quotable quote

The cycle of codependency must stop, and it begins with the leader refusing to enable the irresponsible behavior of others. Christian leaders must step off the pedestal and no longer allow the average Christian to do nothing. As long as the leaders continue to fulfill all roles of responsibility, the others will not be able to do what God has called them to do" (40).

Neil Cole, Organic Leadership

where is God when it hurts - part two

I have found Where is God When It Hurts to be a very insightful and personal book concerning the issues of pain and suffering in today's world. Yancey uses a ton of real-life experiences to communicate people's different responses to pain and he incorporates what the Bible has to say about pain and suffering. At the outset, Yancey confesses that he does not address this issue philosophically as many have done in the past - rather he tries to keep pain very personal. He acknowledges that the large questions such as - "how did evil enter the world?" and "why is suffering dispensed inequitably?" are not addressed in this book.

Yancey begins his treatment of pain by looking at pain physiologically - that is, how and why does the human person experience pain from a physiologic perspective. In other words, medically speaking - what's going on inside of us? And what does our body's response say about pain?

Pain - "The Gift that Nobody Wants"
The human body is complex - so complex that the nervous system [which produces pain] cannot be replicated in laboratories - though this has been tried. Physiologically speaking - pain is the body's warning system. It also serves as a protection system. But as we all know and have experienced - pain is well...painful. We don't like to feel pain because it hurts and causes us discomfort. So why do our bodies need pain? Does pain have to be unpleasant? Here's what Yancey wonders, "A protective system is, of course, necessary, but must it hurt? What about when a piercing shot of pain races to the brain, doubling up a patient - couldn't God have found another way of alerting us?" (28).

Extensive laboratory research led by Dr. Paul Brand using audible signals coming through hearing aids and visual lights has shown that patients would tolerate loud noises if s/he wanted to do something such as turning a screwdriver too hard, even though the warning signals told them it would be harmful. Finally Brand resorted to electric shock - people had to be forced to remove their hands - being alerted to danger was insufficient (28). The stimulus for these patients had to be unpleasant.

Here's what Dr. Brand sincerely says, "Thank God for pain!"

Yancey continues, "Unless the warning signal demands response, we might not heed it...for the majority of us, the pain network performs daily protective service...pain then is not God's great goof. It is a gift - the gift that nobody wants. Without it, our lives would be open to abuse and horrible decay" (29).

I would add that pain is the gift that we all have received - well, most of us - as we shall see very soon - not all of us are born with a properly functioning nervous system which warns and protects us. Pain demands attention, says Yancey, and it reminds me that the next time I turn my ankle or wake up with stiff neck that I need to be cautious so as to not wipe out the pain with ibuprofen or other pain relieving pills - just because I'm uncomfortable - because in doing so I might make my injury worse by ignoring the pain.

Stay tuned...

living will & advanced directives

Friends, I generally don't write so directly - mostly because I write for myself - but in this case I'm writing to you who read this blog frequently and in-frequently because this topic is something that is important and equally urgent. I'll get right to the point - if you don't have a living will or have not taken the time to communicate in some way, shape, or form your desires for your future medical care in the event you are unable to make your own decisions - you need to get a living will and make advanced directives for health care today. That's how important this is. If you are married [and have children] you needed to get a living will yesterday. My wife and I are in our early 30's and have living wills in the event either or both of us are tragically killed. It makes no difference if you are 30, 60, or 92 - you need to get a living will and you need to [at the very least] communicate with a loved one what to do in the unfortunate event you are incapacitated in such a way that you require sustained life support or the like. I hope I'm not coming on too strongly here. So where is all this emotion coming from?

I have had the privilege to serve as a chaplain at a local hospital over the last year. Yesterday was a difficult day for me at the hospital as I met with a family and their physicians to determine the future care of their loved one who could not speak for himself nor did he have a living will or advanced directives. When a patient has not expressed his/her desires, the difficult desicions concerning their care rests upon next of kin [or whoever has the power of attorney]. The family needed spiritual guidance on this issue because they wanted to make the best decision for their loved one. These decisions are the most difficult decisions surviving loved ones have to make, so please do yourself and your loved ones a great service and get a living will and make your desires for medical attention known to someone - your spouse, a family member, a confidant, someone you trust with your life.

Bottom line: If you don't have a living will - get one. It's worth the cost [not only to you financially but to those around you who won't have to make the difficult decisions].

Second bottom line: By getting a living will and advanced directives, you will relieve the burden of guilt that your loved ones will feel if they have to make the decisions in your place.

Peace.

where is God when it hurts - part one

I've read the opening chapters of Philip Yancey's classic book on hurt and suffering from a Christian perspective entitled, Where is God When it Hurts, and I'd like to open this post with a quote which struck me as dead on. Read what Yancey says in the opening chapter...

After an extensive tour of the United States, the well-known German pastor and theologian Helmut Thielicke was asked what he saw as the greatest defect among American Christians. He replied, "They have an inadequate view of suffering." I have come to agree with him.

There you have it - one widely respected opinion on the greatest "defect" among American Christians today. Actually this book was first published in 1977 and I believe Thielicke is spot on concerning this issue. In my opinion, our [Christian]view of human suffering in the Western world is too small and inadequate.

And so it is Yancey's hope - which began as a quest - that Christians have something to offer those who are suffering. And, offer a message which can strenghten our own faith if we suffer. "Where is God when it hurts? Is He trying to tell us something?" (15).

More to come...

Surprised by the Power of the Spirit

I just finished reading Surprised by the Power of the Spirit written by pastor and scholar, Jack Deere [not to be confused with John Deere - the farm implement mogul]. You can read a short biography here.

I must say I was pleasantly "surprised" with the content of this book. I am usually skeptical of book titles which include words like - power and Spirit - but I really appreciated Deere's authenticity as he writes not only from a Bible professor's perspective but also from a testimonial perspective. Testimonially, he shared about how for decades he not only read but taught others [from the Bible no less] that spiritual gifts such as healing, prophecy, tongues, and the like ceased to exist when the last of the apostles died on earth. He had what is called a "cessationist" view of the world. But all that radically change for Deere on an occasion where he saw first hand the awesome power of God's Spirit heal someone he actually knew! Following that event, he dove deeply in to the biblical text and began to question all that he previously believed about healing and the spiritual gifts, and he realized that God did not withdraw his gifts; rather the church has withdrawn from God! He has gone on to plant several churches and continues to be a man who prays for the sick and encourages his parishioners to seek the spiritual gifts which God freely gives to those who pursue them for the the edification and the building up of His church.

Deere's book has a good deal of technical content as well whereby he looks at the biblical texts dealing with spiritual power and gifts and he talks about how they are relevant and useful to the church today. He also midly deals with the aspects of why God does or does not heal today - which is always a source of debate!

If I had the opportunity to meet Jack Deere, I would ask him to talk more about world view - specifically to talk about how the different lenses in which we view the world around us affect how we read the Bible. Though he doesn't say in his book that his "world view" changed - it is apparent that this is the case. Overall, I found this book to be very helpful as an introductory text in the realm of spiritual power, gifts, and healing.

summer reading 2009

This summer I am reading a few books that have been on my shelf for a while, so I figured what better time than this summer to catch up on some long-waited reading. Here's what's on my list this summer -

The Coming of the Kingdom by Herman Ridderbos.

Where is God When it Hurts by Philip Yancey.

The Challenge of Jesus by N.T. Wright.

Surprised by the Power of the Spirit by Jack Deere.

I've already read Deere's book on the power of the Holy Spirit and will briefly blog about what I appreciate about his book. He has a lot to say and his personal experience is testimony to the great work of the Holy Spirit today. More to come on that soon.