Tech-nol-oh-geeze

I have come to the conclusion that as our society advances technologically, we decrease in intelligence. We may have vast amounts of information at our fingertips, but our minds have become mush in the process. Here’s a story that confirms my theory:

I was looking to buy a cell phone the other day. Being the new pastor, I figured I should finally enter the 21st century, break down and get a cell phone so that people could get in touch with me whenever I’m not in the office. When I told a salesman that I was a minister and new to the area, he jumped into his extensive pitch about me needing a combination pda/high-speed internet browser/turn-by-turn voice navigation/cell phone/etc…thingy, and it would only cost a small fortune. He told me that it would literally save me hours everyday, and this is important since a minister’s time is so valuable. I must admit that the phone was pretty cool, but he never really had me convinced (mainly because I’m so cheap!).

But if my frugality didn’t fully convince me not to take the technological plunge, the end of our conversation solidified my decision. I was looking for a few things for my guitar, so I asked the salesman if there were any music stores nearby. He told me that he played guitar in his spare time and that the best place to get what I needed was online at www.musiciansfriend.com. I knew I wasn’t going to remember that, so he said he’d write it down for me. He started to write, and I could tell he was struggling. He said, “please forgive my poor spelling,” and handed me the paper. It read “musistians frend.com” Apparently he doesn’t do much reading or writing in the countless hours that his cell phone saves him each week. I immediately went and got the cheapest/simplest phone I could find!

The Dialup Blues

I’m sure by now that the two or three of you who actually did read my blog at one time or another have ceased to read it due to my lack of posting over the past month. I hope to rectify this problem soon, now that we’re settled in Michigan, but I have one huge hurdle to overcome: my painfully slow dialup connection!!!! Apparently, there is no available high-speed internet in the Eagle area, so I’m forced to go from super-fast cable to tying my emails to carrier pigeons, and sending them out in the hopes that one day they might find their destination. I know my Carrolltonian readers can relate to this problem. Anyway, this post is kind of a test-run to see how long the process is going to take. If it takes more than 10 minutes, my posting may continue to be very sporadic.

Going Off-Line

Well, we’re packing up all of our stuff and are getting ready to move. Jill and I are heading to Minnesota on Sunday to spend some time with her family, and when we return, we’ll only be here for a little over a day before turning around and heading to Michigan. My internet will be disconnected as of tomorrow, so I’m not really sure when I’ll be able to post again. It’ll probably be at least a couple of weeks. So, if you’re one of the two people who actually read this blog, be sure to check back in a few weeks and I’ll start posting again. Take care.

Final Thoughts on Potter

Well, I finished the final Harry Potter book. I liked it better than the 5th and 6th books, but it didn’t change many of my previously mentioned views. I’ve already written a lot on this topic, so I’ll only make two comments:

1. I think that the final Harry Potter book has several distinctly “Christian” elements. I won’t say much more than that because I don’t want to give anything away, but there are aspects of the book that make me think it is much more Christian than it is pagan.

2. I still don’t think HP will go down as great literature. One further reason why I think this is Rowling’s annoyingly incessant need to explain every-last-detail of the books and her manner of tying everything together into a neat little package. The earlier HP books each included one clever twist which was easily explained at the conclusion of each book, and Rowling’s style worked well for these books written for children. Her later books are geared for a more mature audience, but rather than developing depth and nuance, Rowling simply adds more twists. The final three books include so many twists that Rowling has to spend much of her final book unraveling and her convoluted tale so that every point of the story fits together. Rather than letting her readers to make their own judgments, she spells out all aspects of her story in laborious detail.

This isn’t to say that the books still don’t have their charms, but I think the books would have been better if the final books had been more like the originals.

Our Big Move

For all of you who haven’t heard, we will be moving to Michigan in mid-September. I have been assigned to pastor the Eagle Wesley Chapel which is located about fifteen miles west of Lansing. Besides the fact that we’re being called to Michigan (which I believe is a reflection of God’s ironic sense of humor), Jill and I are excited and nervous as we prepare to move. We’re excited because we sense that God is calling us and believe that he will stretch our faith and use us for his ministry. We’re nervous because we are stepping into the unknown and don’t know what lies ahead.

As we prepare to move, I’ve been thinking about the final words of the Great Commission, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And surely I am with you always, to very ends of the age” (Matt 28:19-20). In these words I remember that we are not called to build our own ministry. We are called to be a part of the ministry that belongs to Christ. I am not called to change people through my own wit and ability. I am called to be witness to the resurrection and a mediator of God’s grace. I am also reminded that we do not go alone, but Christ goes with us. This is a very comforting reminder.

The Call to Ministery

Jill and I just finished watching a mini-series documentary called “God or the Girl” that we borrowed from the library (it’s produced by A&E Television in case you’re interested in looking it up). It follows four young Catholic men as they wrestle with the decision to enter seminary and join the priesthood. I highly recommend it for all my seminary brothers out there. I could relate to the men as they try to discern God’s will for their lives. What I couldn’t relate to was the fact that if they entered seminary they were also committing to the celibate life.

My favorite guy in the story is a charismatic young fellow named Dan from Columbus, Ohio (he’s the long haired guy second from the left in the picture above). As part of his discernment process, Dan and his friends build an 80 pound cross, and Dan carries it 22 grueling miles across the city. It takes him two days to complete his journey, and the suffering he endures helps him focus on his calling and on Christ’s suffering. I think the coolest thing about Dan’s exhausting expedition is that his friends walk with him the whole way, reading Scripture to him and praying for him. They ended up sleeping in a field overnight using logs as pillows. Now that’s true friendship! It reminded me that the call to ministry is not a call to be loan gun. Following God is best done in community, and ministry is most effective when multiple people are carrying the load.

Loving Jesus Above All Things

I’ve been reading “The Imitation of Christ” by Thomas a Kempis as part of my devotional reading. It’s one of the best books ever written! Everyday his words challenge me to pursue a life devoted to Jesus through simplicity and purity.

Here’s a bit from today’s reading:

“Blessed is he who appreciates what it is to love Jesus and who despises himself for the sake of Jesus. Give up all other loves for His, since He wishes to be loved alone above all things… Love Him, then; keep Him as a friend. He will not leave you as others do, or let you suffer lasting death. Sometimes, whether you will or not, you will have to part with everything. Cling, therefore, to Jesus in life and death; trust yourself to the glory of Him who alone can help you when all others fail….Be humble and peaceful, and Jesus will be with you. Be devout and calm, and He will remain with you.”

Potter Mania

I’m going to be heading out of town for a week, but before I go, I wanted to leave a few posts about the Harry Potter books. I just finished reading the 6th book, which for all of you non-Potter readers is the next-to-last book, so I’m about two years behind the current craze. I’m trying to reserve my final judgment of the books until I read the last installment, but I will give you a few of my thoughts now that I’m 6/7 finished. Don’t worry, I won’t include any spoilers for those of you who haven’t read the books, and I ask that anybody who posts comments remains ambiguous enough to not give away any major points of the plot. Also, if you’re interested, a few of us got into a rather lengthy debate on Sean Scribner’s blog a couple of years ago. You can find that discussion posted here.

I'll be sure to respond to any comments when I get back next week.

My Impressions of Harry Potter…

1. For the most part I think the books are pretty well written and are not an affront to Christianity. In many ways the books actually uphold a Christian worldview. They are filled with virtues like love, self-sacrifice, courage, and friendship. Rowling creates a fantasy world with a distinct contrast between good and evil. I have heard some Christians attack Rowling because they claim she blurs the line between good and evil, but I have no idea what they’re talking about. It is true that there are points in the books where Harry and other protagonists fail to do what is right, but the books never glorify their failure. Rowling uses such occasions as a means of revealing true goodness and allows her characters to repent of their wrong actions and recommit to what is right. Perhaps some Christians think that Rowling blurs the line between good and evil because they think that all magic is evil. I’ll address this view in the post below.

2. Despite my favorable opinion of the Potter books, I think the books fail in a number of areas, and I don’t think that they will go down as great works of literature. I really enjoyed the first three books, and if the rest of the books were more like the first three, I think the books would be highly regarded for years to come. There was an innocent charm about the early books. The world Rowling created was full of joy and delight. I thought the tone of the three books was in some ways similar to the tone of the Chronicles of Narnia, but books four, five, and six lose much of the joy and the delight. I know that Rowling wanted to develop her characters as they grow up through adolescents, but I have found that the coming-of-age elements really detract from the joy that was present in the first three books. Her characters repeatedly act like typical modern teenagers. While this may appeal to a vast number of her readers who are teenagers and can relate to adolescent behavior, I think that it strips the books of the timeless nature that most good fantasies possess. In books four and five, Harry Potter’s constant whining may be an accurate portrayal of a 14 or 15 year old kid, but I don’t really want the hero of the story to act like a typical kid. Books five and six focus way too much on teenage dating relationships, which includes numerous references to the main characters dating other characters, making-out with them, breaking up with them, etc… There were times when I thought I was reading a teen magazine, not a great work of fiction. I think Rowling could have included romantic elements if she really thought it was necessary, but the way she developed the teenage romances was simply tacky.


3. Two years ago, I made the comment on Sean’s blog that if I had kids, I would have no problems with them reading the Harry Potter books. After reading books four, five, and six, I would amend my previous statement. The later Harry Potter books are not children’s books! I don’t think I would let my kids read the books until they were teenagers and able to handle the darker and more mature elements of the later books. I think younger children could handle the first three books, but the later books are pretty serious and scary, not to mention all of the annoying relationship stuff that is geared much more for teenagers. I think Rowling wanted the children who read the books to grow up with the books, but now that kids won’t have to wait two years for the next book to be published, I don’t see how her objective will be accomplished. Would you purposefully read each of the Lord of the Rings books in three year intervals if you were able to read them all at once? I wouldn’t have much of a problem if I had a nine year old son who wanted to read the first Harry Potter book. The problem is that kids tend to be curious and would want to know how the story ends, and I think the later books are way too mature for a nine year old.