Humble Patriotism

Ya know, as we live in the shadow of the biggest campaign since JFK was elected ... maybe ever ... I have been reflecting on the nature of patriotism and what it means to love one's country.

Try this on. Could we love our country and what it stands for (the good of many, the dignity of the individual, the rule of the little guy, the repudiation of tyranny, justice, equality, freedom, concern for the less fortunate, etc) and yet be humble enough to recognize that we don't have it all together? Can we be patriotic and yet recognize that not EVERYBODY has to run their nation like we do? Can we love the USA and still believe that the people of another nation can love their country and yet not agree with us?

I'm not talking about protectionism or isolationism. I really don't believe in those things. Tyrants cannot be tolerated. If we CAN help, we probably should. That's the American way, as far as I can tell.

But, we don't need to be toppling regimes just because they say mean things about us. We don't need to be lashing out at nations because they don't agree with us. We don't need to be putting countries or regimes on "Evil" lists of any sort just because we don't like their politics. That's the humble part.

Here's the Harbarger Theory rule about dealing with bullies. If I see a bully taking advantage of someone else, I tell them to stop it. If they don't, then I step between the bully and the target. If they want to try to bully, then try to bully me. Go ahead. Just try. I protect the bullied. That's the rule.

If a regime is bullying it's own people, then America tells them to stop it. If they don't, then we step in between the bully and the target. And we ratchet up the pressure to make them stop.

If a nation is bullying another nation, then, we tell them to stop it. If they don't we step between the bully and their target. And we ratchet up the pressure to make them stop.

If a 16 year old is bullying a 12 year old, I don't just shoot the 16 year old. I try other, non-violent and decelerating strategies to stop the behavior.

If a regime or a nation is bullying, then we don't just go to war on their butts. We try everything (and I mean everything!) else before that last option is put into place. And then we do it right and only as much as we have to.

We are America and I'm proud to be an American (especially after electing a man with African ancestry with a name like Barack Hussein Obama!!). But ... I am embarassed by the ways that we "protect" other nations by becoming bullies instead of by rescuing the perishing.

Harbarger Theory: Stop bullies, but don't become one in the process.

hanging out with friends

Sometimes I forget that I have great friends. Just yesterday, I made an early morning call on somebody facing horrible surgery and I had contacted a buddy of mine to see if he had time to have breakfast together. He did. We did.

It is so good to have breakfast with a friend who loves God, loves me, loves coffee and can talk and laugh and have a great time!! Woo hooo!!!!!

I am a blessed guy. I have good friends who would do anything for me and I know they would. It doesn't get better than that.

Note to self: don't ever take them for granted!!!!

everyday miracles

Last week, Wendy (my wife, for those who don't know me) was the Music Director for a Walk To Emmaus weekend retreat. The Walk to Emmaus is a unique retreat (maybe an Advance??) that combines worship, deep talks about life and grace with fun and lots of emotional healing. She had a wonderful time and it was so good to see her step into that role and to be an vessel of God's grace for those women.

Since I'm usually the one in our marriage who is going out and doing these kinds of things (many years in Youth Ministry, Campus Ministry, Emmaus, Chrysalis (the teen version of Emmaus), etc), it was so much fun ... albeit a little wierd ... to watch her do it. I am a blessed man to be married to wonderful woman like her.

But, it got me to thinking about how well I let her know how I feel about her. I THINK I do a good job of it, but do I? How well do any of us let those whom we love know how we feel about them? Do we tell them we love them often enough? Do we tell them how proud we are of them and why? Do we REALLY communicate with them or do we just pass the time with them?

I want to be more conscientious of letting my family ... my friends ... my parishioners ... my whatever ... know how much I care about them and why I think they are so special.

Shouldn't we all????

Being a friend

A good friend of mine called yesterday and asked if we could get together and talk. He didn't call me because I'm his pastor (but we probably do that for each other). He didn't call me because I'm so daggone smart and good-looking. We all know THAT'S not true!! He called me because I'm his friend and he knew I'd listen.

What an honor.

No, really. What an incredible honor!

We all need to do this more often. Too often, we don't allow our friends in to our struggles. Too often, we try to do life on our own. Too often, we don't REALLY believe in community, in the Body of Christ, in the value of friendship.

He did. I am honored. I am humbled.

We all need to do this more often! We would be happier ... healthier ... more balanced ... wiser ... and closer to God. The Body of Christ would be stronger. Community would ACTUALLY exist. The Kingdom of God would be more fully realized.

Call each other. Have coffee. Eat lunch together. Talk. Listen. Solve problems if it's needed and wanted. But, most imporantly, be there for each other. There is nothing more important. Nothing. This is where we find the Kingdom of God. Right here.

Thanks, my friend. I am blessed!

Pain

An interesting week.

Tuesday morning, I buried a 32 yr old single mom. She was in a single car accident and left behind a 14 year old orphan. Dad was never around. The daughter is well loved by her grandma with whom she and her mom have always lived and her aunt and uncle and their families. She's not without love ... but she doesn't have her mom's loving anymore. Extraordinarily sad!

Tuesday night, we got a call from our daughter that she had a massive infection in her leg that caused significant pain. (She's a toughie, so if it caused significant pain, it really, really hurt!). She went to the Urgent Care, had it lanced, dressed and infused with antibiotics and sent home. She's better, but still hurting. She's 600 miles away from us.

Thursday afternoon, I got a call from our son who has a friend who broke his arm badly in the middle of the night and so he went to that hospital straight from a hospital room where another friend's dad had a stroke. He went from caring for emotional pain to physical pain. He's 2,400 miles away.

The issue is that there is pain all around us, isn't there? It never stops. It never sleeps. It just keeps sharing it's infection.

But, isn't that why we have each other? Isn't that why we have the Church (caps intentional!). We can't hold our daughter when she's crying because of her leg pain. We can't hold our son when he's crying over his friend's pains. We can hold this newly orphaned girl as she cries and rants and rails over the injustice of never knowing her dad and now losing her mom. We can hold the ones close to us and hope that others are holding the ones close to our hearts, but not close to our bodies.

My friends ... step into other people's pain. It's our job. It's our duty. It's our honor. Step into it and share it. It may hurt YOU more, but it will lessen the impact on them. Do it. No whining. Do it.

Do it today.

Who gets bailed out?

Lehman Brothers must be really ticked off!! Doesn't it seem that EVERY other financial institution has been bailed out, but them. Must remind them of elementary school when they were the last ones picked for kickball teams.

It makes the conspiracy theorist who lurks in my soul's shadows wonder who they made mad.

It makes the compassionate one who tries so hard to push his way to the front of my soul wonder, "Why them?"

It makes the pragmatist in me wonder how folks make these choices. I'm just glad it's not me making those choices.

But, on the other hand why did this happen? How did it happen? Why aren't the people responsible for this catastrophes fired and publicly shamed? Who do they know or what do they know about them? conspiracy theorist back again!!

I'm the first to admit that this level of finances is over my head, but maybe it's over the heads of the ones leading these companies.

I just find it aggravating that these huge companies are run by people making bazillions and yet they, too, are incompetent and make hugely bad business choices. But, they seem to move from CEO job to CEO job and spread the misery around.

Maybe it IS time for people with less experience to be in charge?!?! Sen Obama's inexperience has always scared me. Sen McCain's deep experience and debts owed also scares me. Which is less scary? Which can bring real and positive change? I'm not sure I'm smart enough to know for sure, but I will make my decision by November, I'm sure.

But, it's not easy, is it? I guess (I actually know) that's what prayer is for. It's also what trusting in the sovereignty of God is for, as well.

Finances, politics, religion. Who knew they are so intertwined?

A New Theocracy

As I ponder this election and the "religious" furor associated with it, a few questions have come to mind.
1. How important is it for a candidate's stated theology to agree with mine?
2. Does their theology have a great impact on their domestic or foreign policy decisions?
3. Should I vote for the candidate with the "better" (by that I mean, like mine!) theology or should I vote for the candidate who is the better leader, regardless of whether they agree with my theology or even have a coherent one?
My take on these questions. I think it's important for me to have a grasp on a candidate's theology, but they don't have to be in my "camp" or even close to it. I DO think that a candidate's theology and cosmology DOES have great affect on their domestic an foreign policy. I think it has to! It has with GW Bush (world-wide hegemony), Clinton (private actions are not as important as public actions), Reagan (compartmentalized and pragmatic over idealistic), Carter (human rights are global, not local). Therefore, we should vote for a candidate who has a theology/cosmology that is good for our nation and for the world (not a triumphalistic one, not a compartmentalized one, not an overly idealistic one).
I think a candidate should have a vibrant personal faith that guides and directs them, but they should also be open to hearing other points of view and to see their leadership as a servanthood, rather than an empire-building exercise. They should NOT be people who make public policy based on a "word from the Lord." That scares me to no end!!
In the end, I want a leader who leads based upon what is good for the world and for our nation and is humble enough to listen carefully to people who disagree, but can and will make the tough calls. Leadership is not about popularity, but if you don't have followers ... you aren't a leader. I pray that our next president is a servant leader who seeks to make this world a more verdant, just and healthy place for humanity.