i was just visiting Chasing Hats and came across a good piece on sexuality. The Christian subculture has a long way to go in dealing with sexuality well.

John Eldredge made a cogent point in a talk he gave once when he asked the rhetorical question: How many Christians do you know who _ if they were putting the Bible together today _ would include the Song of Solomon?

One thing which underscores the problem is the fact that the man i mentioned in the post on Dec. 4 about things are rarely what they seem said it is very hard to find help for his pornography problem.

Thanks to Chasing Hats for adding wisdom to the discussion.

It's a winter wonderland in the Philadelphia area today, several inches of snow falling. one of the simple pleasures in life for me is playing with my kids in the snow _ or just playing with them in any conditions. There is an undeniable tug on my heart when i see them frolicking and enjoying something such as a snowball fight. They are wide-eyed and full of wonder _ i would do well to remember the excitement of my youth; but more than that, to actually have my heart stirred with joy, pleasure and wonder. This is just one of the reasons why having children is good for me.

The church has too many visionaries, planners and leadership gurus. It has too many dynamic "personalities" and clever presentations aimed at creating various impressions. What the church needs is simply people who are passionately in love with Jesus. Give me a man or a woman who is passionate for Christ, deeply desiring real intimacy with Him and living his or her life in pursuit of Christ, and that is all the church needs.

Let's leave behind the niche marketing strategies, corporate models and slogans, they are no help. i need Christ crucified on the tree every moment of every day; i need the hand of God touching me and healing me; i need His voice in my ear; i need the Spirit of God flowing in and through me, carrying me through the world and its battles.

i do not need anything more than all of what the Gospel already is, but i cannot taken even one breath with out it _ without His abundant mercy and grace. Only in Christ is life.

Things Are Rarely What They Seem

i had the occasion last night to run into a man i had originally met while we were both in seminary _ he full time, me part-time. i remember that despite his being younger than i by 6 years, he impressed me with his sense of direction, purpose and drive. i also remember feeling envious of him in some specific ways. So it was my surprise to learn that his life has hit a real bottom lately. He dropped out of seminary after one year and has recently lost his job because the place where he was working found pornography on his computer. And, his dropping out of school was related to this same issue, which was flourishing during the very time i found myself envying him. Currently his marriage is on the rocks and he is in a desperate place. i say this not as condemnation of him at all, rather i say it to underscore the reality which God has to show me over and over again that when i look at the outward appearance and start comparing myself to others i am in dangerous territory.

i am reminded of the passage where the prophet Samuel visits Jesse to find God's choice for the King of Israel. Samuel looks on each of Jesse's sons admiringly as they parade before him. Samuel is sure each time one of the handsome men steps forward: "this must be the one."

To his, and Jesse's, surprise, God calls the humble shepherd boy and tells Samuel that the unassuming child is to be the king. God tells Samuel that while man looks at the outward appearance, God sees the heart.

What a powerful reminder of that truth i had last night. It is also a call to me about my own heart _ is it right and guiltless before God?

Humility reigns down on me.

Station No. 21

Charles could not sleep. It had been weeks since Jason loaned him the book of Chin li’s poetry and all the while the same lines he encountered in the cafe haunted him. There were other poems in the book which Charles had skimmed, but they held little interest.

Charles was tired; physically, as well as mentally, exhausted from a conversation in his mind which he could not make stop. It was strange, Charles thought, that he would feel such conflict and not know why he felt it. On one hand, he took comfort in Chin li’s poetry, yet he simultaneously felt such comfort never endured. Charles sensed Chin li understood the pain Charles experienced, and there was a sort of connection and strength in that, yet Charles really took no significant hope from that.

He had not been back to the cafe since that night he left in the whirlwind of poetry, feeling aimless. It was the longest hiatus he had taken from Jason and his shop. Charles even resorted to screening all of his phone calls to avoid an awkward conversation. He had turned away Rosa numerous times, declining her help even though he really needed it. John had spoken in Rosa’s defense and told his dad that it was a mistake to cast her off.

But Charles would not listen to anyone, nor could he. The voice ringing inside his head crowded out anything else. If he had really listened to John, Charles likely would have still have dismissed Rosa. He was finding her less and less tolerable. John resented his father’s attitude, and he told him so. Rosa and John had taken a liking to each other, holding many conversations over the course of the weeks during which she cooked and cleaned for the family.

All of this was lost on Charles, especially in light of his recent questions spurred by Chin li’s poetry. His exasperation was exacerbated by the fact that he was not altogether certain what his questions were; he found it hard to express in words the ache throbbing in his heart.

Like it or not, and certainly without being aware of it, Charles was sucked into a whirlpool of chaos — the same chaos which Chin li mentioned in the poem when he wrote: And i hear a call to enter even this chaos.

Well, Irene Q gets right to it in her latest two posts. She's tackling stark issues with bravery, and it's stuff that most believers stay away from _ to our detriment.

Holiday

It's great to have a national holiday devoted solely to giving thanks for the blessings of our lives. Regardless of whether or not a person is a believer in Christ or acknowledges God's hand in the blessings, there is a benefit in fixing gratitute in the national conscience. Of course it is preferable and much more appropriate for all of us to focus on The Father's abundance to us and to praise Him for it. This past holiday was a fine time with friends and family, and as my kids grow older (5 and 3 this year), it is good and fun to see them grasp certain concepts of thankfulness.

Of course, with two kids at these ages, each day is filled with lots of energy and various "conversations" which are confusing and humorous at the same time.

My 5-year-old, Noah, gets fixed on certain phrases or song lyrics and repeats them constantly throughout the day. Some of his favorites during the Thanksgiving holiday were:

Dad, that's really interesting (said to me at various times when i have not said or done anyting at all to precipitate such a response from him.)

First day of the rest of my life . . . ( the only lyric from POD's song Youth of the Nation; my wife quickly asked me not to play that CD in his presence any more)

Five little Pilgrims on Thanksgiving Day,
The first one said "i'll have cake if i may;"
The second one said "i'll have turkey roasted;"
The third one said "i'll have chestnuts toasted;"
The fourth one said "i'll have pumpkin pie;"
The fifth one said "Oh, cranberries i spy;"
but before the pilgrims ate their turkey dressing,
They bowed their heads and said a Thanksgiving blessing. (his thanksgiving poem, which he recited for all of us after the big meal.)