Daily Devotion

Rather than our regular Daily Devotion today, Fourth Church sent out a special devotion reflecting on the events at Virginia Tech. It was written by Hardy Kim, one of our Pastoral Residents. I want to post it here for you to read. Thanks, Hardy!

Scripture Reading: Luke 19:37–44

Reflection
Only ten days ago we joyfully celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Only ten days ago we proclaimed the victory of life over death, of good over evil. Yesterday, it seems, we still glowed from the warmth, the day, family and friends; we had new life.

And so the tragic events at Virginia Tech are even more shocking and hard to accept. From where in this resurrection world does something like this spring?

Joseph Conrad once wrote, “The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness.” The tragic events in Blacksburg, Virginia, certainly seem to confirm Conrad’s view.

However, I do not seek a source for the evil in times like these. Rather, I sorely feel the need for a supernatural source of healing and goodness. Faced with the senseless loss of thirty-three lives, I search for a miraculous spiritual cure-all to provide comfort for my grieving heart, wisdom for appropriate words, and strength to sustain a weary mind.

Still, today’s text reminds us that the surprising strength of our faith is not to be found in these kinds of answers. The power and love of God was revealed in a human being, Jesus Christ, much like us; a human being who, even as he was being welcomed as a king and savior, took notice of the suffering and pain in the world and wept over the brokenness of Jerusalem. This same God is with us now. Though resurrected and victorious in Christ, God is still with us in our brokenness and suffering, and God still weeps for all of those who are suffering from the events of April 16 in Virginia and all tragic happenings around the world.

Prayer
God of the resurrection, remind me that even though you have defeated death and have overcome this world, you do not abandon us, who have yet to do so. Be with us in our time of grief, and comfort us even if we are not wise enough to have all the answers to life’s awful mysteries. Let us know the love of a God who weeps for us, even now. Amen.

A Service of Remembrance
All are invited to participate in a service of remembrance for those affected by the tragic events at Virginia Tech. Fourth Presbyterian Church will be holding two such services this Thursday:
Service of Remembrance
Thursday, April 19, 2007
12:10 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
in the Fourth Church sanctuary

In the Wake of Tragedy

Dear Fourth Church Youth and Parents:

With so many people across our country, our hearts broke yesterday with the news of the shooting deaths at Virginia Tech. As the tragedy continues to unfold before our eyes, our grief only grows.

These horrific events are especially difficult for us to process. So many of us are either heading to college next year or have siblings or children in college now. As numerous people have mentioned, schools should be sanctuaries and safe places for learning and growing. When that safety is violated, we are all unsettled.

As we grieve as a nation and as a community, I want you to be aware of two things. First, if any of you—youth and parents alike—need to talk with a pastor, I am always available for you.

Second, the community of faith at Fourth Church will be gathering at two different times on Thursday for a prayer service of remembrance. For those that work downtown or are available during the day, there will be a service at noontime. For students, families, and others for whom noon doesn't fit, there will be a service at 7:30 Thursday evening. I encourage you to come join us as we turn to God in this time of tragedy.

If you need anything at all, please be in touch.

May God be with us all in these difficult times.

peace,

John

If you burn it, he will come...

Wouldn't it be awesome if Jesus showed up on a pancake at Fourth Church?

There's only one way to find out...come to the first ever Senior High Pancake Breakfast on April 15 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. The money we raise from this event will help support our summer WorkCamp to Hazard, Kentucky.

If you are in Senior Highs or Fourth Church Rising, we need your help to cook and serve pancakes from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. If you are "the man" or "the woman", like Jeff McGuire (I'm not sure which), you'll be there for the whole thing. If you absolutely can't make all of it, come for what you can...we'll need your help and it will be a lot of fun too.

If we're lucky, Jesus will show up on a pancake.

Lenten Devotions 8

Now that Lent has come and gone and we are now officially into the season of Easter, I want to do something I meant to do throughout Lent. As you may know, Fourth Church puts out daily devotions that are available via email, on the website, or in print each week. Most of the time, these are written by members of the Fourth Church staff. During special seasons of the church year, like Lent, we also invite members of the congregation to contribute to these. This year's Lent devotions were excellent, and several of them were written by Fourth Church youth or adults associated with the youth program. As something of a Lenten retrospective, I want to post these Fourth Church Youth devotions on this blog, in case you missed them before. Thanks to all who worked hard on writing these!

Scripture Reading: Matthew 24:3–14

Reflection
Apocalyptic views of the world aren’t images that get a lot of attention in mainline Christian denominations. Yet today’s passage uses such language, which we also find in Revelation, and references apocalyptic verses from the Old Testament. So what is its relevance to us?

Jesus is trying to prepare the disciples for the struggles they will face in the days and years ahead as they spread his story. In fact, there is some indication that the writer of Matthew may have been speaking to the then-current-day realities of early Christians. Buried in Jesus’ answer to the disciples’ question is a promise: “The one who endures to the end will be saved.”

This prediction of hardship echoes Jesus’ own persecution and passion. But Jesus’ struggle is ultimately our struggle. He endured the cross and grave so that we wouldn’t have to.

As we experience the Passion story this week, think of the struggles in your own life. Perhaps it is unemployment, a bout with cancer or other illness, a difficult time at work, grief over the loss of loved one, or a failed relationship. Whatever the struggle, remember his promise.

Our challenge is to look beyond the doomsday scenarios and see the new beginning. Indeed, the story of Easter is ultimately one of hope—hope that after a long ordeal there are better days to come. That’s often a difficult thing to remember in the midst of an ordeal. Yet it is the foundation of our faith, and for me, it has been the basis for comfort, strength, and confidence in good times and bad.

Prayer
Jesus, as I journey through this Holy Week, remind me that your struggle is my struggle. Strengthen my faith through the story of your passion and resurrection, and remind me of your promise that there will be better days. Amen.

Written by Mark Nelson, Senior High Leader

Lenten Devotions 7

Now that Lent has come and gone and we are now officially into the season of Easter, I want to do something I meant to do throughout Lent. As you may know, Fourth Church puts out daily devotions that are available via email, on the website, or in print each week. Most of the time, these are written by members of the Fourth Church staff. During special seasons of the church year, like Lent, we also invite members of the congregation to contribute to these. This year's Lent devotions were excellent, and several of them were written by Fourth Church youth or adults associated with the youth program. As something of a Lenten retrospective, I want to post these Fourth Church Youth devotions on this blog, in case you missed them before. Thanks to all who worked hard on writing these!

Scripture Reading: Mark 10:46–52

Reflection
Our culture relishes distraction more than any other before us. From our iPods to our cell phones, it is hard to find even a brief respite from our technological immersion. In a sign of this growing problem, last month a New York state senator attempted to ban “iPod oblivion,” an aptly named phenomenon that describes people who withdraw from the world into their iPods even when crossing streets, a phenomenon which has already killed three people. Now more than ever it is a struggle to escape the draw of these distractions and find our true calling. We must strain even harder to hear the voice of the needy, the impoverished, and the sick. Amid the chime of our cell phones and Blackberries, it is hard to discern their cries, “Have mercy on me, help me.” In a world where a phone call is all too accessible, we ask in the words of our savior for our true calling: What do you want me to do for you, God?

Prayer
Lord, help me to see through the distractions, to place others needs before my own, to hear the voices—which are all too often obscured by our own interests—calling, “Have mercy on me.” You have fulfilled so many of my own needs, now help me to fulfill those of others, and help me, in my own way, to heal the blind man calling my name. Amen.

Written by Jeremy Lewis, Fourth Church Youth sophomore in high school

Lenten Devotions 6

Now that Lent has come and gone and we are now officially into the season of Easter, I want to do something I meant to do throughout Lent. As you may know, Fourth Church puts out daily devotions that are available via email, on the website, or in print each week. Most of the time, these are written by members of the Fourth Church staff. During special seasons of the church year, like Lent, we also invite members of the congregation to contribute to these. This year's Lent devotions were excellent, and several of them were written by Fourth Church youth or adults associated with the youth program. As something of a Lenten retrospective, I want to post these Fourth Church Youth devotions on this blog, in case you missed them before. Thanks to all who worked hard on writing these!

Scripture Reading: Mark 2:1–12

Reflection
No doubt, Jesus himself must have looked up too. And what did he see? No, Jesus was not struck by the demolition of the ceiling, but he saw their faith—not their faces, but their faith!

What have you never seen before?

Jesus is liberating the one who is paralyzed, and in the process a new kind of community is being created. Because when God is set loose in the world, then God sets about creating a community of compassion, grace, liberation, and hope. God’s mission is “to empower all people to experience the presence of God, to grow toward wholeness, and to act in love.” When Jesus performs these signs and wonders, the people are astonished because they’ve never seen anything like this. But in these moments their eyes are opened, and they can see who Jesus is. May we too have our eyes open to see God’s new work in the world and at our church. May our prejudices be revealed, our barriers broken down, so that God’s inclusive community might be created in our midst. And that will be the greatest wonder of them all. Bear in faith, there are still miracles to be made and people to be saved. Trust in the Lord whom we cannot see, because he can see you; he sees us, and he sees me.

Prayer
Lord Father God, help me to remember that on this day I am too blessed to be stressed and too anointed to be disappointed! Your love and mercy overflows more and more with knowledge and full insight to help me determine what is best. With assurance and faith in your words, never will you leave me, never will you forsake me. In Jesus Christ, Amen.

Written by Florence Adibu, Fourth Church Youth senior in high school

Lenten Devotions 5

Now that Lent has come and gone and we are now officially into the season of Easter, I want to do something I meant to do throughout Lent. As you may know, Fourth Church puts out daily devotions that are available via email, on the website, or in print each week. Most of the time, these are written by members of the Fourth Church staff. During special seasons of the church year, like Lent, we also invite members of the congregation to contribute to these. This year's Lent devotions were excellent, and several of them were written by Fourth Church youth or adults associated with the youth program. As something of a Lenten retrospective, I want to post these Fourth Church Youth devotions on this blog, in case you missed them before. Thanks to all who worked hard on writing these!

Scripture Reading: Zephaniah 2:4–7

Reflection
My initial response to the text for today was, “Who did I make mad to get assigned this one?” As I continued to think, read, and talk to my wife, I began to consider the two major thoughts of the text—one of forsakenness and desolation and one of promise. I sometimes feel forsaken as I busy myself with my career and the “important” things in life. But these are the things of the world—things unimportant to God. God doesn’t focus on destruction and devastation. Ours is a God of renewal and regeneration.

Zephaniah reminds me that God himself is preparing a place for me. A place where I will return, not when I get around to it but when God calls for me. As the world calls me to its agenda, I will be reminded that there is a place of quiet rest that God is preparing. I don’t think our world is a quiet place. It is a place where the people of God must remember that God is in charge, God intervenes for us, and God calls us to return from those things that hold us captive.

Prayer
God of returning captives: Help me remember during the strife that I create that you have already prepared a place for me. Not because I deserve it but because you wanted to. Let me live in this knowledge and understanding throughout this Lenten season and beyond. Through Christ Jesus, my Savior. Amen.

Written by Rob Sinclair, Elevation Sunday School Teacher

Lenten Devotions 5

Now that Lent has come and gone and we are now officially into the season of Easter, I want to do something I meant to do throughout Lent. As you may know, Fourth Church puts out daily devotions that are available via email, on the website, or in print each week. Most of the time, these are written by members of the Fourth Church staff. During special seasons of the church year, like Lent, we also invite members of the congregation to contribute to these. This year's Lent devotions were excellent, and several of them were written by Fourth Church youth or adults associated with the youth program. As something of a Lenten retrospective, I want to post these Fourth Church Youth devotions on this blog, in case you missed them before. Thanks to all who worked hard on writing these!

Scripture Reading: Zephaniah 2:4–7

Reflection
My initial response to the text for today was, “Who did I make mad to get assigned this one?” As I continued to think, read, and talk to my wife, I began to consider the two major thoughts of the text—one of forsakenness and desolation and one of promise. I sometimes feel forsaken as I busy myself with my career and the “important” things in life. But these are the things of the world—things unimportant to God. God doesn’t focus on destruction and devastation. Ours is a God of renewal and regeneration.

Zephaniah reminds me that God himself is preparing a place for me. A place where I will return, not when I get around to it but when God calls for me. As the world calls me to its agenda, I will be reminded that there is a place of quiet rest that God is preparing. I don’t think our world is a quiet place. It is a place where the people of God must remember that God is in charge, God intervenes for us, and God calls us to return from those things that hold us captive.

Prayer
God of returning captives: Help me remember during the strife that I create that you have already prepared a place for me. Not because I deserve it but because you wanted to. Let me live in this knowledge and understanding throughout this Lenten season and beyond. Through Christ Jesus, my Savior. Amen.

Written by Rob Sinclair, Elevation Sunday School Teacher

Lenten Devotions 4

Now that Lent has come and gone and we are now officially into the season of Easter, I want to do something I meant to do throughout Lent. As you may know, Fourth Church puts out daily devotions that are available via email, on the website, or in print each week. Most of the time, these are written by members of the Fourth Church staff. During special seasons of the church year, like Lent, we also invite members of the congregation to contribute to these. This year's Lent devotions were excellent, and several of them were written by Fourth Church youth or adults associated with the youth program. As something of a Lenten retrospective, I want to post these Fourth Church Youth devotions on this blog, in case you missed them before. Thanks to all who worked hard on writing these!

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 29:1–14

Reflection
The Bible often tells of those who leave their homes to follow God’s call. Abraham and Sarah, Moses, Hagar, Jacob—people who wandered in the wilderness, the desert, or in foreign lands, eager for guidance from the Lord. In Jeremiah, when the prophet is sharing God’s word, the people are exiled. God tells them to stay put—to marry, spend time with family, plant gardens, care for their new neighbors—and to enjoy a rather pleasant domestic life.

This reminds me of a time when I was stuck in an unsatisfying job. I prayed that God would tell me what to do, because surely God must want me to do something bigger and better! Finally I realized I could either check out or commit to do God’s work right where I was.

I chose to pray for the boss who made my life difficult and to look out for teammates who couldn’t speak up for themselves. I suddenly felt more satisfied—and more aware of the Spirit at work in this big corporation. Even my disagreeable boss somehow seemed more likeable! God doesn’t always call us to faraway places, but God does call each and every one of us to seek the welfare of our own city and to pray for those around us.

Prayer
Good and gracious God, help me to seek your will and to do your work wherever I may be. Amen.

Written by Amy Pagliarella, Fourth Church Rising Leader

Lenten Devotions 3

Now that Lent has come and gone and we are now officially into the season of Easter, I want to do something I meant to do throughout Lent. As you may know, Fourth Church puts out daily devotions that are available via email, on the website, or in print each week. Most of the time, these are written by members of the Fourth Church staff. During special seasons of the church year, like Lent, we also invite members of the congregation to contribute to these. This year's Lent devotions were excellent, and several of them were written by Fourth Church youth or adults associated with the youth program. As something of a Lenten retrospective, I want to post these Fourth Church Youth devotions on this blog, in case you missed them before. Thanks to all who worked hard on writing these!

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 44:24–45:7

Reflection
The beautiful words of this ancient oracle are remarkable because this is the only place in the Bible that a non-Israelite is called God’s messiah (“anointed”)—a title normally reserved for Israel’s kings and priests and later applied to Jesus. Anticipating objections to this shocking claim, the prophet reminds his audience that God can act however God pleases, even if it means using the Persian king Cyrus to accomplish the salvation of Israel.

But this passage is even more remarkable for being one of the few places in the Bible that clearly articulates a fascinating, though extremely challenging theology: if God is truly in control of history (and our individual lives), then God is responsible for both the good parts and the bad parts. Our euphemistic English translations of this passage obscure the force of this theology. Let those with ears to hear listen to a more accurate rendering: “I form light and create darkness, I make good and create evil; I the Lord do all these things.”

As we prepare our hearts and minds for Holy Week during the season of Lent, we are confronted with one of the most mystifying paradoxes of the Christian faith: an unquestionably evil act of horrific violence and gross injustice is at the heart God’s work of redemption and salvation.

Sometimes I find myself objecting to the cross as defiantly as those Jews who would have resisted calling Cyrus their messiah. To this objection Isaiah offers a challenging possibility: perhaps God is in fact behind both the good and the bad. What this might mean for the mystery of the cross and the mystery of our own lives is worth exploring.

Prayer
Dear God, open my heart and mind to the mysteries of your ways as I face the difficulties of life and the realities of the cross. Amen.

Written by John Vest, Associate Pastor for Youth Ministry

Lenten Devotions 2

Now that Lent has come and gone and we are now officially into the season of Easter, I want to do something I meant to do throughout Lent. As you may know, Fourth Church puts out daily devotions that are available via email, on the website, or in print each week. Most of the time, these are written by members of the Fourth Church staff. During special seasons of the church year, like Lent, we also invite members of the congregation to contribute to these. This year's Lent devotions were excellent, and several of them were written by Fourth Church youth or adults associated with the youth program. As something of a Lenten retrospective, I want to post these Fourth Church Youth devotions on this blog, in case you missed them before. Thanks to all who worked hard on writing these!

Scripture Reading: Genesis 46:28–47:6

Reflection
This passage is essentially the happy ending to Jacob’s story. After long years of believing his beloved son Joseph dead, Jacob is not only reunited with Joseph, but finds Joseph to be a wealthy, powerful man. All the bitterness Joseph may have felt at being sold into slavery by his brothers leaves him when he sees Benjamin and his brothers’ protection of Benjamin, so Joseph welcomes the whole family into Egypt, using his influence to give them good land for raising their livestock so that they will not starve, despite the continuing drought.

Such a happy ending is satisfying to read because in our busy lives it is often hard to see God’s plan for us. We all have uncertainty about what the future may hold; we wait to hear back from colleges, doctors, faraway significant others, and what have you. There are times when it is hard to trust that God holds us all in the palm of his hand, when life seems senseless and we are overwhelmed by the fear that there will be no comfortable retirement, no grandchildren, no happy ending. It is good then to read about Jacob who, after all the troubles in his long life, is reunited with his son and lives out his last days content, his sons cared for and his legacy through them assured.

Prayer
God, make me strong to always trust in the future provided by you and to trust that, like Jacob, I have a happy ending awaiting me. Amen.

Written by Cassandra Kildow, Fourth Church Youth senior in high school

Lenten Devotions 1

Now that Lent has come and gone and we are now officially into the season of Easter, I want to do something I meant to do throughout Lent. As you may know, Fourth Church puts out daily devotions that are available via email, on the website, or in print each week. Most of the time, these are written by members of the Fourth Church staff. During special seasons of the church year, like Lent, we also invite members of the congregation to contribute to these. This year's Lent devotions were excellent, and several of them were written by Fourth Church youth or adults associated with the youth program. As something of a Lenten retrospective, I want to post these Fourth Church Youth devotions on this blog, in case you missed them before. Thanks to all who worked hard on writing these!

Scripture Reading: Genesis 1:1–5

Reflection
Yesterday we stood, once again, at the beginning of our journey to the foot of the cross. We quietly received our ashes and heard the words, “Remember you are dust and unto dust you shall return.” Ashes too remind us of our deep need for God and how we have strayed from the source of our life, from the source of our very being. Today we read the words “the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters . . . and there was light . . . and God separated the light from the darkness.” In this time of preparation, to absorb once again the lengths to which God is willing to go—even to a cross—to bring us home from wherever we have strayed, I was struck by the image of the breath of God sweeping over the face of the deep. I could not help but think of the moments in our lives where we feel the breath of God sweeping across our faces and we feel the light of God illuminating our deepest darkness as if it were the first day. And I was reminded once again that even in the preceding darkness, God is there. As we remember how far we have strayed from our God, let us too remember that, be it day or night, there is nowhere we can go where our loving God cannot, and will not, seek us out.

Prayer
May I never forget the great expanse of your love, O God. Let me live fully, all to your glory, in the knowledge that even should I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand will lead me and your right hand shall always hold me fast. Amen.

Written by Linda McCarty, Fourth Church Rising Leader

Community Book Group

Later this month, I will be leading Fourth Church's Community Book Group. The book for this month is Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried. This is an incredible book, so I wanted to invite you to come and participate in the discussion. You may have read this book already...it was recommended to me last year by some students at Hinsdale Central High School who had read it for class. If you haven't read it, it's definitely worth it.

The book group will meet on Tuesday, April 24 at Fourth Church from 7:00 to 8:30 pm.

I hope to see you there!

Preach It!

This commentary by Roland Martin, a talk show host from here in Chicago, is featured on CNN.com today. I thought it was worth sharing, not just because I agree with his perspective, but because it is getting wide exposure through a media giant like CNN. We need to get more Christian voices like this one out there.

Here are some highlights from Martin's commentary:

"When did it come to the point that being a Christian meant caring about only two issues,­ abortion and homosexuality?"

"Many people believe we are engaged in a holy war. And we are. But it's not with Muslims. The real war -- ­ the silent war ­-- is being engaged among Christians, and that's what we must set our sights on."

"I've grown tired of people who pimp God."

"If abortion and gay marriage are part of the Christian agenda, I have no issue with that. Those are moral issues that should be of importance to people of the faith, but the agenda should be much, much broader."

Were You There?

Just moments ago, I returned to my office after our Maundy Thursday Tenebrae Service at Fourth Church. It was a powerful service of communion, scripture reading, singing, and the extinguishing of candles as the sanctuary grew progressively darker.

I've been to many tenebrae services before, but this was my first at Fourth. Sitting on the chancel, looking back on this magnificent building created for the purpose of worshiping a God of awe and wonder, I was moved by the presence of the Spirit.

I'm often humbled when I lead worship at Fourth. It's such an amazing worship space with such an incredible history.

But tonight I felt something a little different. As the sanctuary grew dark, with every light extinguished, I realized that the darkness that we experienced tonight is the same darkness that envelops every place of worship during this Holy Week. Darkness doesn't discriminate. From the smallest chapel to the largest cathedral, we find ourselves in utter darkness. The passion of Christ reminds us with startling immediacy of the darkness in our world, a darkness that the love of God in Christ comes to vanquish. But we must all live in the darkness, at least for a little while.

In the darkness tonight, as the city moved with life outside the walls of our sanctuary, everyone inside was perfectly still and quiet, except for a single voice singing the powerful words of the old spiritual, "Were You There?"

Were you there? I wonder if the African American slaves that first sang this song knew the profundity of this theology? Whether they could have put into words or not, I suspect that they did. They felt it in there deepest beings.

Were you there? Throughout the evening we heard the story of Christ's passion read. The voices were those of my colleagues, my friends.

Were you there? When our pastor, John Buchanan, introduced the Lord's Supper, he retold the story of Jesus' final meal with his friends with an intensity and gravitas that I have rarely felt before.

I was there.

This story is my story. It's our story. And we relive it every year at this time.

Truth be told, we relive it every day of our lives.

I am a student of the Bible. I spend my life dissecting and interpreting this story. I read it over and over. I teach it. I explain it. I preach it. I believe it. I doubt it.

Tonight I lived it.

Were you there?

I was, and I'll never be the same.

She Ate a Rat!

My friend Kimberlee Frost is currently a PC(USA) Young Adult Volunteer in Ghana. You can read about her adventures at my life in ghana... . Her most recent post, i heart eating meat... is both hilarious and moving. It's moving because it demonstrates the kinds of incredible experiences she is having. It's hilarious because for years Kimberlee was a vegetarian...well, mostly at least. I would have never imagined her eating a rat. Mission work is great...

Catching Up

I've been way behind on blogging the past several weeks. I'll try to do some catching up this weekend...

Water Polo Rocks!

Okay, so this weekend turned out to not be so hot for a Senior High retreat. I was pretty bummed earlier this week when it looked like we would have to cancel it. But then I got the idea that if people can't go because of other events, I would do everything I could to make it to those events.

So, Jeff and I began our weekend of event jumping by catching the end of Stu and Jacob's water polo game. This was the first water polo match either one of us had been to. We both agreed that this is an awesome sport. There are more games tomorrow, which I'm pretty pumped for.

Tomorrow we'll also see Elsa play lacrosse and Sierra and Allison perform in a play. On Sunday we'll see Ben and Jacob play soccer.

I hope to have pictures of all this tomorrow.

Feel free to join us. This is a great weekend to see everyone in their element!

Fast Food Justice

This Sunday at Senior Highs (12:30 to 2:00 in the Crow's Nest), we will welcome two great speakers who will share with us their work with farm workers seeking justice from fast food companies.

Don't Let McDonald's Profit From Farm worker Exploitation!

Join the Rev. Noelle Damico, coordinator of the PC(USA)'s Campaign for Fair Food and a farm worker from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to learn more about how the church is working with tomato pickers to demand McDonald's ensure human rights and fair wages, and why youth are essential in this movement.

April 13 and 14 will be major days of action with the farm workers here in Chicagoland. There are lots of ways you can participate. Come to the presentation and visit www.pcusa.org/fairfood and www.ciw-online.org for more information.

The Theology of "24"

I must admit that I'm not a follower of the hit TV show 24. I vaguely remember watching it for a few episodes when it first began and noting how bold a show it was coming so soon after 9/11. But I guess I lost interest and never got back on the bandwagon.

Yesterday's Sightings had a really interesting piece on the theological aspects of the show. You should check it our here.

I suppose I ought to rent the DVDs, catch up, and join the masses.

Faith-based Parks?

A brief note in the January 23 issue of The Christian Century alerted me to a new arena in the debate between creationists and those who follow the mainstream theories of geology and evolution.

It turns out that officials in the National Park Service, appointed by President Bush, are stirring up controversy by introducing a variety of religious elements into our national parks. According to a group called Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), the NPS "has approved the display of religious symbols and Bible verses, as well as the sale of creationist books giving a biblical explanation for the Grand Canyon and other natural wonders." You can read about this controversy on PEER's website here, here, and here.

Reading about this reminded me of a trip Anna and I took to Arches National Park in Utah this past fall. On a ranger led hike through one of the most geologically interesting areas of the park, the ranger explained to us the geological theories about the creation of the park but had to preface it with a caveat that this was only one explanation, in order to not offend anyone who might maintain a creationist or "young earth" understanding of geologic history. I thought the need for such a preface was interesting, but didn't think much more about it until I read about this more widespread issue.

As a Christian pastor, theologian, and lover of the outdoors and our national parks, I find these developments disturbing. It bothers me that conservative Christians are using positions of power to push their beliefs on others at these natural treasures. I'm especially bothered because I find visiting these places to be deeply spiritual, not because they are evidence of a world-wide flood caused by God several thousand years ago (which has no real evidence at all), but because these wonders point to the magnificence of God's creation and to a God that is revealed through that creation.

When I hiked through the Grand Canyon a few years ago, I was indeed struck by how that experience raised many theological and spiritual questions for me. And I agree that there is a place for debates about the conflicts between a literal reading of the Bible and the theories of modern science. But the way that this has taken place in our national parks is not the way to do it.

And though I have a habit of buying a bunch of books at park bookstores when I visit, if this is the best we can do, I'd rather see the bookstores removed and let the parks speak for themselves.

Jesus Loves Osama

Last week, Sightings ran an incredible column called "Shock and Agape" about several Australian churches that have been hanging banners up that proclaim "Jesus Loves Osama". Yes, you read that right: "Jesus Love Osama". The rest of the text says, "Jesus said: 'Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.'"

As you might imagine, these signs have been receiving a lot of criticism. Some see them as misleading, as if to suggest that Jesus supports terrorism--which is definitely not the intent of the message. Others find it offensive to the victims of terrorist attacks.

What do you think about this?

Personally, I think these signs are great. Just a few weeks ago at our Elevation Winter Retreat, we talked about Jesus' teaching to love our enemies. This is no doubt one of the most difficult teachings of our faith, but if we are to take Jesus seriously, it is one of the most important for Christians to follow.

It's not easy to love our enemies. We all know that. We've all had people in our lives that treat us poorly, pick on us, do things to us that are horrible. It's tough to love people like that.

But in a world where violence creates more violence, what would it look like if we returned hatred with love?

A month ago, I posted about two young people that lived out this message in their own lives. If you didn't read it before, read it now.

These are difficult and challenging times. I believe with all my heart that Jesus' message of love and non-violent resistance offers us a lot of hope. May God help us to live that message out in our own lives as well.

Waiting Is No Fun

I know that there are a lot of you out there waiting to find out about college or high school applications. I'm glad that part of my life is over, because I hated waiting for stuff like that.

In honor of you, I'm posting a devotion I wrote for Fourth Church's daily devotions a little while ago. Maybe it will lift you up a little.

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 40:25-31

Reflection
Though I’m usually very patient with many things, I sometimes have a low tolerance for waiting. I can sympathize with our high school seniors who are waiting to hear about their college applications—I couldn’t stand those weeks and months of uncertainty. My previous job involved long and boring commutes and it was all I could do to not go crazy as I waited in an endless and slow moving line of cars. And just ask my wife how I get when I wait for her—not my most shining moments as a husband.

But in this familiar passage from Isaiah 40, waiting is exactly what we’re counseled to do. In this chapter the prophet speaks words of hope and comfort to a people experiencing exile and doubt. In these concluding verses, the prophet’s audience is reminded that the God they serve is without equal and that their patience and trust will ultimately be rewarded because God is both powerful and faithful.

In our world of instant gratification, this message is difficult to hear. We are conditioned to want results and expect them quickly. The prophet’s advice to wait for the Lord feels impossible to bear when a loved one is ill, a marriage is falling apart, a job is lost, or we simply don’t know what the future will bring. But when we live by faith, the beautiful words of this poetic passage can become our own.

Prayer
Faithful God, when I am faint and weary, may I be renewed by the power of your love and have the patience to wait for your blessings. Amen.

Written by
John W. Vest, Associate Pastor for Youth Ministry
jvest@fourthchurch.org

Baby Got Book

While I was on YouTube admiring Jeff's mad skills, I thought I'd put a link to an oldie but goody...Baby Got Book! This is ridiculous...

YouTube Debut

Our very own Jeff stars in a trilogy of YouTube videos...

Once Again, Lost Boys and Child Soldiers

This issue of child soldiers keep popping up everywhere I look. This morning, while flipping through an old issue of Time Magazine, I ran across this article: "Pop Culture Finds Lost Boys".

In fact, the point of the article is that these child soldier and "lost boys" from Africa are showing up all over the place in pop culture. The article discusses Ishmael Bay's book that I mentioned yesterday and also points out that child soldiers are being featured in a whole host of recent movies.

One of the interesting questions raised by this article is whether or not this media saturation will really raise the profile of this problem or simply trivialize it as another plot element. The last paragraph sums it up well. You should read the rest of the article too.

Now that the celebrity-entertainment complex has its huge eyeball trained on the issue of child soldiers, the danger is that they will become trivialized--cheap, ubiquitous images, dropped in like clip art for a hit of emotion and danger. But with a memoir as vivid as Beah's, the clear-eyed tale of a child determinedly pursuing his own humanity against all odds, the spotlight may yet produce more than just titillation.

The Souper Bowl Challenge

The results are in for our Souper Bowl of Caring Challenge! There is good news and bad news.

First, if you don't know what this is all about, let me give you some background. The Souper Bowl of Caring is a national project that involves youth groups across the country raising money to fight hunger. We all like to eat big on Super Bowl Sunday, so the Souper Bowl of Caring encourages us to give big to help those who don't have food.

Things were especially exciting for us this year because the Bears were in the big game. To make things even more interesting, we were challenged by Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis to see who can raise the most money for the Souper Bowl.

Just like the underdog Bears, we had our work cut out for us. We orginally set our goal for this year at $4000, which I thought was pretty good. After learning that Second Pres typically raises about $10,000 a year for the Souper Bowl, we upped our goal to $10,000 as well.

The competition captured the imagination of the congregation and got everyone excited. The Lt. Governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn, was also excited and joined our cause. Lt. Governor Quinn is a big supporter of the Souper Bowl and invited me to speak at his press conference about our competition with Indianapolis.

On Super Bowl Sunday, we had dozens of Junior and Senior High youth all over the church raising money and collecting cans. It was an exciting morning...much more exciting, it turns out, than the game itself!

So, here's the good news: Both churches collected more for hunger than they ever have before. Here at Fourth Church, our total this year was over three times our best total from years past. I was truly amazed at how much we were able to raise this year.

When all was said and done, we collected $13,383 in cash and food donations. This is absolutely incredible!

Big thanks to all of you who helped collect and to all of you who made donations. The people who benefit from the food programs at the Elam Davies Social Service Center will truly be blessed by this work.

Now for the bad news. Unfortunately, we didn't fare much better in our competition than the Bears did. Second Presbyterian in Indianapolis raised $25,739 in cash and food donations. With the help of publicity from the fact that a certain Colts quarterback is a member of their congregation, they were able to be the #1 church in the nation. Congratulations to Second and all the hard work they did!

As payment for our wager, we'll be making a $500 donation in Second's name to Presbyterian Hunger Relief. And we're working on plans for John Buchanan to be dressed in Colts gear for some embarrassing situation. I'm glad he's been a good sport about all this...you should be too since you won't need to start looking for a new youth pastor!

Again, my deepest appreciation to all who helped in this incredible Souper Bowl Challenge. This was truly a competition in which everyone wins!

Lost is Back!

Last night was the second installment of a run of 16 uninterrupted episodes that will finish out the third season of my favorite TV show, Lost. If you're not up to speed on this incredible show, Wikipedia actually has some great entries about it. Of course, you'll never be completely up to speed. That's the point--this serial mystery always keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat.

So why am I so obsessed about this show? Why have I been known to spend entire Saturdays watching episodes on DVD or on ABC's website?

First of all, I think this show is just plain good drama. Yes, it has some elements of a soap opera, but what good show doesn't? The cliffhangers at the end of every single episode keep you coming back. The characters are all interesting and the show gives you just enough about their back stories, a little bit at a time, to make you long for more.

But I also think that this show is the most theologically and philosophically compelling television show on the air, perhaps the best in this respect that there has ever been. The basic story arch deals with the interlocking concepts of fate, coincidence, and providence. By focusing on the interconnectedness of the characters--both before and after the crash--the show flirts with notions of communal destiny and the webs of relationships that bind us all together in a complex web of humanity. Cause and effect, actions and consequences all collide in a mind boggling plot that suggests that none of us are alone. The mysteries of the island that the survivors find themselves on point to both human experimentation and supernatural forces beyond human control.

One of these days I want to do something big with this show. There is so much potential for fascinating conversation and reflection. Plus, it's a whole lot of fun.

If you haven't been hooked by Lost, get on board. You can watch the first two seasons on DVD and the current season on ABC's website. Once you get caught up, shoot me a line and we'll have lots to talk about.

More on Child Soldiers

Just last night on Comedy Central's Daily Show, Jon Stewart interviewed a former child soldier named Ishmael Beah from Sierra Leone. Beah has written a book about his experiences called A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. His interview was really great, opening eyes and breaking hearts. What a horrible tragedy this whole child soldier phenomenon is.

Fairness is Relative

This Family Circus cartoon is a couple of weeks old, but I've been waiting for it to come out online.

I laughed out loud when I read it because it is so true.

In my experience as a youth minister, kids are obsessed with fairness, especially Junior High kids. Almost every single time that we play a game or do an activity that involves rules, I hear at least one kid shout, "That's not fair!"

But I've also noticed that kids' definition of "fair" is quite relative. Mostly, it seems, "fair" means getting what you want, not what is truly fair to all that are involved.

That's why this cartoon is so dead on. How does Billy understand fairness here? Does this way of thinking sound familiar to you?

For kids of all ages, I think we need to think about what we consider fair and how we can live our lives in a way that truly is fair to everyone, including ourselves.

This is Scary

Two days ago, CNN posted a frightening story about child soldiers. According to this report, there are more than 250,000 kids fighting as soldiers around the world. Many of these children are kidnapped, brainwashed, and drugged before being forced to fight. There are several groups trying to put an end to this terrible practice, but there is still a long way to go.

What a horrific perversion of God's gift of children! I can think of few things worse than turning innocent and impressionable children into cold blooded killers.

I think this just goes to show how pervasive and corrupting humanity's preoccupation with violence is. We are so obsessed with war that we will use children to fight them.

The irony, of course, is that in the Bible children are symbols of peace not war. In ancient Israel, for example, the prophet Isaiah envisioned a time of peace for his embattled nation. One of the enduring images of this peaceful vision involves a child:

The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
(Isaiah 11:6)

Our world is a long way from this vision. May God help us act to save our children and work to bring about peace instead of war.

The Frozen Chosen

What do you get when you take 10 junior high youth, 4 adults, several inches of snow, and dump them all at Presbyterian Camps in Saugatuck, MI?

You get an amazing Elevation Winter Retreat!!!

We had an absolute blast at Saugatuck on January 26-28. The weather was perfect...not too cold and plenty of snow. The fellowship was great...lots of laughs, games, snowball fights, and sledding. The hot chocolate was in fact limitless. Our discussions were meaningful and deep and worship was inspiring. What more could we have asked for?

The theme for the weekend was Do Unto Others and dealt with how we treat other people in our lives. We had four incredible sessions on The Golden Rule, Love Your Neighbor as Yourself, Love Your Enemies, and Christian Unity. Through all of these we reflected on how our faith impacts our relationships with others.

This trip was so much fun, I can't wait until our next trip...Elevation WorkCamp at the Illinois Special Olympics, June 14-17. You won't want to miss it!

And now, some more pictures from the weekend:

What Happened?!

The past two weeks have been a blur...between recovering from the Elevation Winter Retreat and the Souper Bowl Challenge and the Bear's disheartening loss and being sick and visioning for the youth program, fourteen days somehow escaped me. I'll be doing some catching up today...

Walking Away From Jesus

This is a devotion I wrote for Fourth Church's daily devotions. It came out yesterday. This passage has haunted me for years...I'm sure you'll hear me talk about it again.

Scripture Reading: Mark 10:17–31

Reflection
This passage is one of the most disturbing in all of scripture for me. I find it disturbing not because I disagree with what Jesus is teaching, but because I see myself in this rich man. He’s done everything his religious tradition counsels him to do, yet he still feels like there is something missing in his life. In one of the most gut-wrenching scenes in the Bible, when Jesus tells him what it will take to make that next step, all he can do is turn around and walk away.

How easy it is for us to go through the motions of church life without ever having a truly transforming and life-changing encounter with God. How easy it is to be so involved yet still feel so empty. I often wonder if Bono had this story in mind when he wrote the lyrics to the classic U2 song “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.”

This story reminds me that we all have things that we are unwilling to give up in order to follow God. Perhaps it is wealth, though I don’t think that the lesson of this story is limited to that alone. It could also be pride, success, fame, time, family, friendships, comfort, or a whole host of other stumbling blocks along the way to living the kind of life of service that Jesus modeled for us.

If we truly follow in Jesus’ footsteps, the gospel requires some degree of sacrifice. When I read this passage, this truth stares me square in the face, and I can’t escape the choice it lays before me. Will I be bold enough to follow Jesus, or will I too turn around and walk away?

Prayer
God, you challenge me today with this story of sincere longing and ultimate failure. Help me to not turn away in fear or pain, but to let these sacred words pull at my heart for a little while longer. Remind me that even though Jesus’ path is difficult, the destination is worth the struggle. Amen.

Written by
John Vest, Associate Pastor
jvest@fourthchurch.org

Little Mosque on the Prairie?

Check out this great article from Sightings on how Muslims and Islam are portrayed on TV. I didn't know that Chappelle and the others he mentioned are Muslims. I think I'd like to see Little Mosque on the Prairie!

Teens at War

What's life like in Iraq for teenage soldiers, some of whom are barely out of high school? I thought that this CNN video was pretty interesting.

You Need to Read This

Several years ago I was introduced to the work of theologian and Bible scholar Walter Wink. Wink has spent his career advocating--in both practical and academic ways--for the importance of nonviolent resistance against oppressive powers. Some of his most famous "on the ground" work took place in South Africa. Some of his most important books have been about how Jesus taught a "third way" of resistance to violence and oppression. Neither returning violence for violence or being passive in the face of oppression, Wink argues that Jesus' third way was one of active non-violent resistance. In addition to Jesus, whom Wink portrays in a way that is new to many Christians, this form of non-violent resistance has been exemplified in modern times by Gandhi and Martin Luther King.

Yesterday on Jim Wallis' blog, I read an incredible story about two young people who have clearly been influenced by this way of thinking. Shane Claiborne writes about how he and his young friend responded to an act of violence in a way that follows in the footsteps of Jesus' non-violent resistance. You need to read this remarkable story. I don't know if I could have acted the same in this situation.

We live in a violent world, from the streets of Chicago to the streets of Baghdad. I believe that Jesus' "third way" of creative and active non-violent resistance could go a long way toward bringing peace to our hurting world.

Did God Die on the Football Field?

Last week, Stephen Colbert, who has a long running and hilarious bias against bears, claimed that "If Saints can't beat Bears, then God is officially dead."

Well, as you know, the Bears won. You can watch Colbert's report of the Saints' loss here.

In the wake of this victory and as the Bears head to the Super Bowl, I'm not quite ready to pronounce God dead. (For a conversation about the death of God completely different from Colbert's, check out Death of God Theology.) I am, however, quite interested in some of the issues that Colbert's statement raises.

As usual, Colbert's satire strikes at the heart of some deeply held American attitudes. Many people do indeed think of sports in a theological or spiritual way. Most certainly, football is one of the sacred rites of American civil religion; the Super Bowl is practically a national holiday.

And last Sunday's contest between our hometown Bears and the New Orleans Saints did take on something of a religious urgency for some. Many had christened the Saints as "America's Team". The Saints' "worst to first" season was viewed by many as a reflection of New Orleans' recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. At the very least, it was suggested that a Saints Super Bowl appearance would provide much needed hope for a recovering city.

Before the game on Sunday, we discussed this issue in Senior Highs. We asked some good questions and made some good observations, some of which I want to share here.

Does God really care who wins this football game?
While we were almost unanimously passionate in our support of the Bears, most of us agreed that in the grand scheme of things, this game was trivial and didn't really matter. Especially compared to the real problems the world is facing, including those in a still struggling New Orleans, a game between a bunch of ridiculously overpaid athletes doesn't seem so important.

However, this question did give us an opportunity to think about that oh so Presbyterian doctrine of providence. Does God control the outcome of football games? Did God pick who would win and who would lose? Why do we pray before athletic competitions? Answers for these questions were harder to come by, but made for a great discussion.

The Saints and New Orleans
While most of us could appreciate why a Saints victory would be an inspiring thing for New Orleans, we also recognized that the problems in New Orleans are much bigger than a football game and that a victory here or in the Super Bowl could never come close to fixing those problems. In fact, some of us felt that the hoopla over the Saints was actually giving a false impression about New Orleans' recovery. There is still much to do and we all need to pitch in to help.

Several people were also dubious about lifting up these incredibly rich athletes as the providers of hope for a hurting city. By comparison to the masses, these players were largely unaffected by Katrina. The real heroes are the survivors and those who have given so much of themselves to help those in need.

Sports as a Metaphor for Faith
We also had a good conversation about sports as a metaphor for the life of faith and looked at some biblical passages that use athletic metaphors very effectively.

Is God Officially Dead?
I don't think so. I certainly don't think that the Bears' victory or the Saints' loss is proof of anything. Much more important, I think, is what happens to New Orleans in the long run. If we don't come together to pull New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast up from ruins, it might not be a signal of God's death but it would certainly have something to say about our willingness to listen to God's call to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Inspired to Serve

On Monday (MLK Day) Gabby, Jeff, Natasha, Jessica, and I spent several hours with the Interfaith Youth Core at an event called "Inspired to Serve". IFYC is the group that sponsored the Jordan trip that Gabby and Cassie went on earlier this month.

This was my first event with IFYC and it was a great time. We spent the morning thinking about the importance of listening in our faith traditions and in general. It was neat to think about how much time we spend listening at church and how listening was also central to the other religious traditions represented. Listening is also an important part of inter-religious dialogue, which is an absolutely crucial endeavor in our world today.

In the afternoon we interviewed representatives from Chicago organizations doing great work in the fields of education, health care, immigration, and the environment. The goal was to further the planning of IFYC's day of interfaith service on April 22. I can't wait to see how the plans for this day shape up and I know that it will be a great event and the Senior Highs are planning on participating.

What a great way to celebrate MLK Day!

A Modern Day Prophet

I love Martin Luther King Day, because I love Martin Luther King. I think it's important that we set aside a day to remember him, because he reminds us of the best and worst of humanity. The best: his passion for justice and equality and all that he inspired. The worst: the fact that his vision also inspired someone to kill him. He reminds us of how powerful love can be and at the same time how fragile that love is.

Many people have said that King was one of our "modern day prophets". This doesn't mean that he predicted the future, though he definitely had a vision of better days to come. Instead, it means that he spoke truth to power, that he called our society to task for its injustice and unrighteousness. King had a vision of how the world should be and he shared that vision with others and lived his life to bring it about.

For Christians, it's important for us to remember that Martin Luther King was a preacher and a theologian. Our society remembers him as a civil rights leader, but we need to remember that everything he did was a result of his deep faith. He reminds us of what it means to be a Christian.

One of my favorite pieces of writing from King is his Letter from a Birmingham Jail. If you haven't read this letter, you should. Right now.

In this letter, King calls on southern white pastors to join his struggle for civil rights, telling them that their commitment to the gospel demands that they act for justice. According to King, our faith is not just about "otherworldly" concerns, but is very much about this world and the evil that plagues our world. King was disappointed that some of his Christian brothers and sisters couldn't see this. His letter is a powerful indictment against an apathetic church.

Is the church today any better? How many evils persist in the world while we do nothing? How often do we think only of ourselves and not of others? What does our faith compel us to do?

We need Martin Luther King Day, not just for a day off from school or work, but to remind us of who we are and who God is calling us to be.

Fast Food Justice

So what can teenagers do to help fight poverty and injustice? How about not eating at Burger King, McDonald's, or Chipotle?

As it turns out, none of these fast food chains have been paying their tomato pickers fairly for years. You can read all about it here:

http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2007/07029.htm

The Presbyterian Church (USA) is currently taking action to address this injustice. What part can we play?

Do we care enough about treating others fairly not to eat at our favorite places? Giving up Burger King or McDonald's might not be too hard. But what about Chipotle? I love that place! But if every tomato I eat in my giant burrito comes from exploiting someone for cheap labor, I'm not sure that's something I want to swallow.

A Prayer for Airplane Travelers

Earlier today I flew from Chicago to Nashville for a Princeton Forum on Youth Ministry. Probably since I was in high school, I've had the habit of saying a short prayer before the plane I'm flying on takes off.

After saying my prayer this morning, I started thinking about how some faith traditions have a lot of these kinds of prayers. The old Book of Common Prayer and even the old Presbyterian Book of Common Worship have collections of short prayers for all sorts of occasions in life. The Jewish tradition has short blessings and prayers to say before and after all sorts of things. And I'm sure this practice is reflected in s wide range of other religions as well.

I think this might be a nice practice to adopt with a little more frequency. Whether the prayers are spontaneous or written, saying a prayer to mark even the smallest aspects of our lives is a way to recognize the sacred in the midst of the ordinary and profane. It's a way to open ourselves to the reality that God is always with us.

So, in this spirit, I'm writing down for the first time the basic gist of the prayer I say before flying. Maybe someone else might find it helpful. Maybe someone else might like to share a prayer themselves.

Dear God, may this machine that we have entrusted our lives to function properly. Thank you for the pilots that fly it and may they use their training well. Deliver us all safely to our destinations. In Christ's name, Amen.

The Oprah Effect

Oprah's latest high profile act of good will is the construction of a $40 million school for girls in South Africa. Is this a genuine act of compassion or just another example in the latest wave of popular Hollywood acts of charity in Africa?

Don't get me wrong, I think this school is great, and I think that the recent attention celebrities have given to Africa opens the world's eyes to the many crises that exist there, but I'm always a little suspicious when Oprah does something like this.

Oprah has successfully fashioned herself into a spiritual (if not religious) leader for our culture. Few in America have a pulpit that reaches as far as Oprah's. She is a role model for countless numbers of her fans. She recommends books and they become best sellers. I'll leave my full thoughts about Oprah for another time, but because of the fact that when Oprah speaks and acts so many people listen and watch, the message she delivers needs to be scrutinized.

In a recent edition of Showbiz Tonight on CNN's Headline News, TV critic Linda Stasi rips into Oprah and her funding of this school. Stasi's main point is to question why we should spend so much money on projects a world away when there is so much need here at home. I think that this argument is actually quite shortsighted and misguided. There is plenty of suffering to go around and I think that it is a good thing to help wherever we can.

What I did find interesting about Stasi's rant, however, is her point that Oprah can go to Africa and do this great thing and get lots of public praise and attention, but she isn't really addressing the root causes of problems, especially in places like our own city of Chicago. More importantly, I think Stasi has shown that Oprah herself may be part of the root problem.

Stasi claims that Oprah's rationale for building this school is that, in her experience, American kids are only interested in high end products like iPods and don't care about education. But as a role model, Oprah isn't addressing this issue. Instead, she is feeding it with her own shopping sprees and by giving away high end products on her shows. Oprah contributes to the problem of American consumerism and materialism. Why not give away scholarships instead and use her star power to get kids interested in learning?

You can listen to the entire interview here: Critic miffed Oprah spent $40 million in Africa.

Do you think that Stasi's critique is fair?

Is Oprah doing more harm than good in the overall example that she sets?

Fourth Church Youth in Jordan

Two of our high school youth, Cassandra Kildow and Gabby Boateng, are currently on a study trip in Jordan with the Interfaith Youth Core. I've received an email update from Cassie and want to post it here on the Fourth Church Youth blog. We're so proud of what Cassie and Gabby are doing and can't wait to hear all about their trip when they return. Please continue to pray for them and their experience!

Marhaba everyone,

I greet you all from the far-off city of Amman, Jordan where Gabby, I and a group of other Interfaith Youth have been spending time together. We are here with the Interfaith Youth Core on a trip to make connections with a similar Jordanian group. So far this trip has been beyond amazing; I don't think I've ever had this much fun or felt so fulfilled. We visited Petra (the ruins of an ancient city carved out of sandstone) and the Dead Sea (where there is so much salt that ability to swim is optional; in fact you cannot swim because you are forced to float on the surface). We brought in the New Year by dancing like crazy fiends in the gorgeous desert Wadi Rum, sleeping in Bedouin style tents. In Amman you are awakened at the break of dawn every morning by the call to prayer which is broadcast from every mosque five times a day. Best of all, however, has been the people I have met. They are generous, gregarious, funny, warm and welcoming. Everyone speaks at least a little English, so although I know only 10 words in Arabic we can all communicate just fine.

The whole point of the trip is to have interfaith dialogue and nothing has been more fascinating this whole trip than learning about how people practice their faiths here and everywhere. In our group from Chicago we have Muslims, Christians, a Buddhist and a Hindu, and in the Jordanian group there are Muslims and Christians and we have all learned a lot about other faiths, but also about our own faith. For example, one of the most amazing things I have done so far was tagging along with one of the group members as he visited his family on Eid, the Muslim holiday which is roughly comparable to Christmas. On Eid the family is supposed to sacrifice a goat or sheep, then cut it into three roughly equal pieces (one for the poor, one for the rest of the family and one for themselves), and then go around visiting all of the extended family, giving out gifts and socializing over Arabic coffee (which is amazing, and very different from American coffee, but I am completely unable to explain what it does taste like) and sweets.

Anyways, I need to go and eat dinner now (pita and humus and Arab-style salad and rice and yogurt and stuff), but I hope this is informative.

Salaam (Peace), and see you all soon In sha'allah (If God wills it),
Cassandra Kildow

PS. I hope you are all enjoying your breaks!

Go Bears! Fight Hunger!

Hey Bears fans,

Here is a great way to support our team and help fight hunger. This is totally easy and is for a great cause, so vote as often as you can!

This literally takes 60 seconds - here's how it works . . click on the link below. Choose the CHICAGO BEARS and then submit your vote. The team with the most votes wins canned food for local food bank.

And - right now - the PACKERS are winning. The Bears are way, way behind!

Please vote for the BEARS in Campbell's Chunky Soup "Clicks for Cans". The team with the most votes, and the team most improved vote total each win cans for its local food bank. Help the people in CHICAGO by simply "clicking for cans".

It's easy, just 3 clicks of your mouse and you're done! Vote early and vote everyday for a greater impact to fight hunger in Chicago . No personal information is required.

http://www.chunky.com/clickforcans.aspx

Guerilla Evangelism

Wow, lots of religion in today's news.

This story is funny, in a sad way. A company that sells a talking Jesus doll who quotes the Bible offered to donate 4000 dolls to Toys for Tots and was rejected.

Good for Toys for Tots! I think that these dolls are perfectly fine and would make a great gift, for a Christian girl or boy, but what a mess if a Jewish or Muslim kid received one of these.

Is this what Jesus had in mind when he said to make disciples of all nations? Is this responsible evangelism?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0611150119nov15,1,16059.story?coll=chi-news-hed

Catholic Bishops Speak about Homosexuality

The cover story of today's Redeye reads: "Catholic Church to Gays: Don't Act, Don't Tell."

US bishops have released a statement, "Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination," which seems to be a mess of pastoral theology. On the one hand, it attempts to be welcoming to homosexuals, noting that it is not a sin to be attracted to people of the same sex and seemingly making a place within the church for gays and lesbians. However, according to the bishops, it is a sin to act on such attraction and homosexuals should not be overly open about their sexuality.

It seems to me that the bishops are trying to provide a genuinely pastoral response to the Catholic gay community, but I'm not sure how effective these guidelines will actually be in real pastoral situations. What kind of message is it to tell your flock that God loves you for who you are, but don't act on your natural desires and certainly don't tell anyone about it. I just don't think such a middle ground approach will be very effective.

Of course, I'm not sure the Presbyterian Church is doing any better. You could make a pretty strong case that our national rules and practices are just as middle ground and just as ineffective. Sure, there are churches that are completely open and welcoming to the GLTB community and there are churches that are not, but as a national body we've been sending mixed messages for years, and I don't think that our most recent General Assembly actions are any different.

The cultural and religious wars over sexuality are painful and slow. How I wish that we could fast forward to a conclusion, but that doesn't seem to be God's way. Two thousand years into this movement called Christianity and over three thousand years since an ancient people named Israel began its journey with God, we're still trying to figure out what it is that God intends for us and how we are to live that out.

You can read the Redeye story and leave your own comments at http://redeye.chicagotribune.com/red-111506-church-main,0,2123267.story .

Out of the Mouths of Babes

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/illinois/chi-ap-il-immigrationactivi,1,5031863.story?coll=chi-newsap_il-hed

The Associated Press and the Chicago Tribune have been following the story of a Mexican mother, an illegal immigrant, and her son, a US citizen, who are living in a church in Humboldt Park. Yesterday, the boy, a second-grader named Saul Arellano, spoke to Mexico's 500-member congress, asking their help to lobby the US government to stop the deportation of his mother, Elvira Arellano. As you might imagine, there has been some controversy surrounding the boy's trip to Mexico on behalf of his mother. Illegal immigration has become one of America's most heated debates, and if the Arellano's win this case, it will set a major precedent for more than 4.9 million children of illegal immigrants facing deportation.

What do you think about this issue?

What is at stake?

What are our responsibilities to these families?

What do you think about a child being so deeply involved in this debate?

What should the church's stance be? Many church leaders and communities have become involved in efforts to protect illegal immigrants. Is this our calling? What do you think about the church in Humboldt Park?

Go Deep

From my good friend Ed Polus...