Oak Ridge Today

Faith column: Strategy in prayer

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Everything that is successful usually has a strategy. What I mean is that for us to have any realistic expectations for an endeavor to be even remotely successful, we need to have a strategy. We need to have a plan.

We would not expect to start a new business without a strategy. We have a strategy for how we raise our children, how we work in our careers, how we run our finances, and for anything and everything that we consider important. If we want to succeed in it—we have a plan of action or a strategy for it.

If the above is true, and it is, why don’t we have a strategy for prayer? Why don’t we have a strategy for the most important activity that we can participate in? Why don’t we have an action plan for our prayer life? [Read more…]

Guest column: Did God initiate the invention of the atomic bomb?

Posted at
By 1 Comment

Y-12 Plowshares Protesters

Pictured above are the three anti-nuclear weapons protesters who broke into the Y-12 National Security Complex on July 28. From left, they are Michael Walli, Megan Rice, and Greg Boertje-Obed.

I hear the siren. It’s noon on May 1, the first Wednesday of the month. What a coincidence, as I sit at my computer reading the Washington Post article “The Prophets of Oak Ridge.” It mentions that siren and reveals the circumstances of the Y-12 security system breach last year. The article links Oak Ridge’s first known prophet, John Hendrix to the nun, painter, and drifter who made national news.

I think to myself, “God WAS responsible for the creation of the atomic bomb….and there ARE real prophets in Oak Ridge – still today!”

“What?” your mind must be responding, as you wonder how I could think such a thing. Well, if you’ll stick with me, you’ll see the path to my conclusion. [Read more…]

Faith column: Roger Ebert’s final critique

Posted at
By 23 Comments

The history books will record Roger Ebert as a great film critic. He was that and, I am certain, much more to those who loved and knew him best. His loss has been felt by many around the globe because of the millions he touched. Ebert took us to the movies for years; he guided our ticket purchases, awakened in us a poetic appreciation for films we might not otherwise have seen; and best of all, he called the public away from the mindless, lowest common denominator of entertainment. His ability to critique film and his way with words had the effect of “raising all our boats” in the areas of culture, intellect, emotion, and even an awareness of the sacred.

Ebert’s ability to awaken us is what makes his death feel so tragic; but it is also what makes his now popularized letter, “I Do Not Fear Death,” equally as tragic. Ebert’s final critique came to us not in the form of a film review, but in a staunch and unwavering gaze cast toward seeming permanence of death. It has taken the Internet somewhat by storm and praised by many.

I confess, I found little praiseworthy in it. In fact, it primarily aroused in me a deep sense of pity to see a man with such brilliance and appreciation for beauty in life take those gifts and place them in a room with such a low ontological ceiling. [Read more…]

Faith column: This ‘High Tech…Low Touch’ world of ours

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Occasionally while holding our grandson in my lap as he begins to drift off to sleep, he will look up into my face with all the inquisitiveness of any four-year-old. Slowly and gently, he will reach upward to touch my nose, lips, and eyebrows and with his tiny fingers begin to explore what to him must seem like a vast terrain of the unknown. My eyes follow his, and then unexpectedly I begin to experience the kind of bonding that develops when one gazes intently into the face of another. This small gesture of a child touched my soul in a way I didn’t anticipate, much different than, for instance, shaking someone’s hand, even of family and friends.

A book came out some 30 years ago called “Megatrends,” which predicted a major shift in the world, in one instance characteristically described as “high tech…low touch.” The more technologically advanced we are, the less is our interpersonal connectedness. We see evidence of this today in our relationships with one another, especially in the fracturing of the traditional family and the steady decline of meaningful interaction within households. This brings to mind how important it was for Jesus to gather his disciples around a table and be able to look into the faces of those whom he loved dearly. The next time we gather with family and friends around the table, take a moment to gaze into the faces of those around us. There is something magical and perhaps even mystical about what happens to us when we are intently focused on the face of another, especially when we remember it is one shaped in God’s own image.  [Read more…]

Faith column: Fear vs. faith

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

What is the difference between the fear mentality and the faith mentality?

It is important to know that there are three different types of fear. First, there is the Fear of the Lord, which is a deep and profound reverence and respect for God. Second, there is an instinctual fear that tells us to “fight or flight” when we are confronted with dangerous or adverse conditions. And thirdly, there is a spirit of fear.

Sometimes in the event of tragedy, life experience, home environment, or over the course of time, thoughts and feelings become skewed, leading to fearful perceptions and anticipations in life’s circumstances and relationships. This can be rooted deep in the individual’s spirit and could eventually take over one’s thought life, consuming every aspect of who they are if not addressed. [Read more…]

Faith column: Dimensions of the Resurrection

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Resurrection

On several occasions, I have stood beside empty tombs or graves. I have seen the incredulous, empty stares of shocked family members forced to bury a loved one. Many times the death has been untimely and seemingly unfair. It is hard to make sense of death. But its pain can be absorbed by the promise of resurrection. The apostle Paul reminds us that everything truly stands or falls on the resurrection.

This holiday (holy-day) comes around annually. It is never on the same Sunday, and sometimes I am amazed at either how early or how late it is for that particular calendar year. Teachers and students eagerly anticipate its appearance on the calendar for Spring Break. Though hardly ever on the same date, it comes around like clockwork. But its annual appearance is obscured by the fact that it falls in line with a host of regular holidays. We often know that it comes around spring time, and before Mother’s Day. [Read more…]

Faith column: Celebrate Passover Seder with your community

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Passover Seder at Midtown Community Center

Passover Seder at Midtown Community Center (Submitted photos)

For the 12th consecutive year, we are preparing to celebrate the Passover Seder, and we hope that you will join us and bring a friend. We plan to “keep the feast” on March 24 at 5:30 p.m.

Passover celebrates the deliverance of Israel from slavery to Egypt more than 3,000 years ago. Through it, by His sovereignty and providence, God has provided us a picture of our redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ. Even though it has become a ritualistic observance for some, God never intended it to be that. He knew that His people—if they were honestly and earnestly looking for their Messiah—would recognize Him as the Passover Lamb. This was Jesus’ intent at the Last Supper, the night before His crucifixion when He established the Eucharist (The Lord’s Supper).

[Read more…]

Faith column: Join the Easter Parade

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

There are many things to say about the pageant of Easter. It is that second time of the year, along with Christmas, when many people come out to join in the celebration of a religious holiday. There will be enough written about that shallow approach to worship, so I won’t waste any more time addressing that myself.

What I want us to remember are two, true things that Easter represents: the triumphal entry and the death on a cross.

[Read more…]

Faith and Our Medical Community, Part 1: The Hospital Chaplain

Posted at
By 3 Comments

Several times I thought I saw the silhouette of angels moving around behind Chaplain Sills as I recently interviewed him in the Methodist Medical Center chapel. Reverend Jack Sills certainly needs angelic assistance in his role as the hospital chaplain here in Oak Ridge.

Just as you would expect, Chaplain Sills is a calm, gentle man who exudes kindness and understanding. This year, he will celebrate his 25th anniversary as the only full-time hospital chaplain Oak Ridge has ever had. He calls his role a “specialized form of ministry.”

Chaplain Sills describes his ministry as “the representative presence of the hospital’s belief that God is important in the care of patients, families, and staff.” He explained this to mean that the belief in God for human beings is important. His role in practical terms comes down to being a visible presence. Chaplain Sills continued: “Being present gives opportunity to others to discuss spiritual or emotional concerns without an agenda. I consider these to be holy moments.

[Read more…]

Faith column: For the time being

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

For many of us, it is emotionally challenging to move on from those momentous occasions which have gifted us with abundant joy, especially the celebration of Christmas. The warm and joyous presence of family and friends, unfortunately, fades quickly.

Just the other day, I passed a large pile of discarded Christmas trees waiting to be picked up, fodder for the fire or chipper. It brought to mind something we all face every year at this time: How does one come down from the glorious celebration of Christmas? The question, though, is really about the transition we all must make when, in the afterglow, we find ourselves landed squarely in all the drabness of the anticlimax of Christmas.

[Read more…]

Faith column: We can accept limitations, or fumble along on false pride

Posted at
By 1 Comment

It was a line from a Dirty Harry movie. The first time I heard it, I loved it. Such wisdom for a violent movie, yet the truth was so obvious. Make no mistake…man does have limitations! We may refuse to accept that; we may not want to recognize it, but it is a physical and spiritual truth.

I want to address this as our great church problem. We are supposed to be a people of faith in God. Yet, we consistently attempt to do things, in our own strength, which are beyond our ability. We seek new programs, new ideas, new pastors, NEW ANYTHING, rather than admit we are unable. As that old cliché says about Grandma finally giving up: “I guess we’re gonna’ have ta pray. It looks like it has came down to that!”

[Read more…]

Faith column: Respect for the ‘holy’

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

In the world there are people, institutions, and certain things that God has set apart as “holy.” When something is ordained as “holy,” it must be treated with a fearful respect.

Why do I say a “fearful respect”? Because, according to the Bible, a lack of respect for things that are holy brings consequences. There is an inherent power in the things that God considers to be “holy” in the earth. That inherent power can release upon us a state of happiness, healing, provision, peace, and other forms of blessing; or it can invoke a state of difficulty, and THAT should be feared.

This blessing occurs when we cultivate an attitude of the heart that responds with a fearful respect. “Fearful,” because we realize that God has both grace and judgment to give away; and “respect,” because we realize that God is worthy of our love and devotion. It doesn’t matter who you are, if you show a proper respect for holy people, places, and things you will draw a blessing upon your life.

[Read more…]