"We always marry the wrong person"

"Destructive to marriage is the self-fulfillment ethic that assumes marriage and the family are primarily institutions of personal fulfillment, necessary for us to become "whole" and happy. The assumption is that there is someone just right for us to marry and that if we look closely enough we will find the right person. This moral assumption overlooks a crucial aspect to marriage. It fails to appreciate the fact that we always marry the wrong person.

"We never know whom we marry; we just think we do. Or even if we first marry the right person, just give it a while and he or she will change. For marriage, being [the enormous thing it is] means we are not the same person after we have entered it. The primary challenge of marriage is learning how to love and care for the stranger to whom you find yourself married."

- Stanley Hauerwas

Dead Letter Chorus - Run, Wild

Love this song, by Sydney band "Dead Letter Chorus."

Big Random Odds

From "The Daily Galaxy"...

"'The discovery of the Higgs boson represents a milestone in the exploration of the fundamental interactions of elementary particles,' states Professor Dr. Matthias Neubert, Professor for Theoretical Elementary Particle Physics and spokesman for the Cluster of Excellence PRISMA at JGU.

"On the one hand, the Higgs particle is the last component missing from the Standard Model of particle physics. On the other hand, physicists are struggling to understand the detected mass of the Higgs boson. 'Using our theory as it currently stands, the mass of the Higgs boson can only be explained as the result of a random fine-tuning of the physical constants of the universe at a level of accuracy of one in one quadrillion,' explains Neubert."

One in one quadrillion? Is that even a number?

Which Way Is Up?

Here are some very interesting world maps, forcing a change of perspective.

No prizes for guessing why the Europeans put themselves at the top, but how many of us are aware that this is just a perception? Really it could easily be the other way round. Our world in space doesn't really have an "up" or "down."

Enjoy!

The Skin Map

It was an exciting day for me when I discovered that my favorite fiction author had started a new series. I've just finished the first one today, "The Skin Map," and I loved it. Stephen Lawhead has an amazing way of taking the ordinariness of our familiar world and connecting it with much bigger worlds of colour, mystery and life. His books make me see our own world with new eyes.

I would only say that you couldn't read this book on its own. No problem for me, as I was always going to read the whole series. And luckily for me I just looked it up and the second book's available now too. Brilliant. I don't want this guy to ever stop writing.

Homosexuality and Heaven

Can homosexuals get to heaven? According to some so-called "Christians" (a frustratingly ill-used term), apparently not.

I just read an article from the New York Times about the values of Exodus International, an organization existing "to provide spiritual support for Christians who are struggling with homosexual attraction." Recently there has been some controversy surrounding statements made by the president, Mr Alan Chambers, in which he declared "that there was no cure for homosexuality and that 'reparative therapy' offered false hopes to gays and could even be harmful." Apparently for many years Exodus has operated under the idea that anyone can be cured of homosexuality through prayer and psychotherapy, and now Chambers is calling for people to be more realistic. According to the article, "he said that virtually every 'ex-gay' he has ever met still harbors homosexual cravings.... But those who fail should not be severely judged, he said, adding, 'We all struggle or fall in some way.'"

I won't go into the details of that debate (maybe another time), but I was struck by a statement made by one of the people who want Chambers to resign. From a man who is supposedly an associate professor at a US theological seminary: "My greatest concern has to do with Alan's repeated assurances to homosexually active 'gay Christians' that they will be with him in heaven..."

This brings to light quite clearly a view I've sadly heard before, that practicing homosexuals are somehow disqualified from God's grace. Let me say this as clearly as I can: this is not true, and grossly misrepresents God. The idea that ANYTHING can disqualify us from God's grace is utterly false.

If it were true, how would any of us be saved? To use a verse the conservative evangelicals love, "For all have sinned..."

The amazing beauty of the gospel is this: that ANYONE can turn to Jesus and be saved. It's not about what we've done, or (let's be honest) what we might yet do. It's about God's love. The thief on the cross turns to Jesus and says "Remember me when you come into your kingdom," and Jesus' immediate response is "Today you will be with me in paradise." This guy could have done anything. Murderer? Fraud? Terrorist? But it wouldn't have mattered. It doesn't matter because of God's love and grace. Anyone can go to heaven.

No one is disqualified, thank God. Anyone can turn to Jesus and be a part of his future kingdom.

Any other message is NOT Christianity.

It's Not Fair!

"That's not fair!"

Three words my young daughters use fairly frequently to helpfully educate me on my parenting.
My basic response is: no it's not. Get used to it. Life isn't fair.

But I'm curious, where did we get this idea that everything has to be fair? Why do kids instinctively complain about unfairness? And not just kids. People have been whinging about it for eons. Right through the Bible we see people complaining about unfairness. "Why do good things happen to bad people, while I'm here doing the right thing, and it looks like I'm cursed.... That doesn't seem fair."

Actually, I can't find any reference in the Bible where it says things should be fair. Contemplate that for a second.

The fact of the matter is, God has created a world that isn't fair. And I'm not convinced this is a bad thing. Inequality creates some amazing opportunities for love and grace, generosity and sacrifice. It's an opportunity to show people that we care enough to be generous - to give love. And for those on the difficult side of the equation, it's an opportunity to receive love and care.

What kind of painting would it be if the painter only used white? It'd just be a blank canvas, or a sheet of paper. I can buy a 500-pack of those sheets for under $5.

It's all of our differences that bring the colour.

And go with me a little further for a minute....
I think this whole obsession with fairness might be a dangerous one that might be better left behind. If you think about it, God's blessings go far beyond fairness. His generosity is extravagant beyond what we deserve, and as followers of Christ, we should follow his example. We should go far beyond fairness - even beyond the point where we worry that our generosity might be abused or taken for granted - and extravagantly bless people way beyond what they deserve.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, and possible implications you could see for the world.

For All the Saints

Grab a cuppa, find a nice spot to sit, and meditate on the words of this beautiful old hymn....

For all the saints who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confess,
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest,
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress, and their Might;
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well-fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Oh, may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old
And win with them the victor's crown of gold.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

The golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon, to faithful warriors cometh rest.
Sweet is the calm of Paradise the blest.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

But, lo, there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of Glory passes on His way.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

- William W. How (1823-1897)

The Stars

I wonder if we lost something when we discovered that the earth is round and God and heaven are not "up there." I can really see how it would be nice to look at the stars, or the clouds streaking across the sky at sunset, and think of it as God's home.

I guess we can still take our cues from the vastness, glory and beauty of the sky, but it does take a little more imagination now.

But maybe it is for the better. What do you think? Do you think we lost something?

Why Pastors Leave

Some stabilising thoughts from Eugene Peterson on why many pastors leave their ministry...

"I wonder if at the root of the defection is a cultural assumption that all leaders are people who 'get things done,' and 'make things happen.' That is certainly true of the primary leadership models that seep into our awareness from the culture - politicians, businessmen, advertisers, publicists, celebrities, and athletes. But while being a pastor certainly has some of these components, the pervasive element in our two-thousand-year pastoral tradition is not someone who 'gets things done' but rather the person placed in the community to pay attention to 'what is going on right now' between men and women, with one another and with God - this kingdom of God that is primarily local, relentlessly personal, and prayerful 'without ceasing.'"

From "The Pastor: A Memoir"

What do you think?