“Dude, what’s your problem?”

1/26/2010 · Comments

in calling

a2’s men’s group met this morning for the start of the spring semester. As we shared our dreams and goals for 2010, a recurring theme was calling: “I want to know what my purpose is”; “I don’t want to wonder what I’m supposed to do; I want to be certain”; “It’s time for me to use my talents.” Not all of us spoke this aloud, but I suspect all but two or three in the group could say that we either need help in identifying our calling or we need to get moving in what we know. The “two or three” I excluded seem to me to be clear on what God has called them to do, and they are purposeful about moving forward in that. In my experience, the men with clarity and forward motion are the rarities, and as much I would like to say I’m one of them, I have to be honest and say that I’m not.

I drove home from Panera feeling rather heavy, thinking, Okay, Dan, you’re almost 46; time to get it together and Dude, what’s your problem? What a blessing it was, then, to sit down and listen to Pray-as-you-go’s devotional for today, which focused on 2 Timothy 1:1–9. It seems we’re not alone in lacking clarity and forward motion; look at what Paul tells Timothy right at the start of this letter: “I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God,” or as The Message says, “And the special gift of ministry you received when I laid hands on you and prayed—keep that ablaze!”

Imagine this: you are a young man, and the world’s greatest missionary and evangelist takes a special interest in you. He spends time with you and your family, gets to know you, and eventually, he even lays hands on you and prays for God’s giftings and calling to be made evident in your life. Most of us would think that’s a sure ticket to spiritual power and performance: the Apostle Paul himself prayed for you. And yet we see that Timothy, like many (most?) of us, struggles to live out what’s inside.

I don’t know about you, but I take a lot of comfort in Timothy’s struggle, and I’m grateful that the Holy Spirit saw fit to include these details of Timothy’s life for all of us to read and learn from. For one, it reminds me that spiritual pedigree or connectedness here on earth is no guarantee of success: if the prayer and anointing of an apostle doesn’t do it, what can? And of course, I’m reminded that even those who spent time with Jesus daily couldn’t get or keep it together all the time.

So to Dude, what’s your problem? I say, Lighten up! I’m in good company.

But I can’t stop there: such a response, though accurate, becomes an excuse by itself. And fortunately, Paul doesn’t stop with “get it together, Timothy!” He goes on with some encouragement: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (NKJ). What a great promise! This tells me God has provided what I need to have clarity and forward motion in my own calling.

It will take me some time to unpack what’s in this promise, but I don’t have to fully get it to be strengthened by it. Today I can remind myself, “I have power, love, and a sound mind.” And that’s a step forward.

Tagged as: calling, clarity, forward, gifts, Paul, promises, Timothy

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Review: The True Saint Nicholas

12/24/2009 · Comments

in books

Short version: worth reading, but don’t give it to kids who believe in Santa.

The True Saint Nicholas: Why He Matters to Christmas is an easy and informative read. Bennett is a masterful storyteller, transforming what could be a dry encyclopedia entry into an engaging tale. The book is divided into three sections of three chapters each: Life of Nicholas, Legends of Nicholas, and Legacy of Nicholas.

In Part One, Bennett takes the sparse historical materials as well as the legends and hagiographies and combines them into an interesting story of Nicholas’ life, filling in cultural and historical details and making clear what’s certain and what’s supposition. I appreciated Bennett’s occasional use of Scripture and focus on Nicholas’ faith and service to God. This is not about a historical figure who happens to matter to Christians; this is about a Christian who happens to matter to history.

Part Two shows the transformation of Nicholas from godly man to saint invoked and capitalized on by virtually every group, from sailors to merchants to women trying to conceive. Part Three moves to the transformation of Nicholas into Santa Claus. Bennett gives some attention to European variants like the Dutch Sinterklaas, but his primary focus is the genesis of the American Santa of “The Night Before Christmas” and Coca-Cola advertising. I found this particularly interesting as I was unaware of the history and didn’t realize how very American Santa is.

The jacket states that in this book, “Most of all, you will discover why this saintly man who has influenced our most beloved holiday throughout the years is evidence of God’s love, and why he does, indeed, matter to Christmas.” Certainly Bennett makes good on the first claim: Nicholas’ life is an inspiring story of a loving God at work in and through a man submitted to His will.

I’m not so sure about the second claim, though. Here’s what Bennett has to say:

But the stories of Saint Nicholas and Santa Claus are arguably true in a more important way. They are morally true. They offer generosity, kindness, justice, and self-sacrifice over avarice, cruelty, injustice, and self-indulgence. They are about the celebration of human closeness and decency, and the caring for others. They are about families at the hearth. In their totality, they are about the raising of sights and efforts toward a better life.

Is Nicholas worth knowing about? Absolutely. And Bennett shows that Santa and a faith-oriented Christmas are not incompatible. But for me, this final statement about the truth that can be found in Santa is a bit of a stretch. Does that make the book less worthwhile? No. It was definitely worth reading, and I would recommend it.

On a side note, The True Saint Nicholas is a beautifully designed book. For those of us who want our books to be both intellectually engaging and aesthetically pleasing, it delivers. It’s also short: 114 pages of large print, so it reads quickly.

A final note about children: I bought this thinking I would share it with my kids, but the only one that will read it any time soon is the teenager. Our younger two still believe in Santa, and while Bennett doesn’t come out and say that Santa doesn’t exist, the explanation of Santa’s history might burst the bubble for some. I could see reading Part One about the life of Nicholas to my children–the style is very accessible, and they would enjoy the story. But I won’t be passing the book around the family for several years.

Tagged as: Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus, William J. Bennett

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Emmanuel: the gift already given

December 20, 2009

Over the past few years, I’ve done fairly well in making some sort of observance of Lent, but Advent has generally escaped me—undoubtedly because the weeks leading up to Christmas are always incredibly busy in ways that the Lenten season never is.

Advent, as those in liturgical churches know, starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas; Advent Sunday (today), not only starts the Advent season but also marks the beginning of the liturgical year. For much of the Christian world, this day signals changes in prayer, ritual, and family practices leading up to the celebration of Christ’s birth. For the rest of us in low-church settings, Advent passes right on by without so much as a mention, though Christmas will likely get some attention in the December services.

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two tools for developing a love filter

October 4, 2008

I concluded my last post with the idea that Jesus’ wisdom in dealing with difficult people was the result of filtering their actions and His responses through love–what I termed a “love filter.”

I should note here that a love filter isn’t rose-colored glasses; choosing to filter people and the world through love is not choosing to ignore problems or act as if none exist. We saw last time that Jesus didn’t ignore problems; rather, He had the wisdom to know when to confront and when to overlook.

So the question becomes, “How do we love as Jesus loved? How do we develop that wisdom?” This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are two things that are helping me.

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return of the annoying people; or, I need a love filter

October 1, 2008

Getting an eternal perspective on annoying people helped some, but it didn’t solve the problem. For the last few days, I’ve been having fantasies of telling this person–let’s call him Alan–of telling Alan off: kindly and gently, but still telling him off.

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getting some perspective on annoying people

September 23, 2008

I was writing in my journal yesterday about my frustration–my anger, really–with a coworker, using ink on paper as a way to vent and perhaps to find some perspective. I wrote,

“I feel like he is often–always?–judging me. And he is arrogant–and insecure, and well-intentioned. But he doesn’t extend grace to others. Should I expect an atheist to be grace-full? I suppose not.”
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Mary Magdalene, passionate witness

July 23, 2008

In honor of Mary Magdalene’s feast day, I reviewed what the Bible actually says about this most controversial of Jesus’ disciples. As I noted, this Mary has enough to recommend her to our consideration without the speculations of prostitution or marriage to Jesus.

Perhaps the most obvious lesson from her life is that God heals and restores. Both Mark and Luke note that Jesus healed Mary of seven demons. Some scholars take this literally, while others suggest that seven is used to symbolize the severity of her physical, non-demonic illness. Whatever your view of demonic activity, Mary had a serious problem and Jesus solved it. Completely.

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