Not listed in a particular order...
Things I Love:
1) The smell of oak trees, especially after rain
2) Baby feet
3) Newborn baby smell
4) Potato soup & rare steak
5) Pretty tableware
6) A good book, usually fiction
7) Old hymnals & music books
8) Hard flooring
9) The sun on my face
10) Rosemary, Lavendar, & Peppermint (not together)
Things I love to do:
1) Swim
2) Sing
3) Camp
4) Read
5) Run
6) Create
7) Play with my boys
8) Sleep
9) Visit
10) Finish
Things I Want :) HaHa & Hint Hint
Jogging stroller
New clothes
Clean bathroom
Minivan - never thought I'd say that
A heart-rate monitor
Babysitting
More time in the day
Patience :) I'm taking a lesson right now. I'll tell you about it when it's over.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
At Once Complicated, Beautiful, and Ugly
The Sunday prior to the 4th of July, I had to work at a church other than the one I usually attend these days. As I was working, I did not get to hear all of any service, but a very dear friend was preaching. I did hear part of the worship and I was more than bothered at the strong patriotism in the songs and in the prayers. When asked by a colleague why I was so bothered, I could not put my finger on or clearly articulate my thoughts.
Fast forward to the evening of the 4th of July.
My family, immediate and extended, attended the D-Back's game together. We had a great time. It was Joel's first time at the ballpark and his first fireworks show. He was mesmerized by both. As I held him in my lap and enjoyed the patriotic music playing, I realized that many of the songs had been played in that church the previous week and like a light bulb I realized why I had been so bothered. Webster defines patriotism with few words, "love for or devotion to one's country." With that definition in mind, patriotic songs are in essence worship music for a country. In church, the only entity to be worshiped is God.
I believe that it is very appropriate to thank God for the blessings we live in, and I enjoy patriotic music. The USA has done some pretty wonderful things. We stood up for different oppressed peoples in many various countries and wars, sustaining compassionate humanitarian organizations global and local, welcoming refugees into our communities. We have managed to protect the freedoms cherished by our Founding Fathers, many of whom were not Christians, contrary to popular belief. We've also done some pretty awful things. We allowed the KKK to practice their bigotry, taking the law into their own hands. We have mistakenly and intentionally bombed civilians when at war. We have violated the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and allowed Minute Men to take the law into their own hands. We have mistreated POWs and refused aid to countries experiencing genocide. It would be unreasonable to think we could help everyone, or always act perfectly right. It's just nice to have a balanced view of our country's history and current circumstance. Like a person, it's complicated, beautiful, and ugly all at the same time. God, on the other hand, IS perfect and worthy of worship.
I do not want to live any where other than the USA. I would call myself patriotic, just not during church. I support out troops, prayerfully and financially, because they are living a sacrificial lifestyle for my benefit and the benefit of others (by financially, I mean in addition to required taxes). I respect the men and women of the military and are thankful for their sacrifices. I think that I oppose the war in Iraq even though I do not fully understand all the politics and media surrounding it.
Over and over again, I hear the words, "God bless America," and "America has turned her back on God, prohibiting prayer in school, removing scriptures or phrases from national icons, condoning homosexual lifestyles and teenage pregnancy, Hollywood." If this country was founded on Christian principles, the way many so passionately claim, then we should be praying for our enemy. "God bless Iraq." I guess that prayer was not allowed in school when I was a kid, but prayer is a matter of my heart and God's spirit, not something at all governed by others, ever. Prayer is only disallowed in school if you choose to stop your heart.
I sense that I am beginning to ramble on tangents. My purpose in writing tonight is to make the point that Independence Day is a political holiday, not a religious holiday. Patriotism in church reveals our arrogance as a nation, implies a lesser claim on Christ's love by Christians in other countries, and weakens the spiritual encounter at hand like a golden calf. It is one thing to be thankful to God for our political circumstance, but quite another to blatantly worship a political institution in God's own house.
Fast forward to the evening of the 4th of July.
My family, immediate and extended, attended the D-Back's game together. We had a great time. It was Joel's first time at the ballpark and his first fireworks show. He was mesmerized by both. As I held him in my lap and enjoyed the patriotic music playing, I realized that many of the songs had been played in that church the previous week and like a light bulb I realized why I had been so bothered. Webster defines patriotism with few words, "love for or devotion to one's country." With that definition in mind, patriotic songs are in essence worship music for a country. In church, the only entity to be worshiped is God.
I believe that it is very appropriate to thank God for the blessings we live in, and I enjoy patriotic music. The USA has done some pretty wonderful things. We stood up for different oppressed peoples in many various countries and wars, sustaining compassionate humanitarian organizations global and local, welcoming refugees into our communities. We have managed to protect the freedoms cherished by our Founding Fathers, many of whom were not Christians, contrary to popular belief. We've also done some pretty awful things. We allowed the KKK to practice their bigotry, taking the law into their own hands. We have mistakenly and intentionally bombed civilians when at war. We have violated the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and allowed Minute Men to take the law into their own hands. We have mistreated POWs and refused aid to countries experiencing genocide. It would be unreasonable to think we could help everyone, or always act perfectly right. It's just nice to have a balanced view of our country's history and current circumstance. Like a person, it's complicated, beautiful, and ugly all at the same time. God, on the other hand, IS perfect and worthy of worship.
I do not want to live any where other than the USA. I would call myself patriotic, just not during church. I support out troops, prayerfully and financially, because they are living a sacrificial lifestyle for my benefit and the benefit of others (by financially, I mean in addition to required taxes). I respect the men and women of the military and are thankful for their sacrifices. I think that I oppose the war in Iraq even though I do not fully understand all the politics and media surrounding it.
Over and over again, I hear the words, "God bless America," and "America has turned her back on God, prohibiting prayer in school, removing scriptures or phrases from national icons, condoning homosexual lifestyles and teenage pregnancy, Hollywood." If this country was founded on Christian principles, the way many so passionately claim, then we should be praying for our enemy. "God bless Iraq." I guess that prayer was not allowed in school when I was a kid, but prayer is a matter of my heart and God's spirit, not something at all governed by others, ever. Prayer is only disallowed in school if you choose to stop your heart.
I sense that I am beginning to ramble on tangents. My purpose in writing tonight is to make the point that Independence Day is a political holiday, not a religious holiday. Patriotism in church reveals our arrogance as a nation, implies a lesser claim on Christ's love by Christians in other countries, and weakens the spiritual encounter at hand like a golden calf. It is one thing to be thankful to God for our political circumstance, but quite another to blatantly worship a political institution in God's own house.
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