SEP 2014

10 SEP 2014

Quote for the Day

We need more of a pop-up camper mentality and less of a fortress mentality. [This quote should make sense after you read the article. - mlt]

Thought for the Day

Each Sunday morning at 5:30 on WFAA (ch.8), the Methodist church in downtown Dallas broadcasts their sermon from the previous week. Blair Thompson, their young, fresh-out-of-seminary associate minister presented the message this past Sunday. She borrowed a story from Henri Nouwen for her concluding remarks. Henry gave up his life of academia (having taught at Harvard, Notre Dame and Yale) to be the live-in priest for the residents of L’Arche Daybreak, a group home for people not able to fully care for themselves.

One day, a resident asked Henri for a blessing. Out of habit, he traced out the sign of the cross on her forehead. She insisted, “No, I want a real blessing!” Henri responded by embracing her and speaking kind words of encouragement to her. The others in the room were so caught up in the moment that they each approached Henri and asked for a blessing, which he gladly granted. Each time he began with, “You are God’s beloved.”

Hearing and then reflecting on the story inspired me to write my thoughts for your consideration. In the Roman Catholic Church, and others with a formal priesthood, the priest is considered to be the embodiment of the church. That is, wherever (s)he goes, there the church is. There is probably a Latin term for this but, hopefully, you get my point. What could we learn from this? Since our fellowship believes in the priesthood of all believers, then we each represent the kingdom (church) of God on this earth.  Are we not empowered, even commissioned, as individuals to be a travelling church – a church on the go? [MAT 28.19]

I encourage each of us to use the power within us given by the Ruach HaKodesh (HS). Like Henri Nouwen, let us speak blessing, forgiveness and hope into the lives of those with whom we come in contact. May we live each day with confidence and responsibility so that, as we go from place to place, we are the tabernacle of God, always ready to move as needed. [1COR 6.19]

May God Bless

Mike Toole
Linda Wise, ed.

 

Editor does not necessarily agree or disagree with the content of the Clothesline.

JUL 2013

 

Word for the Day

Nuance – a subtle distinction or variation, ability to express delicate shadings of expression. [1]

Quote for the Day

Where all think alike, no one thinks very much. Walter Lippman [2]

Website for the Day
http://chrischappotin.wordpress.com/

Thought for the Day

Across the nation, and especially here in Texas, the debate rages on between the Pro-Choice and the Right To Life groups. I propose a third option. It may sound a bit odd, but coming from me, one should not be surprised. I prefer to consider it a finely nuanced position.

I am both Pro-Life and Pro-Choice. Every month we financially support our local Burleson Pregnancy Aid Center (Pro-Life). Many people in our extended family were brought in through adoption or permanent foster care. Pam and I became certified foster parents back in 1990 and helped with about 20 children over a ten year span. Some had happy endings and were adopted by good families, some were returned to families with new hope, but sadly, some returned to the same awful conditions from which they came. We wish more single moms would consider adoption as an option.

Now consider the flip side of this issue. Pam had two miscarriages during the early years of our marriage. Did you know that the medical term for miscarriage is spontaneous abortion? When someone asks how many kids we have, we always reply “two,” not “four.” We had no funerals; we do not expect to see them on that final great day. Now, I realize that some families do have funerals and do have that ultimate expectation; I certainly honor that belief. But, in many cases, our stated beliefs are often incongruent with our actions and lifestyle.

For me, the argument is not when does life begin but when does that life have a soul. I contend that occurs when that first “breath of life” is drawn. When did Adam become a human being with a soul? God breathed life into him. [GEN 2.7] When does the soul depart from the body? Isn’t it when there is no more breath of life? On a related, albeit tangential note, I no longer believe we already possess an immortal soul. Jesus warned us to beware of the one who could destroy both body and soul in gehenna. [MAT 10.28] The gift of immortality – everlasting life – is granted on the final great day. [1TIM 6.16]

I know that some will say, “what about the verse that says…?” For instance, Paul says that he was “set me apart from my mother’s womb.” [GAL 1.15] Also, Isaiah says “The Lord called me before I was born; while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.” [ISA 49.1] My reply is that these verses reflect understandings of the culture of their day and cannot be harmonized with our belief that each person is a free-will agent. One could also make the case that these statements are poetic in nature, or even hyperbolic.

In America we are blessed to be able to support and elect leaders congruent with our beliefs. But remember, the government is neither our friend nor our savior. Jesus said “My kingdom is not of this world.” [JOH 18.36] If you are strongly opposed to abortion, then let your actions speak the truth. Consider adoption, foster care, taking in a single mom with no hope, or whatever way you can to touch that one person within your sphere of influence. Expecting the government to take care of “these people” is no different than expecting the corporate church to do the same. The responsibility is incumbent on each of us. Rather than corporate support for an “orphans home,” why not corporate encouragement and support for individual members to take in orphans? The church could offer various support systems, including financial, for those who are both willing and gifted to embark on such a ministry. One of the markers of the early church was their willingness to provide for the stranger and the sick. Even the pagan skeptic Julian confessed, “The godless Galileans feed not only their poor but ours as well.” [3]

What do today’s pagans say about us?

May God Bless

Mike Toole
Linda Wise, ed.

Editor does not necessarily agree or disagree with the content of the Clothesline.

1. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nuance

2.   http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/74615.Walter_Lippmann

3.  http://cityonahillcommunity.blogspot.com/2010/04/caring-for-poor-early-church-vs-todays.html  The “godless” must be understood from Julian’s perspective; they did not accept the Greek/Roman gods. He is referring to Christians.

 

 

2012 NOV

Greetings to all on 10 NOV 2012

Word for the Day
Docent Sensitivity is the concept that a small amount of pollutant has catastrophic effects, a sensitivity to being near something that causes disgust. [1]

Quote for the Day

If you are seriously interested in the spiritual life, finding a spiritual director is no problem. Many are standing around waiting to be asked. However, sometimes we don't really want to get rid of our loneliness. There is something in us that wants to do it by ourselves. I constantly see this in my own life. A spiritual director is not a great guru who has it all together; it's just someone who shares his or her sinful struggles, and by doing so, reveals there is a Presence who is forgiving. – Henri J. M. Nouwen [2]

Thought for the Day

Have you ever thought about our seemingly natural abhorrence of “yucky” stuff? It turns out that there is a field of psychology that explains the underlying nature of our actions. If a small drop of urine was added to a bottle of wine, would you still drink it? I didn’t think so! Now reverse that and add a small drop of fine wine into a bottle of urine. Why wouldn’t the wine purify the urine in the same way that the urine contaminated the entire bottle of wine? Does the bad always dominate the good, even when the bad is dwarfed by the good?

From our natural view, the answer is yes; psychologists call this docent sensitivity, or in laymen’s terms: Purity Code. We teach our kids to stay away from evil influences. As adults, we tend to only socialize with those already like us. We are told, “One bad apple spoils the barrel,” “a little leaven leavens the whole lump” and “bad company corrupts good morals.” [1COR 15.33] Of course, there is some truth in each of these old adages; they sound like good advice.

But when we compare Jesus’ life to ours, we don’t see a parallel to our lifestyle. Instead, Jesus was frequently found with the sick, the sinner, the outcast and even the well-to-do folks. Jesus lived out a philosophy that a little good can overcome a lot of bad. It seems to me that he left us a legacy of how to live among the world. Our natural tendency is to only live among those already like us, those who will not contaminate us in any way.

When Barack Obama became president, it was an historical moment in history – our first black president. But wait, isn’t his mom white and his dad black? Why doesn’t being half-white make him white? This goes back to our Purity Code and also exposes our latent racism. Any “blackness” contaminates the pure white and renders the person as black.

We will never be able to reach most of our community until we break our adherence to the Purity Code and are willing to truly be the salt of the earth.  I recently spent the day at our local courthouse. While awaiting jury selection, I couldn’t help but observe several of the people on their way to hearings. One was single mom, maybe mid-30’s; she was filing papers regarding child support. Another was a teenage male, about 16, getting his probation papers; he was accompanied by his parents. These are the people who need a message of hope, but how can we ever reach these people? The curative salt must be sprinkled on the raw meat.

May God Bless
Mike Toole
Linda Wise, ed.

1.    Thanks to Richard Beck’s 2011 ACU Summit presentation “Unclean” for much of this material.

 

2.    Found at http://dailychristianquote.com/dcqnouwen.html

2012 August Clothesline

Greetings to all on 10 AUG 2012
Quote for the Day
Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.
Mother Teresa

Quote for the Day

Providing food baskets once or twice a year is a nice gesture, but most people like to eat more often than that.
Mike Toole

 Thought for the Day

It seems that several recent sermons, from a variety of sources, tell me that right behavior will be rewarded with physical blessings. Sometimes this teaching is overt, sometimes sublime. Perhaps you’ve heard it put negatively “God cannot reward bad behavior” and then implied, if not directly stated, that good behavior (works) will result in the outpouring of God’s blessings.

Some will say “Isn’t it clear that God rewards good deeds?” Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. [LUK 6.38] What if the return measure is in the spiritual realm more so than the physical? The context of the passage is actually about mercy, anyway.

Recall what you imagine about the first century church. Would you agree that they may have been much more “giving” than we are? But, what was their reward? I would submit that their return was spiritual rather than material. Was Mother Teresa a giving person? Would you say her reward was spiritual or physical? What about the apostles?

Perhaps our abundant material blessings, especially here in America, are not from God at all and, maybe, not from Satan either. Our riches could just be the result of our time and place in history. God sends the rain on the “just and the unjust.” [MAT 5.45] Most of us who have plenty can thank God, but we must also acknowledge our debt to: 1) being born in America, 2) good parents, 3) our education system, 4) our healthcare system and 5) good luck. The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor the favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to all. [ECC 9.11]

So, where am I going with this? I want you to consider the possibility that our tendency to attribute our material possessions to God’s blessings has hardened us against being compassionate toward those less fortunate. Maybe we don’t vocalize this sentiment but, at least subconsciously, we think: “If that person would do God’s will, he would not be in the position he’s in.” The corollary to that is, “Since he’s not doing God’s will, he’s not worthy of my help.” Before we help someone, don’t we run through our mental checklist such as: will he use this for beer/cigarettes/drugs, will she waste this on herself and not buy food for the kids, is he just a pan-handler, etc.?

What if helping someone meant you would be inconvenienced; even to the point that a friend might ask if that person is bothering you. Really!? Don’t you think Jesus was sometimes bothered by random people? And therein lies the nub of the matter. If we are to get serious about being the light to the world and the salt of the earth, then we have to embrace being bothered, unappreciated and even occasionally being taken advantage of.

The first century church was known by its care for the sick and the outcast. They would attend to those who had nowhere else to go; no family nor friends. There was no Medicaid nor Medicare and no government safety net. Even if the church could offer no cure, they could at least offer death with dignity. Although we have many programs from both government and private entities, we still have people who slip through the cracks in the system. We have abused and neglected children, abandoned and battered women, confused and frightened pregnant teenagers, foster kids who need a permanent home … the list goes on.

Let me encourage us all to open our eyes to the opportunities that surround us. May we be receptive to the nudge of the Ruach HaKodesh (HS). May we develop a healthy disdain for the status quo of our own easy lives. Remember the camp-fire song from our youth: “And we’ll guard each one’s dignity and save each one’s pride and they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love. Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.”

May God Bless
Mike Toole
Adrienne Owen, ed.

2012 MAY

Greetings to all on 10 MAY 2012

Words for the Day
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics to inanimate objects or, in this case, to spiritual beings.

YHWH is the tetra gammon for the name of the Hebrew god.

Quote for the Day
Christians should not be content merely with knowing mentally the doctrine of the Holy Spirit as given in the Bible; they also need to know Him experimentally. Watchman Nee [1]

Thought for the Day
Our Wednesday evening class just concluded the video series The Forgotten God with Francis Chan. The stories and insights from Chan helped us to refine and redefine our relationship with the Holy Spirit as the forgotten God. In our tribe we honor God the Father and God the Son but haven’t quite known what to do with God the Spirit.

You may have noticed that I often use the Hebrew – Ruach HaKodesh [RHK] rather than the English – Holy Spirit [HS]. Some Hebrew scholars maintain that ruach is feminine. If that’s correct, it makes good sense that the Trinity would be represented as child, female and male – a family. Of course, we realize that these are all anthropomorphisms; used by the writers to help us humans have a concept of God. We know that YHWH is not a “he” or a “she” but an “it” according to our reckoning.

The Ruach HaKodesh was promised as a counselor. The word John uses is paraclete [GK], which means advocate or counselor – like a defense lawyer. She will lead us into all truth. [JOH 16.13] The question is - how does this happen? In our tribe, the debate between “word-only” theology and the continual work of the Holy Spirit goes all the way back to the beginning of the Restoration Movement. The Campbell’s were fiercely word-only. However, Alexander Campbell’s personal friend, physician and editor, Robert Richardson espoused the opposite view; that is, an ongoing activity of the RHK. This disagreement became such a point of contention among some of Campbell’s more vocal followers that his relationship with Richardson was strained to the breaking point. As we would say, Campbell left his friend “hanging” during the bitter attacks against him. Campbell eventually apologized to Richardson for failing to come to his defense.

We find the gifts of the HS listed in Romans and in 1 Corinthians. In Romans 12, Paul lists the gifts of prophet, servant, teacher, exhorter, contributor, leader and one who shows mercy. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul lists wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues and the ability to interpret tongues. Have some of these gifts disappeared? Perhaps; I recently read an article that made a good case that the gift of tongues would cease, meaning that gift would naturally cease to be useful. Could it be that we don’t see the gift of healing because our faith is actually smaller than a mustard seed? Could it have been a gift whose days were numbered? Maybe that gift is only evident in countries that don’t have all the medical technology that we do. [2]

I see no reason to deny the existence of these gifts. Just because we don’t experience all of them doesn’t mean they aren’t available when needed. Who knows, some may have no place in our modern world but could reappear in the future. In some cases our definition is too narrow. For example, the goal of prophecy was not telling the future, but exhorting the people to return to God. Aren’t there some among us doing that today? Don’t we know people among us who display the gifts of mercy, generosity, encouragement, discernment, leadership and knowledge? Perhaps we would see more of the gift of healing if we did not quench the Spirit. Someone will say, “These aren’t gifts, just talents or natural inclinations with which one is born.” My reply is “Yes, but the RHK gifts us according to our natural inclinations and only through her power can we mature and perfect these gifts.” Did I receive the gift of teaching or was I already inclined to be a teacher? I would say it’s some of each.

The Spirit still leads us into all truth, helping us to discern how to apply the ancient stories and teachings in today’s post-modern world. The Spirit shapes us into the image of YHWH, something I don’t believe we can do on our own. The Spirit empowers us to reinterpret just as Jesus did. Why were the people amazed at Jesus’ teaching? It was because he taught as one with authority [s’mikah HEB], not as the scribes. He made the old teachings fresh and new again!  And so can you.

May God Bless
Mike Toole
Adrienne Owen, ed.

1.    Found at http://christian-quotes.ochristian.com/Holy-Spirit-Quotes/page-7.shtml
on 25 APR 2012.

2.    Craig Keener, Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts, Baker Academic, NOV 2011 Keener records hundreds of miraculous healings that he or others observed in Africa.

2012 MAR

Greetings to all on 10 MAR 2012


Word for the Day
Nicene Creed
The Nicene Creed was written by the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in 325 C.E., with additions by the first Council of Constantinople in 381. [1]

Quote for the Day
For too long, we’ve called unbelievers to “invite Jesus into your life.” Jesus doesn’t want to be in your life. Your life’s a wreck. Jesus calls you into his life. [2]

Website for the Day
http://www.disciples.org/ccu/programs/stonecampbell
This is a great resource for all of us with roots in the Stone-Campbell movement.

Thought for the Day
Several weeks ago, our small group was reflecting on this text: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” [PRO 1.7] Our tradition has been to interpret “knowledge” or “knowing” in such verses as intellectual constructs gained by rational analysis of the text. Our leaders of the Restoration Movement, such as Thomas Campbell, believed that everyone could come to the same conclusions (beliefs) by logically examining the written word. Time has proven that this degree of agreement is neither possible nor healthy. To his credit, Campbell did not make uniformity a test of fellowship.

What if we have overlooked a different view - one that fits everyone, not just those with a scholarly bent? Consider the use the word “know” in the Tanakh (OT). Adam knew is wife. [GEN 4.1] He didn’t just introduce himself and then read a book about Eve! (Men are from God - Women are from Ribs?) An intimate relationship is implied by this verb. One of our Sunday songs says: “I Want to Know Christ and the Power of His Rising.” The words are from Philippians 3.10 “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” When we sing that song, don’t we feel a yearning for more than just facts about Jesus?

Leonard Sweet recognizes this see change that is occurring across the various tribes of Christendom; he interprets it as a re-booting of the church. He uses the acronym MRI where M is Missional, R is Relational and I is Incarnational. [3] We find the same trio in the Nicene Creed: “And I believe in one holy, catholic and apostolic Church.” Apostolic refers to the sending out on a mission. A holy people are set aside for a relationship with God. Catholic refers to the church universal with unique incarnations around the world. Sweet posits that if this is valid, then it must be found in scripture also. And, of course, it was there all along: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” [JOH 14.6] The way is the mission. The truth is the person - Jesus, who calls us into a relationship with him. The life is the incarnation of Jesus living in us communally as each church family.

How can we know God? We are familiar with the usual dichotomy: meditation, prayer and reading as avenues for the vertical relationship and the horizontal relationship with others. What if there is really no distinction? Sweet suggests that we’ve created a false divide between the sacred and the secular. Maybe Jesus was warning against that tendency when he said “For as much as you have done this to one of the least of these, you have done it unto me.” [MAT 25.40] Is this one of those verses that we read correctly but interpret backwards? We imagine ourselves as the little Jesuses helping the poor and mistreated, but it actually says that Jesus is in these people!

The Christian Chronicle just published an article about the decade of declining membership within Churches of Christ. I was flabbergasted to read one of the comments that said “We are too focused on converting a stranger or feeding the poor and not on strengthening the people who sit on the pews.” [4] Huh? Could we possibly be less focused on the lost and the poor who do not first come to us?

We can all “grow in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” [2PET 3.18] It doesn’t matter about your formal education, whether or not you like to read, if you are left or right-brained. Jesus calls you into his life - because your life’s a wreck.

May God Bless
Mike Toole
Adrienne Owen, ed.

1. Found at: http://sacred-texts.com/chr/nicene.htm

2. Russell D. Moore, A Purpose Driven Cosmos, Christianity Today, February 2012, p.32

3. Leonard Sweet, Zoe Group Conference, Midland TX, March 2, 2007

4. Found at: http://www.christianchronicle.org/blog/2012/02/102000-fewer-people-in-the-pews-since-03-churches-of-christ-in-decline/

2012 JAN

Greetings to all on 10 JAN 2012


Word for the Day
Vestibule - The outer area or hall near the entrance, which may have specific uses or dedications. A specific vestibule leading into the church nave is called the narthex. As a verb, vestibuled means to explain from the pulpit. [1]

Quote for the Day
Corporate worship is often the flash point where this occurs because for immature believers this is their only contact with the Unseen world. [2] The “this occurs” refers to the discomfort, discontent, even anger, over any deviation from the norm in corporate worship service.

Thought for the Day
Change is difficult. And changing one’s theology is nigh unto impossible. One might change from Honda to Ford or from Republican to Democrat, but to change one’s childhood beliefs on core religious concepts is almost unheard of among the majority of our tribe. So how is it, as most of you know, that I have changed my thinking over the past two decades about almost every core belief?

A few days ago, as I was reading through Acts, the story of Peter and Cornelius struck me in a new way. As we would say, Peter was “raised in the church,” well, at least in the synagogue! He had never eaten anything unclean and wasn’t about to start. The vision of the sheet brought down from above was shown to him three times; each time his response was the same: “No, Sir! Absolutely not! I have never eaten food that was unclean.”[3] Each time the Ruach HaKodesh (HS or maybe an angel) said, “Stop treating as unclean what God has made clean.” [ACT 10.15] You know the rest of the story, so I’ll not retell it.

Imagine how difficult it must have been for Peter to repent (change) over something major like accepting the goyim (gentiles) into fellowship. In fact, we have further proof of how difficult this was for him. Paul tells the story in Galatians 2.11 about Peter lapsing back to his original upbringing when, after the arrival of several Jewish brothers, he excused himself from dining with the goyim.

About ten years ago, our elder board (BCOC) decided to install an overhead projector for broadcasting the hymns onto a screen. Something as innocuous as this was apparently deemed semi-heretical by some congregants. A few years before, we had placed supplemental song books in the racks along with the authorized hymnals. The booklets were produced in-house and mostly contained songs the teenagers preferred. However, one day the booklets mysteriously disappeared. Some people had taken it upon themselves to dispose of those books that only had “camp-fire” songs!

Just a few months ago, it was decided to replace the traditional communion cracker with individual “bite-sized” pieces. Even this change had to be vestibuled by no less than the pulpit minister. Otherwise, the orthodoxy of such a change would have been called into question. I know I’ve used the Quote for the Day before, but it’s still so appropriate.

Stop treating as unclean what God has made clean. Maybe there’s a new application of that sentence for us today. Can’t you and I identify with Peter? He was told to “Arise, kill and eat.” All we have to kill are some misguided allegiances to traditions. Peter was told to go against some core beliefs he had known since childhood. Can’t you and I do the same?

May God Bless
Mike Toole
Adrienne Owen, ed.

1. Found on: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_church_vestibule#ixzz1gtlaqUdm

2. Michael S Moore, Faith Under Pressure, Leafwood Publishers, Siloam Springs AR, 2003, p.96

3. David Stern, Complete Jewish Bible, Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. Clarksville MD, 1998