A review of the book BEWARE OF HYPOCRISY

I agreed to review a book for Mike Morrel at Speakeasy.com in exchange for receiving a free copy of the book.  Of course the TITLE of the BOOK in what intrigued me and the subtitle "Who is Teaching Us What?". Its a very small book (just under 60 pages and not full size) and I ready it fairly quickly.

I'm going to break it down for you concisely to save time and effort on your end.

PROS: He covers some important history of the church stuff and how doctrines were formulated.
He points out that the church has done some really stupid stuff as far as making stuff up to fill in the blanks where scripture doesn't really spell it out.  Mostly he used the Catholic Church as his target of criticism in such issues as infallibility of the pope, Christology, indulgences, etc. He talks about how some scriptures were added to text later in the life of the church. I agree with that skepticism.  He is intelligent and thinks things through.

CONS: the author is a little more fundamental that I am. Literal applications of certain scripture is difficult for me to swallow. He prefers the King James Version and its my least favorite.  He is pretty hardline on Marriage & Adultery sections, although he makes an argument based upon scripture and Jesus' message compared to old testament.  I think some issues need to be viewed in light of new information.

Overall its worth the read and I did learn something from it.  I just wouldn't say its a must read or paradigm shifting in nature.

~npp

I am still learning...

 I am trying to wrap up what life taught me in 2018. 

Here is my list of a few things I learned:

Do not let age be a factor in love and friendship.

Bifocals suck.

That laughter is possible, even though I usually employ a SST (Smile Suppression Technique).

 I really do not like my smile.

I really do enjoy music. I had, over the years, forgotten to let it speak to me, to my soul, and how it reflects my moods.

What a narcissist truly is and how it will be in a relationship no matter what.

That I don't have to set myself on fire just to keep you warm. I am learning that I am not responsible for holding everything together, even though it may be in my nature to try to do so.

That I can't fix everything, nor do I know how or have all of the answers. I do however have some life experiences, a good listening ear, and advice if asked.

I prefer local restaurants over chains.

That I am human, and I'm going to experience pain and loss and frustration. I will also experience the opposite.

That good people still exist on this planet, but so do evil ones. Its often hard to tell the difference until it is too late.

That when I was young, Time was an ally and stood by me.  Now that I am getting older it is more of a Foe. Our relationship is turning adversarial. I am acutely aware of my mortality.

There are things in our society that needs to be fixed. Healthcare. Veterans. Homelessness.  Justice Systems. Status quo on these things irregardless of political persuasion is not good.

People will use you. I already knew this. But good people will invest time and effort in you and your relationship. Do not take that for granted.

My thoughts on God and religion are ever present.

It is exhausting trying to be everything to everyone. Working around egos and feelings and expectations.  I'm going to do less of that next year...

Oh wait.... I guess my next blog entry will be about resolutions.  Hopefully I can remember to do it and remember my sign in.  ~npp (the original nonprofitprophet from 2007)

This is only a test...or is it?

Its been, what, two years since I've posted anything? Its hard to believe. I had to google search my blog because I lost the info once again.  Amazing how many nonprofitprophet 's there are listed now. Better late than never I guess.

So I'm writing this little thing as a test to see if I can still post. If you see this...then I can too and the answer is yes.  Oh the things that have changed in two years.

I will try to write something more frequently and with deep wisdom and insight, like I used to do.

~npp

A review of the new book The Atonement of God

A review of the new book The Atonement of God - Building your Theology on a crucifixion of God, by JD Myers.

I have always struggled with the Savior attributes assigned to Jesus. Not rejecting the mainline theology being taught or espoused in most major denominations as a child, or even as an adult now, but always questioning. Overall I have never felt that emotional response to Jesus many in the Southern Baptist traditions have had, or that "time and date" being saved thing.  I grew up knowing the story, grew up in the church, I did not have to "accept Jesus into my heart" as they say because I was always aware of Him/God. Like air, no reason to acknowledge the obvious or make a big deal out of it.

I have found on my journey that others also feel this way, and its moreso now than it was some years ago.  Many taboo topics in religion are now super popular to discuss and right books about. Its hard in the religious south to talk about such things before because, pick your response "God is Soveriegn", "Omnipotent", etc. Which means of course they don't have the answers to its the default response and do not question it.

 So when I saw this book being offered that talks about the theology being built around the crucifixion, I bit on it.

I'm not going to give away the arguments of the book for you. I think you have to discover these things for yourself.  But J.D. Myers covers Three Common Views of the Atonement, which tend to overlap some, Penal Substitution Theory, Ransom view, and Moral Influence. He touches on these briefly and kind of goes into the questions behind the logic, or lack thereof , of each one.

Myers uses the terminology The Non-Violent View of the Atonement (I know, a little lack luster there) to describe, discuss and put forth his view of what the crucifixion means/meant to both the early church and to us today.  I'm not going into it but he uses a majority of the book to discuss it. I'm not certain I agree with it all so much, but its a different take.  If you get the book and read it he goes into a bit, for me, a far fetched interpretation of the whole Cain & Able thing ... and how it relates. I think its a stretch, but its not my book!

Its conversational in tone. He isn't heady (which I was thinking it might be a bit more of), but he uses quite a bit of quotes up front from CS Lewis who is a mainstay in Christianity to Walter Wink who stands on the very edge of the left side of the field theologically speaking.

I would say its an interesting read for a discussion starter. ~npp 

I AM BACK! .... I think

I cannot believe HOW LONG ITS BEEN since I have posted anything.

I'm not sure anyone is still around to read these things.

the world of social media has rapidly changed in the past few years... Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, etc and I frankly don't have time to keep up with it.

Also new things like ISIS and Transgender dominate conversations.  It appears that the United States, and the world, has increasingly divided itself into more and groups.

I searched my old BlogSpot and couldn't remember password or username so it was some effort to get this done....

But I'm here... I think.

Some of you know of my severe and long lasting reaction to the antibiotic Cipro and its devastating effects.  My mind is still, four years later, not as clear as it once was.  Words do not flow freely from my brain to my hands to this page.  It takes more effort to make it through the day.  It could have been much worse.  Google Cipro Toxicity and you would see.

I'm going to try and post my thoughts on things here. You may or not care or agree with them. 

The bad thing about being a prophet is that you say things that people may or may not want to hear.  Historically in my blog I have called attention to things that we as general mainline Christians do or don't do that is harmful or stupid or personal or corporate.  And sometimes that falls in the lap of traditional religious structures.  But sometimes my words are for the left.  No side has the claim to getting it correct.

I find myself struggling.  First to not hurt people but also to remain honest to what I know to be true.

Political Correctness is the enemy of Truth.  For without Truth we cannot have honest discussions about Life.  And without honesty, we have no growth in understanding.  It is sad and not helpful.  It leads others astray, gives them false security and creates enemies. It distorts what is good for evil and what is evil for good. 

The prophet Isaiah already covered this a long time ago...  5:20 (NIV)

Woe to those who call evil good
    and good evil,
who put darkness for light
    and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
    and sweet for bitter

 

My beloved denomination is facing this.  It will be harmful. Hurtful. And a division/split is coming. There is much politics behind the scene....  but Political Correctness is going to deal a death blow.

Saving Jesus redux.... a review and insights

I grew up in a traditional mainline denominational church and was  taught Sunday after Sunday the main message of the bible, the fall, the redemption/salvation story, and pretty much took it at face value as a child and young adult.  Although at times I had questions or some concerns about things that quite didn't add up, I didn't even realize you could ask the questions because I thought that would equate to disbelief and I would go directly to Hell....not collect $200.

In my early 30s I really began a spiritual quest and started asking the questions of others who would listen and be willing to dialogue.  In this heavily Baptist dominated region of the world, I have been met with resistance and challenges, and even a few names hurled my direction to dare even to question the "inerrancy of the bible" aka God's definitive word on everything.  But on this quest I have found others who share the same questions.  And its not folks trying to disprove the bible or God, but legitimate people who are trying to dig deeper into something that calls us to a deeper understanding .... and I like to think Jesus would approve.

So, enter Living The Questions.  Its a dialogue about the questions many of us have regarding faith, spirituality, the bible, nature of God, historical Jesus versus church made Jesus the Christ, and on and on.  This current DVD "SAVING JESUS" is VERY GOOD in that it starts from a standpoint presenting Jesus in the light of history, culture, stories about Jesus, assumptions, the church Jesus, etc.  It is Living The Questions.  Doesn't mean it has all the answers but the dialogue is good. It is 2 DVDs in one box, each containing six 20 minute something sections from various theologians and people of faith.  Decidedly, they are on the liberal side of theology or postmodern as many refer to themselves (John Shelby Sponge, Robin Meyers, Diana Butler Bass, Brian , Marcus Borg who I swear looks is actually Obie Wan Kanobi Jedi Knight from Star Wars, etc). 

I enjoyed the first DVD 6 sections more so than the 2nd DVD as it was more intellectual dialogue about Jesus historically, culturally, teaching styles, and overall presentation.  The 2nd DVD was still good but some of the politics of the left starting seeping in.  That has always bothered me when, as in the days of the Moral Majority the religious right assumed they had the corner market on the Bible/proper theology/God and threw darts at the left, I often see similar efforts from certain areas of the postmodern left toward traditional/fundamental folks, which I don't find particularly helpful in the journey.  We are all somewhere in the journey and we should be respectful of that.

So I would highly recommend this series if you are genuinely wanting to ask, seek, and learn.  You don't have to agree with everything (I certainly had some "let me think about that statement" moments), but the conversation is worth having.  ~npp

To Live or Die? A Faith Families Struggle

My little church I attend is going through a process of change.  Over the decade they have lost membership as so many churches have experienced for whatever reasons and they have decided to try and do something about it.  The older folks have noticed that they are getting older and that there are fewer and fewer younger folks to carry on what they have invested so much of their time and money and heart into.  So this past year they joined a movement called Healthy Church Initiative to explore ways to revitalize the church in an effort to slow the decline and hopefully turn the numbers around.

I, for one, have never been impressed with "programs" or church consultants that are designed to "save" a church from whatever.  I've seen them come and go and nothing changed. Just a lot of "doing something" without getting something done.  So I set this one out, partially due to my health issues this past year and partly because I really did not believe in it and didn't want to be a negative if folks wanted to give it a try.

So they've been working on it. Having meetings. Reading books. Going to this and that.  The consultants gave their prescription on how to turn this thing around.... and that's where the fun started.  It seems the things I have been saying for, oh about a decade and better, are almost exactly what the consultants told them. Its always better hearing it from someone who gets paid good money than someone from Nazareth anyway.  It seems we are a bit inwardly focused.  It seems we have some turf issues within the church.  It appears we need to get out of our comfort zones and do things differently.  It appears its NOT ALL ABOUT US.

Now, I really don't care about all of the above.  That's a universal thing for most organizations. Loosing focus of who and what they are to be and how to go about it.  The machine takes over and we end up feeding the thing itself just to keep it alive - when in all reality maybe its time for it to die.  Its done its thing and is no longer useful. Businesses, churches, governments, organizations, the list is long.  But its nice to see that these folks are recognizing that yeah, maybe we do have some issues and need to address them.  And they are in the early painful stages of doing this.  At least its a step - hopefully in the right direction to discern what we are about and what we want to do. They aren't giving up. It appears they are at least willing to listen. 

I am staying in the background. Observing. Offering whatever when necessary or asked.  I am watching these folks struggle with who they were, are, and may become. Its uncomfortable for them. It will be nasty at times. People will have to get over themselves. People will have to reach, extend, get all twisted and bruised.  But anything worth it, is going to take some dirt.

So they aren't on hospice quite yet. They are facing their mortality and realizing that they want to pass something on. Something worth having. A legacy if you will.  I am not convinced that they know what that thing is yet. Is it just driving up the membership for sheer numbers so it looks better? Is it, as they call it, reaching people for Jesus Christ (whatever all that means).  Is it because they got something they love and they want to share it with others? I do not know what their answers and neither do they. They haven't gotten there yet.

But I'm glad to be a part of a faith community where at least they are aware, are asking questions, and are open to the possibilities. It may or may not work standing still is definitely a death sentence.  To Live or Die is what they are facing.  In the words of Ten Bears from Outlaw Josey Wales, "It is good that warriors such as we meet in the struggle of life... or death. It shall be life."

We shall see. ~npp

Painting the Stars: Science, Religion and an Evolving Faith review

Its been a while since I have gotten to post much of anything due to my severe drug reaction to Cipro antibiotic (google Cipro Toxicity for more info).  However I have not quit thinking of things in the realm of religion or theology or human nature or life in general, just not able to mentally and physically put them into words much.

But I am vowing to start that process again and do so here by my review of a new dvd series from Living The Questions (LTQ) - Painting The Stars dvd series.  It is produced by www.livingthequestions.com llc.  I was sent a copy of this to review and give an honest assessment of it so I will attempt to do so concisely and clearly.

First of all if you are fundamental in your religious beliefs and not receptive to different thoughts about religion, God, spirituality, mysticism and other like things then this is probably not the dvd series for you.  If you are a bit traditional but like to consider other views of things then you might like it. If you are moderate to liberal in your theology (and certain world views) then you would probably like most of it.

I will break this into categories for easy processing:

Production. This dvd series is well made, blending nice imagery with beautiful language, appropriate mood setting background music/sounds, interesting dialogue form various commentators who express views in a general sense.  There are 7 sessions on the dvd and each lasts approximately 20 something minutes in length, several ending with poetry.  The audio and video quality is top notch.

Substance:  What the series has in beautiful imagery and language and production it lacks in substance.  Substance meaning evidence or supporting documentation to back up much of what any of the authors are saying. Not that this is a bad thing or that the intent of the dvd series was to make a case for anything requiring evidence. After all it is called "living the questions" and the particular theme is how science, religion and an evolving faith could work.  It is more exploratory in nature, bringing up ideas that are nontraditional and expanding our view/experience/understandings of God and our world and the unseen world. An interconnectedness if you will. The format is a good one if you or your group would like to listen to these folks talk about ideas and have an open and frank discussion.  Many more traditional Christians will not be receptive however.

Politics: Admittedly most of the authors are academic and liberal. John Shelby Sponge for instance. I do love his little comments about how we seem to "have a fetish with the blood of Jesus. We protestants bath in it and Catholics drink it" etc. And though I agree with much of the premises that are espoused, I do not necessarily agree with the politics of biological evolution, race, economic disparity, environmental crises, etc.  One commentator suggested that the religious right was in kahoots with corporations to rape the planet of resources because Jesus was coming back soon so they were getting what they could before that happens. As it doesn't matter because we won't be around long enough to care what happens to the planet. I have never heard that philosophy espoused by anyone on the religious right that the 2nd coming was a reason for supporting corporate raping of the planet, nor do I believe the vast majority of conservative christians support any exploitation of the planet. Much of the dvd series, and I noted in Ch. 4 Evolutionaries, seemed to be pretty much against a conservative church or mindset.

Relevance:  I think the dvd series is relevant to our times. It addresses such issues as safe places in the church where people can be honest about things (Ch. 6), Evolutionary Christianity in Ch. 5 where it is suggested that the term Christian be redefined due to so much baggage associated with it. Thought provoking statements like John Shelby Sponge "There wasn't a fall you needed to be rescued from. We need to get out of the rescue-redeemer-savior mentality."  I know, every Baptist just cringed when reading that.  Jan Phillips in Ch. 7 went into Evolutionary Spirituality - that ii is "self-sourced, need not ever require a belief in an external god", which to me was a little more disconnect from God and more mysticism. Statements such as "A commitment of Unity" and "An evolved sense of Spirituality".  Suggesting we are god and the trees are god and the honey bee is god connectedness. Although I think we are connected in some ways, I do believe there is an external God and that I am not it, and neither is my desk or the contents of my lunch.

So overall I believe this dvd series is very good, although you may not agree with much of it. But if you are not afraid to explore, to ask questions, to see different points of view and contemplate things, then you will probably enjoy it immensely. If you already know everything about God and the big plan of salvation and gateway theology then you will hate it.  ~npp

*disclosure of material: I received this dvd free from the author and or publisher through the speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions CFR Part 255.

The Fallacy of Fairness

How many times in my life, and yours as well I imagine, have I either uttered or heard uttered the words "Its Not Fair!" regarding everything from household chores, homework assignments, failed relationships or just life in general?  Well lets just say if I had a dollar for ....

Most of us grew up as children being taught things like "if you try hard enough you could be...." fill in the blank:  President, Astronaut, Famous Actor, Lawyer... the list can go on and on depending on what it was you aspired to be.  And we also grew up in that childhood innocence with a certain model of how things were supposed to go in life, either from our parents if you were lucky, or from the TV shows of the day showing happy American Family Life.  We were blissfully hopefull and unaware of what lies ahead.

The model goes something like this:  Go to school. Be a good citizen. Attend church regularly. Graduate High School. (Depending on your age group/generation) Join Military or Go to College. Meet Girl/Boy of dreams. Get married. Get job. Raise Kids. Take them to church with you.  Retire. Grandchildren. Cycle repeats itself with your kids. You die.  (If you are Baptist then hopefully someone went over the Romans Road to Salvation thing so you can go to heaven and not burn in hell - but thats really a different blog topic).

But something along the way breaks with this model.  Your parents divorce or worse one dies from cancer. That wasn't on the television?  Or your folks were just normal middle class and struggled just to make ends meet so there was no free ride to college and your dreams of becoming an attorney were just that: dreams. A difficult reality to achieve. Not impossible, but not an easy road like some folks.  Or you have a health issue that limits your abilities.  Maybe you are plagued by other issues.

Maybe your experience was different. Maybe you were born into privilege and most of this stuff was expected and delivered. The American Dream was literally laid at your feet. Maybe your plugged into social expectations and fulfilled them, only to be left, well, unfulfilled yourself.  You climbed the ladder that was in front of you only to discover it was leaning against the wrong wall. (Stephen Covey thing there).

I did a privilege exercise once and it was very interesting.  Folks in the group lined up next to one another, then took a step forward "if this" was part of your upbringing, or a "step back" if this was... etc.  At the end of the exercise many were way up in front and many were not.  And it wasn't because of their own effort or lack of it that anyone was where they were. Just things in life. Money, position, motivation, encouragement, family structure, and other variables.  Not one thing about your own effort. And that left an impression on me and may others in the group.

Life really isn't fair. We really all can't be President. Too many of us and too less of them anyway.  We can't all be born to billionaires.  Some of us will get sick, divorced, file bankruptcy, change belief systems, watch good people die while others (whom are a bit less good/deserving) live long lives. Forces at random in the universe playing with us like the Gods of old in Greek mythology..

But just because it isn't fair (never was intended to be) doesn't mean its bad either. Its a luck of the draw for the most part. Its what you make of it given the cards you were dealt. Its how you play your hand. Its the reason we engage in relationships, faith systems. How we treat others. How we use our limited or unlimited resources.

Jesus knew life wasn't fair. Well not fair in the way WE like to think of it. Like an even playing field.  Its simply not. The poor will always be with you, Jesus said.  I guess transversely the rich will also.  Jesus didn't say work harder so you can be rich too. No, he was pretty consistent about helping each other out when things were tough. Loving the unlovable of the day. Doing to others as you would like folks to do to you.

I know. Its tough. Would be easier to be level.  My sense of social justice would be meet. (See book of Habukkuk -4 pages in Old Testament).  But its not reality. Its a Fallacy. Life is what it is. Nothing more or less. The only variable in this ever changing equation is YOU. What are you doing with it. Resenting or Living? Sucking the life out of others or adding to their lives?

"Life isn't Fair"   Really?  ~npp

Red Bricks of Righteousness

I grew up in a small town in East Texas that was typical of so many small towns in 1970s America. Segregated by unofficial boundary lines, the black folks lived in their section of town and the white folks lived in the other sections of town. Common ground was the small main street where the local businesses were established where people could go and buy there food at the local affiliated food store, fabric for sewing at the department store and whatever tools you needed at the hardware store.

The other common thing was that the two main churches in town, the United Methodist Church and the First Baptist Church, were deadset in the middle of the town. On the same block. Side by side. This, as they say, is the other segregation in small towns. Denominationalism. Though the black folks had their churches and the white folks had theirs, these two churches represented the mainstream of the town. Folks that Monday through Saturday were friends and neighbors and coworkers, found themselves filing into two different buildings on the same block of land each Sunday morning for worship, then filing back out at noon...eyeballing each other as if to say "what in the world are ya'll doing over there?".

And I was struck by the mere construction of these two building standing side by side. The Methodist Church had orange colored bricks and the Baptist Church had Red Bricks. Over the years as I drive through small towns I notice this pattern is duplicated. Red Bricks for Baptist Churches and Orange colored bricks for Methodist Churches.

Most of the town went to the Baptist Church. We did not. We attended the United Methodist Church. As a child I really didn't know what the difference was nor why some went next door while some went where I did. Or make that where my parents made me go. All I can really recall is that the long awaited vacation bible school week each summer seemed to divide us even further. While we sang songs about peace and love and made nifty little crafts out of penny's, peacock feathers and broken glass, the Baptists next door would have a snow cone machine and a clown and promises of salvation. Later in life I found out that my mother would try to work it out with that church to schedule our VBS on different weeks so that folks could attend both. But after she would tell them what week ours was planned, they would plan theirs the same week. Competition. They had the truth so they would put their money where their mouths were and it worked. Children would rather go where there is a snow cone machine and a clown instead of where there were peace songs about a loving God and craft projects. My youngest sister attended some function there as a child with her friend, and later we received a call that she had "gotten saved" and they wanted to know if she could start coming to sunday school. My parents were pissed.

Later, in my high school days, I dated a girl that attended the church next door. My first major crush. I was the president of our youth group (sometimes that group consisted of me, sometimes it had a few more) and I had a job at the local grocery store where I worked after school and weekends to pay for my car, which of course was a cool car with loud pipes and big tires in back with raised white letter tires and after market wheels. My hair was a little long and I always wore glasses that were tinted, so, uh, I would look cool. yes thats it. And I recall picking her up one day after church and going to lunch and there was a young man/adult standing beside her who gave me a disapproving look, said something to her, then walked away. She informed me that was her youth pastor who had asked her why she wanted to date a scumbag. I was floored. I had never up until that day been judged by someone who knew nothing about me except for what he perceived from a distance. And it left a bad taste in my mouth that lasts even today. And I started noticing the differences in those who attended the two churches. Words like judgemental, hypocritical and holier-than-thou now reside side by side with the term Baptist in my mind, forever etched. For you see I began paying attention to what they were doing Monday through Saturday then observing them on Sundays, and it didn't match up.

Many years has passed now since that occurred, but my opinion of those type folks has not. And its not all
Baptists (but they are in the lead according to my tally sheet). I know that people make mistakes in their own faith journey (lord knows I have - pun intended), and we can really do some stupid things as christians. We try to give advice that we think is Godly but in reality is actually hurtful. We say things like "well he is in a better place now", "God needed a little angel" or "I guess it was God's Will" after someone dies. We say things like "If you just had more faith", "Prayed harder" or "was a better person this wouldn't have happened to you". We try to save the cute little blonde girls in our youth group by telling them their date is a scumbag, though we do not know them. We caste stones from glass houses and point out specks in other's eyes.

Here's a bit of advice. Shut the hell up. yes. Seriously. If thats the best you have to offer then just keep it to yourself. But if you really want to help, just be there. You don't have to do anything. Say anything. Just love on folks. They are hurting enough as it is. St Francis said "preach the gospel at all times using words only if necessary". Bro. Lawrence wrote a book called "practicing the presence". Maybe model Jesus. Try those approaches. We have enough pharisees already.

The world looks a lot different outside the walls of those Red Bricks of Righteousness.

~npp

I'm never sure what to think about LENT

I always want to make a joke about Lent. You know like Lent in my dryer or something. I should probably be more reverent of such an important season of the church, but somehow I just don't FEEL LENTY! I'm not really sure why that is.

Each year I know its coming. It follows the Christmas stuff and takes us to the Easter Tide season. Forty days (not counting Sundays of course because they are already holy enough I guess) of something leading up to Easter. Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, etc.

And each year I hear people say they are going to "give up" this or that. You know like cheeseburgers, cold beer ( I have no idea why anyone would give up this ), sodas, golf, or something important like that. I usually joke that I am going to give up cigarettes for Lent. I don't smoke cigarettes. Not much of a sacrifice huh?

So what is the big deal anyway of giving something up? I think as a child or younger adult I tried on occasion to give up something, only to fail miserably. Sort of like New Year's resolutions - doomed to failure. So does this make me a bad christian? I can't even give something up for forty days for Jesus? I guess it does in some respect. But somehow I think it has something a little deeper in meaning that we aren't grasping by giving up something so irrelevant to our spiritual well-being as a soda.

Matthew 4:1-11 tells of Jesus' time fasting and praying in the wilderness for a period described as 40 days. Yes, the same time period as Lent. Whether it was a physical 40 days or just a biblical way of saying a long time (40 days is used a lot in the bible), it tells of Jesus denying himself food, focusing on God, and not giving in to the temptations presented to him. This is a little larger than a soda huh?

I think that if one was really wanting to give up something for Lent, it should be something meaningful. Something really sacrificial beyond self. For me, that would be time. What would happen if I gave up, say, my Friday mornings to go work on a horse ranch to help disabled/autistic kiddos? My best friend Rick Diamond does this every week. What if I gave up my Thursday evenings to go help at a crisis center? What if I gave up Saturday mornings to help at Habitat for Humanity? What if I gave up something that is meaningful or selfish to me (time) and gave that to someone else?

Lent. My forty days to consider the ways of Christ. The temptations to give into, the things to overcome. My selfishness. I still have a ways to go I believe. ~NPP

pieces of my past

I am becoming a dinosaur. A relic of a time past that, in my mind, reflects a simpler time. A time where life seemed to be more well-defined, boundaries were understood, and expectations somewhat clearer.

A throw back to the days of Blue Laws (where certain things/stores/places could not be open on Sunday, aka: The Sabbath) which compelled one to stay home with family or go to grandma's place after church for the usual fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and whatever else was put on the table.

A slower time. A state of innocence.

Enter the new world. The Next Generation for you Trekkies. A time of 24/7 busyness. An internet world where literally everything is at your disposal at all times. Where relationships consists of electronic transmissions via text, social media, or email. Whens the last time you bought a stamp? yep. thought so.

Shopping for christmas gifts this year, it struck me just how much we rely on gadgets for our lives. Smart phones, Tablets, Ipods, electronic Furby's (as if the old ones were not bizarre enough), flat screen tvs. The list could go on and on. My favorite tv shows now are Toy Hunter, Pawn Stars, American Pickers. There is a recurring theme here: these shows are about items, and these items are usually something from the past. A bygone era. And since I am also, it resonates with me. And I believe it resonates with lots of folks who remember. I believe this is part of the success and popularity of these shows. People can indentify with a simpler time. Something from their past.

So, to help keep me in touch with my past, I bought a Stetson Felt Cowboy Hat this week. Not just any ol' Cowboy hat, but a full blown genuine authentic Stetson Cowboy hat that makes anyone, not just cowboys, take notice. Its a 5X Beaver Silverbelly and its a thing of beauty. Its the kind the "good guys" wore in the old westerns (pre Tombstone and Wyatt Earp movies). And it says "Made in USA" inside on the hatband. Growing up, all the old men and cowboys wore these. The Marshal and Sheriff wore them.
The Texas Rangers law enforcement group, not baseball team, still wear them today. When I was a youngster the town marshal would give me his old hat when he bought a new one and I would wear it with pride. I still have his shotgun that he left to my dad when he died and my dad passed it to me.

And I don't really know why I bought it. Heck, I didn't have one so there's that. And I look pretty silly in a hat really. But something drew me to that hat. A connection with a time past. My grandfather always wore a Stetson hat, and over the years it showed the wear from the sweat stains around the base of the crown, and yellowing at the front of the brim by the constant swirl of cigarette smoke that came from whatever cig he had in his mouth during the day. A remeberance from my youth. Something tangible from a bygone era. And I got one. And I plan on wearing it.

I don't care what others will think of it when I wear it. Its not really about them. Its about me. A statement to a fast paced, latest fad, electronic consumerist gadget society that I can still be me, tied to the past, here in the present.

Of course the irony is I bought the hat on Ebay using a computer and pay pal account. but still. ~npp

A Public Service Announcement from NPP - please read

What I type here just may save your quality of life or that of someone you know and love. I could not in good conscious keep this to myself if i can help someone else. I was poisoned three months ago. Yes. Poisoned. Poisoned by a medication I had never taken before and come to find out leaves 100s of people (and counting) in pain, disabled, and numerous other descriptors (including suicide). The drug was Ciproflaxicin. Known as Cipro. A synthetic antibiotic. It is in a class of drugs known as FLOUROQUINOLONES and includes several different names including Levaquin and almost anything ending in flaxicin. You can see a little list and some info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverse_effects_of_fluoroquinolones I had went to the doctor for a small pain and it was suspected I had an infection (similar to a urinary tract infection) and was prescribed CIPRO. I had no knowledge of this medication except that it was an antibiotic and was supposed to help me. Five days into this medication I began having pain in my hips and groin area. Ceased medication and given another antibiotic. But the damaged had been done. The medication attacked my lymph nodes in the groin, prostrate gland, hip and pelvic joints which makes it painful to walk, tendons and ligaments from the waste down. I was unable to walk for almost 2 weeks and in severe pain for three weeks then moderate to severe pain for another month. Tons of research latter (not to mention medical visits, changing doctors, MRIs, CTscans, Xrays, Ultrasounds, Blood Work, Urinalysis, Meds for prostate now that I never had issues with before) I have found that this drug is very dangerous and was developed initially as s SUPER DRUG to fight those things that normal antibiotics will not work on and are supposed to be used as a last line of defense drug. Drs. now consider it a first line catch-all drug that will take care of anything and it does, including healthy cells and tissues. It was widely used in the ANTHRAX scares about 2o years ago with devastating effects on those prescribed to. It has ruined several young people's lives who were previously totally healthy. Teh Public Broadcasting System (PBS) did a documentary on this in 2011 which I will attach here. Please watch it. Please do not take this class of medication IF there is any other antibiotic that will work on your issue. The risks are too high and too devastating. I am just over three months into this and fortunately am not in as much pain anymore, have regained a lot of my mobility (although it is limitied in how far I can walk and how long I can stand) and it is still effecting my nervous system as I have shooting pains down my legs and buttucks (nerve endings) which makes it difficult to set for periods of time either. I have missed family reunions, a funeral of an uncle that i was asked to be a Pall Bearer, have not been able to teach my class at church in over three months, missed church altogether for 2 months, and cannot do easy things I used to : like mow the lawn and work on stuff. But I am getting better. Slowly. Day to Day. Which is better than hundreds of others I have networked with on blog sites like www.survivingcipro.com and quinolone vigilance foundation. I am hoping to make a full recovery so I can have my life back the level it was at. I am grateful to God that I am not fully disabled as I feared I would be. Please watch this clip. I would hate to think that any of you would end up like this if I had the opportunity to let you know ahead of time the potential it has for destroying your life. I wish I had known. My family will never be taking this ever. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/jan-june11/antibiotics_06-16.html

The Shack - Revisited!

A new book by C Baxter Kruger, PH.D. is an indepth review/commentary/theological discussion on the popular book THE SHACK published a few years ago by William Paul Young that spurred discussion on many fronts - mostly in favor of and a few who attacked him for heresy. When I see something labeled heresy, I read it. THE SHACK REVISITED needs to be read AFTER reading The Shack, hence the word Revisited. A lot of discussion goes into the thoughts and struggles of Paul Young who had a tumultous early life and had come to know God (Papa), Jesus, and Saraya (The Holy Spirit) in more relational terms outside the boundaries of conformed doctrine. (hence the attackes of heresy as God is portrayed as a middle aged african american woman) and other issues. Kruger examines these characters closely in light of the struggles of all of us, including the main character Mackenzie (loosely a reflection of Paul Young) and goes into depth on the trinitarian nature of God, Jesus and Holy Spirit and where these three meet us in our lives. Its not a lectionary book. Its not supportive of doctrine. It is reflective. Thoughtful. Insightful. Which is why I guess Paul Young and Kruger have become friends and have toured together all over the place (US, Europe, etc) talking about these two books and sharing their stories and insights. Reading THE SHACK REVISITED makes me want to reread THE SHACK again in a different light, now that I know more of the motivation behind why Paul Young wrote the story and his life journey. If you are a fan of THE SHACK, you will want to read this. ~npp

a new book Hometown Prophet

Being the Original NonProfitProphet, a book titled Hometown Prophet was sure to get my attention. Its by Jeff Fulmer of Tennessee and is a work of fiction centered around the central character "Peter" who is kind of drifting in life, has had some letdowns, and has returned home to live with his mother and is beating himself up about his seemingly "Loser" life. Not wanting to give the book away, he begans to have a series of "visions" or "dreams" that come true, but sometimes being a prophet (don't I know it) is tough work. *See Bible for how they were mostly treated, stoned, fed to lions, etc. Being a prophet involves being a truth teller, even if the truth isn't what people really want to hear. Though this book centers more on prophetic dreams that come true, a lot of the job of a prophet is to see through the politics, the haze, the B.S. as we call it here in the States, and call it like it is. And this character plays the part of the relunctant prophet because it is tough, and who really wants to be that guy? There is good character development, it is relevant to hot topics of the day concerning immigration, environment, pastorial egos and church politics, differing styles of religion, a love angle, and is written well enough where it keeps you engaged in the story for the entire 300plus pages. My wife even read this book and she typically does not read my books. It needed a little editorial work as there were several places where the wrong words were left in or double typed that was a bit distracting, but overall I would recommend this book as a good read, not terribly taxing on the brain, but gives a good story. It is a fairly believable story that could just possibly happen in the present day - even though modern day prophets (like myself) are seeminly rare. If you read it, let me know your thoughts. ~npp

So God Is Love? eeeh sorta

"I Love You So Much I don't Want to See you get Hurt!". These words were spoken by a father to a seven year old son who was attempting to climb outside of his two-story home by way of window ledge and got stuck, hanging on with his little boy hands to the wooden frame of the window. The panicked father grabbed the boy by the arms and pulled him in with such force the boy landed across the room. The father stated the above and walked out of the room, visibly shaken and trying to regain his composure. Much is said of our Heavenly Father loving us. "God is Love" is used alot. Its a passage from 1 John 4:8 and other references throughout the scriptures and there is no doubt that this is true. What seems to be lost in translation for us today is just what does this Love mean? How are we defining that Love? The question bears some thoughtfulness. Another very popular passage is John 3:16 which every kid learns at Vacation Bible School or Sunday School or wherever, and I would imagine that even non-church folks have heard it somewhere "For God so Loved the world that ....". yes. I left off the last part on purpose. Because God loved the world so much what? The what is...He did something. "God as Love" isn't a state of being as much as a state of purpose or action. When we love something we do things to show it through some action, whether that be saying it, buying flowers for our special someone, endulging in their interests when it isn't ours, spending time, and many other things. Sometimes our demonstration of love is different. We tell our children "NO" in certain circumstances because we know from experience that some behaviors are injurious. We teach them at an early age to look both ways before crossing a street. To not touch a hot stove top. To bundle up when dressing for a cold day. God isn't much different with his children. As the story above illustrates, God Loves Us So Much he doesn't want to see us get hurt. Beat up. Harm ourselves. Make bad life choices that He knows are not in our best interests. Not look both ways when crossing the street. Engaging in behaviors that have life long consequences in both the physical as well as mental realm. And as children, we often rebel against this Love. This Love that infringes upon our self-determination that we know best for us. We do not like being told that certain behaviors are not pleasing to God because it is pleasing to us. Our hedonistic desires compell us to be self pleasure seeking. As a child, we have all engaged in behavior that we were told not to by our parents or grandparents because they knew of the dangers that we were not aware of, or chose to ignore. Many times we were caught doing so, or by injuring ourselves our parents found out. I am reminded of that iconic scene in the movie "A Christmas Story" when Ralphie finally does get his Red Ryder BB Gun for christmas from his father (against his mother's wishes). As stated throughout the movie, when Ralphie would say he wanted one for christmas, everyone's response was "you'll shoot your eye out". And of course he almost does. Did his dad let him almost shoot his eye out? of course not. His father loved him so much he wanted to see his Son happy and bought him the gun anyway. Sometimes Love involves risks. Sometimes it has consequences. But it is not stagnant. It is action. Lately it seems that we have confused Love with something that is more akin to a vaste space of limitless acceptance where we are no longer responsible for ourselves or others. A place where guidance and wisdom is viewed as judgement. A place where long held and time trusted value systems are no longer regarded as relevant. A place where christians are no longer allowed to engage the culture. Where it is no longer okay to tell a child to look both ways before crossing the street without having to explain why. We are doing a disservice to our world with this approach. People are getting hurt. They are lost in a sea of secular culture that debases human relationships to their lowest of levels. A culture that promotes the famous Nike marketing of "just do it" without considering the consequences for the person or the collatoral damage the actions have on others. There are healhty boundaries that we are aware of but are becoming increasingly silent about for fear of being lambasted by those who do not wish to hear. It is sad to see that little boy hanging onto the window frame with his tiny little boy hands...and no father coming to his rescue. ~npp

and I saw Jesus just briefly...

it happened. right here in my little neck of the woods. I saw Jesus. Briefly. Given my numerous years on the planet I think brief is a good descriptor. but still... i saw him. my post before this one about ChristMAS I mentioned the lawsuit against the small texas town by anti-religious/atheists folks. well here's an update. The person in his 60s who brought the lawsuit had to drop it due to medical expenses he started incurring due to an illness/disease that is causing him to go blind. And he drives a taxi for a living. Yes, can't work. Can't afford a lawsuit. Can't afford the operation that will help his condition. Now some of you reading this have already had the thought that God was at work here. Nope. Not yet. But its coming...keep reading. One sweet little church member of this community saw a news report about this man and went to her pastor...to find out what they could do.... for this athiest... who had filed a lawsuit against them....who was going blind. Then started taking up donations to pay for his surgery for him. And they sent him the money. A bunch of christians showed love to a person. A love thy enemy kind of deal. A pray for those who persecute you scenario. Love thy neighbor as thyself. now you got it... Jesus had showed up. However briefly on the timeline of humanity in my small area of the world, Jesus showed up in the form of his followers and carried out the christianity that He had intended. The athiest could not believe it. He said for the first time in his life for he and his also athiest wife, christians treated him like the thought their bible said they were supposed to. His previous encounters with "christians" had not seemed very "christlike" it appears. He still doesn't believe in God, but somehow he now has a different opinion of what a christian might actually be.... jesus on earth. however briefly. ~npp

Please take the MAS out of Christmas

It is this time of year when I start seeing the slogan "Don't take CHRIST out of Christmas" and "It's not XMAS its CHRISTmas" on social media sites, bumper stickers, signs in yards and other places.
There is also a fight in my area over a nativity scene that is on display on the lawn of a court house, placed there by a nonprofit group and not the government, and some anti-religious organization from a state way up north wants it removed and is threatening legal action. The people of this small community are upset about it as it is attacking their fundamental belief system, years of tradition, and quiet frankly its Yankees sticking their nose in something that doesn't concern them.
We in the South really don't get Yankee thought processes (we actually question if they exist) and I guess Yankees don't get us either. I am constantly amazed with folks who fight so hard against something they don't believe in. A little twisted if you ask me. I don't believe in the Easter Bunny but I really don't care if you do. I'm not going to protest your easter egg hunt.
Their leader was quoted as saying all the normal propaganda about church/state endorsement blah blah blah. I wish these folks would do a little historical fact finding before running with the KoolAide mantra. If someone would take the historical background of what and why the 1st Amend was written, as people should take the historical and cultural climate into consideration when reading the Bible, they would understand this a little better and maybe chill out. Probably not going to happen. What do folks think we are celebrating with the Christmas holidays anyway? It IS a religious holiday. I bet they take the day off for it. It is historically the celebration of the birth of the Christ Child (yes, the church co-opted a pagan holidaybut still), so if that is the case whats the harm of displaying a scene depicting the misrepresented birth nativity story?
I wonder if these folks exchange gifts with people during the holidays. So far it is still known as christmas presents and not yet politically correct terminology of "holiday gifts". Do they know by doing this they are recreating the story of the gifts brought to the christ child?
So I'm starting another movement. Lets take the MAS out of Christmas. The MAS is all that hoopla that goes with the holiday. The tremendous amounts of commercialism. The steady stream of sales papers, tv ads, and newspaper inserts that inundate us with STUFF we MUST have and THINGS they will LOVE. Materialism. Consumerism. An industry based upon a simple story of gift presentations to the Christ Child in the new testament. Lets do away with the buying something for uncle Ralph because we have to. Lets not convince our kids that Christmas is all about THEM and give them the latest gadget that they do not need. Lets do away with the materialism that causes so much sadness for the have nots when flaunted in front of them by the haves. Lets do away with the ridiculously priced items that really says how much you love someone (insert a big diamond ring or the latest Xbox or whatever) when we have people who are wondering how they are going to feed their children, much less give them gifts.
Yes. Lets take the MAS out of Christmas. Lets just have the CHRIST.
Lets see what He would think about all of this ChistMAS stuff.
Oh....who am I kidding. ~npp

GET IN THERE MAVERICK!

One of my favorite movies from my impressionable teenage years was TOP GUN with Tom Cruise, Meg Ryan and other notable actors. Reflective of the times we lived in the movie centers around a Navy fighter pilot Maverick (Tom Cruise) who struggles with ghosts from his past and feels he has many things to prove. He is good and pushes the envelope in his flying to tempt the fates and thumb his nose at danger. He feels immortal, invincible, and on more than one occassion places himself and others in danger because he feels he can come out on Top. Cheat Death.
He cannot. In the blink of an eye, a routine fighter plane move exercise move turns deadly and he looses his best friend "Goose" after having to eject from the F14.
Mavericks world just turned on him and he is left with a sense of deep sorrow and guilt, second guessing himself and his whole apprach to flying.

And it cripples him.

Life is like that scene for many of us. As I reflect on my early childhood years, it seems as if I was a spectator in this thing called life, secure in my own little bubble and watching the world move around me in its busyness and routine. I did not have to concern myself with the cares of the day as I had parents who did that for me. I was simply allowed to exist. Of course as we grow older we start taking a more active part in life and all the responsibilities that come along with that. We learn a few things in school, apply them in a job, start relationships and have families, finance mortgages and auto loans, get involved with civic functions or church or politics or all of the above, and before we know it we are fully involved in life. Not sure how that all happened but we are in no longer merely observing it hapenning around us, but are fully involved in the dog fight.

and to be fully involved means taking risks. and like Maverick sometimes those risks are very costly to us and knocks us down for a while. We know longer carry that fighter pilot swagger we once had, and approach life a little more cautiously, a little less vulnerable to lessen the inevitable pain we will more than likely feel again at some point. To soften the blows of a hardened world that, with one mistake in a routine exercise in your day, is waiting to deal you a blow that'll take your wings and keep you grounded.

A later scene has Maverick with a new copilot and they are ordered to the Mediteranian Sea to help other American pilots who are engaged with enemy pilots in a dogfight. As they launch from the aircraft carrier and proceed to the dogfight Maverick is aware of the ghosts that haunt him. He is rehearsing life in his head. As they approach the dogfight from a distance they can see the mayhem and manuevering of all of the engaged aircraft and Maverick decides to not engage. He sees the ugliness and decides not to risk it, leaving his comrades in peril and certain death as they are outnumbered. Mavericks copilot starts yelling over the intercom "GET IN THERE MAVERICK" over and over and finally Maverick decides that its worth the risk and enters the fight, and of course comes out on top.

Often we've been attacked and hurt and wounded so deeply that we would prefer to "set this one out" or not engage. Its too risky. We prefer to watch from the sidelines. We may even gear up but set on the bench the whole time. Our fear of whatever is debilitating.

My encouragement for you today if you find yourself in this place is to slowly re-engage. Life is meant to be lived, not observed. Yes doing so may make you open to more risks in life, you may find yourself in a few scary situations, you may feel vulnerable... But you may also feel ALIVE, LOVED, and maybe, just maybe, will get a little of that swagger back in your walk.

GET IN THERE MAVERICK! (or whatever cool pilot name you have for yourself)
~npp

The Day I Shook the Gates of Heaven

I can still remember the darkness of the place overall with its woodgrain paneling and illuminated beer signs that doubled as a clock or a Marlboro adverstisement. The smell of cheap aftershaves like AquaVelva and Old Spice and Black Leather intermingled with the cigarette smoke and bar drinks. For a quarter, an old jukebox would spin three of your favorite Loretta Lynn, Waylon Jennings or Red Sovine songs that were on the top of the charts in the early 1970s. There was a pool table centered in the small open area of the local VFW hall where I spent many of my childhood days hanging out with my father, who was a member and local commander of the place.
If you are not familiar with VFW halls, they are where Veterans of Foreign Wars came to hang out after serving their country in a designated war zone. These were guys and gals who had seen some bad stuff, participated in it, and was the recepient of all that war had to offer them in return. Some were disable, some were now alcoholics, others just came back to their little towns changed in some form or fashion, and came to the VFW hall to hang out with others who had similar experiences.
And as with any place you have lots of folks, you inevitable get the jerks, egoists and outright assholes of society mystically blended. Including church, work, school, whatever your social gathering is, you know what I mean. One of my favorite old Far Side comics strips showed God as a chef (apron and hat complete) with the world in his left had (as if he had just created it) and with his right hand holding a salt shaker over it in a sprinkling fashion (the salt shaker said JERKS) and the caption read "and just too make it interesting...".
I was probably around 8 years old, hanging out in this environment with my father. I never did feel comfortable there. Ever. It felt strangely at odds with most everything I felt inside. A stark contrast from the beautiful church with stained glass windows, tall white columns, beautiful portraits of scenes from Jesus' life and parables that we attended on sundays and cleaned during the week for extra money. I always felt comfortable, and in some respects, in the presence of the Almighty there. Where one place blared old country music and laughter and coarse language the other provided reflection and quiet and wisdom.
One evening my father came home from the VFW hall extremely angry, I guess fighting mad would be the word. Some drunk had gotten in his face at the VFW and basically challenged his manhood or something (which was a common scenario there...i learned at an early age to instantly drop and get under the pool table when a fight would break out). My dad came home telling this to my mom who was trying to calm him down, and the more he talked the madder he got. I then heard these words from my Dad "I'm going back there to settle this" and he walked out of the front door with my mom pleading with him not too.
and I ran.
I ran as fast as my little legs would carry me.
Ran to the back bedroom. to the small bathroom and shut the door and fell to my knees in front of the porcelain toilet and prayed like I had never prayed before. Little boy hands clasped together tightly and eyes shut so hard they hurt. I felt it. I felt myself praying so hard that I shook the gates of heavan. If God cannot hear the pleading prayers of a scared eight year old, then something in the heavens is wrong.
and then I heard something. It sounded like my mom opening the front door a minute or so later. It was my dad. he was coming back in. He told mom that as he was getting in his car something told him to stop and go back in the house. And he was no longer really mad about it. Still angry about the asshole who treated him that way, but not mad enough to go shrink to that fellows level.
and I was amazed.
I knew then, as I do know, that God actually heard and honored my prayer. Some may call it coincidence or chalk it up to being an eight year old who also believed in Santa Clause at the time, but I know within me that it was God. There have only been two or three times in my life I have had the experience where I was honestly begging god with everything i had thru prayer for something and I knew without a doubt He heard me and answered.
It is truly amazing to experience that. Too literally shake the gates of heaven and feel the response of the Almighty is humbling. Of course I still pray about this or that and it seems rather routine, and I'm not really sure my expectations are that each one will receive the same fanfare as my earlier experiences. And I'm not sure they should.
But sometime, somewhere and some point in your life, you will find yourself running as fast as you can to that safe little place where you will poor your heart and soul out to the living God, begging and pleading. Here's hoping that you Shake The Gates of Heaven. ~npp