Author: Pastor'sPonderings

Just a guy who asks questions, considers life and tries not to take any of it for granted

Into The Woods…more than a Fairy Tale (in a bad way)

woods

***Spoiler Alert****
If you don’t want to know about this movie before you see it, then stop reading.

“And they lived happily ever after”…oh wait they don’t.
That’s right, Jack (the bean stalk Jack) is orphaned.
Little Red Riding hood is too.
The Baker is a widower.
The Baker’s wife cheats on her husband then dies.
Have I forgotten anything else?  Oh, yeah the witch commits suicide.
And fairy tale endings now suck.

This is my impression of the recent Disney release of musical made for movie film – “Into the Woods”.
I didn’t watch any stage productions of this before watching the film…maybe I should have.
I can’t but help feel jipped somehow.  I feel like this movie was portrayed to be some sort of Kids movie in the advertising only to find out that it wasn’t…it really wasn’t.  In a way I feel like I’ve been taken by a snake-oil salesman.
Sure, there were some funny moments in the film.
There were some intriguing scenes.

Here come the “Buts”…
But perhaps the writer(s) real life experiences spilled over into this script…
but the plot was thin.
but the actors were a little stiff.
but the message was cynical at best and dark at worst.

hugo
I feel like I just watched the movie “Hugo” all over again.
Do you remember that film?  It was also portrayed to be some sort of kids movie with mystery and awe…but it just turned out to be an adult homage to a long retired film maker.

Perhaps you’ll disagree with me…that’s fine.
We all have our opinions and this is just mine.
Perhaps you have more sense of this movie than I do, and you actually saw the musical on stage.
I didn’t like it.
I felt cheated out of two hours of my life.
shrekI went to the movies expecting this to be a funny Shrek-like film when what we got was a Fable-turned Shakespearean tragedy full of “life sucks” themes.
My kids were unimpressed.
I just can’t buy into this philosophy.
Who knows…maybe this film just wasn’t for me…but advertisers: could you have just been honest with us?

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Could Communion Be Overshadowing Something More Important?

Sometimes, perhaps, Christians become so focused upon one aspect of the Jesus’ teachings that it nearly overshadows another important teaching – humility and service.
What I mean is that Jesus breaking the bread and pouring the wine was not the only aspect of becoming like Christ for His disciples.  The act in and of itself was not mysterious, but it was significant.  Jesus spoke to His disciples and the crowds using Rabbinical parables to illustrate and to teach.  Is it really much of a stretch then to consider He was using the Passover bread and wine to do the same here?  Of course not!

The Path To Sacrificial Love:
In order to become like Christ in every way, Jesus does something more significant for His disciples at Passover – He washes their feet.  Towards the end of the meal, as recorded in John 13:13-15, Jesus gets up takes off his outer garments and puts a towel around His waist.  He then pours water into a basin and does the unthinkable.  He stoops down low, kneels before His students, in essence becoming a servant or slave to them and washes their feet.  Talk about significant!  Jesus illustrates for His disciples how to serve others.  Isn’t that the path to sacrificial love?  Shouldn’t this become our focal point more often in our living rather than a monthly or weekly ceremonial breaking of the bread?

But Get This…
What if one of these things lead to the other?
What I mean by that is this: What if by serving your fellow parishioners, neighbors, even enemies led to holy communion with one another?  I don’t mean simply going to the nearest church and participating in a communion service, I mean literal fellowship…holy fellowship with one another because we are willing to place each other before ourselves…what if?
What would happen then?  Do you see what I’m saying?  It is so much harder to do than a ceremony.  It is so much more strenuous to “get along” with others let alone serve one another…but isn’t that the path to sacrificial love?

The Cart Before The Horse…
Sure, it’s most likely assumed that these two elements of Christ’s teachings go together, but do they really in today’s “Christian” world?  I mean it’s simple to follow through the motions on a simple ritual week after week in church, but is it really that simple to become like Christ by becoming the servant and serving those around us?   I would contend that it is not.  It is much easier to say the words than to live out the context of those words.  Could it be that before holy fellowship (as I described it above) can be performed one must take off their outer garments, place a towel around the waist and serve?
Jesus said, “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:21)…what would happen if our treasure was two-fold (1) Christ and then (2) others?  Would we have to look very far to see either?  NO!

John 13:12-17 – “When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.“

Something more to ponder today.
To God be the glory!

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What’s Killing The Church And Is It A Bad Thing?

The Church is dying at least in the traditional sense.
Perhaps it is not visibly seen in the mega church realms yet, but something is taking place in churches all around the United States.  If one were to look solely at church attendance through the lens of entities such as the Barna group, one would see that the decline is quite remarkable and seems to continue trending this way for years to come.

Perhaps we have been asking the “why” question for quite some time now.
Perhaps that’s not the right question.
Perhaps the question we should be asking ourselves is this:  “Is this really a bad thing?”

We are currently living in a world where spiritualism is on the rise while an individual identification of a specific religion is at an all time low.  One might say that this is a terrible trend.  One could argue, and rightly so, that spiritualism leads to many roads and many uncertain practices.  Recently even Pope Benedict XVI chastised the leadership of the Catholic church for it’s polarizing mission.

Is the death of “Church” really a bad thing? 
Pristine buildings.
Ritual practices.
Worship songs devoid of meaning.
Sermons with the same rhetoric and religious jargon.
…you get my point don’t you?
It sounds quite cynical I know.
But sometimes certain truths should be peeled back.
Sometimes we must allow our eyes to look upon the ugly cancerous parts of the church.
When the heart no longer follows the path of the holy.
When certain practices become high places and replaces the Most High.
Could it be that the death of “Church” is due to its first love being replaced with hollow practice, shallow traditions devoid of the Divine?   I hope not, I really do.

But, if this is truly the case, is the death of such a shallow form really so bad after all?
Could it be that out of its ashes an authentic remnant, a reinvigorated, holy people shall rise again?  Isn’t that sort of biblical?  Every time the Hebrew people prostituted themselves out to foreign gods and false, shallow practices God led them into a time of spiritual death through captivity through foreign powers.

Is this a wake up call? 
Is this a call into a deeper holiness?
Is this a warning to discard all that would distract?
Are we what Christ intended His disciples to become?
Are we still growing…or is our growth stunted, atrophied and broken?

Not to sound like a cliche’ but we cannot afford to simply go through the motions of religious practice.
We weren’t saved for this purpose.
We are all called to higher, more holy purpose.
Do we know what that holy purpose is anymore?
Have we lost our way?

I sure hope not…I really do.
Something more to ponder today.
To God be the glory!

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it IS a wonderful life! (Poem)

Tonight,
as the lights on the Christmas tree twinkled
as the fire crackled and popped
hissing at dampened wood
as the family gathered around the sofa
bundled together in love
it IS a wonderful life!

Tonight,
as we shared the story of Jesus
as we talked, laughed and reclined
within this moment,
within each other’s presence
was presents enough for me
it IS a wonderful life!

Tonight,
as George Bailey’s heart is warmed again
with town’s people gloriously giving
and songs are shared
and joy is dispersed
we find these moments to grasp at
we find these moments and glimpses of heaven
and…
it IS a wonderful life!

SES 12-24-14

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Light is never buried (A poem)

We said goodbye
to her dazzling smile
the glow of her light
dimmed, flickered and died.
We bid farewell
to her stunning song
the last refrain
the tears…
of pain.
We mourned for her
beneath a banyan tree
with arms dug deep
into the ground.
Our wetted eyes
the deep groanings
of our throats
we buried her
song, her love, her light
and yet she will shine
brightly forevermore
within us all.

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Dear Salvation Army, Warning – Spiritual Alzheimer’s and Atrophy!

Pope Francis recently criticized his own church’s bureaucratic leaders of being power hungry and having spiritual Alzheimer’s.
Wow!  Hearing those words strewn together for me has become a warning of sorts to us here in the Army.  This is something very practical that I believe we too face in the Army.

power
Politics & Bureaucracy:
Politics and bureaucracy exists in every church regardless of denomination.
Believe it or not, dear soldier, we too have this struggle in our army.   We too have, at times, individual leaders who suffer from spiritual Alzheimer’s .  We too have, at times, have individual leaders who are afflicted with spiritual atrophy of the heart.  Politics and favoritism is nothing new and it certainly does happen within this army too.  Does that make it ever right?  Absolutely not.  Can God intercede?  He certainly can and He will.

crest6The Real Danger In Our Army:
You see, dear soldier, the real danger in our Army doesn’t come from outside, it comes from within.
We can be our own worst enemies at times.  We can get so caught up in preserving these political games and regulations that we, in effect, execute fellow soldiers for it.  The danger in our army IS SPIRITUAL ALZHEIMER’S!  The danger in our army is SPIRITUAL ATROPHY!  This can happen not just to people within executive levels of leadership though, don’t fool yourself into thinking you are immune, No!  This can happen to anyone within our ranks of this Army!  Be careful!  Watch out!  Don’t lose sight of who you serve and why you serve!


To the power hungry: 
Your craving for power will eventually ruin you.
Your lust for positions and destroy your ministry.

To those afflicted:
You have become the church of Laodicea…so watch out!
Turn back!  Seek repentance.  God will not honor your efforts of lukewarm spirituality!
He will not honor these petty offerings of lip service and displays of “soldiership”.  God knows our hearts!
God doesn’t want these afflictions to destroy us!  He wants us to be spiritually healthy, not spiritually atrophied!

Dear soldier, look out for these pitfalls in our Army!  Spiritual Alzheimer’s and Atrophy is very real!
Be aware of them.  Do not slip into the same trap as others have already done!  Do not forsake your first love for the lust of power and position.  Do not become slack in your devotion to Him.  Do not keep Him too far from your heart and mind.  We need you!  We need the next generation to step up and be on fire again for the Lord!  We need more than lip service and positions telling us how to move this army forward.  We must not stop fighting for the lost and seeking to help the marginalized in our world!  When those who become afflicted with such spiritual diseases see the marginalized and poor they close their doors to your offices of power and close their eyes as well.  We cannot afford to do this, dear soldier!  We were commissioned by God, as Christ’s disciples first to lead others to Him.  We must not falter in this.  We must never close our doors and close our eyes!  If we ever do, we not only jeopardize our spiritual walk but the potential spiritual walk of those seeking.

Beware, dear soldier, Spiritual Alzheimer’s and spiritual atrophy are very, very real to our army.

-More for our Army to ponder today.
To God be the glory!

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Does Christmas still exist (a poem)

I wonder beneath
All of the glint
And glitter
Underneath the wrappings
and freshly fallen snow
Buried deep in
smoking chimneys
and lights flickering
for repetitive attention…
beneath all of this
does Christmas
still exist?

Beneath stars
Burned out brightly
flares in the night
beacons of eternity
if we only took the
Time every so often
to look up.
Does Christmas
still exist here?

Is it lost?
Buried deep?
Are our eyes
blinded
have we stopped
Looking up?
Does Christmas
still
truly exist?

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At Christmas (A poem)

I’m keeping warm, this heart of mine
in winter’s air, this soul repines,
these bones, but brittle glory be
the wonders of His love to see.

I dare not miss nor neglect this grace
and lose out on heavn’s holy place
a song of praise, a song of peace
a hope of joy will never cease.

And so I glimpse into that stable
the Son of God, no, not a fable.
A gift of hope, of love divine
salvation givn’ to all mankind.
SEStrissel 12-19-14

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