Distinguishing the Seasons

early spring 3 , meissner

By Chaplain Mike

It is late February here in the Midwest, a time that will drive you crazy. In the same week, we might have snow, ice, rain, and a 65-degree sunny day. My wife noticed that the daffodils were coming up yesterday. Today, I went outside and hosed off the deck and back walk from the residue of salt and kitty litter we’d put down to avoid falling on the inch-thick ice we had recently.

We’re missing the big snow storm that’s moving across the upper Midwest today, dropping more than a foot of snow in northern Illinois and Wisconsin, but such storms are not unheard of where we live. After all, high school basketball sectionals are not far off, and we have an oral tradition of getting snow during those games.

Oh, by the way, I had this post all ready to go and then I watched the late news. Overnight, the temperature is supposed to rise and get up to about 60 degrees by morning, then fall throughout the day, with rain turning to ice and snow by evening.

Stay tuned for what’s next. You never know.

Late winter has a way of messing with your head. It can be cabin fever or shorts and flip-flops. Mostly it’s that unsatisfactory in-between, not warm enough to get out on the baseball field, and everything either slushy or brown and matted down under bare trees showing no buds yet.

The spiritual life is often like that. Occasionally we can read the “signs of the times,” and figure out how to dress for the day. We go through an intense trial of illness, conflict, doubt, or trouble, and it signals that we’d better button up against the cold, icy winds. We find ourselves in a time of happiness and abundance. Perhaps we are celebrating one of life’s major occasions or turning points, rejoicing in some new opportunity, or grateful for some plenteous provision. We don cheerful colors, put ice in our glasses, and raise them high to toast the sun’s warmth and bright blue skies.

However, on any given day we may find ourselves “in-between,” and discover it is hard to distinguish the seasons. Winter coat or spring jacket? Sweater or shirtsleeves? Do I need an umbrella? My ice scraper? Stay tuned for what’s next. You never know.

Continue reading “Distinguishing the Seasons”

iMonk Classic: The “Real” Prosperity Gospel

Classic iMonk Post
by Michael Spencer
From Sept 16, 2008

A reader sent me a very nice note yesterday, talking about a bit of the scope and direction of my writing on this blog over the years. He mentioned something I want to share with you. Hear his idea and initial direction; then I want the ball.

It’s funny how among some of the religious types you seem to be surrounded by, there is both a deep hatred for the prosperity gospel, and something that at a functional level, is the prosperity gospel. A gospel where although Jesus may not give you a BMW, He will make sure you’re always happy, never struggle with doubt, and most of all, He’ll keep you from feeling like you might need to ask a question of Him. It’s subtle, but I had adopted many of these beliefs into my own life, and as God has been taking those ideas apart over the past few years, yours has been a voice letting me know I’m not alone. Your writing has helped keep me sane.

The real prosperity gospel isn’t the overt appeal to wealth. It is the more subtle appeal to God guaranteeing that we are going to be happy, and the accompanying pressure to be happy in ways that are acceptable and recognizable to the community of Christians we belong to.

Continue reading “iMonk Classic: The “Real” Prosperity Gospel”

Jesus Calls Us to Perfect Love

By Chaplain Mike
Today’s Gospel: Matthew 5:38-48

…No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.

…If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus?

…In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.

• From Matt. 5:38-48, MSG

if only this spiritual life
were about “spiritual things”
i might manage

if only i could cloister myself
to worship, watch, and pray
i might feel competent

if only there were a simple list
rules to guide and bind and lead
i might make the grade

but it’s not just jesus and me…

there are kooks in cars
who cut me off while on their phones
and cause my rage to rise

there are critics in corners
who trash my name behind my back
and rankle my resolve

there are crooks in commerce
who make false claims and double-deal
and rile my sense of rectitude

and i who am our father’s child
who breathes the air of kingdom new
yet still enfleshed and flawed and frail
must greet and speak and work beside
all manner of neighbor and friend and foe
and this is where new life must grow
in soil of human interchange
where we shake hands or by hands are struck

and heaven’s rain falls on us all

The Bad News of Self-Righteousness

By Chaplain Mike

My reliable source for the culture war, prosperity gospel, and all things “trend-a-gelical” is The Christian Post. They call themselves “the nation’s most comprehensive Christian news website…delivering up-to-date news, information, and commentaries relevant to Christians across denominational lines.” Actually, most of the time it’s like walking into a bad Christian bookstore with mostly bargain book quality material.

Nevertheless, it keeps me informed about what’s happening in some of the main rings of the evangelical circus.

Exhibit A: today’s article about Joyce Meyer, with the tagline, “Charismatic televangelist and bestselling author Joyce Meyer on Thursday opened up about the death of her younger brother David as part of a message on the life of self-pity versus the life of diligence and faith.”

I usually don’t bother commenting on such prosperity gospel mavens as Meyer, but this message is such a glaring example of the false “American Gospel” and prosperity message of self-righteousness that I am making an exception.

Continue reading “The Bad News of Self-Righteousness”

Saturday Ramblings 2.19.11

If you are new here at the iMonastery, each week we try to do a little light housecleaning. We put away the leftovers and take out the garbage and sweep the floors. We can make quite the mess during the week trying to keep things going here. So bear with us now as we get out the broom and dustpan and clean up what we call the Saturday Ramblings.

“I’ll take Life As We Know It Is Over for two hundred, Alex.”

“Answer: He just beat two former champions, but can’t spend any of the winnings.”

[Beep Beep] “Who is Watson?”

“Correct.”

Continue reading “Saturday Ramblings 2.19.11”

Carrying One Another

By Chaplain Mike

One of my favorite sports stories of all time comes from an incident that took place in a college softball game between Central Washington and Western Oregon in April, 2008.

Sara Tucholsky, a senior for Western Oregon, stepped up to the plate with two runners on base and did something she had never done in her 21 years of life. She smacked one over the fence. A three-run home run! So excited was she about this unlikely, timely display of power that she missed first base. Turning back to touch the bag, her right knee buckled, and she went down, crying and crawling back to first base.

What could she do? She was unable to walk and her teammates were not allowed, by rule, to assist her around the bases. The umpire let the coach know that if she could not proceed any further, the other two runners who scored would be counted, but she would only be credited with a single.

Then Mallory Holtman, Central Washington’s first baseman, spoke up and asked, “Excuse me, would it be OK if we carried her around and she touched each bag?” The umpires huddled and ruled that her opponents could do that within the rules. So, Liz Wallace, the CWU shortstop ran over and she and Holtman picked up the injured Tucholsky and began carrying her around the bases. They lowered her at second, third, and finally home. As both teams and fans brushed back tears to see such remarkable sportsmanship, Sara Tucholsky celebrated her first home run, carried in the arms of her opponents.

What an unusual display of humanity! And of course it is all the more remarkable to imagine competitors bearing up a member of the opposing team, even when it cost them in the game. In this splendid way, a group of college softball players exemplified Paul’s apostolic exhortation: “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)

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So, You Tell Me

Hi all. Your friendly neighborhood publisher here with a few questions for you. First of all, a great big “thanks” to each of you. Because of your loyalty to visit and spend time on InternetMonk, we are in the top 1000 of all blogs on the internet. That would be number 952 out of 1,256,299 blogs. Among 6,728 religious blogs, we are number six. That is incredible! And it is all thanks to you, the faithful here at the iMonastery.

Honestly, numbers like that don’t mean as much to us as each one of you do. You come here and share your hurts, your pains, your life with us. And we are very humbled indeed that you would do so. Chaplain Mike and I recently shared lunch together and one of us said—I think it was Mike, but it may have been been me; goat curry can tend to mess with one—that even though we are not getting paid for this, we would not trade what we get to do for anything. We truly are blessed to be serving you in this way.

Joe Stallard, our faithful web master, recently completed an update to the site to make it more user-friendly. The changeover went incredibly smoothly, thanks entirely to Joe. We hope you like the new format and find it helps you to get where you want to go faster and easier.

Continue reading “So, You Tell Me”

Difficult Scriptures: Psalm 46:10

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10, NIV)

What is so difficult about this Scripture? I mean, the psalmist is saying … uh, he’s telling us to … uh …

Ok, what do you say? How are we to be still? And in being still, how do we know that he is God? What does it even mean to know he is God? Don’t we know this by being busy for him, doing the things he wants us to do?

And what does it mean for this God to be exalted?

Your thoughts?

Is It a Pastor?

By Chaplain Mike

The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

– 1Tim 1:5, NASB

I have made my views known early and often on the subject of pastoral care, pastoral visitation, and relational pastoral ministry here at Internet Monk.

In my opinion, such practices lie at the heart of pastoral ministry. If a pastor does not spend time with people, getting to know them outside of church activities–in their homes, schools, places of employment and recreation, and caring for them in times of need–I do not believe that pastor can preach, teach, pray, or lead effectively. Such a pastor cannot truly help people with spiritual formation. Such a pastor cannot gain the relational wisdom or have the personal access required to “show and tell” others how to love God and love people.

Please note. The scripture above from 1Timothy says in the plainest way possible that this is the goal of Christian instruction, which is one of a pastor’s main duties. The goal of our instruction is not sound doctrine or right opinions. The goal is not Bible knowledge. The goal is not even people’s spiritual formation. The goal goes beyond all those things. The goal of instructing others in the faith is to help them be people of love. A relational goal requires a relational approach, a relational ministry.

Awhile back, I was talking about this with someone, and a particular pastor in a large church came up in our conversation. This minister spends nearly all his time either studying or preparing studies, teaching and preaching, writing or speaking at conferences. Many folks I have known in seminary and pastoral ministry have considered him a model. They aspire to be like him. They believe (rightly) in the power of God’s Word, and can think of nothing better than immersing one’s life in studying it and teaching it to others.

I myself have been in their shoes, coveting such a ministry. I have been the “teaching” pastor, filling my sermons to overflowing with content. I have cloistered myself in my study. I have taught classes in local churches that I would have been proud to present at a college or seminary level.

As we discussed this particular minister, it became clear that he had other staff members handle pastoral care and visitation and such ministries. And then my friend said, “And I was told, to be truthful you really don’t want Pastor ________ to visit you in the hospital!” In other words, he was no good at it. His relational and caring skills were less than adequate for the task. In all likelihood, you would feel worse after he visited you than before.

I am going to be brutally frank here. I don’t know how you call such a person a “pastor.” And I will say something else, with equal honesty–I would not want him as my pastor.

Continue reading “Is It a Pastor?”

A Word about Words

The First Mourning, Bouguereau

By Chaplain Mike

Then [Job’s friends] sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.

• Job 2:11-13

• • •

My dear friend,

Christians believe in words and their power. And well we should. Our sacred book begins with God speaking and bringing order to a chaotic world. The Gospel begins with the Word made flesh. Our very faith comes through hearing the word of God. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus, went through all the land, teaching and proclaiming God’s word about the kingdom of heaven. Great is the company of those who bring the word!

But we often forget the word of wisdom:

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver” (Proverbs 25:11).

Fitly spoken, he said.

  • Spoken at the right time.
  • Spoken when appropriate.
  • Spoken after listening.
  • Spoken after having given thought to what I’m about to say.
  • Spoken with proper understanding of the circumstances.
  • Spoken with sensitivity to the other’s feelings and concerns.
  • Spoken after listening.
  • Spoken after having checked my motives.
  • Spoken with due humility, realizing I may not know the whole story.
  • Spoken in conjunction with a willingness to do something to help.
  • Spoken in as few words as possible.
  • Spoken with carefully chosen words.
  • Spoken prayerfully.
  • Spoken after listening.

Woe is me! For I am a man of unclean lips. I am utterly dependent on God’s Word to cleanse me. Only through grace and the Spirit can I give a word fitly spoken.

Until then, shh. . . quiet.

Job’s friends did more good in one verse of silence than in thirty-five chapters of words.

That’s something to think about today.

In silence.

Set a guard over my mouth, LORD;
keep watch over the door of my lips.

• Psalm 141:3