Bah? Humbug?

I’ll be perfectly frank… I do not like Christmas. I don’t like having a big, dumb tree corpse in my living-room. I don’t like having to hunt for a parking spot at the mall when all I wanted was to grab some milk and eggs at Sobeys. I don’t like hearing “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman” on the store sound system while some irate customer screams at the cashier about the lack of Nintendo Wiis. Most of all, I hate when I fall victim to consumerism myself.

Take, for example, Christmas at the Freckelton household this year. Marsha and I both lost our jobs within weeks of each other, and yet we chose to continue to walk the path God laid before us. That meant I was to continue attending school full time, and Marsha picked up a part-time job at Pennington’s and our plan to start our own business had to be put on hold indefinitely. We are, therefore, financially challenged in the extreme (read “poor“). Yet we are not in want of groceries, since our parents and others have been exceedingly generous in that regard. We’re managing to keep our nostrils just above the water line through Marsha’s amazing financial juggling skills, though we have occasionally choked on a nose-full of water here n’ there.

Given the circumstances, we’ve been incredibly blessed! We haven’t lost our home, our car, and Alyssa still gets to be a part of all the things she wants to be a part of. In spite of all those blessings, however, I’ve still been hit with bouts of depression as my brain whispers, “Christmas is going to be so slim this year, and it’s all my fault.” How ridiculous is that? God has poured out so much for us, how could I possibly complain? I suppose it boils down to the fact that, in my eyes, Marsha and Alyssa deserve so much. Traditionally, my salary has been the primary bacon-bringer, and now they’re both making sacrifices while I can go to school. Perhaps it’s just the chauvinist in me, but all this causes me no small discomfort.

For all my grumbling about consumerism above, I’m just as bad – just complaining about a lack of consumer power rather than an excess of it.  Even in our foolishness, however, God remains ever faithful. There is love in this house, and that is a gift that can’t be measured, price-tagged, or put on sale for Boxing Day. While it can’t be wrapped and stuffed under a tree-corpse, it will outlast it beyond reckoning.

On a lighter note, Strong Bad’s latest email gave me a much needed laugh. If you’re like me, and feeling a little gloomy, here’s a giggle or two for you:

public apology

It doesn’t matter how “high” in the Christian ranks you are, we all suffer from the same human condition. Some of my biggest problems is my lack of patience, and my overactive sarcasm-gland. However, the Spirit does convict us, and gives us brothers and sisters to hold us accountable for our behavior.

Therefore, I am issuing this public apology to Mr. Geoff Hudson. My lack of patience developed into frustration, which gushed forth as venomous, patronizing sarcasm. It was un-Christian, and inappropriate for a disciple of Jesus. No matter how much I may disagree with Mr. Hudson, I should not have lost my temper in that manner. I, therefore, humbly request Mr. Hudson’s forgiveness.

I also thank my brother, Ken, for his biblical rebuke. The Spirit was already convicting me, and his Spirit-led correction punctuated God’s work in my heart. Praise His name for giving us not only His Word and Spirit, but for giving us brothers and sisters who will come alongside and help nudge us back on the path.

pastor pressure

Here’s kind of a neat little video we had to watch as part of our Intro to Ministry course earlier this year. It’s a mixed bag of views, some I can agree with, some I can’t. However, I enjoyed it solely for the fact that Terry Atkinson was one of the interviewed pastors. Terry assisted in my conversion, baptized me, and married me to my wife, so he’s obviously that “special pastor” in my Christian walk. Anyway, here’s the video…

Pastoral Interviews (wmv)

doing the right thing

“Doing the right thing” is easy to say, but it can be difficult to actually do, especially when the “right thing” is going to make people you love unhappy. Sometimes it’s difficult to even know what the right thing to do is. Take parenting, for example. When my daughter was about 5 she wanted to go on a ride at the local fair. She met the size/safety requirements, but I still didn’t want her to go on it, since I felt it was just too fast for her. At the same time, however, I was trying to loosen my overprotective hold on her and allow her to try new things and let her discover her likes/dislikes on her own. It was kind of like this Pampers commercial. After some thought, I took a chance and let her go on the ride. Needless to say, she spent the next 5 years avoiding rides like the plague, and has only recently started trying some less excitement-filled ones. I was shocked that she actually went on the flume ride at Upper Clements Park more than once.

The question remains, was my parenting decision right or wrong? Will she spend the rest of her life with an inherent fear of certain kinds of amusements because I let her go on that ride when she was 5? Will her experience encourage her to try new things in the future, knowing that she’ll survive them? There’s no way for me to know at this point, as it’s one of those fuzzy areas.

There are other examples of “doing the right thing” that are no-brainers, and there are others that, while a no-brainer on the surface, require substantially more though. For example, if I stumble across a teenager shoplifting at a local department store, one would think I could just go inform the staff, and they would take care of the rest. Is that necessarily the best I can do? Would it be better to talk to the teen myself, and give them the opportunity to stop what they’re doing without acquiring a police record? Sometimes, it’s not black and white.

I’ve recently been called upon to “do the right thing” but in doing so, I know I made some people unhappy, but those same people will not have their lives destroyed. The right thing? Yes, but that doesn’t make it easy.

icky poo

Not only has the weather been pretty icky the last couple days, but so has my body. I hope I’m not getting sick, because I’ve been pretty happy with my relative health over the last while. Seriously, folks… the whole “vitamin thing?” It actually works!

I’ve committed to dealing with a couple controversial topics on the blog here, but I’ve discovered that I really have to better manage my time when it comes to writing. With term papers and assignments due all over the place, it’s just silly to spend too much time writing here. Unfortunately, I don’t think my professors mark me based on my blog contents.

Okay, just a quick point-form view on Halloween. First and foremost is the simple fact that many of the oft-repeated legends of ancient pagan origins have relatively little basis in reality. It just sounds good. So here’s some quick points:

• Yes, the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced “Sow-in”) was held on October 31st, the evening before the Celtic New Year.
• Yes, the Celts believed that the barrier between the world of the living and that of the dead became thin or blurred on that evening, as they believed “transitory” times and places were powerful. Indeed they also had stories about dusk, dawn, beaches, horizons, etc…
• Yes, the Celts did lots of stuff on Samhain night. While it’s not clear, there may indeed have been human sacrifices performed in the Druidic rituals.
• The Celts DID NOT dress up as spirits to avoid being recognized by the dead. I know it’s in your encyclopedia, but there is just no historical record behind it.
• The Celts did not “trick or treat.” In fact, you will search in vain for a first-hand historical reference to that practice prior to the 20th Century.
• You can, however, connect the celebration of Samhain to the Roman Empire’s festival of Feralia, remembering the honored dead. You can also draw a pretty solid connection between this practice and All Saints Day (Nov 1) and All Souls Day (Nov 2). Please note, that this does not inherently make those two days “pagan.”
• As far as Halloween being a “devil’s night” or “witches night” – the one’s who made it such were none other than Christians.
• The late-inquisitional focus on superstition and witchcraft had people pointing at everything and naming it “Satan.”
• The list of papal deliverances opened in 1233, when Gregory IX., addressing the bishops of Mainz and Hildesheim, accepted the popular demonology in its crudest forms. The devil, so Gregory asserted, was appearing in the shapes of a toad, a pallid ghost and a black cat. In language too obscene to be repeated, he described at length the orgies which took place at the meetings of men and women with demons. Where medicines did not cure, iron and fire were to be used. The rotting flesh was to be cut out. (Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol 6, p.517)
• Essentially, Christians donated the evening to those who would seek to perversely offend the name of Christ. Any pagan baggage that was dangling from the rural celebrations were declared “witchcraft” and resulted in the most imaginative forms of torture and execution that should not occupy the Christ-like mind. Is it any wonder that, since the evening was thrust upon them with red-hot pokers, that they merrily took it and ran with it?
• The vast majority of North American Halloween traditions are very recent, and can only be traced back to the Great Depression, primarily in urban areas. Note that urban areas often were rich in Celtic immigrants, who no doubt, brought many a chilling tale along with them.
• The evening before All Saint’s Day became a night to blow off steam among the stressed youth in the cities. Outhouses and ashcans were toppled, along with various other sorts of vandalism.
• Going door to door asking for food was also another urban American tradition during the depression, but not until Thanksgiving evening (Nov 24) when leftovers would be available to the young beggars.
• In an attempt to keep kids off the streets (and outhouses standing upright) many parents had parties, often costume-parties, on Halloween night. Over time, as the Great Depression lifted, these assorted traditions coalesced.
• In the final analysis, there is no 100% easy answer to the Christian view on Halloween. Yes it has it’s bad points, and yes it has it’s harmless points as well. The REAL question that should be asked is, “How can I take advantage of this amazing ministry opportunity?”
• Remember, as Paul discusses the whole issue of whether or not it is appropriate to consume meat that has been sacrificed to idols, his summary statement on the matter is: “I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.” (1 Corinthians 10:33)

I hope that gives you something to chew on. Again, there’s no “perfect answer” to the issue, other than making sure that whatever you do, you do it with the right motives. Hanging latex recreations of decomposing bodies probably isn’t the best thing you could do to minister to people in your neighborhood. Just a thought.

ministry opportunities

It’s been a pretty good week, with lots of interesting ups and down. I managed a decent mark on my last Greek vocabulary quiz, which was a perk since I’d tanked the last two quizzes. I’m good at the translation, but the memorization is very challenging for me. Thankfully, God is far more faithful than I, and has helped me out with some of that.

I was also granted a few ministry opportunities this week, which is always a pleasure. I sat in on the “Mom’s Morning Out” women’s group at the church, and though I was easily distracted by all the cute babies, I did manage to discuss the history and development of Halloween with folks. I intend to teach a similar section in my Sunday school class later this month as well, since I believe Halloween gets a bad rap from the Christian church. That’s not to say it’s a “Christian holiday” but when you consider the fact that the earliest references to it being a “demonic” or “satanic” night were made, not by some cultic anti-Christian organization, but by the hyper-superstitious Christian church of the middle-ages, you have the opportunity to bring balance back to your examination of the evening.

Mind you, as Paul rightly pointed out when he was discussing the issue of eating meat sacrificed to idols, and the main thrust of his argument, “Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved. ” (1 Corinthians 10:32-33) If I were living in a community of Jehovah’s Witnesses, I probably wouldn’t be celebrating Halloween as it would destroy my ability to communicate effectively with my neighbors. On the other hand, in typical Canadian suburbia, that would probably be a different story, though I would refrain from partaking of the darker aspects of the evening. I believe I was able to share an accurate history of the evening, and a balanced view on it’s relevance to Christian families who seek to live a life pleasing to God.

I also received an interesting email from a young lady who was looking for some insight on what Peter meant in 1 Peter 3:7 when referring to women being “weaker vessels.” That provided me the opportunity to let Peter be a 1st century Jew, rather than a 21st century chauvinist pig, and look at Peter’s words as he meant them, rather than how our current society wants to bury them. I dismiss the idea of the 100% equality of men and women, because if it were so, I’d be able to have a baby. (Lord, that’s not a request – merely an observation – thank you for keeping that from me!)

Now it’s off to Sunday school to discuss whether or not the Bible is an historically accurate text! Isn’t God amazing?

grumpy guts

While I think my previous post was moderately misunderstood, I was definitely dishing out a lot of sarcasm, and my only excuse is that I am overtired. I’m going to leave it up there because it’s part of me, and the reason this blog is here is to maintain transparency, but I do repent of the frustrated anger underlying the post, and beg forgiveness from those who were hurt.

a public apology to my wife

I’ve already begged my wife’s forgiveness on this matter, but I also wanted to make this public so I can be held accountable for it. At a recent place of employment, I feel my wife was not given her due. Her insight, intelligence and organization was not held in high regard because she wasn’t an academic like her supervisors.

The way they looked at her caused me to defend her, as I didn’t want anyone treating her like that. I have learned, however, that my very defence can come across as “degrading” because I’ll do it around people who aren’t questioning her intelligence at all. For example, among some friends, I said something like, “My wife is very insightful, though she may not use sixteen syllable words to express it.” Someone mentioned that it sounded like a backhanded insult, like I was saying she wasn’t well-spoken. It wasn’t at all what I’d meant, and the exact OPPOSITE of my intention!

Therefor, I apologize to my wife for anything I’ve ever said that made her feel that she was less that what she is. She is an intelligent, insightful, thoughtful, compassionate, and way too good for the lowly likes of me. God knows I don’t deserve her. My wife is an amazing physical expression of God’s Grace, second only to Jesus’ sacrefice on my behalf. Therefor not only to I apologize to her, but I ask you, my witnesses, to call me on it should I ever say anything that makes it seem like I think any less of her than what I’ve just expressed. Help me to make my heart more visible.

reboot

I think I’ve taken sufficient time away from my blog, so I’ve brought it back online with a few of my recent depressing posts removed. Marsha and I took the week off, and escaped to a lakeside cottage for the week, graciously loaned to us by some dear folks in our church family. We have indeed been richly blessed by our fellowship, and in discussions with pastors and representatives of the leadership team, I really don’t have a lot to be depressed about. Yes, I regret the mistakes I’ve made. Yes, I long to reconcile with those who are distant from me. I also recognize, however, that God is leading. We’re doing the right things. Marsha and I are working to strengthen our own relationship. We’re trying to lay the groundwork for reconciliation with our friends and family. We’re following the counsel of our elders, and seeking to maintain transparency and accountability.

It’s only been over the past week or so that I’ve been reading Paul’s pastoral letters, and really looking at them in relation to myself. I’ve always read Paul’s guidlines for elders/overseers and applied them to my leaders, but I never really considered myself a leader. Lately though, I’ve been deeply convicted by these words:

It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
(1 Timothy 3:1-7)

I do not yet meet the criteria laid out here, but I’m getting there. One of the biggest convictions I’ve felt is this idea of being “above reproach.” This means living a life that is unanimously recognized as holy. In retrospect, I can see how certain relationships I’ve been involved with do not meet this criteria. I’ve cried “foul” at a few of the accusations that have been tossed my way, but let’s be honest: If I were living a life that was “above reproach” no such accusations would be made.

For this reason, it was most excellent to be able to spend some time with my Wife, away from the world. We did have a pastoral visit at one point, and I had to pop into town on Thursday morning to meet with the leadership team representatives, but other than that, everything was great. We prayed, we sat, we read, we slept in. A great blue heron plopped himself down the dock of the cottage one morning, and I stared in awe at this large, magnificent creature that God created. That bird didn’t seem to be worried about his career, or his place in ministry, or whether or not he’d be able to make his mortgage payments.

“Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!” (Luke 12:24)

Anyway, we’re heading into the weekend, and there’s lots of things laying before us. As I said, I met with the pastors and representatives of the leadership team where I was interviewed in order to determine whether or not my name would be brought up for a vote on Sunday for a license to minister. The license is just one of those little prerequisites in order to do my supervised ministry through the school. Marsha and I are attending the introductions on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then classes start on Thursday.

I wish I could go into this knowing that I have no outstanding issues on the table. I wish I could go into this with the full love and support of those closest to me. At the same time, I have a wife who is amazingly supportive and loving. I have a daughter who’s very excited to see her Dad have homework I have a church family that’s backing us all 100%. How can I complain? How can I grumble?

weekend update

Monday, thou foul beast! Why dost thou torment me with thine mocking growl, and thy fierce temperment?! Oh… hang on… that’s not Monday. That’s me before my first cup of coffee.

Not a shabby weekend! Friday night was “Extreme Makeover” at my church’s youth center. We brought all the kids over on Friday night, and kept them up all night sanding, hammering, sawing and painting. Someone was even fool enough to give the Pastor’s son a nail-gun. Three dead, sixteen injured! Nails, that is… not people. I kid – I’m a kidder. The pre-makover photos have already been posted, and the post-makeover pics should be up later this week. You can check them out at www.SolidRockYouth.ca. I, however, had plans in the morning, so I didn’t stay all night.

What plans you might say? Well, my dearest redhead took her children and I out to breakfast! Then we went to a bookstore in order to pick up Strobel’s The Case For A Creator. Watching her journey of faith has been a privledge, honour and a firm reminder that we serve a LIVING God, not a dead, powerless peice of wood or stone. Jesus is not a weak beggar seeking our approval… He is a powerful Saviour gathering His people to Himself! Praise His name forever!

Then last night I taught, for the third time, part of a course on spiritual maturity. How ironic is that?! It was about how to approach and start digging into God’s word. The general feedback was very positive, and I definitely felt substantially more at ease this time around. It’s very difficult when so many of the people in the class have been Christians for decades, and have been church members for 30, 40, even 50 years! Someone reminded me last night of Paul’s words to Timothy (1 Timothy 4:11-12)…

Command and teach these things. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

I’m definitely no Timothy, but I pray that God will help me carry out the ministry He seems to have chosen for me. Help me speak well, and live well, such that my life and temperment would speak as loudly as any words from my mouth ever could. And I beg these things in the name of a saviour who is infinite in mercy, and mighty to save, as spoken by the testimony of the Holy Spirit, even Jesus the Christ. Amen.