House of Bread

A birth and a birthday September 1, 2011

Last weekend I was in North Carolina, celebrating my father’s 90th birthday when news came that our first grandchild had arrived. My wife and I had agreed she would stay on in Pennsylvania to help our daughter and son-in-law while I joined my four sisters and assorted grand- and great-grandchildren for my dad’s birthday party. It was neat getting the phone call announcing the birth while visiting with the man who at 90 had just become a great-grandfather for the sixth time.

My father was born before the Great Depression and my granddaughter during what is arguably still the Great Recession. The world into which he was born in 1921 was still getting acquainted with electricity, cars and airplanes. The world into which she has been born is neck-deep in a love affair with digital gadgets that are reshaping communications and the way we do relationships. My father and I talk on cell phones and send emails to each other. How will my granddaughter communicate with her daughter in 60 years?

At the birthday party some of us had prepared gifts based on the number 90. My Lutheran pastor brother-in-law offered a meditation based on Psalm 90. I had prepared 90 fond memories of things I did with my dad. One of the grandsons, a child of divorce, ripped all our hearts out talking about how his grandfather was the most important male in his life. The great-grandson present helped his great-grandfather blow out the candles on the cake. We sang my dad’s favorite hymns and presented him, an ardent reader, with a Nook.

Meanwhile, my determined-to-have-a-natural-childbirth daughter learned why they call it “labor.” But she got through it with lots of encouragement from her husband and no medication, welcoming the seven pound daughter after only six difficult hours of labor. Six hundred miles away, I showed off her photos the next morning at breakfast.

I left North Carolina on Monday morning at six o’clock and was holding my first grandchild at half past two in the afternoon in Pennsylvania. I have to agree with my wife: she is the most beautiful baby in the history of the whole world.

I shall count myself fortunate if my granddaughter gets to know her great-grandfather. He is the most important male in my life too. Although I will someday tell her about life before computers and smartphones, he can tell her about how seven children and two parents coped with life during the worst economic years in our nation’s history. And if she wants to know about life before 1921, she can always ask her other great-grandfather. He turned 96 in July!

Evangelicals appreciated August 2, 2011

Nicholas Kristof, a columnist for the New York Times, took the occasion of John Stott’s death to write some nice things about some evangelicals. More than anyone else on the op-ed or any other pages of the Times, Kristof writes positively about the important work being done by Christian missionaries and aid workers in places where human suffering and degradation are most intense.

Stott was a significant figure in global evangelicalism for half a century. His earlier writings especially helped define the movement and influenced a fair number of us on this side of the Atlantic, though Stott was British and wrote with a kind of C.S. Lewis erudition and reserve. American evangelicalism has always had its scholarly side, but the movement unfortunately became defined, at least in the public mind, by its television personalities. Men like Pat Robertson, Jim Bakker and Jerry Falwell did and said things that diminished evangelicalism and, for that matter, Christianity. Nicholas Kristof, to no one’s surprise, makes note of this.

But Kristof gets out more than most secularists who write for the Times. He travels often to places like Darfur, Somalia and the slums of Bangkok — places where people are starving, being persecuted for their ethnicity or sold as sex slaves. Kristof gets to observe first-hand the vital work being done by Christian NGOs — many of them evangelical in theology — to alleviate suffering and make the world a better place. And he writes about it, warmly but fairly.

On his blog Kristof explained why he had written his Sunday column:

…I hadn’t intended to write a column for Sunday. But then I saw that John Stott had died, and I didn’t want to miss the chance to write about him and evangelicals more broadly — hence my Sunday column on the subject. We in the op-ed world don’t write about religion perhaps as much as we should: it’s a huge force shaping society and policy, and yet rarely makes the op-ed pages. And evangelicals in particular, especially serious ones, tend to be neglected since there are so few evangelicals in major news organizations. About one-third of America is evangelical, yet you’d be hard pressed to find many (with the exception of black evangelicals, whose politics are very different from white evangelicals) in leading news organizations.

To read Kristof’s Sunday column about John Stott and evangelicals, click here.

Celebrating another wedding October 15, 2010

Our eldest daughter was married two weeks ago.

The ceremony was moving, the festivities delightful.

Once again, and on behalf of my wife and me, I gave away the bride, as I had done for our younger daughter almost a year and a half ago. Neither daughter trusted me to officiate at their weddings, knowing how easily overcome with emotion I am when my children are standing in front of me, taking such a deep and meaningful step.

When welcoming the guests at the reception, gratitude filled my heart. Here was a roomful of a hundred people, some of whom came two thousand miles, supporting and loving my daughter and her husband as they covenanted in one of life’s biggest decisions. My son-in-law’s family were all new to us, but we liked them immediately. My daughter’s college friends, all of whom we knew, as well as those from her church community, most of whom we knew, rejoiced with us as if they were family too. And they are.

It was a gala affair, after which my daughter and her husband departed for a lengthy and distant honeymoon. I think they get back this weekend.

Later, I reflected on the time not too long  ago when I asked my widowed father to tell me about his wedding day. In sixty years I’d never asked about it. He described a small ceremony on a Saturday afternoon in the parlor of the church with just family members present. He’d worked that morning until noon, when the bank closed, and then hustled over to the church. The associate pastor officiated. Not a single photograph was taken. Following a more-than-modest reception, he and my mother borrowed someone’s car and headed off for two nights at a mountain inn.

The marriage lasted 60 years. My mother died three years ago with my father at her side. May I be so blessed. And my children too.

VT falls flat on its face September 13, 2010

This is not a blog about football, so this will be my last post on Virginia Tech’s team and what seems to be developing as a season not to remember. Last Saturday’s game is surely one all VT fans would like to forget.

As a native of North Carolina, I smirked some years back when Division 1-AA Appalachian State University defeated Top Ten Division 1-A Michigan early that football season. That smirk comes back to haunt me now. David (James Madison University) took Goliath (VT) down — in Blacksburg, no less — on Saturday.

Perhaps now that VT can no longer anticipate a national championship, it can get down to the business of playing football — blocking, tackling, avoiding stupid penalties, holding on to the football, scoring when in the red zone. A ten-win season is still possible. In the meantime, I’ll stop blogging about it. What I write is obviously not helping.

Virginia Tech stumbles September 8, 2010

Just a brief comment on Monday night’s game between Virginia Tech and Boise State. (I picked VT by a touchdown and was one play away from being almost right).

VT fans have long criticized the quality of VT’s offensive capability, especially against really good defensive teams. Monday night’s game will renew those criticisms. VT’s offense was helped as much by pass interference penalties as by perceptive coaching from the sideline.

Tyrod Taylor often looked like a deer in the headlights when his receivers were covered and the offensive line broke down. For a quarterback with Taylor’s scrambling ability, this should not have happened. Too many times, Taylor was about one second late in deciding that the best option was to run the ball. When he did make a more timely decision to sprint, he did well. Better coaching, in my opinion, could have led to that much-needed first down late in the game.

Of course, there were many mistakes on defense as well. The TV cameras caught Bud Foster’s agonized facial expressions as his young and inexperienced defense showed that it was, well, young and inexperienced.

There’s a long season still ahead and a chance for VT to finish 11-1. A chance for the national title game is still possible, but VT is no longer in control of that. Go Penn State! Go Miami! (Did I really just write that? Yes, but only because VT plays Miami later).

Virginia Tech v Boise State September 2, 2010

As a proud graduate of Virginia Tech (Class of 1971), I revel in anticipation of the football game between Virginia Tech and Boise State on Labor Day. I saw yesterday that Boise State, undefeated in something like 25 straight games, is a 2 1/2 point favorite.

Boise State comes in ranked third in the AP poll; VT is 10th in that poll. (Boise State is fourth in the USA Today poll, while VT is sixth). Based on last year’s experience and the best guesses for this year (returning starters, schedule, etc), these are fair rankings.

The game is in Landover MD, which gives VT something akin to a home field advantage. That will help against this very good Boise State team that returns a high percentage of last year’s starters on both sides of the ball.

VT has an unimpressive record in early season matchups against highly ranked teams. In the last five or six years, VT has lost early season games to Southern Cal, LSU and Alabama. Frank Beamer, VT’s long-tenured head coach (and a classmate from my years at VT — two friends and I once played a pick-up game of basketball against Frank and two of his football buddies), needs to raise it to the next level if he wants to end that losing streak. He has finally done that in post-season bowl games; now is the time to dig deep and find it early in the season.

I obviously want VT to win this game. But my analytical mind also tilts in their direction. This year, VT will field its most powerful offense since probably ever. Senior quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, will be joined in the backfield by a fleet and strong stable of running backs — Darren Evans, Ryan Williams, and the electrifying sophomore, David Wilson.

On the other side of the ball, Bud Foster’s defense is young and inexperienced. But there’s a reason Foster is the most highly-sought defensive coordinator in the country: his defenses win games. Under his tutelage, the unit will grow up fast.

It should be a great game. VT by a touchdown. Go Hokies!

Awash in words July 29, 2010

It’s a good thing I don’t write for money. It’s been a month since I had anything to write that was worthy of access by the whole world. Not that I ever write anything that profound. But we are aware, perhaps more so than last month, how things we post somewhere on the internet can be seen by anyone with a computer and a telephone line, and most ominously by someone who has the power to hire and fire.

My oldest sister visited recently. She remarked about the inane and vapid telephone conversations she could not seem to get away from in the airport departure lounges, especially the conversations of the teenagers. Self-centered, self-absorbed and utterly devoid of meaningful content.

I worry that stuff I write here could be described that way. I get caught up in my own thoughts and foolishly imagine that my opinion, my perspective, my insight is deep and profound. And that someone out there really needs to read it.

The world is awash in words. At one time it was just oral communication. Then came the written and printed word. Then much later it was words by telephone, radio, then television, and now the internet. The latter is by far the most paradigmatic. (Is that the right word?) Again, anyone with a computer and a telephone line can write for a theoretically worldwide audience. Not that anyone will bother to read it. (On a good day two dozen people visit my blog). But the potential is there.

Amazon reported last month that it sold more digital books than hardcover ones. I am sorely tempted to purchase their third generation Kindle, which, amazingly, is the same price as the second generation model. I realized a few weeks ago that my need to hold a newspaper has finally dissipated. I now get all of my “print” news online. The rest of my news acquisition is divided about equally between NPR and The News Hour on PBS.

So the digital revolution is maturing rapidly. I now own a smart phone. Browsing at Best Buy a couple of months before I made the decision, I found only two phone models that just made phone calls and sent text messages. Everything else was “smart.” I now send and receive email on this device, check a few major newspapers during the day, and even still make and receive phone calls. It has my contacts and my calendar plus a bevy of neat apps. I can even find the nearest Starbucks with one of them!

Is this just a desire to have the latest electronic gadget? Yes, but not “just.” Communication — the receiving and imparting of all that is associated with words — is a deeply human desire and need. (Communication, of course, is not limited to words). It is the fulfilling of something woven into us by the Creator. Even the most withdrawn introvert will find a way to exercise the need to communicate with words. Even the teens my sister encountered on their cellphones in the airport were working out something the Creator worked in. Selfishly and insufficiently, perhaps; but responding nevertheless to how God has wired us.

Believers, despite secular critics’ characterizations to the contrary, have always used the latest inventions and technologies for the work of the kingdom. The digital age holds much potential for those inclined toward disseminating the message.

But with so many words washing over the world today, will the gospel get a privileged hearing? Surely not. It rarely has. Even those eventually called “saint” received their share of scoffing, opposition, and outright physical persecution when they proclaimed the message in marketplace or synagogue. The word of God (and I don’t just mean the Bible) has always been one word among many. And so it is today, surely more than ever.

What would God therefore require of us? In our speech and in our writing — honesty, clarity, creativity, transparency. Most of all, a wise, discerning and humble effort to allow the message to become incarnate in us. If our words are to mean anything, or have any chance of being heard in the midst of all the others, they will need to come out of a life that is identified as fully as possible with Jesus of Nazareth.

My father’s birthday August 31, 2009

Today is my father’s birthday. He is 88 and one of an ever-decreasing number of World War II veterans. Wounded multiple times, the last almost mortal, he came home with Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star, married my mother, fathered and raised five children, worked for the same company for 37 years, and has now been retired 33 years. He has an active social, church and family life, volunteers at a nearby hospital, and is the most eligible and popular widower in the retirement community where he lives. In addition, he is still the most important man in my life. I discover more and more ways that I am like him, discoveries that carry no edge but rather bring the reassuring thought that I might just possibly turn out to be as good as he is. And considering my mixed record thus far, that would be remarkable. Happy birthday, Dad.

Focusing through the distractions July 17, 2009

My life has had interesting turns and twists in the past ten weeks. At the beginning of May my work hours were reduced to barely part-time, a consequence of the sour economy’s impact on the graphic design business. Unemployment benefits have been more than helpful, but it is nevertheless sobering to face a situation like this at my age. The employment section of the Scranton newspaper has dwindled from a full page or two to a few columns. I’ve applied for several positions with no success.

On Memorial Day weekend our youngest daughter was married. It was one of the most joyous events of my life. I had long ago agreed with my daughters to be only the father on their wedding day and allow someone else to preside at the wedding ceremony. Good decision. I am sure I would not have enjoyed the occasion bearing so much of the responsibility for the many details such a ceremony involves.

With warm weather coming to the highlands, there’s been an unending list of outdoor tasks — getting firewood for the winter, mowing the lawn, repairing old fencing and installing new to keep the deer out of the garden. I also made a table for the kitchen, hoping to sharpen my rusty skills in preparation for building a dresser of solid cherry as a belated wedding present.

We continue to meet as the church in homes with a few others. It is invariably rewarding. I wonder how something with so little pretense, ceremony, and formality can be so fulfilling.  I am reminded of the Moravian bishop, Augustus Spangenberg’s, old hymn: When simplicity we cherish / Then the soul is full of light / But that light will quickly vanish / When of Jesus we lose sight.

Losing sight of Jesus, though, is the temptation. Some of us probably sought the simplicity of a house church model in hopes that it would be easier to keep Jesus in sight. Life, alone and within our families, has distractions enough. The institutional accoutrements of many churches can be major distractions to the very objective those churches define as most important. Still, those  of us who sought the simplicity of the house church need to be careful and maintain our focus on Christ.

In the film The Mission, a papal emissary sent to evaluate the thorny relationship of the Jesuit mission in Paraguay with the local government finds himself confused and troubled by the conflicting claims and perspectives of the missionaries and the civil authorities. One of the missionaries appeals to him to leave Asuncion and travel with him to the tribal areas of the Guarani where, he is told, the atmosphere will be more conducive to clear thinking. He goes, but only to find that the simplicity of life and perspective the missionary said he would find still eluded him. Ultimately he made the only decision he felt he could, resulting  in the destruction of the Guarani and the mission station.

Maintaining the focus on Jesus seems never to be easy. Life throws up a thousand distractions and the church may well add dozens more. Those who can keep Jesus in the center of their field of vision have  learned and cultivated a priceless discipline. Being in a house church might help, but it is no guarantee.