Reflections on 9/11

6 years today ago I was out for a run (today--I went out for a bike ride). At that time I normally tuned into the Today Show before and after my run but for some reason did not that day. As I was doing my post-run stretch Jan mentioned the news about the Twin Towers. From that moment on, like the rest of the world, I was glued to the TV screen watching the horrors of the terrorist attack. (One of our more immediate concerns was the safety of our daughter who was in Sienna, Italy at the time.)

Tuesdays were staff days at Community Church of Joy but I figured everyone would be running late that day due to the news. Turns out, I was the only one late. I walked into the staff meeting as it was just about to begin and everyone was already there, in a circle, ready to pray for our country.

After that it was a flurry of activity trying to pull together a prayer service for the next evening. We invited the Mayors of Glendale and Peoria to join us, which they graciously did.

On the following weekend Pastor Walt Kallestad, Paul Sorensen, and I shared the message. We tried to help process what 9/11 meant in terms of faith (to capacity crowds like most other churches that weekend). Two things we wanted to say clearly: 1) God did not cause 9/11 regardless of what the terrorists said and regardless of what at least one Christian leader said. Jesus came to give life, not death. 9/11 was a result of human-beings polluted and possessed by evil. 2) God, as God always does, brings life after death. What evil meant for harm, God can use for his good purposes. 6 years later the evil of 9/11 continues to try to spread death and God continues to transform that death into life.

There has been a lot of pain and upheaval as a result of 9/11, to say the least and obvious. But God will have the final word, and that word will be life.

Sunday Musings

I just got home from the Installation Service for Al Cassel as he was officially installed as the Pastor of Peace Lutheran Church. He's a great guy and I'm looking forward to our continued partnership with Peace and American Lutheran as we look to start new mission centers in our area. Brian and I were dressed up in our robes (albs) and looked pretty good, if I may say so.

Great start for our revamped Grace Adventure Club today. Our kids started their four-week interactive look at the Crossing of the Red Sea. Good buzz from kids and their teachers. And a great response to our request for volunteers. Our children and youth are two top priorities this fall.

I am so disappointed with the Philadelphia Eagles...losing to the Green Bay Packers! I could care less about the Eagles but I'm passionate about any team playing the Packers. So the Eagles were, for one day, one of my favorite teams. At least the Vikes won. And the Cardinals are still undefeated this late into the season!

Questions

Things I started thinking about while listening to Public Radio:

1) Why is so much of religion today seemingly shaped by such violence and hatred? From the terrorism of extremist Islamics to the judgmentalism of extremist Christian fundamentalists, why all the hatred when these people supposedly serve a loving God?

2) Why all the media attention on only the extremist fundamentalists? Why not more stories about religious people doing good in the name of their religion? My guess is that there are far more acts of grace shared each day by religious people than acts of terror.

3) Why is it ok in all kinds of public venues from TV to radio to public speeches to inter-office banter to use the name Jesus or Christ or God as an expletive but if someone where to use Allah that way, as in Allah d--- it, that person would be ostracized/condemned for racial intolerance?

4) My close personal friend BJ Thomas asks a couple of rather provocative questions in a song he wrote years ago called, Back Against the Wall. The questions: I wonder why the pure in heart have to have a judgment day? I wonder what the Lord has made that he plans to throw away?

This Week's Bible Reading

During my devotional time today I was reading through for the third day our Bible reading for this week--Mark 7:31-36, where some people brought a deaf mute to Jesus and begged Jesus to heal him. After Jesus did so, the people were so amazed and overwhelmed that they couldn't help but tell others about Jesus, even though Jesus told them to keep quiet.

As I read through the passage today I was thinking about what this might be saying to Community of Grace. A few questions emerged:

1) Who are we bringing to Jesus?
2) What people in need are we bringing to Jesus, begging him to help them?
3) Are we so overwhelmed and amazed by Jesus that we can't stop talking about him?

Grace and Charter Schools

The Arizona Republic has been doing a series of not-so-flattering articles on Charter Schools in Arizona, with regard to some financial abuses. Since Grace will be hosting a Charter School on our new campus I thought I should say something in response.

Instead I'll let Keith, one of our board members, and a recently retired public school principal and board member of the new charter school chime in: (From an email he sent to me):

"The essential issue is that the 'root' problem is not the failure of an externally imposed governmental process...but an individual's lack of morality, ethics, grace, etc. When grace-filled moral characteristics are in place, systems, organizations, and/or society in general 'works.' When things/people/organizations 'work' it's not worthy of news media coverage. Things that work as intended don't generate viewers/readers sufficient to generate advertising. On essential question for Grace therefore is, will Pinnacle Peak Community School be governed by principled, moral, and grace-filled leaders? Knowing the answer to that is what matters."

In answer to his question--the school board is already made up of such people. We are in good hands.

Labor Day Eve Musings

Last night my wife Jan cooked up a delicious Turkey dinner. A few months ago we had to throw out one of our frozen turkeys as it was beyond its shelf life. So, instead of wasting another bird, we decided to have a Thanksgiving Day meal on Labor Day weekend. And wow was it good. Turkey that fell off the bone. Mashed potatoes and gravy. Stuffing. Corn. Beans in chicken broth. Cranberries. Orange Jello. Yams (yuck!). If I seemed a bit sleepy during my own sermon this morning, you now know why. I stuffed myself last night.

I'm not a Phoenix Mercury fan but good on 'em for making the finals. With our history of championship teams, we'll take what we can get.

Speaking of championship teams, the D-Backs are certainly not making it easy on themselves to get into the playoffs.

For those of you who are fans of my close, personal friend, BJ Thomas, you'll be happy to know that his first studio album in over 7 years will be released later this month.

Summer Musings

As summer comes to an end, at least in terms of how we organize our lives, a few thoughts:

It's been hot! I think I have been here for all 32+ days of 110 degrees or above. I think I've been here for almost every heat record Phoenix has set. Oi!

For some reason I found it challenging this summer to keep up my exercise rhythm and my devotions rhythm. I didn't skip them, but I didn't get them in as consistently as I do normally. And I could feel the difference. It was good this week to finally get in a full week of exercise and devotions.

It was a good summer in terms of ministry. Our attendance held pretty strong and we are coming out of the summer in good financial shape. Thank God for the strong winter/spring giving we had as summer giving took a pretty significant dip. But we're still on budget. Many churches use the rest of the year to catch up from summer slumps. We're fortunate to enter the fall spot on.

I'm excited about what Jesus has in store for us this fall including our new Grace Adventure Club for the kids, a new commitment to our youth, and a months-long emphasis in worship and in our clusters on what it means to follow Jesus Monday-Saturday in our every day lives.

And hopefully, sometime before Christmas, a few cooler days.