A Christian Worldview from Silicon Valley

Today is the 66th anniversary of two historic United States military actions, one of which most Americans know nothing about and one of which is among the best known of all Marine battles. That they happened on the same day, one in relative anonymity and one very much in the public, is both interesting and instructive.

The Battle of Iwo Jima began on February 19 and lasted for more than a month. Near the end of the battle, and contributing not only to that victory but ultimately to victory in the war, an American flag was raised on Mount Suribachi. Joe Rosenthal’s picture of the flag raising is the most reproduced photographic image in history.

Almost 6,800 Marines were killed in action on Iwo Jima, giving the “last full measure of devotion.” On the positive side, it is estimated that more than 24,000 American airmen were saved by their sacrifice.

Half way around the world, on the same day, men from the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division were fighting in Italy. The 10th Mountain is the only division sized unit (10,000-15,000) formed specifically for fighting in harsh weather and terrain. These men led the way for brave Brazilian Expeditionary fighters, climbing 2,000 feet at night to assault Riva Ridge, taking out the German artillery that had been entrenched there and winning a battle that was a key in bringing down the Gothic Line in Italy.

Here in Silicon Valley, 66 years later, we have been known to complain when the weather is less than perfect for more than two days in a row, or if we have to take a detour around the route we know best to get a latte at our favorite coffee shop. No one is trying to kill us, and we aren’t climbing a mountain at night to face the enemy, so it is hard for us to wrap our minds around these historic events.

Likewise it is sometimes difficult for us to grasp the greatest sacrifice ever made by one for many, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who climbed a hill called Calvary. He did not plant a flag there, but he himself was raised up on a cross. He did not break through the enemy defense line, but he broke the bonds of death.

I’m confident the airmen who landed on Iwo Jima after it was under American control were thankful that they did not have to ditch their planes and crew into the Pacific. I’m certain the allied forces in Europe were relieved that the last line of defense for the German army in Italy had finally fallen, making the outcome of the war sure and the end near. It is more than fitting that we remember those particular Marines on this particular day, thanking God for those who gave much for us.

And while we’re at it, we might just say a word of thanks for Jesus, who gave his all on his very own mountain.

Putting a bounty on the capture or destruction of an outlaw is an age-old practice. You can read about it in the Bible, and if you’ve ever seen a “western” movie, you’ve seen wanted posters with pictures of bad guys to be brought in and dollars to be paid.

You probably also know about the bounty for Osama Bin Laden, currently “up to $25 million for information leading directly to” his apprehension or conviction, but you probably don’t know there is an even higher bounty for a much more outrageous middle-eastern cleric.

This one is not offered by the federal government of the United States, it is offered by radical Islamists, and it is for the death of a Christian.

The target is Father Zakaria Botros, an Egyptian who has been exiled for preaching Jesus over the air waves. It is estimated that he is watched by 50 million Muslims each time he is on the air via satellite, and he is on the air almost every day.

Some believe that he is at the top of the Jihadist’s most wanted list, and the price on his head is reported to be $60 million. He says he is not afraid to die, because he knows Jesus Christ, and he cannot and will not stop preaching, because the Muslims need to hear the gospel message. Being a disciple of Jesus well may cost this brother his life, but it doesn’t matter—he’s already given his life to Jesus.

When we count the cost of discipleship, is our math as simple as that?

Arthur was focused.  It was dinner time, and he knew the drill — where the food was, and who would deliver it.  Any twitch by his master towards the fridge provided an eager response from Arthur, who was not discouraged by so many false starts.  He knew he was totally dependent upon his person-master for everything.  But this did not discourage him; it seemed to give him purpose and direction, love and joy and peace.

Then it struck me, if I could be as dependent on God, as Arthur was on his master, how would that change my life?

What if I suddenly realized that every meal was only going to come from one place (God, not the refrigerator)?

What if I suddenly realized that any meaningful loving I craved was only going to come from one place (God, not worldly desires)?

What if I suddenly realized that any joy/peace in my life was only going to come from one place (God, not a temporary escape)?

Arthur put all of his attention, his focus, toward his master.  I suggested that it was as if he was worshipping his master, but that doesn’t quite work, as Arthur really has no concept of a “god”.  But another way to put it is devotion.

Jesus said that to really understand the Kingdom of Heaven, we have to be like / think like little children, be more pure and simple.  I think He might have considered dogs for His analogy, but dogs were such low-life in His day, that probably would have offended His listeners even more!

But today we love our dogs, and they love us.  In fact, I am beginning to realize that we should very much strive to be more like dogs (in the good sense), learning from how they depend and rely on, are devoted to and love their masters.

From here on out, I’m going to try to be more devoted to my Master, like Arthur is to his.  Everything I need comes from my Master.  I only need to turn to my Master for the loving that I crave.  Joy and peace, these too, come from my Master.  God, my Master.

And the best part is, I can worship Him too, because he is my God.  And He is my Father, which makes me His child, and that’s way better than being His dog.  Now, isn’t that cool?

When I went to wash my hands in the restroom of a Chinese factory, the sign above the sink said:  “Perfermance tap, stretched out your hands to effluent, Please do not agitute!” (sic)  In my Japanese hotel room, there was no flush lever on the toilet — instead, there was quite a complex looking control box attached to the wall, all in Japanese (and some cute pictures!) — I’m sure one of these buttons indicated “flush”, but which one?  What if I press the wrong button?  These are silly examples, but let’s face it, the world can be a very confusing place.

How do you react when confusion sets in?  For me, as time pressures rise, my stress rises much more quickly with the amount of confusion, usually making things only worse.

How do you resolve your confusion?  Do you look for a “Good Samaritan” (please help me!)?  Just start pressing as many buttons as possible (just try something — anything)?  Take it out on the offending thing and strike it?!

Jesus’ disciples were confused a lot; in fact, one could consider them confused nearly the whole time they were with Jesus (except for rare divine moments), up until when the Holy Spirit was given to them at a special celebration called Pentecost.  After that, it seemed they were thankfully no longer confused.  (They had their disagreements, but individuals didn’t seem confused as to what they should do next!)

Was Jesus ever confused?  It’s hard to imagine our God incarnate (who made us all!), ever not understanding something.  Yet the thing that confounded Him most was our own thick-headedness.  He would cry out — “Oh you of little faith!”, and  “How can you be so dull?”  Creation didn’t puzzle Him, but people confounded Him frequently!  People confound me, too, so I shouldn’t feel too bad about that.

How did Jesus deal with his confusion?  Is there a lesson here? Patience. And a lot of it.  As Jesus was infinite in everything, He was certainly infinite in patience.  He took time to explain things (again!), and sometimes, when all the explaining in the world wouldn’t work, He just moved on, knowing they would “get it” eventually.

Should the gift of the Holy Spirit clarify everything for us, as it did the disciples?  How I wish it would, and how I wish it did.  Maybe the Holy Spirit doesn’t clarify everything to me because I don’t welcome Him in sufficiently well.  The disciples reacted to that Gift by becoming one purpose, spreading God’s Word.  I reacted to that gift too, but retain many purposes — work, family, home, and oh yes, spreading God’s Word.  Maybe I’d be a lot less confused if I focused more clearly only on God’s will. Maybe then, the Holy Spirit would make clear all the confusion in my life.

When’s the last time you lifted up your confusion to the One who can clarify all?

I’m a tennis fan, and I expected last Saturday’s US Open women’s semifinal between Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters to be a great match. However, the result was not anything I anticipated. Serena had a verbal encounter with a linesperson that ended up costing her the match without another ball being played.

(Somehow something got disconnected, so when I watched my tape, all I got was video. What a time to not be able to hear what was said!)

Over the next couple of days Serena released statements, eventually including an apology, but in my mind she was at least a day late and a dollar short. Her outburst had a lasting impression I would not expect from one of “the most prominent female Christian athletes of all.”

(Some would argue that Serena got treated unfairly since Roger Federer cursed at the chair umpire and wasn’t similarly penalized, but he was sitting in his chair, not menacing a linesperson with a tennis racket.)

Thinking on speech-related issues reminds me of the criticism House Speaker Nancy Pelosi received when she and House Majority leader Steny Hoyer wrote, “Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American.” Apparently some people think the 1st Amendment gives them the freedom to speak in such a way that deprives others of the freedom to speak. Go figure.

Our Summer Group discussed James and taming the tongue. Obviously this is a hard lesson, but James 1:19-20 has much wisdom for situations like these:

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

How would things be different if we were more eager to listen to others rather than ourselves?

When I was in high school about a hundred years ago, my grandfather said I should take typing and shorthand, courses rarely taken in those days by boys. His real reason might have been to get me to meet girls, but he said it was because those skills would be useful all my life. I looked around and noticed that my dad needed to type for his job, that papers often had to be typed, and so I took typing.

I got to be pretty good, but I never in my life learned to type like this:

The artist, er, typist of this piece was a man named Paul Smith, who was born in 1921 with severe cerebral palsy. You can read more about him, and see more of his amazing typing, at this web site.

Mr. Smith passed away in 2007, but he continues to inspire today. Seeing what he did, reading about his life and spirit, inspires me, in fact. Maybe it will inspire you to be patient with yourself as you work on your gifts and “keep on keeping on.” Maybe it will inspire you to not think of someone with an illness as less than they are. Maybe it will inspire you to glorify God with your life and gifts. Or maybe you’ll just look at this amazing work and wish you still had a typewriter.

In case you were wondering, the Sun has been going through a quiet phase this year.  Most news agencies ignore things that are working well preferring instead to report on the stock market, or some natural disaster. It turns out that every 11 years the Sun’s magnetic field sorta re-configures itself.  We are in the midst of a very quiet period of time right now. For the Sun.  That means there are very few sunspots and solar flares happening.   Most people go along and take for granted this star that our lives depend upon and never give it a second thought.  But, if you look a little closer, you will see the wonder of the thing right before your eyes, well at least those people reading this during the daylight hours.  Oh, and I suggest you use something safe to view the sun, like the internet.

Solar Picture

I’m a fan of quiet.  I’m glad our sun is a warm star, not too hot, and not too cold, but just right.  It would be more interesting if we had a double star, but then our solar system probably wouldn’t have nearby rocky planets to live on, so we have to live with our boring quiet medium sized star.  Still, I find it quietly speaking to me.  Psalms 19

Yesterday we had a power outage for about 10 hours, from mid-afternoon until after midnight.  This had an impact on our family life in several ways, including what we had for dinner, what we did after dinner, and what time we went to bed.

The absence of electrical power was definitely noticed in my household.  My 12-year-old son in particular missed his computer time and emailing his friends.  My 9-year-old daughter made do with the Nintendo DS.

What do you notice when it’s missing?  And is that good or bad?

I read somewhere (maddeningly, I forget where), what if the Bible and everything it said were suddenly to disappear?  What would life be like?  (Or something like that.)

At the Pepperdine Lectures last April, one of the teachers asked, if the Holy Spirit were missing in the time of the book of Acts, what would have been the difference in what the apostles did?  In contrast, if the Holy Spirit were missing in the life of many churches today, what would be the difference in what the church leaders do?

Shane Claiborne said,

As my teacher Tony Campolo used to ask, “Even if there were no heaven and there were no hell, would you still follow Jesus?  Would you follow him for the life, joy, and fulfillment he gives you right now?” … No wonder the early Christian church was known as the Way.  It was a way of life that stood in glaring contrast to the world.

What difference does His power make in your life?

Rocco needed more rocks. David picked up five smooth stones and used one, Rocco brought at least a dozen dimpled Callaway balls and 14 clubs, but they weren’t enough. After it was over, Rocco said he threw everything he had at him, including the kitchen sink, but even that wasn’t enough. He said, “I just about got him.”

What does all that say to us? Do David’s usually lose? From my perspective, David never loses. Sure, Tiger Woods won and got the U.S. Open title and the trophy, Rocco Mediate got the runner up check and the respect and admiration of lots of people, and life goes on. But David, the shepherd who became the king, put his trust not in specially forged weapons of steel and not even in his sling and stones, but in the Lord.

Put your trust in the Lord, and you, too, will prevail. You may die along the way, but you will prevail.

Back in some year long, long ago, a shepherd boy named David slew a giant named Goliath. As I write, a journeyman golf professional named Rocco has the advantage over a giant named Tiger.

Rocco Mediate vs. Tiger Woods. The 158th ranked player in the world vs. the number 1 ranked player in the world. A 45 year-old who has never won a major against a 32 year-old who has won 13 of them. Lots of people are rooting for David (Rocco), but not many people have been betting on him to win.

In the press room the day before this playoff for the 2008 U.S. Open championship, Rocco said he was looking forward to the match. He noted that they were just playing golf, not fighting. “If we were fighting, I’d be in big trouble.” Most observers figured he was in big trouble anyway, but with just two holes left to play, Rocco is not only not in trouble, he has a one shot lead.

It’ll be a compelling story if he wins, but is it really David and Goliath? David was risking his life for the Lord and for Israel, and was relying on the Lord for help. Goliath was trying to help wipe out or take over the nation of Israel, God’s chosen people. Rocco and Tiger are playing for a big title, for big money, and for a place in history.

But maybe, just maybe, as the media folks keep talking about David and Goliath, people who are watching Rocco and Tiger will think about the originals.

Stay tuned…