tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8002448211653873002024-03-05T20:13:33.864-08:00Trippin'Musings on church, religion, family and current events.Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800244821165387300.post-83974253762640023342016-11-17T09:41:00.000-08:002016-11-17T09:48:10.919-08:00The Reason You Can’t Make Disciples Without Relationships<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4i-X_dx3YYBZE-ELacLptv9jjCnOYXsHbSuXLvY8DFn2JdmIhl8M_LNmIzejbVeToI1MIScltM_HfxruiStz_m308iEqHl0SmOesVRZQmrWKxXupjMQtegkgHCQ7PfIJhU2gX89ilyE/s1600/muddy+boots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4i-X_dx3YYBZE-ELacLptv9jjCnOYXsHbSuXLvY8DFn2JdmIhl8M_LNmIzejbVeToI1MIScltM_HfxruiStz_m308iEqHl0SmOesVRZQmrWKxXupjMQtegkgHCQ7PfIJhU2gX89ilyE/s200/muddy+boots.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">I tried. I
really did. When I was a young man I tried to use those “evangelism in a can”
methods of outreach. We were trained on how to use them to go out, find people
to study with, sit down with them and go through the information.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>At the end of the lesson there was always a
question (or several) that asked if, on the basis of the information they had
been given, they would like to be baptized. Some would but most would not (I
was eager but probably not too persuasive). We made arrangements to baptize the
“converted” and asked the others to continue in thought and prayer about their
decision. It was all well and good. The information was biblical with a strong
Church of Christ leaning application. The presentation was cordial and
conversation kept polite without arguing too passionately on the areas where we
might disagree. All in all I would say the interaction was…clinical and
academic. In retrospect it is not hard to see why people seldom responded as we
hoped they would.</span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Far too long
our ‘go to’ strategy for outreach/evangelism/discipleship has focused on
disseminating information to people we barely know or don’t know at all.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>While there is nothing wrong with knocking on
doors or inviting the community into our facilities for meals and events, that
kind of strategy has yielded unsatisfactory returns for decades.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The reason is that this strategy routes us
around the very thing that allows people to genuinely see Jesus in us. That
thing is – relationship.</span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Jesus and his
disciples used the information blast method as well but it was not their ‘go
to’ strategy. They preferred relationships.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>They wanted to serve those with needs, to heal the sick and wounded and
to do life with those who followed.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>They
got their hands dirty and not only told people of the Kingdom of God but led
them there and allowed them to experience it with them.</span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">We will rarely
be successful in making disciples by merely teaching people what we know about
Jesus.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>They will want to see our faith
working through us.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>They will seldom respond
to the challenge to “dig a little deeper” or to “read their Bibles and do what
it says” if they don’t know that people of faith will be there whether they
respond with increased faith or not. We can’t expect people to leave the
support of the world and a lifestyle they know (regardless of how
dysfunctional) if they don’t know we will be there for them regardless. We need
to stop being afraid we’ll get messy. As disciples we are asked to meet people
where they are and lead them to the kingdom. </span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">As you plan to
make disciples, rather than relying on the hope of meeting someone new why not
start with someone you know. Begin praying for people you now know who have
“messy lives” and ask God to reach them through you.</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800244821165387300.post-67381759687833559822016-06-23T09:22:00.001-07:002016-06-23T09:31:16.318-07:00<br />
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<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;"><b>Mercy for the Broken</b></span></div>
<a class="irc_mil i3597 iDsUOQWk3Se4-zixyDjKkw5M" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwiY2vSVyb7NAhVI5iYKHXfCBAQQjRwIBw" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiY2vSVyb7NAhVI5iYKHXfCBAQQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.joniandfriends.org%2Fradio%2F5-minute%2Fbrokenness%2F&psig=AFQjCNGA-mnNaurTU4ritk8gO9PZ4NuDWw&ust=1466785614428924" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="irc_mi iDsUOQWk3Se4-pQOPx8XEepE" height="150" src="http://www.joniandfriends.org/media/uploads/broadcast_images/brokenness_jpg_300x500_q85.jpg" style="margin-top: 210px;" width="200" /></a><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The issue of sexual
immorality is a difficult one to speak about in a corporate worship service and that for a list of
reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, it is
awkward because of the differing ages and positions of life of people in the
average Sunday Morning church audience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sex is a sensitive topic and for differing reasons. Adults have usually
reached a different level of understanding of sexual matters and can bear a
discussion of a more graphic nature while that same discussion might be
completely inappropriate for the average teen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Younger children can be introduced to the subject prematurely and some older
folks may not feel comfortable talking about it at all. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There is also the consideration for
those who are guests to the services.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
imperative that the preacher consider those visiting in every
sermon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The culture bears a very
different message about sexuality, what is acceptable and what isn’t as well as
how one might express or hold to a different opinion regarding what is
acceptable. Secular visitors may struggle when hearing a Biblical exposition on
human sexuality. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any effort to
communicate Biblical truth around this topic might well be seen as judgmental,
hateful and condemning of one segment of the population or another.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Another reason sexual immorality is a
difficult topic to tackle is that it is an area filled with shame for
many.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We live in a sexually broken
society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our culture has ventured far
from God’s design for human sexuality and as a result has been plunged into sea of
shame; one from which few will remain unscathed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anytime one speaks of sexual immorality from a
Biblical perspective there are mature Christians, new Christians, seekers and
unbelievers who struggle with guilt and shame produced by abuse and/or mistakes
from the past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some are confronted with
necessary changes in their current walk of life and those changes are never
easy. </span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Let me address those three reasons
briefly here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First human sexuality is
an issue that receives significant focus in our culture with little respect for
those who are innocents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Children are learning about sex from peers at a younger age than ever. I personally
believe as the authors of scripture also believed that it is important to have
those discussions in the church, even if awkwardly, so that God’s people are
hearing God’s word on the topic. It is a topic that receives significant
attention in both the old and new testaments. The old testament is especially
graphic regarding God’s design for human sexuality and the boundaries he places
around it giving it context in which to make it pure, sacred and holy. It is up
to the church to remind Christians of God’s design and the boundaries he put in
place. We want to be sensitive to a culture that is clearly being carried by a
wave of immorality toward the acceptance of a deeper and darker brand of hedonism but we also bear the burden upholding God's will for God's people.
</span></div>
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<div align="left" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> In regards to the second issue, </span>I believe it is worth the risk of
“turning off” people from the culture in favor of speaking plainly about God’s
design and his intent for human sexuality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I think what is spoken should clearly be labeled as part of the ‘cost of
discipleship’ being that when one chooses to follow Christ, they also choose <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">his </b>standards for behavior and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">his</b> definition of right and wrong.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Finally, I also believe that messages about sexual immorality should be
heavily seasoned with the message of grace. Because we are surrounded by a
sex-saturated society we must seek to understand that just being a part of that
culture is in and of itself wounding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Those who are sexually wounded are far more vulnerable to temptation to
stray from God’s plan for sexual expression. The church must be a place where
the broken can come for help. We cannot stand at the door with measuring stick
for sexual purity requiring certain standards be met before those seeking God’s
presence can come in. The church must be a place where the wounded find healing
and where those struggling can find peace <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">from
</i>their struggles not judgement <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">for</i>
them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If we are to be the church Jesus
built, one of our defining qualities must be to well manage the tension between
holding disciples to the highest standards of sexual purity while offering
mercy for the broken, healing for the wounded and help for the struggling.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800244821165387300.post-79536897616397662052016-03-18T08:16:00.001-07:002016-03-18T08:16:11.728-07:00The Age of Disillusionment (part 2)
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif;">In a previous
post I discussed how we seem to be on the cusp of a whole new era in our
country or perhaps we are already there.
The past era has been dubbed the “age of information” and as a result, we have information galore. The
problem is trying to figure out which information is reliable and which is
garbage. A consequence of choosing poorly is that unreliable
information often lets you down. A
lot of unnecessary challenges pop up when the information used to make important life
decisions disappoints. A natural consequence of continual disappointment is disillusionment and that is
epidemic right now. When people live
their lives in a fog of disillusionment they often become cynical, bitter and
hopeless. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif;"> It is interesting to see the level of
cynicism in many of the candidates running for president this election cycle.
Could it be that cynicism may be one of those things that voters find
appealing? Perhaps it is exactly what
connects with them.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif;"> Still, many long for the principles that, in their opinion, made our country great. People
used to relish hearing about individuals who started out with nothing but hard
work and God’s blessings they made something of themselves. They took advantage of the opportunities in a
country with a vigorous economy and strong manufacturing to work hard and make
their own way leaving a legacy for their family. Government was at one time expected to create
an environment and a context in which people could work to write their own
story. Most folks just wanted to realize the American Dream. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif;"> We seem to have gotten away from that
somewhat. I know it has been repeated
too much but remember when it played well to remind people of the old JFK
quote, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ask not what your country can do
for you but ask what you can do for your country</i>?” In modern times so many of the questions being asked seem to
revolve around “what can the government do for me?” Discussions around health
care, education, human rights and many other issues all seem to center around
the expectation that government should take care of us and let
us do what we want. The focus is on what is best for the individual and not what is
best for the country.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif;"> Call me old fashioned but I still like
the concept of expecting individuals to take personal responsibility for their
own mess, for their own decisions, for helping those around them who are needy
and caring for those under their own roof. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif;"> Christians need to take the lead here. We need to be a people who face adversity and
challenge by leaning on God and going to him often in prayer. I for one would rather lean on God in times of
trouble than on a politically correct government that is being weakened by the
overwhelming demands of a populace consumed with materialism and in possession
of an unquenchable appetite for government services. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif;">A
prudent government might be able to fix economies, improve foreign relations,
enforce laws and defend the nation against threats but it will never be able to
fix people. Only people can fix people
and that only with a faith in God who is able to change hearts and draw others
to Him with his amazing love. It is His love that is desperately needed now because only His kind of love can offer the hope required to overcome disillusionment.</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800244821165387300.post-11707218739303354942016-02-23T12:51:00.001-08:002016-06-23T09:23:45.270-07:00The Age of Disillusionment (Part 1)<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif;">This presidential election is already proving to be interesting.
Before I go further let me assure you that I am not a person who will
venture into telling you for whom to vote. I won’t publically endorse
candidates or take positions on political issues that have no direct moral or religious
attachments. In this current series I plan to
discuss several things that concern me about the direction and tone of the
election in general and specifically about why the electorate seems to be enthralled with more and more extreme candidates. Regardless of the outcome this November, we are
electing a president who will lead us into a whole new era or age for our
country. In my view, we are leaving the "Information Age" and venturing into "The Age of Disillusionment."</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif;"> I’ll start right
off by stating my premise that we as a culture are becoming more and more disillusioned. I believe the genesis of our disillusionment
is the erosion of what is culturally accepted as truth. The concept of truth today is so muddy that it is
almost laughable to even have a discussion about it. We love to listen to debates over the issues that matter to us. However, our cultural penchant for
spinning facts to win the debate is places winning over discovery and that is largely causative. Tie that to
the fact that either side of any debate has a virtually limitless resources on the internet (and other people and places)
to support their version of the ‘truth’ with facts (valid or otherwise) to "prove it." The absence of absolute truth has
led to the rise of individual truth. If
you ask someone today to tell you what truth is, you are likely to get
an answer that starts with, “Well, MY concept of truth is…” And there you go. MY concept of truth means I went out on the
internet and talked with a few friends and if I’m real ambitious I read a few articles or maybe a book or two
and combined the elements picking out bits and pieces that I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">liked</i> and that became <i>my </i>truth. Because the concept of truth has become
virtually unverifiable, <b>what we see as true has become a matter of personal taste.</b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif;"> Here is an old example: “Life begins
at conception.” Just the mention of that statement inflames old debates and old
arguments that when played out always ended up with how opposing intellects defined terms and
whose definitions were used. Rather than seeking to discover truth we settle for opinions that justify our personal world view and call that "our truth."</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif;"> We have moved so far from being “one
nation under God” that we have lost our anchor. We debate but we have no
ultimate authority; no bedrock for truth. That will leave us drifting further away from
each other and continually weakened over time.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif;"> Because there is no authority that can
win the debate or find the truth we fall into cycles of endless bickering. Bickering like we see these days would be
thought childish and labeled effrontery just half a century ago. People, especially the young people, grow
weary of the bickering and when they grow numb to the bickering they tune it out
and focus on things that feel safe and comfortable. It’s no wonder that when
young people are asked about what things that really matter to them they often
respond with tales of fantasy movies and video games. They chase after vanity
and recreation. They seek escape from
the world of relativity and take refuge in what they can control.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif;"> Is it possible that the most extreme and
abrasive candidates could be elected in this election? You bet it is. In the climate I have just described where
concepts like 'truth' and 'right' are irrelevant the only choice for the disillusioned is ‘the
opposite of what we have had.’</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800244821165387300.post-45099605407860599642015-10-30T13:23:00.000-07:002015-10-30T13:23:24.640-07:00The Experience of Being Christian in a Post Christian Culture
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<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Post-Christian</b><b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"> -</span></b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the
loss of the primacy of the Christian worldview in political affairs</i></span>.
(Wikipedia)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p>It seems
many of us are having a hard time dealing with what that means exactly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know all of what it means but I do
know that it means Christians no longer enjoy a majority sufficient to drive
public debate, legal battles and the discussion of contemporary issues with the
kind of momentum it takes to consider the Christian perspective to be
normative. The Christian perspective is no longer the gold standard in
America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Political candidates no longer
see pursuing the Christian voting block as crucial to their election. The
Christian worldview is being painted as archaic and more often reminiscent of
where we “used to be.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christian
viewpoints are viewed with suspicion and often considered synonymous with
judgement. Churches and Christian institutions are being subtly warned even now
that they should change their views on important social issues or lose favor
from the government, social agencies and society in general. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some may
fear that it means Christianity is slowly fading away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, Christianity is not going away but the
experience of being a Christian is changing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s not that some other religion is overtaking our country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The transition is not to another religion but
to no religion at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>America, like much
of Europe before it, is becoming more and more secular. Secular people are
neither driven by nor interested in what God thinks about things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They don’t believe in heaven or hell and
don’t want to be told that their behavior is going to take them one place or
another and they are completely unmotivated to change by the threat of eternal
punishment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are not interested in
what the Bible says about any issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They think Jesus was a fine fellow who got an unfair shake at the end of
his life but in their view he is not risen, not real and not relevant in our
culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The more Christians arrogantly
try to paint the secular point of view as “stupid” the more Christianity will
resemble a majority “has been” who can’t deal with adversity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let’s be clear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Christianity thrives in adversity. The declines we have experienced of
late may be due at least in part to a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">lack
</i>of adversity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Churches will continue
to decline for a time because where as “polite culture” used to be defined in
church settings, it now is defined in social settings where moral boundaries
are more relaxed and no one is so rude as to suggest that there might be one
standard that applies to all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What will
cause Christianity to thrive will not be adversity itself but will be our
response to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have three points to consider for how Christians might respond to the coming
adversity.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><strong>1. Don't build walls or fence off the church from the secular culture.</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
An interesting thing is happening as our culture becomes more and more secular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t prove it but it is observable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe that as the church and the culture grow further apart on views of values, morals and issues of right and wrong the number of ‘fence riding’ Christians is going down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It makes sense because as the chasm grows wider it becomes more difficult to stretch across. Behavior that would not be sanctioned at church is more and more difficult to hide because the secular culture insists that there is nothing to be ashamed of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Biblical teaching you get at church is often unacceptable in the secular world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They want to hear all about Jesus’ love and grace but don’t try to set limits on their behavior (even limits that are reflected in plain teaching in scripture) and now they have larger numbers to back up those claims.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a church we either already have or will soon lose most if not all of our fence riders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fence riders don’t want to make a choice but if put in a position where they have to they will usually choose the path of least resistance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Living a Christian life is like lighting a lamp in a dark room. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is very visible and likely to be less and less popular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will be easier just to scoot off of the fence and disappear into the landscape of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They will allow you to keep doing nice things for people as long as you don’t draw too much attention to it. Unfortunately, the life of a disciple of was never meant to be quiet and unassuming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was meant to attract attention to God’s glory even if the attention is unfriendly.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So what do we do with these emptying fences that are in our world?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What happens to the barriers between the church and a secular world?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are told that these fences, these barriers erected between the flock and the wolves in the world are for our safety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are there to protect us therefore they need to be maintained even violently if need be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately again, the life of a disciple was never meant to be safe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our orders are to tear down the fences and move among the wolves taking the good news of Jesus to the sheep outside the fence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can’t just hole up in our church buildings and endure this current crisis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must move into the world, into the darkness and take the light there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must reach to those on the outside, grab a hand in holy friendship, build relationships, meet needs, help the hurting and the downtrodden and be Jesus in the world.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">You can’t be salt of the earth by staying in a salt shaker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can’t be the light of the world by hiding under a bucket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The darker the darkness, the more difference one small light makes. <br />
<br />
<strong>2. Suffering and rejection are to be endured, not fought.</strong><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span> When we are in with the wolves, there will be persecution. Often the persecution and rejection comes from among the ranks of the vocal,
extremist secular and religious activists who ridicule conservative, religious believers
because of what they see as the wrong stance on certain social and political issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have heard or read public statements and
possibly even endured personal attacks claiming that your view on some issue
means you must ‘hate’ certain individuals. You didn’t vote for a non-Caucasian candidate so you must be racist and hate all people with differing skin tones.
You oppose gay marriage so you must hate all homosexuals. You oppose abortion
so you must hate women. The statements are extreme by design, intended to
inflict injury, intended to evoke a defensive and ill-conceived response and
often, that is exactly what they get – an emotional, poorly worded response
that adds further fuel to the fire and continues to escalate the temperature of
the public debate.<o:p></o:p><br />
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</span><br />
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Two
things are sure. 1. It is easy to make a fool of someone who quickly opens
their mouth when goaded and 2. There is nothing to be gained for the sake of
Christ when Christians add sharp, abrasive replies to sharp, abrasive
critiques. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its human nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we are challenged or criticized we want
to respond in like – “an eye for an eye.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, that was never what Jesus told us to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus said, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Do not resist an evil person, when struck on one cheek - turn the
other as well, love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you,”</i> (from
Matt 5:38-44).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Stand up for Jesus” can
never mean “stand and fight for your rights as a Christian.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can only mean “stand and proclaim the good
news of Jesus even if it means you go to jail or to your death.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In scripture phrases that communicate “stand
up for your faith” or “contend for your faith” are reserved for
standing against false teachers and hypocrisy from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">within our own ranks</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
never a recommended or even desirable strategy for coping with persecution from
pagans, secularists or other religions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Persecution and rejection were meant to be suffered and endured, quietly
and with great love for the perpetrators.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The next time you see a political comment or hear a statement that is
insulting to your faith or makes Christians look stupid put your discipleship
into practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Refuse to reply in
kind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Love the person who posted the
comment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you know them personally, go
out of your way to do something nice for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Say something like, “I don’t always agree with you but I love your
passion,” then add a gift card from Starbucks or another preferred merchant. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may not feel vindicated but you will be
bringing them the blessings of Jesus which brings Him closer to them, something
a sarcastic response could have never done. </div>
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>
3. Disciples must be held to God's standards of holiness but secular people won't be.</strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span> There can be no doubt that the change in what
is considered moral and acceptable in modern times is a large scale paradigm
shift from just 10 or 20 years ago and even more earth shattering for those who
remember the moral climate in America in the 1940’s and 50’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Post-Christian world values
non-judgement, non-violence and healthy choices but they also embrace sexual
freedom, the freedom to make one’s own choices and resist limits on behavior
that is not inherently harmful to others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This world largely accepts that consenting adults should be free choose
whatever form of sexual expression that makes them happy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They accept homosexuality, bisexuality and
welcome the concept of same sex marriages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They embrace the philosophy that gender is what you think it is and not
determined by the body parts with which you were born.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have legalized the recreational use of
marijuana in several states and are not likely to stop until they legalize it
in the entire nation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just a quarter
century ago most of those things were considered by the majority (and often by
law) to be evil, unnatural, immoral and even criminal in some cases. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
troubling to see the distance which we have come but even more disturbing to
think of things that are now considered criminal, unnatural and immoral that
may become culturally acceptable within another quarter century.<o:p></o:p><br />
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</span><br />
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We grieve the way it used to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We mourn the fact that our views, biblical
views on moral and political issues are becoming viewed as relics from a time
when the Christian world view was the dominant influence in our culture and
kicked aside as irrelevant, judgmental and draconian. Grieving is
appropriate in cases of loss and this represents a loss especially when we
think of the world our children and grandchildren will face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a silver lining in this dark cloud
however as we remember that the more our culture falls to the moral base line,
the more permissive and accepting it is of what used to be considered deviant,
the more it becomes like the culture of the 1<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup> through 3<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">rd</span></sup>
centuries in the Greco-Roman world and that is precisely the world that first
received the gospel of Christ.<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the mean-time, we must remember that while God expects
all to please Him and follow the nature of His creation, He also gives everyone
the choice as to whether or not they will follow His leading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From the very beginning of time He has
allowed those who would walk away to follow their own passions and desires to
do so and often with little consequence beyond the ordinary and eternal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have to remember that our sanctions and
cautions only hold influence over those who have an interest in following God’s
paths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can instruct and inform from
scripture those who wish to know Jesus and those who long for His will but for
those who don’t believe or don’t believe as we do those instructions are merely
going to fall on deaf ears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They even
sometimes feel judgmental and offensive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We have to remember that God values sinners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He loves even the vilest moral offender and
our responsibility is not to tell him where he is wrong at least not at
first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our first and most important
responsibility to the sinner is to tell him he is loved; loved like crazy by
God who wants him to come home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s
make that our message to a post-Christian world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Love first, then share, then disciple.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p> </div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span> </span>Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800244821165387300.post-44843530302718456912015-04-24T09:08:00.001-07:002015-04-24T09:08:58.418-07:00Religious Freedom?
<span class="text"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></b></span><span class="text"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">There has been much stir of late about the
various state legislatures passing laws loosely being described as “Religious
Freedom” laws.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They seem to be a
response by conservative law makers to the anticipation of a Supreme Court
ruling on gay marriage that will most likely result in mandating that every
state allow same sex marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The gist
of the law appears to be that business owners can refuse services to a person
or a couple or group representing beliefs and/or behaviors to which the
business owner or service provider objects on the grounds of religious views.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The example often cited is the one where the
owners of a wedding cake business <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>refused
to make a wedding cake for the wedding reception of a same sex couple. The
owners refused services to the couple on the grounds that their union, though
at the time legal, violated the owner’s religious views on homosexuality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="c10" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span class="text"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
discussion has added fresh inflammation to an already sensitive area of public
discourse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One side sees the legislation
as protection for those who disagree with the concept of same sex marriage on
religious grounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the orthodoxy
of all three major religions in America (Islam, Judaism, and Christianity) shares
the view that same sex relationships are immoral and outside the limits God
places on sexual expression, the common view is that this legislation is about
protecting the free expression of the Christian faith. Those who share this
view believe that people of faith should not be legally required to participate
in or validate beliefs or behavior that, legal or otherwise, stands in
violation of their religious views.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
wedding cake business is one example but others abound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Restaurants, resorts, reception venues,
churches and ministers will all be scrutinized to see if sexual preference will
be an issue over which they might be willing to create public stir over moral
views.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="c10" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span class="text"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
other side of the public debate tags this legislation as not just allowing but
promoting discrimination against the LGB/T community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They cite the plight of pre-civil rights
African-Americans being denied service in restaurants and retail venues because
of the color of their skin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They fear
that these laws will be seen by some as permission for the open persecution of
gay and lesbian individuals and couples. Refusing to make a wedding cake is bad
enough they say but what if it comes to refusing emergency medical services or
a life-saving organ transplant based on sexual orientation?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="c10" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span class="text"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
public debate will certainly rage on but each person of faith will need to come
to their own personal stance on the issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In my personal reflection on the issue I have found that it is not easy
to reach a resolution I feel at peace with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In scripture the same God who eats and fellowships with prostitutes also
condemns those who are greedy and dishonest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That to some would seem contradictory but it is actually consistent with
God’s purpose and design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is always
pursuing the lost with loving offers of mercy and grace but challenging the
faithful to higher levels of compliance with His will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span class="text"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So what is the proper Biblical view on such an
issue?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How should Christians position
themselves in the public debate?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before
I go further I feel the need to remind you that I do not hold myself up as the
one who defines the Christian or even the Church of Christ position on
anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could say I define the Tripp
family position on such things but I would need to get Lenore’s permission
before doing so!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My objective here is
not to tell anyone what they should believe about such things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just wish to give fuel to the discussion
and make points that each might want to consider in formulating their own position.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="c10" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span class="text"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Landing on a position with which to frame the public
debate is difficult given our culture’s obsession with sex and insistence on
the free expression of one’s sexual desires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is also difficult when we see that Jesus ate with prostitutes and
chose common sinners to be his closest followers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pair that with the fact that while he openly
fellowshipped with sinners he often had open disdain for the pious who he
called self-righteous and hypocrites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But that seems to be a consistent thread between Jesus and the Spirit
led authors of the New Testament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Welcome the sinner with open arms in the love of Christ but hold
believers to the high standard of holiness of being “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">imitators of God therefore as dearly loved children and live a life of
love, just as Christ loved us…</i>” (Eph. 5:1-2).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is clear that spirit-filled believers in
the New Testament are held to a much higher standard than those who are outside
of the body of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The objective is
never to force the unbeliever to follow Christian values and views but instead
to reach to them with God’s love and forgiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once they are touched by the amazing love God
has for them and they respond to the offer of forgiveness by committing
themselves to life in Christ then they must consider what it is like to “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">take off the old and put on the new</i>”
(Eph. 4:22-23). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="c10" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span class="text"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We have another thing coming if we believe that we can be
relevant in an evangelistic way by requiring the un-churched to look and act
like us <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">before</i> they understand God’s
desire for them to be holy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we
consider how to form an opinion on “Religious Freedom” we need to remember the
foundational call of all Christians is to “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">go
and make disciples of all nations</i>” NOT to ‘demand that the world follow the
teachings of scripture and accept only those who agree with you.’ Any view that
challenges to objective of making disciples in light of the offer of love and
forgiveness just might be the wrong view.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="c10" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span class="text"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So ‘what would Jesus do?’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Let’s look at an example and see how the Lord would have us to respond
in light of his will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s say that Barbara
is a dedicated, godly Christian woman who is also a real estate agent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is approached by two men who make no
effort to hide the fact that they are a couple and wish to use her expertise to
assist them in buying a home in the area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Let’s say Barbara lives in a state where it would be within her rights
to refuse service to them based on their sexual orientation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What would be the right thing, the godly
thing, the Christ-like thing for her to do?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="c10" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span class="text"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Her basic options are to either refuse services because
she might feel that helping them find a home would be seen as approving of their
lifestyle, validating a path that might lead to their eternal destruction or agree
to help them in hope of building a relationship that might in some way draw
them closer to the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="c10" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span class="text"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>You are welcome to differ with me but it seems obvious
that when dealing with ‘sinners’ and unbelievers, Jesus and his followers in
the New Testament nearly always chose enlightening, loving, healing
relationships over the hands off approach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When there were exceptions it was because of complications (hypocrisy, ulterior
motives, evil intent – see the story of Elymas in Acts 13:6-12).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus routinely broke with cultural
conventions and built relationships to people others would have ignored (see
the Canaanite woman – Matt. 15:21-28, the sinful woman – Luke 7:36-50, the
woman at the well – John 4:1-26, and others).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>His example to us was to value people who are struggling with sin, honor
their strides toward godly thinking and godly actions and readily forgive
others of their offenses as quickly as possible.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span class="text"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
a recent commentary on the issue, a friend of mine, Eric Johansen suggested a
fine guideline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said that if the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">service</i> violates ones conscience then it
might be refused (e.g. a Christian counselor being asked to do relationship
counseling for a same sex couple). However if the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">service</i> does not violate the conscience (baking a cake or looking
at homes) then it should be done regardless of the customer/client in the
spirit of directing the light of God into a place that needs it. I think
putting the emphasis on the service rather than on the lifestyle of the customer/client
is an excellent way of looking at it and a great way to shine the light of
Christ to a world that needs him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="text"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800244821165387300.post-33287174050700608672015-02-11T10:04:00.000-08:002015-02-12T11:08:07.741-08:00Can Tragedy Bring Us Together?Many of us who were aware of world events in the 1980's will remember the epic words of Ronald Reagan as he stood at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin and challenged the leadership of the USSR and especially Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall!" <br />
<br />
The wall that then separated West Berlin and East Berlin had became a symbol of oppression and bondage. It was a reminder of the acrimony and mistrust between the east and the west after the fall of Germany at the close of World War Two. It divided a community that had needed one another to heal from the blight of the Nazis and the war that nearly destroyed them. When the wall was torn down not long after Reagan's now famous speech, Berliners were once again united and eventually Germany was brought together again as an independent nation now proud and strong. <br />
<br />
We may not have large block and mortar walls dividing friends, families and communities these days but there are many walls among us. These walls are made in the clash of opposing world views, polarizing ideologies, and inflexible beliefs. They are coated on both sides with sharp rhetoric and the tops are lined with barbs of blame and vitriol. When on one side of the wall it is easy to hate those on the other side and define them by their most extreme words and behavior. It is a simple thing to dehumanize people we don't know or care to know. From those we dehumanize we feel justified to withhold any and all forms of human love and compassion. The walls weaken our schools and neighborhoods. They divide our cities and communities. They polarize political parties and blur a national identity. <br />
<br />
These walls are strangling our society at every level diluting us from a hardy melting pot of cultures and world views bound by a common vision and purpose to a thin fractured society too blinded by the structure of our own world view to see the beauty in that of others. From the halls of congress to city hall we witness acrimony and asperity spread across the airwaves and the internet from various sides of the walls that exist. Whether the topic is taxes or pipelines, abortion or drugs, marriage or sexual identity, people are most comfortable speaking with those within their walls while taking shots at those on the other side. In so doing they <em>hope to bring change by inflicting injury, </em>a proposition that seems destined to ultimate failure. Meanwhile our communities pay the price. Systemic relationships at the community level are being held together by used chewing gum and cheap masking tape. Political correctness and pretense take the place of genuine human emotion and protests take the place of real efforts to bring people together.<br />
<br />
Having been a member of the clergy for many years now I am no stranger to navigating these walls. Recently, members of the church where I minister had what has become a very high profile tragedy occur in their family. The tragedy triggered a visceral response from many around the world on issues of sexual and gender identity. As the rhetoric swirled, a giant spotlight landed on the ugly wall between conservative Christianity and the LGBTQ community. Commentary from both sides of the wall was harsh, filled with blame and bashing. One side chanted, "Your beliefs kill children!" While the other side responded, "Your glorification of suicide as martyrdom kills children!" Both sides have their say, score their points, and celebrate with the like minded while the wall grows larger and larger. <br />
<br />
I wonder if anybody on either side (besides me obviously) has ever stopped to ask, "What if the greatest problem is not in the beliefs, rhetoric or behavior of others but rather <em>might actually be the wall itself</em>. I can't help but wonder what would happen if people on both sides of the wall would stop thinking up ways to vent their anger toward the other side but instead just reach over the wall and grab a hand on the other side. Just holding it, not grabbing a hand with the hopes of pulling someone over but taking time to feel the warm flesh of the other, to get to know them and their story, to try to understand where their hearts are, <em>to accept them even if they don't agree with them</em>. I believe that kind of behavior would begin to melt walls in our communities. We could see walls of racial differences, religious differences, cultural differences and others begin to crumble and fall. In our time we could see real healing begin in our communities. Political correctness would be replaced with real human compassion and caring. It would make a real difference in how people relate to each other. We could see each other not as a Christian people or Jewish people, gay people or straight people, black people or white people but just as people. <br />
<br />
I don't expect those on the extremes to care much about what I am saying here. They're too busy lighting up social media, planning their rallies and devising schemes to destroy the other side. But I hope those of us in the middle of the extremes, those of us who are tired of the walls, those of us who want to love people despite our differences will see it differently. I am hoping those are the people who will approach the wall and reach over, grab a hand and start the process. <br />
<br />
Lets tear down these walls!Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800244821165387300.post-33581251794090713752014-08-27T12:34:00.003-07:002014-08-27T12:34:45.501-07:00The Glorious Unfolding
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="text"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></b></span><span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">This Labor Day Weekend while not the
official start of fall it is practically the beginning of a new part of the
year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kids are back in school, weather
patterns are changing and there is even an occasional leaf that jumps the
seasonal starter’s pistol and changes color.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As I’ve said before, I’m thankful to live in a region of the country
that has four distinct seasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
always happy for the start of the summer but thankful when it gives way to the
cooler, more scenic autumn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll miss
the kids being home and the sun being out until after 9:00pm but I’ll love
college football and taking foliage photos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Change is a part of life and we must learn to grieve our losses, live
for today and embrace the blessings of a continuously unfolding future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Steven
Curtis Chapman, a contemporary Christian music artist, has a new song out titled,
“<u>The Glorious Unfolding</u>” (the video is incredible and if we’re friends
on facebook there is a link to the video on my page). The gist of the song is
that God has a plan for each of us and while there are bumps and twists and turns
in our path He is working all things together for our good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
find it refreshing to look at life from the perspective of it being an
adventure planned and orchestrated by God to prepare us for glory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can see this perspective alive in Paul’s
mind as he writes to the Philippians saying, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">But one thing I do; forgetting what is behind and straining toward what
is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called
me heavenward in Christ Jesus</i>.” (Phil. 3:13-14). God doesn’t want us to
live our lives in fear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole
concept of adventure means to take risks, face our fears and trust that God
genuinely cares for us, trust that he will lift us when we fall, trust that
losses on this journey will be turned to gains and trust that his plans for us
may lead us through the ‘valley of the shadow of death’ sometimes but will
eventually lead us to a triumphant realization of the part we play in His grand
scheme for glory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
psalmist puts it this way<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div align="left" class="c10" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.3in; text-align: left;">
<span class="text"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now
this I know:</span></span></i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">The
</span><span class="small-caps"><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span></span><span class="text"> gives victory to his anointed.</span><br />
<span class="text">He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary</span><br />
<span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">with
the victorious power of his right hand.</span><br />
<span class="text">Some trust in chariots and some in horses,</span><br />
<span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">but
we trust in the name of the </span><span class="small-caps"><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span></span><span class="text"> our God.</span><br />
<span class="text">They are brought to their knees and fall,</span><br />
<span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">but
we rise up and stand firm.</span></span></span></i><span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> (Psalm 20:6-8)<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In Romans,
Paul reminds us<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div align="left" class="c10" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.3in; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: both; font-size: 11pt;">And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love
him, who have been called according to his purpose.</span></i><span style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: both; font-size: 11pt;"> (Romans 8:28)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="-ms-layout-grid-mode: both;">Fall is here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Winter is
coming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some will focus on cold and dark
while other fix their eyes on beauty and purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Threat or challenge, what will you see?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Put your future in God’s hands and watch the
‘glorious unfolding.’</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800244821165387300.post-43969050552504612032014-05-22T07:31:00.001-07:002014-05-23T10:52:00.187-07:00Powerful Memory<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tXIri36d2xY/U3-KSAtBX2I/AAAAAAAAAIc/3nUcZ1RQQjo/s1600/05+19+14_0264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tXIri36d2xY/U3-KSAtBX2I/AAAAAAAAAIc/3nUcZ1RQQjo/s1600/05+19+14_0264.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What
are some of your powerful memories?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
not just talking the usual ones like baptisms, births and deaths, marriages and
the like. What are some life changing moments that took you by surprise and
left you reeling in despair or overwhelmed with joy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember the one solo tackle I got in pee
wee football (caught the running back from behind before he crossed the line of
scrimmage).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember my first kiss (my
braces got in the way). I remember when Lenore and I received our graduate
degrees in the mail and a positive pregnancy test the same day (we celebrated
at a pricey but awesome seafood buffet in Indianapolis). I remember the sick
feeling in my stomach when I stood in my son’s room after dropping him off at
Harding (I cried).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember Jim
Caveman, then an elder at the Northeast Church of Christ, calling and offering me the job at the church
(that’s worked out pretty well).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Memories
are formative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They alter our course for
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They affect the choices we make
for better or for worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They knit
together a fabric of likes and dislikes, of pleasure and pain, of rewards and
consequences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They form a tapestry that
tells the story of who we are and helps us to determine who we are to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
formative nature of memory creates an imperative for Christians that demands
God be a thread running through the tapestry of the past and in ever increasing
measure defines and shapes the tapestry of the future. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Solomon reminds his readers to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Remember your creator in the days of your youth before the days of
trouble come and the years approach when you will say – ‘I find no pleasure in
them…’”</i> (Ecclesiastes 12:1). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
“the God thread” runs strong in the tapestry of your past it strengthens your
ability to cope with the struggles of the future.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I write this heading into the Memorial Day weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Memorial Day</span> is a day of
remembrance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We remember those who made
a difference in our lives and in many cases were willing to give their lives to
protect us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a sobering exercise
but also valuing to remember those who had a passion for us, who believed in us
and told us we were of great worth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some
believed that we were worth dying for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How fitting it is for us to honor those who were willing to pay the
ultimate price for friends, family and countrymen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their sacrifice leaves a bold watermark in
our tapestry, one that symbolizes the freedom we have to make our own choices
and live without fear of our enemies or under the heel of an oppressive
government or ideology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That honor
should live well beyond the single day set aside for that purpose.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Each day, we would do well to pause to remember the sacrifice of
God’s son, an icon for God’s great love for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Though that memory erupts from writings nearly two thousand years old,
its thread connects our tapestry with that of so many others since the time
it happened. In each tapestry the thread bears the same message in many
languages, “sinner saved by the grace of God”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Memories are powerful. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span class="text"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Remember all that God has done for you.</span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800244821165387300.post-8125912537048684952014-04-17T09:46:00.002-07:002014-04-17T10:24:49.293-07:00The Rising of the Son<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXETqFZWm9VZ8lHp3bk8SQaQB5bFsr1k5QieiCMhLCMm9MuFU_blqoo6tMrgYLLCAng-3evGkrFfPZwWXIXkyr0IDBL8YoGgYBNLF1dyrsq9QHhKpYHuVz_Xe6o13aGT3ZGIOS_zEaGIU/s1600/04+03+14_0130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXETqFZWm9VZ8lHp3bk8SQaQB5bFsr1k5QieiCMhLCMm9MuFU_blqoo6tMrgYLLCAng-3evGkrFfPZwWXIXkyr0IDBL8YoGgYBNLF1dyrsq9QHhKpYHuVz_Xe6o13aGT3ZGIOS_zEaGIU/s1600/04+03+14_0130.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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There's nothing like a sunrise over the water. Even better is seeing a sunrise over the water while clutching a fishing pole with the sound of soft sloshing of water and the feel of the gentle roll of the waves under a boat. I don't exactly know why it is so exciting to feel the almost imperceptible nudge of a fish inspecting the bait at the end of the line but I know it is. Then when that nudge becomes an unmistakable tug of a creature that has inhaled the bait, the adrenaline rush is on. There's a frantic pull as the fish attempts to flee from the threat and when impeded by the fishing rod, there's a shake as the fish thrashes about trying to free itself from the hook in its mouth. This resistance pattern repeats itself over and over again until the exhausted creature finally relents and presents itself at the surface beside the boat. I don't know that it is possible to ever get enough of that contest with the creatures of the deep but I know I never seem to get enough. After releasing the fish or better yet detaining him for a dinner meeting later, the thing I most want to do is to put more bait on the hook and get it back in the water. Perhaps the best thing about fishing is that there is no such thing as a bad day of fishing. Even when you catch nothing or the big one gets away or you fall in the stream and fill your waders with cold river water, its still a pretty good day. <br />
<br />
During the week before Easter, called "Passion Week" by many, I am mindful of another sunrise. Nearly 2,000 years ago a group of women made their way up a steep rocky trail just as the sky above the Mount of Olives just east of Jerusalem in Israel began to turn a creamsickle orange. They each had the knot of grief in their stomachs as they made their way somberly toward their destination. It had been a difficult weekend to say the least. Their teacher, a man named Jesus, whom they believed to be God's Messiah, had been arrested, tried and crucified. His body had been rushed to a borrowed grave so the Jewish leaders could celebrate their Passover Feast in peace. It had been painful to eat the Passover meal where they were supposed to remember how God had delivered them all the while feeling the opposite. It seemed that God had abandoned them. How could something that had seemed so right have gone so wrong? Still, they had a job to do. The body of the Lord had not been properly prepared for burial because there had not been enough time so they were on a mission to administer the aromatic herbs and spices to show their final respects before closing the tomb for good. What a surprise they received. Instead of finding a cold, dark, closed tomb they found the entry way open, a large stone having been removed and angels illuminating the whole area by their brightness. They were told that their Lord, this Jesus, was actually quite alive after God raised him from the dead. I can only imagine the incredible celebration among these women and the other disciples of Christ as they realized this truth.<br />
<br />
Only later did his disciples grasp the enormous gravity of the resurrection. They began to realize that his death and resurrection were a part of God's plan of salvation for all who would receive it. They realized and told the world that through the death and resurrection of Christ we have hope. Death no longer has any victory over us. The oppressive finality of death has been lifted and the hope of living for eternity has been realized. This changed everything. It changed how Christians lived when they know they don't "just go around once". It changed how they faced death seeing it as a new beginning rather than an end. It changed how they grieved the loss of loved ones knowing that just as they would see Jesus face to face one day, so would they see those who have gone before. <br />
<br />
I hope that the next time I watch the sun rise I am holding that fishing pole and waiting for any sign that a finned friend has shown some interest in what I am offering. I hope too that I will again be reminded in the rising sun and start of a new day that God has given me new life in Jesus. He has given me hope eternal in his resurrection and he has shown me his eternal love through the mercy and grace offered at the cross. I may have bad days here on earth but I know that with God's love and mercy surrounding me, every day is still a pretty good day.<br />
<br />
<br />Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800244821165387300.post-60632330606462752872011-09-12T19:51:00.000-07:002011-09-12T19:51:17.607-07:00Days 8, 9, and 10<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_g3ePY3WZWJeS_Iy7yraoT1lis-4QBbv7RhG_7TSWWnpuGNfJhu2uZ7dn1xzL0eW6niUOHx3O4Ltc-59Qn1Nd2L2fAFRuR1GbI0ab4xVGxlE5grO5DNJzdYaNj351IUc_ucalMeq3z88/s1600/Cheney+Lake+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_g3ePY3WZWJeS_Iy7yraoT1lis-4QBbv7RhG_7TSWWnpuGNfJhu2uZ7dn1xzL0eW6niUOHx3O4Ltc-59Qn1Nd2L2fAFRuR1GbI0ab4xVGxlE5grO5DNJzdYaNj351IUc_ucalMeq3z88/s320/Cheney+Lake+5.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Cheney Lake</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWeekEI4GiFvSPhyphenhyphenwRiLS4abdD7Rnnv7z42eeZ-zsED4X5G5ItCt2PtYS55mAkxzJze_sxuSnzeIQKY1A36CUTNHf-MiKgRNY1xTgtRIEdKYbzI_o0H9SkIQatDI8ujSMkAuroA918VkQ/s1600/Flattop+View+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWeekEI4GiFvSPhyphenhyphenwRiLS4abdD7Rnnv7z42eeZ-zsED4X5G5ItCt2PtYS55mAkxzJze_sxuSnzeIQKY1A36CUTNHf-MiKgRNY1xTgtRIEdKYbzI_o0H9SkIQatDI8ujSMkAuroA918VkQ/s320/Flattop+View+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> View of Anchorage from Flattop Mountain</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBJSs2BQpKisyh9c-vvKaT_jOqr_xR4yDmH7xinPnyub3Hs19FBPitwOXzSF_4kVFw4VOrX0WtxOmlOWbc7xR4fES1M-RWK3xMqs5Z_bi_bLKUxU00Z89nvAubX0ZGPzMF0d180BZ3FLo/s1600/Homer+Overlook+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBJSs2BQpKisyh9c-vvKaT_jOqr_xR4yDmH7xinPnyub3Hs19FBPitwOXzSF_4kVFw4VOrX0WtxOmlOWbc7xR4fES1M-RWK3xMqs5Z_bi_bLKUxU00Z89nvAubX0ZGPzMF0d180BZ3FLo/s320/Homer+Overlook+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> View of the Kachemak Bay from the Homer Overlook</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYnVRu0Qq2bDktSpktC0je6JJPFpMf-_5XEhzt6qZOwBg4o7IYtA3V_lYfASgiQrhlmIXo7p-rpCQOFeYfu8HBFzc55ZqHTaQ0oP7iXsYw8tafUs3nlVLWJXOIhpRcoT-ZpDgsQEusyWg/s1600/Jesse%2527s+Halibut.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYnVRu0Qq2bDktSpktC0je6JJPFpMf-_5XEhzt6qZOwBg4o7IYtA3V_lYfASgiQrhlmIXo7p-rpCQOFeYfu8HBFzc55ZqHTaQ0oP7iXsYw8tafUs3nlVLWJXOIhpRcoT-ZpDgsQEusyWg/s320/Jesse%2527s+Halibut.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Jesse Elmore with his Halibut</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2EBcC0PzUxZc-H93apiU_S1b9obvwfBqY6OFAxtrtCFr1Gb774MFRbbIkny1iFlmt7A1ST6Ig-3ibWLdtlDlXxy7PdJrdCRwPbz2v4-q-8bQaH0tppMyM6y9aRIZSG26XMoNYLR0AW0/s1600/Irish+Lord.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2EBcC0PzUxZc-H93apiU_S1b9obvwfBqY6OFAxtrtCFr1Gb774MFRbbIkny1iFlmt7A1ST6Ig-3ibWLdtlDlXxy7PdJrdCRwPbz2v4-q-8bQaH0tppMyM6y9aRIZSG26XMoNYLR0AW0/s320/Irish+Lord.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Irish Lord Fish</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2fdo8BDaGP7d-rVE9NoZsd8stnpRhIFyX4I4FGi6Y8oJgwKXy2GKXrK8pxqtKaiq4JCx1qmbPN98DFLwo9yXmjwDcPXHo1uUThnl_T-IuW4GEsnWQmV9WAyB5AeU0SUTq4QOKT2OoduQ/s1600/Portage+Glacier.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2fdo8BDaGP7d-rVE9NoZsd8stnpRhIFyX4I4FGi6Y8oJgwKXy2GKXrK8pxqtKaiq4JCx1qmbPN98DFLwo9yXmjwDcPXHo1uUThnl_T-IuW4GEsnWQmV9WAyB5AeU0SUTq4QOKT2OoduQ/s320/Portage+Glacier.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">Portage Glacier and Lake Below</div>Friday in Girdwood was probably the best day of all in terms of weather. The sun was shining and lots of blue sky. I left my little rented chalet and drove to Anchorage to meet with Jesse for our trip back down the Kenai Peninsula. I was able to take some pictures around Anchorage and got some especially good shots around a park with a lake in it called Cheney Lake. Autumn has already arrived in Alaska and the leaves are beginning to change colors. The locals are dreading another long winter but it is inevitable. They will probably have their first snow within the next 2-3 weeks (around the first of October) and it will not melt until around the first of May. That is a long time with snow! Jesse and I headed down the Seward Highway and spent the night with his parents. When we arrived Jesse's dad and brother (Mike) were making final preparations to leave on a moose and bear hunting trip up in the Tok area (east - central Alaska). It took them about 10 hours to get to their hunting grounds and they plan to stay there for 2 weeks. On Saturday morning, we wished them luck and watched them pull away in a big Ford F350 diesel pulling an 20+ foot trailer with two 8 wheeled ATV's in which they would drive the last 15 miles back off of the road to their camp. Talk about remote!! After waving goodbye, Jesse and I headed south to his Uncle Dave's house where we helped him hook his boat and trailer to his truck and continued south to Homer, Alaska. Homer is on the southern-most tip of the peninsula on the Kachemak Bay. Another absolutely stunning scene unfolded as we pulled off at the overlook and saw the little town and the bay and the mountains all around. The pictures just cannot do it justice. After buying bait and preparing the boat, we launched and headed out in the bay looking for the famous Alaskan halibut. Halibut are bottom dwellers and are known to frequent the depths. It is not unusual to fish for them in 100 - 300 feet of water or more. A simple hunk of herring on a huge hook taken to the bottom by a pound of lead was the rig. Fishing was slow. Dave was not a fishing guide but fished a lot. He said we would just have to try different spots until we found the fish. We caught little, in fact Jesse, my gracious host was the only person to boat fish. He reeled up one decent sized halibut but also caught 2 sharks and an Irish Lord fish (see my pictures - it is the ugly one with the big mouth). I caught nothing but felt lots of bites and nibbles. It was still a magnificent trip. I hope to have the opportunity to do it again. We spent the night at the Elmores and went to church with them on Sunday morning before Jesse and I headed back to Anchorage. On the way to Anchorage we stopped by the Portage Glacier for some photo ops. There were still huge hunks of ice in the lake at the foot of the glacier. We also spotted a bunch of spawned out salmon in a stream nearby. The fish are just in the last hours of life after expending their energy swimming upstream to spawn. Once the task is complete they die. Many had already done so making the area reek of dead fish. Still, it was cool to see! Sunday night we cooked some of the halibut (my absolute favorite fish to eat!) Monday morning we got up and ate at Snow City Cafe. It was a wonderful breakfast place. I had eggs benedict over salmon cakes. It was real good! As I write this I am waiting to go to the airport to board my plane and head back home. I dread the long overnight flight but am really looking forward to seeing my family again. The Alaskan Adventure was wonderful but cannot compare to one hug from Lenore, Anna and Lizzy. There is nothing better than that! I can't wait to see Sam later this month too. I really miss that boy! Thank you for reading my blog and keeping up with my adventure. Thanks also to the Northeast Church of Christ whose elders and members made this possible by granting me the opportunity to make this happen. I can't imagine working for a better group of people! Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800244821165387300.post-9179795053257808962011-09-09T00:52:00.000-07:002011-09-09T00:52:47.296-07:00Day 7 - In Alaska<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvBKw_0knnZcTxJKnh6D2RuWDzIfVcoXGzfH38xIJgzwChDgxLfumtp_sA23uAAoLyuCxMUdRcfARc1D2skJklA8RxpqZ_Xzg6GiPH7zBi-MWn__E-LEEDK1yQvOkBhOI6QtP5Tf2dPD0/s1600/Alyeska+Snow+%2526+Clouds+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvBKw_0knnZcTxJKnh6D2RuWDzIfVcoXGzfH38xIJgzwChDgxLfumtp_sA23uAAoLyuCxMUdRcfARc1D2skJklA8RxpqZ_Xzg6GiPH7zBi-MWn__E-LEEDK1yQvOkBhOI6QtP5Tf2dPD0/s320/Alyeska+Snow+%2526+Clouds+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3K7HhURAt-Bn9Btqv_AIgtJsqfLX4JOkU11JJm5yYwMEc93sfg10NBePyZe1JY1TF5rhe60XUttEYEzhMyUoALbG8EbbUKNTr7Gq1jOjzmLSbRJe18472csHQapSDI5DJXGEiE0NI94/s1600/Alyeska+Top+Tim+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3K7HhURAt-Bn9Btqv_AIgtJsqfLX4JOkU11JJm5yYwMEc93sfg10NBePyZe1JY1TF5rhe60XUttEYEzhMyUoALbG8EbbUKNTr7Gq1jOjzmLSbRJe18472csHQapSDI5DJXGEiE0NI94/s320/Alyeska+Top+Tim+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp4IheyUoX8AX0oDPY5PfowZ2vFhRIncHpN4ku2Lxll94dCuftgoLuidJ5yZRDvAKUeEianMSqe2VD9scMjCkAVN-r0GfqQBtu8zfJuIQGiVSrdOuJn0ei2YEhDv0ysD73Om12LPPSRj4/s1600/MOOSE%2521+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp4IheyUoX8AX0oDPY5PfowZ2vFhRIncHpN4ku2Lxll94dCuftgoLuidJ5yZRDvAKUeEianMSqe2VD9scMjCkAVN-r0GfqQBtu8zfJuIQGiVSrdOuJn0ei2YEhDv0ysD73Om12LPPSRj4/s320/MOOSE%2521+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWvcg7vK1KFCowEC1Q9PVfPuMxg0wlRUmqIogW278lBJkassFsK_dN9W2yRs3B-DQ6fJ9q6I0rXZTHBFekzr1yjQX7j8LLkIXeDoFg_2Tb4ql77ONJ-ypx6mRi3RT6Ha_fbu2DPa0KMPA/s1600/Sheep.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWvcg7vK1KFCowEC1Q9PVfPuMxg0wlRUmqIogW278lBJkassFsK_dN9W2yRs3B-DQ6fJ9q6I0rXZTHBFekzr1yjQX7j8LLkIXeDoFg_2Tb4ql77ONJ-ypx6mRi3RT6Ha_fbu2DPa0KMPA/s320/Sheep.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The rain finally gave up today. It was a very nice sunny day with temperatures in the 60's. The day started out with writing but I was anxious to get out and see the sights. I was able to ride the tram today that goes from the Alyeska Ski Resort here in Girdwood to the top of the mountain. My chalet is in the lower level of a couple's home. The lady of the house, Laura works at the Resort and was kind enough to get me an employee's ticket to ride the tram (Thank you Laura!). The sights were breath taking (as was the hike on up to the top of the mountain!). I was able to take some great pictures of the mountains surrounding Girdwood and the Turnagain arm. Some of the mountains had snow covered peaks already. They will start getting regular snow here soon. When I came 'down from the mountain' I was thrilled to catch a little of the first NFL game of the season. The Packers beat the Saints. I didn't get to see much of it but it is good to be in football season again. I had to leave because I had dinner plans to eat with Roger and Erin Full. The Fulls moved to Anchorage from Cincinnati 6 years ago. Since then they have added Levi, now an active, outgoing, precious little 2 year old boy. We had pizza and caught up on each other's life. It was really great to see them. On the way back to Girdwood from their house I saw my first moose! It was so exciting! I saw him in a little field off of the highway. I did a turn around as quickly as possible and pulled into a little parking area near where the moose was. I was able to take several pictures of the young bull and a video of him raking a little tree with his (relatively) small horns. After leaving him I also saw a wild sheep on the side of a sheer cliff over the road. There was a place to pull off near it as well. I got some pictures and moved on. When I turned onto the road leading up into Girdwood, I saw several cars stopped at the side of the road. As I began to pass I saw what had happened. One of the cars had hit a young moose. It was lying in the road, trying to get up but its broken legs would not allow it. The mother moose was standing there by it as if to try to help. The car only had minor damage and the man driving was not injured - a lucky thing because alot of drivers are killed in moose-car accidents. Moose are just the right (wrong?) height that when a car hits their legs they fall into the windshield often killing a driver. He asked me to call the authorities which I did. A crowd assembled but the female moose stayed right by her stricken young. The young moose was able to drag itself off of the road in a scene that could only be described as horrible and pitiful. Eventually, a state trooper came to make a report for the driver and call charities to come and get the moose. Charities process the animal and supply the meat to food banks and homeless shelters. It was amazing to be so close to those massive animals. God's creation continues to amaze! Tomorrow I plan to go with Jesse Elmore back down to Kenai. We hope to do some fishing along the way and then go to Homer and go after halibut in the ocean on Saturday. Should be fun!Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800244821165387300.post-53855017633339772942011-09-08T00:18:00.000-07:002011-09-08T00:18:38.539-07:00Day 6 In Alaska<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4PZtOj0ZgSSgxHi0Qden0w9CXucKQed_L9DgkiZjOjZSa8jAsevO2Q2_9FvnAcvCa1APEfwlrUjocElKqDJvn-tdy1AiYnrcLHvW2nfhyphenhyphenKhDqnEY4GZF-aIkJb-oW1KXqfNyj7bigvDU/s1600/Anchorage+and+Chugach+Mountains.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4PZtOj0ZgSSgxHi0Qden0w9CXucKQed_L9DgkiZjOjZSa8jAsevO2Q2_9FvnAcvCa1APEfwlrUjocElKqDJvn-tdy1AiYnrcLHvW2nfhyphenhyphenKhDqnEY4GZF-aIkJb-oW1KXqfNyj7bigvDU/s320/Anchorage+and+Chugach+Mountains.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjridQvKAwoBnbetH4CPww7qVpEdS-PeO6WZEtJz2fLvwyZaM2RZOdrvzuFyJyrVZs4K-aOEP0_Oc9M6CnLbmvPcVicmidA2qSiTOk_d1f25FCWRZ7APse5e-rkUa7Mq9Z58RfzsxM9t6c/s1600/Mountain+Chalet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjridQvKAwoBnbetH4CPww7qVpEdS-PeO6WZEtJz2fLvwyZaM2RZOdrvzuFyJyrVZs4K-aOEP0_Oc9M6CnLbmvPcVicmidA2qSiTOk_d1f25FCWRZ7APse5e-rkUa7Mq9Z58RfzsxM9t6c/s320/Mountain+Chalet.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLt10WKZmoVXK9OJfmFYs65lYM9mX5nG8fcAjH3CybIgtxGpPps679FTfLbnNYHuoh5pE4gw1d2jrF-OXIrMdWEQIBkGJ5Wq0WnTjD1EeBKPS0dmsWbW64TDdDUF9bKIHUCB_YpKRohs/s1600/Rainbow+over+Glacier+Creek.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLt10WKZmoVXK9OJfmFYs65lYM9mX5nG8fcAjH3CybIgtxGpPps679FTfLbnNYHuoh5pE4gw1d2jrF-OXIrMdWEQIBkGJ5Wq0WnTjD1EeBKPS0dmsWbW64TDdDUF9bKIHUCB_YpKRohs/s320/Rainbow+over+Glacier+Creek.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>It was another rainy day. I guess God really did want me to get some writing done. I worked on a chapter of my book throughout the morning and made some progress. Writing for me is slow work but rewarding. I am looking forward to hearing what some of you think of it when you read it. It is rough right now but I believe there is value in it. I wrote into the afternoon hours and finally decided to get ready and drive to Anchorage for food. While on the way I called Rachel Elmore and she and her husband invited me over for dinner. Taco Salad never tasted better than at Rachel and Jesse's with moose burger for the meat! We then went out for some ice cream before returning to Girdwood. I still hope for better weather soon. Tomorrow night I have plans to eat with Roger and Erin Full, former members at Northeast who moved to Anchorage several years ago. I look forward to seeing what they have been up to! More news tomorrow.Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800244821165387300.post-86485331113855229052011-09-06T22:34:00.000-07:002011-09-06T22:34:14.617-07:00Day 5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0lx6u3Wc0gppW8kWAgRxNjgZ_lqQ_7IK9oN4xNILr5UXlyPCBYN9qWj7xrox1nq3e3HngtV67xH0d6_BSW-gR9TnyD7irI4X1j1Y2GCHsHW4YJa1QuFp8XEcNZKaezh1hHt5kAMETOM/s1600/Hand+Tram+Start.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0lx6u3Wc0gppW8kWAgRxNjgZ_lqQ_7IK9oN4xNILr5UXlyPCBYN9qWj7xrox1nq3e3HngtV67xH0d6_BSW-gR9TnyD7irI4X1j1Y2GCHsHW4YJa1QuFp8XEcNZKaezh1hHt5kAMETOM/s320/Hand+Tram+Start.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_bv78o7pFIyHFgYcdCBM9Z_noht6ZbS7bj2NiXaLEno9mEsKLzZSnpg8zC_noLUIIv1ZHQHDF_yg_GX2i8ti8clnGIGOrhEbsFa1xJwBRzVe_um9g1qySotxWbdb2PCgIzcMiOUA0zmo/s1600/Hand+Tram+Floor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_bv78o7pFIyHFgYcdCBM9Z_noht6ZbS7bj2NiXaLEno9mEsKLzZSnpg8zC_noLUIIv1ZHQHDF_yg_GX2i8ti8clnGIGOrhEbsFa1xJwBRzVe_um9g1qySotxWbdb2PCgIzcMiOUA0zmo/s320/Hand+Tram+Floor.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy53g9yAG0kHBtfBkyx8z_3uADhZ8neHt6EMnsGkK3UYB9hSbYQne4VFnS5R-mCuuYD9eRyJ0fgq_lpz8YdBBM5OfqVdotaW3O1GfJjv466gaTozbys_aPvI3ZsGH3RCMmkm9BcUpgsto/s1600/Hand+Tram+Downstream.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy53g9yAG0kHBtfBkyx8z_3uADhZ8neHt6EMnsGkK3UYB9hSbYQne4VFnS5R-mCuuYD9eRyJ0fgq_lpz8YdBBM5OfqVdotaW3O1GfJjv466gaTozbys_aPvI3ZsGH3RCMmkm9BcUpgsto/s320/Hand+Tram+Downstream.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The word of the day was RAIN. It has rained all day and rained hard. The little stream near the house where I am staying is swelling. I decided today would be a good day to get some writing done. So I spent most of the morning working on my book. I was able to finish chapter two and come up with some good ideas for chapter 3. I am posting the finished chapters on a website associated with the Windows Live family of internet services called Skydrive. I will let you know how you can get to them when I figure it out. I ate and then decided to go out and brave the rain and see what I could find. I took a drive up a near by road called Crow Creek Road. There is an old mine up there that I thought might be interesting. It was a very bad road with lots of pot holes but I could see that there were a lot of trails that went off of the road. One trail was relatively short (about 1.8 miles) and had a hand tram that crossed a gorge. I thought that might make for some good pictures so I braved a fairly heavy rain and took off down the trail. The trail was muddy, exeedingly so in some places but others had made their way before me and found ways around the worst of it. I slipped and slid down to the edge of the gorge where I could hear the roaring of water below. I made my way down the trail to the tram. Once there I saw the first and only people I saw on the trail the whole time. Three adventurous young people had jogged down from the other side of the gorge to try the tram as well. After they finished I had my time. The tram carriage was a steel mesh cage suspended from a heavy cable that stretched between two terminals. A heavy rope was stretched between the terminals as well and looped around a series of pulleys so that one length went high over the carrier and one lower one passed right through the carriage. You moved between the two terminals by pulling the rope which moved the carriage in the direction you were pulling. The pull was heavy and I admit having to take several breaks - mostly on the way back - to catch my breath and rest my aching muscles (yes, I said aching not aging!). After taking some pictures from high above the raging, rain swollen stream below, I returned the tram and and made my way along the muddy trail (uphill this time) back to the car. I drove part of the way toward the Portage Glacier but realizing that the rain was getting worse and visibility was near zero, I decided to turn around and call it a night. Perhaps tomorrow will be a better day for weather and pictures. Maybe I'll catch a fish? I plan to finish another chapter tomorrow as well. Check back then!Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800244821165387300.post-10402552081199806692011-09-05T23:54:00.000-07:002011-09-05T23:54:58.525-07:00Day 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjRHikjBClEuZO2hLbfVIwf8-K2n4dRNP3Q1wYqS8bTtRBu4rESkbLc2EcgoTPw6ddaLN6iFUBZHDixodzKH_IJLkci5WrsvbuThlRN61ejUYdBr_LQpWSbHArtVmIC11nwk7490FuSKA/s1600/Alaska+State+Fair.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjRHikjBClEuZO2hLbfVIwf8-K2n4dRNP3Q1wYqS8bTtRBu4rESkbLc2EcgoTPw6ddaLN6iFUBZHDixodzKH_IJLkci5WrsvbuThlRN61ejUYdBr_LQpWSbHArtVmIC11nwk7490FuSKA/s320/Alaska+State+Fair.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAShCXSf3sYCKMED9PcFMl8XC39hdhH6OkwViz1wgjYJ7XmVFrPvvVIjsq79P5wybi334tMEZKnxbphm8abQ5vWOqJe8YOlagxmjOVfwS1_R0_FsxkLr0sQQocX-C4ehwqfZaI1daD7BM/s1600/Tina+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAShCXSf3sYCKMED9PcFMl8XC39hdhH6OkwViz1wgjYJ7XmVFrPvvVIjsq79P5wybi334tMEZKnxbphm8abQ5vWOqJe8YOlagxmjOVfwS1_R0_FsxkLr0sQQocX-C4ehwqfZaI1daD7BM/s320/Tina+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGYBshNnSAtEQAvwgpClFbcusxi4DnAUk-eQ1_CJx7OlFzuQn2wf-QuF7fNhEAmZfh6VucPFjCL_ABLSteCoWFbFAHUvDaUSklSMQqJtGXShN5UOX5nC357qmxfNbCbz5PsPoxRm2oWpw/s1600/Bird+Creek+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGYBshNnSAtEQAvwgpClFbcusxi4DnAUk-eQ1_CJx7OlFzuQn2wf-QuF7fNhEAmZfh6VucPFjCL_ABLSteCoWFbFAHUvDaUSklSMQqJtGXShN5UOX5nC357qmxfNbCbz5PsPoxRm2oWpw/s320/Bird+Creek+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Today was another rainy one. The wet stuff fell off and on all day. But it was still a great day. I started off by checking the creek that runs through Girdwood - Glacier Creek - to see if it was fishable. It was! I actually saw a trout at the side of the stream. It wanted nothing to do with the spinner I tried to get beside it but it was definitely there. I only fished a short time there, caught nothing and got very wet in so doing. So I decided to go to Anchorage to get some food for my dinners. I stopped by Walmart and a sporting goods store to pick up some things for fishing. While in Anchorage, Rachel Elmore called and asked me if I wanted to go with her and Jesse to the Alaska State fair. I couldn't turn that opportunity down. The fair is in a town about 40 miles north of Anchorage. It was no larger than the Fairfield County fair I grew up going to in Ohio but it was engaging. I snacked on some salmon quesadillas and Rachel and Jesse found Reindeer hot dogs. Food is always the best thing at the fair. We also saw a logging show. It was entertaining but what was interesting is that the lady who was the emcee was Tina from Survivor Panama. I thought she looked familiar but never would have made the connection. On my way back to Girdwood I stopped at Bird Creek. It is a much smaller water way than the Kenai River but still similar in make up and color and very swift. The water was very murky and I caught nothing. I met to locals as they walked downstream toward the mouth of the river. They advised me not to waste my time walking on upstream, they had been there and caught nothing and they encountered rough conditions. Their language was a bit salty but they were nice so I took their advice. I put the fishing rod up and decided to make the hike up to the top of Bird Ridge. The trail was rated moderate to difficult so I was not sure that I would make it to the top before turning back but I did. There were some panoramic views of the Turnagain Arm and the mountains that surround it. Of course the pictures can't do it justice but you will get the idea. I'm sure it would have been even more beautiful on a clear, sunny day but that was not to be. I am not yet sure what I am going to do tomorrow. I'm in improvising mode for sure. Enjoy the pictures.Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800244821165387300.post-6892039844356330192011-09-04T23:55:00.000-07:002011-09-04T23:55:39.869-07:00Days 2 and 3Day 2 - Started out early. Due to my lack of adjustment to the time zone, I woke up at 5:17am. That is 9:17am back home but here the sun didn't come up for about another hour. I was able to do my quiet time and do some reading on my book. I edited a little on what was already written but nothing significant as far as new progress yet. When I turned on my TV to get some news, I was thrilled to see that ESPN was carrying the Ohio State v. Akron game. It was the first of many firsts for me on this trip but I have never watched football at 8:00am before. I was also happy to see that the Buckeyes put to rest some of my fears for the team this year. They beat a team they were supposed to beat for sure but they did so with some authority. I was impressed with some of the new players. I truly wish them the best. Jesse Elmore came near the end of the game and we left for the Kenai Peninsula. The mountains of Alaska are truly remarkable and the scenes on the drive south were outstanding. It was an overcast day and the clouds hung in the mountains making photography difficult. I plan to make that drive again on another day and I hope for some better opporunities. Jesse and I stopped in a little town called Soldotna for some supplies and then to his dad's house for a boat. The Bill Elmore house is a veritable paradise for boys. He and his wife Teresa raised four boys in Alaska teaching them to hunt and fish like a local. His house is home to numerous vehicles, snow mobiles, ATV's, and campers. The decor of the home is 'hunting lodge' like. I loved it but know that Teresa Elmore must be one remarkable woman. Jesse and I got the boat and took it a ramp on the Kenai river. The lower Kenai is broad with pines and birch lining both banks of the river. The water was greenish and swift. The water was ice cold. It flows from moutain rains and glacier run off so you can imagine it would be. We were fishing for silver salmon as they are called here in Alaska. They are known as coho salmon in other places. The rig we used was a large weight with an 18 inch leader trailing from it. The leader had a chartreuse spinner that could slide up and down between the hook and the weight. The large hook was tipped with an egg sac which was a bright yellow thin mesh square packed with fish eggs (very stinky!), gathered at the top and then impaled on the hook. The hook had a loop of line that could be drawn tight around the sac to hold it firmly to the hook. The rig was cast from the rear of the anchored boat and left to spin in the current. Ideally, fish swimming upstream would smell the eggs and be drawn to the brightly colored bait. We had some nibbles and strikes but caught nothing. We only saw one boat catch a couple of fish. I would have loved to known what they were using but could not see. I was able to photograph some eagles, both Bald and Golden, feeding along the stream. We also saw some caribou in a marshy area near where we put the boat in and I took pictures of them as well. We spent the night at Bill and Teresa's house. Dinner was great and the hospitality was terrific! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRLxUX043yjyybDq9zK1O2fRpLfZ5F3FmG5fsPadNeL2-u9_UMMYaJRk5PK0WWvzKeTreTdbZ7ReEzKvqfvYXNIFSSbQWgBGZbwEVsGSpozfYoLxC2gfIFS9tc_etWg4_C6uhoYClDdE/s1600/Golden+Eagle+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRLxUX043yjyybDq9zK1O2fRpLfZ5F3FmG5fsPadNeL2-u9_UMMYaJRk5PK0WWvzKeTreTdbZ7ReEzKvqfvYXNIFSSbQWgBGZbwEVsGSpozfYoLxC2gfIFS9tc_etWg4_C6uhoYClDdE/s320/Golden+Eagle+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip5HW2mrsAKfLLtx7GtyioidqrsOtHm06qzYP7tdQfHedRwK4oUYYsqOrj9dD3I99X7LQoVasKL4kB4UZfIcoqj44aRsOiCNDsvTTwzAN01Px8WjTuRR6ycVEMbbpVQ7ktg9rOn3bACX8/s1600/Caribou+Pair.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip5HW2mrsAKfLLtx7GtyioidqrsOtHm06qzYP7tdQfHedRwK4oUYYsqOrj9dD3I99X7LQoVasKL4kB4UZfIcoqj44aRsOiCNDsvTTwzAN01Px8WjTuRR6ycVEMbbpVQ7ktg9rOn3bACX8/s320/Caribou+Pair.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwVxNbf1HvTX_yeeq2K9t3Kr0Qu75GsPcRANIoVx8YzwaX1q_K6QFfsopZH9393jtTUlb-Cq7-JC799BXEfZrJDdze83EL_nG-mMJ-S9N4v4bBPwUFxECg1L2sc0peyBco3uUGWoNB-o/s1600/Jesse+Fishing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwVxNbf1HvTX_yeeq2K9t3Kr0Qu75GsPcRANIoVx8YzwaX1q_K6QFfsopZH9393jtTUlb-Cq7-JC799BXEfZrJDdze83EL_nG-mMJ-S9N4v4bBPwUFxECg1L2sc0peyBco3uUGWoNB-o/s320/Jesse+Fishing.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Day 3 - Sunday began as all of my Sundays begin with church services. We attended services at the Soldotna Church of Christ. You never know what you are going to find in small town Churches of Christ. They can be close loving healthy congregations full of passion for growth both spiritual and numerical but it can also be a bastion of sectarian mire bound up in ferreting out anyone who disagrees with them. Refreshingly, Soldonta was much more like the former. They had a loving spirit and a heart for people. The minister there, Tony Cloud, is an African American minister working with a nearly all white congregation. Not an arrangement I have ever seen though I am sure it exists in other places. Tony seems to do a great job of preaching and teaching and spreading God's love. For lunch after church we had moose! It was awesome. I have never eaten moose before. The lean meat was dark and only slightly gamey but with great flavor and tender throughout. Jesse drove me back to Girdwood after lunch but we do have plans to return to Kenai next Saturday. We hope to go to Homer and go fishing for Halibut on a boat his uncle owns. Pray for good weather so we can make that happen. Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800244821165387300.post-70268521057938496522011-09-03T10:54:00.000-07:002011-09-03T10:54:53.237-07:00The Great Alaska Adventure BeginsDay 1 - I'm calling this day 1 because yesterday was a travel day. After a long day and long flight, I had a meal with Rachel Elmore and got checked into my lodging in Girdwood. I stayed up as late as I could which was only 9:00 here. It was still light out. Of course at home it was 1:00am and I had gotten up at 5:30am. I slept as long as I could but the clock only read 5:15am when I could sleep no longer. I had quiet time, made coffee and worked a little on my book. Hopefully, I'll have much more to say about that later. Then I was thrilled to find that ESPN was carrying the Ohio State v. Akron game. Wow, football at 8:00am! Cool!! I have plans to go with Jesse Elmore and do some fishing later today. I did not have the chance to take pictures yet but I hope to soon. <br />
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My reflections on Alaska so far.<br />
- Obviously it is beautiful. There are places where the mountains rise right up at the water's edge. The tide was going out in the Turnagain Arm as I made my way from Anchorage to Girdwood leaving a lot of mud and bare places but still it is beautiful.<br />
- There is so much to see. I wanted to take a walk and take pictures today but I knew Jesse was coming and I needed to be ready. Still that allowed me to watch at least the first half of the Buckeyes game!<br />
- It has been overcast the whole time I have been here so I am wanting to take pictures when the sun is out. There will be so much to photograph! I can't wait to get started. <br />
- The fishing is reputed to be legendary here so I am real excited to get going with that as well.<br />
- It is expensive here! I went to a small grocery store here in Girdwood and bought 2 pounds of coffee (1 regular and 1 decaf), creamer, Splenda, and a 12 pack of diet 7-Up. I was astonished when the girl at checkout said, "That will be $43.31!" REALLY? Yep. All shopping will be done in Anchorage from here on. <br />
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So keep up with me. I don't know if I can blog again tonight but if I can, I will give a fishing report. Be watching!!Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800244821165387300.post-75366357589166272972011-02-03T12:06:00.000-08:002011-02-03T12:06:30.937-08:00BrokennessBeauty<br />
Peace<br />
Happiness<br />
Ice crystals form on the limbs and twigs of trees in a forest. A beatiful blue sky adds the back drop as the light from the sun makes the ice shimmer adding the appearance of movement, of welcome. Walking in a perfect blanket of virgin snow through a woodland of ice encrusted trees leads the imagination to picture a crystal palace that nature has built just for you. <br />
Cool refreshing air in the lungs<br />
Birds singing<br />
A winter paradise<br />
<br />
<em>"For you make me glad by your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the works of your hands"</em> Psalm 92:4<br />
<br />
More freezing rain<br />
Ice builds on burdened limbs<br />
Drooping<br />
Sagging<br />
Breaking<br />
Twigs, branches and trees lay broken on the snowy forest floor. Their jagged ends betray their violent demise. Once proud limbs carrying buds and leaves and fruit skyward are now litter on the once white snowy carpet. Once vibrant with life now icons of death, food for insects, marked for decay.<br />
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<em>"They were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant but be afraid"</em> Romans 11:20<br />
<br />
Spring<br />
Renewal<br />
Decay enriches the soil<br />
New life leaps from places where once decaying mounds of old trees and leaves lay. New trees and branches take the places of the old ones and carry buds and leaves and fruit skyward.<br />
A creator smiles<br />
Life from death<br />
"<em>It is good</em>"<br />
<br />
<em>"You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."</em> Psalm 16:11<br />
<br />
A beautiful garden<br />
Peaceful<br />
Only love<br />
Only happiness<br />
A man and a woman wearing only the worth bestowed by intimacy with their creator. Walking daily with God. All needs lovingly met by His presence. <br />
No sickness <br />
No dying<br />
No pain<br />
God wipes away all tears.<br />
<br />
<em>"To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life"</em> <br />
Revelation 21:6<br />
<br />
A serpent<br />
A lie<br />
A bite<br />
Forbidden fruit shared. Realization of corruption, of sin, of betrayal. Shame felt for the first time. Awareness of nakedness, awareness of distance of a gulf between the man and woman and their creator. "Why are you hiding?", "The woman did it!" "The serpent did it!"<br />
Rejection<br />
Work<br />
Pain<br />
Hopelessness<br />
<br />
<em>"He will crush your head and you will strike His heel"</em> Genesis 3:15<br />
<br />
Shepherds in a field<br />
A starry night<br />
A light<br />
An angel<br />
A Savior?<br />
A small stable. A small town. The creator of the universe, God, Yaweh enters flesh and then enters the world. Mary, Joseph, Could this be the one to save Israel, the one to save the world, to save all of mankind for all time? Ministry, miracles, kindness to the poor, confrontation to the self-righteous. Disciples, teaching, loving. A final supper, the washing of feet, a prayer in the garden. Betrayal, accusations, "Crucify him!". A hill, a cross, nails, screams, suspended between earth and sky. "Father, why have you forsaken me?", "It is finished." Death. Burial in a borrowed tomb. <br />
A new dawn<br />
A stone rolled away<br />
"Why do you seek the living among the dead?"<br />
He lives!!<br />
Salvation to all who receive him.<br />
A creator smiles<br />
Life from death<br />
"It is good!"<br />
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<em>"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."</em> John 3:16<br />
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A young life<br />
A night on the town<br />
Friends all around<br />
"What's this?" "Try it." "Just one won't hurt you." A drink, a smoke. Guilt, shame. More drinks, more smokes, "Here try this." More guilt, more shame but no turning back now. Parties, sex, new friends, new things to try, "It doesn't get any better than this!" Lies, deception, "who called the police?" Have you been drinking or taking drugs?" More lies, "Blow into this," "Fill this cup." Exposed, guilty, conviction, jail, probation. Parents broken'hearted, loved ones disappointed and angry, old friends surprised, talking, shaking their heads.<br />
Worthless<br />
Hopeless<br />
Brokenness<br />
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"<em>The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit...He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds</em>." Psalm 34:18, 147:3<br />
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An old friend<br />
A <em>true</em> friend<br />
Late night discussions<br />
"Come to Church with me." A sermon, a scripture, the words of Jesus "<em>I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." </em>God loves you, God wants to forgive you, no matter what you've done. He died for you and promises heaven for those who will confess their sins and give themselves to Him. The gift of grace laid out inviting, forgiveness availed. A heart touched, tears flow, surrender. A silent prayer, "<em>God, I can't do this alone. I need your forgiveness, I need you to put my life together again</em>." Sins washed away in water, rejoicing. A fresh start with God at your side, awareness that even at your worst, he never left you. He was always there, loving, pleading, protecting and calling you home.<br />
New life<br />
Purpose<br />
A destination<br />
A creator smiles<br />
Life from death<br />
"<em>It is good</em>"<br />
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<em>"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me."</em> Revelation 3:20Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800244821165387300.post-70619469498979014472010-10-02T19:13:00.000-07:002010-10-02T19:13:08.841-07:00The Hard Part of Parenting TeensAs a youth minister I have long observed parents as they navigate the swirling waters so typical of the teen years. Now that am the father of three teens, I can empathize more completely with the struggles of those having gone through this before me. Having studied teens for sometime, I was aware that there are two major shifts that tend to occur in the teen years. The first occurs early on in adolescence and is the shift from primarily being influenced by parents to the primary influence of friends. I thought that one would be harder than it was. I think primarily due to the fact that my kids all have had a great youth group and friends of faith, that transition was fairly smooth. There were sad days when the kids won't hold your hand in public and don't particularly want you around when they are with their friends but I got through it. <br />
The second of those transitions is the one from dependence to independence that typically takes place the later teens. Teens typically seek to differentiate from their parents and want to make their own decisions. They no longer feel the need to seek parental guidance on things and want to renegotiate their rules and boundaries. This adjustment has been more difficult as my son is going through it. The questioning of family values and lack of interest in spending time with the family have created a natural but painful distance in our relationship. I understand it is as God has created it to be but it breaks my heart. I am still so proud of him that words are woefully inadequate to describe it. I love him dearly and I know the closeness will return but it will be different. I'll never again be able to walk with him wrapped around my leg or crawl on my hands and knees with him on my back but I am amazed at the man that little boy is becoming. I know God has big plans for him and I am thankful that his faith is one thing that he continues to embrace and allow to define him. He belongs to God and in my heart I know he always has. I know God will continue to refine him and mold him into a powerful force for good in this world and I have to back off and let him do that. <br />
Still, letting go is tougher than I thought. There are many days when I would love to have that little boy back and see those eyes widen with excitement when I came home from being away. I love being a dad but I concur with others in saying that this adjustment is more challenging than others. I know however that God is working and what emerges from his handiwork is always a sight to behold. I look forward to seeing what God is doing.Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800244821165387300.post-38130967250337718822010-10-02T18:03:00.000-07:002010-10-02T18:03:15.130-07:00Its Been a WhileIt has been too long since I put my thoughts down on my blog. I'm going to try again to write something at least once per week. Your feedback is of course welcome.Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800244821165387300.post-27760120811520372652010-02-24T11:58:00.000-08:002010-02-24T11:58:59.503-08:00A Letter to Senators and Representatives regarding the Marriage Penalty.Dear ____________________<br />
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I am writing you regarding an issue that I believe to be of great moral and social import. It is obvious to me that the institution of marriage in our country is being challenged on a number of different fronts. With the social controversy around "gay marriage" and the recent trend of couples simply choosing to stay single, I am concerned that traditional marriage is being cast further and further to the cultural margins and may one day be a footnote on a page in a history text book. <br />
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What doesn't help is the fact that individuals in low income situations (such as those in inner city neighborhoods, seniors, the disabled and the mentally handicapped) who depend on government assistance continue to be placed in a moral quagmire by the marriage penalty that resides in the legal code of the SSI program. Couples are being forced to have to choose between living together without being married (which for many violates their faith and their conscience), giving up their home and dignity in order to afford to be married, or simply choose to stay single and not be able to experience the joys of being married. That especially for the poor, the senior and the mentally challenged who are people of faith is an unconscionable choice to have to make.<br />
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I am asking you to be a champion of those who should never have to make that choice. I am asking you to stand up for what is right and remove the marriage penalty from this program. Please don't let another person have to make the choice between moral conviction and financial solvency. Please take action now to make this happen. I know it is hard and the choices that will have to be made to pay for this change will be difficult and perhaps unpopular but doing what is right isn't always easy.<br />
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There was a scene in the recent movie "Valkyrie" where Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg stood before a firing squad for his part in an assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler but he stood tall know that while he was being executed for his actions, history would remember that he stood up for what was right. Now, no one will need to go to the firing squad for challenging the marriage penalty but there will no doubt be opposition. Just as von Stauffenberg decided to be a light in a very dark time, you can be that light for the underprivileged and physically and mentally handicapped all over our country. They are looking to you to do what is right.<br />
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Thank you for your attention to this matter.<br />
Very Sincerely Yours,Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800244821165387300.post-90479659124343059982010-02-24T11:23:00.000-08:002010-02-24T11:23:05.720-08:00Why Get Married? Pt. 2 There are a couple of problems that we as a community must address in order to strategically deal with this shift in the perception of marriage. <br />
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The first issue is a rather political one. It has to do with the marriage penalty. In low income, senior and mentally handicapped communities where individuals are largely dependent on public assistance they are incentivised to stay single because if they choose to get married the government reduces their benefits. Their rationale of course is that when a married couple moves in together their expenses are reduced (eg. two rent payments and utilities down to one, etc...). That would be true if everyone getting married were relatively young, on their first marriage and with no financial complications in their lives. The fact is that is rarely the case.<br />
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This is especially disturbing for the adult mentally handicapped population where their expenses do not go down when they are reside in assisted living facilities as many mentally challenged adults do. In one case I know personally, two mentally retarded adults wanted to be married but due to the marriage penalty would not be able to meet their expenses if they married legally. These two precious young people were dedicated to their faith and sincerely believed that it was wrong to have sex before they were married. Their parents were forced to make arrangements for them to be married in a private ceremony without the legal sanction of obtaining a marriage license. I would hope none of us would be too quick to judge what the parents did when we remember that the system especially in this case is inherently immoral. Our government is asking two young people stricken from birth with a life-devastating defect to make the choice between compromising their morals rooted in their Christian faith, giving up their home and dignity in order to afford to be married or staying single and not experience the simple joys of godly marriage. To be forced to make that choice is in my opinion unconscionable. <br />
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I understand that reversing the marriage penalty is not going to magically erase the problems with marriage in our culture but I do think it is an opportunity for people of faith and conviction to stand up and demand that the government do the right thing for the sake of marriage. There is a letter contained in my blog that I would encourage you to copy and paste into a letter or e-mail from you to your senators and representatives. The URL’s for my blog and for information on how to contact your representatives are below.<br />
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Tim’s blog – http://timothyatripp.blogspot.com/<br />
Senator/Rep. Info – www.senate.gov and www.house.gov <br />
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In part three of this series we will discuss how to intentionally train young men and women to be committed to the concept of God’s design for family. Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800244821165387300.post-33631055170783187132010-02-24T11:14:00.000-08:002010-02-24T11:14:16.091-08:00Why Get Married? (part 1) A recent Cincinnati Enquirer article reported that there were fewer couples applying for marriage licenses in 2009 in the three Ohio counties making up the Cincinnati metropolitan area than in any year since the 1950’s. They also reported that this trend is very much in line with the national trend. The article then stated that the trend seemed to be for individuals choosing to either remain single or to live with their mate without being married.<br />
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I believe there are several reasons people are choosing not to get married. First of all, I believe that culturally this trend away from traditional marriage is different from and potentially more dangerous than the experiment of the “free love” generation of the 1970’s. They wanted to live as they pleased without any “establishment” telling them what to do. This trend I think reflects a more fundamental paradigm shift primarily among men regarding relationships. Worldly men are thinking less and less of intimate relationships as a committed, long term, family building, offspring producing, legacy leaving venture and more as a temporary, fantasy embracing, almost completely selfish opportunity for sexual gratification. Men in our culture are more sex focused and sex addicted than ever in recent memory and women are complicit thinking that occasional, unsatisfying relationships are better than none at all. <br />
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Entire segments of our young adult culture are beginning to look similar to certain Caribbean cultures and to low income, inner city and impoverished rural communities. In these cultures it is common for men to seldom enter into committed relationships and when they do, they seldom stay committed long. They take little to no responsibility for the children they produce. Childcare is often the responsibility of the mothers and grandparents (mostly grandmother) while the men go from one illicit relationship to another. This relational paradigm is springing up from impoverished communities right into middle-class America. From college campuses to dating websites to singles clubs this “hooking up” (a phrase often used to describe a primarily sexual relationship with little to no commitment) phenomenon threatens the concept of marriage and family to the core. <br />
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Even more than our current divorce epidemic this relational paradigm seems poised to force children to grow up in homes where there is no father figure dooming them to almost certainly repeat that cycle when they move into their teen/young adult years. More about this in <i>Why Get Married?</i> (part 2) Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800244821165387300.post-49866046761728384372010-01-27T10:17:00.000-08:002010-01-27T10:19:41.601-08:00DISASTER IN HAITII have been watching with great interest the events that have been unfolding in Haiti. This is truly a tragedy of epic proportions. It is impossible to imagine what it is like to have 200,000 lives vanish in an instant. The loss of life and the loss of an entire way of living is just staggering. While things might one day be rebuilt even better than before (or so I hope), I think it is safe to say that things will never be the same.<br /> One of the most difficult parts of this event has been the fact that we all feel helpless. If we could jump on a plane and go there many of us would. If we could bring people here to help them we would but we can’t. Every tear we see on TV and every person walking dazed through the street we would comfort if we only could. Yet there must be something we can do and of course there is.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. We can pray.</span> We are told, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Mt.21:22). When an event of this scope takes place we are reminded of just how small and fragile we are. It was a normal shifting movement of the earth yet with such devastating results. We can however see that God is big and that He is able to grasp the scope of this and he can bring hope and benefit from the tragedy and loss. Pray that God will be with the survivors of the earthquake, that He will heal the injured and meet the needs of the homeless poor there. Pray that he will be with those in authority to get aid to the needy and to begin to position themselves for meaningful recovery. Pray that God will work through the Christian missionaries and doctors and nurses that the light of Jesus will be seen in then. <br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. We can contribute.</span> Hopefully you have already considered what you can do to help the people there begin to turn their lives around. It is going to take a tremendous amount of money and resources to rebuild Port-au-Prince and it seems like our gift will make little difference but that is not true. Not only will our contributions make a difference but when channeled through organizations such as Hope for Haiti’s Children, Churches of Christ Disaster Response Team, Matthew 25 Ministries and other Christian organizations, the people there will see God reaching to them through the church. The potential for good there is literally impossible to calculate. <br /> Ultimately I believe that the losses will be mourned, buildings will be rebuilt and scarred lives will move forward. We have the opportunity to help people remember that amidst the chaos, they saw Jesus in his church.Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-800244821165387300.post-38994539478660424152009-12-10T08:48:00.000-08:002009-12-10T08:54:04.695-08:00GOOD NEWS!I know it has been a while since I have written in my blog. I intend to do better in the future. I wanted to share an article I wrote for our church bulletin this week. I hope you enjoy it.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;">GOOD NEWS!<br /></div> If I had to choose one Christmas Carol as a favorite, I think I would choose “Silent Night” by Joseph Mohr. Mohr was a Roman Catholic priest and served a parish high in the Alps near Salzburg, Germany in the late 1800’s. He felt that there needed to be more hymns to celebrate the Christmas season. He wrote this and taught it to a friend and they taught it to the congregation in their little village. They never intended the song to be known outside of the little mountain village. However, an organ repairman came through to do some maintenance on the church organ and heard the song being sung. Intrigued he copied the words and music and shared it with others in the places he worked. The popularity of the song spread quickly and has now been translated from its original German into every major language in the world. <br /> I especially like the second verse of the song which reads:<br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">Silent night, holy night,<br />Shepherds quake at the sight. <br />Glories stream from heaven afar,<br />Heavenly hosts sing alleluia;<br />Christ the Savior is born! <br />Christ the Savior is born!<br /></div> Luke tells us (Luke 2:10) that the angel who appeared to the shepherds said, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” The word translated ‘good news’ in the passage is the Greek word ‘evangelidzo’ from which we take our word evangelism. They had no idea how good was this good news. The prophet Isaiah said of this child born in the City of David that “<span style="font-style: italic;">He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him and <span style="font-weight: bold;">by his wounds we are healed</span>.</span>” (Isaiah 53:5)<br /> That continues to be good news. This is the time of year Christians of all denominations and genres remember the incredible mission of that little one lying in a manger. Our hearts are touched by the suffering he must endure. Our lives are changed by the fact that he did.<br /> Too often we see evangelism as convincing people of the accuracy our belief system when really like the angels, all Christians have ever been asked to do is shine God’s glory to earth and point to what He has done. <br /> Let the miracle of His birth, the fact of His sacrifice and the completeness of His grace and love do the work of changing hearts and lives. That was then, is now and forever will be the good news.Tim Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07294149474789993617noreply@blogger.com0