Hypocrite

Do you ever have moments when you realize how much of a hypocrite you really are?  As I indulged in three Timbits (donut holes) from Tim Hortons this morning, I realized that all that I've ever said about my recently acquired healthy-eating goals can fly right out the window when I taste that glaze and the donut melts in my mouth... yeah, I still like fat and sugar.  :)

-JLR

Judgmentalism

So while I am under-impressed at the amount of blog hits I've gotten from my "controversy" blog post, I press on in my new quest for being more authentic in my posting.  As I've already hinted, I have a few things on my mind about Rob Bell fiasco.  If you're not familiar with the story, I think this post that appeared last week in the Huffington Post is a good summary and I will also summarize a bit here for the sake of context.  Basically, Rob Bell (a leader of the emergence movement, who also appears in the Nooma video series) is releasing a book later in March called "Love Wins."  From his publicity video (view here) you get the sense that he may be challenging some of the fundamentals of the Christian faith and is possibly dancing around universalism-- the all people regardless of whether they put their faith in Jesus can go to heaven. 

One thing I love about Rob Bell is that he isn't afraid to ask the hard questions.  Regardless of any doctrinal positions he holds, what I find refreshing is his uncanny ability to articulate the questions people are really asking (or not asking, for that matter).  We watched several of the Nooma videos in our small group last year and he doesn’t actually come out and tell the answers most of the time.  It takes a lot of discipline to take those issues back to Scripture and figure out what the Bible does teach.  Still, I think a lot of people misinterpret his questions as being leading questions or rhetorical questions when he’s just trying to expose more sides to an issue. 

I love Piper as well.  He's one of my all-time favorite pastors and I've heard him preach in person as well as in numerous sermons from his amazing website.  He responded to some of the initial publicity about Bell's book with a tweet, "farewell Rob Bell."  Or so I've read.  I'm not on twitter, so I actually don't even know this for sure.  But it seems fairly undisputed on the web and we all know that anything on the internet is complete truth (*insert sarcasm here*).

Anyway... I still haven't gotten to my point, which is:  I wonder what the book is about.  I will probably read it, but as I speculate on what sort of issue Bell could be addressing, I have to wonder whether it's judgmentalism itself.  We judge people all the time.  We all like to think that we have a right or even a responsibility to judge others.  There's probably even some truth in that.  In Matthew 7, Jesus talks about removing the plank from your own eye so that you can remove the speck from your brother’s eye (Matthew 7:5, italics mine).  So there is a very real sense in which we are supposed to be judging others.  But how and why and for what purpose?  Is there any context in which I can judge a person's eternal destiny?  Is it even possible for anyone other than God to do that? 

We can only judge the fruit from the tree, so to speak.  If the fruit is good, then the tree is good and if the fruit is bad, then the tree is bad (Matthew 7).  But what about the scenario with the criminal on the cross?  Jesus told the repentant criminal that he would be with Him in paradise (Luke 23:43).  Is there any fruit in that man's life that would suggest that he was going to heaven?  No, I would say not, unless maybe someone was eavesdropping on this conversation.  Jesus judged him.  And his judgment was that this man’s heart had changed and Jesus assured him that he was headed for paradise.   

I guess my question is whether reserving God's right to judge people is the same as holding to Universalism?  And if asking these questions is a way of understanding God and His character better, then is it wrong to be asking the questions in the first place?   

You know, if Bell’s book IS about judgmentalism, I have a sneaking suspicion that this might be a ploy to get a lot of interest generated about his new book… it has definitely caught my attention!

-JLR

Controversy

Tim has told me that the reason I don't get more comments on my blog is because I'm not controversial enough.  It's true.  I value peace and while I'm working on not being as much of a people-pleaser, I honestly just don't like it when people disagree.  As I learn more about myself I realize it's not as much the disagreeing I dislike, but the value judgments that go with disagreements-- "you must be stupid to believe x, y, or z!"  My desire to have the "right answer" goes all the way back to my school days of being the teacher's pet and probably even before that.  As a result, I find that I mentally rate/rank my blog post ideas based on what might offend which of my readers and what angle on any topic would offend the least number of people... that's hard to do when I know people from so many nationalities, cultural backgrounds, political leanings, and even different denominations in the church!  In fact, the more I think about it, the more I'm likely to postpone my post or even abandon my idea altogether!  I may start to post those thoughts more on here.  Not because I'm trying to stir the proverbial pot (though I have been known to enjoy that on occasion), but because I am who I am and this blog is where I put my thoughts.  Or where I should be free to put my thoughts.  And it's ok to think differently than others-- even other Christians (gasp!)-- and engage with others in meaningful conversation on issues that really matter... it is, right??  We can all be adults here and have an intelligent conversation, right?  We shall see...

So has anyone else been following the drama on the Rob Bell book that's going to be released in 11 days?  :)

-JLR

Snow Ice Cream

A few weeks ago a friend sent me a recipe that I've been dying to try. The recipe is for Snow Ice Cream-- ice cream made from fresh snow! Unfortunately we haven't had much snowfall this year in the greater Vancouver area, so I've had to wait. Then this morning we awoke to a nice blanket of fluffy snow and I immediately thought to try this recipe while we had the chance!Snow Ice Cream Recipe

8 cups fresh snow
1 cup milk (canned, evaporated milk is best for a rich taste. I used 1% milk and ended up with more of an icemilk consistency)
1/2 cup white sugar (can substitute 1/4 c raw honey)
1 1/2 tsp real vanilla extract
a couple quick dashes of sea salt

Put ice cream bowls into the freezer so they are cold and ready for serving. Mix milk, sweetener, vanilla and sea salt with a whisk in a big bowl. Gently fold in snow. This will be soft, rather like old-fashioned homemade ice cream fresh from the ice cream maker. If you add too much snow, it will be thicker but taste diluted. So just add snow until it tastes right. Sprinkle with chocolate chips, nuts, or colored sprinkles before serving. One recipe makes 3-4 servings, so you may prefer to make a double batch to start with!
Enjoy!

-JLR

A Tanzania Moment

Today as I was getting a prescription filled at the pharmacy, I asked the pharmacist whether they sold the day-by-day pill containers. You know, the kind that have little compartments for S-M-T-W-Th-F-Sa and are usually only used by old people? Well, my supplements are getting a bit out of control and being the kind of person who needs a little organization in my life, I decided I'd bite the bullet and risk resembling the old person stereotype. Back to the point. The pharmacist there is very friendly and speaks great English but has a strong accent that is hard to place. I'm thinking middle East somewhere, but I can't say for sure. Maybe Egypt? Anyway, I asked him if they carried them and he said, "no, but I will check." Check what? You either sell them or you don't, right? I shook it off and as I was walking out noticed there was a dollar store two stores down in the same strip mall. Do you think he would have just run down and checked for me at the dollar store? Does that sort of thing happen here in Canada? It doesn't happen in the US, but it happened ALL THE TIME in Tanzania! A store owner in TZ would be totally happy to send a kid (or go himself/herself) from store to store on your behalf to find out if anyone carried the item you were looking for! This was relatively easy since all the food stores are on one street, the hardware stores on another street, the sewing dukas/stores in one section of the market, etc.

As we stopped into the dollar store and found the pill containers I was looking for, Tim and I agreed that he probably was planning to check here for us! Especially if he had a lull in business and could just hop over for a quick look! I love that so many cultures around the world are so helpful in this way-- it made me miss Tanzania and the days of the helpful shop clerks and drive through produce stands that tend to make consumers like me just a little bit lazier... and happier, I might add. :)

-JLR