Blessing the New Year

New Year's Eve 2011 landed on a Saturday, which gave me an excuse to try something new at church.  We offered a Festival of the New Year which included worship, supper, board games, puzzles, karaoke, and a late-night blessing.

Each family was given a biodegradable sky lantern to decorate with their hopes for 2012.  Some wrote with words, others drew pictures.  

Prior to igniting and releasing the lantern, our pastor offered this prayer:

Another year has turned its page, O Lord.

We feel promises about to be fulfilled, hopes that may be realized,
And sorrows unknown – that may become ours to bear.

All of this, we carry into a New Year.

We declare at the doorway into this year, that our trust is not
In any man or woman to fulfill us,

Nor is our trust in circumstance,
Or a belief that the days ahead will be easy.

We do not expect, in this New Year, for our every prayer
To be answered in a way we would like.
You are in control, and we release our lives to you.

We then proceeded outside and sent one lantern at a time up into the sky.  As the Ullestad family lantern floated away, a Christmas lyric kept running through my head...

"The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight."

Happy New Year everyone.

Iowa Pride

The eyes of American politics are fixed on my home state today for the Iowa Caucus.

For many of us, this is a day when we rejoice in our newfound freedom from political surveys, phone calls, and advertisements.  It's also a day when we receive a disproportionate amount of praise and criticism as the unofficial launching pad of the 2012 Presidential Campaigns.

I love living in Iowa.  I've had several opportunities to leave in recent years, but I can't imagine living anywhere else.  (For two years I lived in Illinois, but my wife worked in Iowa and we spent most of our free time West of the Mississippi.)  That isn't to say I don't occasionally dream of moving to places like Denver, Portland, or  Chicago...but I don't think I could ever leave.

A group of filmmakers made a clever (albeit, crass) video extolling some of the great things about Iowa.  For example:

• The first female lawyer in America came from Iowa in 1869
• 4 out of 5 Iowans live in the city
• 1 Iowa farmer feeds 155 people
• The average Iowa farm is larger than 300 football fields
• Iowa has the 6th lowest unemployment in the nation
• Des Moines was ranked the richest metro in the country, and the 2nd happiest
• The computer was invented at Iowa State University

The video, as well as dozens of other pro-Iowa articles, have likely been in response to an unfortunate piece written by Stephen Bloom in The Atlantic online a few weeks ago.  An essay that had lots of helpful observations, but was mired in inaccuracies and unnecessary generalizations. 

For my part as a resident of the Des Moines metro, I appreciate the quality education my children receive at public schools, reasonable cost of living, increased ethnic and religious diversity, and progressive business strategies that attract new companies in the area.  We don't have to drive far to spend a day in the country; nor are we more than a few hours away from major cities.  Yeah, the weather sucks at times and I wish we had a professional sports team.  But our housing bubble didn't burst in the last few years, we can get anywhere we need to be in 15 minutes, and I can go to a Farmer's Market almost every day and talk directly to the people who grow the food I eat.

Iowa is a pretty sweet place to live.  I'm proud to call it home, and I'm happy that (at least once every four years) millions of other people get to see how special it is to be an Iowan.

Poor Children

Early Saturday morning, while on a high school retreat, I stumbled upon a sound bite that I found particularly upsetting.  As a resident of Iowa, I'm no stranger to political rhetoric descending upon our fair state every four years for the Presidential Caucuses.  Yet, there was something about this nugget (offered by current front-runner, Newt Gingrich) that I found offensive.

“Really poor children in really poor neighborhoods have no habit of working, and have nobody around them who works.  So they literally have no habit of showing up on Monday.  They have no habit of staying all day.  They have no habit of ‘I do this, and you give me cash’ unless it’s illegal.”

I posted this quote on my Facebook page just to see what my friends (many of whom are pastors, teachers, and social workers) thought.  Within a couple of hours, over 30 responses - many of them lengthy - were posted.  Some expressing agreement with the statements, most expressing outrage and incredulity.

A brief exchange on the Tony Kornheiser radio program articulates my feelings on the matter.

Kevin Sheehan- Newt Gingrich is the front runner now in a lot of polls...in Iowa.  He said something last week that I know you, Tony, wanted to respond to.  He said the following [reads quote]: 

Tony Kornheiser- That’s a pretty broad brush that he uses to paint.  I have no doubt that is occasionally true in some households, but I think that it is also true in wealthy households too.  I just think it is more true that people go out and try and work and do the best that they can, and often, because of a lack of money, have to take public transportation long distances to work.  I think that’s an unfortunate statement.  I think you can defend it by finding some miniscule amount of people who do that, but I don’t know how that helps you get votes. 

Gary Braun- You don’t think there’s some people who hear that, and are like “YEAH!”? 

David Aldridge- Dog Whistle, Tony.  Dog Whistle.  It’s all about appealing to your base.  And Newt’s base of conservative voters wants to believe the story that poor people are poor because they chose to be poor, and all they want to do is... 

Kornheiser - ...lie around heaven all day...

Braun - ...suck off the government teet.... 

Aldridge - Yes, and that’s the narrative that they want to believe.  And so, he feeds them that narrative. 

Speaking in generalities is dangerous, especially when it's a wealthy adult describing the circumstances surrounding poor children.  Though I believe that our political system is broken beyond repair, I hope that there can be some civil discourse in the next year surrounding issues of poverty, hunger, and education.

For additional information about children in poverty, consider exploring these web sites:

Fight Poverty
National Center for Children in Poverty
Change
ELCA - Hunger & Poverty

Be John

an edited version of an article originally posted on my old blog - January 12, 2009

When you’ve grown up in the church and been a “professional” in youth ministry for nearly 8 years, you hear a lot of cliched sayings.  ”What Would Jesus Do?”…”Sinner and Saint”…”Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner”…”Personal Lord and Savior”…”God Has a Sense of Humor”…etc.

One of the sayings that has always made me squirm a little is when people say that youth ministers are called to “Be Jesus” to kids.  The point is for ministers to bring young people closer to Christ by emulating what Jesus embodied.  While I understand the intent, the idea that anyone can truly “Be Jesus” seems disingenuous to me.

All around the world this weekend, the thousands of churches who use the Revised Common Lectionary will hear the story of John the Baptist crying out in the wilderness, preparing the way for Jesus.  Many who listened to John believed him to be the Messiah.  However, he repeatedly said "I am not".

Neither am I.  Neither are you.

The task of being Jesus is too daunting for me.  Following Jesus is something I try to do daily; but something I fail at just as often.  Jesus was perfect; I am not.  I can’t be Jesus, but I can be John — “the voice of one crying out in the wilderness”.  

Perhaps, in doing so, we can bring people closer to Christ than if we’re trying to “be Jesus”.

Jesus Drives a Backhoe

While reading Isaiah 40 this week my mind wandered onto the idea of topography.  Perhaps it's because I use RunKeeper when I run, so I'm hypersensitive to how changes in elevation affect speed and pace.  Or maybe I was exposed to an inordinate amount of road construction in my neighborhood these past few months.  Whatever.


Consider...

‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,   make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up,   and every mountain and hill be made low;the uneven ground shall become level,   and the rough places a plain.' 

Jesus is coming to flatten everything.  


For me, the implications are clear: God, in the form of Jesus, is coming to level the playing field.  He's coming in with a sociological and theological backhoe to move some dirt around and gather us all to the same place.  


   ...a place where we stare into the face of both neighbor and stranger and call them "friend". 
   ...a place where we encounter the divine tragedy of humanity.  
   ...a place where Christ promises to be present.  
   ...a place where we are redeemed and made whole.


Jesus is driving a backhoe, and, by the grace of God, the world will never be the same.

Basketball Fever

I haven't blogged in a while, and I kinda miss it.  So instead of jumping back into things with a treatise on the demise of denominational structure in America, or why Millennials are more generous and charitable than GenXers or Boomers...allow me to share a completely arbitrary list.

The Top Ten Basketball Players of My Lifetime.

Why?

1. I'm a huge basketball fan. Huge. Probably in an unhealthy way.  It's the greatest game ever invented.
2. The NBA Lockout is making me grumpy.  
3. I just got NBA TV a couple of weeks ago...and I'm loving it.
4. Monday was the 20-year anniversary of Magic Johnson's announcement that he had contracted the HIV virus.  It's the most poignant basketball-related moment of my life.  I still remember where I was when I heard the press conference.
5. My son just started his first basketball league this week.  I'm probably a little too excited to watch his games and coach him up in the driveway.

Here's the criteria / disclaimers for my top-ten list:

• the years in consideration are 1979-present
• stats are important, but not the only factor
• championships don't matter (Robert Horry has 8, Charles Barkley has 0...but nobody is arguing that Horry is a better player than Barkley)
• college career isn't a factor; only their professional years
• I'm unapologetically biased toward a certain style of player (great passing, team-oriented, fundamentally sound, highly competitive)
• I'll probably change my mind within 30 minutes of posting

Honorable Mention (in no particular order):

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - greatest scoring center ever and one of the best players of all time.  However, during my lifetime (1979-1988) he was slightly better than average, but not force to be reckoned with.

Shaquille O'Neal - physically intimidating, a guy you had to game plan for, but tremendously flawed.  He can't shoot.  When opposing teams intentionally put you on the free throw line late in the game, you can't be on the Top 10 list.

John Stockton / Karl Malone - I can't separate the two.  Neither player would be 1/2 as good without the other.  No duo ran the pick-and-roll better.  However, I always thought Stockton played dirty and Malone's carpetbagging with the Lakers made me respect him less.

David Robinson - hated leaving him off the list.  The Admiral was my favorite player growing up, and one of the greatest people ever.  That said, after he got owned in the 1995 playoffs, it was clear that he's not a top-tier player.

Scottie Pippen - most difficult player to rate.  I tend to think Jordan made him look 50% better than he really was.  Pippen had a chance to be The Man after Jordan's first retirement, but his numbers didn't increase and he became a petulant teammate.  Spent his last 6 seasons as a journeyman.  Can't put him on the list.

LeBron James - might be the best ever when it's all said and done, but at this point, he hasn't been able to put it all together.  He's an unbelievable physical specimen.  Shrinks when his team needs him the most.  Hasn't lived up to the hype...yet.

The Top Ten:

10.  Steve Nash - a quicker, smarter, better shooting version of John Stockton.  Nash made basketball fun to watch again, after the hand-checking, body-blocking era of the late-80s and early-90s (Pistons, Knicks, Heat, etc.)

9. Charles Barkley - the 2nd shortest guy on the list (nobody remembers he's only 6'4") but managed to lead the league in offensive rebounds for three consecutive years.  Tenacious competitor.  Few people played harder - and with greater success - than Sir Charles.

8. Dirk Nowitzki - no 7-footer should shoot the ball this well.  Seems to have improved his passing, footwork, and defense every year.  I love watching him play.

7. Kevin Garnett - nasty...angry...relentless.  Spent his best years suffering in Minnesota with a bunch of stiffs around him.  By the time he had a chance to play with great teammates, his knees were gone. 

6. Tim Duncan - best power forward of all time.  The Big Fundamental wasn't demonstrative.  He just dominated.  Stud on defense.  Great passer.  Probably my favorite player.

5. Kobe Bryant - killer instinct, especially with the game on the line.  Best pure scorer of my lifetime.  Would be higher, but he's a terrible teammate and sub-par passer.  I really dislike him, but I can't argue with his ability.

4. Hakeem Olajuwon - best center in my lifetime.  He routinely made excellent defensive players (Patrick Ewing, Robinson, Shaq, Abdul-Jabbar) look downright foolish.  Controlled the paint on both sides of the court.  Nobody passed out of a double-team better than Hakeem.

2b. Larry Bird - there was no shot or pass that was out of the realm of possibility for Larry.  Probably the 2nd most creative, cocky, and clutch player on the list.  I would have loved to see what would have happened if (a) his back didn't turn to jelly by the time he was 30 and (b) if Len Bias and Reggie Lewis had lived longer.  I wonder how his game would have evolved if he would have had 8-10 more seasons.

2a. Magic Johnson - 5 championships and 3 MVPs in 12 seasons. Played all 5 positions as a rookie in the 1980 Finals. Brought down the house at the 1992 All Star game. Tallest point guard and best passer ever.  (Oh, and he single-handedly changed the way the world views people with HIV/AIDS...no biggie.)

 

1. Michael Jordan - anyone who didn't respect MJ did so at their own peril.  SportsCentury's greatest athlete of all time.

What do you think?  Where did I get it wrong?  Who are some of your favorite basketball players?

Living Faith

I'm fascinated by the Lutheran understanding of vocation.  One of the best examples of vocational living is my friend, Peg Armstrong-Gustafson.  She recently received the Great Samaritan Award from our local Thrivent Chapter.  Here are the comments that were shared by Ruth Hiddleson at the awards presentation.

Peg Armstrong-Gustafson grew up in northeast Iowa near Decorah.  She was active in Future Farmers of America (FFA), elected state FFA reporter in 1975; later becoming the first woman state president and in 1977 became National FFA vice president and  subsequently the National FFA president.  Another reason for liking FFA, she met her husband Gregg through FFA. He was a district officer from Northwest Iowa.  The couple has a daughter Alex, a student at ISU. 

She attended Iowa State University where she earned a degree in animal science.Peg went on to graduate with an MBA from Drake University and has also studied international finance at City University in London. 

Although she has strong ties to Iowa, she is anything but tied down, having traveled to locations all over the world including Greece, Italy, England, Thailand, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Turkey and North and South Viet Nam. 

“I find every place I go beautiful because the people are just fascinating,” said Peg. “When I travel, I think, 'How can I experience this culture?'” 

With her enthusiasm for overseas travel and interest in cultures worldwide, it’s not surprising to learn that Peg’s business has a global purpose.  She is the founder of Amson Technology, LC, which provides consulting services in climate change, sustainability and carbon offsets.  Peg’s vision – and the vision of Amson Technology – is to alleviate world hunger through the sharing and application of technology to create a new sustainable agricultural footprint. 

Peg is the primary author of a methodology in which bacteria replaces nitrogen fertilizer to create a more sustainable agricultural production system in developing countries.  She explains, “The production of nitrogen fertilizer is very energy intensive and releases considerable carbon dioxide emissions.  If we can eliminate the application of nitrogen fertilizer on crops such as soybeans and cowpeas, we can permanently reduce the amount of nitrogen fertilizer produced – and avoid the carbon dioxide it creates.” 

Two summers ago, the UN gave approval for the broad application of this methodology – the first agricultural climate change methodology in the world. 

As part of the Kyoto Protocol, which industrialized countries have signed as a commitment to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases, it is a historic accomplishment in the area of climate change.  “Plants are the one thing that take carbon out of the air,” said Peg.  “The UN’s decision highlights how agriculture can provide solutions to climate change issues  while  feeding a growing world population.  While this initiative helps with climate change, the greatest value is that I am able to take agricultural technology to parts of the world that are starving and hopefully help them grow more food to feed themselves.  That is my goal. 

We work with the Lutheran World Relief workers on the ground in Africa.  They have the network of farmers that we need.  The UN mandated that the carbon reduction systems go to third world countries.  This is very important as the people in these countries get access to technology that they would never be able to pay for.  The key is we are taking these methods to parts of Africa where the people can be helped.  It’s a mutually beneficial project. The methodology teaches farmers better use of their water and land, which leads to increased crop yields, which leads to a higher caloric intake for the people in these communities.  Extra food that is not consumed can then be sold into the market place which helps improve their economic position.  It is an environmentally and economically sensible model.  The long term goal of the project is to see the new technology expand beyond the borders of the project and be adopted by all farmers to create a more sustainable and productive farming operation!" 

Who says one person doesn’t make a difference?