Sitting still has never been my strong suit. As a kid I would jump and jump and jump while doing normally stationary activities like playing video games. At school I would rock back and forth in my desk. Nowadays I'm a little bit better, but I still often tap my foot or shake my legs or play with my hands if I have to sit too long. So being short on energy normally isn't my problem. On top of that, I'm a morning person. I wake up ready to go. Because of these things, I never became a coffee drinker. When others ask me why not, I usualy just say I haven't grown up yet. For the most part I'll find something else to drink or just go without a beverage if I join a group of coffee drinkers. But every once in a while I find myself in a situation where I drink a cup of coffee to be polite. And well, it isn't pretty. I can't really handle it. It's not so much the taste—though I do add some cream or sugar there. It's the caffeine. I almost never have caffeine. Not only do I not drink coffee, but I also very rarely have pop. So I'll be at a coffee shop where the smallest coffee available is a 12 oz. By the end of my cup I feel like I'm twitching. I keep picking up the cup and playing with it. I feel somewhat off for a large portion of the day. It's a weird experience. So if you wonder why I'm not drinking coffee, I don't think it's because I'm crazy. It's more that I'm trying to stay sane.
Grace and peace,
BMH
Monday, June 10, 2019
Monday, June 3, 2019
#132 Ascensionism
Last Thursday was Ascension Day. I love Ascension Day. There are so many great songs to sing: "Rejoice, the Lord Is King" and "Crown Him with Many Crowns" and "Jesus Shall Reign" and "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name" and "Before the Throne of God Above" immediately come to mind. We get to celebrate that Jesus has triumphed! He has completed His ministry on earth and has returned to the His rightful glory in heaven.
[Side rant: I recently saw a statistic that more congregations in my denomination, the Christian Reformed Church, commemorate Mothers' Day than Ascension Day. That seems off to me. Don't get me wrong: celebrating mothers is a wonderful thing (I love you, Mom!), but Mothers' Day is a greeting card holiday, not a church holiday. Plus, celebrating mothers in church can be tricky because so many people hurt due to recently losing their mother or having an ugly relationship with their mother or longing to be a mother but not having children of their own. Meanwhile, Ascension Day is a traditional, distinctively Christian celebration. Look, the ascension is so important that it makes it into the super brief Apostles' Creed: "He ascended into heaven." I get that Ascension Day falls on a Thursday, but can't we at least remember it the following Sunday?]
There's a large group of Christians that are called Pentecostals because of the importance of Pentecost and the gift of the Holy Spirit to their theology and practices. What if other Christian traditions were named after a specific Christian holiday? Now all Christians should really be "Easterists" because Jesus' resurrection on Easter is the center of our beliefs. (I spelled this out a few posts back. Go check out "The Most Important Day" if you haven't already.) But for the sake of the argument let's consider different traditions picking different holidays. I think my Reformed tradition could rightfully be renamed "Ascensionism."
Let me explain. Jesus' ascension is incredibly important to much of Reformed theology. Based on the ascension, we believe that Christ Jesus is King of all things NOW. We don't just look forward to His reign. We believe that He rules over all areas of life at this very moment, even as we look forward to the full coming of Christ's kingdom when He returns at the end of time. As the Reformed theologian Abraham Kuyper famously said, "There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: 'Mine!' " Because we believe that Christ rules over and claims all areas of life, we believe that He calls His followers to serve Him in all areas of life. So we don't just serve God by doing church work like preaching and teaching Sunday school and doing evangelism and singing praise songs. We also serve God by living the way He wants us to live and testifying that He is in control as we work as farmers and doctors and hairdressers and teachers and well drillers and police officers and advertisers and politicians and bankers and gas station attendants and so on and so on. Jesus cares about business and legislation and ecology and art and literature and athletics and chemistry and mathematics and psychology and every area of life. Even now we can sometimes see Him working to bring reform in these areas (often through His people), and eventually He will completely renew them all. Jesus is Lord of all. He is King now. He's at work, and we get to join His work as He uses us. Our world belongs to God. So let's take time to celebrate Jesus' ascension.
Grace and peace,
BMH
[Side rant: I recently saw a statistic that more congregations in my denomination, the Christian Reformed Church, commemorate Mothers' Day than Ascension Day. That seems off to me. Don't get me wrong: celebrating mothers is a wonderful thing (I love you, Mom!), but Mothers' Day is a greeting card holiday, not a church holiday. Plus, celebrating mothers in church can be tricky because so many people hurt due to recently losing their mother or having an ugly relationship with their mother or longing to be a mother but not having children of their own. Meanwhile, Ascension Day is a traditional, distinctively Christian celebration. Look, the ascension is so important that it makes it into the super brief Apostles' Creed: "He ascended into heaven." I get that Ascension Day falls on a Thursday, but can't we at least remember it the following Sunday?]
There's a large group of Christians that are called Pentecostals because of the importance of Pentecost and the gift of the Holy Spirit to their theology and practices. What if other Christian traditions were named after a specific Christian holiday? Now all Christians should really be "Easterists" because Jesus' resurrection on Easter is the center of our beliefs. (I spelled this out a few posts back. Go check out "The Most Important Day" if you haven't already.) But for the sake of the argument let's consider different traditions picking different holidays. I think my Reformed tradition could rightfully be renamed "Ascensionism."
Let me explain. Jesus' ascension is incredibly important to much of Reformed theology. Based on the ascension, we believe that Christ Jesus is King of all things NOW. We don't just look forward to His reign. We believe that He rules over all areas of life at this very moment, even as we look forward to the full coming of Christ's kingdom when He returns at the end of time. As the Reformed theologian Abraham Kuyper famously said, "There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: 'Mine!' " Because we believe that Christ rules over and claims all areas of life, we believe that He calls His followers to serve Him in all areas of life. So we don't just serve God by doing church work like preaching and teaching Sunday school and doing evangelism and singing praise songs. We also serve God by living the way He wants us to live and testifying that He is in control as we work as farmers and doctors and hairdressers and teachers and well drillers and police officers and advertisers and politicians and bankers and gas station attendants and so on and so on. Jesus cares about business and legislation and ecology and art and literature and athletics and chemistry and mathematics and psychology and every area of life. Even now we can sometimes see Him working to bring reform in these areas (often through His people), and eventually He will completely renew them all. Jesus is Lord of all. He is King now. He's at work, and we get to join His work as He uses us. Our world belongs to God. So let's take time to celebrate Jesus' ascension.
Grace and peace,
BMH
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
#131 I Want to See Mountains Again—Mountains, Gandalf!
In the summer of 2015 I really drove west for the first time in my life. I had a summer internship in Mount Vernon, WA, so Tess and I road tripped out there all the way from Grand Rapids, MI. I'd never driven further west than Minnesota/Iowa/Missouri before, and I was very excited to experience the Rocky Mountains. When I first saw the mountains looming in the distance, happiness spread across my face. As the road climbed in Wyoming, I was practically giddy. Having lived all my life in the relatively flat spaces of Wisconsin—with brief stints in Illinois and Michigan—the mountains left me in awe. They were so much bigger and wilder than I ever could have imagined. That summer in Washington we regularly took day trips to the Cascade Mountains as possible, and Tess and I hit a couple national parks on our road trips bookending the summer. But our time out west was limited, and soon the mountains were only a memory.
Last week I finally got the chance to see the Rockies again. Tess, Lanie, and I took a trip to visit friends and family in Colorado. Now we didn't truly get into the heart of the mountains. We spent time in Fort Collins, Longmont, and Colorado Springs, mostly hovering between 5000 and 6000 ft. But we could see some truly high peaks when the weather was nice, and we still got a little taste of climbing up and down as we drove and did a bit of hiking. The views here in Iowa are nice enough. We get a good feeling of space looking over seemingly endless fields of corn and soybeans. But there's something different about looking up to the mountains and looking down from the heights. For a flatlander like myself, there's mysterious beauty in snow gleaming on the peaks and towns spreading through valleys. I love the exertion and adventure of hiking up and around on new trails, the picturesque scenery of trees and rocks and streams. I'll miss the thrill of seeing the mountains. I guess I'll just have to take another trip sometime.
Grace and peace,
BMH
Last week I finally got the chance to see the Rockies again. Tess, Lanie, and I took a trip to visit friends and family in Colorado. Now we didn't truly get into the heart of the mountains. We spent time in Fort Collins, Longmont, and Colorado Springs, mostly hovering between 5000 and 6000 ft. But we could see some truly high peaks when the weather was nice, and we still got a little taste of climbing up and down as we drove and did a bit of hiking. The views here in Iowa are nice enough. We get a good feeling of space looking over seemingly endless fields of corn and soybeans. But there's something different about looking up to the mountains and looking down from the heights. For a flatlander like myself, there's mysterious beauty in snow gleaming on the peaks and towns spreading through valleys. I love the exertion and adventure of hiking up and around on new trails, the picturesque scenery of trees and rocks and streams. I'll miss the thrill of seeing the mountains. I guess I'll just have to take another trip sometime.
Grace and peace,
BMH
Monday, May 13, 2019
#130 Jam Sessions
As a college student I played guitar a lot. That's probably not incredibly unusual. Tons of college students play guitar. I regularly played for a few different campus ministries, which was great. I'd often pull my guitar out in my dorm room and play for a while to unwind or pass the time. My friend Ryan (or, as we called him, John Ryan "Ken 'the Animal' Jennings" Lindemulder) developed this ridiculous medley that we spent quite a bit of time figuring out and practicing on our guitars. (Come to think of it, that medley would make for a good blog post in the future.) That was an amazing experience.
But probably the most fun I had playing guitar in college was during jam sessions. Every so often a few of my friends and I would head outside at night and sit around on some picnic tables and play anything and everything we could figure out how to play off the top of our heads. My friend Leah (or, as we called her, LL Cool Laky) was my most frequent collaborator. We had such good times playing and singing. One of us would lead and the rest of us would listen and watch and figure out how best to join in. Time simply flew by during these jam sessions as we played song after song after song and different friends came and went. I remember crisp nights where I'd have to warm up my hands by breathing on them in between songs, wondering how long I could last before it turned too cold for my guitar. I remember passing a guitar around when somebody else came along and knew how to play a song the rest of us didn't. But mostly I remember thinking that those nights were the best nights in the world. I think I was probably right then. So if anyone wants to jam, just let me know. I'm ready.
Grace and peace,
BMH
But probably the most fun I had playing guitar in college was during jam sessions. Every so often a few of my friends and I would head outside at night and sit around on some picnic tables and play anything and everything we could figure out how to play off the top of our heads. My friend Leah (or, as we called her, LL Cool Laky) was my most frequent collaborator. We had such good times playing and singing. One of us would lead and the rest of us would listen and watch and figure out how best to join in. Time simply flew by during these jam sessions as we played song after song after song and different friends came and went. I remember crisp nights where I'd have to warm up my hands by breathing on them in between songs, wondering how long I could last before it turned too cold for my guitar. I remember passing a guitar around when somebody else came along and knew how to play a song the rest of us didn't. But mostly I remember thinking that those nights were the best nights in the world. I think I was probably right then. So if anyone wants to jam, just let me know. I'm ready.
Grace and peace,
BMH
Monday, May 6, 2019
#129 When Your Hero Is the Villain
Without question, the greatest Brewers player in my lifetime is Ryan Braun. He broke into the majors in 2007 and was named NL Rookie of the Year. In 2011, when the Brewers won their division for the first time in my life, Braun was NL MVP. He was runner-up in the MVP vote in 2012. Braun took home 5 consecutive Silver Slugger awards from 2008 to 2012.
After the 2011 season, the news broke that Braun had failed a test for performance enhancing drugs. He very publicly questioned how his urine sample was handled, painting the responsible individual in a horrible light. When the suspension was overturned on a technicality before the 2012 season, Braun gave an infamous and very smug press conference. But in 2013, Braun was connected to Biogenesis, which supplied PEDs to MLB players, and he served a 65-game suspension. Ryan Braun is a liar and a cheater.
If Braun played for any other team, I wouldn't be able to stand him. But he's played his entire career in Milwaukee. He's the only Brewer remaining from that beautiful 2011 team that I loved so very much. I almost feel like Braun is my kid. I'm ashamed of the bad things he's done, but he's still one of my guys, and I love him for that. So much of my love of baseball is tied up in the 2011 divison champion Brewers (and the 2008 wild card Brewers), and Braun was such a big part of that. He was my favorite Brewer long before the whole steroid scandal hit. He played the biggest role in leading the Brewers back to respectability for the first time in decades.
Ryan Braun, like any of us, is a deeply flawed person. He's a villain to many baseball fans, and deservedly so. But even if I'm not always comfortable with it, he's still my baseball hero. He's brought so much joy to Milwaukee fans. So here are my 8 favorite memories involving Ryan Braun, #8:
8. Braun drawing a walk before Prince Fielder hit a walk-off home run in the 14th inning against the Rockies in 2011. (I'm sure there are better Braun moments than this one, but I remember it vivdly—I was listening on the radio.)
7. Braun hitting 3 home runs and a triple against the Padres in 2012.
6. Braun winning Saturday's 18-inning game with his sixth(!) hit, a 2-RBI single. (I was watching on TV.)
5. Braun coming in as a pinch hitter in the 9th inning and launching the winning 2-run home run against the Marlins in 2011. (I was watching on TV.)
4. Braun getting three hits and scoring twice in the Brewers first playoff game in 2011. (I was at this game.)
3. Braun hitting an RBI single in the 8th inning of last year's 163rd game, as the Brewers beat the Cubs to clinch the 2018 NL Central title. (I was watching on TV.)
2. Braun hitting the winning home run in the 8th inning of the 2008 regular season finale, the day the Brewers clinched the wild card. (I was watching on TV.)
1. Braun smashing a home run off the scoreboard at Miller Park on the night the Brewers clinched the 2011 NL Central title. (I was at this game.)
Thanks for the memories, Ryan.
Grace and peace,
BMH
After the 2011 season, the news broke that Braun had failed a test for performance enhancing drugs. He very publicly questioned how his urine sample was handled, painting the responsible individual in a horrible light. When the suspension was overturned on a technicality before the 2012 season, Braun gave an infamous and very smug press conference. But in 2013, Braun was connected to Biogenesis, which supplied PEDs to MLB players, and he served a 65-game suspension. Ryan Braun is a liar and a cheater.
If Braun played for any other team, I wouldn't be able to stand him. But he's played his entire career in Milwaukee. He's the only Brewer remaining from that beautiful 2011 team that I loved so very much. I almost feel like Braun is my kid. I'm ashamed of the bad things he's done, but he's still one of my guys, and I love him for that. So much of my love of baseball is tied up in the 2011 divison champion Brewers (and the 2008 wild card Brewers), and Braun was such a big part of that. He was my favorite Brewer long before the whole steroid scandal hit. He played the biggest role in leading the Brewers back to respectability for the first time in decades.
Ryan Braun, like any of us, is a deeply flawed person. He's a villain to many baseball fans, and deservedly so. But even if I'm not always comfortable with it, he's still my baseball hero. He's brought so much joy to Milwaukee fans. So here are my 8 favorite memories involving Ryan Braun, #8:
8. Braun drawing a walk before Prince Fielder hit a walk-off home run in the 14th inning against the Rockies in 2011. (I'm sure there are better Braun moments than this one, but I remember it vivdly—I was listening on the radio.)
7. Braun hitting 3 home runs and a triple against the Padres in 2012.
6. Braun winning Saturday's 18-inning game with his sixth(!) hit, a 2-RBI single. (I was watching on TV.)
5. Braun coming in as a pinch hitter in the 9th inning and launching the winning 2-run home run against the Marlins in 2011. (I was watching on TV.)
4. Braun getting three hits and scoring twice in the Brewers first playoff game in 2011. (I was at this game.)
3. Braun hitting an RBI single in the 8th inning of last year's 163rd game, as the Brewers beat the Cubs to clinch the 2018 NL Central title. (I was watching on TV.)
2. Braun hitting the winning home run in the 8th inning of the 2008 regular season finale, the day the Brewers clinched the wild card. (I was watching on TV.)
1. Braun smashing a home run off the scoreboard at Miller Park on the night the Brewers clinched the 2011 NL Central title. (I was at this game.)
Thanks for the memories, Ryan.
Grace and peace,
BMH
Monday, April 29, 2019
#128 The Most Important Day
Last week I read a brief report about the horrible bombings that took place in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. The report described Easter Sunday as "one of the busiest and most important days for Christians worldwide." That description has stuck with me. It's definitely not inaccurate, and it's typical language for a news service to use. But all I could think when I read that was "No no no no no. Easter is the most important day for Christians." There's no comparison. This isn't up for debate. I get that Easter can't really be separated from Christmas and Good Friday (and, for that matter, Ascension Day and Pentecost), but Easter is the reason we're Christians. Jesus' disciples truly started believing Jesus is the Son of God was because God raised Jesus from the dead. The Christians went out and started preaching the good news to the whole world because Jesus is alive.
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul argues that Jesus' resurrection is the key to our faith. Without Jesus' resurrection, Christianity is meaningless. If God didn't raise Jesus from the dead, we don't have life. Death is the end for us. Easter means resurrection and life for all who belong to Jesus. And beyond that, Paul says that Jesus' resurrection points to Jesus' reign as king of the whole world. Easter is the sign that Jesus is setting right all that is wrong with the world, conquering all His enemies, making His creation the way He always intended it to be. Easter is Jesus' victory, and, because we belong to Jesus, Easter is our victory.
Now you may be thinking, "What about Good Friday? Isn't the cross the symbol of Christianity? Doesn't Paul often talk about the importance of the crucifixion?" That's right. Don't get me wrong. Jesus' death on the cross is absolutely necessary for us. Jesus pays the penalty for our sins through His death. (He also does other things through His death, but we'll save that for another time.) But Paul also says in 1 Corinthians 15 that there's no forgiveness for us without the resurrection. Jesus' resurrection confirms and puts into effect His work on the cross. What's more, despite what we may think, Christianity isn't ultimately about the forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness is a huge part of it, but Christianity is really about God completing His plans and redeeming all parts of His creation. God doesn't just forgive us, He also makes us new and gives us life. God isn't just saving humans, He's also repairing His world, making everything the way it's supposed to be. Easter, Jesus' triumph, the first day of a new creation, expresses that so much better than any other day of the Christian year. We don't gather for worship on Fridays. We worship on Sundays.
Brothers and sisters, let's make sure that no one doubts that Easter Sunday is the most important day of the Christian calendar. Let's make sure that we don't boil down the good news to simply "Jesus died for us." He absolutely did, but that's not the whole story. He also rose again and lives forever for us. He will also raise us again so that we may live forever. Jesus was dead. Now He lives for ever and ever. That's the good news we celebrate. That's what gives us hope. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
Grace and peace,
BMH
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul argues that Jesus' resurrection is the key to our faith. Without Jesus' resurrection, Christianity is meaningless. If God didn't raise Jesus from the dead, we don't have life. Death is the end for us. Easter means resurrection and life for all who belong to Jesus. And beyond that, Paul says that Jesus' resurrection points to Jesus' reign as king of the whole world. Easter is the sign that Jesus is setting right all that is wrong with the world, conquering all His enemies, making His creation the way He always intended it to be. Easter is Jesus' victory, and, because we belong to Jesus, Easter is our victory.
Now you may be thinking, "What about Good Friday? Isn't the cross the symbol of Christianity? Doesn't Paul often talk about the importance of the crucifixion?" That's right. Don't get me wrong. Jesus' death on the cross is absolutely necessary for us. Jesus pays the penalty for our sins through His death. (He also does other things through His death, but we'll save that for another time.) But Paul also says in 1 Corinthians 15 that there's no forgiveness for us without the resurrection. Jesus' resurrection confirms and puts into effect His work on the cross. What's more, despite what we may think, Christianity isn't ultimately about the forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness is a huge part of it, but Christianity is really about God completing His plans and redeeming all parts of His creation. God doesn't just forgive us, He also makes us new and gives us life. God isn't just saving humans, He's also repairing His world, making everything the way it's supposed to be. Easter, Jesus' triumph, the first day of a new creation, expresses that so much better than any other day of the Christian year. We don't gather for worship on Fridays. We worship on Sundays.
Brothers and sisters, let's make sure that no one doubts that Easter Sunday is the most important day of the Christian calendar. Let's make sure that we don't boil down the good news to simply "Jesus died for us." He absolutely did, but that's not the whole story. He also rose again and lives forever for us. He will also raise us again so that we may live forever. Jesus was dead. Now He lives for ever and ever. That's the good news we celebrate. That's what gives us hope. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
Grace and peace,
BMH
Monday, April 22, 2019
#127 Hide and Peek
Tess and I have a two-stage bedtime routine with Lanie. After we go upstairs to Lanie's room, I do some reading with Lanie, and then Tess sings to Lanie and puts her in the crib. In between reading and singing I leave Lanie's room and hide. When Lanie finds me, I race to catch her before she can get back to Tess. We've been playing this little game for several months now. Lately Lanie has decided that she needs a turn to hide as well. She exclaims, "Me hide!" and I scurry back to her room to give her a chance to conceal herself. Lanie understands the concept of hiding. But she doesn't understand the concept of staying hidden. Many times she starts giggling loudly as soon as Tess tells me that I can come looking for Lanie. And even when Lanie stays silent, she's almost always too excited to wait. So she peeks out from her hiding place, grinning from ear to ear, practically begging me to come get her. It's absolutely adorable. And when she finally does decide to stay hidden someday, I'll be so out of practice that it'll take me that much longer to find her.
Grace and peace,
BMH
Grace and peace,
BMH
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