Kethuvim

It means "writings." I write things.

1:23 PM

Apparently 2009 will, in fact, usher in the Apocalypse

Posted by Brad Polley |

I just saw on CNN that their New Year's show is being hosted by Anderson Cooper (okay, I can see that) and Kathy Griffin (okay, I can see th...wait what?).  Kathy Griffin?  Really?  Are they trying to one-up Ryan Seacrest for the "Most Obnoxious New Year's Host" award?  Were all of the other 3 million people more qualified to do this job already busy?


Jesus' return must be imminent.

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8:46 AM

Incarnation

Posted by Brad Polley |

Incarnation.  It's a word that Christians throw around a lot.  I think it's best explained in the gospel of John where it says, "The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us."  It's a fancy way saying that God put on skin and in order to relate to us.  It's something we celebrate this time of year when we focus on God arriving on earth with poor shepherds and farm animals as his only pomp and circumstance.  All of that is nice, but for some reason we humans tend to need more here and now and concrete examples to understand a concept as mind-shattering as the Incarnation.  



The Church is called to be the Incarnation of Christ to the world.  That football team is a simple example of a difficult concept to grasp.  Merry Christmas to everyone reading this.  May you remember that God decided he couldn't get close enough to us being where he was, so he decided to walk around here for awhile.  

Thanks Dad for the heads-up on that article.

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11:31 AM

God as a crutch

Posted by Brad Polley |

I've often heard people who don't believe in God say something to the effect of, "You Christians/Jews/Muslims just use God as a crutch.  If I'm honest, this has offended me at times in the past and I'm generally not an easily offended person.  It's offended me because it just assumes that I'm a weak minded person, who, instead of using my brain and my strength, I prefer to lean on a figment of my imagination.  


Recently, I've been less offended by this statement and have taken the approach of: So what?  What's wrong with having a crutch?  If someone is limping and in pain, they need a crutch to help them.  If someone is in pain and can't walk on their own, they need help.  The reality is that sometimes we need a crutch, so why not God?  

I can never convince you that God is real.  I'll never try to convince you of that.  All I know is my own experience.  My recent struggles are no secret to anyone who reads this blog.  In the last couple of weeks, I've seen how God is my crutch, whether I ask him to be or not.  He has sustained me, blessed me more than I deserve, and is bringing me back to standing.  

Could I live without God?  Yeah.  Could I live without him?  No.

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9:11 AM

Not intended for consumption

Posted by Brad Polley |

I followed a tanker truck into town today that had this to say on the back:


"Inedible.  Technical Animal Fat.  Not intended for human consumption."

So this led to one big question in my mind: what makes animal fat "technical?"  What does that even mean?  

I can only assume that this tanker was headed to a McDonald's somewhere.   

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9:22 AM

Huzzah!

Posted by Brad Polley |

We bailed out another American industry.  How much this time?  Only a measly $14 billion.  So the message is this:


Is your business struggling?  Have you driven your business into the ground by making crappy products that no one wants?  Have you used shady business practices that have blown up in your face?  Don't fret, Uncle Sam will come to the rescue.  And don't worry about that little thing called accountability, we won't have any of that.  Continue what you do, and if you need more money, just give us a call.

Pop quiz.  How many people in the world have zero access to clean water?  Over 1 billion.  Approximately how much money would it take to eliminate this problem?  About $10 billion.  At least we're a Christian nation right?

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12:44 PM

He restores my soul

Posted by Brad Polley |

I'm currently reading a book by Harold Kushner called, "The Lord is My Shepherd: Healing Wisdom of the Twenty-third Psalm."  He breaks down each statement from, what is most likely, the most well-recognized passage in the entire Bible.  I would venture to guess that almost everyone, at least in this country, has heard this Psalm.  If you've ever attended the funeral of a loved one, you've probably heard this Psalm that begins, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want..." and continues with "though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil..."  


As any of you who read this blog know, I'm a person who is almost constantly plagued with doubt about my life.  I posted a couple of weeks ago about the level of discontent in my life.  One of the biggest reasons for this discontent is that I'm wondering whether or not I'm still valuable in my current occupation as a youth pastor.  Today, I received an email from one of my college students telling me how much he appreciates me and the fact that I was responsible for changing his life (I would argue that God did the changing, but that's for another post).  

In the twenty-third Psalm, the psalmist says, "he (God) restores my soul."  I've been thinking about that line all day because it seems that in my times of greatest doubt concerning my ministry, someone always comes along with a kind word, or I stumble upon a certain passage of Scripture that lifts my spirit.  It's as if I'm walking through the desert, wondering when I'm going to die of thirst, only to stumble upon a small stream flowing with cold water.  It's not necessarily an over-abundance of water, but just enough to continue on the journey.  It's a restorative drink, one that gives the energy needed to continue on in the heat and wilderness.  In fact, as I look at the history of the Bible story, I see this kind of thing happen all the time to God's people.  He provided a spring to the Israelites wandering in the desert, manna and quail for them to eat, a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, etc.  

God won't necessarily speak to you directly (presumably with the voice of Morgan Freeman or James Earl Jones), but he will bring people into your life to restore you when you need it the most.     

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3:05 PM

This probably won't be popular

Posted by Brad Polley |

I think we, in churches, sometimes worship the Bible more than we do God.  There I said it.  Now here's what I mean.  


I've heard so many sermons (probably some of mine as well) in my life where the preacher has said something to the effect of: The Bible is the answer.  Of course, the question that the person may have is irrelevant, but the Bible is, apparently, the answer.  Over the last few years, I've tried to analyze that idea to figure out whether it is true or not.  The idea that the Bible is "God's answer book" bugs me greatly and here's why: we aren't called to follow the Bible, we're called to follow Christ.  There's a major difference between those two things.  The idea also bugs me because the Bible was never intended to be an answer book (more on this later).

I know people who know the Bible front to back, inside and out, and yet they, in no way, model the life Jesus laid out (this obviously isn't true of everyone who knows the Bible well).  They put the authority of Scripture up so high that they miss out on following Christ, which, it seems to me, is the point of being a Christian.  We need to remember that the earliest Christians didn't have the Bible as we know it.  The Bible as we know it didn't exist until almost 400 c.e., and even then you could only read it if your were a higher up in the Church.  It wasn't until Martin Luther (and the printing press) came along in the 1500s that people were allowed to read the Bible at all.  That means the church got by for 1500 years without really being able to study Scripture at all.  However, millions of people found a way during that time to worship God and follow Christ.  The only guide they had was their community of believers and the Church.    

So what's my point?  The point is this: the Bible is important, but it isn't as important as Jesus.  The Bible isn't an answer book, although it has some answers to life in it.  The Bible is a collection of stories of how God relates to people and how we relate to God.  It's a beautiful text because, upon reading it, we find ourselves as part of the story.  We find a bit of ourselves in Moses, David, Peter, Paul, Mary (did you know that Puff the Magic Dragon lives by the sea?), etc.  We have the benefit of the Bible today that 1500 years of worth of Christians really didn't have.  It's an important document, but it isn't as important as Jesus.  That may not be popular with some of you, but it's true.  

The Pharisees knew the Scriptures, but, according to Jesus, they didn't really know God or truly follow him or his intent with the Scriptures.  Jesus was constantly saying, You do what the Scripture says, but not what it intends.  They knew the word, but they didn't know the Word, and that makes all the difference in the world.  

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3:40 PM

Why does it always boil down to this?

Posted by Brad Polley |

A few weeks ago, I encouraged my middle school students to email me or call me they had any questions about anything.  I did this because middle school students generally have a million questions but either a) don't feel comfortable asking them or b)think the questions are stupid so they refrain.  I always strive in my ministry to create a space where students can ask the tough questions that they all have without fear of being judged or condemned for a lack of faith or whatever.  


One of my students called me yesterday.  This is a girl who has very little experience with church or Jesus or whatever, but, because of a great family in our church, is being lovingly introduced to it.  She asks the best questions on Sunday nights and I genuinely love when she's there.  Anyway, here's the question she asked me.

If you don't pray, will you go to hell?

My response?  No.  When I told her, there was a couple of seconds of silence and then she said, "Oh...okay."  I told her I would email her a better and more extended response.  I stand by my answer and I would love anyone to argue this point with me biblically (you can't).

I got off the phone and I thought: why does it always boil down to heaven and hell?  Let me be very clear about this next point: BEING A CHRISTIAN ISN'T ABOUT GOING TO HEAVEN AND AVOIDING HELL.  I can't be any more clear than that (I mean, look at all the caps).  Avoiding hell, attaining some heavenly reward has never been, nor will it ever be, the point of following Jesus.  The point of following Jesus is to follow his way of life, that just so happens to lead to real life here and now.  It's a life of peace, joy, and love.  It's a way of life that Jesus describes as a "narrow way" that few find.  

This doesn't mean that stuff like prayer, reading your Bible, etc. isn't important.  Those things are done as a response to living this way of life, they aren't the way of life itself.  Jesus would seem to suggest that the calling card of this way of life is love and love alone.  So we pray because we love God, not to garner his love.  We pray because we want to, not because we have to to avoid a fiery end.  

This girl's question happened for a reason.  It happened because, somewhere along the line, she's been given the understanding by the Church that the reason to be a Christian is because, well, it's better than the alternative.  That kind of thinking will never lead to the kind of life Jesus lived.  It will lead to nothing but a life based on fear.  Fear will only get you so far and eventually you'll give up on the whole thing.  Jesus never guilted people into following and he never scared them into it either.  We probably shouldn't either.

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11:46 AM

Dear Santa

Posted by Brad Polley |

Looking for a good Christmas gift this holiday season?  Are you wanting to find the perfect gift without being trampled to death at Wal-Mart?  Are you looking for that one-of-a-kind gift that will show your youth pastor just how special you think he is?  Look no further than this amazing infomercial. 






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2:15 PM

Happy Thanksgiving to all and to all a good night

Posted by Brad Polley |

Oh wait...wrong holiday.  Anyway, happy Thanksgiving to all of my 10 readers.  Enjoy your turkey, the inevitable triptophan crash from said turkey, watching football, poking a new hole in your belt to accommodate the abdominal swelling, and vows to never eat that much again.  


Personally, I'll be getting my Michael Vick on (but you know...without all the dog killing) in the annual Turkey Bowl flag football game in the booming metropolis of Francesville, IN.  My team is undefeated in five years, and we don't plan on losing this year either.  As an aside, congrats to my wife on finally not being pregnant and able to play in the game.  I look forward to stiff-arming you into oblivion if you get in my way.  

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10:23 AM

How long does it take to forgive someone?

Posted by Brad Polley |

Peter asked, "Lord how long should it take us to forgive someone?  Immediately?"

And the Lord said, "I tell you, not immediately, but at least 42 years."


Let me say, firsties, that I really have nothing against Catholic people.  In fact, I read a great deal of books from monks and nuns, and I adore them.  That being said, how does it take the Church 42 years to forgive someone who's been dead for almost 30 years?  What's the point in forgiving said dead person?  Is there anything Christian about this?  Why does the Church, as an organization, have to issue a statement of forgiveness in order for someone to be forgiven?  

My understanding of forgiveness is that it is a deeply personal thing.  It is an act that frees me from bondage by not allowing hurts and scars to control me.  It's not something that I withhold from people, because all that does is enslave me.  How can it take 42 years to forgive something that someone said?  How many more people is the Vatican withholding forgiveness from, and for what offenses?  This all strikes me as incredibly ridiculous.

If I'm Catholic, I'm very concerned about how my church can maintain any cultural relevance when this is the kind of crap they're spending their time on. 

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1:09 PM

His name?

Posted by Brad Polley |

There's a guy that's been coming into our office for the last few months asking for help.  He usually needs help with things like gas and food.  We've been helping him as much as we can with a few bucks here and there.  He has stomach cancer (with a hole in his belly to prove it).  He's had it since 2004 and it's been an up and down roller coaster ride of remission and resurgence.  He can't walk straight because of the hole in his stomach so he walks with a Quasimodo-like posture. He can't eat solid food because of his cancer.  He's gone as many as 8 or 9 days at a time without eating because he just isn't hungry sometimes.  He used to weigh around 250 pounds, but now weighs about 140.  A year and a half ago he had a stroke which has left him with a stutter.  About six months ago he actually died from a heart attack in his grand-daughter's living room, but her husband gave him CPR and brought him back.  Let all of that sink in for a minute.  


He came in today and he just looked terrible.  I talked with him for about twenty minutes and said a number of times, "I just feel like giving up.  I feel so terrible, I just want it to be over."  After he left today, I just felt sad.  I was literally on the verge of tears.  I wanted to pray for God take him peacefully to end his pain, but I wasn't sure how I felt about doing that.  

Here's the thing, I feel like God has placed him in my life for some reason.  I almost feel like he's been put into my life so that I can help him die with grace.  That isn't a prideful thing.  In fact, I'm not sure how to handle it.  I feel like all I can do is treat him with respect and treat him like a human being; show him compassion and make his remaining time on earth (however long that might be) be as comfortable as possible.  I'm not sure if I'm up to this, but the reality is that I don't think God cares if I feel up to it.  He's here, he needs comfort in the form of gas money and food, and that's the deal.  

So what's his name?  It would appear to be Jesus.      

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11:00 AM

Discontent

Posted by Brad Polley |

Ok, this has nothing to do with my post, but what happened to fall?  I don't know about where you live, but in Indiana, we didn't have one.  It seemingly went from being 80 to being 30 (like it is today), with no in-between.  It is colder than a well-digger's anus here.  At least climate change is just a liberal myth right?  Right?  Who's with me?  No?  Ok, moving on.  


I'm extremely discontent with my life right now.  The weird thing is, I'm not alone.  I meet with a house church and we were all talking a couple of weeks ago.  As we were talking about things we're struggling with, it became evident that no one in the room was content with their life. Everyone seemed to be echoing the same sentiment.  

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying my life sucks or anything, I've got plenty to be thankful for. I have a great wife and two amazing boys.  I have a church family that seems to think I'm alright (a lot of pastors can't claim that).  I have a family that loves me who I love back.  So I guess the question is: what is the freak is wrong with me?  If I have all of that going for me, what is my deal?  My parents would be quick to state that it's probably because I'm an overly pessimistic person.  They would be right, but not in this account.  I am a pessimistic person; something that I have tried to correct over the years to little avail.  But this isn't a pessimistic discontent. The only way I can describe it is that it's a state of being where you feel like what you're doing and how you're living isn't it.  You feel like you're treading water, but you've been treading for so long that you're starting to sink.  I'm not discontent with my circumstances in life, I'm discontent with me.  I'm not even sure I can fully articulate exactly what I'm feeling, but I just have a feeling that the life I'm living isn't the life I'm supposed to be living.  The frustrating part of this is that I don't know how I'm supposed to be living.  Every time I think I know, I start formulating all the reasons why that can't be it.

For instance, I have felt for some time that my family is supposed to be living communally with other people.  What I mean is that a bunch of people all live in the same big house or in the same near vicinity.  Every time I think, "That's it" I start to think about all of the ways that it just won't work.  So-and-so would be hard to live with (like I wouldn't be), who owns the house, what happens when...etc.  

I'm tired of youth ministry.  Let me clarify.  Youth ministry doesn't work (maybe some do, but mine doesn't).  There's nothing particularly Christian about most youth ministry.  Most of it is based on getting kids to show up by playing games and entertaining them.  I've always shied away from that, but my way isn't working either.  There has to be a third option, but what is it? I have no clue. 

I'm so tired of being discontent.  I have zero faith that God will give me the answers, because I'm pretty sure he wants me to be this way right now, not to mention I'm having trouble finding the desire to even talk with him right now.  He's probably just waiting for me to move, which is the most frustrating part of all.  He's waiting for me to take a step off the cliff, all the while having the trust that I'm going to walk on the air.  Have I mentioned that I'm afraid of heights? 

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10:06 AM

Perspective

Posted by Brad Polley |

I found out today that I'm not getting a raise next year.  Does it bother me?  A little.  Do I think I deserve one?  Yeah, and the elders of the church told me as much.  Our church's financial picture isn't all that grand right now, thus no raise.  


Here's why I'm not going to lose sleep over it.  Today, 75,000 Citigroup employees are finding out that they don't have a job anymore.  Given the snail-paced economy, their chances of finding a new job aren't good.  Today, 16,000 kids in the world will die because they had nothing to eat.  Today, my brothers and sisters in Haiti are waking up and wondering where their next meal is going to come from.  

It could be worse.

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2:12 PM

Starbucks and church

Posted by Brad Polley |

This is an interesting video that shows what Starbucks would be like if it acted like a normal church.  





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4:57 PM

The lottery sham

Posted by Brad Polley |

I've known for a long time that the lottery is a total joke, but standing in line at the gas station today just reaffirmed my thoughts.  A lady in front of me presented a "winning" scratch-off ticket to the cashier.  "What did she win?" you may ask.  Five dollars.  Keep in mind that all of these tickets are at least $3 to buy.  So how did this woman spend her winnings (I think you know where this is going)?  She bought $8 worth of scratch off tickets.  I wanted to shake her and ask her if she knew what she just did.    


I don't understand this addiction, I really don't.  The only time in my life that I gambled was on my honeymoon when my new bride and I went to a casino.  We took in a grand total of $50, played the slots, and walked out with $42.  I felt euphoric that we only lost eight dollars.  That's when I realized how much of a sham the lottery/gambling really is.  

The whole incident with this lady today just made me sad.  All I could think of was her getting home, sitting down with a coin to scratch with, her heart racing as she starts to scratch.  "Is this the big one?" she might ask herself.  I can also imagine her disappointment with the results.  I want to tell her that her life doesn't have to be that desperate.  It doesn't have to be the endless cycle of spending money to make money to spend more money.  There's more to this life.  

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1:17 PM

Autistic Artist

Posted by Brad Polley |

This is the craziest thing I have ever seen in my life.  Absolutely incredible.  




(ht to Marko)

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10:19 AM

My final thoughts on the election

Posted by Brad Polley |

Yesterday was just an interesting day.  I don't care who you voted for, yesterday's election was historically significant.  To watch a black man become our president-elect was something that actually gave me chills, and I'm the whitest dude around.  I can only imagine what it means to someone who lived through the civil rights conflict in the 60s to see this happen.  It's significant and it shows that maybe, just maybe, this country isn't full of ignorant, racist hill-jacks.  


I voted for Obama, and here's the biggest reason why: thanks to President Bush, our reputation around the world is shot.  Obama has the ability to restore our reputation around the world.  If you don't believe me, go around the Web and peruse some international newspapers.  One international newspaper read, "Welcome back friends."  America's reputation may seem like a stupid reason to vote for someone, but I think it's significant.  If no one is willing to work with us (which they aren't now), then we will never be able to truly solve some of the global problems that face us today.  If we're going to be a world leader again, we need a President that can work well with other leaders, not in a position of pride, but one of service.  When I hear Obama speak, I don't hear the same prideful "we're right and you're wrong" cowboy crap that I've had to listen to for the last eight years.  I'm tired of American arrogance.  It is contributing to our downfall as a nation and I feel like Obama can remedy that problem.  He'll never deliver on all of his promises, because no politician ever does, however, I don't see him making things worse.  

I watched McCain's concession speech last night.  It was extremely classy (minus his hateful audience who repeatedly "boo'd" every time Obama's name was mentioned) and I couldn't help but wonder how the outcome would be different had he taken the approach he took last night instead of eviscerating Obama for the last four months.  All of the hate-speech from his campaign in the last few months seemed insincere to me (at least coming out of him).  Last night's speech seemed sincere to me.  It made me see that McCain is a good and honorable man who was given some really, really bad campaign advice by whoever was pulling the strings.  It was good to hear his words and I gained a great deal of respect for him.

Finally, we all need to keep in mind that it isn't up to the government to fix everyone's problems.  In fact, Obama said as much last night in his speech.  The government can't totally eradicate poverty, but individuals can.  We all need to get off our butts and make a difference. As Obama mentioned last night, change doesn't happen because one person gets elected; change only happens when people get out do something about the problems we face as a nation.  It's time for Christians especially to step up and show the world what love and compassion looks like. 

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11:27 AM

My favorite Kentuckian monk

Posted by Brad Polley |

I'm currently reading a book titled "The Nonviolent Alternative."  It's a collection of essays from Thomas Merton, written mostly in the 1960s, as a response to the Cold War and generally violent attitudes in the world at the time.  Given the current political climate of our world, these essays speak today in the same way they did then.  Here are a couple of great nuggets.


"Christ our Lord did not come to bring peace to the world as a kind of spiritual tranquilizer.  he brought to his disciples a vocation and a task, to struggle in the world of violence to establish his peace not only in their own hearts but in society itself."

"The Christian is and must be by his very adoption as a son of God, in Christ, a peacemaker (Matthew 5:9).  He is bound to imitate the Savior who, instead of defending himself with twelve legions of angels (Matthew 26:53) allowed himself to be nailed to the cross and died praying for his executioners.  The Christian is one whose life has sprung from a particular spiritual seed: the blood of the martyrs who, without offering forcible resistance, laid down their lives rather than submit to the unjust laws that demanded an official religious cult of the Emperor as God.  That is to say, the Christian is bound, like the martyrs, to obey God rather than the state whenever the state tries to usurp powers that do not and cannot belong to it. We have repeatedly seen Christians in our time fulfilling this obligation in a heroic manner by their resistance to dictatorships that strove to interfere with the rights of their conscience and of their religion." 

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11:37 AM

Why it doesn't ultimately matter who wins this election - part 3

Posted by Brad Polley |

Jesus enters the scene shortly before the greatest King (Augustus) kicks the bucket.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, by the time Jesus begins his ministry, all of the progress of peace that Augustus achieved was ruined and proved to the world, once again, that the "imperial man" philosophy failed.  No human could ever bring about lasting peace and joy.  If any King proved this, it was Augustus.  


This is why it doesn't ultimately matter who wins the election.  No President can bring about an existence where there is no war, everyone is well-fed, people cease to die from curable diseases, etc.  If you listen to a political stump speech, you get the idea that whenever Candidate _______ gets elected, all will be well, the world will be nothing but sunshine and farts, and the government will just throw money at everyone until they are happy.  Even if a President creates any sort of progress, the chances are great that the next guy (in four or eight years) will screw it all up and the whole thing is for naught anyway.

Christ came so that the world may live in harmony with God.  This harmony is available to all, is free from government meddling, and isn't dependent on outside circumstances.  This life leads to peace, it leads to joy, it leads an existence where love abounds...ideally.  If the Church will get off its collective duff and stop waiting for politicians to fix all of the world's problems, then the world would be a better place.  It would be a place where the lion lays down with the lamb, a place where swords are beaten into plows, and where 16,000 kids a day don't die from starvation.  McCain and Obama can't make any of this happen, but the Church, as the body of Christ, can and should.  

Whatever happens on November 4th, keep in mind that world leaders have promised everlasting peace and prosperity for thousands of years, and none of them have achieved it. 

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