas corpus?

Alex: Who be what us?

Jessie: Never mind. What do you think about the Bush administration using the war on terror as an excuse to say that it is okay to use torture to get information that might protect our national security?

Alex: Hey, if it will keep another 9-11 from happening, I say go for it! Do you watch 24? I never miss it. Jack Bauer tortures people all the time when he has to save the country. I know he’s, like, not really supposed to do that, but it works.

Jessie: That’s just a TV program. In real life, torture doesn’t work.

Alex: It has to work. Nobody wants to get tortured.

Jessie: Exactly. You don’t want to get tortured, do you? Maybe that's why we should be just a little concerned about our constitutional rights.

Alex: This conversation is getting kind of morbid. Let’s talk about something else. Did you hear Eva Longoria and Tony Parker are getting married this summer in France?

Jessie: Um, okay ... The upcoming election is going to be really important. Who do you like so far?

Alex: No one. I hate politics. Politicians are a bunch of liars.

Jessie: How would you know?

Alex: What do you mean?

Jessie: Never mind. What do you think about the police?

Alex: Yeah, I saw them on the Grammy’s! They are going on tour. They hate each other, but they are just getting back together to make some money. Sting probably doesn’t need any money, but maybe he feels sorry for the other guys. They might as well cash in!

Jessie: I meant the Los Angeles Police Department.

Alex: Oh, the cops? What about them?

Jessie: There is a problem with the police in Ramona Gardens. That is a housing project on the Eastside. A lot of the residents there think the cops are too heavy-handed and that they stereotype all of them as gang members and drug dealers. There seems to be a long history of that kind of thing here in L.A.

Alex: What news are you watching?

Jessie: I DON’T watch "the news." But I can tell that you do.

Alex: Whatever. Let’s go shopping!

______________________

To ponder:
1) Among your friends and co-workers, what news topics do people usually discuss?

2) Why do you think some people are more interested in celebrity gossip than political, economic, and social issues?

3) Why do you think people shy away from talking about serious issues like war, government actions, and social injustice?

Holly's two cents: There are lots of reasons we don't discuss big issues. Some issues require us to know a lot of background information, and we can feel it takes too much time and effort to educate ourselves. Or maybe we think we're not smart enough--we don't understand an issue well enough to feel comfortable discussing it. Sometimes, it just seems pointless: If we can't change the situation, why talk about it? And some of us are afraid of conflict, thinking perhaps we'll jeopardize our friendships if we take an opposing stance.

Jesus' words and actions give us a tremendous example about addressing such issues. He did not shy away from making statements about the wrongs he saw in his society, from legalism (his statements on making a public show of tithing, prayer and fasting; healing a man on the Sabbath) to sacrilege (he removes merchants from the temple).

If you don't understand an issue, that's the perfect time to discuss it so someone can explain it better. Even if you do understand it, conversation opens you up to ideas you might not have considered. And differences of opinion don't break a relationship if you come to the table with mutual respect. Though Brooke and I have different political affiliations, and plenty of differing opinions, we've peacefully discussed many issues. I have great respect for Brooke's opinions, and our conversations remind me that my opinions aren't the only good and right ones.

Today I was reminded how powerful one voice can be. I received an email about an article I wrote two years ago. It was a profile on an Oklahoma woman, Laurette Willis, who was speaking out about the practice of yoga. I was looking for alternatives to yoga at the time, and it seemed Laurette was the only Christian discussing this idea. Today, ideas about how Christians approach the practice of yoga have been discussed on radio, TV, and the Internet, as well as in newspapers and magazines. Laurette's even been quoted by major media including Time magazine! Because Laurette spoke up, there are now Christian alternatives to yoga.

We all have a voice. I believe God moves us to share our thoughts with one another for a reason: As individuals, our portion of the big picture is tiny if we don't work together to expand the view.

Thanks, Brooke, for causing some good thinking today!

Does God Want You to be Poor?

A woman claimed God told her to keep $7,000 that didn't belong to her on a recent Judge Alex court case. After receiving an accidental overpayment of $7,000 from her employer, she cashed the check believing it was a blessing from God. She explained to the judge that she'd been praying for a financial blessing. Her employer asked for the money back, but she'd refused to return it, insisting it came from God. Of course, the employer sued.

My sister Angela and I were watching the case on TV. We looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and quickly came to agree: This appeared to be a case of prosperity gospel gone bad.

Last September, Time magazine featured the cover story, "Does God Want You to be Rich?" about prosperity theology in Christian churches. I thought about writing on the topic when that article came out. But back then, I decided prosperity theology didn't really bother me. And to be honest, even after seeing that Judge Alex episode, it still doesn't.

(INSERT COLLECTIVE GASP HERE.)

Guess I've got some explaining to do. Prosperity theology is the idea God is waiting to bless us with health and wealth in this life, and he wants us to ask for it. It's espoused by well-known preachers including Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, and T.D. Jakes. And it's bashed by other well-known preachers and Christian activists including Jim Wallis, Ron Sider, and Rick Warren. Warren told Time, "This idea that God wants everybody to be wealthy? Baloney. It's creating a false idol. ... I can show you millions of faithful followers of Christ who live in poverty."

If I analysed prosperity theology by its popular definition, I'd be thoroughly disgusted with it. Many folks outside of prosperity theology define it thus: God will give you whatever you ask for ("name it and claim it" is one biting way it's described). It's the idea that God is a cosmic vending machine: Insert prayer, out pops your desired treat. Sadly, there are folks out there who do preach this message, like Peter Popoff, a televangelist who claims using his Miracle Spring Water will cause God to give you exactly what you want. But Popoff doesn't represent prosperity theology as a whole. When I've listened to folks like Osteen and Meyers speak, the message they seem to be conveying is: "Work hard and involve God in your job and finances. God can bless you if you trust him."

It's easy to point out the holes in prosperity theology, notably: 1) prosperity churches are in jeopardy of becoming more focused on personal success than becoming more Christlike, and 2) people might be drawn to prosperity churches for the wrong reasons. But I believe there's another reason some Christians are repelled by churches that preach prosperity. Prosperity teaching amplifies a bigger trend that's happening in churches across the globe: a focus on empowering individuals. Many Christians are looking for personal meaning in Scripture and want to become better individuals through their relationship with God. They want their pastors to show them how to apply the Bible in contemporary terms to their jobs and relationships. and how God can help them make decisions in everyday life. And those ideas scare a lot of traditional church folks.

Is this "self-help" preaching a bad trend? It could be if we start moving away from the historical context of the Bible, trying to make it too personal (an extreme example would be thinking, "Hmm, King David was rich, so God obviously wants me to be rich!"). And there's the danger of fixating on ourselves when we should be focused on worshipping God. I've heard many pastors say they don't want to fall into the trap of "pulpit pop psychology," but does it make the concept any different if you instead package it as "developing your personal relationship with God"? And I wonder: Is being Purpose Driven so different from being Prosperity Driven? Aren't they both kind of about getting motivated and seeking God's direction for our lives? Do the words "purpose" and "prosperity" just have different connotations in our minds that make one good and the other bad?

No disrespect intended to Rick Warren; I've read The Purpose Driven Life and was intrigued by many of his points. I also know some folks who aren't Christians that read Warren's book and also found it to be an interesting guide for life. This brings me to think, How do my ideas and beliefs color how I read his book? And similarly, how do these same ideas and beliefs color how I view prosperity theology?

I've discovered that despite its many shortcomings, I'm not ready to throw out prosperity theology altogether--especially since I like the trend of offering modern-day life applications from the Bible. Here are some positive aspects I see in prosperity theology:

For starters, prosperity theology gets people talking to God. Prosperity parishioners are told to ask God for direction on employment, finances, spending, stewardship, etc.--really big issues we all deal with. Honestly, I don't often prayerfully balance my checkbook. It certainly wouldn't hurt any of us to make God the ruler of our bank accounts.

Further, prosperity parishioners are asking God to bless them. One of my concerns about today's church is that many Christians are hesitant to ask God for anything. We pray God will "work according to his will and plans for us." It's true we should ask God to show us his will and pray according to the Holy Spirit's prompting. But sometimes, I know the "God's will" prayer is a cop out for me. I often get scared when prayer turns to things that can be weighed and measured. Like my health or finances. My fear is actually a lack of trust. Sure, I trust God will give me peace, but do I trust he'll put food on my table? I believe he'll comfort me, but do I believe he can heal me? Asking God for stuff goes beyond getting our needs and desires met. We learn to trust him and depend on him when we ask, and we also learn lessons from praying. (Check out my blog entries "Sometimes, God's Gift is an Empty Box" and "Was It Really a Miracle?" for some lessons I'm learning through prayer.)

Additionally, prosperity theology just might balance out those churches that preach a heavily anti-riches gospel. I've heard Christians quote the verse, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" (Mark 10:25), as proof God doesn't want us to have too much. And I've heard churches repeatedly tell young people that missions work is the greatest calling they can receive. Yet certainly we're not all called to be missionaries. Surely God must want some Christian child to become a wealthy business person who's able to fund all those missions projects?

To those who are offended by the idea of asking God for financial blessing, I would ask, "Do you think God prefers for Christians to be poor?" In the Bible, wealth and fame are sometimes portrayed as God's blessings, and sometimes as distractions that cause people to sin. There's plenty of Scripture that discusses riches in negative terms (Mark 10:25; James 5:1-3), and plenty that suggests God wants to bless us (Ecclesiastes 5:18-19; Luke 6:38). Maybe this means God doesn't have one single directive for all of us, either to strive for riches or to become monetarily poor. Maybe this means God's got a financial plan for each of us, and has given us Scripture about wealth and poverty so we can avoid certain pitfalls associated with greed and laziness. Surely there are Christians who are well-off and generous, and plenty of hard-working, low-income Christians, too. Is one better than the other?

In a Time poll, 61 percent of surveyed Christians said they agreed with the statement, "God wants people to be financially prosperous." "Prosperous" likely meant something different to each person surveyed. For some, being prosperous is having a roof over their head and food in their belly. For others, it's getting a few goodies they want and being content with what they already have. And for some, it means being able to acquire everything they desire.

I believe God wants me to have what he's given me, to ask when I need stuff, to be grateful for what I'm given, and to pray for wisdom about every aspect of my life. And I'm positive he wants me to worship him by working hard at the tasks he's given me (Colossians 3:23).

Because we're all human, it seems we're all at risk for making misguided spiritual decisions, like that lady on Judge Alex who kept the $7,000. Equally, human preachers can make misguided remarks. Yet God has given all of us brains and Bibles, and that includes prosperity preachers. As a church, we're quick to dismiss things as false teaching when they don't jibe with our traditions. So I'm writing this blog entry not to defend prosperity theology, but to question why we're so quick to vilify it. While I may not agree with the entirety of prosperity theology, maybe God can use parts of it to teach me something valuable. Oh, wait--he already has.

To ponder:
1) Do you think it's spiritually better for people to be wealthy, poor, or neither? Which Scriptures back up your opinion?

2) Do you pray about your finances? Why or why not?

3) Is it difficult for you to ask God for things? Which requests are most difficult for you to make?

4) Is it easier or harder for you to ask God to bless other people? How do your prayers for others differ from prayers for yourself?

Worship, Too: Obedience, Attitude, and Mitzvah

My friend Brooke, who's the worship leader at my church, thinks deeply about worship a lot. (I've got a worship leader who takes time to think about worship--how cool is that!) He writes:

____________

We all know that worship is supposed to begin with God, but in actual practice, OUR worship can tend to be more about us. Just look at the average contemporary worship song. Many of them are so focused on MY feelings toward God. In fact many of our songs can easily either be sung to God OR to someone we are in love with. There is a place for that, but worship begins with God and the fact that HE is worthy of our worship no matter the state of our feelings toward God that day.

In practice, the best way to do this is to firmly anchor our worship services in God’s story. One of the best definitions that I have found regarding what we are to do when we gather for worship is by Robert Webber. He says, "Biblical worship is first and foremost the remembering, the recalling, the proclaiming, the enacting of God's mission in Jesus Christ to redeem, rescue, and restore creatures and creation. We gather to hear that story, enact that story, sing that story, and go forth to embody the story."

So in a sense, corporate worship is a drama that works best when all who are gathered actively participate. Week after week, we rehearse the same story of the true and living God. His word (which tells the story), and the best worship traditions of the Church, guide us in how to enact the story in our worship. And as we do it over and over again, it begins to shape our experience as Christians. We begin to understand God’s mission in this world. More importantly, we begin to understand our place in that mission and as a result we are brought into the actual story as we live it out in the world.

Worship that begins with "me and my needs" tends to warp God into my story. Unfortunately, I am afraid that is what is encouraged in a lot contemporary American worship. Worship that is rooted in God and His redemptive work through Jesus Christ, ultimately brings me into His story.

____________

There are two questions that immediately come to mind when I think about worship:

1) Why do I worship?

2) How do I worship?

In my life, I've been more focused on question two right now. That's because I grew up with the idea worship was just singing songs in church. I don't know where I got that idea, but it was there. And I don't much like singing. I've been pondering the concepts I wrote about in my last blog post for several years now, and they're still pretty mind-blowing to me.

The more important question, though, is the first. I think Brooke's comment points to it. For me, I first asked question No. 1 when I became a Christian. (For others, maybe the questions arise in a different order or simultaneously.) I've continued to ask it over the years and to reflect on my answer. I worship out of obedience because God is God--awesome, strong and mighty--and also because he loves me and has forgiven me. It's similar to the way I obeyed my parents as a child: partly out of fear, partly out of respect, and primarily out of love.

Truthfully, when I became a Christian, I didn't feel like being obedient. I didn't want to go to church, I didn't want to sing worship music, and I didn't want to read my Bible. I had my reasons for resistance. I felt church folk were judgmental. I was unmoved by worship music. And I didn't trust the Bible was validly God's word. I wondered whether it had been corrupted over the years by lost or tossed sections and bad translations.

I would have been happy praying at home, churchless, musicless and Bibleless. But I knew God wanted me in a church. So I visited a few churches out of respecting, loving, fearful obedience to him. I knew I wouldn't find one that made me happy, since I didn't want to go at all. Still, I made a decision I'd stick with the next church I visited in obedience to God. I faithfully attended for years, and despite my best efforts, I didn't make one friend at that church. I tried to serve, but it seemed the church leaders were only interested in sticking me where they needed me, not in areas of my best talents. I felt continuously shut down and shut out. I longed for a better church experience. Yet every Sunday, I felt blessed. Sometimes it came through a verse or an idea from the sermon. Mostly, it came from the half-hour drive to and from church, when I always felt God was near me.

Now I'm at the church of my dreams. I love the services, I love the people, and I feel loved. My talents are known and utilized. But honestly, I'm glad I didn't have this happy church experience first. It would have been easy to come to my current church every Sunday just for the fellowship. My experience taught me I need to go to church with the attitude, "I'm here for you, God. If I don't get one thing out of this for myself, that's OK. I'm here to worship you."

Similar events transpired in regard to singing and reading my Bible. When I began reading the Bible, I literally forced myself to read a certain amount every day. I did it as an act of worship. Am I saying worship should be forced or mechanical? Absolutely not. Let me explain with a real-life illustration. There are plenty of days when I don't feel like cooking dinner for my husband. I'd rather plop down on the couch with a box of cereal and let him fend for himself. But every night, he gets a home-cooked meal, simply because I love him (even when I don't feel the warm and fuzzy emotion of love) and because I know he deserves it. He works hard and he's a good husband and a good man.

There's a difference, I think, between an action itself (such as reading the Bible or singing) and the act of obeying God. I like this verse that's often quoted in relation to worship: "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father and I too will love him and show myself to him" (John 14:21, NIV, emphasis mine). Since I know God has commanded me to be a good wife, that means cooking dinner for my husband is an act of worship--wow! I also love the Hebrew word "mitzvah" (yes, you're getting some Judaism 101 at H-n-T this week). As I understand, mitzvah means both "commandment" and "connection." Thus, obedience is the expression of our connection to God.

We can be worshipping God every second by adopting an attitude of worship into our daily activities. That attitude may or may not deepen my affection for the activities themselves. But I can make my attitude right by focusing on that question, "Why do I worship?" and similarly, "Why do I obey God?"

I can't honestly say I'm at the point where I daily proclaim, "Woo hoo! I have the privilege of reading my Bible and worshipping God!" Most days it's a joy. But on those days when it feels like a chore, I'm going to do it anyway. Not out of legalism or thinking God will be extra nice to me. Rather, I'll do it because I love God. And though I'm pretty tired, I'll be making dinner as usual tonight, since I love my husband, too.

To ponder:

1) Do you agree with Holly's assessment that sometimes we have to "force" ourselves to obey and worship God? Refer to your own experiences in considering why you agree or disagree.

2) What questions do you have about worship? Are some easier to answer than others?

3) What are some ways it's easy for you to worship? What are some things you know God wants from you that have been really difficult for you to do/release/acknowledge?

4) When I think of the word "obedience," I often associate it with "chore," "struggle," or even something I'm strong-armed into doing. I often forget that "obedience" implies there's a choice. Consider this: You have a choice in whether to worship God and follow his laws. Does the idea of having a choice make it easier or more difficult to obey? Why?