Turtle Power: Looking for God in All the Wrong Places

Last month a woman in suburban Burbank made headlines by claiming that an image of the Virgin Mary appears on the underside of her pet turtle.

While I'll let you judge this turtle for yourself, for me this brings back fond memories of other "miraculous" sightings...

Also last month, workers in a chocolate factor found a column of chocolate drippings in the shape of Mary...

Do you remember the image of Mary on the Fullerton Ave. underpass of the Kennedy last year?

Then there was the grilled cheese Mary sold on eBay for $28,000...

And the Mother Teresa cinnamon bun, aka the "Nun Bun"...

And the Jesus fish stick...

And the Jesus that appeared on the side of a Presbyterian church (yes, a Presbyterian church) in Bradenton, Florida after a pressure washing ...

And countless Jesus tortillas over the years...

You can't make this stuff up!

Now, whether or not these are hoaxes, strange coincidences, or the power of an omnipresent God breaking into the mundane corners of creation, I don't know. What I do know is that these things happen all the time and that some people really believe in them. It gives them hope and inspires faith.

But what is faith? Is it finding "proof" of God's existence in philosophy, well-crafted arguments, the wonders of creation, or a fish stick?

God is here; I have no doubt about that. But oftentimes, I think we look for God in all the wrong places.

Where do you see God in your life?

Healthy Body Image

A CNN article titled "Skinny Models Banned from Catwalk" reports that a top-level fashion show in Madrid has turned away significantly underweight models, a first in the fashion industry. The move comes after years of protests that girls and young women develop eating disorders as a result of efforts to emulate the super thin models that frequent catwalks and advertisements. As you would expect, many in the fashion industry aren't taking kindly to the ban and feel that they are being used as scapegoats for eating disorders.

I think a move away from unhealthily thin models and actresses is a good thing. A Spanish official hit the nail on the head when she said that "Fashion is a mirror and many teenagers imitate what they see on the catwalk."

It's about time that someone takes responsibility for the body images that our culture promotes. Now, who will take responsibility for the boys and young men who abuse their bodies with steroids and excessive weight training?

What do you think?

Five Years Later

Like many people, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 will always be a singular moment of my life. I remember exactly where I was and how I felt. The only previous event that held this kind of time-stopping significance for me was when the space shuttle Challenger exploded in January of 1986.

I was in third grade for that first disaster, in graduate school for the second. The kids that are seniors in high school now were in seventh grade for 9/11 and this year’s sixth graders were in first grade. Do you remember where you were and how you felt when you found out about the attacks?

9/11 was also a defining moment of my career as a pastor and a theologian. It was the beginning of my second year of pastoral ministry. The church I was serving at the time hosted a community candle light vigil on that evening. It was a moving service that provided much needed comfort in the immediate wake of the tragedy.

Several member of our youth group were in attendance that evening and we spent some time talking with them, processing the unthinkable events that had just happened. We had a youth retreat the following weekend in Saugatuck. We began with a somber time of candle lit prayer, and I admit that I was glad to be away from the city for a few days.

Two days after the attacks I began an adult Bible class that surveyed the entire Bible. Immediately I was faced with jarring questions: What does the Bible have to say about a disaster like this? Where is God in all of this?

These questions have continued to shape my studies and my ministry over the past five years. Where is God in our lives—during the good times and the bad? Does the Bible have anything relevant to say about our lives today? While I am convinced that God is always present in our lives and that the Bible does in fact continue to be a valuable resource for life today, figuring out all of the details is not always easy.

But I believe that it is a worthy endeavor to wrestle with those details in every aspect of our lives. This is something that I want to bring to our time together in Fourth Church Youth. Let’s look at our lives and the world around us and ask where God is. Let’s take those dusty old Bibles off our shelves and think about what those ancient words might have to say to us today. We might be surprised at what we find.

These are some of the thoughts that yesterday’s 9/11 commemorations inspired in me. What memories, reflections, or thoughts do you have about that day five years ago?

I'm as Christian as fried chicken and baked ham...

...or is it bread and grape juice?

Old school comic Jackie Mason is suing the religious group Jews for Jesus because they have used his picture in a pamphlet they have been distributing. You can read about the story here. Jews for Jesus are Jews who believe that Jesus is the messiah but continue to consider themselves Jewish, maintain various Jewish practices, and have adapted some Jewish traditions to reflect their faith in Jesus.

In a statement related to his lawsuit, Mason had the following to say: "While I have the utmost respect for people who practice the Christian faith, the fact is, as everyone knows, I am as Jewish as a matzo ball or kosher salami."

It got me thinking, what food would I use to describe my faith? Every church potluck I've ever been to has always had fried chicken. And where I come from, we always had ham as part of our Christmas and Easter meals (which I always think must be a subconscious way of proving that we aren't Jewish). But of course, the classic Christian food is bread and wine (or grape juice for most of us Presbyterians).

So, what food would you use to describe your faith?

Survival of the Ethnically Superior?

In an effort to combat weak ratings in the competitive world of so-called "reality" television, the pioneer show Survivor is trying a new gimmick: at the beginning of the new season, the 20 competitors will be divided into four tribes according to their ethnicity—black, white, Hispanic, or Asian. As usual, as the tribes are whittled down, the remaining contestants will be combined into mixed tribes later in the season.

Though I admit to finding it interesting and entertaining from time to time, I've always been a little bothered by the basic premise of Survivor. Instead of promoting teamwork, cooperation, and community—values desperately needed in our world today—it privileges the kind of cut-throat individualism and power politics that always seem to lead to trouble. Rather than finding ways to incorporate the particular skills and contributions of each tribe member into a coherent whole, the show specializes in identifying and eliminating the weakest link.

But Survivor's controversial new ploy seems even more questionable. Is this kind of racial division and competition really what we need in our world today? Racism is as much a problem now as it ever was and racial intolerance continually threatens the possibility of living in peace and harmony as a global (or even local) community. Will our inherently racist society be able to resist the temptation to proclaim one race superior to the others as the Survivor season plays itself out? Thank God one of the tribes is not Arab or Middle Eastern!

In contrast to Survivor, the church (at its best) is a place where everyone is welcomed and accepted unconditionally, regardless of their race, gender, economic status, or any other distinction we create in order to separate people from each other. Instead of eliminating the so-called weakest link, the church (at its best) identifies the particular gifts every person brings to our community and finds ways to use those gifts for the benefit of all. No one is voted off the island. Everyone has a place. Everyone has a role to play.

This is what we try to do at Fourth Church Youth. This is a safe place. You will always be welcomed. You will always be accepted. You will always be loved. Give it a try.

Room for Dialogue

The cover story of last week’s Chicago Reader, “His God Doesn’t Hate Fags”, profiles Andrew Marin, an evangelical who teaches classes on homosexuality and faith and is conducting research on spirituality and religion in GLBT communities. Taking a stance decidedly different from those evangelicals who try to “save” gays and lesbians from their homosexuality or those who do in fact claim that “God Hates Fags”, Marin has won the respect of both evangelicals and homosexual activists.

While for the most part he maintains standard evangelical positions on homosexuality (it is a sin, he claims, but he remains silent on the question of whether or not it is a choice), he has managed to create a space for dialogue, something that is often lacking in the culture wars about sexuality.

Indeed, sexuality is one of the issues currently pushing denominations like ours to the breaking point. But instead of thoughtful dialogue, the debate often devolves to rigid volleys of simplified sound bites and predetermined positions. The Presbyterian Church, like many other churches, needs the kind of dialogue Marin seems to have cultivated. This is a complicated issue and all sides have much to learn from each other.

Of course, the cynic in me wonders if Marin’s work is all a ruse to gain an inside front for the prevailing evangelical crusade against homosexuality. For now, though, I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Homosexuality is a big issue facing our church today. What do you think about what Marin is doing? Where do you stand on this issue? What are ways that we can foster dialogue and education in our congregation and denomination?

Making Melodies In My Heart

The Music of Sr. High WorkCamp 2006

1. Crazy [Gnarls Barkley]
2. Born in the USA [Bruce Springsteen]
3. Bossy [Kelis featuring Too $hort]
4. Satisfaction [Benny Benassi & The Biz]
5. Hips Don't Lie [Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean]
6. Over My Head (Cable Car) [The Fray]
7. U and Dat [E-40 featuring T. Pain & Kandi Girl]
8. One Week [Barenaked Ladies]
9. It's Goin' Down [Yung Joc featuring Nitti]
10. Run [Snow Patrol]
11. Breaking Free [High School Musical]
12. Hamburg Song [Keane]
13. Chain Hang Low [Jibbs]
14. Unwritten [Natasha Bedingfield]
15. Do It To It [Cherish]
16. Bad Day [Daniel Powter]
17. Sweet Home Chicago [Eric Clapton]

I couldn't actually find an MP3 of "Making Melodies In My Heart", but you can read the lyrics (slightly different from what we learned) and sing along yourself here. Also, be sure to check out Summer Jam!!!

WorkCamp 2006

WorkCamp 2006 ROCKED!!!

Youth: Flo, Marilyn, Gabby, Josh, Krystal, Morgan, Jacob, Gabrielle, Ashley, Stephanie, Cassie, Jeff, Grant, Elsa, Betsy, Dana, Ben, Jake, Christie, Stu, Devin

Adults: Jessica, Ryan, Dee, Natasha, John

Where: Seattle and Yakima Valley, Washington

When: July 30-August 6, 2006

What: We began in Seattle with Multifaith Works, doing maintenance at a low-cost home for people suffering from HIV and AIDS. While in Seattle we also visited University Presbyterian Church, Pike Place Market (it closes at 6 pm??!!), and the Space Needle. We then headed east to The Campbell Farm in the Yakima Valley. In addition to our work on the farm (man, I miss that compost station), we worked on various service projects in the area. We also had a blast floating down the Yakima River and visiting Boulder Cave. Best of all, though, were the bonds that were formed by the end of the trip. Many of us started the week as strangers but we all ended the week as friends. I can't wait to see where things go from here!