#193 Personal Records

When I was a sophomore in high school, my pastor and his wife gave us high schoolers notebooks to use as prayer journals. They encouraged us to take a few minutes each day and jot some things down in the books. They gave a few suggestions about things we could include but left room for us to do things in a way that fit our unique personalities. So I tried prayer journaling and found that I liked it. After about six months I moved to a new notebook and started writing a short paragraph prayer each day.

Thirteen years later I still write my journal almost every night. I've filled quite a few college ruled notebooks over the years. Every once in a while I'll flip back through an old book or two. Sometimes I'm able to use the journals to figure out on which day a certain event happened or determine what we did for some holiday last year. But the journals are less a record of daily events and more a record of my own thoughts and feelings, my dreams and questions and struggles and joys since I was about 16 years old.

It can be interesting to have a window into my own psyche years ago. Sometimes I can see growth in myself, noticing things that I stressed about in the past that no longer seem like such a big deal. And sometimes the prayer journal serves as a sobering reminder of areas where I still need growth, where I still make the same mistakes or wrestle with the same worries. There are places where I laugh at my younger self, and there are places that make me wish I still was as excited or passionate about some issue as I seemed to be then.

But as much as these prayer journals are my personal records, I find that I'm not the one I learn the most about as I read them. Again and again I get the feeling that God is really the main character in this long-running narrative. God is the one I address each day, normally as "Heavenly Father" but sometimes with a variety of other names and titles. Looking back I see how God answered these prayers, how God blessed me with these memories, gave me these successes, and helped me through these struggles. God provides hope; God forms character; God overcomes worry; God inspires praise. In all sorts of situations, with feelings of gratitude, guilt, fear, satisfaction, sorrow, joy, and more, I feel myself being drawn by God over and over. And like the psalm-writers of long ago, I learn that God is loving and faithful, compassionate and gracious, just and true. God shows that He is good.

Grace and peace,

BMH

#192 Caped Wonder Stuns City

After three years there's a new Superbabes in town! I am pleased to present some exciting pictures from our weekend adventures. You may find your experience more enjoyable if you view these photos while listening to the theme from Superman: The Animated Series (top) or the 1940s Max Fleischer Superman theatrical shorts (bottom).

Now on to the adventures! After noticing danger with her incredible super-vision, Superbabes quickly transformed out of her secret identity:

She flew to the rescue:

Using her remarkable strength, Superbabes quickly subdued a giant dog that was rampaging through town:

She broke some chains:

She paused for a moment, cape fluttering in the wind, before she overheard more trouble with her amazing super-hearing and flew off to save the day:

She used her fantastic x-ray vision to save a trapped puppy:

Her extraordinary feats completed, Superbabes continued to build trust with the public by answering a few questions from WGBS news:

Finally, she returned home, where she utilized her sensational heat vision to cook her dinner:

Stay tuned for further adventures of Superbabes, champion of the oppressed, who fights a neverending battle for truth and justice!

Grace and peace,

BMH

#191 Redemption

When I was a student at Trinity Christian College (Go Trolls!), we met for chapel twice a week in the Grand Lobby of our chapel building. This space had huge windows looking out towards the library, and hanging in front of these windows was a six-piece stained-glass mural called "Creation Redeemed." Here's a couple pictures:

(This is backwards, but it gives you a better look at the details.)

A red band weaves across the panels with a quote from Colossians 1:17: "He is before all things and in Christ all things hold together." I must have spent hours looking at that stained glass during my years at Trinity. I think that this artwork has had a profound impact on my theology. Reformed Christians (like me) believe that Jesus' work of redemption centers on saving His people from sin and death through His death and resurrection. But we believe that's not all. Jesus' redeeming work touches every area of life and every corner of creation as He claims all things under His authority. Or, to quote Ephesians 1:7-10: "In [Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ."

As Christians we don't have some sort of spiritual life that's distinct from the rest of our lives. God cares about every part of our lives because the whole world belongs to God. God's people live for Him and do His work in every human field. God's work is cosmic in the sense that it encompasses everything. But God's work is also very down-to-earth because He calls us to point to Him and represent Him in our work, our families and relationships, our politics, our finances, our community involvement, our growth and learning, our hobbies. We can see signs of God's work and be His instruments as He carries out His purposes in business and broadcasting, in medicine and mechanics, in technology and trades, in engineering and ecology, in psychology and social work, in athletics and agriculture, in literature and law. Our God is great and grand. He is working to drive sin and evil out of every part of our lives and our world. God's love and power cover all things, giving us purpose and hope. God triumphs. God saves. God reigns.

Grace and peace,

BMH

#190 Putting Power to Use

A few weeks ago Tess and I listened to the podcast Nice White Parents. In this podcast, Chana Joffe-Walt tells the story of a school district—and particularly one middle school in that district—in New York City. Over the years, there's a lot of talk about integration and working for equality, but often very little actual progress gets made. Things really happen when the people who have power—in this case, the "nice white parents"—want them to happen. By the end of the series, Joffe-Walt says she thinks that bringing equality in general seems to require those who have power to work for a system that no longer gives them advantages.

As I thought about this idea, my mind quickly went to Philippians 2. Here's verses 3-8: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!"

What Jesus has done is very much what Joffe-Walt suggests. Jesus is God the Son. He has all power and authority. He deserves all glory and honor. We are weak humans, who again and again do wrong, sinning against Jesus. Jesus owes us nothing. But He humbles Himself. He empties Himself. He comes down from His heavenly throne and lives as a weak and limited human. He puts God's power to work to deliver people who were demon-possessed and heal people who were sick and restore people who were outcasts. Finally He humiliates Himsefl by dying on a cross. But through His death and resurrection, Jesus saves and forgives His sinful people. Jesus suffers so we who belong to Him may receive God's benefits. Jesus uses His power for us.

And Jesus calls His people, those of us who believe in Him, to imitate Him. If we have power (and sometimes we have more than we realize), we shouldn't cling to it for our own advantage. We should put our power to use for other's benefit. We should consider others' needs alongside and even before our own. That's not easy for me. I'm pretty sure that's not easy for any of us. It goes against human nature. But praise God, it fits exactly with God's nature. With God's Spirit's help, let's strive to be more like Jesus.

Grace and peace,

BMH

#189 Now What?

My job has changed a lot this year. (I know that's true for a huge number of people. I'm not here to claim that I have worse than everybody else. But I think there's some benefit to acknowledging our struggles and the pain they cause.) I spent about two months preaching to an almost empty sanctuary on Saturday evenings so we could make sure a video service was posted by Sunday morning. Now the congregation is gathering for the most part, but we're still missing a few of our members, and our worship services have been modified and slightly condensed. Those kinds of things are weird but not so bad.

The bigger change and the real struggle has come in the pastoral care part of my job. Church members used to gather in the basement for refreshments after Sunday morning worship, which gave me a chance to catch up with different people each week. Now we scatter pretty quickly. I used to visit church members in nursing homes and care facilities and in their own homes. Now I'm not allowed into buildings and many members are more comfortable if I don't come over. I've been trying to check in over the phone, but that's difficult and draining for me. I used to have some regular things that I did to be involved in my community and meet other people. But for now my normal activities have pretty much all gone away. I've always believed that meeting/visiting/caring for people inside and outside the church is vital and that it shapes how I preach and lead prayers. But lately I feel like I'm having to start all over, like I'm relearning everything about how to find and keep track of my people.

Right now I'm tired. I'm worn. Sometimes it seems like it's taking more effort to get less done. But I know that God has called me to this work, and I know that He is faithful. In the midst of all of this craziness I've had some really good conversations with church members and heard some wonderful stories of God's work in their lives. So I'm trying to endure. I'm trying to hold on to hope, to trust that God is in control, that He is present, that He brings healing and wholeness to our broken lives and our broken world. Come, Lord Jesus.

Grace and peace,

BMH

#188 R.I.P., Miller Park

We're taking a break from more serious blog topics to talk about baseball. Yesterday (Sep 20) was the last Milwaukee Brewers home game at Miller Park. (The Brewers are on the road the rest of the season and won't be hosting any playoff games this year.) Now the stadium isn't going anywhere; it's just being renamed as American Family Field next year. This is a huge bummer for me and for many other Brewers fans, too. Miller Park just made sense. Our team is named for people who make beer, so why shouldn't the stadium be named after a huge beer company? American Family Field isn't a terrible name, but it's not the same. Let's face it: after 20 years, I'm not just going to stop calling the building Miller Park. I understand that the Brewers get some serious money for selling the naming rights to the stadium, and I get that Miller had first dibs at keeping those rights, but I still don't have to like it. If we were building a new stadium, I could maybe learn to live with this, but I'm really against renaming our beloved ballpark. It'll always be Miller Park to me.

Grace and peace,

BMH

#187 Answer to Prayer

 I recently wrapped up a sermon series on the Lord's Prayer. As I've reflected on this prayer that Jesus taught (with quite a lot of help from a book by C. Clifton Black), I've come to the conclusion that the Lord's Prayer as a whole is about desiring God Himself.

(Our Father in heaven) We begin by reminding ourselves that God is our loving Father who knows what we need.

(Hallowed be your name.) Next we pray for ourselves and all people to know and praise God for His glory, His power, His holiness, His mercy, and all His other wonderful traits, as well as His great and compassionate deeds.

(Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it in heaven) Then we pray for God to end all opposition to Himself in our world and our lives. We ask God to fully establish His reign over all the earth, making all things the way He wants them to be, which is the way they should be.  We also ask that we and all people will live in obedience to God, recognizing that He knows what is good and right for us to do. God alone deserves to be our King and our Lord.

(Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.) In the second half of the prayer, we pray for God to remove anything that might keep us from Him. We pray for God to meet our everyday needs to keep us from doubting His goodness and power. We pray for forgiveness because our sins separate us from God, and we could never make ourselves right with God. We pray for God to protect us from trials and the power of the devil so that we won't be tempted to turn away from God to false gods. Basically we pray that God will clearly show His love and power in our lives, teaching us to rely on Him for everything we need.

(For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.) At the end of our prayer we focus on God once again, reminding ourselves that He never changes or fails, that His purposes will prevail for His glory and for the good of His people and His world.

I think the Lord's Prayer teaches us above all that we need God and that God is willing and able to provide us with all that we need. In prayer (whether we pray the Lord's Prayer or use other words), we seek God because God can always help us and shape us into who we should be. In the book of Luke, after Jesus teaches His followers the Lord's Prayer and gives a few other thoughts and instructions about prayer, He says, "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (11:13). God is every Christian's Father because Jesus makes us right with God through His death and resurrection. Jesus unites us with Himself, and His return to heaven assures us that God listens to our prayers. So when Christians pray, we can be sure that we will find the God we seek. God gives us His Holy Spirit. In that sense our prayers never go unanswered. We may ask not receive every specific thing we ask for (especially since we often don't know what to pray for or ask for things that aren't ultimately good for us), but we always get God Himself. God the Holy Spirit is with us, and God is always more than enough for us.

Grace and peace,

BMH