Driscoll in NY Times on Calvinism

I was surprised to open up NY Times.com as I do daily, and see Mark Driscoll's face on the front page. Read this interesting article if you have time, I'd love to hear your thoughts about it. I was somewhat on board with the article (rare for me with him) until I read the piece about how he handled his church elders. One of the reasons I'm grateful to be a Presbyterian is the dissemination of power, so that the group of elected leaders makes decisions, not any authoritarian figures. Also I thought it was funny that me submitting to my husband MEANS preaching, as Los prayed that into existence (rather than abstaining from it- as the article says to.)

It was interesting to read the author's portrayal of Calvinism, not that I'm surprised by it, as it's in an international newspaper that isn't exactly known for it's theological accuracy; but it was amusing nonetheless. As a "New Year's Resolution"/theological growth opportunity, I've committed with thousands of others to reading through Calvin's Institutes in this year, 500 years after his birth. Along with Martin Luther and some other contemporaries, Calvin had a huge impact on protestant Christianity being established apart from Roman Catholicism this past millennia. For better or worse, he's a major player in our faith history worth getting to know. It should be doable in small chunks, as Princeton has divided it? Maybe I'll read it to our baby? Who knows where this journey will take me? But it will be nice to hear him speak for himself, rather than zealous or misled people who've come after him. It's funny how we can come to conclusions on people (authors) without ever even reading them for ourselves- I am guilty of that for sure.

As I stumble through my reading this year and ponder, I'll be posting up quotes from time to time on the blog, for your perusal as well. And if you have any interest in reading along with me, let me know! I have a couple friends around the country doing it so far, and I'm sure I'd benefit from processing it together.

London Bridge Is Falling Down, Falling Down, Falling Down...

Wanna hear a funny story I forgot about til last week?  So, back into the 60s, I think, the London Bridge was falling down.  So somebody put it on the equivalent of eBay, and an oil millionaire idiot in the States bought it for millions of dollars.  They moved it to AZ, and it's now an attraction at Lake Havasu.

The only problem was that when it was assembled, the Americans realized it wasn't London's beautiful and famed Tower Bridge, which we saw this summer.
But instead, a boring looking cement bridge.
Oops.  Our boat tourguide in London got a lot of laughs out of this story, whereas we Americans slumped a little bit lower in our seats:)
Burly wasn't impressed.  This is how he spent much of our drive, out for the count.

South Cackalacky- gorgeous history in Charleston

We are ending our whirlwind tour of friends in the South (and more honestly, their kids!) this weekend. Today we went to the historic plantation Middleton Place. Absolutely stunning. Many details to come, but here's a quick pic.

RANT: One state, Two state, Red state, Blue state

I am sick and tired of the liberal-conservative dialectic, stereotypes and polarization. When are we going to get it through our thick skulls that no political party encompasses the heart of God, nor deserves our allegiance if we subscribe to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? No human leader will ever deserve that reverence. Why is Nationalism and being Red or Blue more important to most people than bowing down before God and loving our neighbors near and far?

When I got to L.A. and entered into conversation with people, as soon as they heard I was from Seattle they jumped into how crazy liberal they’ve heard everyone is there. They called people “Demon-crats.” Seriously? I am your sister in Christ, actually; I’m not even affiliated with a party. We have far more in common than not, actually. But okay, go ahead and label, demoncrat it is. Unbelievable. There are Republicans in Seattle too, maybe they are kinder than the So Cal breed?
Continuing with my good times here, I also had an argument with a Baptist-esque woman at dinner tonight about seemingly everything we spoke about… It was all very civilized, but I was groaning within as she packed the world into the “going to hell in a handbasket” box while simultaneously packing America into the “awesome” box. Really?

Examples of her statements:
“Europe is full of heathens.” Actually, the Holy spirit is alive and moving there too.
“College will destroy teens’ faith.” Actually, I’ve been working with college students around the nation who have vibrant faith and are living out Kingdom ethics as God’s hands and feet of change and healing in the world around them.
“We are freeing Iraq from oppression.” Really? Seems like we’re also there for our own interests and attempting to impose western values.
“History books don’t show what men of God the Founding Fathers were.” Really? Seems like many of them were deists at best and worshipped manifest destiny more than God.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE America. I am passionate about my country. But I don’t want to romanticize it and as a Christian, I am equally passionate about all of God’s creation. Part of what I love about God is that rather than the “going to hell in a handbasket” (what does that even mean anyway?!) mentality, I feel like Scripture is full of hope for humanity and the earth. Our stewardship of our lives and our planet can have a direct impact on the Kingdom of God furthering it’s reach. I believe God blesses “the rest of the world too,” not just the USA; and when we arrogantly assume that the world revolves around us (as we consume the food and fossil fuels that the rest of earth could share), we are not making any great friends in the process. If we loved God with all that we are and loved others as we loved ourselves… that would be a novel concept.

Our New Old Truck

In the late 1950's, International made about 500 A-100 trucks a year. It just so happens that my great grandpa bought one. He sounded like an interesting character; one who could've easily become a multi-millionaire if he'd hung on to his 40+ acres of Orange County property just a little longer... I never got to meet him, as he died tragically by drowning during a fishing trip with my dad. 50 years later, my dad still has Bompa's truck, and this weekend, he told Carlos that he could have it some day. So introducing our new old truck- how fun is this?!

History: Out of Sight, Out of Mind?

The thing I remember most about my years in history classes is how removed I felt from everything. Geographically removed, emotionally removed. My dad’s family came to the States in 1703. After stints in South Carolina and Tennessee, they went to the promise land, Texas. And then in the 1800’s, ol’ Elijah Adam Euless stowed away on a train, got to Long Beach, California, and the rest, as they say, is history. My family has 6th generation Californians- no wonder I feel removed from the original 13 colonies.

As a kid in California, I don’t remember learning much about history. I know there was something about a Gold Rush, which is helpful, because it gave the 49er football team and their cheerleaders some inspiration for names. I also know we were told about the Spanish Jesuits who came up from Latin America and built missions along the coast. We took our requisite fieldtrips to Mission San Juan Bautista and Carmel, and looked at musty, cold rooms. And that’s about all I remember. Truth be told, I probably cared more about whom I was sitting next to on the bus, and what was being served for lunch.

Then came middle school and high school. I remember learning about the Holocaust and feeling grateful to live in America. I remember being appalled and weeping at the movie Roots. Something in my spirit knew that wasn’t right. I remember learning that the Union states were good and stood for freedom, whereas the Confederacy states were bad and stood for slavery. I suppose my educated teacher explained events in elaborate detail, but all I walked away with was that cursory understanding. Now that I’ve lived in the South, I realize it’s not that simple, but it’s fascinating how people in different parts of the same country learn history in completely different ways.

I could speculate on why I didn’t care to learn about the rest of the country when I was young. Did I just think that California was better than everywhere else? Probably. Is it not? Louie Giglio said once that we in CA think the country ends at the Rocky Mountains. Spot on. In any case, I think it is sad how little many West Coast people, myself included, know about our country and its history. On the East Coast, there are plaques, monuments and sites all over the place. All the way from Boston’s Freedom Trail (which is awesome, by the way) featuring Revolutionary War artifacts and places, down to St. Augustine, Florida, a city founded in something like 1562- WAY before those schmucks landed at Plymouth… Anyway. Super interesting, and they tell part of the story of our country. I wish we had that sense of history on the west coast. If you’ve yet to visit the east coast, please do it! Learning about others not only broadens our horizons, but helps us learn about ourselves. And besides, who couldn’t use a vacation?