Lionized Impulses

"Lionized Impulses" -- once again, David Brooks writes with a prophetic pen, cutting across all ideological and party lines, to the challenge of our sinful (a word we don't like much) human condition. This is about far more than politics, even the church, even ourselves. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/18/opinion/the-age-of-innocence.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

A Celebration of Christian Higher Education

I’ve been on the road the past 13 days. The morning of departure I had opportunity to speak to the Association of Adventist Colleges and Universities, which includes presidents and senior vice presidents from 14 Seventh-day Adventist institutions of higher learning. I was struck by the gleam in the eyes of dedicated leaders as I shared my own passion for The Christian College. These men and women bring deep intellect, clear vision, and a fervent passion to their work. They love God, teachers, and students. And they see clearly how their institutions are changing the world, one human being at a time. (I am excited to visit both Kettering College and Canadian University College in the coming months, continuing a conversation about the beauty and potential of Christian higher education. Much thanks to Presidents Haynal and Scriven for the invitations.)

Next I gathered with college chaplains and student religious leaders at the Campus Ministries Convention. The event took place at Cohutta Springs Convention Center in Crandall, Georgia and on the campus of Southern Adventist University. Again, I was struck by the “look in the eye.” The assembled students seemed fully aware of their unique education and their own potential to be salt and light in a too often bland and dark world. Many conversations with the campus pastors reinforced the feeling I had had previously with the college administrators: these men and women are smart, deep, and highly skilled at what they do. They believe in their students; their students believe in themselves, and their potential to turn the globe right-side up.

Finally, I traveled back across the country to speak four times to the Adventist Intercollegiate Association. Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory: what a place! This is the annual gathering of all student government leaders, accompanied by the student services vice presidents. Guess What? Three-for-three. Sharp students. Skilled mentors. My conviction that Adventist Christian Higher Education is of enormous importance to the future of my faith tradition and our world was sky-high. It dawned on me: I have witnessed the hope for tomorrow.

One more thing: I took my own preschool-aged kids along for the long ride. In a very real way, I brought the future with me. And I realize, now back at home at long last, the future in so many ways rests in the success of Christian Higher Education. We need today’s 20-year-old to shape the future for today’s 2-year-old. We need highly educated, God-fearing young adults to shape and re-shape the church, the culture, the city, and the Kingdom. We need people who are up to the task. And perhaps that’s the mission of the Christian college, after all.

College Loans

An interesting take at http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/03/the-real-meaning-of-1-trillion-in-student-loans/254928/#.T2967Y14Chs.facebook

Reading the comments from the many readers is also enlightening.

I Don't Have An Office

Eugene Peterson, the great preacher, writer, theologian, and, most famously, author of The Message Bible, makes the case that a pastor doesn’t have an “office” but rather a “study.” How true. I often tell my wife, “Nicole, I’ve got to study.” My calendar will have a morning, an afternoon, or sometimes a whole day blocked off in bold: STUDY! Pastors do a lot of things—lead, manage, coach, build teams, counsel, equip, pray … and lots of study. I did some math on my own life as a preacher in mid-career, as one who gets paid, in part, to study. Numbers are approximate:

• 700 sermons
• 350 hours of live sermon delivery (preaching 24 hours a day for more than 14 days!)
• 8,400 pages of manuscript writing (that’s a 400-page book every year)
• 12,000 hours of research and writing
• 100,000 + pages of sermon-prep reading (on all manner of subjects: theology, sociology, anthropology, physical science, psychology, leadership, family life, biographies, political science, history, poetry, academic works, popular literature, organizational theory, and etc)

There aren’t many professions that require a paper to be presented every seven days: a talk employing metaphor, imagery, story, a (somewhat!) coherent argument, accessible to children, and well-researched at a deep enough level that even the most scholarly adult mind will be challenged. A 12-15 page academic-yet-popularly delivered thesis, once a week.

I write this with Kris Loewen, Don Veverka, and Emily Flottmann in mind. Each will preach once in the next three weeks at the Walla Walla University Church. Each will work in the tradition of the preaching profession. Each will work in an historically scholarship-driven profession, where preaching is the serious work of presenting the Word of God with depth, with care, with substantial reflection. Spiritual, emotional, and intellectual “diligence” is the word the Apostle Paul used for the young Timothy.

I'm looking forward to hearing the fruit of the prayerful and thoughtful study of the preachers Loewen, Veverka, and Flottmann. Three great humans beings, three great thinkers.

Reality

Max DePree, the estimable business leader, writes, "The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality." (p. 11, Leadership is an Art) Perhaps we could also say, "The first responsibility of a mature person is to live in reality." Or maybe even this, "The first responsibility of a Christian is to seek what is real." Jesus talks about the importance of reading the signs of the times. That's knowing reality. He tells us not to fall asleep, but to stay awake, to pay attention (Matthew 25:13). We need to be aware of the reality of the situation, the truth about ourselves, our organizations, our communities, and the church. We need to see our world for what it is: both bad and good, good and bad. We need to see the potential in others. We need to see with God-eyes. We need to be truth-seekers and truth-tellers. We need to run from fantasy-land and toward reality-world. "Confront the brutal facts, but never lose hope," Jim Collins says in his book Good to Great. In a word, be faithful. Faithful living is telling the truth, which includes a Godly optimism--this can be done because of the Spirit. And, of course, Jesus is truth, ultimate reality. Jesus brings all things into the light. And so we must bring our relationships into the light, our motives, our projects, our hopes and hangups, and even our daily work. Facts may hurt, but fiction kills. "The first responsibility is to define reality."

Taking The ONE Seriously

Last month we gathered in Seattle, Washington, USA to consider the ONE, who is Jesus Christ. It seems to me it is easy to talk Jesus and even to live Jesus, in PART. Jesus had so many wonderful things to model and teach; I can't image a human being who would reject ALL of what we had to say. The challenge is not in picking those parables or conversations or miraculous acts that agree with me. The work is in embracing Jesus in TOTAL. Jesus. All. (Nice tag line. Another matter altogether to swallow it hook, line, and sinker.)

I am often asked, "What is goal of the ONE project?" Other questions are like it: "What do you hope this will produce? What is the agenda? How will you judge success?" The first answer I'd like to suggest is this: The ONE project is an attempt to take Jesus seriously. This includes (and I think this was a major theme of the Seattle presentations) Galatians 3: There is neither Jew nor Greek, Slave nor Free, Male nor Female; we are all ONE in Jesus Christ. This "consequence" of following Jesus is delightful and difficult -- we will seek relational ONEness across the many boundary lines that divide. Taking Jesus seriously means a reorientation of the way the world plays: we become less polarized and more equatorial. Or at least we learn to travel.

Taking Jesus seriously. This is the rigorous work of many lifetimes, and even an eternity. This is how I'd define what we're up to with the ONE project. Together, through worship, communion, teaching, prayer, and conversation, can we sharpen a vision of following Him and commit to more dedicated life of cross-bearing?

Good Preachin'

Randy Roberts -- Jesus. Period.
http://www.lluc.org/podcastlist.php

Emily Flottmann -- The Most Beautiful Embrace
http://www.wwuchurch.org/article/57/media/video-files

John McVay -- Full-Screen Jesus
http://www.npuc.org/article/441/departments/ministerial/2011-northwest-adventist-leadership-convention/2011-nwalc-audio-files

Timothy Gillespie -- Jesus. All.
http://www.lluc.org/podcastlist.php