Wednesday's Big Idea: Reflections on 2005

The last Wednesday of the year seems an appropriate time to look back and see everything that happened, evaluate what is happening now and look forward to what will happen in 2006. Personally, it was a fairly significant year. We sold our house and, after looking in a crazed housing market, decided to rent for a while and settle into the new thing. We've decided to buy a duplex with my mother-in-law, so 2006 has more changes in store.

As I look back I see significant changes that occurred, things left behind and other things which sprung up. There is a continual growth and transformation as God aligns my heart, mind, soul and body towards His purpose and glory. Part of that, I'm sure, has also been an evolution of what it means to be a father. The first year seems to be primarily devoted to survival and the physical needs of the child. Year two is a year of tremendous growth in cognitive and physical abilities. It's much more bidirectional and in some ways more fun. I look forward to year three and beyond as Avi continues to grow into the world around him.

I have great hopes and expectations for the year to come, as well. I really think it will be an incredible year of surprises, full of good things and the fruition of much which has been planted and cultivated in the past. My wife and I will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary (Woohoo!) at 9 and a half, it just keeps getting better. It really is a joy to be with the person who God has given me, to help shape me, teach me, grow with me and help me. Our spouses are truly gifts from God and deserve to be treasured. We often fail to give them their fair due, which is a crime against both them and God. Let's resolve to express more completely how important and wonderful our spouses are!

Finally, we are expecting another child in 2006. Wow! Great hopes and expectations, indeed. Yes, 2005 was a good year for us and I'm convinced that 2006 will be even better. In the remaining days, I will continue to reflect and evaluate these past 365 days and plan and hope for the next ones. It was a very good year.

Isaiah on Tuesday - Prophecy Against Babylon

There are sections of the Bible which are very difficult to read and even more difficult to reconcile with the image I want to have of God. I want to think of a kind and loving father who cares for his children and his children love him. It's an idyllic image and not altogether wrong. Yet, even as God IS a kind and loving father, He is also holy, just and righteous.

I have found in my readings of Isaiah, among others, that God does not tolerate injustice for long. Again and again we see a God who, though loving and kind, is unwavering in His justice. I can't really claim to understand it, but I accept it as true.

In Isaiah 13, the prophet foretells of the destruction of Babylon from the Medes. These were apparently a cruel and ruthless people in war and would completely raze Babylon, killing even infants and women as they attacked. It is the cruelty of man against man that makes passages like these difficult to stomach. That God would allow us in our falleness to be so cruel and merciless and use that sin as a tool in judgment is a quandary that I continue to ponder.

Yet, even today we continue in human cruelty. From torture and genocide to playground bullying, we remain a cruel and sinful people. My hope lies in the transformed heart and the promise of love, peace, hope, joy, faithfulness, goodness, kindness and self-control that is promised to arise from those who submit to God. It is my belief that God desires those things as well and that the judgment and destruction that comes to the likes of the Babylonians is grievous to Him. I can understand that. I have a hard time with even the mild discipline I apply to my son. Still, while I can begin to grasp the edges of these "judgment" passages, they remain troublesome reading for me. I think that is a good thing. If I weren't troubled by it, it may be time for a heart checkup.

Wednesday's Big Idea: Isaiah 11 and 12

As we enter into the final days before Christmas, I have a brief note for today's big idea. Yesterday, I spent time writing about Isaiah 7-12 (starting with chapter 8, since I devoted an entire post to chapter 7) Today in our prayer group, we read through Isaiah 11 and 12 as a prediction and prelude to the Christmas holiday.

All I can say is, this is a rich, rich passage with much to pray through. I can't really do it justice, so instead of reading my words, read Isaiah's and pray whatever strikes your heart - thanksgiving, praise, requests or petitions, confession, heartache or rejoicing. Unwrap this gift early, take it out and use it - it's a good one.

Isaiah on Tuesday - Christ's Birth Foretold

Long before three wise men from the east came to a sleepy rural town in Israel to worship a boy born in "mean estate", Isaiah prophesied His coming. Last week, I wrote about the beginning of that prophecy in chapter 7, but it didn't stop there. For five more chapters, Isaiah continues to tell of the Messiah's birth and the events that would be its prelude.

Chapter 8 continues chapter seven's introduction setting the stage as darkness descends upon Israel and Assyria is named as the instrument of its destruction. Judgment and promise mix as Isaiah claims

"The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,
he is the one you are to fear,
he is the one you are to dread,

¹⁴ and he will be a sanctuary;
but for both houses of Israel he will be
a stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
a trap and a snare."

The transition from chapter 8 to chapter 9 is a marvelous thing, though. As he closes chapter 8, Isaiah continues his judgment on Israel writing:

"²² Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness."

Yet even in the darkness and gloom, there is hope as chapter 9 opens:

"¹ Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan-

² The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death ^[a]
a light has dawned....

⁶For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, ^[b] Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Once again, however, Isaiah moves from promise back into judgment. The two are rarely, if ever, separated with God. For even as He prunes away that which needs cutting, He promises new life, new growth and new fruit for that which remains. Even as chapter 7 introduced the plot and chapter 8 laid out the primary conflict, chapter 9 closes the introductions with the promise of the Prince of Peace and moves to the first primary character: "8 The Lord has sent a message against Jacob; it will fall on Israel."

Isaiah begins detailing the destruction of Israel by Assyria and the complaint God has against it. This continues into chapter 10 where he laments the fall of Israel:

"Woe to those who make unjust laws,
to those who issue oppressive decrees,

² to deprive the poor of their rights
and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,
making widows their prey
and robbing the fatherless."

The God of justice demands justice from His people, compassion for the poor and freedom for the oppressed. Yet those who knew the law could not fulfill it and so faced destruction in order to usher in One who could.

Though it was to be the instrument of God's judgment, Assyria itself would also be judged. Blinded by pride and not understanding that victory alone is the LORD's, the king of Assyria wrongfully assumes that the destruction reaped upon Israel was due to some power of his own. Once His work is done, God's judgment will come upon Assyria for their crimes are no less than Israel's. God is clearing space for the arrival of His son and in Him is all sovereignty and power.

As Assyria faces the judgment of God, His promise begins to be restored to those remaining:

"²⁰In that day the remnant of Israel,
the survivors of the house of Jacob,
will no longer rely on him
who struck them down
but will truly rely on the LORD,
the Holy One of Israel.

²¹ A remnant will return, ^[b] a remnant of Jacob
will return to the Mighty God."

So we begin the denouement of the six verses. "A remnant will return", shear-jashub, the name of Isaiah's son from chapter 7. The conclusion starts in Chapter 10, verse 20 but continues through chapter 12.

Again we see a beautiful transition. Chapter 10 concludes with the remnant, a mere stump of a tree cut down to almost nothing, but we see in chapter 11 that in that stump is hope:

" ¹ A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

² The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -

³ and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;

⁴ but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

⁵ Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist."

Chapter 11 gloriously details the promise of God as Israel is restored, united and brought to completion under the new king - the Prince of Peace, Everlasting Father.

A few asides worth noting:

Verse four above uses "judge" in a way we are not used to, but in a more accurate and complete way. A judge is intended to deliver justice. He will "give decisions FOR the poor of the earth." We should not fear judgment, for with it comes promise. It is only those who refuse to accept the judgments of God, refuse to repent that need fear it. Judgment is the refinement of who we are by God, and through it we are purified as gold.

"The Spirit of the Lord" likely is what John refers to as the "Sevenfold" Spirit of God. See last week's Big Idea, for my post on that.

As chapter 11 closes, we have the epilogue - chapter 12. Because of the things accomplished in the previous chapter, Isaiah is driven to sing a song of praise. In a short burst of worship, Isaiah acknowledges the judgment, but exalts the LORD for His promise. Salvation has come at last and that is songworthy indeed.

Chapter 12:

¹ In that day you will say:
"I will praise you, O LORD.
Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away
and you have comforted me.

² Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation."

³ With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.

⁴ In that day you will say:
"Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted.

⁵ Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the world.

⁶ Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,
for great is the Holy One of Israel among you."

Wednesday's Big Idea: The Seven-Fold Spirit

I've always wondered about that phrase in Revelation, "The seven spirits of God" - also interpreted as "The seven-fold spirits". It always seemed an odd phrase, but John's Revelation was such an odd book so I didn't really think about it too much. Well, today my friend Jason pointed out an explanation which comes in the book of Isaiah.

The relevant passages are Revelation 4:

"Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits^[a] of God." (v.5b)

And Isaiah 11:

¹ A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

² The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -

³ and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;

So there it is right in front of my eyes (or at least a glimpse at it.)

1. The Spirit of wisdom
2. The Spirit of understanding
3. The Spirit of counsel
4. The Spirit of power
   
5. The Spirit of Knowledge
6. The Spirit of the fear of the LORD

There is one missing unless you count the overarching Spirit of the Lord, so I need to do some more digging on this, but for me this is great. I know I will be praying that the sevenfold spirit will rest on me and others.

Luke 11:13 says, "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" The Father longs to give us the Holy Spirit, if only we have the courage of children to ask.

Isaiah on Tuesday - O Come, Emmanuel

This week, appropriately enough, I am writing about Isaiah 7 - the chapter which first mentions Emmanuel and foretells the birth of the messiah. It is surrounded by a prophecy to the king, but also spoken in rebuke. It is an interesting exchange and I will comment about it below.

I don't have a whole lot of time this week, so if you would like to do further reading, check out these classic commentaries on Isaiah 7: http://eword.gospelcom.net/comments/isaiah/mhc/isaiah7.htm

There is a good deal of content in this chapter, but I would like to focus on the following few verses:

Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, ¹¹ "Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights."

¹² But Ahaz said, "I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test."

¹³ Then Isaiah said, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Emmanuel.

The LORD, speaking through Isaiah exhorts Ahaz the king to trust in God and ask for a sign. Feigning piety, Ahaz refuses, but is quickly rebuked. Isaiah announces the sign if Emmanuel, "God with us", born of the virgin, of the line of David, to bring salvation to earth.

Isaiah precedes these verses with words of hope and admonition: Judah will not be destroyed, its enemies will be shattered, "If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all." Asking Ahaz to trust Him, the LORD declares a prophecy of salvation and commands the king to ask for a sign. The juxtaposition is almost comical - do you have faith? Ask for a sign. Ahaz was looking for an escape route and he fell upon Deuteronomy, yet he forgot to whom he was talking.

Christ rebuked Satan in the wilderness with this same refrain, but Satan was questioning Jesus' authority, "If you are the Son of God..." This time it was God questioning the king. James tells us, "God does not tempt anyone" (James 1:13) so we know that God wasn't trapping Ahaz, at least not in the way we would think. Ahaz didn't have the faith to ask for a sign, to believe God's words and trust Him completely. Instead, he hid, but was given a sign anyway - Emmanuel.

Through a virgin God will be with us, "the word will become flesh", and Judah and all the world will be saved. We have entered into the Advent and Christmas season, we can be thankful that the prophecy - the sign - was given and indeed, God was with us and continues to be with us.

"If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all."

Torture is Wrong

I haven't had much free time the past two days and won't really have much chance to post until the weekend (if I'm lucky), but since it's Friday I thought I'd throw a current events topic out there: torture. It's a huge a topic and I don't have time to comment, so I'll post a couple of links:

Andrew Sullivan writes a really good article in The New Republic:

WINNING THE WAR ON TERRORISM WITHOUT SACRIFICING FREEDOM.

The Abolition of Torture (registration may be required)

A few choice quotes:

"Torture is the polar opposite of freedom. It is the banishment of all freedom from a human body and soul, insofar as that is possible. As human beings, we all inhabit bodies and have minds, souls, and reflexes that are designed in part to protect those bodies: to resist or flinch from pain, to protect the psyche from disintegration, and to maintain a sense of selfhood that is the basis for the concept of personal liberty. What torture does is use these involuntary, self-protective, self-defining resources of human beings against the integrity of the human being himself. It takes what is most involuntary in a person and uses it to break that person's will. It takes what is animal in us and deploys it against what makes us human. As an American commander wrote in an August 2003 e-mail about his instructions to torture prisoners at Abu Ghraib, "The gloves are coming off gentlemen regarding these detainees, Col. Boltz has made it clear that we want these individuals broken."

...

"The infliction of physical pain on a person with no means of defending himself is designed to render that person completely subservient to his torturers. It is designed to extirpate his autonomy as a human being, to render his control as an individual beyond his own reach. That is why the term "break" is instructive. Something broken can be put back together, but it will never regain the status of being unbroken--of having integrity. When you break a human being, you turn him into something subhuman. You enslave him. This is why the Romans reserved torture for slaves, not citizens, and why slavery and torture were inextricably linked in the antebellum South."

...

"What you see in the relationship between torturer and tortured is the absolute darkness of totalitarianism. You see one individual granted the most complete power he can ever hold over another. Not just confinement of his mobility--the abolition of his very agency. Torture uses a person's body to remove from his own control his conscience, his thoughts, his faith, his selfhood."

One thing Sullivan doesn't discuss, at least to my satisfaction, is the affect of torture on the torturer. I would like to echo what I wrote last week about the death penalty - ensuring that torture or anything that resembles it is illegal keeps those who would be in the position to commit such acts safe. It is a mercy to the actors as well as the victim. I have more to say on this, but not more time. More later.

Wednesday's Big Idea: Rings and Robes

One of the most amazing things about God is His unending grace. It sounds cliche, but not only does he shower us with mercy (not getting what one deserves) He also follows it up with a sound helping of grace (getting a gift - unearned.)

The title of this post comes from the story of the prodigal son who, upon returning to his father's house, received not a stern rebuke or demotion to servanthood, but a robe on his back and a ring on his finger. Both items were signs of welcome and inclusion back into the family. The ring, especially, denoted authority likely being a family signet ring. Despite his mistakes and wanderings, the son was welcomed back into the family and given the authority to act in its name.

The best part of the story is that it is a parable of our relationship to God. The Father welcomes us back from our wanderings and wants to give us honor and authority as one of His sons, representative of His glory. As one welcomed back, however, it is too easy for us to hang our robes in the closet and put the ring in our pocket. We take them out periodically, admire them and think about how nice they are, but we don't wear them as a matter of routine. The problem with this is that the robe and ring were meant to be worn.

God has given us a robe like Joseph's, His glory should adorn us and we should put that garment on every day. Isaiah 61 is full of references to our clothing: a garment of praise, garments of salvation and a a robe of righteousness. There are constant allusions to the Father putting radiant clothes on His children which reflect His glory, His majesty and His love for us. He desires us to be arrayed in beauty, for He is a beautiful God. It is up to us to not only accept the gift, but to wear it, show it off to say to people, "Look! This is my God, my Father who clothes me as a prince, though I be only a pauper. He has a robe for you, too."

Adorning us in splendor, however, is not the end. He also puts a ring on our finger and gives us the power and authority of sons. Timothy tells us we have "a spirit of power, love and self-discipline." Jesus told His disciples that "whatever you bind on earth will be bound and what you loose will be loosed." This is authority granted to them (and us) by the only one who may grant it. Peter tells us (1 Peter 4:11) that "[i]f anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God." exhorting us to claim our authority, Peter is saying that we must speak carefully, but definitively.

As I pursue this thing called faith, I am confronted with the fact that God wants me to be His representative and ambassador on this earth. He has given me the tools I need (grace, mercy, love, authority, glory...) but it is up to me to use them. He expects me to wear my robe and ring and use what they represent - wisely and with humility, yes, but use them. It is an extreme act of faith, but my prayer is that I would put on my robe and ring and never take them off.

Isaiah on Tuesday - Isaiah's Commission

Did you ever wish God would come right out and give you your job assignment? The prophets always seemed to have a clear idea of what they were doing, where they were going and the words they needed to say. In today's look at Isaiah, we get to witness first-hand that revelation in stunning detail.

Isaiah 6 is one of my favorite chapters in all of the Bible. It encapsulates so much of the character of God and His relationship to us. Isaiah was likely praying in the temple when God came to him in a vision - a vision which was so visceral it took him through the spectrum of human emotions and was a defining point in his life.

Isaiah's Vision
At first, Isaiah witnesses the authority and majesty of God - He is seated on a throne and the vestments of kingship are so vast that the entire temple is filled with it. Six-winged seraphs fly above Him in a posture of worship singing the eternal song: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." The song illuminates the power and glory of God, the doorposts shake and the temple fills with smoke.

In the presence of a holy God, Isaiah's fallenness is exposed - he cannot help by cry out, "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." I can't imagine standing in the presence of God - all my human failings exposed, every thought, every relationship bright under the light of His glory. Yet, it is what follows that always astounds me. The nature of God is revealed and we understand His father-heart just a little bit more. God does not deny Isaiah's sinfulness, but forgives it and purifies the man preparing him for his commission.

Isaiah's Responses
In the first eight verses of this chapter we are exposed to the glory and power of God, followed by His great mercy and finally His grace. What must have seemed like an eternity for Isaiah, seems only minutes to us, yet in those minutes we witness what I think God has for all of us. As we enter into His presence, He exposes our sin. We can try to hide or deny it, but that leaves us undone. Isaiah confessed to all present not only his own sins, but the sins of his nation. God knew them before he uttered a word, yet I believe the confession allowed for atonement. The atonement prepared Isaiah to receive the the precious gift of a clear purpose - words and actions which would guide his life.

Let me elaborate a little further on the exchange, because I think it is so important. Experiencing the overwhelming glory, power and holiness of God, Isaiah confesses his iniquities. The confession leads to atonement, after which God asks a question, "Whom shall I send?" Isaiah answers, "Here am I. Send Me!" and God makes Isaiah His messenger. At several points Isaiah had the opportunity to hide, deny the truth or refuse to answer God's question. At each point, he chose wisely, and as we read further, this allowed Isaiah to ask a clarifying question of God (verse 11.)

Lessons Learned
I have yet to experience such a revelation from God. I both covet and fear such an encounter, I wonder if I may just get stuck at "Woe is me." I often wish for such a clear idea of what my next steps should be. I long to hear the question, "Whom shall I send?" and my hope would be that I would reply as zealously as Isaiah, "Send me!" Meantime, the lessen remains for me: come to God in worship, confess my sins, accept His mercy and submit to His sovereignty.

Listening to God seems much more of a deliberate, active pursuit these days and I try to make times and places specifically for that. I don't know if I will ever see seraphs flying over the throne of God (at least here on earth!) but I believe that in seeking Him, my mission and purpose here becomes clearer and better defined. In the end I think I share that desire of all - to hear my Father say, "Well done."

Current Events Round Up: Death Penalty Debate Heats Up

This week, the death penalty debate reignites as executions are committed, commuted and mulled over.

The 1,000th person was executed (Reuters) since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976. Eugene Robinson and E.J. Dionne weigh in on the debate with Robinson questioning how clemency and executions can be fair in this age of celebrity. Should "Tookie" Williams be executed for his murders or granted clemency because of his repentance? Robinson thinks the latter, but wants to see the death penalty gone for everyone. See: No Special Break for Tookie (Washington Post)

Dionne expresses similar sentiments but comments on "Virginia Gov. Mark Warner's decision this week to grant clemency..." The case discussed here is somewhat different as DNA evidence was destroyed by a court clerk, making any potential appeal or exonerating evidence all but impossible. It's a good read and a brief history of the political climate in which the death penalty debate has been waged. See: The Politics of Punishment (Washington Post)

I've had discussions about the death penalty with friends who are advocates of it and I will admit that on purely philosophical/theoretical grounds, a solid argument can be made for the death penalty. The theoretical assumptions behind those arguments, however, don't hold up in the real world. For one thing, people make mistakes. If a single innocent person is killed that is one too many and unfortunately the number is higher than one.

Mistakes, however, aren't the only issue. How do we take into account mental ability? Age or maturity? Should the crime equal the punishment regardless of context? Very few thinking people would allow for no extenuating circumstances. Yet, in a courtroom the very nature of a capital case stirs deep emotions and a good attorney knows how to incite anger and outrage in those jurors given the daunting task of sentencing a person to death. Oh, and if a person is against the death penalty, that person won't sit on a capital case, the prosecutors assure that.

The real world is just too messy and complex for the theoretical arguments to ever apply to reality. A person should absolutely be held accountable for their crimes, that is just. The death penalty, however, allows for no mistakes, no lapses in judgment, no subjectivity. We are just not capable of applying the exacting standards necessary to every single person who stands before a judge. That is, unfortunately, a matter of being a fallible human being.

That brings me to one last point - I don't ever want to put a person in the position of having to make that grave decision, or be in that position myself. Governors and the president all have the ability to commute sentences, prosecutors have the ability (within sentencing guidelines) to ask for it, juries are given the responsibility to sentence a person to death. While there is some choice in the matter for all those people, it is a monumental one. I would never want to face the outside pressure to kill someone. Neither would I want to decide whose sentence gets commuted and whose gets committed. Rarely do we think about the mental, emotional and spiritual weight placed upon those people responsible for the executions, especially in the case where an innocent is killed. To me, abolishing the death penalty is as much a mercy to those people as the inmates on death row.

I would hope that some day soon the United States would choose to end its use of capital punishment. It may be a state by state effort, but in the interest of justice I think it is necessary. Not so much because the punishment itself is unjust, although I have my doubts, but moreso because its application will always be.

A Father's Voice: Affection

I'm going to be a father - again! Woohoo! My son is going to have a sibling, which I think is great for all involved. That doesn't really have anything to do with this post, but it does add additional weight and relevance for me - my responsibility has just doubled.

Figuring out this thing called "fatherhood" can be tough for those of us without any formal training. "Formal training?" you ask, "Who has formal training?" Well, nobody I know, but it seems like it would be a pretty good idea. My knowledge comes from observing my father and others', which I was fortunate to have. Many men don't even have a father to look to, and others have poor examples. Even given a good example, however, the training we receive is completely colored by the fact that we children. We aren't consciously learning about fatherhood, we just sort of absorb it and then try to reach back when suddenly it is us witch children.

I have no idea what formalized father-training would look like, but I'm sure there are universal things children need and look for in a father. Additionally, as the representative of God the Father to our children, there is added gravity. The view of our Heavenly Father which our children develop is heavily influenced by their view of earthly fathers. My desire is to accurately represent The Father to the best of my ability, which brings me to this week's topic: affection.

In American society, male affection, especially for other males, is extremely reserved. Handshakes replace hugs and kisses just don't happen except for the very young. This reservation is, I think, somewhat detrimental particularly as it concerns our sons. Children seek physical contact for reassurance and security and it is the earliest forms of communication they understand. We hold babies to comfort them when they cry and toddlers when they are scared but somewhere along the way the physical bond becomes distant dissolving into high-fives, pats on the back, handshakes or, for the very affectionate, a side-hug.

If Jesus' story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11ff) were told in modern day America, the father would see the son coming from a great distance, run out to greet him and promptly stick out his hand and say, "welcome home, son!" with a hearty handshake. Then, draping one arm over his sons shoulder he would usher him home for a hearty feast. I just have a hard time picturing God greeting me with a handshake. This is the Father that Jesus called "Abba", the Hebrew equivalent of "daddy." Jesus' picture rings truer to me, "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him."

It is my belief that we lose much when we restrain our affections for our sons in particular. The loss is increased by the fact that we tend to reserve our verbal affections as well. Our reservation and stoicism is a hard cultural bond to break, but I think we would do well to break it. As I mentioned above, physical affection is likely the earliest form of communication we understand. That language does not disappear once we learn to speak. An embrace speaks volumes (even to adults!) without the need to ever utter a word.

Affection awakens our emotions to one another and builds intimacy. It is a physical and verbal expression of how we feel towards each other - something that should come easily between family and friends. Withholding affection, I think, leads to, if not coldness, an appearance of coldness. The invitation of a handshake or verbal greeting is substantively different than a hug. It creates distance and insulates us from intimacy.

While I think a greater intimacy with one another is a good and necessary thing and a result of affection, the greater benefit comes when we approach the throne of our Father. If we are able to exhibit and receive affection in the natural world, we will be better equipped to give and receive it in the supernatural. Our heavenly Father has great affection for us, but unless we are able and willing to receive it, that affection will not be manifest. God longs for our affection as well - a father wants to know that his love is reciprocated.

As we show affection for our children, so they will learn to give and receive affection. So hug your children today and tomorrow and the day after that. Tell them you love them and let them have no doubt about it. Whether they are 2 or 32, sons and daughters want to know they are loved and cared for by their fathers. Let them know.

Wednesday's Big Idea: Practical Wisdom

For several weeks now, we've been discussing and praying through wisdom on Wednesdays. Our primary text has come from proverbs 9 but today we also looked at the value that Biblical writers gave wisdom.

Proverbs 3:13-15 says "Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her."

Proverbs 4:7 says "Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding."

Great value is attributed to wisdom, making it something worth striving for, even giving up all one has. I understand that wisdom is a valuable thing, but I continue to understand what exactly it is. I ask for it (James 1:5), but do I really understand what I am asking for?

Proverbs 9 tells us that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." This tells me where to begin - I need to understand "the fear of the Lord." What is that? Deuteronomy 10:12ff gives a pretty good primer on that - obedience, reverence, worship are all good synonyms for "fear of the Lord." I can understand and pursue those which puts me at the beginning of wisdom, but it doesn't tell me what wisdom is.

James attempts clarify this thing called wisdom in his epistle. He writes in Chapter 3 what a life of wisdom looks like:

"¹³Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. ¹⁵Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. ¹⁶For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

¹⁷But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness."

Here James lays out a contrast between two types of wisdom: earthly and heavenly. Earthly wisdom seeks to benefit and aggrandize the self while heavenly wisdom seeks to edify. Heavenly wisdom seeks to unite, earthly wisdom seeks to divide.

Here now we can begin to understand practical wisdom. Wisdom, as does faith, bears good fruit. The deeds of a person demonstrate wisdom or folly. We can begin to ask ourselves, "is this action peace-loving? No, then it is not wise. Is this action merciful and sincere? No? Then it is not wise." Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and part of the wisdom He grants is predicting the outcome of our actions and understanding our own motivations.

So, it seems, a few more baby steps in and wisdom starts with the fear of the Lord and continues with our ability to ask probing questions of ourselves. Perhaps the next step is the ability to find accurate answers.

Isaiah on Tuesday - Wrong Priorities

It's very easy to get going in the wrong direction and once we've started it's hard to make a course correction. We find Israel on just such a trajectory in Isaiah 5:8-30. As if the "Vintner's Lament"(v.1-7) wasn't strong enough, Isaiah feels the need to explain just how off course the nation has become.

Those who have, add to what they have with endless greed. They seek only to expand the boundaries of their hedonism. Great banquets are held and musicians are hired, yet no thanks is given for the bounty, the music is in praise of themselves. Worship is given to wine and the works of their hand and nothing is left for the One who gives it.

The priorities and worldview of this people has become so inverted that Isaiah has them living in a Bizzaro Israel:

20"Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.

²¹ Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
and clever in their own sight.

²² Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine
and champions at mixing drinks,

²³ who acquit the guilty for a bribe,
but deny justice to the innocent.

Everything that should be, isn't and everything that is, shouldn't be. For this reason, Isaiah says they will be overcome by their enemies and overcome.

The lesson for us is not to follow in Israel's path. I have no doubt that it was a gradual decline and inversion that occurred, not a sudden rebellion or upheaval. When going a short distance, a one degree deviation will not take one far from the destination. In a long journey, however, one degree can bring one hundreds of miles off course. In our faith journey, we must be making constant course corrections as the world draws our focus and our priorities in the wrong direction. It is a daily (if not more frequent!) struggle to avoid the fate of Isaiah's Israel.

Wednesday's Big Idea: Thanksgiving!

This is a post from the future (it's currently Tuesday!) but I won't be able to make it to Wednesday prayer so I'll offer up this rather obvious idea - give thanks! Thankfulness is a very important attribute in the Christian life, I would say vital. It is a recognition that all blessings flow from God, the Father of heavenly lights. Thankfulness is an act of humility that places our faith in God rather than ourselves.

What is the opposite? Pride. Only the proud would fail to be thankful, only the proud believe that they are the source of what they have. We often face such dividing lines; lines which move us either in the direction of wisdom or the direction of folly. The wise are thankful, for they recognize the grace under which they operate. Thankfulness allows us to approach the throne of God, recognizing His goodness and provision for our lives.

What am I thankful for? Many things - my family, wife and son who bring me much joy, my job and the provision of God, my church and the fellowship of believers. I am thankful for the mercy of God which allows me to be His son despite my many faults and failures. I am thankful for His love continually drawing me close, despite the world's gravity to pull me away. I am thankful for hope and joy and love which are greater gifts than all the material provision which are graciously lavished upon me.

As we celebrate this American holiday of Thanksgiving, let us remember what we have to be thankful for. Let it also be a reminder that we have much to be thankful for, not only every last Thursday in November, but every day of our lives.

Isaiah on Tuesday: A Vintner's Lament

Today we take up Isaiah 5:1-7 in which Isaiah pens a song of lament for the nation of Israel. This is a lament of one who has done everything to ensure the success of His children, yet despite the blessing of the Father, the children have become prodigal. It is, in the end, a call to justice and righteousness, a call that echoes through the ages even to us.

Isaiah sings a song - a metaphor of a vintner and his field in which we hear the Father's voice grieve for His beloved children. The farmer plants vines in a fertile field, tends the vines and guards them. He awaits good fruit, but none arrive. The farmer has done everything in his power to enable the success of his vineyard, yet the vines do not respond. Because of the unyielding branches, the vintner decides to remove the walls of protection, forgo tending the garden and allow it to become a field of thorns and brambles.

Isaiah spells out the metaphor in the last verse (7):

"The vineyard of the LORD Almighty
is the house of Israel,
and the men of Judah
are the garden of his delight.
And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed;
for righteousness, but heard cries of distress."

God had set Israel and Judah up for success. He had given them a fertile land, walls of protection, laws and judges. He had led them out of slavery and to a promised land, yet they forsook Him. Look at the indictment: injustice and unrighteousness. The victims of the crimes were not just people wronged, but people subjected to violence and oppression.

This was not the leadership God intended, it was not a reflection of Him. There was no compassion, no mercy, no justice, no righteousness. At last, God looked upon this nation and judged it unfruitful, and though it grieved Him, He could not deny Himself nor His truth. God would remove His protection and blessing from Israel and Judah. He could not continue to condone and allow these things in His name.

This should be sobering for us as well. God does not change His mind. His character is immutable and eternal. The expectation of justice and righteousness is upon us as it was upon ancient Israel. The Father looks down upon His children and desires no less of us, perhaps He desires more. We have been granted greater latitude under the mercy and grace of Christ, yet with the new covenant comes greater responsibility.

The Sermon on the Mount spells out the spirit law and brings into sharper focus its meaning. We are not called to strictly follow a set of rules in acts only, but we are to have transformed hearts and spirits. Our acts should only be reflections of our desire to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and our neighbors as ourselves.

I continue to wonder what Isaiah would be saying to us if he were alive today. I have the sense that his words would not be much different. He may look at us and sing the vintner's lament. Most certainly he would exhort us to justice and righteousness, encouraging us where we do well, but admonishing us where we fail.

Current Events Round Up: Tangled Webs

There is a lot of interesting stuff in the air:
Patrick Fitzgerald just requested a new grand jury
The Jack Abramoff investigation continues to show the he who owns the gold makes the rules
The Chemical weapons found in Iraq! (Unfortunately, it was the US using white phosphorous in Fallujah)
Bush threatens to veto a ban on torture (why veto a ban on something we don't do?)

I could easily spend a good number of words on any of the above, but I've decided to devote this post to another big issue - a not so current event, but one that is currently prominent in the news: the Bush administration's PR campaign in the lead up to the current Iraq War.

The White House is furiously fighting back against its critics who have now found a loud and concerted voice - funny how polls help reinforce the spinal column. (WSJ/NBC poll, 57% "think that President Bush deliberately misled people to make the case for war.") While they're two years late, it's nice to see the questions finally being raised in a very public fashion.

Before launching into my commentary it is worth revisiting the history of how got to where we are. In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks the administration sought to go after the terrorists in a big way. The first and easiest target was Afghanistan. The link was easy to draw and the public could easily buy in to military action there. Afghanistan, however, was never high on the administration's foreign policy hit list as compared with Iraq. Many high level officials were itching to invade Iraq and take out Saddam Hussein for reasons which I will discuss below. Rumsfeld and Cheney were chief among those, but there were many, many more.

The problem with invading Iraq, though, was that there was no good rationale for it. It neither was an imminent threat to the United States, nor one to any of its neighbors. There was no clear line from Iraq to 9/11 or the Al-Qaida network. The challenge, then, was convince the public and congress that military action in Iraq was necessary for national and regional security. Luckily for the administration they had several factors in their favor, notably the national mood after 9/11. This could be leveraged to make a case for war by simple use of propaganda and public manipulation.

Another factor in the administration's favor was the timing. 2002 was a major mid-term election and making Iraq and terrorism a campaign issue would prove to be a successful strategy in manipulating public discourse away from domestic issues and towards foreign military action, an issue which is traditionally a Republican strength. The War Powers Act was easily passed granting Bush the ability to invade at will and Democrats were crushed in the ensuing November elections.

At this point it is worth noting the rhetoric, even if it was given with a wink and a nudge, for the war powers. The line of reasoning was that the threat of force was necessary in order to force Iraq to allow in weapons inspectors. This is actually a very important point, because the primary rationale for war was the presence of WMDs and the possibility that Hussein would share them with terrorist enemies of the United States. Remember the two main thrusts of the argument: WMDs and terrorist ties.

It was all downhill from there. The weapons inspectors were allowed in (remember Hans Blix and Muhammed Al-Barradei?) and the administration continued to push the WMD and terrorist lines. You may recall Bush's allusion to Niger Uranium in the State of the Union address and Cheney's continued instistance the Mohammad Atta met with Iraqi intelligence in Prague. I'll drill down on the specifics later, but those are fairly memorable talking points.

In early Spring of 2003 the push for war was running into a problem. Not only was there a large and vocal global opposition, the weapons inspectors weren't finding any weapons. Not only were there no weapons, there were no production facilities, no delivery mechanisms, nothing. Condaleeza Rice was grasping at aluminum tubes and Colin Powell was worrying us with model airplanes. If inspections were to continue, they would find exactly what we found post-invasion - nothing. With the rationale for war evaporating and a hot Iraqi summer on the way, it was important to invade before the public cottoned on that Iraq not only had no weapons and no ties to Al-Qaida, but its conventional military was a wreck having never recovered from the first gulf war and debilitated from years of sanctions.

It was under those circumstances that we invaded Iraq, apparently to liberate the Iraqi people from a tyrant (which Saddam was) and to bring stability, democracy and peace to the region (which we haven't.) The roses and candy we were supposed to be greeted with were a myth, the cost of the war grossly understated and the number of troops to actually be successful weren't deployed. Now, two years later, a majority of the American people are starting to grow tired of a failed foreign policy based on half-truths and rosy predictions (at best.)

That is a brief summary, I'd like to fill in the many source citations, which I may get to, but since this is a blog and not an academic thesis, it will suffice for now. Needless to say, they are out there, I'm just suffering under time restrictions.

Neo-conservatism and War
I mentioned above that I would write about why Iraq invasion was high on the foreign policy objectives of the administration. A good start would be to visit the website of The Project for the New American Century Their statement of purpose is short and worth a read - be careful to read between the lines, though (not to mention examining the signatories.) This philosophy is based on overwhelming force to "[extend] an international order friendly to our security, our prosperity, and our principles." A key concept worth noting is force projection - the ability to deliver overwhelming force anywhere in the world at any time. In other words, when diplomacy can't get us what we want, use the military. Note the order of priorities: Security, prosperity, principles. Security is narrowly defined as military security - forget about being secure from the ravages of disease, poverty or injustice. Prosperity, as well, is narrowly defined. Protecting our large corporate interests - mom and pop don't count. What about our principles? (and who belongs to this "our" they are talking about?) Clearly "our" principles are Machiavellian - whatever means will get us the first two ends is justified.

The specifics of Iraq, then, come into focus quite sharply. An invasion of Iraq projects our military might into the heart of the Middle East. Easy access is granted to Iran, Syria, and Saudi Arabia as well as being within striking distance of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Iraq is also key to oil production in the Middle East. It has vast oil fields, is an OPEC member, has gulf and pipeline access. Controlling these factors brings leverage to OPEC, secures our oil interests in the gulf and ensures that we have access to a vital security resource when we need it.

Make no mistake, oil is very much a part of the Iraq strategy. Our oil reserves were tapped in the wake of Katrina because imported oil could not make its way via gulf ports. China is consuming more oil every year as its industry grows and more affluent citizens exchange bicycles for cars and production is unable to keep up with demand. To deny oil has anything to do with Iraq is to turn a blind eye to the stated reasons for the war - any of which could be applied to a dozen states around the world.

Neo-conservative philosophy is rooted in the desire to maintain American dominance in the world militarily, economically and politically. The tactics employed are largely military-based reinforced by economic force projection. It is a philosophy rooted in fear - the fear of not being in control, of not being able to protect "our interests" at home and abroad. It seems that adherents to neo-conservativism have wrapped their identity in being "number one." Any possibility that the United States may not, in fact, be the preeminent superpower is not only a blow to their personal interests, but their person. Their is no humility, no sense of cooperation or compassion - only us and our interests.
For more on the roots of neo-conservative foreign policy look into realism and neo-realism. Again, the focus is on "national interests" and a pessimistic worldview. By pessimistic I mean that each state competes for its own interests and no state cooperates except for its own good.

The Iraq PR Campaign
With the motives and philosophies laid out, it is easy to see how the PR campaign was waged. I use the term "PR campaign" because it was a slick amalgam of fact and fiction. Words were carefully chosen to be precise and accurate, yet lead to false presumptions. Examining the words of administration officials leave plenty of outs for those who wish to claim that the statements weren't lies, yet it was clear that they were not made in good faith.

There are efforts underway at various sites around the web to document the specifics, so I won't go into deep detail. For one, I would be woefully incomplete and for another, I just don't have time to go over the massive amount of material. I would, however, like to go over a couple of the major canards laid out by the administration.

The first is the nuclear argument. The possibility of chemical weapons in Iraq was a big question mark to intelligence agencies. Some thought they may be there, others weren't so sure. Regardless, the threat wasn't enough to sell the war to the public. Nuclear weapons, on the other hand, sent collective shivers across the country. Couple this with the second major deception - ties with Al-Qaida - and the public was ready to send in the troops (well, at least a majority of them were.) The only problem with the nuclear argument was that it was extremely weak. That's why the Niger Uranium story, Joseph Wilson's op-ed in the New York Times and those famous sixteen words in the State of the Union were such a big deal.

The repeated claims from the administration came in scary imagery (a mushroom cloud), misleading intelligence (aluminum tubes), and known forgeries (Niger uranium.) The first is instructive because no factual claims were actually made, "We don't want the evidence to come in the form of a mushroom cloud" (my paraphrase.) That language was used to intentionally evoke a nightmare image without making a statement that needed to be verified - propaganda at its finest.

The aluminum tube claim was using a remote (if that) possibility that the tubes could be used to refine fissile material for nuclear weapons. The only problem was that the best intelligence we had disputed that claim. This is an example of cherry picking disputed intelligence claims and presenting them to the public as indisputable fact. Did an intelligence agency state that the tubes may be used for refining uranium? Yes. Was that claim disputed by another agency? Yes - and that agency happened to have expertise in nuclear energy, being part of the DOE. Again, I believe if we look at the statements, they are carefully crafted to be both factual and misleading. Only a careful and skeptical reading (or hearing) of the statements would leave any hint of doubt, though those making them surely knew that what they were saying was intended to mislead the public.

Claims of Niger uranium were disproved, or at least in significant question by Fall 2002. The CIA repeatedly fought attempts to insert the claim into presidential speeches, successfully getting it removed from an October 2002 speech, but failing in the State of the Union. It may sound like the onus was on the Agency, which is not my intention. The Agency relayed the facts, which hadn't changed between October and January. The administration conveniently forgot, was willfully ignorant or simply ignored the unpleasant truth - the Nigerian uranium angle was unreliable at best. Tenant and Hadley took the blame for the State of the Union, but this seems to me very much to have been a smoke screen given the factual history.

Finally, let's look at the Al-Qaida claim. This was once again a masterful work of propaganda, mixing factual statements, scary words (terrorists) and misleading claims. The factual statements were of the type similar to "Hussein supported terrorism because the Iraqi government gave money to families of suicide bombers." While this may perhaps technically be "supporting terrorism" it was supporting attacks on Israel in support of Palestinians. This is certainly abhorrent, but it was not in support of Islamic fundamentalism in general, nor of Al-Qaida in particular. Remember, Iraq was a secular country. Islam would (and is now) tear apart the country, especially given the Sunni minority in power at the time. Fundamentalism was a serious threat to Hussein and he therefore opposed it out of self-interest.

Combining the factual statements above with the word "terrorism" and then insinuating a tie with Al-Qaida was a deliberate attempt to draw a line the administration knew to be false. Any ties to the terrorist group were shaky at best, relying on a hospital stay of one mid-level operative and a non-existent meeting between Mohammad Atta and Iraqi intelligence in Prague. As noted above, Vice President Dick Cheney repeatedly made the second claim long after it was disavowed by every major intelligence agency including Czech intelligence. Again, the words can be parsed to be factually accurate, but totally misleading. Knowing that the meeting did not occur (or at least with 99.99% accuracy), Cheney continued to state that it was a possibility, although "he didn't know for certain." Juxtaposing the intelligence timeline with the statement timeline will show that these statements were knowingly false (or at least strongly in doubt), yet the administration continued to make their case.

The M&C Tie-in
This blog's focus tends to be on matters of faith. I devote one day a week, or so, to current events because I think it is important to view what's going on in the world through my Christian faith. This issue is particularly important because I believe that we are not only called to speak truth to power, but to expect truth FROM power. It is a dialogue, not a monologue. When matters of war are concerned, it is vital that we enter into such things with sober judgments and all the facts we can gather. If the government is to make a case for war, it must make it honestly and in good faith. The words must convince us on their merits and the reasons must be philosophically and morally sound (if that is ever possible for war.)

I am now implicated in the deaths of thousands of people. It was my government that went to war, it was my senators who voted for a war powers act it is my tax dollars that continue to pay for an immoral and illegal occupation. I don't claim that I was misled into supporting the war - I never did - but I am disappointed and outraged that my government would fail to live up to its stated ideals. The war continues to be a tragedy and a dividing point in this country and abroad. My hope is that we can all learn from it and expect more from my elected officials - and this is what I expect, "To do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8) It may be too much to expect justice, mercy and humility from our elected officials, but I continue to hold out hope.

Isaiah on Tuesday Friday - Promise for Jerusalem

1. Another quick hit - I'm playing catch-up here, but luckily we only have 4 verses to cover. Isaiah provides a beautiful picture of redemption for the remnant remaining in Jerusalem, "Those left...will be called holy." The city polluted by the idolatry, violence and sin of its inhabitants will be cleansed by a "spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire."

There isn't much for me to add to this section really - a promise of protection and shelter is made to these inhabitants. The Glory of the Lord will be present there providing guidance, direction and sanctuary:

"⁵ Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over all the glory will be a canopy. ⁶ It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain."

Isaiah's vision is a city restored, protected and covered by the Glory of God. In chapter 5, Isaiah returns to a vision of people who by all rights should be living under this canopy, but have chosen a different path.

A Father's Voice: Kill Your TV Part 2

This is just a mini-extension of part 1

A theme that has been coming up for me in church and with discussions about faith is how much faith is linked to intimacy. Intimacy with the Father leads to faith and faith leads with intimacy with the Father. Additionally, I believe we were created for intimacy with one another. Jesus even prays for it in John 17 - "May they be one as we are one."

So what struck me when thinking about part 1 is how succinctly intimacy summarizes my point. One of the key reasons I advocate pitching the TV is to build intimacy within the family: intimacy with your spouse and intimacy with your child(ren). It's not a sure-fire solution - there are many ways to avoid intimacy even without a television - but I think TV can be a barrier to building intimate relationships. The process of TV viewing is passive an non-interactive for the most part. While it can be a shared experience, it lacks the dynamic aspects of read-aloud or playing a game.

Killing the television isn't enough. It must also be replaced by something which builds initmate relationships with your children. Far from creating a void, I think it creates an opportunity.

Wednesday's Big Idea: Wisdom

This week was really an extension of last week. Same verses, same prayers (plus a progress check.) We can't really get enough of wisdom. There were definitely some positive answers to prayer, which is always good to hear.

I realized that since "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9), I should probably figure out what the fear of the Lord is. Deutoronomy offered me a pretty good primer, so I'll just quote that here and leave it at that. Seems that this is worth spending some time praying through:

¹² And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹³ and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

¹⁴ To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. ¹⁵ Yet the LORD set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. ¹⁶ Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. ¹⁷ For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. ¹⁸ He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. ¹⁹ And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt. ²⁰ Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. ²¹ He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes. ²² Your forefathers who went down into Egypt were seventy in all, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Isaiah on Tuesday - No Post This Week

Stay tuned. I may get to something this week, we'll see. My weekends and evenings have been packed tight and work has been busy, busy, busy. I'm definitely behind on all my posting, but I haven't abandoned the blog - I just haven't had the time I need. There's so much to post and not enough time (or energy) in the day to get it all done.

I will have a Wednesday's Big Idea tomorrow and I may piggyback off of that. Next week will probably be light, but I have some time off, so maybe I'll actually get some extended posting in - who knows?

The next section for Isaiah is Isaiah 4:2-6 It's really a nice section and I want to do it justice. It's also the remainder of chapter 4. I think they goofed with the chapter division here. 4:1 belongs at the end of 3 and 2-6 seems to be an introduction into 5. Oh well, it is what it is.

Wednesday's Big Idea: Wisdom

A quick post tonight - today we were praying for wisdom, paying close attention to the intersection between faith and wisdom. We were exhorted to pray specifically for an area where we needed wisdom. This is a good exercise, because when we pray specifically, we get specific answers. It stretches our faith while at the same time teaching us about it.

We looked specifically at the following scriptures:
Proverbs 9
James 1 (5-8, 17-18 - but I would just read the whole thing straight through)
James 3:13-18
Psalm 90:12

Isaiah on Tuesday: Facades

This week, Isaiah turns his attention to the women of Zion (v. 3:14-4:1) calling them "haughty", yet I think Isaiah is making a broader cultural statement. In his narrative, the women have adorned themselves with finery, jewelry and perfume and draw attention to themselves, "flirting with their eyes." It seems to me that the underlying issue at hand here is that these women had devalued themselves, thinking that beauty and worth was somehow derived from outward adornments rather than their innate selves. Additionally, the implication seems to be that those they were seeking were interested only in these outward things. I get the picture of a marketplace hawker calling out to potential customers, "Look at these fine wares! Come see for yourselves!"

The judgment is two-fold: the women disguise their true beauty under an artificial veneer and the men continue the cycle. As in the marketplace, supply follows demand. In Isaiah's vision, this will bring a total stripping of outward beauty. The jewelry will be removed, hair will fall out, a stench will replace perfume. The facade that was built up will be removed and what is left is the true person, though bereft of any conventional attractiveness. It is a rare person that ca n look beyond such a surface to see the inward radiance - if such a radiance remains. It is also a rare person that is able to shine through the marred surface and not succumb to the judgments of those around them.

For me the lesson of this passage is this: do not trust in outward appearances, mine or somebody else's. If I seek to hide myself behind clothes or other possessions, I will find that those things will fade away. The thing I had sought to hide me only exposes my weakness further. I separate myself from my fellow humans as well as God, by pretending I am something other than who he made me. No matter how hard we try, we are not who we pretend to be. The flip-side of this, of course, is that I must look past other people's facades as well. Some of those are self-created, others are unwanted. In both cases, I must be willing to try to look with a "God's-eye view." Regardless of our seeming appearance, whether ugly or fine, we are made in God's image. Christ had great compassion on the poor and the sick and saw the inward poverty of the tax-collector and Pharisees. His vision was clear, is mine?

"Those who look to [God] are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame." (Psalm 34:5)

Current Events Round Up: I Say Alito, You Scalito, Budgets Lose Moral Ground, Healthcare American Style, CIA and Torture?Nooo..., Paris is Burning

After last week's rather lame roundup, I've decided to make up for it this week with a mega-post, so here we go.....

I say Alito, You say Scalito
Last week I mentioned that Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination and I thought that wasn't such a bad thing. I also mentioned Scooter Libby's indictment. The White House decided to kill two birds with one stone on Monday by nominating Samuel Alito to replace Sandra Day O'Conner on the Supreme Court. Not only did the nomination begin the confirmation process, it also (very temporarily) took the media away from the leak scandal.

Immediately, conservative groups praised Alito and liberal ones disparaged him. All that money saved up by these interest groups for a public fight over the nomination has to be spent and it looks like it very well may be. The left has deemed Alito "Scalito" in reference to the most outspoken conservative justice on the court, Antonin Scalia, in hopes of shaping public opinion about him. The right simply praises his judicial excellence and his consistently "conservative" rulings over the past 15 years.

I must say, I can't complain about his credentials. The guy's got what it takes both experientially and mentally. The spin I've read doesn't really give his rulings a fair shake ( what can we expect from a few hundred words or interest group's press releases?) I can't say I necessarily agree with all of the rulings I've read about, but there is certainly solid reasoning behind them and he appears to have a consistent philosophy. Is he conservative? Yep. But the bigger question is whether he's qualified and a good person to protect our rights under the constitution. I'll be interested to listen to the hearings, but I suspect he'll be confirmed next year. The Democrats don't have much ammunition right now other than ideological disagreements and I'm not sure that will be enough. Of course, everyone who voted against Roberts must vote against Alito, both as a matter of intellectual honesty and political reality, but I think that will have exactly the same results.

The best thing I've read so far on this is an op-ed by Michael Kinsley titled "What's Too Conservative?" It's short, intelligent and even-handed.

Budgets Lose Moral Ground
I was hoping I wouldn't have to revisit this, but both the House and the Senate are really making a mess of things. First, they feel they can SPEND without limit on their pet projects (see the Transportation Bill), then they cut taxes. As an antidote to the increasing budget deficit, they then CUT spending on those who are the most vulnerable: the poor and the immigrant. At the same time, they seek to violate our environmental integrity by opening up ANWR to oil drilling with little to gain but some modest income and relatively little oil. The following articles lay it out: Food Stamp Cuts Are On Table House Plan Would Affect 300,000
and Senate Passes Plan to Cut $35 Billion From Deficit.

I'm an advocate for fiscal responsibility, but it seems the height of hypocrisy to vote to spend money on pork-barrel projects on one hand and against Medicaid, food stamps and farm subsidies on the other. I would have much more respect for these guys if they were consistent, even if I disagreed with their cuts. Fiscal responsibility means sometimes raising taxes as well.

Healthcare American Style
Here's a shocker for you: Americans pay more for health care than other Western countries and get worse care. Really? That's shocking, just shocking! It's true. The for-profit scam that we call healthcare here in America (for-profit hospitals in collusion with insurance companies) continues to increase prices while we get less and worse for our money. That's the marketplace at work. The study, commissioned by the Commwealth Fund, found Great Britain to have the best performance. Perhaps socialized medicine is actually a good idea? Signs point to yes.

Additional benefits of a British-style system? Medicare and Medicaid, no need for it. Union strikes for better health-care? No need. Actually getting the medication you need instead of choosing between prescriptions and food. It's time to get over the archaic fear of the "s" word and start thinking about what is actually good for the country (although a few insurance companies might disagree.) I suspect this will likely occur when a state (Oregon, California, Washington, Vermont? Come on guys, we can do it!) passes a state-based universal health-care solution. I hope the dominoes start to fall soon.

See:
For Americans, Getting Sick Has Its Price Survey Says U.S. Patients Pay More, Get Less Than Those in Other Western Nations

US leads way in medical errors: study

CIA and Torture?Nooo...
I'm feeling a bit cheeky today, so the tone is a bit sarcastic, but it's about time we face up to it: America is a purveyor of torture. From the CIA-trained Central American death squads of the 80's to Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, we like to talk the talk but we don't walk the walk. We would like to think that our government doesn't do such things, but it's not true. Recently revealed secret CIA detention centers in Eastern Europe add evidence to the argument that parts of our government act above and outside US law and international conventions (which, if ratified ARE US law - see The Constitution of The United States)

The fact is, that we are all created in the image of God and we are expected to treat each other as such. To say that the ends justify the means is a slippery slope that leads to moral ruin. Justice may be upheld without resulting to cruelty and, I would argue, torture circumvents justice. Even if it isn't technically torture, our treatment of prisoners has both violated the Geneva Conventions (Guantanamo Bay) AND the basic tenets of Just detention. It's time we draw clear and bright lines, act justly and humanely and refuse to accept anything less.

See: US defends foreign detentions

Paris is Burning
This is a huge news story that isn't getting much play here in the US. If riots were going on for a week in New York City, we'd hear about it. It seems to be mentioned in passing here. I mention this mostly because it's important to know about. Firstly, it could (and has) happened here. The roots of the rioting are class and race inequality sparked by economic squalor and perceived injustice. This is similar to Watts or LA riots, with the explosive addition of religious tension. I hate to keep beating the same drum, but I think the roots of this event are in a failure of justice. Human sinfulness abound on both sides of this conflict, but had they (and we) a society that "loved mercy, acted justly and walked humbly with our Lord" (Micah 6:8) we would find a much less volatile situation.

See: French riots spread beyond Paris
Rioters Attack Trains, Schools and Businesses in the Paris Suburbs

A Father's Voice: Kill Your Television

There's a pretty popular bumper sticker around here: Kill Your Television. It's a sentiment I share for numerous reasons and I've been thinking about how to put it into words for some time. If I had one piece of advice for new fathers, near the top of the list would definitely be pitch the TV. The negatives of television are easily enumerated: lowered brain state activity, lack of communal interaction, exposure to unwanted imagery and commodification of people (e.g. consumerism) are just a few. Some of those things can be controlled for, others are simply built in to the technology. For this post, however, I don't want to focus on the negatives, but the positive aspect of being TV-free.

From birth, my son has seen very little television. There is occasional exposure, which we don't shy away from, but it is often limited and definitely not constant. At almost two, he is able to entertain himself with toys or, more often, books. He enjoys music, has an active imagination and loves going out to the park, children's museum or library. I don't know if television would have changed any of that, but it's not a risk I'm willing to take.

The advantages for my son, however, are nothing compared to the advantages for me. I purposely don't have the option of popping in a DVD for my son or turning on a show for me. When I come home, I must interact with him. I get to play with him and read to him. We color or play music together. My attention isn't divided and even when I am exhausted after a long day, I can't "veg out" - I must engage both my wife and my son. This is important, not only for the tangible benefits, but for the tacit message that is conveyed: "You are important to me and I want to spend time with you."

As my son grows older, the advantages will become even more obvious. The love of reading alone (which he already manifests) is worth it. He (and I) have more time to read both together and individually. His wants and desires will be formed out of his interests and who he is, rather than what Madison Avenue thinks it should be. Finally, the research shows that television viewing tends to be inversely proportional to physical fitness, academic achievement and attention span, which means the less you watch, the better of you are. As a father who wants the very best for my child, why wouldn't I limit television exposure?

Of all the advantages of killing my television, however, I have to go back to time spent with my family. It is little sacrifice to me to never have seen an episode of "Lost" if that means my wife or son gets an additional hour with me. The time I spend reading to Avi or rough-housing with him is far more precious than any pleasure I may derive from what comes out of the tube - it is also more lasting, even eternal.

I may return to this subject again, but I think there is reason enough here to boot the box. If fathers would take this one simple step, I think you would begin to see the roots of a revolution occurring. It is only a tiny and incomplete step, but an important one. So go ahead - kill your television, you won't regret it.

A Father's Voice: Introduction

This post is the first in what I hope will continue to be my Thursday series: A Father's Voice. The focus of the Thursday posts will be to address the challenges, triumphs and practicalities of being a Christian father in 21st century America.

I continue to see a need to reinvigorate fatherhood in America. Deadbeat dad should never be a household term, nor should we allow fathers to abdicate their responsibility or authority over their children. Parenting is ideally a team project, the mother's voice and father's voice speaking in unison, raising and training up a child. The deficit in fatherhood comes, I think, first from the fact that so many children are raised without a father (or perhaps a father partially there with shared custody.) Those of us blessed enough to have fathers learned fatherhood primarily by example, sometimes good, sometimes not. Somewhere, it seems, we lost fatherhood 101 - what does it mean to be a father and how do you do it? I'm not advocating a one-size-fits-all checklist, but it would be good to at least have some good overarching guidelines.

This series is my attempt to put some form to my nebulous thoughts, to help them solidify into something concrete and to make whatever intelligence I may gather "actionable." To that end, I start with a very practical piece of advice: kill your television.

Wednesday's Big Idea: A Box Lunch (Psalm 103)

The verse for the day was Psalm 103 which is a fantastic psalm. It's opening verse is best known as a song: "Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me." But that's just the beginning. The idea of a box lunch comes from Rick, who likened this Psalm to a meal which you can pack in a hurry but is filling and nourishing all day. This is definitely one of those psalms which you could read in the morning and gain spiritual sustenance all day. Here are the first five verses:

Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

² Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-

³ who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,

⁴ who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,

⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

If that can't sustain you, then I don't know what can! We could spend weeks praying through this and still have plenty left over. If you need some Biblical reading and don't have much time, read this. If you need to kick start a prayer, read this. Pack it up in the morning and be fed all day.

Isaiah on Tuesday - Justice for the Poor

We continue with Isaiah 3, moving to three verses which place a judgment on those who would oppress the poor:

"The LORD takes his place in court;
he rises to judge the people.

¹⁴ The LORD enters into judgment
against the elders and leaders of his people:
"It is you who have ruined my vineyard;
the plunder from the poor is in your houses.

¹⁵ What do you mean by crushing my people
and grinding the faces of the poor?"
declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty."

The elders and leaders in Israel have neglected their role as defender of the people taking their place, instead, alongside the oppressor and the thief. As the people whose responsibility it was to administer justice, the elders and rulers should have been on the side of the poor. Their arrogance and pride, however, led them away from compassion and humility. It is no wonder, then, that God judges against people who have forsaken their duty to protect and defend the fatherless and the widow, the downtrodden and the disenfranchised.

God appointed them and gave them power not to crush His people, but lift them up. Much was expected of them because much was given, yet they not only failed to perform, they went one step further to participating in evil.

As a modern day Christian, my hope is that God does not find the plunder of the poor in my home. I hope that my comforts, my food and my clothing are not bought on the backs of the poor or oppressed. There are many manifestations of this, but as a practical matter this means to me that, as much as possible, my purchases should be from companies that treat their employees justly, that the product was created or grown in a way that is responsible and the product itself is not a reflection of injustice or exploitation. My earnings must not be at the expense of the poor, nor must I participate in an endeavor that is harmful to people or the earth.

God's judgment was against those who not only should have known better, they were empowered to do better. I believe it is incumbent upon Christians to hold ourselves to the standards that God has set up for us. My hope is that someday God will find an America where Christians are known for their compassion and humility as well as their righteousness. My fear is that Christians maintain the appearance of righteousness, but fail to be transformed inwardly. We are very good at "shall nots" (or at least talking about them), but fail miserably at the "shalls". Yet the "shalls" are our greatest commandments. Our daily struggle is "to love the Lord our God with all my heart, all my mind and all my strength and love our neighbors as ourselves. All of the prophets and the law is fulfilled in these commandments." As Einstein once said, "the rest is details."

Further reading: Finding Justice in Charity, Bill Moyers (article adapted from a speech at the wealth and giving forum, October 2005)

Current Events Round Up: Scooter Takes a Bullet, Miers Takes a Dive

Two things dominated the news this week - the conclusion of the Plame Investigation (see last week - "The Plame Game") and Harriet Miers withdrawing her nomination for the Supreme Court.

Scooter Takes a Bullet
After two years the investigation ends with one indictment - 5 counts of: 2 Perjury, 2 False Statements, 1 Obstruction of Justice. I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby took the bullet, likely keeping Rove from indictment by lying and being generally uncooperative. While he is indeed innocent until proven guilty, Fitzgerald certainly thinks he's got a pretty good case against Libby. While he hasn't indicted Rove, Rove remains under investigation, although it is likely that no further indictments will be made. For a President that promised integrity and honesty in 2000 in the wake of the Clinton scandals, it appears that it's easier to promise than deliver.

Miers Takes a Dive
As noted above, Miers withdrew her nomination. This is a good thing. Mier's just didn't have the excellence needed to sit on the highest court. That isn't to disparage her legal abilities, but to say that she had no experience as a judge and no clear constitutional philosophy. Compared to Roberts, well, she just doesn't compare. This isn't about ideology for me - it's about capability. Liberal or conservative, I would like to see someone on the court who shows they are highly capable, able to intelligently defend their judgments and have a consistent approach. Our constitution was put in place to protect the people from tyranny, ensure the smooth functioning of government and put guide-rails on what can and cannot be legal. It demands the highest degree of excellence and I hope we get it.

Wednesday's Big Idea: Brotherhood

I don't really have any coherent idea that came out of today. It was an odd day. Anyway, instead of a Big Idea, per se, I just want to express how important the brotherhood of the saints is to me. I find myself growing in love with all those gathered each morning in a way that takes me to 1st Peter 4:8 - "Above all love each other deeply, for love covers over a multitude of sins."

We are called to love one another and for me and this group of men, that love started in the prayer room. We encourage, intercede for and celebrate with each other. Love is not something that simply happens, it is a deliberate act which puts us in a place of vulnerability and intimacy, but also expects grace and mercy in return. As we come in weakness, we leave in strength. As we come impoverished, we leave enriched. Those who have, give and those who need, receive.

God uses the prayer room to fill us with a love for one another, so that we echo the words of Paul in Phillipians: "God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus." In turn, the prayer of Christ is fulfilled - we are one. That makes for a very good Wednesday morning, indeed!

Isaiah on Tuesday - Judgment

This week Isaiah lays out a prophecy and judgment against Israel and Judah. Chapter 3:1-12 starts out with a declaration: "See now, the Lord, the LORD Almighty, is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support..." Isaiah then lays out all the things that will be removed from the Israelites as He lifts his favor from them - physical protection (hero and warrior), legal infrastructure (prophets and judges), authority ( mere children will govern them), artisans and sages.

It would appear that the entire infrastructure that sustained and protected Israel is losing its foundation as those who serve the needs of the people become impotent, ineffectual and lost. As the hearts of the people turn away from God and to their own creations and desires, they find themselves at a loss for direction. As the infrastructure crumbles and as their focus turns to themselves they not only forsake God but each other: "People will oppress each other— man against man, neighbor against neighbor. The young will rise up against the old, the base against the honorable." (v. 5) In place of unity comes division, in place of peace strife.

I am reminded of Jesus' prayer from John 17 (see last week's Wednesday's Big Idea) He prays that all those who believe in Him may "be one." One major consequence of sin is division among people and Isaiah spells that out graphically. As we hide from God, we are divided from Him and as we are divided from God, so we become divided from each other. This division leads to a downward spiral of sin: oppression, rebellion, conflict. This is also in stark contrast to Isaiah chapter 2 where peace comes to all nations as they stream to "the mountain of the Lord's temple." Those nations come under the authority and worship of God, He settles their disputes and they will not "train for war anymore."

Israel not only divides itself from God, but they hide from Him as well (think Adam and Eve in the Garden...) This phrase is stunning to me " their words and deeds are against the LORD, defying his glorious presence." (verse 8) His presence is among them, yet they defy it seeking darkness instead of light, the grotesque instead of the glorious. Defiance brings to mind open rebellion, refusing to submit to his authority and instead attempting to create their own. Yet, as we see above now they not only have lost the authority of God, but they have no authority themselves. Chaos reigns in their midst as they thrash about looking for someone to follow.

Isaiah then provides some comfort for those whose hearts are pure: "Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds." In other words, you reap what you sow. God is just and so is Hisjudgmentt. For a large swath of the nation His judgment is against them, but there are some of whom His judgment is for. The lesson for us is clear - God desires our affection and wants us to submit to His authority. We have a choice in the matter, but choosing to turn away from Him will ultimately lead to hidden and divided lives. The division may not be as massive as Isaiah lays out, but then again the wars and division we see in the world now seem at least as bad if not worse. Like it or not, this disease only has one cure.

Next time, Isaiah lowers his sites on the rulers of Israel and cries out for justice for the poor.