Mother Raises Kids without God

It is not surprising or even shocking that we find this article about a mom who raises her kids without God. I am also not surprised that CNN.com would publish it like its news. I clicked on it and I am sure that both believers and skeptics alike took time to read it. Their advertisers must be thrilled.

In the mean time I wanted to respond to the author who is described this way in the producers note, “TXBlue08, a mother of two teenagers in Texas, blogs about raising her children without religion. She said she shared this essay on CNN iReport because 'I just felt there is not a voice out there for women/moms like me. I think people misunderstand or are fearful of people who don’t believe in God.’ I am positive that only my few faithful will look at this but it is okay I had a few things I thought were worth noting.

She starts out asking the question that has been asked throughout the ages. Not why can a good God allow evil to prosper, although it comes up later, she asks about disease and birth defects. I will not pretend to have an answer. I will reject that it disproves God and is cause for reverting back to a purely evolutionary philosophy. I do believe the sick and weak among the animals are either eaten by their own species so as not to be protein for a competitor or left behind to be eaten as the healthy animals flee to safety. Instead my kids will know that just as they have in them the stamped image of God and are precious so do those who do not share their mobility, cognitive function or health. In fact I will tell them it is their duty as followers of Christ to be his healing hands to these populations that are so often marginalized.

She then critiques that a moral code based on fear of a higher power is not healthy and that a moral code must be internally structured. I am not sure what humans she hangs around with and how they have managed without God to create a moral fiber that is not based on their own desires. They must be a great bunch, in the mean time I am going to recognize my own depravity, what John Calvin calls “the smolder of sin” that is alive within me and look to God for moral guidance, lest I justify my own base sloth and gluttony. My kids will know that they are not God and cannot create God. That is what we do when we create a frame work for the universe with ourselves at the center. We create God and therefore become God every time we reject any one of his Biblical Tenants on the basis of disagreeing with it. Who is the person in charge if you got to choose what part of God’s law you followed.

I may respond more later in the week but let me finish with this thought. The accusation that God teaches narcissism was a surprise. She didn’t want her kids to feel like out of all the matter in the universe they are somehow special. They are just part of the big machine called the universe that at any point can snuff out their meaningless existence with the right earthquake, meteor, or morally self-justifying totalitarian tyrant. The Costa’s will continue to be flattered, humbled, in awe of God caring for them. “What is man that you are mindful of him?”

The Costa’s will love God. Love will not be some emotional sentiment that comes and goes with chemical responses in the brain. It will be the laying aside of our own kingdoms to serve and build the Kingdom of God. We will love God in public, not in private. We will proclaim his goodness to the ends of the earth. We will look forward to our forever lives in the New Heavens and New Earth where every knee will bow and ever tongue confess to the Glory of God the father. Amen. 

Engaging the Changing.

The other day I gathered with some fellow youth pastor friends to talk about how Christianity engages the questions of culture. The four of us were all over the map as far as the “how to” part although we all seemed to agree on what truths our faith has for the people around us. In my opinion the ability to engage and change the culture around us is one of our most important activities as believers. St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Corinthians that we are ambassadors. Ambassadors are not from the country they reside in, they dwell there hoping to impact the place they are stationed with their home country’s values.

My fear is the amount of time we spend impacting the culture in our already believing congregations that we run out of steam to go and impact our communities. Culture is asking hard questions that the Gospel has answers to. The economy, morality, the place of government, educations, violent conflict, tragedies both human and natural all keep our secular friends awake at night. They don’t think our faith has the answers or they would show up in droves.

These observations are nothing new. I am only spouting what the literature has been telling us for years. The next step is experimentation. Trying new things or retrying old things and recognizing that it is better to try and fail then to sit on the side lines waiting for a solution to hit us over the head.

For Grace UMC it means a youth group that will remain flexible. Certain aspects will look like the traditional Youth Ministries of our parents and some of it will not. One thing I enjoy about the Christian faith is that when it is practiced Biblically it is not a cultural phenomenon. As culture changes so can the application of faith. I think we went to sleep one day and woke up to a changed culture. Like many other times in history the application must change. Not for change sake, but for the souls of men (and women).

Peace!

Should Mondays really be so tough?

If we truly see Sundays as a day of Sabbath rest why are we so exhausted on Mondays. For me it was because I was up late watching the premier to Downton Abby (worth it). Although I am a little groggy I try and start my Mondays shooting out of the gate. I look to Sundays as a restful preparation to the rest of the week.

God has given us great work to do but he has also given us limitations. In the Gospel of Luke it says that after Jesus was tempted by the devil, “the angels ministered to him.” There must have been some level of exhaustion for his human nature that was so extreme it took the ministry of God’s angels to help him in recovery.

 It is my hope as a pastor to draw boundaries, to know myself. What brings me life, what drains me? How can I interact with my family so that they are not constantly getting the leftovers of my emotional energy? My first step is to trust the sovereignty of God. My rest will not thwart his plan for salvation history. Whatever your opinion on the strength of sovereignty versus the strength of our freedom I do not think we can thwart the final glorification of God and the arrival of his Kingdom here.

Rest well friends, you are designed for it. Conquer a morning so that you can capture your evening for real restful play and relaxation. It is one of the Ten Commandments.

It is Monday so back to work for me, wish me a productive morning. 

Delegating and trusting God.

Last night I did something that I was quite proud of. I let go and I trusted dear friends. Let me explain, I am charged with the spiritual health of both our children and our youth at Grace UMC. For the past five months I had been eat, breathe, sleeping youth ministry. It was time that I step out and give my attention to the children in our community. This means that as much as I love giving the lesson at our weekly meeting I had to entrust that great honor to others so that I could be with our youngest members.

In 2 Timothy 2:2 St. Paul charges his disciple Timothy to entrust the message to faithful men. I am sure that in the spirit of gender neutrality we could translate it to faithful women as well. I have these three women volunteers who are terrific. Last night I handed them the lesson and stepped out of the room. What ever happened behind that door was done by them empowered by the Holy Spirit.

This is the only way the modern church can hope to survive. With giving going down in churches coupled with the increased expense of staff less staff has to do more. This means delegation. Delegation requires relinquishing control to trusted people. Last night I feel like a new chapter opened, one were we bring on board volunteers to do the big work of ministry like teaching the good news of Jesus Christ. No longer do we saddle people with the less fun work of hospitality and clean up.

Have a great week!