Coffee with Lewis: a secret Master of Ceremonies
This is from Lewis’ chapter on Friendship in The Four Loves:
…in Friendship…we think we have chosen our peers. In reality, a few years’ difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one university instead of another, posting to different regiments, the accident of a topic being raised or not raised at a first meeting–any of these chances might have kept us apart. But, for a Christian, there, strictly speaking, no chances. A secret Master of Ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,” can truly say to every group of Christian friends “You have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another.” The Friendship is not a reward for our discrimination and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each the beauties of all the others…At this feast it is He who has spread the board and it si He who has chosen the guests. It is He, we may dare to hope, who sometimes does, and always should, preside. Let us not reckon without our Host.
Facing Facebook
In July I succumbed to months of pressure from family and friends and established my presence on the world’s greatest quasi-gnostic pseudo-community, Facebook. It’s been fun: reconnecting with friends from every period of my life, the occasional Scrabble game, ignoring causes people want me to join, rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep. It can also be a monumental waste of time.
Justin Buzzard of Central Peninsula Church in Foster City, California, has posted his notes from a recent presentation entitled Facebook: Technology and Relationships. He explores technology’s impact on how we approach relationships and how followers of Jesus ought to engage technology. Justin argues that our use of technology is a discipleship issue. In other words, we ought to be asking how we can technology not to serve ourselves, but to love God and love others. He provides some very practical applications of that principle to Facebook, crystallizing some thoughts I’ve had and raising issues I had not yet considered.
If you use Facebook, Justin’s notes are worth reading.
And visit me on Facebook if you like.
“I am busy because I am vain/lazy.”
Eugene Peterson’s The Contemplative Pastor grabbed me by the throat as I read it on vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains in September, 1994. One of the re-orienting thoughts he pressed upon me was the assertion that the adjective busy should not modify the noun pastor. He then made two simple observations:
- I am busy because I am vain.
- I am busy because I am lazy.
The first statement exposes the heart of business for the sake of pleasing and impressing other people, especially elders and influential people in the church. In subtle ways I can use my busy-ness as leverage to make people feel sorry for me (”You have such difficult work to do and so much of it!”) or to lower their expectations of me (”I understand if you don’t call me back; I know you’re busy.”). I’ve learned which people in our congregation are quick to respond in these ways. I’ve also learned that I must not use them to feed my vanity. With these folks I am quick to wave off their pity or low expectations. My job has difficulties I would not wish on many other people; however, everyone’s job has peculiar difficulties. My job puts me “on call” 24/7; however, there is a high degree of flexibility in my schedule as well for which my family and I are thankful. The bottom line: I need to work hard–not for the sake of appearing busy so I can impress people, but because my calling as a minister of gospel demands it.
The second assertion (”I am busy because I am lazy.”) seems contradictory. C.J. Mahaney is examining this phenomenon at his blog these days. See “Are You Busy?” and “Confessions of a Busy Procrastinator” (and the promise of related posts to follow). Peterson explains the apparent contradiction like this: if I do not know what I am supposed to be doing, other people and the old “tyranny of the urgent” will be glad to tell me what I am supposed to be doing. As a result, I run from one crisis to the next and avoid the more important, and perhaps unpleasant, tasks I ought to be doing. Again, this strategy feeds my idolatry: approval of others or love of convenience and comfort.
On my Facebook profile I describe part of my job as “working hard without appearing busy.” That phrase is a reminder to me about these thoughts. For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ [Galatians 1:10].
Nota bene: violence in Orissa, India
Report indicate that violence against Christians has erupted in the Orissa region of India. You can read the Reuters India story here. Our friend Joseph Wheat, pastor of Highlands Presbyterian Church in Ridgeland, Mississippi, shared with us during last month’s World Mission Conference about his visit to India in July. He described the worldview of certain segments of the Hindu religion which are ready and willing to act in this way.
Recommendation: pray.
Emergency missionary aid scams
Impious wretches will stop at nothing to fill their pockets. This word of warning arrived yesterday from Mission to the World (for the non-PCA readers: MTW is the foreign missions sending agency of the Presbyterian Church in America):
What should you do if you receive an urgent email from an MTW missionary with an emergency request for funds? Both MTW and your missionary hope you would respond by contacting MTW.
Recently, the email account of an MTW missionary was taken over by hackers, and very quickly, emails began going out to supporters in the missionary’s name. These emails described an emergency situation in which the missionary was allegedly in a different country for a conference and had lost both money and a plane ticket. If they could help with a loan, recipients were asked to reply for instructions about sending funds by Western Union. Unfortunately, the scammers were able to steal a significant amount of money from generous and sympathetic donors, even though MTW took quick action to close the door of opportunity. And not only were donors affected, but a conscientious and faithful veteran missionary is grieving for the harm caused to partners of long standing.
MTW wants supporters to know that we are here to stand behind our missionaries who are in crisis. Missionaries also know to contact MTW for assistance in crisis, and they are completely aware that they may not send out unapproved requests for funds. Our financial policies also require that all funds provided to a missionary must come through MTW.
In light of the recent cyber attack on our donors and one of our veteran missionaries, the value of these policies becomes even clearer. Many people do not realize that an email account, especially if not properly secured, can be taken over and messages sent in the name of the account holder. So, even messages from a trusted friend can be fraudulent. And funds obtained through these means are often used to support criminal activities or even more sinister causes. Be careful and be wise. And always contact MTW.
Blogging and recycling
Hey, wait a minute…this satirical post about pastor blogging from Larknews.com has violated the cardinal rule of good satire: it’s funny only when someone else is being skewered.
A cracked kettle in Uganda
New on The Sweet Dropper’s blog reader list is A Cracked Kettle. The blog comes from Mike Boyett, who labors for Gospel of Christ in Uganda. I have been very impressed with Mike’s reflections on life in east Africa and on the remarkable growth of the kingdom of God in that part of God’s world. Particularly enlightening are his thoughts on the shifts in local culture due to the invasion of technology (thus the photo of the Masai man who has no electricity in his home, but has a cell phone!), on eating termites, and on how one carries out the Great Commission while his injured leg is propped on a chair.
The intriguing title comes from Gustave Flaubert: “Language is a cracked kettle on which we beat out tunes for bears to dance to, while all the time we long to move the stars to pity.”
Remembrance day and advice from Luther
Tomorrow (November 11) is observed as Veterans’ Day in the U.S. Our friends in the U.K. and many other places refer to it as Remembrance Day or Armistice Day, as the day marks anniversary of the signing of the armistice argreement that ended World War I in 1918. The U.S. Congress officially changed “Armistice Day” to “Veterans Day” in 1954.
With thanksgiving to the Lord of Hosts we honor all who have served the country and pray for those who are currently serving. Rick Phillips offers some advice on how to pray for our military personnel at the Ref21 blog.
As a bonus, here is an excerpt from a letter written by Martin Luther. The threat of Islamic advance from southern Europe and Turkey was a concern to the German princes of the 16th century. Prince Joachim of Brandenburg, about to lead a Saxon military expedition against the Muslim Turks, sought spiritual advice from Luther before setting out. Luther’s letter of August 3, 1532, to Prince Joachim contains counsel that is extraordinarily relevant to us in the present crises.
…I beg that those on our side may not place their reliance on the Turk’s being altogether wrong and God’s enemy while we are innocent and righteous in comparison with the Turk, for such presumption is also vain. Rather is it necessary to fight with fear of God and reliance on his grace alone. We too are unrighteous in God’s sight. Some on our side have shed much innocent blood, have despised and persecuted God’s Word, and have been disobedient, and so we cannot take our stand on our merits, no matter how righteous or unrighteous the Turks and we may be. For the cursed devil is also God’s enemy and does us great injustice and wrong. In comparison with the devil we are innocent, and yet we must not boast of our innocence and the superiority of our right, but must fight against him in fear and humility and with God’s help alone. This is what David did in his fight against Goliath. He did not boast of his rights, but with God’s help he fought and said, “Thou hast blasphemed against God, in whom I put my trust.” In like manner we must pray to God, not that he may avenge our innocence against the Turk, but rather that he may glorify his holy name against those great blasphemers and meanwhile graciously forget our sins.
…I wish and pray that in such a war those on our side may not seek honor, glory, land, booty, etc., but only the glory of God and his name, together with the defense of poor Christians and subjects. For the glory should and will be God’s alone. As unworthy sinners we deserve nothing but shame, dishonor, and even death, and this Your Highness knows better than I can write. But since Your Highness has so earnestly requested spiritual counsel, I have wished to set down this brief opinion in Your Highness’s service. I have no doubt that if Your Highness inculcates such sentiments in others, with the result that the war is conducted on such a high plane, the devil and all his angels will be too weak for our soldiers, and the Turks will encounter men who are different from those whom they have fought before, when both sides were insolent and fought without God, which has always harmed God’s people more than their enemies…Our prayers shall go with you and follow after you.
Vote once, pray at all times
You can vote just once; but you must pray at all times. Christians must pray for our government and the leaders of all political parties (Matthew 5:44, 1 Timothy 2:1-2). In our polarized political society, many Christians are tempted to bless the politician or political party they support, and curse the other one they don’t. There’s a word for this: disobedience. The Bible is clear: we are to pray for all political and government leaders whether we agree with their policies or not. Whether Tuesday’s election’s results pleased you or not, it is time to pray! Below are three links to some good pastoral counsel on how to pray at a time such as this.
Ligon Duncan on praying for President-Elect Obama
