Ways To Help South Texas

*I originally wrote this as an e-mail for my church, but after doing so realized that it could be beneficial for others as well, especially those in Central Texas. If you are wanting to assist victims of Hurricane Harvey but aren't sure the best ways to do so, I hope this will help.*

During and after any natural disaster, we as Christians owe to our neighbors to do what we can to help. Here are a few ways you can best assist disaster relief efforts in Houston and the coastal area:

PRAY:

Victims, first responders, disaster relief organizations, churches, and local, state, and federal officials can all use your continued prayers this week and in the weeks to come. Let me further encourage you, don't just get on social media and post, "Sending thoughts and prayers"...actually get on your knees and go to the Lord in supplication. 

"And this is the boldness we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us."- 1 John 5:14

GIVE:

1. Texas Baptist Men is a world renowned disaster relief organization that our church generously supports on a monthly basis. They have been stationed at various evacuation sites since before the storm and are in the disaster zones now assisting. These folks are experienced disaster relief volunteers who extend the love of Christ in the most practical ways possible to victims of disaster--if you are looking for an organization to donate to, this would be my first recommendation.

2. Central Texas Food Bank, which we partnered with for more than a year through the monthly Second Saturday food distribution program, is one of many state food banks helping to feed storm and flood victims. Consider donating to them as well.

3. Give blood through the American Red Cross in Waco. Our local Heart of Texas branch is part of a network that helps serve both Central and South Texas, so any blood you donate will likely help to restock blood banks in the flood zone. For those wanting to donate blood, there will be a drive this Friday from 9:30-3:00 at the Doris Miller VA Medical Center Building 6. You can also give blood through Carter BloodCare in Waco.

DO NOT GIVE UNWISELY:

I completely understand the desire to give something other than money, whether out of concern that your money will be misspent or simply from a desire to eliminate the middle man and get what is needed yourself. However, relief organizations unanimously agree that the best thing you can give them, especially in the middle of a disaster, is money. Disaster relief is expensive, and for nonprofits especially, financial donations are vital.

For legal, financial, and/or sanitary reasons, your blankets, medicine, teddy bears, used clothing, canned goods, etc. are more likely to be tossed in a dumpster than go to someone in need. If you want to give and know that you are truly helping, then give money to one of the organizations above.

VOLUNTEER:

Latham Springs Baptist Encampment in Aquilla, where we have sent students in the past for youth camp, is serving as an evacuation site for 450-500 storm victims between now and the weekend. If you have the time flexibility this week, they are in need of volunteers to help serve food, wipe down tables, etc. during the day. Particularly if you have an RV and would be able to stay a few days, your help would be greatly appreciated. If you're interested in helping, call (254) 694-3689 for more information.

If other opportunities open up with our partner organizations, or if there is a way we as a church can help more directly, I will let you know. I hope this information will help as you consider the best way to love our neighbors in South Texas.

Only One Choice (Friday Devotional)

“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’”

- Matthew 16:13-14

Any fan of the original Saturday Night Live cast can recite the mantra of one of their sketches with an almost musical cadence: “Cheezborger. No Coke; Pepsi. Cheeps.” At the fictional Olympia Restaurant (based on the real-life Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago), the menu was remarkably limited. If you wanted a grilled cheese sandwich, you were out of luck—you could have a cheeseburger instead. If you wanted French fries, prepare to settle for chips. And of course, whether you wanted Coke, orange soda, or even water, you should be ready to get a Pepsi. For anyone who came to the diner with preconceived notions about what they were going to receive, they had another thing coming—at Olympia there was only one choice.

We sometimes enter into spiritual life with the attitude of patrons at a restaurant, believing that for any moral or spiritual decision we have a bevy of options to choose from, then looking for the one that fits our preconceived notions about what’s best for us. Sometimes, when it’s what we feel we need, that means turning to God’s Word for comfort or reassurance or conviction. But other times, the Word tells us something we don’t want to hear, maybe about loving our enemies or giving to those who ask us—and too often in those cases, we furrow our brows and find a way to reinterpret, rationalize, or otherwise wish away God’s commands. We know what we wanted God to say, and it wasn’t that, so we bow to a different god for the time being, whether he be Mammon or Political Orthodoxy or Common Sense or any of the other idols seeking our attention and our favor.

When Jesus asked his disciples who the crowds thought he was, they told him he was considered by some to be a resurrected John the Baptist, by others Elijah come again. Still others thought him to be Jerusalem’s weeping prophet Jeremiah or one of his cohorts, maybe Isaiah or Hosea or Joel. People listened to Jesus in those days and heard an echo of what they were willing to hear from God—judgment for some, hope for others—but they missed the totality of his message. We do the same thing today, listening to the parts of Jesus’s gospel that appeal to us or catch our attention, but disregarding that which doesn’t fit our personal narrative.

But Jesus is not content to be one item on your spiritual menu, because ultimately he’s all you need. It is not his responsibility to fit himself into your worldview, but rather your responsibility to form your worldview around him. He came not to be your fortune cookie or your warm blanket, but to be your Lord. As Simon Peter confessed, he is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and to relegate his words, example, and cross to second place in any situation is to fail to take him seriously.

As you go throughout your day, think about how much of your life you are truly allowing Jesus to be Lord over. You’ve always got plenty of options as to which authority to obey in a given moment—but as at Olympia Restaurant, there’s really only one right choice.

Clean Hands or Clean Hearts (Friday Devotional)

“But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”

- Matthew 15:18-20

Do you remember the “I’m a Mac. And I’m a PC” ads from a few years ago? In every commercial, two men would talk to the viewer (and sometimes each other) about the differences between Apple’s computers and Microsoft’s. One of the men, the personification of the PC, was a rumpled, dorky-looking middle manager type with the glasses and khakis to prove it. The other, the Mac, was a younger, cool-but-unthreatening creative guy, complete with nice jeans and a stylish haircut. Apple aired dozens of ads featuring these two characters, but the dialogue was always superfluous—the moment the characters introduced themselves, the point was made: there were two kinds of people in this world, and your computer of choice showed whether you were in the right group or not.

Those ads spoke to a simple, universal desire to be recognized as the right kind of person. We want to be included, we want to be validated—and yes, we want to be a little bit exclusive. When you proudly say, “I’m a Longhorn” or “I’m a Republican” or “I’m a Baptist,” you’re stating factual associations, but more than that, you’re setting yourself apart, declaring to the world that you belong to a superior tribe. You want the world to know that, while the world might be full of ne’er-do-wells, you’re one of the good people.

There was a group in Jesus’s time, the Pharisees, who exemplified that sort of attitude. They had devoted themselves to the study of God’s Law and to strictly adhering to it—and they weren’t shy about pointing out those who didn’t measure up to their standard. So when they saw Jesus’s disciples failing to make themselves ritually clean before every meal, they didn’t hesitate to bring it to the Lord’s attention. Their primary goal here wasn’t to ensure that God’s Law was followed to the letter, but to embarrass Jesus and gratify themselves—to show that, unlike this popular new rabbi, they were the right kind of people. But Jesus saw through their legalism and cut to the truth of the matter: if you’re worried about being unclean before God, he said, look to your heart, not to what’s on the surface.

The kind of tribalism epitomized by the Pharisees is rampant today. On television and radio and especially social media, there are hordes of self-appointed inspectors checking people’s hands so that they can declare them unclean. Just like the Pharisees, their goal is simple: to make sure everyone knows that the only acceptable kind of person is their kind of person.

Left untreated by grace, a germ of exclusivity can quickly metastasize into a fever of intolerance. Christ made clear how God judges people—not by tribal standards, but by the measure of what you believe and confess. Your heart is what matters to the Lord, not your social, educational, economic, political, or racial affiliation; your righteousness is determined by God’s grace alone. Tribalism says that the world can be divided into good people and bad people, but the Bible declares the truth: there’s only ever been one truly good person, and he died to save, redeem, and welcome home the bad people. So in a week marred by factionalism, intolerance, and hatred, may you be a light in the darkness—for your calling is not to segregate people by tribe, but to invite them to God’s kingdom.

Converging Blessings (Friday Devotional)

“Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts. Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.”

- Psalm 85:8-11

One of the best parts of going to the zoo is watching when the animals are fed. Even the laziest of creatures (I’m looking at you, lions) start to stir when they see the uniformed zookeeper enter the habitat, bucket in hand. And whether the food is being delivered to fish, birds, bears, or rhinoceroses, the effect is the same when the food comes out—from every corner of the habitat, the animals ravenously head toward the center, converging upon their latest feast.

Psalm 85 says that when God delivers His people from trial, they can expect a similar convergence, albeit a spiritual one. Steadfast love and righteousness, which had seemed so far away when you were struggling, suddenly meet. Faithfulness springs up from the ground like a vine and righteousness descends from the sky like rain. Most vividly, righteousness and peace are said to come so close that they kiss each other. From all directions, God bombards you with blessings.

That is worth remembering when it feels like the only the only things converging upon you are curses. Difficulties, from the mundane to the serious, have the tendency to attack you at once and from all sides, to converge upon you like vultures to a carcass. When that happens, it can leave you feeling battered, worn, and alone, like God can’t spare a moment for you—or worse, that He just doesn’t care enough to do so.

But trials aren’t the only things that can converge upon you—salvation can as well. When you place your faith in God and trust His understanding instead of your own, you will find hope where there once was only despair, peace where there once was only chaos. The Holy Spirit can flood your life with the same all-encompassing fervor of your stresses if you will only be willing to trust God and call upon His name. So even when it feels all the cares of the world are converging upon you like animals to a feast, have faith: deliverance—from above and below, from east to west—may not be far behind.

Keeping Consistent (Friday Devotional)

“The Lord is just in all His ways, and kind in all His doings. The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.”

- Psalm 145:17-18

Few things set people on edge as much as waiting for a table at a restaurant. Every wristwatch is checked on a minute by minute basis. Every conversation is punctuated by the question “How long has it been now?” And when the hostess walks to the front of the crowd, menus in hand, everyone sits up straight, hoping their moment has finally arrived—until some lucky family hears their name and follows her, prompting everyone else to let out a collective sigh of frustration.

What makes the wait at least slightly more tolerable is the knowledge that everybody else has to wait exactly like you. Sure, the wait feels interminable; sure, you’re ready to eat—but at least it’s an equitable system. Everybody must wait their turn, and nobody gets to jump the line.

That’s probably why things get so hostile when a V.I.P. walks through the door and is ushered right to their table, bypassing the line completely. Appalled at what they’ve witnessed, everyone who’s been waiting with a thin veneer of patience angrily starts demanding answers of the hostess: “Why do they get to jump the line? Don’t you know how long we’ve all been here?” Waiting was fine so long as the rules were fair. But no one likes being the victim of inconsistency.

For that reason, there is great comfort in the words of Psalm 145: “the Lord is just in all His ways, and kind in all His doings. The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.” There is no pecking order in God’s economy, no list of spiritual haves and have-nots, no V.I.P.s who get to jump the line of grace and receive the blessings of heaven. The justice and mercy of God are available to all who call upon His name, regardless of their race, gender, upbringing, zip code, or economic status.

In a world where sometimes it seems the only thing that’s guaranteed is that there are no guarantees, God is an eternal fount of power, compassion, justice, and grace. When people, systems, and organizations fail to keep their promises, He remains faithful. So even when your trust in others fails, may you never hesitate to turn to the God who holds all things together—He’ll never skip over you.

July Book Log

I'm not getting as much uninterrupted reading time these days (pastoral work and caring for a 7-month old will do that), but I'm getting better than ever before at using periodic 5 minute breaks for reading instead of playing on my phone. Here's what I found time for this month in the early hours and those spare moments.

CHRIST PLAYS IN TEN THOUSAND PLACES: A CONVERSATION IN SPIRITUAL THEOLOGY by Eugene H. Peterson

Before he was the latest touchpoint in evangelical Christianity's civil war over how the church should address homosexuality (if you're not familiar with the controversy, you're better off), Eugene Peterson was a pastor, professor, and author--one of my favorites, in fact. His skill with language is, in my opinion, unparalleled among modern Christian writers, and his books always leave me thinking. Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, the first of five books in a series on "spiritual theology," contains all the hallmarks of a typical Peterson book (beautiful use of language, pastoral tone, spiritual focus), but nevertheless made for a somewhat frustrating read.

In this book (and presumably the other four, which I intend to read over the next few months), Peterson seeks to bring spirituality, with its devotional focus and embrace of mystery, and theology, with its grounding in Scripture and its systematic approach, together. One's theology, says Peterson, must be spiritual, and one's spirituality must be theological, because both are needed to live according to the way of Christ. Peterson breaks up his thoughts into three sections, three areas in which Christ is at work: in creation, in history, and in community. By observing how God moves in these contexts and then by becoming a part of that work, we draw closer to God and better live as He intended us to.

Peterson is trying to do a lot in 338 pages, and it shows. This is probably the closest thing to a systematic theology he ever wrote (though its structure in no way resembles that genre's), and he is dealing with some big concepts and heavy theology.  While far more readable than your average systematic theology, it is nevertheless a slog at times, saved by his skillful use of language and insightful exegetical insights. This isn't an academic work, but that doesn't mean it's easy either.

The book seems to wander at times, and while the rabbit trails he leads you down are useful individually, you can't help but get the feeling that the individual parts may be greater than their sum. Peterson has wise things to say about, just to name a few things: the Trinity, creation, Sabbath, what "the fear of the Lord" means today, baptism, the Lord's Supper, and adopting Jesus's means instead of just his ends...and if that seems to cover a lot of ground, then you may be starting to understand my problem with the book. My understanding of the next four books in the series is that their focuses are narrower, and I look forward to that. In Christ Plays In Ten Thousand Places, Peterson gave me a 16 course meal with 60 different kinds of food...I loved everything there, but I hope his next offering will be a little easier to digest.

DON'T WASTE YOUR LIFE by John Piper

As I've mentioned previously, I'm not John Piper's biggest fan (though neither am I his biggest detractor), but as long as used bookstores keep putting his books on the clearance rack, I'll probably keep buying them. After all, whether you agree with his theological bent or not, there's no denying Piper's influence on contemporary Christianity, to say nothing of his impact on the kingdom of God. With this, the third Piper book I've read and reviewed, I've now got a pretty good idea what to expect out of the average book he puts out, for good and ill.

Don't Waste Your Life is based on the famous "Seashells" sermon that Piper preached at the 2000 Passion conference, a sermon that catapulted Piper into the national spotlight. In that message, Piper decried the American dream of leisurely retirement, saying that the Christian who devotes his or her life to trivial pursuits and worldly comfort has wasted the life God gave them. The message was and is convicting, and prompts the listener/reader to ask these question of virtually everything you do: Is this bringing God glory? If so, how? And if not, then why am I wasting my time with it? The message is not flawless--at face value, it seems to ignore the entire concept of Sabbath--but it is valuable, and the Holy Spirit has used it to bring many Christians out of the doldrums of materialism and into the mission field.

As for the book...well, it kind of reads like a 30 minute sermon stretched to 180 pages. This, I'm learning, is a trademark of Piper's books: they are usually not original works so much as extensions of his more compact sermons, articles, and interviews. Freed from time and space constraints, Piper's writing enables him to throw as much Scripture at you as he can find (the man loves a good proof text) and to approach his main point from as many angles as he can come up with. As such, reading Piper can be exhausting, even when you agree with everything he's saying...sometimes you want to throw up your hands and cry, "I get it already!"

With that being said, Piper's prose is much better in Don't Waste Your Life than anything else I've read by him, particularly in the first two chapters, where he gives his personal testimony. This is a book meant to be accessible to anyone, and it largely succeeds in that goal, especially if read in sips instead of gulps. You may find that Don't Waste Your Life drones on and on, but its central message is a good one, and one that American Christians in particular need to hear. Overall, for the sake of its powerful message to generations of contented, privileged, unfocused Christians, I would recommend spending a few hours reading this book...or at least taking 30 minutes to listen to the sermon.

BORN TO RUN by Bruce Springsteen

In the interest of full disclosure, there was never a chance I wasn't going to like this book. Bruce Springsteen has been my favorite musician since the day I watched his 2001 Live in New York City concert, a 3 hour video so mesmerizing that I watched it twice in two days before begrudgingly returning the DVD to the friend who'd urged me to check it out. I own every one of his 18 studio albums, 4 of his official live albums, 5 bootleg concert CDs, several EPs, singles, and compilations, a concert DVD, and even a few albums on vinyl. The only hole in my experience with the Boss is seeing him live myself, a dilemma I will pay virtually any amount to rectify the next time he's in Texas. So when he released his memoir last year, there was no question that I was going to like it and enjoy it.

What did surprise me was how objectively good it was.

On one level, Bruce (yeah, I'm going first name basis on this one) is simply writing his life story chronologically, from his childhood in Freehold, New Jersey to his days as a bar band musician through his illustrious career with (and, for a time, without) the E Street Band. This aspect of the book is perfectly fine, especially since it is written in his signature voice, full of interesting insights and anecdotes. But Bruce, Peter Ames Carlin's 2012 biography of the Boss, gives you most of these details in a more straightforward account, and doesn't leave out the messier parts of the Bruce's life, such as his first marriage and subsequent divorce, which Born to Run takes pains to avoid talking about whenever possible.

But Bruce didn't write a strictly-the-facts autobiography; he had something bigger to say. Where the book soars is in talking about depression, first his father's and then his. With the literary chops that have always set his songwriting apart, informed by the insights of the psychiatric professionals who have now treated him for decades, Bruce describes with pointed honesty how his father's undiagnosed depression cast a dark cloud over the lives of both him and his family. When the story moves into Bruce's early success, he candidly explains how his famous work ethic and onstage energy were self-medication for the family curse he now knew he'd inherited. Most surprisingly, it is in the last 50 pages that depression rears its head again, with the rich and famous rock star confessing that for a year and a half (2013-2014) he found himself uncontrollably sobbing at little things and unable to get out of bed for weeks at a time before consulting a psychopharmacologist and receiving new medication. Bruce's descriptions of depression, examples of how it ruined his father's life, and ultimately triumphant story of reclaiming himself through the help of both his family and psychiatric professionals all offer a better message to those needing help than any PSA could.

Even if you're not a Springsteen fan, this is one of the better rock star memoirs out there (which is saying something, since there have been some excellent ones in the past few years). If you're already a fan, this is required reading.

GILEAD by Marilynne Robinson

This was a book seemingly made for me: a Pulitzer Prize winner, a novel about the life of a preacher, and a story of fathers and sons all rolled into one. Besides, it came highly recommended by several of my seminary professors, who placed it on their lists of must-read novels for all pastors. However, by the time I finished it, I felt almost exactly like I did after watching Wonder Woman a few weeks ago: it was definitely good, but I think all the hype set my expectations too high.

Gilead is the story an old Kansas preacher, written as a series of reflections to his young son. The book is highly character-driven, to the point where 80 pages in I was wondering if a plot would ever emerge (some semblance of a linear narrative finally develops in the second half of the book). As the narrator tells the story of his own life, the lives of his father and grandfather, and ultimately the story of the godson who bears his name, author Marilynne Robinson drops nugget after nugget of wisdom about family, faith, and the beauty of life itself.

What sets Gilead apart, as many reviewers (and my professors) have noted, is that it is an unapologetically spiritual novel. The narrator is neither portrayed as a fundamentalist hick nor as a charismatic charlatan, the two stereotypes of preachers that contemporary fiction is littered with. Rather, he is an educated, thoughtful, and faithful man trying to honor God, his church, and his family...not to mention himself. When he struggles, he prays. When he questions, he quotes Scripture. When he sins, he asks for forgiveness. Gilead is neither a story attacking religion--the kind that often earn glowing reviews in mainstream literary publications--nor a religious tract masquerading as fiction, i.e. 95% of the "Christian fiction" section at your local bookstore. It is simply a quiet portrait of a life of faith.

My only complaint about Gilead echoes what I said about Christ Plays In Ten Thousand Places (though I enjoyed Gilead more). At times the book feels like brilliant writing in search of a story to tell, a series of proverbs needing a central point. However, this issue is mostly resolved by the book's conclusion, as one character arc concludes and the book's main themes become more evident. I just wish the first 100 pages had felt a little tighter, because they made for a sleepy and occasionally frustrating reading experience. Overall, while Gilead is not the best work of fiction I've ever read (as my professors' recommendations had led me to believe it might be), I would still recommend it, especially to any believer looking for a book with a faithful perspective and good creative writing, a combination that is unfortunately difficult to find.

ESSENTIAL DEFENDERS VOL. 2-3 by Steve Gerber, Sal Buscema, Jim Mooney, Len Wein, Jim Starlin, David Kraft, et al.

After my introduction to "the greatest non-team in comics" last month, I continued my crash course with Essential Defenders Vol. 2 and 3, collections that took me from issues 15 through 60 (along with a few crossover issues in Marvel Team-Up and Marvel Two-in-One). And now that I've got this many Defenders stories under my belt, I can say this with confidence: this is a fun series.

Imagine the Avengers without the high stakes (and with a lot more C and D-list characters) and you've got the Defenders. While the original team started with some heavy hitters in the lineup--Doctor Strange, Hulk, Sub-Mariner, and the Silver Surfer--by issue 15, two new characters, Nighthawk and Valkyrie, have already been introduced to the book following previous brief appearances in the Avengers. Their lack of pedigree gives the writers plenty of room for imagination (and no pesky continuity to deal with), and it is probably for that reason that they are the only characters in every issue of these two volumes. C-list superheroes at best, they nevertheless become the bedrock of the team (by issue 60, Nighthawk is the leader and Valkyrie the most powerful member.) Along with Doctor Strange and the Hulk, who alternates between comic relief and destructive force of nature, the core lineup is a good mixture of personality, power, and mystery. Other Defenders who join the team include Luke Cage, Red Guardian (a Soviet superheroine), Hellcat (a happy-go-lucky acrobat), and Demon Slayer (still not totally sure what his deal is, honestly.)

The highlight of these two volumes is clearly Steve Gerber's run as writer. Best known as the creator of Howard the Duck, Gerber inserts a comedic, don't-take-this-too-seriously sensibility to the book without ever departing from its action roots. Probably the best example of this comes when the Defenders face off against the Headmen, a group of would-be world conquerors who have one trait in common: they all have heads that don't match their bodies. Seriously. Take a look:

So many questions. But the answer to all of them, inevitably, is, "Because comics. Don't think about it too hard."

That's a pretty good attitude to take for all of these Defenders issues. Whether it's the story where Nighthawk's brain has been transplanted into the body of one of the Headmen and that Headman's body into a deer, the continuing saga of the ex-husband of the woman whose body Valkyrie inhabits, or the ongoing mystery of the Elf With A Gun (who is he? why does he keep shooting people? does he even have anything to do with the Defenders, since his appearances are all non-sequiturs?), the 1970s Defenders series is a dated, hit-or-miss slice of the Bronze Age that no one would call a masterpiece. But it's a heck of a lot of fun. Time to go shopping for Essential Defenders Vol. 4!