What Cooking Shows Might Be Telling Us About Ourselves

Right now, I am preaching through the Sermon on the Mount on Sunday mornings at Shiloh. Recently, we looked at Matthew 5:27–30, the famous passage where Jesus addresses sexual lust.

I came across some famous material from C. S. Lewis, which I did not use. Lewis was addressing the out-of-control sexual appetite that society was demonstrating. This was probably the 1940s or 1950s.

To illustrate, Lewis speculated what would happen were a throng to gather together in a venue. The emcee comes out with a covered plate, and, very dramatically, removes the cover off of the plate. On the plate is food, and the people cheer wildly.

Lewis stated that this would be ludicrous. Yet, Lewis noted, people, typically men, would gather in a burlesque club and cheer women, who would gradually unclothe themselves. This, according to Lewis, was a sign that the sexual appetite of people was out of control.

Recently, it occurred to me, that Lewis’ illustration serving as a foil for sexual appetites out of control, is actually taking place today. There are now dozens of shows devoted to cooking on television. Other shows feature cooking events. In both cases, chefs prepare elaborate dishes and unveil them before a wildly cheering audience.

In an era when obesity is a national health issue, and in an age when arguably our greatest health tribulations come upon us because of overeating, do these food programs serve as metaphors for a culture, whose physical appetites are nowhere close to being under control?

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. SUMMIT was good. I really appreciate getting to stay with Steve and Marsha Ridgell and spending a good deal of time with my old college roommate and Argentina teammate, Tim Archer. I am proud of their ministry at HERALD OF TRUTH.

2. Of all the speakers I heard, probably the most memorable was Shane Claiborne, author of IRRESISTIBLE REVOLUTION and JESUS FOR PRESIDENT. I guess this is because I expected him to be dogmatic and militant. Instead, he was funny and flexible.

3. I just finished reading Steinbrenner: The Last Lion of Baseball by Bill Madden. I found it mesmerizing—and I am not a Yankee fan.

4. Happy Birthday this Saturday, love of my life. Don’t worry, I won’t tell how old you are. (Not a problem, Judy never reads my blogs. She says she hears this stuff all of the time.)

5. Tomorrow, September 28, I turn 50. When I was 20, I never thought that, at fifty, I would look as old as I do, feel as good as I do, or be as happy as I am.

Popular Science

[This week I am attending SUMMIT at Abilene Christian University. This is from a blog I posted on January 16, 2009. I “re-blog” in honor of Stephen Hawking’s latest and controversial book—THE GRAND DESIGN]

            Francis S. Collins wrote a book a couple of months ago called The Language of God.  You may remember Collins as the head of the Human Genome Project.  This book is Collin's apologetic where he seeks to harmonize faith in God and science. Collins talks about his conversion to Christianity and his walk with God.  However, what interested me was the fact Collins believes God created the world through a process of evolution. Careful.  Collins is not a proponent of a godless universe, but he does believe strongly in evolution as used by God and explains his reasons. I do not believe in making one's interpretation of Genesis 1 and 2 a test for fellowship.  I know there are plenty of people who are Christians who believe God created the world through an evolutionary process.  Collins' book helps me understand how they think.

            As for me, I am somewhat in the middle.  Not being a scientist, I am not forced to align myself with a scientific theory.  As a student of Scripture, I definitely believe that the Bible is open for interpretation, especially regarding this subject.  For those who consider East Texas to be the backwoods of education, you might be surprised to know that I was raised in an environment and a church that was open-minded when it comes to the creation of the world.

            Instinctively, the members did not want to box themselves into either extreme.  On the one hand, I remember a Sunday school teacher quoting to us from Second Peter 3:8, "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." She said who knew how long God took to create the world or what process he used to do so.

         On the other hand, I remember a different teacher in Bible class questioning how much we can know about the formation of the world based upon simple observation, especially when all parties agreed that we were many years removed from the process.  I think Copernicus affirmed this a few hundred years ago, when he noted that all previous observations of the world were incorrect-- the Earth revolved around the sun rather than the sun revolved around the Earth.  The teacher's point was science is an evolving process (no pun intended.)  Who knows what the scientists of tomorrow will discover?

         So, today, I find myself being careful about marrying a position. Science is not God; science can be wrong. Medical science killed more presidents than assassins.  (Examples include the case of the doctors, who bled Washington to death after he caught a cold. Garfield was killed by well-intentioned doctors, who thought they had to remove a bullet from his body.  In attempting to capture the projectile, they gave Garfield an infection that killed him.)

         Religion can also be wrong. Who can forget that Galileo was condemned by the Church for his discoveries?

         We have become comfortable in the church with sophisticated biblical interpretation. No one in Christianity accuses a meteorologist of being atheist because he describes the arrival of snow via a storm system. Even those of us in Christianity who believe that God sends snow do not believe he did so by reaching into his storehouse and sprinkling it on the world (Job 38:22). We know that Job expressed truth about God in chapter 38 using poetry. All of us are comfortable with the unromantic realities of meteorological science.

         What Collins is doing is something I would like to see more people attempted to do: find the intersection between science and religion.  If we can achieve this, not only will our minds benefit, but our souls will as well.

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. Read LEE AND GRANT by Gene Smith for the third time. I say I read it, what I did was listen to an unabridged, audio version. I own a hard copy, and when I hear something interesting, I will highlight it in my book as soon as I can.

            Gene Smith is one of my favorite writers. His books are popular works of history—easy to read. He is a good story teller. LEE AND GRANT offers the world a biography of two fascinating men—U. S. Grant and Robert E. Lee—two compelling subjects. You might guess since this is the third time for me, I really like it.

2. Sometimes, you experienced something in childhood you want your kids to experience. Typically, they are not impressed.

            When I was a boy in the 60s, a TV show came on, Saturday morning, called THE CHILDREN’S HOUR. They broadcasted movies for children made by filmmakers all over the world. I have always remembered one I saw as a boy—SKINNY AND FATTY.

            The story took place in post WWII Japan. It was about a large, obese boy, who entered a school. Other children made fun of him and tried to make him an outcast. He was befriended by a skinny boy, and together they had a series of adventures. In the midst of the action, a compelling friendship was formed.

            The movie was very touching to me, obviously. I found a copy on YOUTUBE and showed it to Judy and my children. They loved it.

            This gave me immense pleasure.

3. It is always good to return to places that impacted your life. Yesterday I attended worship services at the SOUTHERN HILLS CHURCH OF CHRIST in Abilene and the NORTH MAIN CHURCH OF CHRIST in Winters. I love these churches and enjoyed catching up with some of their members. The churches are different in a lot of ways because their mission contexts are different. Yet both share a passion for taking Jesus to the people. Both do a good job doing so.


4. I heard Rick Atchley open SUMMIT last night. For thirty years this guy has been bringing it in the pulpit. He amazes me. Truly, he possesses a gift for preaching. Only the Lord knows how much of Rick's stuff I have appropriated through the years. I hope I have done a good job giving him credit when I do. Unfortunately, I am sure there has been way too many times when I either forgot to give him credit or forgot that I had gotten it from him.


5. Look out. The Cowboys may have constructed the one scenario that will take them to the Super Bowl. In the span of eight days, not only have they removed all Super Bowl expectations, many have eliminated the Cowboys from the playoff hunt. 16 games makes for a long season. There is plenty of time for the Cowboys to recover. (See the San Diego Chargers the past few seasons.) Wade Phillips' team performs best flying under the radar.

Can a Christian Serve on the Police Force?

Well, as of right now, Reverend Terry Jones is not going to burn the Quran. I am certainly pleased about that. I have not heard a single Christian in Tyler say, “Burn the Quran? What a great idea!”

I heard much talk last week about the lives of military men and women becoming more threatened. I heard renewed debate in some quarters about whether or not Christians could or should serve in the Armed Forces.

Of course, throughout history, there have been a number of Christians who have been pacifists or conscientious objectors. In the Restoration Movement, of which I am a part, there was a strain of believers who were pacifists. I have good friends today who are pacifists, and I respect them greatly. I also disagree with them, and I hope it is in a very agreeable way.

Today, I want to mention only one reason for my disagreement. I will do so in the form of a question, which I have never heard raised: can a Christian serve on the police force?

After all, throughout history, have there not been leaders and officers in police departments throughout the world who have been corrupt? Furthermore, are there not times when men and women in the police force are called upon to take the lives of other human beings? Is not an occasional byproduct of police action violence and the destruction to human beings and property?

I see many parallels between serving in the police department and serving in the military. Perhaps, those who see a difference between the two have good reasons for their beliefs. Perhaps, there are some who believe it is wrong for a Christian to serve in the police department AND in the military. Either way, I would be delighted to hear from you–either in comments on this blog or in a personal way such as email or Facebook.

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. I am ready to use my iPhone in my vehicles. Anybody found an effective means of doing so? I have yet to meet a person who is satisfied with the FM frequency option.

2. I am currently investigating whether or not Alex Barron is Phil Pozderac’s biological son.

3. I have never attended ACU’s Summit. The last time I was able to attend the old Lectureship was when we lived in West Texas in 2006. I am looking forward to attending Summit next week.

4. I am about to finish JUDE with my Sunday night audience. I am tempted to preach NUMBERS next.

5. The longer I think about it, the more I think it is essential that ETCA get its weight room running again for the athletes. I believe they are not as physically strong as last year. The school's new move has been good; and ETCA can continue to get better, which will in turn attract more students. 

The Fire

Well, it is Labor Day. This is one of my favorite days of the year. I want to share a story that occurred almost 100 years ago. I want to use it as an impetus for addressing the election of 2010 and other elections. I want to frame it within, I hope, the teachings of Jesus and the rest of the Word of God.

Here is the story. On March 25, 1911, a fire broke out at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company in New York City. It was a horrific catastrophe. 155 people were killed. Many of these were immigrants, including a number of children. The fire took place on the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors of this garment factory.

When the workers discovered the fire, there were no means of escape. Witnesses, including some hard-boiled reporters, were haunted until the day they died by the scene of young women and children, some of whom were on fire, hurling themselves from high floors and landing on the pavement. They threw themselves out the windows in one last, desperate grasp at life.

Looking back, we cringe reading about the conditions present in many of these factories. Clearly the owners violated God's repeated warnings against “man's inhumanity against man.” Unfortunately, due to negligence, greed, and the simple self-centeredness of human sin, not much had been done. However, this fire helped motivate to motivate the local, state, and federal governments pass legislation to address the horrific conditions that existed in the sweatshops.

This is a good example of government acting in bringing about good results for its citizens.

There is another extreme on the opposite end of the spectrum from the political environment that allows for sweatshops. I have lived in a country that aspired to eradicate all forms of poverty, oppression, and injustice. Because of this, the government became extraordinarily active in passing laws to help people and bring about economic equality. I have seen other countries that have attempted to do the same thing.

One of two problems typically results from this strategy, and sometimes both. First, a nation can run out of money. Second, more and more people can become less and less inspired to offer their society a good and honest day’s work.

Scripture addresses two extremes in human nature when it comes to work. Proverbs, for example, deals with work in many of its verses. Some verses address the sins of greed and its twin, exploitation. Other verses address the sin of laziness and idleness. Still more address the sin of “get-rich-quick”, which can fit under the umbrella of all of the above.

I believe, that in the United States, we are fortunate to have politicians and elected public servants, who are concerned about both extremes. Some are primarily dedicated to the cause of social justice. They want to protect people from the consequences of greed and institutions that treat human beings like widgets in a factory assembly line.

Others are dedicated to the cause of public stewardship of funds and personal liberty. They want to make sure that our country handles its money well, and that it always provides an environment, whereby an individual can have a free and equal opportunity to provide for himself and his family and achieve the excellence he seeks in his field.

Because all of these concerns are passionately felt, we will always experience tension. This might be good.  

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. I finished THREE NIGHTS IN AUGUST last week. Written by Buzz Bissenger (and Tony LaRussa), the book follows LaRussa during a crucial three game series with the Chicago Cubs in August, 2003. Filled with narrative background as well as detailed baseball strategy, the book serves as a primer for what goes on in the mind of a Major League Baseball manager. I recommend it.

2. Josh Hamilton—the quality I love you about you is the very quality that breaks my heart: your all-encompassing effort. Please get well soon; and ease off crashing into walls and sliding into first base.

3. Here is my pick for the Super Bowl: Green Bay Packers vs. New York Jets.

4. I watched THE BRONX IS BURNING while working out on my treadmill last week. Consequently, I can’t get the old song from the Ramones –“BLITZKRIEG BOP”—out of my mind. I am probably going to have to download it from iTunes.

5. I saw THE LADY KILLERS last night on TV, late. Tom Hanks headlines the cast playing a southern con man posing as a professor of the Classics. It was so funny I laughed out loud several times. 

When I Grow Up

I was delighted to read an essay my eight-year-old daughter, Annie, composed the other day. Among other things she wrote: 

When I grow up I want to be a[n] african american doctor. I will fly to Africa and live there! I love Africa because I want to learn African american words!

Having lived in a foreign nation in Latin America for five years, I must say I am pleased at Annie’s enthusiasm to learn other cultures.

Also, there is something delightful I find in Annie’s innocent irony.

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. Two years ago, I came across a book in the public library. It was on cassette tape. It was unabridged and on sale for $2.00. It was called SEARCHING FOR THE INVISIBLE GOD, and it was by Philip Yancey. I had heard of Yancey, but I had never read any of his books.

One Wednesday evening, shortly thereafter, I was driving to Henderson for a speaking engagement, and I decided to pop a tape into my cassette player. I enjoyed the book at first. Gradually, I grew to deeply appreciate it. So much so, I began reading other works of his.

I have begun reading this book again. Wow, what a great read. He plumbs the depths, but he does not go too deep. On the other hand, he offers clear, easy to read illustrations. I love reading Yancey!

2. Found out yesterday that Jane Leavy is coming out with a new book this Fall. It will be a biography of Mickey Mantle and it will be called THE LAST BOY. If this is remotely as good as her book on Sandy Koufax, it will be one of the most influential baseball books ever written.

3. In light of our ministry to autistic children, I want to see TEMPLE GRANDIN.

4. I had a humorous (at least I thought it was humorous) reflection on turning fifty and working out with my daughters’ volleyball team last week. It involved feeling lightheaded and pondering the possibilities of fainting during my workout. However, a friend of mine collapsed yesterday after our worship service. They took him to the hospital and checked him out. He’s going to be okay, thankfully. Now, though, my little piece seems insensitive.

            Life’s reality is simple. When a twenty year old feels light-headed, he probably is light-headed. You're surprised or even shocked when something worse develops. When you’re my age and feel light-headed, you are acutely aware that you should pay attention. You never know when a major health issue could be lurking around the corner. And major health issues for people my age are not a cause for shock. Sadness, maybe, but not shock. You see it, unfortunately, occur too much.

5. Okay, Cowboys, what was that Saturday night? I’ve seen you do this before and bounce back fine during the regular season. Unfortunately, with the injuries to the offensive line, I am not sure if this will be normal.

Order in the Court

This week our family began implementing THE FAMILY RULES by Matthew A. Johnson. It is a creative way to bring discipline, order, structure, and boundaries to a family. (Why in the world would the Edges need this?!)

Our system is based upon Johnson’s book, POSITIVE PARENTING WITH A PLAN. The idea is that in clearly communicating family rules and expectations and enforcing those rules with “good habit cards,” operating in a manner that is correct and consistent (holding even parents accountable), a parent will never have to yell, stress out, cry, cajole, or make a fool of himself to bring out decent behaviors and attitudes in children.

So far, so good. Yet, even Johnson warns, look out for testing, threats, coercion, pitting parent against parent and other negative behaviors from the children. He even warns parents to watch out themselves for these behaviors.

I have enough experience with families, churches, and other systems to know what he is talking about. I have found that everyone wants order, until it creates disorder for one’s self.

Let me put it another way. There is a reason disorder, what I like to call “unholy chaos,” exists—members of the system prefer it. Oh, they may not say so, but their complicity belies that desire. This is the systems version of, “Don’t mess with me, and I won’t mess with you.”

The problem, of course, is that in any system, people having the freedom to act as they wish could easily lead to disorder. Personal boundaries are extended too wide. Personal space is violated. It’s the college apartment, where no one does the dishes, and one day a guy reaches for a plate—only to discover there is literally not a clean dish in the house. NOW, he is for discipline, or for a maid.

The moment that disorder is addressed, discomfort seeps in. “Hey, HE needs to be held accountable, not me.” My disorder being addressed signifies my need for change in behavior and attitude. That is always hard. It is easier to evade responsibility, blame the new rules, or new structure and attempt to restore the old system.

We all want to play our “get out of discipline free card.” You have enough people who feel that way and, voila! You have an unruly system.

On the other hand, you get enough people who are sick of not having any clean dishes, and then you have hope of restoring order.  Even better, if the leaders of the system are enthusiastic about “getting caught” so that they will be discipline by the group, group morale increases.

I can’t tell you the mileage I received by getting caught the other night at the dinner table and having to pick a “good habit” card. (“Daddy got caught!”) I think Judy and I have already proven we will allow ourselves to be held accountable. Now, can we be disciplined enough to hold our children accountable? Will we invest the time necessary? Time will tell.

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. I finished a fascinating book last week—THE INVENTION OF AIR by Steven Johnson. It is a biography, more or less, of Joseph Priestly, telling of his scientific work in the 18^th century in electricity and chemistry, with a special telling of his role in the discovery of oxygen. However, the British Priestly played an influential part in the American Revolution, and beyond, because of his work as a theological and political thinker. He forged unique relationships with Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams—relationships that impacted the thought processes of the three Americans.

            To me, the most fascinating line in the entire book was this, “Clearly one lesson is that Priestley—and his kindred spirits in London, Birmingham, Quincy, and Monticello—refused to compartmentalize science, faith, and politics. They saw those three systems not as separate intellectual fiefdoms, but rather as a continuum, or a connected web” (p. 211.)

            Hasn’t much of the complaint we have heard over the past two decades that of the need to segregate science, religion, and politics?

2. Should I be getting nervous over the lack of scoring by the Dallas Cowboy offense in the preseason? 

3. I started a new series on the book of JUDE last night for our Sunday night group. I think we got off to a good start. I hope preaching JUDE proves not to be a mistake.

4. Cliff Lee is definitely in a slump. When will he get out? I think soon.

5. Andy Woods’ new school looks good. 

Be Careful What You Wish For

John Wooden was the greatest American coach of the twentieth century. One reason, so many organizations voted him this honor, was because his UCLA teams won ten national championships. With this in mind, of all of the things John Wooden ever wrote, two paragraphs stand out to me as the most intriguing. The following quote is not a misprint:

Many times I have suggested to interested observers that if I ever met a magical genie who could grant me two wishes, I knew what they would be. First, for those many coaches whom I respect and have warm feelings toward I would wish each one a national championship.

For those few coaches for whom I have less-than-warm feelings, my wish would be that they win many national championships. However, in truth, I’m not sure I would wish that on anybody. [Italics mine.]

Why would John Wooden write this? Because his life became practically unbearable after winning so many championships, and by “practically” I mean just that—life was no longer practical under the structure of so much “success.” As the amount of championships Wooden’s teams won increased, so too did the amount of attention Wooden received. Questions from reporters and fans, crowds forming around him, requests for his time—all of the demands reached a disproportionate level in his life.

As Wooden wrote in his book, WOODEN ON LEADERSHIP, “I felt more and more that crowds were closing in and enveloping me. I seemed to be constantly surrounded. This great frenzy of activity and attention was more than unwelcome; it was unnatural.”

Finally, Wooden concluded that his life had become irrevocably out of balance. “Balance is crucial in everything we do…. The body has to be in balance; the mind has to be in balance; emotions must be in balance. Balance is important everywhere and in everything we do.”

“Unfortunately, over the last years of my coaching at UCLA things had gotten out of balance. Perhaps my subconscious mind figured out that the only way to regain the balance I required personally and professionally was to leave the game I love.”

And he did. He announced his retirement, and two days later, UCLA won its final national championship for John Wooden.

Man was not created to be a rock star. At some point, what we call success is really a disaster in the making, not unlike a hurricane forming off of a coast.

We see people experience what Wooden describes all of the time; we just don’t recognize it. Moreover, we lock in on the aberrant behavior that people typically demonstrate in a sad attempt to cope.

I think these pressures are what often lie behind the star, who overdoses on drugs, and even takes his or her own life. I believe Wooden is describing some of the background behind Tiger Woods’ self-destructive behavior. The proverbial “cry for help” really is that. Life has hurled itself out of balance. The “successful” person desperately searches for a means to bring it back into stability.

The Beatles were before my time, but I think it is fascinating to trace the arc of the world’s most successful rock band. In 1966, they chose to discontinue touring. Crowds had become too wild. Life had become too chaotic. Therefore, the Beatles decided to accelerate their drug use (abuse), produce studio albums, and travel to India to study with the Maharishi.

None of those actions were enough. Finally, the band disbanded.

I take from all of this a warning. In a culture that accentuates “success,” there is a level of “success” that is too far. Cross that line, and you cross the threshold marking off the restraints that help keep life in check.

I believe these realties lay behind God’s decision to sabotage the Tower of Babel. (“The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.”)

After pondering these issues and many more, the writer of Ecclesiastes offered some sage advice, “11:13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”

In our culture, we see illustration, after illustration, after illustration, detailing for us the price of too much success. Maybe the writer of Ecclesiastes is right—maybe we should redefine what life’s great need is, and what life’s great success is.

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. Timothy Edge has a new hobby. He has given up magic for chess. He has really gotten into chess. At last, I found what motivates him to read. He reads a chess book that teaches checkmate moves while he plays his older sisters in chess matches. Hey, whatever it takes. As for magic, I guess his last trick was his best one. He has made his magic tricks disappear from the Edge household.

2. Buzz has already begun on Edmund Morris’ final volume of his biography of Theodore Roosevelt. It will be called COLONEL ROOSEVELT and is set to release late November early December. If it is anything like the first two volumes, it will be a marvelous work. Coupling Morris, the writer, with a subject so compelling as Theodore Roosevelt, and you’ve got a categorical nightmare. Is it great literature or history? I think both. By the way, if Random House would like for me to do an in-depth review, all they need to do is send me an advanced copy. I’ll gladly take care of the rest.

3. I had a great time at the North Street church of Christ in Nacogdoches, Texas yesterday. Every August, they bring in a different preacher and his wife each weekend of the month. They put the couple up in the Fredonia Hotel (built in 1955 and restored, it is a neat place to stay.) Sunday morning, the preacher teachers a combined Bible class and preaches. It is sort of like a weekly lectureship for August.

            The church has a marvelous campus ministry to Stephen F. Austin University. Their campus presence is known as the “Yellow House” and has been a present for a few decades now.

            I’ve known Dr. Michael Harbour, their preacher, since 1995, when we both lived in the valley of Texas. He has a marvelous mind, as well as, other assorted skills, and I think is the ideal fit for that ministry context.

            I have some old friends that attend there and it was so good to see them. Parents of some of our Shiloh folks attend North Street also; I was grateful to get to know them.

            Thank you North Street.

4. Three out of five against Boston and New York—not a bad homestand Texas Rangers. And over 235,000 fans attended the homestand. I can remember when 235,000 fans represented a little less than a third of the season’s attendance.

5. School starts this week at ETCA. I knew summer would be over in a hurry!