A word from Chaplain Mike.
Friend of Internet Monk, Michael Buckley, has graciously offered to auction some of his art pieces as a way of raising some funds to support Michael Spencer with his medical bills and needs at this time.
Michael is the artist who did the banner art for the masthead on the IM website.
Here is a good way to get some nice art for yourself while helping a friend.
Click on the picture next to the “Donate” link on the right side of the page. You will be able to preview the art on Michael’s Flickr page.
Thanks for your support!
By Chaplain Mike
OK, so I’m out driving in the country today, on my way home from seeing a patient, minding my own business. I come around a corner where a large Baptist church sits. It’s known as a conservative, no nonsense, indeeeeeependent funnnndamental King James ONLY church.
Been there, done that. I’m a million miles away from that culture now. I’ve forgotten what it’s like.
Until I see the church sign.
Of all the verses in the Bible to pick…
And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
Come again?
You did not put that verse on your church sign, did you?
Wow.
A classic IM post by Michael Spencer (4/07), presented by Chaplain Mike.
Every time I feel like I have lost my way in the Christian life, I find myself back looking at monasticism, and the lessons I learned in two decades of reading Thomas Merton.
I’m not attracted to Catholicism, but I am very much attracted to the tradition of self-conscious, disciplined spiritual formation into a disciple of Jesus Christ. This is a great failing of our side of the church.
As much as we Protestants talk about being shaped by the Bible alone, most evangelicals are thoroughly formed and shaped by the communities where the Bible is handled, taught and practiced according to a “rule” or accepted authority, and by the media that supports and communicates the values of that community.
By Chaplain Mike.
In addition to the practice of “long wandering prayer” to which David Hansen introduced me, I find keeping set times of “saying my prayers” important.
For much of my pastoral career, I found that people in evangelical churches avoided, disdained, and even spoke against set forms of prayer. It has heartened me to see a revival of interest in using such forms in recent years, as many have rediscovered the ancient practices, such as praying the liturgy of the hours.
A couple of articles on Internet Monk encouraged me to buy a set of prayer beads (see My Gear, part one and My Gear, part two). I did some searching on the web to find out various ways of using them, and then began to settle on a routine (which I follow as consistently as this lazy, undisciplined man is capable of).
When I go to bed at night, I use the beads to say the Gloria Patri, the Creed, the Beatitudes, Psalm 23, the Lord’s Prayer, the Jesus Prayer, and other scriptures and set prayers. I reserve the final set of beads to utter petitions for myself, my family, my friends, and others that come to mind. And here is what I pray:
- Lord, establish [us] in life
- And Lord, establish [us] in faith
- And Lord, establish [us] in virtue
- And Lord, be to [us] a very present help in times of trouble
- And Lord, help [us] to trust in you with a whole heart, to lean not on [our] own understanding, but in all [our] ways to know you, that you may make [our] paths straight.
This is my prayer for all of you. The Lord be with you.
From Chaplain Mike.
David Hansen has been one of my surest pastoral guides. His book, The Art of Pastoring: Ministry without All the Answers, is in my view one of the wisest manuals for contemplative ministry available, especially for those in smaller churches.
Today, I want to highlight the main concept in another of Hansen’s books, Long Wandering Prayer: An Invitation to Walk with God.
I write this primarily in the light of what our friend Michael Spencer is going through these days, and the inevitable questions that arise about how to pray when we find ourselves facing such circumstances.
Whether you are thinking of Michael, or facing some overwhelming situation in your own life, if you are anything like me, you may be finding it hard to know how to talk to God at a time like this.
Let me introduce you to Hansen’s approach to prayer; one that I find utterly human, authentic, and true to life as it really is.
Chaplain Mike received this update from Denise Spencer today.
It is with a heavy heart that I bring my latest update on Michael. We have learned that his cancer is too advanced and too aggressive to expect any sort of remission. Our oncologist estimates that with continued treatment Michael most likely has somewhere between six months and a year to live. This is not really a surprise to us, though it is certainly horrible news. From the very beginning, both of us have suspected that this would prove to be an extremely bad situation. I don’t know why; perhaps God was preparing us for the worst all along by giving us that intuition.
The combination of the cancer and the chemotherapy is keeping Michael in a very weakened state. He is in bed all day, getting up once or twice only to eat a “meal.” His meals consist mostly of Ensure, with occasional mugs of soup, dishes of ice cream and milkshakes. He’s still taking fluids well, currently preferring Sprite and ginger ale. His tastes do change slightly from time to time, and I try to be ready to jump in whatever direction they seem to be moving. He is in no pain at all, for which I am unspeakably grateful.
Michael went through a period of depression, as I’m sure you would expect. He seems to have come through that now, for the most part. He knows he is dying, and he says he is at peace. Though he will still say with unashamed honesty, “I don’t want it to all be over at age 53!” he has the confidence of knowing that he has run the race God set out for him. He believes he has done the work our Lord intended for him to do, and if the last task God has for him in this life is dying, then he will do that to the best of his ability.
Through all of this, in every phase of illness, diagnosis and treatment, Michael’s faith has not wavered. I know most readers love Michael for, among other things, the transparency of his writings. If I may be allowed such honesty for just a moment, I will confess that I have been amazed at how strong Michael has been spiritually and emotionally from the very beginning of this ghastly journey. Day by day I continue to see the Holy Spirit at work in him, molding him, softening him, giving him a more childlike faith than I believe he has ever known. When the moment comes, I am assured Michael will be ready. I am the one who doesn’t want to let go.
Words can never express our gratitude for every thought, every gift, every note, every prayer you have blessed us with. Please pray for continued peace and strength for Michael, for me, and for Noel and Clay. This is the most difficult thing we have ever been through, and only with God’s help can we make it.
From Chaplain Mike.
OK, so Mark Driscoll dissed “Avatar” calling it, “the most demonic, satanic movie I’ve ever seen.”
And Christianity Today didn’t like it, especially when he pointed to their review as an example of contemporary evangelicalism’s inability to exercise discernment.
This post is not about that.
For the record, I have not seen Avatar…yet. Though I plan to.
And that’s actually what got me thinking.
Chaplain Mike reposts this classic iMonk article from June, 2005
UPDATE: I fixed the broken links at the end of post.
I’ve been thinking about the subject of the Christian’s assurance of salvation.
To put my cards on the table, I don’t struggle with assurance of salvation personally at all. I’m far more inclined toward the “wider mercy” view of God’s love than I am toward any apprehensions about whether I am among the elect. My struggles are over entirely different subjects: Does God exist? How can I face death without losing my sanity? Check in with me on those topics and I’ll buy your joe.
I’m interested because I spend a significant amount of time counseling students and adults on the subject of assurance.
From Chaplain Mike.
A difficult conversation today brought to mind Luther’s Small Catechism and what it has to say about the Eighth Commandment:
The Eighth Commandment.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.What does this mean?
Answer.
We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie, betray, slander, or defame our neighbor, but defend him, [think and] speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything.
Our Open Mic question today is a practical one:
How do you think your life and mine would be different if we lived by this standard? What would it be like in Christian congregations? How might our relationships with our neighbors and the world in general change?
I know the first thing I would do—cry out to God for mercy, using Isaiah’s prayer: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips…” (Isa 6.5)
Your turn.
Noted by Chaplain Mike…
You might be surprised to find a positive, affirming article about evangelicals in the secular press, but Nicholas D. Kristoff of the New York Times wrote an op-ed this weekend called “Learning from the Sin of Sodom” that praises evangelicals such as World Vision for the excellent work they are doing to meet real needs around the world.
In an addendum to the piece, Kristoff summarized his main point by saying this:
There’s a tendency for liberals to devote lots of ink to decrying conservative Christians, because of their positions on social issues. I disagree strongly with typical evangelical positions on gay marriage, abortion, abstinence only education — but I also think that liberals don’t appreciate the impact of the arrival of evangelicals into humanitarian space or give sufficient credit for that change.
Thank God for rightful recognition given. Perhaps this is a positive sign that the evangelical movement has turned a corner, leaving further behind failed culture war strategies and focusing more on serving the needy and working for justice. At any rate, others are watching and are impressed by the quality of missional work being done by Christians.
In the conclusion to his op-ed, Kristoff challenges secularists and religious alike, encouraging us to abandon some of our ingrained distrust of the other in order to work more in partnership for the common good.
If secular liberals can give up some of their snootiness, and if evangelicals can retire some of their sanctimony, then we all might succeed together in making greater progress against common enemies of humanity, like illiteracy, human trafficking and maternal mortality.
This brief video from The BioLogos Foundation features Os Guiness talking about “Science and Faith in the Front Lines of the Culture Wars.” Watch it and let’s have a discussion.
Guiness says, “In many ways, the new atheists are partly created by the Religious Right. You can see that in America there is no vehement repudiation of religion until recently. In Europe, the atheism is a reaction to corrupt state churches. Here, you’ve never had that until the rise of the Religious Right.” Part of the reaction against religion, he argues, stems from the poor ways people of faith think about science.
What do you think? To what extent is culture war Christianity, including its commitment to views like “creation science,” responsible for the rise of reaction against religion in the U.S. and an impassioned public atheist movement?
I anticipate some strong opinions. Please keep the conversation civil and respectful.
A note from Chaplain Mike:
This classic iMonk post from January 2009 brings together a few important issues that Michael has written about over the years, particularly depression, theology, and the search for a church home.
I am going to write rather directly to those of you who feel that you are experiencing some measure of mental anguish, anxiety and depression in regard to theology and, especially, the church.
I have in mind, particularly, those who are tormented about the so-called “Search for the true Church.” I’ll be relating at least some of this to the subject of depression, which has been a major part of the menu here at IM this past week. Read more
Chaplain Mike received this note from Denise Spencer today:
Michael has finished his second round of chemotherapy treatments. They make him so exhausted that he spends most of his time in bed. His appetite is almost completely gone, too. He’s lost 60 pounds. (Thank You, Lord, for creating Ensure!)
It’s very difficult for Michael to keep his spirits up, as bad as he feels. Still, I’m grateful that he doesn’t have any more side effects than this…at least not yet.
Please pray that Michael will rest in God’s love day by day, hour by hour. And please pray for good health and strength for me as I take care of him.
Thank you so much.
By Chaplain Mike
Introduction
In a vision from another life, I see my wife and I scrambling our four young children into the van and driving out to a house in the country. There, all over the porch and front yard, a recent litter of seventeen puppies cavorts. My kids squeal with delight and go about the task of choosing one, just one, to be our family pet. We’re buying our first home and I have insisted that a home in the suburbs with a big yard requires a dog. Eventually, our hearts settle on a little golden lab mix. We call her “Terra Nova.” Our home will be complete.
Fast forward to January, 2010, to a veterinary clinic in central Indiana. My son, now 22 years old, holds the golden girl that has been a best friend for most of his life while the doctor gently inserts a needle into her leg. Within seconds, she is gone, worn out from old age and kidney failure. We all cry. Who knew this would hurt so badly?
I still look for her when I come through the back door…
An update from Chaplain Mike…
Last week I put up a post called, “Redeeming a Dirty Word,” in which I tried to say that concepts like “obligation” and “duty” are not the undesirable ideas we have made them out to be in our day.
You might want to go back and review the post, and what folks had to say in their comments. Many couldn’t get their minds around my assertion that the ideas of “grace” and “obligation” are not opposed to one another.
To follow up on that post, I would like to share with you the following quote from Mark Galli in an article on Christianity Today that makes reinforces my point.
I thought it might give all of us, especially those who disagree with the concept of “obligation,” some more to think about. Galli says…
Those steeped in the grace of God know there is no difference between freedom and obedience, and that the spiritual life is all about being compelled. Jeremiah says he cannot hold in the message God has given him (Jer. 20:9). Paul feels obligated to preach to Gentiles (Rom. 1:14). Jesus describes salvation in a parable in which servants compel people to come to a banquet (Luke 14:23). What is the life of faith but one compelled by the love of God to love others? Grace is so extraordinary; it has been known to compel people to do extraordinary things, to do things that fill one with dread, to go to places one would rather not go—like church.
Well said, Mr. Galli. I’m indebted to you. : )
