2007 Year in Review

The sun is setting on 2007. Because of you, it's been a good year here at Living the Biblios. Thanks for your readership!

2007 was balanced with its share of serious and not so serious entries--critical analysis and light hearted humor. This year the blog gained a few more readers and comments. This site isn't a heavy weight in terms of traffic, but I've certainly enjoyed writing and reflecting here with you.

The purpose of God is that we'd live out his story, or "biblios," the Greek word for book-Bible. May the entries on this blog encourage you to live out God's story!

Favorite Posts of 2007

• How well do you know the master? A story. This really hit me between the eyes.
  

• R.I.P Joe Nuxhall (1928-2007)-- You hear the voices of your youth forever.

• Kids Joke-- Wow. I actually made up a joke.

• What's right and wrong about the mainline church.

• "My" beliefs among "our" beliefs-- What happens when personal faith mingles with the personal faith of others in a denomination.

• Kathy Griffin un-thanks Jesus-- Does God laugh when comedians slander Jesus?

• Wounding the Wound-- Sometimes, a problem needs to get worse in order to get better.

• Why Jesus tells parables-- A story that explains Jesus' use of stories.

• How to witness without really witnessing-- Stories are a great way to share your faith.

• Parable of Wesley's Quadrilateral-- What happens when Biblical truth is no longer the first and final authority.

• Six word stories-- "This story starts with six words..."

• A song about Jesus to the tune of B-I-N-G-O-- An original composition.

• Choking the life out of the gospel-- The day I heard a real live Pharisee and got mad.

• What is success?-- The world's version isn't God's definition.

• Ascension balloons--The evangelical church needs to focus more on Jesus' ascension.

• When our eyes cheat us-- Sometimes, the sight of suffering blinds us to its meaning and purpose.

• The hidden advantage of taking a parenting class-- This is funny.

Posts with Most Hits in 2007

• Rev. Barry Lynn's Liberal Silence-- Lynn and his AU organization rails against evangelical behavior in politics, but conveniently, Rev. Lynn ignores religious liberals doing the same, or worse.

• VBS Son Force Kids-- tips and closing rally script

• Crow-ing about Toilet Paper-- My parody piece in response to pop-rock singer Sheryl Crow's suggestion that everyone use only one sheet of toilet paper in order to help save the planet from global warming.

• Bible verses in Matt Redman's "You Never Let Go"-- Lots of direct and indirect Bible references in this great song.

Articles Written for UCCtruths in 2007

• Sacred Space as Public Space-- Sometimes, church buildings get used irresponsibly.

• Historic Kansas Church Leaves UCC

• Barack Obama Facing Concert Critique from Gay Rights Groups

• A Kingdom Right Here on Earth-- Analysis of Barack Obama's religious rhetoric on the campaign trail

• $85,000-- What a small church needs each year to keep going.

• What's right and wrong about the mainline church.

• May Israel Defend Itself?-- A UCC executive won't say.

Blog Highlights from the Year 2007

December

• Electric power in Little River goes Out for a week and what I learned from the experience.

November

• Fire in nearby Windom, KS claims one life.

• Distinguish what's most important about your beliefs and the advantages of doing so.

October

• My view of justification

• Understanding 1 Corinthians 8-10 and applying the message.

September

• The battle we face-- spiritual warfare explained in everyday language.

• Two members of Congress visit Little River

• The problem of wisdom in 1 Corinthians 4, how Paul handled the problem, and how 1 Corinthians 4 applies to our lives today.

• Three tenses of our salvation-- The Bible speaks of salvation as a past completed work, a current ongoing work, and a work to be completed in the future.

August

• A humorous view of the end times.

• A sermon about sleeping. Too often preachers neglect the fact that we're humans with real physical needs. You will spend about 1/3 of your life sleeping. So why haven't you heard a sermon about that?

July

• This sermon is on vacation. Are vacations spiritual? Sure are.

• I went 650 feet underground. The Kansas Underground Museum is a real treat to visit. Unfortunately, it's really struggled since opening. Go and visit! It's great.

• What I saw in the night sky. Clear summer nights in Kansas are awesome.

• A funny DDA prayer. the joys of working with the disabled at summer camp.

June

• Presidential candidate and United Church of Christ member Barack Obama believes religious conviction should inform and motivate one's political action. An analysis of Obama's foundational speech at the United Church of Christ General Synod. Parts one, two, and three, and four.

• Purpose statements of Jesus, purpose statements of the Apostle Paul, and biblical purpose statements for you and me.

May

• Douglas Wilson replies to atheist Christopher Hitchens and his book, "God Is Not Great." While Wilson has much to say, he starts by answering Hitchens with just one word.

• Mothers of grace. Thoughts from Mother's Day.

• The Little River Congregational Church celebrates its 53rd annual church sale.

• Greensburg, Kansas is flattened by a tornado. It's quickly apparent though that the town is filled with dedicated and sacrificial people, something that President Bush sees when he visits.

April

• The Little River Congregational Church formally joins Faithful & Welcoming Churches, a renewal movement within the United Church of Christ.

• The Gospel of Thomas compared to the Gospels, followed by a critique that shows Thomas doesn't reveal much about Jesus compared to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

March

• Hell of a statement. The doctrine of hell has fallen on hard times.

• A baptized imagination. When our thoughts are immersed in the Lord.

• A lesson to contemplate from the sham TV special, "Lost Tomb of Jesus."

• The Little River Congregational Church stays in the UCC by the closest of margins.

February

• My tribute to a great man who devoted his life to scholarly study of the Bible, Dr. Bruce Metzger.

• Conversation with a cologne bottle. The insanity of marketing exposed.

• Theology growing up. How I came to believe that the end of God's program is not heaven in the sky, but heaven on earth in a renewed creation.

January

• Generational blind spots. An excellent guest column by FWC President Bob Thompson about the ways Christians in each generation seem blind to obvious biblical truth.

• Pictures of Phil Keaggy in Wichita. What an amazing guitarist.

• What the life of the late President Gerald Ford teaches us.

R.I.P. 2007

Ingar Bergman, Benazir Bhutto, Art Buchwald, Liz Claiborne, Jerry Falwell, Dan Folgelberg, Ernest Gallo, Robert Goulet, Ruth Bell Graham, Merv Griffin, Johnny Hart, Leona Helmsley, Don Ho, Molly Ivans, Lady Bird Johnson, D. James Kennedy, Evel Knievel, Norman Mailer, Tammy Faye Bakker Messner, Benny Parsons, Luciano Pavarotti, Oscar Petersen, Eddie Robinson, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Beverly Sills, Anna Nicole Smith, Tom Synder, Hank Thompson, Ike Turner, Kurt Vonnegut, Porter Wagoner, Bill Walsh, Jane Wyman, and Boris Yeltsin.

All these people achieved fame, fortune, and success. All of them died in 2007.

No measure of accomplishment will save us from the grave. Not you. Not me. Not them.

"Who will rescue me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:24)

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:37-39).

Starbucks "Starbucked"

Late one night I couldn't sleep, so I turned on the TV and happened upon C-Span 2's "Book TV" program. Pontificating in Portland's Powell's Bookstore was someone talking about Starbucks. What followed was caffeinated talk that kept me up and watching.

Taylor Clark is the author of Starbucked, a book that examines Starbucks from a business and cultural perspective. While Clark isn't a big fan of Starbucks (he thinks they're the McDonald's of coffee), he shared some fascinating Starbucks facts in his TV lecture:

• When the very first Starbucks opened in 1971, it didn't sell coffee by the cup-- only beans.

• Starbucks' largest store is a five-story building in South Korea.

• The average Starbucks store makes $1 million a year.

• Starbucks' biggest market is in China, a country where people generally don't drink coffee.

• Initially, Starbucks' management was staunchly against adding the Frappuccino to its menu; today, its their biggest selling drink.

People sure are passionate about their coffee, which is why coffee is trendy and political. Starbucks has transformed the industry.

My favorite cup of coffee? It's definitely Starbucks Espresso Roast.

Money and Debt

Balancing the checkbook is a constant challenge in our house. Radio talk show host Dave Ramsey has made working with money a little more fun... and so does this video.

Merry Christmas

The Christmas Story from The Bible Experience New Testament (www.zondervan.com/tbe), the 2007 Audio Book of the Year, blended with beautiful artwork by Michael Dudash (http://www.cmdudash.com/).

My Favorite Christmas Site

Christmas is just on the horizon. Here's a little gift for you-- my favorite Christmas website.

The Hymns and Carols of Christmas is a site managed by Douglas D. Anderson. Pulling together hundreds of sources to one clearing house site of information, Anderson documents the long and rich tradition of Christmas music and poetry better than anyone.

Learn the fascinating history of Christmas favorites like, "Silent Night." Read Shakespeare's Christmas verses entitled, "Holly Song."

Poetry, carols, and hymns. It's all there. Enjoy.

What I Learned When the Lights Went Out

Have you ever gone a week without electricity? I never did. Until last week that is. Many in our Little River, Kansas community who live out in the country are still out and probably won't get help until after the New Year.

But now that the power at my house and town are back on, here's a few lessons I've realized:

I value routine more than I imagined. Sure it's nice to bust out and try something different, but when the power goes out, it changes all your routines. We always struggle to get our kids in bed by 8:30pm, but the first night of no electricity, we were all in bed by 7:00pm. When the house and town is utterly pitch black, there's not much else to do.

It's nice to have relatives. That is, relatives who are close by and ones you get along with. If it wasn't for my sister-in-law's family in Wichita letting us camp out at there place, our uncomfortable situation would have been much worse. Be nice to your extended family. You might need them one day!

It was bad, but not that bad. When you lose something you take for granted, you begin to count your blessings about other basics you do have. We still had a roof over our head, warm blankets, and food to eat. Many cities in foreign countries constantly deal with inconsistent electric supplies. And the early Kansas settlers never had it either. But they still managed. And so did we.

You can still worship the Lord. On the one Sunday that Little River didn't have power, our church met with the United Methodists for a joint service at the Catholic Parish Hall, which was hooked up with a generator. 52 people came to sing, pray, and hear God's Word. In the middle of hardship, we found encouragement from the Lord and each other.

The bottom line lesson: Even without, God still provides.

Power Back On

After nearly a week of no electricity, the city of Little River, Kansas got power yesterday afternoon. Yippee! Thanks to all the linemen who made it possible.

Outside of town, its still lights out. Some rural customers have been told it could be after the New Year before they get their electric service back.

Meanwhile, I'm appreciating electricity a little more.

No Electric Power in Little River

I now have a better feel for what it was like to be an original Kansas settler in the 1800's--my entire town of Little River, Kansas has no electricity.

The power went out early Tuesday morning. It's still out. No one really knows when it'll come back on. As KAKE-TV reports, the power outage is affecting our school district, USD 444.
As of this writing, more than 73,000 people in Kansas are still without power.

Have you ever spent time in total darkness? The kind where its so dark, you can't see your hand two inches from your nose? It's a creepy feeling.

I've been in total darkness before-- inside a cave and underground-- but both times I knew the lights were coming back on quickly. But on Tuesday night, I woke up at 10:00pm and realized, "It's going to be completely dark for another 8-10 hours." That thought freaked me out: "If this is what hell is like Lord, I sure don't want to go there."

My family is resettled, so we have shelter, heat, and electricity. Many folks around town are running gas powered generators. People are looking out for one another.

A power outage certainly isn't as bad as a tornado, but it is a pain.

On Romney's Freedom and Religion

Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney gave an interesting speech last week about the role of religion in public life. This quote is generating a lot of comments:

Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone.

Religion without freedom? Just look at Islam in Saudi Arabia.

Freedom without religion? That's moral and social anarchy.

Romney is right on the money--and gaining my attention as a voter.

Don't Be Afraid to Make Mistakes

Photographer Dewitt Jones observes:

Do you know that the average National Geographic article is shot in 400 rolls of film? 14,000 rolls to get the 30 pictures that go into an article. I'm not worrying about mistakes. I'm looking for the next right answer.

From the DVD "Everyday Creativity."

Sacred Space as Public Space

Characteristic of the mainline church tradition, the United Church of Christ (UCC) is a denomination committed to freedom of thought, social justice, and understanding others. So when you enter the doors of a local UCC church, it's possible to hear advocacy on a whole host of social issues, from many viewpoints-- at a worship service, a Sunday School class, or a community event.

The free exchange and consideration of ideas is essential in order for an individual or group to decide beliefs and direct actions. To this end, United Church of Christ congregations often act as a public square. Their rooms, tables, and chairs provide the literal space for issues to get hashed out. But in contrast to secular community buildings, the space of a church is unique. In subtle and not so subtle ways, religious spaces are infused with the presence of the divine.

Which leads to a question: What degree of accountability should a local church incur when it hosts an outside group that espouses controversial, dare I say, unbiblical views?

Consider this example. On Thursday, November 29, Congregational United Church of Christ in Iowa City, Iowa hosted a noon luncheon of the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, a non-profit association affiliated with the University of Iowa's International Programs. Ms. Sue Simon, of the George Soros funded Open Society Institute, spoke on, "The Global Movement for Sex Worker Health and Rights: Only Rights Can Stop the Wrongs."

Inside a UCC church, Simon argued that society should legalize prostitution. Daily Iowan reporter Shawn Gude writes:

Iowa City native and City High graduate Sue Simon argued for increased rights and an end to negative stereotyping for sex workers around the world Thursday afternoon at the Congregational United Church of Christ in an Iowa City Foreign Relations Council-sponsored event.

Making the distinction between sex workers and human sex trafficking - two things too commonly equated with each other, Simon said - she argued that many individuals she has come in contact with through her international work have been in the profession willingly, whether it's for personal, economic, or social reasons.

"Many believe there is no good reason to get into or remain in sex work," Simon said. "The reality is that for a lot of people, sex work is their best or only opportunity to earn enough money to support their families."

...Asserting the validity of the sex-worker profession, Simon decried the treatment such workers receive and "right-wing conservatives and prohibitionists … who believe they can and should end sex work because of their religions or moral beliefs."

...She also advocated for the complete decriminalization of the sex-worker profession throughout the world. And instead of state discrimination against prostitutes, governments should advocate for the ethical treatment of sex workers, she asserted.

"No one should lose their human rights because of the work they do," she told the crowd of approximately 60, who sat around 11 tablecloth-covered tables.

It's protocol to report the facts of an event, but it's interesting we read about the "11 tablecloth- covered tables." Could it be the reporter found it a tad odd that, of all places, it was in a "sacred place" he heard an uncontested argument for legalized prostitution?

When a church hosts an outside group, it's easy for the church to say, "The views expressed do not necessarily represent the opinions of ... blah, blah, blah."

Frankly, that's a cop out excuse.

Church leaders should be savvy enough to know that whenever they lend out their sacred space as an "impartial" public square, it can easily become an advocacy forum-- one that carries with it the church's implicit endorsement.

Lending sacred space for this kind of radical advocacy is tragically unfaithful.

Getting Ready for Christmas

People are getting ready for Christmas.

Putting up the Christmas tree. Hanging up lights. Buying presents.

But how do you get your heart ready for Christmas?

Usually, people skip over the birth story of John the Baptist in Luke 1 in order to get to the birth story of Jesus. But John's parents-- Zechariah and Elizabeth-- have much to teach us.

As the story opens, Luke tells us that Zechariah and Elizabeth are Jews par excellence. Zechariah is a priest in the Jerusalem Temple. Elizabeth's family background is the priestly line of Aaron. "Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly," Luke tells us in 1:6. Everything about their lives outstanding, except for one thing. They have no children, which at that time was a social disgrace. Imagine, they were "well off" in so many ways, richly blessed by God, yet they had their own unrelenting burden.

But God acts to fill their lives. When Zechariah gets the privilege of offering incenses to God in a private room inside the sanctuary, he gets an incredible surprise. An angel appears to him and announces that his wife will have a son and this child will help prepare the way for the coming of Messiah.

Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years." Apparently, his question was full of doubt. The angel mildly rebukes Zechariah and renders him speechless until the time that his son is born. Meanwhile, when Elizabeth does become pregnant, Luke quotes her saying, "In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people."

How do we get our hearts ready for Christmas?

By being open. Be open to God's activity.

Zechariah was an upright man who fulfilled all of God's commands. And yet, when God announced that he would have a son who would get Israel ready for the Lord's coming, Zechariah was unable or unwilling to receive the news. Though godly, he wasn't open, and thus wasn't ready when God acted. On the other hand, Elizabeth was open and ready. Though she was beyond child bearing years, God enabled her pregnancy, and she rejoices in God's activity, declaring the Lord has shown her favor and taking away her shame.

How can we be open to God's activity? Be open to serve. Be open to love. Be open to share. We may not realize it, but God's Spirit is moving. Today. Now. People need a Savior. You who know Jesus are God's exclusive vessel in the world. Be God's light. Be open. And be ready.

You never know what God might do.

Links to the Intergoogle

Silly Game: Need to waste time? Toss this online paper airplane.

Probably: The Dawn Treader asks, "Is blogging a form of pride?"

A Prayer for Rich Preachers: Accused of lavish spending and gross mismanagement, Richard Roberts has resigned the presidency of the university that bears his father's name, Oral Roberts. After Christianity Today's "Live Blog" reported this news, I like this prayer offered up by a reader named "Jack Knife":

Oh Lord! Enlighten the unbelievers with a sign of your presence! Test the faith of your servants Richard and Lindsay Roberts, Paul and Jan Crouch, Benny Hinn, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Joyce Meyers, Paula White, and Creflo Dollar as you did with your servant Job! Allow Satan to take away their riches, houses, cars, and planes, and smite them with dreadful boils. When they, as Job, refuse to curse your name, the unbeliever’s eyes may then be opened!

Cute! A video of a little girl reciting Psalm 23.

U2 Might Like This: A symphonic version of "One" by Bono, Edge, and Brian Eno. Cool.

Politically Incorrect Alliance: What does Wal-Mart and the superstar music group The Eagles have in common? The band self-produced their new 2 disc album, without the help of a major label music company, and then made an exclusive distribution deal with the retail giant. Elites say The Eagles have lost their coolness factor by consorting with big business. Geez, what do you call the The Eagles franchise? I say good for The Eagles and Wal-Mart... and good for me that I got out of the music retail business years ago.

Hell: Emergent church guy Dan Kimball talks about his sermon on hell. He covers all the bases.

Left Over Turkey Casserole

In my home, when a recipe is good, that's a "do-over." In other words, make it again sometime.

After Thanksgiving, "do-over" takes on a different meaning. With all the left over turkey, the Mrs. tries to find inventive ways to "do it over." She's hit jackpot with this recipe, what I call, "Left Over Turkey Casserole." It combines the best of Thanksgiving-- turkey and stuffing-- and makes a great left over meal.

Here's the recipe:

3 lbs or so of left over turkey meat in bite size pieces
1 (10 oz.) can of cream of chicken soup
1 (10 oz.) can of cream of mushroom soup
1 (8 oz.) package of herb-seasoned stuffing mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 2/3 cups of turkey or chicken broth

Combine condensed chicken soup with 1 1/3 cups of broth. Mix well and set aside. Combine stuffing mix and melted butter; reserve 1/4 cup of stuffing mix for garnish. Spoon half of remaining stuffing mix into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Top with half the turkey. Cover with chicken soup mixture. Repeat layers. Mix condensed mushroom soup with remaining half (1 1/3 cups) of broth and spoon over layers. Sprinkle with reserved stuffing mix. Cover and refrigerate over night. Remove casserole from refrigerator 15 minutes before baking. Uncover and bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Makes 8-10 servings.

If you're like me, after you enjoy this, you'll say, "That's a do over!"

KU vs. MU

Kansas vs. Missouri.

Whoever thought at the beginning of the college football season that this game would play a major factor in deciding the national championship?

Most people in Little River are Kansas State fans-- myself included. Plus, being an Ohio transplant, I definitely have nothing at stake emotionally in the outcome of this game. But for a few hours tonight, I'll be a Kansas fan.

Neither football program has played for such high stakes in a long, long time. So is Kansas head coach Mark Mangino tapping into his players' hyped up emotions? Nope.

From an excellent piece by Rick Plumlee in the Wichita Eagle:

So the message Mangino is preaching this week is the same one he was giving before the Florida International game in September.

"If you rely on emotion, it lasts until about two plays after the opening kickoff and then you're pooped," Mangino said. "We're taking a technical approach to the game. It's about blocking, tackling, running, throwing, playing sound fundamental football. That's what we're focused on."

That quip is a fascinating look at the psychology of motivation.

Tonight, we'll know if it worked.

Fire In Nearby Windom Claims Life

Thanksgiving turned tragic for our community when a fire in nearby Windom, Kansas took the life of one woman and seriously injured the firefighter who was trying to rescue her.

KSN-TV in Wichita has the story and video. They report:

Firefighters say the 23-year old victim was trapped on the second floor when the fire broke out. A firefighter tried to save her but the flames were too intense.

"He got the victim to the top of the stairs and then caught on fire himself," Captain Joe Hoffman, McPherson County Fire Department, said. "That's when he retreated."

The firefighter sustained serious burns and was flown to Via Christi St. Francis Medical Center in Wichita. He's been upgraded to fair condition and is expected to recover.

At the scene to offer support and assistance was the pastor of the Windom United Methodist Church, along with two other ministers.

Windom is the first town east of Little River and is part of our school district, USD 444.

Our prayers and sympathy go out to the family.

Happy Thanksgiving

The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth.

By Jennie A. Brownscombe (1850-1936).
Painted in Honesdale, PA, or New York, 1914.
Material : Oil on canvas.

How Can I Be Thankful When...?

Here's a good Thanksgiving article from Mark D. Roberts. He answers the question, "How can I be thankful when...?"

I could certainly complete that sentence.

How about you? If so, check out Mark's reply.

How Well Do You Know the Master? A Story

This is a "wow" story. It's from a letter written by a Jewish leader to a Protestant leader over issues pertaining to Israel and the Middle East.

A great Hasidic rebbe was surrounded by his disciples, each of whom professed their love for the master. He turned to them and said: "Do you know what causes me pain?"

The disciples were taken aback by the question, for none knew the answer.

The master then addressed them, "Do not imagine that you can love me without an understanding of what causes me pain."