When am I going to stop seeing myself as a Pharisee?

The Evangelical tradition, (of which I am probably a part), makes a big deal about the heart. We ask questions like, "How is your walk with God?" And we make statements like, "Well, Jesus cares about the heart of the individual."
I was recently listening to a sermon on Matthew 23, and was stunned by these words of Jesus, "You have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness." I know that Jesus cares about how I treat the poor, the wronged, the alien... I know that I am to show mercy to others, but I have also lived with the assurance that what was really important was my heart. I have cared about justice, but I have equally (if not more so) cared about religion. I would estimate that I spend more time being"religious," that is, acting in a way that a Christian Pastor is expected to act, than I have seeking merciful justice.
The Pharisees were super religious, they had their tithes down to a science, they didn't omit anything, even the smallest spice, however they missed the more important matters, they missed the obedience that God really was hoping for, they missed the point that obeying God meant more than just being concerned with their own walk with God.

Which Sounds More Pagan to You?

Halloween?
or
Harvest Festival?





Halloween:

History of name

The term Halloween (and its alternative rendering Hallowe'en) is shortened from All-hallow-even, as it is the eve of "All Hallows' Day",^[1] also which is now known as All Saints' Day. It was a day of religious festivities in various northern European Pagan traditions,^[3] until Popes Gregory III and Gregory IV moved the old Christian feast of All Saints' Day from May 13 to November 1. In the ninth century, the Church measured the day as starting at sunset, in accordance with the Florentine calendar. Although All Saints' Day is now considered to occur one day after Halloween, the two holidays were, at that time, celebrated on the same day. Liturgically, the Church traditionally celebrated that day as the Vigil of All Saints, and, until 1970, a day of fasting as well. Like other vigils, it was celebrated on the previous day if it fell on a Sunday, although secular celebrations of the holiday remained on the 31st. The Vigil was suppressed in 1955, but was later restored in the post-Vatican II calendar.

-Wikipedia

Harvest Festival:

Festival of the harvest?

How bizarre that the same people who get upset calling Easter break "Spring break," freak out at the thought of "Halloween" parties at church...

Like any nine year old?

I read a news story this morning about Apple responding harshly to a 3rd grader, and was struck by the introduction:

(CBS 13) Like any nine-year-old, Shea O'Gorman spends a lot of time listening to her iPod Nano. So much so, that when her third grade class started learning about writing letters she thought, who better to write to than the man whose company makes her iPod....

"Like any nine-year-old?" Really, most 3rd graders have iPods? I remember getting my first $69 Sony Walkman in seventh grade, (my first personal cassette player my mom got me, it said "Warners" on it, and she got it for free when she bought three bras at Macy's).

I can't imagine most people slapping down close to $200 on an ipod for their nine year olds...what are they going to be listening to on it anyways? But, we'll see what's around in 5 years for me to spoil my girls with.

Do you want a revolution?

You say you want a revolution
Well you know
We all want to change the world
-Lennon/McCartney

Last night, Darren and I went to see the new film, Across the Universe, Sony's new "Beatles Musical". Think Moulin Rouge, (the new one) with only music by the Beatles, (I have been a huge fan of the Beatles my entire life, and I think owned their entire catalog by the time I was 13).

The film is set in the late 60's, and deals a bit with student demonstrations against U.S. policy in Vietnam. My favorite scene in the movie is the scene where the protagonist bursts into a protester's headquarters singing "Revolution," the emotion and gestures are super fun. This scene got me thinking about what is the best way to bring about change. We currently live in a time with similar unrest as the sixties (however with Blackwater in place of the draft, public outcry and personal connections are less), and I think that many people want change. Many Christians long for change, desiring to see the Kingdom break in around us, and I wonder what we can do to be most effective.
I have never attended a student protest, (although I did participate in an International Peace Day rally once where someone through a carton of eggs at us) but I generaly dismiss the impact that a student protest or rally can have, (I would have to say that Kent State did have an impact, but that may be due more to martyrs than to simply gathering and demonstrating). So, if not a public demonstration, then what will bring about change?
As Darren and I talked on the way home from the movie, I think that our conversations in Community have been spot on. We have seen Jesus teach about removing the power of the Romans, not by force, but by disarming their source of power, turning the other cheek, willingly serving others, bartering, etc.

With this in mind, I am really excited about our new series. After considering both Acts and Colossians, I have decided to take a break from narrative to take a peak at an epistle. In preparing our study from Sunday, I came across the following quote, (I think that you will see why I'm excited):

The epistle to the Colossians, we are arguing, was an explosive and subversive tract in the context of the Roman empire, and it can be and ought to function in an analogous way in the imperial realities of our time. This letter proclaimed an alternative reality, animating a way of life that was subversive to the ethos of the Roman empire.
(excerpt from Colossians Remixed)

If you do want a revolution, if you desire change as much as I do, then I imagine that words like "explosive," "subversive," and "alternative reality" are making you as eager as me for our study to begin.

Don't you know it's gonna be alright
Alright Alright

A Poem a Day

On Tuesday I committed myself to reading a poem a day, and already dropped the ball. But today I started fresh, and joined a website that will e-mail me a poem every day. I read today's poem, and was already blessed.

The Conclusion -- Sir Walter Raleigh
Even such is Time, that takes in trust
Our youth, our joys, our all we have,
And pays us but with earth and dust;
Who is the dark and silent grave,
When we have wander'd all our ways,
Shuts up the story of our days;
But from this earth, this grave, this dust,
My God shall raise me up, I trust.

Excited to Get out of Bed

When was the last time that you woke up in the morning excited to get out of bed?

When my three year old daughter, Sage, wakes up in the morning she never rolls over begging us for five more minutes of rest. She never even wakes up, and slowly climbs out of bed only to mope into the living room. Sage jumps out of bed, and hurriedly runs into our room full of energy and excitement to start the day. She can't wait to, go for a run/watch "Little Einsteins"/eat breakfast/sit with her mom & dad. And this excitement doesn't begin when she wakes up, she goes to sleep excited about the routine activities that will take place the following day.

At what point in our lives do we lose this joy?
How do we go from experiencing joy in the morning as children, to dreading the sunrise as teenagers?
Is it possible for us to, as adults, look forward to the day to come with the same enthusiasm as a three year old?
Am I excited to see how God is going to use me today, and on an even more basic level:
Am I excited to live another God-given day?

Remembering Rightly

I began by responding to Amber's blog tonight, and then decided that I probably should just go ahead and post.

I was recently reading a book that was all about remembering rightly. I hope that we learn to remember 9/11/01 rightly.

In remembering this event, I want to remember and hear about the lives and families of the victims of the attacks, and not see images of the terrorists' victories of the destruction of the twin towers. In remembering rightly, I would like to be able to see how our country has risen amidst this attack to become a better place to live, or at least be encouraged to personally reexamine my life in response to Al Qaeda's attacks, and to live a life more like Christ. In remembering rightly I would like to somehow begin to wrap my head around the numbers of the lives devastated by this attack:
2,819 - People killed in the 9/11 attacks.
3774 - American Military Casualties in Iraq since 3/19/03
71,720 – 78,296 - Documented Iraqi civilian deaths from violence since 3/19/03
45 - Iraqi civilian deaths yesterday, as a result of violence
2 - Iraqi women killed yesterday as a result of a US raid.
126,000 number of abortions a DAY worldwide.

I don't want these to just be numbers, I want to see these numbers as individuals created in the image of God. I want to be able to see these numbers as people with sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, moms and dads, pastors and teachers. I want to learn how to love those suffering.
How do the emotions that I feel for the death of God's created beings in the Middle East compare with the emotions that I feel for the death of God's created beings in the US?