Author: newkingjim

Many people have posted a picture similar to this, one of the many Alaskan glaciers. Many have even posted pictures of the glacier calving, that is, small pieces breaking off the main glacier. In order to take such a photo, you have to wait patiently, camera at the ready. You have to stay focused on the glacier, fingers poised for action. If you glance away, or get distracted, or your mind wanders, you miss the shot. Sometimes I think God is like these glaciers. He’s there, but he doesn’t seem to be doing anything. In truth, glaciers are always moving, though it doesn’t seem that way. So too, God. We are frequently looking at other things, thinking of other things. We are distracted. And so we miss God like we miss the calving of the glacier. It takes a little patient, focused, waiting to see or hear from God. The glacier is a reminder of that.

There’s more going on at Glastonbury Abbey than legends about Joseph of Arimathea. Let’s remember that young man known as Arthur, and his round table of knights, and the wizard Merlin (not to mention the evil witch Morgana). King Arthur is one of the most well known figures of history, although he very likely did not exist in the way that his stories have come down to us. Literary scholars continue to study and debate the existence of Arthur, down to the details of the spelling of his name. This is all fascinating stuff. Well, maybe fascinating to the scholars. But in examining the Arthurian legends through microscopic details, we can often miss the whole point of the stories. Arthur was a great king who saved Britain from invasions both terrestrial and supernatural. His stories are meant to inspire readers to remember the past, love their country and to imitate his example of selfless sacrifice. In some ways, this is not unlike the gospels handed down to us by the Apostles. They call us to remember the past, to love the Church, and to imitate the life of Christ. Let me be clear. I’m not equating the gospels to the legends of Arthur. There is a qualitative difference between the two. But in some ways, their purposes coincide. More on this later.

Glastonbury Abbey, now in ruins, was once a thriving community of monks, nuns, and friars. The grounds are open to visitors, and one can wander aimlessly over the stone walls and one’s own imagination.  And there is much to imagine. Ancient legends claim that Joseph of Arimethea left the holy land in the first century and came to England where he founded the abbey. Historical records cannot prove this. In fact, historical records cannot prove Joseph ever left the land of Israel. Yet the story persists and is thought to be true by many Christian believers. Perhaps this was an early version of what we today call ‘fake news.’ Maybe ‘legendary news’ is a better term. Whatever the truth may be, worship of God has continued in this location for 2000 years. Even today, masses and vigils are held amongst the falling walls and in small alcoves beneath the rock foundations. The legend may be fake, but the worship is real. God’s church is anywhere God’s people gather to worship Him.

In the course of the day, I’ve started seeing a variety of comments on the subject of ‘God is in control.’ Most of these comments involve one of two ideas. First, there is the usage of the term in a way that sort of ‘rubs salt’ into someone’s wound. You didn’t like how things turned out? Sorry, but God is in control. Second, some have started using it as a rallying cry to mobilize people for future political and cultural battle. A sort of ‘make lemons out of lemonade’ spiritual application. Now, there’s really nothing wrong with either recognizing God’s ultimate control of temporal things or gathering people together to fight for a cause. But it seems to me that when the theme ‘God is in control’ comes to the forefront of scripture, it is usually in a particular context: the context of faith and suffering.

The disobedient nation of Israel is sent into exile for 70 years and the people must recognize that God is in control of these events. Job loses everything and must learn to accept God’s purposes in his life. Israel endured 400 years of enslavement, crying for deliverance, and that is portrayed as God’s will. Jesus tells his disciples that they will be persecuted as he was persecuted and most of them were killed for their faith.

The book of Revelation has this theme of God’s control all through it. We have a picture of martyrs in heaven crying out to God, ‘how long until you stop the killing?’ and God tells them, ‘a little longer.’ God is in control when believers are being persecuted and killed. God is in control when he judges the living and the dead for their faith or lack of faith. God is in control no matter how much it seems he is out of control.

I don’t like seeing the phrase ‘God is in control’ used like a weapon to motivate or to say ‘I gotcha.’ It is a deep reality that challenges every believer to look at the worst in their lives and in their world and to recognize that things are amazingly complex and incomprehensible yet we can hold fast to our faith because God is in control of human history- past, present, and future.

This strange mosaic is known as the Lod mosaic. It was named such since it was discovered in the city of Lod in Israel. Serious creative thought was put into the naming process.

Although it looks small in this picture, the Lod mosaic is some 50 by 30 feet. It is actually the floor to a Roman house. It is also quite a mystery to scholars who have yet to determine whether this mosaic is Christian, Jewish, or Pagan.  After looking at various close ups of the images, I can see why. The mosaic has an odd mixture of animal pictures. There are angry, vicious looking beasts. But then there are animals with goofy smiles. There are a number of hunting images, with beasts killing other beasts. There are also a number of fish depictions. Fish eating fish. Fish around a sailing vessel. Fish in a basket. I was beginning to think this was the floor of a Roman fisherman and hunter, the mosaic being his version of a trophy case. Then I found the answer.

If you look very closely at the image between the two lions, just above the elephant’s head, you will see the key to solving the mosaic mystery.

Yes. That’s right. It’s Scooby Doo.

 

Participating in softball playoffs this week (in which our team was eventually crushed) has got me thinking about various venues of competition. The Coliseum is probably one of the most famous arenas of battle. I was fortunate enough to see it first hand. It’s big. It’s impressive. It has graffiti carved into its walls and columns.  Still, you can stand inside of it and imagine gladiators battling wild animals (or you could just watch the movie).

And if you think those ancient Romans were bloodthirsty barbarians, you can probably also summon modern pictures of bloody boxing fights, vicious ice hockey checking and slamming, and other such ‘civilized’ activities of the modern age. We are competitive creatures, although I think our ancestors would have a few choice words to say to us if they observed our modern practice of removing people from the battle if they are actively bleeding. They might also have something to say about our practice of awarding everyone a trophy.  Maybe performance motivation based on ‘you lose, you die’ is a bit extreme for our civilized world, but throw in some popcorn and hot dogs for the audience and I think they would be on their feet chanting ‘Death! Death! Death!’

Humans are fascinating beings, capable of amazing good and frightening violence.

During the second visit to the house we were eventually going to buy, I started wandering to the furthest ends of the jungle-like yard. Hearing the sound of water ahead of me, I pushed through some thick foliage and came upon something unexpected. Wooden stairs that descended toward the water. Stepping carefully on the wet, mossy steps, I made my way down to a landing overlooking a part of the creek.

And what did I see when I looked up and down the creek? A small waterfall! I had a nice place to put a bench where a person could sit down and just have some nice solitude.

I don’t have to go to the Everglades, or Costa Rica, or Zimbabe. I have a nice little jungle retreat right in my own backyard. And so does anyone else who comes to visit me! It’s surprising what you can find close by if you just venture out to the edges of your comfort zone.

The Oklahoma City memorial. These kinds of places are difficult to visit. For me, they are a reminder of things I prefer to ignore, a splash of reality in the face. Evil exists in the world. Innocent people suffer and die. The world is not what I want it to be (growing up, I always thought it would be). When shocked into awareness by reality, I’m grateful that there is a solution to man’s inhumanity to man, a solution to my own (and often frequent) unjust and sinful behavior. I don’t believe that human beings can fix themselves. Seems like 10,000 years (or 200,000, depending who you ask) of humanity’s bad behavior (to put it mildly) is evidence enough of our helplessness. Being remade from the inside, and regenerated by God’s Holy Spirit, seems to me a better option for the improvement of human beings.

When  I use the term ‘unexpected encounters,’ I’m not referring to close encounters with aliens (although such an encounter would be unexpected).  I’m referring to places or things you come upon when you are on the way to someplace or something else. In this case, while driving through Groom, Texas, we came upon this giant fifty foot cross just off the highway.

 

We weren’t sure what we were going to see when we pulled off the freeway and motored over to the cross (motoring: something the first century disciples were unable to do.)

This little stopover was quite interesting. There were metal sculptures of the stations of the cross. A full length reproduction of the Shroud of Turin. A life sized mount of crucifixion and tomb. It was a refreshing stop on a long drive through Texas and Oklahoma.

 

 

 

When we left the hotel that day, we were looking at a long drive with little to do but hopefully evade storms and tornadoes. When we left this roadside stopover, we were cheered and encouraged. We could have missed it by just pressing on along our itinerary, but instead we were blessed unexpectedly. I shall look more carefully for unexpected blessings along the way.

 

 

Imagine living someplace where you had to travel from room to room by ladder. If you can’t, then you are probably old and arthritic like me. Either that, or you’ve already tried it and not survived to share the experience.

 

This particular location is called Montezuma’s Castle, located just southeast of Sedona, Arizona. In it’s day (500 years ago or so) it was a thriving community of cliff dwelling Sinuagua Native Americans. In those days, there weren’t governmental agencies to outline building codes or enforce child endangerment laws. They seemed to do just fine.

 

 

 

 

What finally did in this society? Well, the best guess is rapid population growth followed by the gradual disappearance of the local water supply. They tried to blame it on global warming, of course.