Pots, Pressure and Sick dogs

It's that wonderful day..."All Saints Eve"...forget that Halloween stuff. That's for people who want to ignore their roots of faith.
Yesterday I spoke at Mad City on "Pots, Pressure and Perspective"...some musings on God's desire to form his character within us -- from 2 Corinthians 4:7. Paul's profound words, "We have this treasure in our mortal bodies -- jars of clay (pots) -- so that the surpassing power of God might be made visible in us." (my paraphrase) I couldn't help but note that God has this unique sense of humor that causes him to take the glory of himself and dress it up in the tackiest of costumes -- us. Pressure? Well, today that comes from our sick dog -- Tertullian. He's been sick all weekend. Between his vomiting and his diarrhea this very little left within him! So tonight we took him to the Vet clinic...third time in a week. Now he's on an IV, and scheduled for surgery tomorrow morning. The doctor discovered the mass of something in his bowels and I even felt it. A squishy section that felt a little lumpy -- about 2 inches long -- that the doctor assures me is the culprit. "He'll be as good as new by tomorrow evening." I don't Tertullian understands what is about to happen to him. He's about to be violated...all of it in the name of feeling better. That's his pressure. Mine is the $500 bill that is added to normal life bills.
So, back to 2 Corinthians...perspective. "Hard pressed, but not destroyed..." thank you Lord, I need to know that.

All You Saints Pay Attention

I'm thinking about "saints" today. It is only a few days before "All Saints Day", a little known and not well celebrated event in the church today. Most celebrations like this are owned by the Catholics. They lay claim to the historic church events that fill their religious calendar every year. This celebration is still on the calendar, but it is in reality "All Saints lite" type celebration.
Why? Simply put the embarrassing incident of Luther's using this day as the time to post his propositions - debatable ones at that - 95 Thesis. He simply wanted to put the issue of Indulgences and whether or not they are part of the salvation God promised through the church. Well, little did he know the firestorm he would start.
Now, 488 years later we don't tend to celebrate this day much...perhaps the Lutherans do.
Evangelicals and Charismatics have an abysmal record for celebrating anything on the church calendar. Too bad.
There is much to say about "All Saints Day" and even if Luther had not made the day infamous, it would still be worth our time to reflect on the "great cloud of witnesses" that have gone before us.
As a student and teacher of Church History there are many Saints to be awed by...
The Early ones: Iraeneus, Tertullian, Cyprian, Origen, The Cappadocian Fathers, Augustine to name a few.
The Middle Ones: Patrick, Columba, Anselm, Francis, Benedict, Abelard, Aquinas, Hus, Wyclif, to name a few more.
The Reformers: Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, Count Zinzendorf, Melancthon, Bullinger, Knox, Cramner, Spener, to name a few more.
The Modern Ones: Bunyan, Edwards, Wesley(s), Finney, Wilberforce, Moody, Barth, Bonhoeffer, M L King and my namesake, Jim Eliot.

What they have taught me is that faith is stubborn perseverance -- all along trusting in God regardless of the circumstances and winds of compromise and comfortability that grow.
What they teach me is that "sainthood" is theologically true of every believer in Jesus Christ, but rarely expressed with greatness. NOW IF THE CHURCH I LOVE AND PARTICIPATE IN COULD ONLY LIVE LIKE IT BELIEVED ITS SAINTHOOD.
Well, anyway, Happy "All Saints Day"... Thank You Martin for your courage and love for Christ that moved you to risk it all.

Coming Up With A Message

OK...no panic...it's at least 9 days until I will preach in front of 1000 people...and I don't have much of clue on what to preach about. It's not like I haven't any thoughts...I've had a bunch. The problem is when you have lots of thoughts and none of them stand out. OH for that "move of the Spirit" that I've talked about, but long for now.
So, perhaps an online blog will help sort it out...perhaps a divine connnection will be made and it will all become clear.
First thought was...can't remember the first one.
Anyway, some of the things I've mused on was...

"Killing a Lion in Winter"...an interesting story from David's life
"The Worship of the Broken"...from the story of the prostitute who annointed Jesus' feet.
"Remember to Go Forward"...from Deuteronomy and Numbers, when the children of Israel failed to remember and went backwards for forty years.
"Authentic Pots of Glory"...from 2 Corinthians 4 on how we are containers for God's life to a world around us.
"Wake up Stupid and Smell the Roses"...OK, that's not really a message title, it just seemed like a Christopher thing to do.

Anyway...inspiration hasn't quite struck yet...but I'm working on it.
OH Yeah, I've got a bunch of neat stories to insert if I can only figure out the message...Ugh!

Heart Exercises

OK...I've re-started my blog...Inspired by my children. I love reading theres' but I don't necessarily know just what to say when I get to these times...SO...I hope this isn't just an exercise in futility.

It's one of those October days that has a bit of everything...this morning it was cool and rained, by this afternoon it was in the upper 60's and Sunny...a beautiful day. I love walking outside in weather like this.
I've been doing some jogging of late with Tertullian (Tully to everyone else). He likes to get out and I need the exercise. We tend to go out for about two miles, sometimes less. It's a good 20 minutes of heart beating faster than normal...I guess that's the goal. I need heart exercise. I turned 56 last month, not getting any younger. I also need the heart exercise that is spiritual. I'm in a bit of a funk of late. Funny, I'm teaching three to five times each week and talking about God at every session; but I've kind of hit a wall in the Spiritual side of me.
Everytime I think of the heart as the spiritual ME, I slow down...I think it's the Henri Nouwen effect. "The Way of the Heart", "The Return of the Prodigal Son", his many other writings remind me that MY heart is everything.

I love teaching...but I think about retiring.
I love the students...but I enjoy quiet space alone.
I love football....there aren't any "buts"!

Mom and I went up to Daniel and Sara Kuhfuss' wedding on Saturday. I saw old friends...naturally Bill and Sharon, but also Stan & Faye, as well as Arlan and Sandy. Arlan is doing well...or so it seems. He has now been in his wheelchair and unable to walk for almost 6 years. Still his "heart" seems good. He is looking at the positive side of it, and although honest about the desire to walk...he's not going to turn towards bitterness should it not come. I admire him for that. The church in Randolph is without a pastor right now and they wanted me to come back...but when they asked me all I could do was lower my head and rub it...it hurt to even think about going back to Pastoring.

My heart...that's what I'm musing on these days. It has plenty of exercise, but I'm working on not allowing it to get too hard!

That's it for now!