Matthew 10:7-10

And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. Acquire no gold nor silver nor copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, nor two tunics nor sandals nor a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

Tonight I learned. Tonight I was ministered to, completely by surprise. And I thank God for it. You see, Chad and Marjorie love Evelyn. It's a long story but a beautiful one. And because of her, they're on the Love and Destroy road trip. It's "crazy." it's "radical." Matthew 16:24 "Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."" Luke 12:33 "Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys."

Chad talked over dinner about meeting some people and seeing the face of Christ in them, not sure if they are even real. And after sharing dinner with them, I come away with a clear understanding of what he means. I'm going to love Detroit to death. It's what I'm supposed to do, God has been making that clear over the last year. Marjorie asked me tonight what that would look like. I laughed. You see, I dream big dreams, the kind that "they" say are "unrealistic" and "foolish." Which to me is just encouragement that I'm on the right track. I see 20 churches all made up of Detroiters living, working, worshipping and loving-thy-neighbor in the same place, everyday. I don't care what my role is, I truly, honestly only care what Christ's Love's Role is in the thing. Love is more than we give it credit these days. But believe me, it makes a difference. Actually, don't believe me. Believe the billboards:

As we were parting, Chad said to me "Consider us your servants." And that, my friends, is what love is. Love is the Movement. And Chad, Marjorie and Chili (yes Chris, I'm calling you chili in honor of the chili cheese fries) are three examples of what Christ's Love looks like in person. So pray for them. Pray for their safety in travel, and that they would have no shortage of love for those they meet. And may we all be servants to one another. Matthew 40:35-36 "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me." Amen.

You don't know Chad. He's a friend of mine who is traveling the country, meeting homeless people and loving them. And trying to learn from them, and how best to help them. He blogged this today:

But when I was walking the streets of Chicago today, I was overwhelmed by the amount of people who are completely neglected and in total need. There’s thousands upon thousands of humans who are living in the streets and begging for a way out. We walked by one man who was on his knees begging for someone to help him. His face was in complete horror. Tears were surely falling down his face. I had no more food because I had just given my whole bag of food to another man I met earlier. I had no money because I had given it all away. What do I do? What am I supposed to do in a situation like that?

Then there is yesterday for me. I spent the last two days working in a community in Southwest Detroit. Yesterday while leaving a restaurant with three others, we were approached by a woman. She told a long story about needing to get to Arkansas and several other things that, according to those who have worked with homeless people for lifetimes, would seem to suggest a bit of falsities to earn money. But then again, how do you know? I do know this. The whole deal made me feel awful. Awful that there are thousands in my city who need help, that I haven't helped, that I don't even know where they are. And awful that this woman needs a help that I can't provide. Pray that God will speak through the addictions.

I've been ranting enough about politics and religion and the frustrations with talking and not doing. I smiled when I saw this article today:

Then came the morning of May 12, when both satisfaction and retirement ended for the 75-year-old priest. Federal immigration agents raided the Agriprocessors factory, arresting nearly 400 workers, most of them men, for being in the United States illegally. Within minutes of the raid, with surveillance helicopters buzzing above the leafy streets, the wives and children of Mexican and Guatemalan families began trickling into St. Bridget’s Church, the safest place they knew.

What follows is a letter sent to me by my good friend Brenda. I made a few minor edits, namely adding links to the Scripture references. Part III will follow soon, authored by me.

I'm not saying that our national defense needs to turn the other cheek when something like 9/11 happen, however, enough with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. What we should be doing is heading to Darfur. The US has been the Pharisee who passed on by in that situation, and it's time we were the Good Samaritan.

As far as abortion goes, who cares what the law is? The church used to be the one who had the influence on that, and we've handed that influence and ability to speak into people's lives over to the government. Shame on us! It's time for the church to step out of politics (which have little baring on national culture) and head out into the streets and anywhere there are pregnant women with an unexpected child, teach them about God's love (even when it's out of wedlock) and support them once they've made the right choice (Crossroads Pregnancy Centers offer some, but what about our church communities? Or is it not safe to allow sinners in our midst?) We also need to offer a place of forgiveness and healing, and then acceptance for the woman who has had the abortion. Thinking that having a simple law passed will end abortion is like handing all parental authority and influence over to the adolescent babysitter.

I think on all things liberal, though, it doesn't matter what the law is, people will do them or not do them regardless. The laws won't stop a thing. The governments job is to create order. It's the churches job to infuse the nation and culture with Godly morals, but we keep looking to the government to do that. Then, even if we have permissive, liberal laws, they won't matter if the church has had an effective enough influence on culture to end abortion and gay relationships (not just marriage.) I also think this us vs. them liberal/conservative war is ripping both the nation and the church as a whole apart. Nothing gets done that way because all anyone does is argue. The harder one side pushes, the harder the other side pushes back. After a while, no one is thinking anymore, they're just reacting out of emotion and pride. Some of the statements I've seen on conservative Anglican/Episcopal forums are SOOOO filled with hatred for the "other side" and for gays. It's entirely reactional. People seemed to have stopped thinking about what they're saying.

Is Obama the best candidate ever? Probably not. But Bush (whom I admit I voted for) has done a terrible number on the country both at home and abroad, and I seriously believe that McCain will simply be more of the same but without the charismatic personality.

Most of our politics are so trivial when there are people suffering in our own United States. The church would be smart to recognize that.

From Mathew's Gospel:

Ch. 7

21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' 23 And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'

Ch. 25

31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' 40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, [6] you did it to me.' 41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44 Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' 45 Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

The church has dropped the ball and wasted our time on things that won't change our culture. It's time the church took back what she was originally created to do. The early Christians couldn't vote, but they certainly changed the world.

Discuss below.

"'When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a Communist." -Dom Helder Camara

Hello all,

Many of you are my friends. Chances are I have not met most of you, as I imagine that there are hundreds of thousands (or perhaps millions) of you who I have not met in my various homes in Michigan. But I believe that I understand at least to some degree where you are coming from, specifically because of my experience with Focus on the Family as mentioned yesterday.

I'm writing to you as part of my continuing response to his radio show from Tuesday, June 24th regarding Senator Obama's speech from 2006. I have listened to Senator Obama's speech as well as the entire audio of the radio show from Focus on the Family's website, and I would like to bring to your attention a few points of concern I have. (I will break these into a few separate posts in hopes that this makes it easier to read.)

First of all, Dr. Dobson made a statement about Senator Obama's worldview that is wholly inaccurate. Dr. Dobson said "[Senator Obama] is trying to make the case that it's antidemocratic to believe or fight for moral principles in the Bible that are not supported by people of all faith, or presumably by people of no faith." That statement, if true, would quite simply be damning for Senator Obama in his attempts to garner support in the evangelical community. But what did Senator Obama say? He said:

Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values. It requires that their proposals be subject to argument, and amenable to reason. I may be opposed to abortion for religious reasons, but if I seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teachings of my church or evoke God's will. I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all.

"Amenable to reason." That does not read as "antidemocratic." I can understand this statement by Senator Obama. It would make sense that we would need to have a universal value to convince those who are not Christians to support legislation as such. Just as the defense "God told me to" typically does not hold up in the American court system, so "God told me" does not typically hold water in the American judicial system. It seems that Obama was encouraging Christians to hold themselves to a higher standard, not writing Christian thought and politics off as "antidemocratic."

Stay tuned for Part II.

I do not wish to have any negative rhetoric or lack Christian spirit in this series, whatever its length, so please feel free to call me out if my comments seem vitriolic or mean. With that being said, make sure you're kind in your words and spirit as well, and I believe we will have a positive dialogue.

Dr. Dobson,

Having grown up in a predominantly evangelical community, I am quite familiar with who you are and what you promote. I was a regular reader and subscriber to your organization's magazines and newsletters. I don't listen to your radio show because, frankly, I don't listen to talk radio, but I did want to respond to your recent show that Jim Wallis also responded to today.

Let me preface this by saying that I typically do not agree with Mr. Wallis any moreso than I do with you. But I believe that rhetoric and public witness both must be taken into consideration as Christians. I am not a theologian, an ordained minister or a political expert, so I accept the fact that much like you, as a child psychologist, I am not qualified to commentate on American politics. Which is my concern.

First off, on your show, you misconstrued the things that Senator Obama said (transcript of Obama's speech is here). Senator Obama did not compare you to the Rev. Al Sharpton, as your site suggests. He simply asked that, "even if we did have only Christians within our borders, who's Christianity would we teach in the schools? James Dobson's, or Al Sharpton's?" Senator Obama also astutely observed:

Moreover, given the increasing diversity of America's population, the dangers of sectarianism have never been greater. Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.

Secondly, Dr. Dobson, I believe the misunderstanding of Senator Obama's faith and politics lies in the ignorance of the following section of his speech:

This brings me to my second point. Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values. It requires that their proposals be subject to argument, and amenable to reason. I may be opposed to abortion for religious reasons, but if I seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teachings of my church or evoke God's will. I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all.

This may be difficult for those who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, as many evangelicals do. But in a pluralistic democracy, we have no choice. Politics depends on our ability to persuade each other of common aims based on a common reality. It involves the compromise, the art of the possible. At some fundamental level, religion does not allow for compromise. It insists on the impossible. If God has spoken, then followers are expected to live up to God's edicts, regardless of the consequences. To base one's life on such uncompromising commitments may be sublime; to base our policy making on such commitments would be a dangerous thing.

I was disappointed when you questioned Senator Obama's Christianity. If there is one thing I have observed over the past several years, it's that Christians can hold the same faith but believe in the political practice of it differently. The longstanding monarchies of Europe, the theocracy of Old Testament Israel, and the democracy of the United States have all been held to be God-ordained forms of political structures. You, me, Al Sharpton and Barack Obama are all Christian men with our own personal failings who disagree on how best to live out the Christian faith in the political sphere. But publicly attacking each other will get all of us nowhere.

I wanted you to know that I will not be listening to your radio show, subscribing to your magazines or supporting your organization anymore. I believe that the rhetoric coming from your camp is divisive and damaging to the Christian witness. I would encourage you to contact Senator Obama personally and talk about your differences, but more importantly, accept the fact that you both believe in One Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God.

Sincerely,
Dean Simmer

It's been a little over two years since we graduated from college and today began the Great Purging of the Papers. We quite literally have two boxes full of notes, papers, etc. to sort and determine what's good, what's bad, and what's Clint Eastwood. Which is why I bought one of these:

It's called a Canon PIXMA MP210, and it's a photo quality all-in-one thing. But mostly I just care about the scanning, which is key to archiving old papers. Somewhere mid-college I lost a hard drive or three, meaning a lot of papers went out the window. Plus I like to have the comments from my various professors as they tore my papers and tests into minute shreds.

The scanner has relatively mindless scan-to-PDF functions, which is great because that's exactly what I need. And the great thing is that is only cost $70.00. Which seems fair to back up every piece of average-GPA Hillsdale writing sample I have ever written.

I had the opportunity to see Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk this week on consecutive days. And to further my excitement, here's a quote from the Marvel Studios director about what's ahead:

"We've got three to five years of I hope great movies with the characters that we do control, all leading up to The Avengers."

YES.

While admiring a McDonalds toy of a girl wearing a midriff shirt and roller blades:

April (she's 7), to me: "Do you know why her stomach is hanging out?"

Me: "Why?"

April: "Because she's a teenager."