Time's A-Wastin'

harbarger theory: bob dylan was partially right. some people NEED to get stoned!

You probably saw the billboards, heard it on the news and, if you are like me, you just shook your head at all the fuss.

Harold Camping, one of the owners and show host on the Family Radio, has delved into the biblical prophetic literature (specifically Daniel and Revelation), dusted off his calculator and somehow determined that on May 21, 2011 the Rapture would happen at 6:00pm with the occurrence of the worst earthquake EVER! If you experience May 22, then you (and I) were either left behind, or … he was wrong.

Interesting. You see, in the era when God primarily spoke through people that were called to be the mouthpieces of God (they were called Prophets), there was a strict rule. You see, God is NEVER wrong, so if you made a prediction and said, “God will do THIS or THAT” and that thing did not happen, there were consequences. That person was summarily dragged outside the city gates and the people threw rocks at her or him until they were … dead. The penalty for speaking for God falsely was DEATH.

Now, be clear. I am NOT advocating that anything like this happen to Mr. Camping or his friends and followers who have helped in disseminating these falsehoods. But, I would respectfully ask them to be quiet from now on. They should turn off their radio transmitters. They could give it away to people who DO speak truthfully for God. Or they could just go away, get a job and help the poor. They could do anything but … speak for God anymore. They have been discredited and have done damage to the good name of the Church. So, please just go away and do some good to try to do penance for the damage you have done.

For the rest of us, we need to realize that sensationalist drivel may sell radio advertising, billboards or make exciting Christian tabloid fodder. But, it does not advance the Kingdom of God. It distracts us from the mission of sharing our faith with our neighbor by our lives, our attitudes and our words. We would be better served by feeding the hungry or having a cup of coffee and listening to a friend who needs to talk or teaching a little one about the love of God or sharing our faith with a friend who is seeking. The work of the Kingdom of God is not about goofball proclamations, but about day-in-and-day-out conducting lives marked by God’s love, grace and mercy.

Therefore, I am declaring a Drivel-Free Zone at the church that I serve and we will be working, studying, laughing, singing, worshipping, and sharing the Kingdom of God with whoever will listen with attitudes marked by God’s love, grace and mercy. Then, when Jesus DOES come back (and he will one day!), we’ll be able to stand before the Mercy Seat with confidence of the children of God and hear, “Well done, my good and faithful servants!”

harbarger theory: bob dylan was partially right. some people NEED to get stoned!

well, not really ... but, some days ....

Sci-Fi can be so true!

Harbarger theory: us thulcandrans sure are bent

Just finished reading “Out Of The Silent Planet,” the second Christian book that CS Lewis wrote and the first in his “Space Trilogy.” Written in 1943, it is an interesting book of science fiction that pre-dates Sputnik and the US space travel by over a decade, and of course UK space travel by … well, they still don’t do it, so … FOREVER!!!

Not wanting to offer a spoiler, I can talk about the idea that we here on Thulcandra, as they call it on Malacandra (or Earth as we non-Martians call it) are bent people. We are under the relentlessly bent nature of our own Oyarsa (we call him Lucifer, the Adversary, the Devil or Satan) and therefore, our own understandings of this world and the way all of life should work are bent.

Wouldn’t it be a grand thing to work at what we love and not worry about money and who’s (paycheck, house, status thingee) is bigger? Wouldn’t it be a grand thing that we would be able to recognize the actions of the Divine all around us (as the people of Malacandra were able to see the Eldil {angelic creatures})? Wouldn’t it be a grand thing to simply love each other, so savor the joys of life that we lived in harmony, and serve God without question?

This, my friends, is what theologians call “getting back to Eden.” It is this humble blogger’s opinion that “getting back to Eden” is what Christ referred to as the Kingdom of God. It is my life’s work to help folks realize that powerful dream of every single person living here in the Kingdom of God, living in the newly realized Eden, making Thulcandra like Malacandra.

Let us all work to make God’s kingdom come and God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven!!

Harbarger theory: us thulcandrans sure are bent

Some autobios are just weird

harbarger theory: sometimes allegories need more context

This is the first of my musings on the writings of CS Lewis that I will be sharing over the next year as I attempt to read all of the Christian writings of CS Lewis in the order in which he wrote them.

It wasn't until I finished "Pilgrim's Regress" that I realized that this is not an allegory of the human pilgrimage to faith like Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress." Rather, this was an allegorized telling of the pilgrimage that CS Lewis himself made toward faith.

Knowing this makes this story A) more understandable and B) more enlightening as to why he chose these characters. Lewis wrote this book in the highly allegorized style of Bunyan, of course and used the device of a journey toward the "Island" as the reason for the journey.

Although some parts drag (probably because I don't possess enough insight into Lewis' life and thought to catch the inside references), it's an interesting book that makes me wonder how I would write about THIS pilgrim's progress (or regress) (or digress?) toward faith. Instead of Vertue and Reason, would I have been more likely to write about Politics or Nature or Sensuality?

What would you write about as you make your own pilgrimage toward or away from faith?

The heavy allegory made it hard to read at times, but in the end, it leaves me thinking about my own faith pilgrimage and wondering when or if I'll ever get to the end. I suspect not ... at least on this temporal plain. I suspect that the journey is where it's at, anyway. It's not about the top of the mountain, it's the climb that's the important part. It's not about reaching the end of the trail, but rather the conversation around the campfire along the way ... or the solitary sunset watched while looking over the lake that one evening. Those are the REAL gems, aren't they? I think so.

So, I invite you to journey with me or on your own as we pilgrimage our way through life seeking the presence of God and experiencing it through the company of others. The Island that John sought was just over his shoulder and experienced in the company of others.

The Kingdom of God is about relationships, not "correct doctrine" or "proper etiquette" or even big honkin' churches. It's all about relationships and the sooner we all realized that the sooner the Kingdom will come!!!

"Pilgrim's Regress" - I found it hard to slog through, but a winner in the end!!! An interesting way to start the year!!

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!