I am so glad that God is God and I am not. (Not that this role reversal was being very seriously considered anywhere, so maybe it's a silly thing to be glad about.)

This is especially true as I take in various doses of world news each day (ranging from none to a lot), and as I ponder what God might think of all of this, whether God has "good days" and "bad days" in the ebb and flow of creation praising and creation groaning.

Have you ever thought about God's typical day? For one thing, a day must go by much quicker for God than it does for us. Even we humans note, each time we age another decade or so, how time seems to accelerate. Is God ever overheard wondering how the last million years went by so quickly?

Regardless of the measure of time as humans gauge it, think about a typical "earth day" for God. A little bit of multitasking. Keeping tabs on the number of hairs on each head (increasing for some, decreasing for others). Hearing and responding to millions of pph -- prayers per hour. (And all kinds of prayers at that -- desperate, sincere, selfish, selfless, earnest, flippant, hilarious, doubtful, confident, risky. Surely some angels must be tasked with categorizing all of these?)

What else might be part of a typical God day? Taking note and drawing near to billions of individuals who suffer daily and who experience injustice, pain, disappointment, heartache, sickness, hunger, disease, fear, or thirst. This must hurt, especially when these experiences are directly caused by other members of creation who are declining to live as the creator designed them to; the sins of the people being visited on their peers and descendants.

And millions of times a day God also gets to take pleasure in worship and praise when it is appropriately directed toward God instead of the wrong places. God gets to see and affirm the motives and values that many align correctly around the kingdom of God rather than the fiefdoms of earth or self.

God sees individual decisions that are made, good ones and bad ones, by the lowest ranks of society and in the highest echelons of world leadership and earthly power. Wise and foolish actions taken by the "first" and the "last," all of whom will reverse roles one day.

God sees the daily, hourly waste of food, time, passion, money, worship; and God also sees millions of examples of generous and sacrificial investment of these resources, just as we are taught in scripture to steward them wisely.

And here I thought I was a not-half-bad multitasker sometimes. Seeing small glimpses of our extreme finiteness compared to God brings a healthy humbling perspective, but I'm glad that it is also balanced by the miraculous privilege we have to be in relationship with this God.

For God to be triune, or more accurately, to be plural and singular at the same time, has to be the ultimate form of multitasking.

So here is the rub - those of us living on planet earth as followers of Jesus who see little glimpses of who God is, drinking in the priviledge to actually be in relationship with this God, knowing that none of the events that take place each day are "news" to God -- how can we make sense of this mystery, the gap between what is (fallen) and what "should be" if everything were redeemed? Why doesn't God bring about full redemption in a more "timely" way or just reboot and start things over fresh with less latitude for us to screw it up?

Pardon the understatement, but it's hard to understand God's ways, and hard to accept them too.

Jesus reminds us, "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." (Matt. 5:5)

To be meek is to be submissive, in patience and gentleness and humility. It's not that we should conjure up meekness, squeezing it out like the last blob of toothpaste from a spent tube, in order to be eligible for some reward. Instead it is a promise that as we learn to be meek before God, we will receive an inheritance that has to do with the earth (here and now) and also God's eternal kingdom.

I doubt that by the phrase "inherit the earth" Jesus meant the meek will be the lucky recipients of the disintegrating planet and its broken people who can't get along. My sense is that "inherit the earth" has more to do with inheriting the intended and eventually redeemed state of unbroken relationship with the creator God. That those who are humble, submissive, and patient with God's timing in this process of redemption will be full recipients and participants of that redemption. And it will be worth the wait.

Here are just a few reminders from God's word of reasons it is appropriate for us to be meek (humble, submissive, patient) before God as we hear about and participate in the events of the average day on this crazy planet.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:9)

"Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?" declares the Lord. "Do not I fill heaven and earth?" declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 23:24)

"Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him." (Psalm 33:8)

"Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand." (Job 38:4) (sarcasm noted, and appreciated; fair is fair)

"Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?" (Isaiah 40:12)

"The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the Lord will praise him — may your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations." (Psalm 22:26-28)

God is sovereign over a world that spins too fast sometimes, seems busted; but God has stated many times in scripture that there is a longterm plan. This is a matter of faith, deciding daily if we believe that. If we do, we are called to participate, but thankfully not with a prerequisite of understanding these mysteries that are beyond our capacities; and not on our notions of what might be a good timeline.

What is it about difficult times that can bring out the best and the worst in us?

I only saw a small portion of the movie (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly) late one night, years ago, so can't make any knowledgeable references to the script, plot or characters.

But these words tend to come to mind when uncommon circumstances bring out the best and the worst in people.

Just a few examples include:

Hurricane Katrina brought to our consciousness the shocking examples of lawlessness, looting, raping, murder, even the absurdity of people shooting at medical rescue workers on the one hand; the incompetence and mistakes and confusion in the middle; all contrasted with the sacrificial servanthood and generosity of so many.

Similar contrasts were seen in the aftermath of the tsunami in December 2004 - a few opportunists and criminals swooped in, while generous, selfless, countless others gave time, talents, and money.

The 2000 and 2004 US presidential campaigns had some good moments but in my memory were largely tarnished by quite a lot of ill will, wrongly assigned motives, accusations (some true, some false), misunderstanding, misleading statements, and malicious judgement on all sides, both among professional politicians (who after all are paid to do that stuff, no?) but also among more common citizens than I remember in recent elections. More than a few parts of the Christian community got into these barfights too. Overall I think I probably noticed more words and attitudes that were degrading to the name of Christ than glorifying, by those who claim to follow him.

(Speaking of elections -- really close elections that are almost too close to call -- Germany just had one and doesn't know the results yet after several days. Both candidates claim to have won. Early polls suggested the Christian Democrats -- some of you thought that was a Biblically untenable combination? -- would win in a coalition with the Free Democrats, but not so easy. The whole mess doesn't bode well for needed reforms and economic recovery, and now in the post election confusion there is namecalling, bickering, and growing bitterness. The best and the worst in us can raise their heads when we're challenged.)

The age old conflict in the Middle East -- a few maniacs grab the headlines as they take their own life and other civilians with them in in a flawed final gesture; or angry military crackdowns upon civilians get some payback or bulldoze some homes. On the other hand, there are many reservoirs of Palestinian and Jewish friends to be found who hang on to hope, holding up peace as a better way. They bear quiet fruit.

The UN, graced with many talented individuals who work tirelessly for a better world and to do some of the things that Jesus explicitly calls his followers to do; and a few greedy folk who look for opportunities to stuff their pockets.

In Jesus' day there were the devoted followers who stayed in the shadows; the people who placed their trust in Jesus' notable authority to heal and forgive sins and call people to follow; the sometimes bumbling chosen disciples who didn't always get it (I can relate) but stuck with him anyway; and the establishment who felt threatened and let it cloud their eyes over so they could not see or hear, and eventually they orchestrated his death.

11 of the close disciples Jesus chose, with varying degrees of competence and gracefulness in their following, became the foundation of the church, the body of Christ. One of the ones Jesus chose (did he know this from day one???) eventually betrayed him for cash.

There are challenging times when the church shines ("the good"), and other times when our response to various challenges that come our way makes a mockery ("the bad and the ugly") of what we know about who God is and calls us to be.

One of numerous personal examples: I'm a parent of two girls and they have had the opportunity to see my better sides and not-so-better sides; I've lost my patience on occasions when I should have kept it, and I've spoken to them in ways I later needed to ask forgiveness for. I've seen good fruit and bad fruit produced in my life.

Jesus sums it up well concerning the best and the worst we are capable of:

You can tell what a tree is like by the fruit it produces. You cannot pick figs or grapes from thornbushes. Good people bring good things out of the good stored up in their hearts, and bad people bring bad things out of the evil stored up in their hearts. Your words show what is in your heart.
- Luke 6:44-45

The question for us today is not to spend most of our time examining the fruit of others and making judgements about them, although the objective observation of net outcomes might be something we can learn from. But the question I think we should spend most of our time on is what is stored up in MY heart? How do I conform my heart to Christ? In what areas have I not done so? Where is the good fruit being produced by the Gardener in my life, if I am abiding in the vine? Where is the bad fruit being produced in my life because I have not let Christ be the Lord of all of my life?

How might we store up good in our hearts, and allow ourselves to be pruned, with God's help?

There are those who turn their hearts. There are those whose hearts are listening and seeking. There are those who harden their hearts. There are those whose hearts are hardened.

In Mark 7:6 Jesus had strong words for those who "honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me."

But he also says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

God, make us pure in heart, whatever it requires. Take the bad and the ugly we are capable of and bury them somewhere deep. Make us pure in heart, and produce fruit as we strive to follow. If we can handle it, may we see you.

 

With changed divorce rules in China since the end of 2003, ten minutes and a dollar will now get you a divorce if both parties agree. According to this BBC story, the top rated TV show last year was the drama "China Style Divorce" replete with tears and tantrums. I had thought that American (un)reality television was uncontested for the lowest places in intraplanetary entertainment.

Over a million and a half couples got divorced last year in China. By my math that's less than a percent of China's population, but it wouldn't take many years at that pace for China to join the leading ranks of divorce-friendly nations, a dubious accomplishment.

China's society is changing rapidly. Even just reading the news here and there as an outsider is enough to get the sense that there is huge change taking place every year. A new crop of Chinese internet millionaires is just one example.

Is skyrocketing divorce one of the perks of moving toward a more open and tolerant (dare we say democratic) society? Is it somehow society's reward for a growing middle class or newfound mobility? I'd be interested to hear some sociologists unpack this.

In this news story, a Chinese marriage counselor comments, "Some marriage experts believe that going through a divorce equals to 8 years in prison. It damages people's health. It definitely affects the quality of people's lives."

A sociology professor in Shanghai thinks it's not such a big deal: "Some worry that divorce will have a very negative impact on our society... I don't think there needs to be such a serious concern... take US for example. The divorce rate in US is very high. It doesn't mean that their society is unstable."

Like most other Americans, I know many divorcees and their kids, and I wouldn't agree with the prognosis that there is no cause for concern or that the alarmingly high US divorce rate of around half of all marriages contributes to any kind of model stability. The occasional teenager (or adult, or child) goes on a shooting spree with fatal consequences... I can't say whether these actions are hardwired to the painful experiences of divorce but let's not accept the stable society award just yet.

Well, under these new rules, a 45 year old Chinese woman scrapped 20 years of marriage when she met someone else. She notes, "Today's society is a lot more tolerant. It allows individuals to make their personal choices... People have different expectations of the quality of their lives. We decide what life-style we choose and how to live a better life."

Sometimes tolerance, progress, personal freedom (or whatever alias) seems to accomodate the sacrifice of true values in exchange for the pursuit of things that don't deliver all they're hyped up to be: self actualization (an oxymoron if Jesus knows anything about this), personal ambition, the pursuit of happiness, individual freedom, upward mobility, and the all-important god of personal preference. When your clothing tastes change, you can change your wardrobe, no big deal. What do you do when you're married and society invites you to ponder alternatives to lifelong marriage for a dollar?

Who can address challenges like these in China with the good news, truth and light, of Jesus?

The church is no perfect institution (and that's no surprise to us or to God) but it is the body of Christ, a mystery we won't understand until we can ask the designer in person some day. I believe that the indigenous church  is the main vehicle through which God will bring help and hope to the myriad challenges that face Chinese society in the years to come, changes and all. And one of the issues newly facing the Chinese church will be divorce and its effects on husbands, wives, children, and friends.

Let's pray diligently for our Chinese brothers and sisters. Divorce is but one of the issues they face in changing society. Who knows what will unfold in China a year from now, five years from now?

The Chinese church is apparently growing and thriving. A book I really need to read soon was recently reviewed on urbana.org: Jesus in Beijing: how Christianity is transforming China and changing the global balance of power. (Buy it on Amazon.com and beat me to it.)

I know very little about China, but my wife and I were there in 1992 for a few weeks with about fifty American and Chinese students. We were in Kunming, a tourist "spring city" with only minimal signs of outside influences at the time. Now there's a Starbucks there and apparently if you're not a tourist you can get a divorce for a dollar, maybe about the price of a soy latte.

The UN is 60 years old, created in 1945 under very different circumstances than we find ourselves today, and different purposes than what might be called for in the early 21st century. It has faced its share of challenges, an institution with limited clout sometimes, thwarted by some of its own members, and recently plagued by pockets of corruption.

This week from Wednesday to Friday, 170 heads of state will gather in New York City to review Secretary General Kofi Annan's proposed reforms to the organization - looking with apparent sincerity to how it might adapt itself for the current times.

This UN gathering is graced with a new representative, the "recess appointment" of the controversial John Bolton as the new US Ambassador to the UN. Apparently his reputation precedes him. Not to disappoint, in his first couple weeks on the job he generated 750 edits, many of them quite drastic, to the major planning document that had been already laboriously refined for 18 months by hundreds of diplomats and will be voted on this week. Whether or not you feel properly represented by our new ambassador, he and all the leaders gathering this week need our prayers.

It's an exercise of faith (to be fair, all prayers are, but this one more so) but we need to pray this week that God will soften the minds and hearts of all the participants to each other, so that they will interact as reasonable and collaborative negotiators and problem solvers when they meet in the second half of this week. May God facilitate an overall attitude of trust and sincerity, and enable compromise when it is called for. May God help the UN this week to demonstrate considerate leadership with integrity and respectfulness and wisdom, that the meetings will bear good fruit. Pray that these leaders will have ears to hear one another, and eyes to see far beyond the narrow perspectives of self interest.

Does the UN matter? Does it affect the worldwide church, or the speaking and demonstration of the Good News?

I think it does matter a lot. An effective United Nations would contribute to international peace, mutual trade, responsible efforts to help the world's poorest nations, and shared approaches to global problems like disease, poverty, and terrorism. While the UN is bound to be fettered at least some of the time with a thick layer of political maneuvering, it is also a body that, if it keeps itself relevant to the changing times, can provide a solid international forum for dialog, accountability, mutual problem solving, and the pursuit of peaceful cohabitation of this planet.

If the UN fails because nations can't even sit around a table and agree to talk and find some common ground, it doesn't bode very well for our future. If the United States would be a bully about who plays in the sandbox and how all the rules should be rewritten for our benefit, shame on us. Let's hope, and pray, for a much better participation than that.

A spirit of international cooperation, and ongoing forums like the UN for this process to take place, would provide more opportunities for the worldwide church to proclaim and demonstrate the Good News of Jesus Christ. On the flipside, a more contentious, uncooperative, dangerous, and desperate international landscape will present a much greater challenge for those who would follow Jesus.

What really matters this week at the UN meetings?

There are several important issues on the agenda for these three days, and one of the most important is whether and how the UN will agree to address extreme poverty in our world. Against a backdrop of resentment toward the US (for reasons including the generally unpopular war in Iraq, a refusal to sign the Kyoto treaty on global warming, or to sustain the agreement for rich nations to donate foreign aid equal to 0.7 percent of their national income -- the U.S. percentage is 0.16 percent, the lowest of leading industrialized nations), the US was also proposing to slash all references to the Millenium Development Goals, which target cutting extreme poverty in half by 2015.

This set of 8 goals was already agreed to in 2000 by over 190 nations in the UN, including the United States. Already the world has missed achieving the first target regarding access to education. At the current pace sub-Saharan Africa won’t cut extreme poverty in half until the year 2050.

What is unclear to me is why the US would stand alone in pushing for these goals to be cut, without offering something in its place. This would not be easy, but is doable, with international cooperation. Why would we not do it?

Many people are fasting and praying for three days this week -- Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday -- for the UN (and the influential role of the US leadership) to affirm its commitment to the Millenium Development Goals. We could indeed cut extreme poverty in half over the next ten years, by globally tightening our belts ever so slightly, and following through on this committment. How could we as the richest nation in the world (and a population with a significant percentage of professing Christians) justify aiming for anything less than this, or aiming for nothing? We really can't.

What if, instead of putting on the brakes, the US would provide leadership in aggressively fighting poverty? Let's pray for this passion to be formed in our leaders. (And as Christians let's help elect local, state, and national leaders who have this passion to begin with.) Help give a voice to those who have no voice.

The 30,000 Campaign is one way to participate. The name comes from the fact that every day 30,000 children die due to preventable illness and malnutrition. Sign the pledge, pray and fast during the World Summit, and take other steps to raise awareness among people you know; call for action and be part of it yourself. Encourage and hold the UN to its former commitments.

Also, read World Vision's 8 Ways to Change the World, and sign the ONE Declaration, a pact asking for compassion and justice to help the poorest people of the world overcome AIDS and extreme poverty. Seek out ways you can make a difference on behalf of the poor.

"If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." - Isaiah 58:10,11

 

 

[Sorry for the long entry. Please bear with me.]

It's been four years since the carefully planned acts of hatred toward America by a few people took the lives of 2,752 people. The attackers and victims were created by the same God for the same purpose. This attack made the whole world pause.

I find myself thinking about how America and Americans have changed as a nation, and what lessons have offered themselves for us to learn in these four years. Here are a few (13) things that present themselves to us.

1) Mourning is good for the heart, or as Ecclesiastes teaches us, "The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure." (Ecclesiastes 7:4) Why do you think the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning? Maybe because it is a conscious choice to stay for a while in a place of perspective and questioning, a pause... and if we choose, an uncommon openness to God. I can see where wisdom could come out of that posture.

2) Human life is precious but temporal. Christians believe that it matters to God that human life is preserved, afforded dignity, and lived fully. Jesus said, "I came that you might have life, and have it abundantly." But as with hurricanes and other large scale disasters that take human life, as well as when death visits one-on-one, we observe that every day there are cases where God does not intervene to preserve human life at all costs. Even though Christians don't believe that this earthbound life is "the main thing" in the first place, and while we know God does sometimes miraculously preserve human life against the odds, we simply don't understand the mysteries of God's sovereignty over life. Thus the distinction, that God is God, and we are not; God is eternal, and our human life is temporal; God's perspective is infinite, and ours is quite finite. September 11 brought this realization to all of our senses again in a way that might only happen a few times in a lifetime.

3) Uncertainty and perhaps even a healthy dose of fear keeps us on our toes. Would we be better off relaxed, not watchful, not alert? While we'd all prefer tranquility and the absence of fear, I actually don't believe it's a better way to live than when some degree of uncertainty keeps us vigilant and mindful of how to best align our lives around what matters most. I wish there were better means than danger, loss, or catastrophe to take us to places of spiritual and social alertness. It's a similar alertness that Jesus calls us to, in light of his eventual return. "Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!' " (Mark 13:35-37)

4) God can take our pain and loss, and miraculously produce good things out of it. God can take sacrifice and produce life out of it. Jesus knew a thing or two about sacrifice and loss. In John 12:23-26 he says, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who despise their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me." I'm not drawing a direct comparison between the victims who died on 9/11 and the sacrifice of Jesus, but I'm intrigued by the points about loving, losing, relinquishing, and keeping temporal life versus eternal life.

While I don't believe God condoned the tragedy of 9/11, God has miraculously made some good things out of the loss that would not have otherwise been possible. This is true especially for those who have watched for and invited God to do so. That doesn't mean we should yearn for tragedy, but it's another reason to worship the God who can morph tragedy, when it does come our way, into good things.

5) Taking some time to consider our response (to anything that comes our way) is better than letting ourselves be provoked to action which we might later regret. "The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride. Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools. Do not say, 'Why were the old days better than these?' For it is not wise to ask such questions." (Ecclesiastes 7:8-10) What cautious and truly scriptural response should a Christian -- a follower of Jesus -- have toward terrorism? Do we remember that God, who knows how things will end, says that the end of a matter is better than its beginning? Do we respond to adversity with anger, or with wisdom and patience?

6) Adversity or crisis brings us an opportunity to learn from God, grow in wisdom, reflect on what is central and what is peripheral, and grow in our peacemaking. After all, making peace has not only to do with war, but the relationships among humans and with God the creator. "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such 'wisdom' does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness." (James 3:13-18) James also teaches that if anyone lacks wisdom (any takers?) just ask God for it, "who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given." This is the kind of asking that is a lifelong expectant and humble attitude, not a one-time request.

How many truly wise people do you know?

How many peacemakers do you know?

Would you want to persistently ask God for either of these qualities?

7) When stricken, our human and sinful response is to strike back. This is completely against Jesus' teaching and example. While there is a place for anger and action, vengeance is not to be met with vengeance; hatred is not to be met with hatred. Even if it feels good. I will admit that I don't think the Bible is expected by God to be a manual for governments, especially since there are no "Christian governments" in the world, and there are no "Christian nations" either. The principles of scripture do teach God's truth, but it is unclear exactly how the instructions should apply to governments that represent entire nations of diverse people, and are responsible to serve and protect all their citizens. This is one of the tensions I have felt as I have compared my nation's response to the 9/11 attacks (both our society, and our government) against everything I see taught throughout scripture. If I thought America was a Christian nation, which I don't, I'd be even more alarmed than I already am.

8) We are called to love our enemies. "Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:44) How long has it been since you prayed for all the individual hateful members of Al Qaeda? I must admit, before today this had occurred to me only once or twice. Maybe God would call some of us to fast and pray for a day, or several days, for Al Qaeda members -- for God to touch their hearts and shine light and truth into their minds about the twisted notion that indiscriminate killing is somehow a legitimate way to fight what they perceive to be evil. What if dozens or hundreds of ongoing Prayer Cells for Al Qaeda members were to spring up in churches throughout the world? How would Al Qaeda counter the impact of this? They could not.

9) Loving one's enemy is downright hard. So is empathizing with an attacker, a murderer, a rapist, a terrorist, a thief, or any would-be enemy. But how can we love if we don't try to empathize and understand why someone would do something unthinkable? This taxes us. We can easily find sharp words for such people. "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? Can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water." (James 3:9-12) Jesus is the great empathizer, who left his comfortable place to walk the steps of the human experience, and as a human he went much further than most of us, to the point of an unjust death for our sake. He was consistent in what he preached and what he practiced. He loved his enemies to death.

(Do we stop to examine whether something we have done or continue to do might provoke an enemy to do what they do? If with God's help we do identify anything, would we be willing to back off from that which provokes, especially if it is wrong in the first place?)

10) God's peace passes all understanding. When we are wronged by another, whether in a small or a catastrophic way, the responses of anger and vengeance and hatred are understandable human impulses. My blood can boil just like the next person, and I can taste the thirst for payback. But another small voice is also present, reminding me that anger and violence is not afforded in scripture as an appropriate response to an enemy. "Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord." (Romans 12:17-19)

11) Sacrificial and selfless service of others is more rewarding and true to our created-in-God's-image essense than looking out for our own interests. This is a lesson that we may have learned but can also quickly forget. Paul says in Philippians 2:1-4, "If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."

Jesus says there is no greater love than laying down one's life for a friend. There were many examples in the day of and days following 9/11/01 that demonstrated this kind of love. We know that while some of this sacrificial service was motivated out of a Christian ethic of service, some of it was not. I would argue that this was people acting out the internal instincts of beings created in the image of a loving and sacrificing God - even though some of them did not hold any particular allegiance and worship for their creator. Acting like their maker, whether they knew it or not.

12) In God's kingdom it is not for us to determine who is inside and who is outside; who is with God and who is against God; drawing lines between "us" and "them." We've had opportunities to learn this, but there has also been some unhelpful rhetoric to the contrary. Jesus said in a parable that we should let the wheat and the weeds (speaking of individual people, not sinfulness, which is a different matter) grow together until it's time for God's harvest. He also said in Luke 13:29-30, "People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last." It is not for us to decide who is in and who is out, and certainly not to form attitudes of hatred or judgement towards others that we might consider outsiders.

We're responsible for our own obedience to God (which includes telling and demonstrating the good news), and we cannot know whether others are going to come through the door first or last, when the final time comes for God to judge. This applies to how we view people of other faiths, and it applies to how we view our enemies. While we refrain from judging, what do we do with our time and energies? We are to love God with all our heart, soul and mind; and we are to sacrificially love our neighbors, all of them, near and far, insiders and outsiders.

13) We should put our trust in the right places. We (America) are labelled as the most powerful nation on earth, and for better or worse this is a part of our national pride (is that what "goes before a fall?"), but we should not place our trust in our own power, whether as individuals, families, communities, or as a nation. In Habakkuk, God talks about a rogue nation he intends to use to answer the prophet's cries about the perversion of justice, and describes them like this: "Then they sweep past like the wind and go on -- guilty men, whose own strength is their god." (This rogue nation will be used as a tool, but its own time to be judged will also come.) Our own strength should never be our god.

Misplaced trust and confidence is asking for disappointment. Things and money disappear. People let people down. People do unspeakable things to other people. People die. People are fallen and imperfect creatures, and ultimately not where we should place our confidence, because we will be disappointed. "It is better to trust the LORD than to trust in people." (Psalm 118:8)

So where should our trust be placed, where should our strength come from? Paul says, "But the Lord said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

Let us place our trust in things that cannot be taken away from us. That leaves only one option as far as I can see - trusting and believing in God, through Jesus. And trusting in Jesus is not just a state of mind, it is an ongoing lifestyle.

Finally, "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." (Philippians 4:8)

May some or all of these words from scripture guide our thoughtful reflection as we remember the events and the losses of four years ago; and as we watch expectantly for what God will make of all of this.

What have you learned out of the experience of "nine eleven plus four?"