Peace on Earth?

I was shocked when I realized I hadn't posted in a year. This raises two important points. First, why does anyone need a blog, anyway? Second, why did no one say, "I sure miss your blog posts. Where have you been?" I think the answer is that a blog is mostly for the benefit of the blogger, a way to vent a little, or to create your own little pulpit, even if nobody is listening.

Today is the one year anniversary of my last post. The easy explanation for the hiatus is that I've just been too busy. Dr. C., my former business partner, ran away from home about a year ago. He moved his practice to the other end of the state for reasons that are still not quite clear to me. As a result, the work load jumped up and spare time for silly little things like blog posts just disappeared.

A more complex explanation is that I went through a period where I lost my peace. I read somebody's quote that peace is not absence of trouble and conflict, but rather inner calm in spite of trouble and conflict. Now, don't think that I went off the deep end or anything, but I think I lost that inner calm for a while. I let the inner turbulence of stress churn around for several months.

It is Advent season again and the host of angels would like to crank up their old song, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." The incarnation of Jesus Christ was all about peace. He made a way for us to have peace with God, peace with other people, and even peace over that inner turbulence.

Paul the Apostle clearly explains about peace with God. "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:1-2) Through grace we stand in a new place where our broken relationship with God has been repaired and peace restored.

Peace with other people is a little more tricky. You may try to have peaceful relations with others, but some of the responsibility is on them. The author of Hebrews wrote, "Make every effort to live at peace with everyone and to be holy . . ." (Heb 11:14) I think that as long as we live on this side of eternity we will struggle to get along with friends, family, and even those people in the church that rub us the wrong way. The same grace that provides peace with God can also overflow into those human relationships.

Finally, there is the possibility of inner, personal peace.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:6-9)

My Advent prayer for everyone is that the God of peace will supply the peace that each of us needs. That might include repairing a relationship with him. Or maybe he can help us find peace instead of a grudge with someone else. And most of all that we can find that inner peace that transcends all understanding.

Middle Advent Dystocia

Advent is the season leading up to the celebration of Christmas. I will confess that this has been a difficult season for most of my adult life and I’m not sure why. This week, as I began to prepare the Bible study lesson on HOPE, I realized that there are really three Advents to consider here.


The first Advent is the obvious one during which Christians prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. I get this one. The ancient Hebrew prophets had predicted that a messiah would come for the salvation and restoration of the nation of Israel. There would be a turning of the people back toward God. From this we get the familiar stories of the census, the Nativity, the shepherds, the star, and the Magi.


I also think that I have a pretty good grasp on the second Advent. As believers, we look forward to the return of the messiah at the end of the age. Then, all things will be set right, made anew and restored to perfection. The reality of the second Advent is the only reason that the first Advent has any importance. Otherwise, the Nativity would be just a cute, heart-warming story.


Here’s where I get stuck. Middle Advent. Right now. I celebrate the first Advent and I look forward to the second Advent, but why can’t I get into the Christmas spirit in 2009? Then I saw an article by Barry Howard, a pastor friend, who was lamenting the rush to Christmas without the necessary devotional journey. He said, “I love a festive and joyful celebration of Christmas. However, to begin celebrating Christmas in October, November, or even early December, is like a parent trying to skip labor and delivery to go straight to the nursery.”*


Suddenly I had the diagnosis. I suffer from Middle Advent Dystocia. Dystocia is a medical term referring to difficult labor and delivery. The causes may be maternal, such as failure of uterine contractions, or the causes may be fetal, such as a stuck shoulder. Successful treatment might include methods “from above” such as oxytocin, a medication to stimulate contractions. Or, dystocia might be treated “from below” with forceps or other methods to grasp the baby to facilitate delivery.


(As many of you know, I am a gastroenterologist. Aren’t you glad I opted for an obstetrical metaphor?)


Middle Advent Dystocia, or “MAD,” I think, can likewise be treated both “from above” and “from below.” From above, God gives us his Holy Spirit to tide us over with enough hope to get through these in-between times. Paul writes, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” (Romans 8:22-23, NIV)


It seems that Middle Advent Dystocia can also be treated with some human measures. Pastor Howard goes on to say, “For a Christian, Advent is our progressive, devotional journey that culminates in grateful celebration when the Christ candle is lighted and the Christmas Star shines over the manger in Bethlehem.”* There you have it: a progressive, devotional journey. I guess that means that I need to spend some time this season dwelling on something besides bills, receipts, schedules and decorations. I will endeavor to focus on prayer, meditation and Bible study. I will let my Christian brothers and sisters be my Advent obstetricians as they pull me along the devotional journey toward Christmas 2009.


I wish you all Hope and Peace and Joy this season.

* It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Advent by Barry Howard

Why I will never be a fan of Alabama Football

I tried on Saturday. A neighbor was nice enough to give us a couple of tickets and we needed to run down to my daughter’s apartment in Tuscaloosa anyway. So I put on the Crimson Tide t-shirt that she had given me and we visited Bryant-Denny Stadium for the Arkansas game. Why not pull for the local team? Lots of other people do it. My own college team never wins a lot of games. So I tried. I have now pondered these matters deeply and decided that I will never be a fan of Alabama football. This phenomenon has all the trappings of a cult religion. Also, my medical opinion is that it is a serious mental illness. Finally, the whole matter reminds me of a schoolyard bully with no sense of civility.

Alabama Football is a cult religion. A cult may be defined as a pseudo-religion that often uses psychological manipulation to entrap and maintain its membership. The religious iconography is everywhere. Turn down Paul Bryant Drive and visit Bryant-Denny stadium. Many people were wearing hounds tooth hats. Mr. Bryant has been gone for a quarter of a century yet he is still worshipped. The psychological manipulation occurs in the mindless repetition of short, meaningless phrases. And if you are not very smart, the PA announcer gives cues so the worshippers can join the religious litany. (“First down Alabama,” and the masses, on cue, “Roll Tide.") The faithful enter a state of trance-like reverie, with eyes glazed over and loss of control of salivation. I was reminded of the swaying, worshipping masses during the human sacrifice scene in Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto.



I saw fans that were obviously in the throes of profound mental illness. Even though their team was winning by a comfortable margin, these folks still alternated uncontrollably between euphoria and violent anger. On offense, if the team on any given play achieved anything less than a touchdown or first down (“roll tide”) the fans around me would scream “idiots!” or even vile profanities at their own team. Then, moments later, sheer delight. This to me reflects depression, dysthymic disorder, personality disorder and perhaps ever Tourette’s syndrome. No thank you. These poor people need medication and psychotherapy.

All hope for me becoming a fan was lost at halftime. They trotted out the 1979 team so that we could worship them while the 2009 team rested in the locker room. I was relieved to see that they were overweight, gray, and limping like the rest of us. Nevertheless they were hailed as superheroes of the Alabama faith. The PA announcer pointed out that these athletes won every game, 5 of which were by 30 or more points and even beat Vanderbilt 66-3. It has been 30 years and I had just about forgotten it, but I was reminded that I was at that game. That was the day I started hating Alabama. Who but an uncivilized bully would ever run up the score like that? And why keep living ancient history? No, these fans are uncouth Philistines and I will never be one.

I already have a religion. I do not want a mental illness. No rational person likes a bully. My heartfelt thanks go out to the Alabama team and fans who reminded me once again that I do not want to be one of them.

Naked Vegetarians Ruin Everything

We spent the morning yesterday talking about Genesis 3, also know as "The Fall". I am certainly ready for Fall, with cooler weather, lower humidity, and college football. But Genesis 3 is about a different fall, the story of Adam and Eve and the biggest screw-up in the history of the world. I asked them to name the biggest catastrophes in the past 200 years. I got the expected wars, terrorist attacks, tsunamis, hurricanes, etc. One guy mentioned Mike Dubose (former Alabama head football coach.) Then we launched in to the text:

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" 2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" 4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Gen 3:1-7 (NIV)

The first item of discussion related to the nature of the tempting. The crafty serpent went right to the heart of the matter. Before long, he had the woman wondering about the goodness of God, the truthfulness of God, and the fairness of God.

Before we had time to proceed in the text, we got into a couple of philosophical questions that seemed to be troubling folks. If God didn't want them to eat of the Tree of Knowledge, then why did he put it right there in the middle of the Garden in the first place? I mean, you don't give your child a doughnut and tell them not to eat it, do you?

Another concern: who let the damned serpent into the Garden anyway? Can God not make a safe place for his people?

I certainly don't have the answers but I have been pondering. I think it might have to do with why God created anything. Full of his own glory, he did not need anything. Out of his overflowing love he created the universe to reflect and magnify his glory. This included the creation of humans. Now what would reflect that glory best: a mindless robot unable to do anything different, or a person who could choose to worship and who could voluntarily praise, magnify and honor God? If God wants volunteers to worship him, then there also has to be an option to be independent and run off to do one's own thing.

It turns out that trying to be independent from God is not such a sweet deal. Ask Adam and Eve. As for me, I choose to be a worshiper. Lord, make me more dependent.

Incongruence---some things just don’t go together

Incongruence is the antonym or opposite of congruence. Wiktionary defines congruence as “the quality of agreeing, being suitable and appropriate.” So, items that show incongruence would not be suitable or appropriate together. Like grape juice and cheese, or beer and Frosted Flakes. Here are some other examples:

My daughter went to City Stages, the local music festival. Later, she posted a group of photos on Facebook entitled Young Jeezy/Lynyrd Skynyrd. Young Jeezy is apparently a famous rapper, who appeared to be wearing his trousers down about mid-thigh. I’m not saying the Skynyrd boys are saints, but they do seem to know how a belt and buckle work. The point is that these things don’t go together. They are incongruent.

Here’s another. This week I saw a bumper sticker that said “Pro-Faith, Pro-Family, Pro-Choice.” You may disagree with me, but those three items seem to show incongruence.

Here’s one more set, a pair of Bible verses about David. “. . . the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people . . . .”---1 Sam 13:14 and “. . . . the thing David had done displeased the LORD.”--- 2 Sam 11:27 (This was after the whole Bathsheba episode which included adultery and the murder of her husband.) How could David be a man after God’s own heart and yet still be capable of carrying out one of the most despicable and heinous series of events in the Bible? Did David cease to be a man after God’s own heart? No. He did have to face disastrous consequences the rest of his life, but God continued to use David and even bless David.

I think the solution lies in the fact that David, when confronted by Nathan the prophet, felt broken-hearted over his sin. He repented and asked for forgiveness. Psalm 51 is a beautiful depiction of David’s remorse. How can I be a child of God and a sinner at the same time? I think I need to share God’s broken-heart about my sin. I need to stop rationalizing the sin and justifying myself. I need to let the Father wash me, clean me, purify me and give me a new heart. Only then will my internal incongruence be solved.

Go Outside! It's in HD!

At my age, waking up early isn't just easy, it's automatic. Today, instead of spending the first half hour of the day checking Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Weather.com and the like, I did something different. I guess it was just impulsive. I went outside. Coffee in hand, I strolled around to the backyard and sat by our koi pond. I turned off the waterfall so the water would be still, then I tossed in a handful of fish food to see if the little buggers would eat.

What happened next was amazing. My senses, probably blunted by fluorescent lighting, LCD screens, and mind-numbing electronic media, gradually came alive. The richness of sounds was incredible. There were dozens of birds both near and far chirping away. The fish started coming up for breakfast and I could see their amazing palette of colors. Flowers everywhere. I could smell honeysuckle and pine bark. It was better than HD television with Dolby Surround-Sound. Way better.

I spent a few moments in quiet praise to the One who was into HD before we even thought of "indoors." Let's get out there, folks.

O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.
Psalms 104:24

Judas Iscariot--my kind of guy

Our Bible Study today was a biographical study on the life of Judas Iscariot. (The sketch is a Da Vinci drawing for the figure that would eventually be in the Last Supper.) My main thesis was that he has been excessively villified through the centuries. No one names their kid Judas Iscariot. His name is synonymous with traitor and he is commonly seen as nothing but a black hearted villain. But if that is true, several questions arise.

Why did Jesus choose him as one of the Twelve in the first place? Did he choose poorly?

Why did the other apostles not censure him during their ministry with Jesus? Sure, John the Evangelist, writing years after the fact, describes him as a thief. Apparently he was known to skim a little for himself since he was in charge of the moneybag for the group. But what person with a responsibility hasn't felt a twinge of entitlement along with it?

Didn't Judas go out on mission with the others, healing with supernatural power?

Here are my conclusions: First, Judas Iscariot started out as just a regular guy. Jesus called him to be one of his disciples and close associates so he must have had at least the potential to become a genuine believer. But Judas seems to have had a couple of personality flaws. He had a greedy streak and a sense of entitlement. He probably had his own agenda, perhaps trying to force Jesus into open rebellion against Rome. Satan started tempting Judas and Judas started considering a plot. I bet he thought he was doing the right thing. Maybe he was a Zealot, trying to get Jesus to show his cards, as it were.

Here's the zinger: I have character flaws and weaknesses and I can sometimes bring my own agenda to bear on a situation instead of looking for God's plan. Placed in the same situation, with the same temptations and prodding, I might have fared about as poorly as Judas. There but for the grace of God go I.

Here are some passages about Judas: Judas Iscariot )