o n t h e t r a c k s

Lessons from the Journey III

2011-07-03T19:36:00.000-07:00

This one is a very simple one. The lesson is Servanthood.

Simply put, it's been the discovery of the joy that can be found in serving others. This has found expression in a lot of ways. But a big element of it has been the fact that, after 15 years focused on my pastoral ministry, God gave me a season in which my role was to add value to the ministries of other people - our pastors (Al, Doyle and Brian), our Worship and Music specialist, Mark; our specialists in other ministries such as youth and childrens' ministries (John, Tamara and Bernadette); even the seminary interns (Lutherans call them vicars) who served with us for one year at a time. These guys weren't even finished with their degree, they were only with us a year each, none of them had even hit 30 yet - it woul have been easy to feel as if I'd been set aside (and sometimes I did feel that way). But over the last 10 years I have learned the blessing of lifting up the ministries of others instead of my own - to ask "How can I serve you today?" and really mean it. This is not the kind of lesson that came easily to me - not natural for me - but necessary. And I am grateful for the opportunity I had to learn it.

Lessons from the Journey II

2011-06-19T19:41:00.000-07:00

Grace. That's all. Grace.

Sometimes Grace is a theological concept. The basic idea being that our Creator gives us what we do not and cannot deserve.

In its ultimate expression, Christians believe that we do not and cannot earn or deserve a relationship with God, but because of God's grace, we can have a relationship with God through faith in Christ. That is the essence, the big idea, of Christian faith. Two key passages underscoring this idea are:
"God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself" (2 Cor 5:19) and
"By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."

Sometimes Grace is a theological concept. But if that is all it is, we are missing out on the good life.
Grace is intended to be a way of life, a way of living. A way of interacting with other people. We are intended to be people of grace, behaving graciously towards others - giving them what they do not and cannot deserve.

But here's the deal: we can't give what we do not have. And if all we have is grace-as-theological-concept, all we can give is lip service: cheap talk about something we read about somewhere.

Grace is intended to be "lived out" of us, into other people. But before that can happen, grace has to be "lived into us" by someone else. Now the ultimate "someone else" is the God who gave up His heavenly stature and became man, in the person of Jesus.

But we need other people who can "live grace into us" by example. And that is important; and it is more important if there have been people who lived "un-grace", the opposite of grace, into us.

Wounds have the capacity to bleed the grace out of us. And even if grace has been lived into us by parents, siblings, friends and others, those wounds, left untended, can drain the grace right out of us.

Ten years ago I was, in the words of Jackson Browne, "running on empty". I needed a serious transfusion of grace. And I received it in many ways and from many sources, but predominantly from a small group of people with whom I worked day in and day out for about 8 1/2 years. I was spoon-fed grace.

Now remember that definition. Grace is about receiving the undeserved. So to be spoon-fed grace, you have to come face-to-face with your own un-deservedness. To be specific, you have to blow it. And I did. Many times, and sometimes in huge ways. And life had taught me that "blowing it big-time" leads to "crash-and-burn".

Only it didn't lead to that. It led to Grace being lived into me, which had the effect of re-training my mind, my limbic system, my lower nervous system, into believing that grace really is more than a theological concept. It is a way of living. Maybe a way that I had never learned beyond the theological concept; or maybe a way that I had forgotten or had been bled out of me. But I learned it by having grace lived into me.

Back into the present: people have looked at me in the past 18 months and have said "We are noticing this about you". They are seeing grace in me. And I am thankful - but I know it's not about me. It's about what I have learned, by the way others have lived their understanding of grace into me. What has gone around is coming around again.

Lessons from the Journey I

2011-06-10T11:06:00.000-07:00

When we concluded our ministry at Deerbrook Covenant Church in Humble, TX, the earnest prayer of our heart was that God would open a door to a new opportunity for pastoral service, and quickly. God opened many doors - but that one would remain closed for about a decade.

You often hear the remark that "God's Timing is Perfect", and I've always believed it - even though it rarely feels perfect when you're waiting. But earlier this week I began to reflect on all the things I would've missed out on in the past 10 years if God had provided quickly, what I waited until this week to receive - a pastoral call to a Covenant Church.

I can't list everything - the blessings of the last decade are too numerous to count - but just a few:
-the incredibly positive experience I enjoyed serving on the ministry staff at Christ the King
-the friendship I still enjoy with the staff as well as countless members and attenders both past and present
-the pleasure of my involvement with CentreStage Theatrical School and Company and the friendships I treasure among its many participants
-the amazing grace of God poured out through so many people who have prayed for us and supported us in so many ways over the past decade and especially the last 18 months
-the satisfaction of having spent over 12 years in one community and one house (I've been a bit of a gypsy)
-many spiritual lessons - not the least of which is - when God's answer is delayed, you can focus on what's lost or on what's left. And the choice you make will change your life.

The day Rick went to a mosque

2010-09-09T08:16:00.000-07:00

With all the chatter about the proposed Islamic Center near Ground Zero and the Qur’an burning pastor in Florida, I thought it might be worthwhile to offer the perspective I bring to Christian-Islamic conversation.
I had a unique opportunity in May of 2006. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Association invited me to a Symposium on the topic of “The Existence of God and Human Suffering”, at a Mosque in Houston.

The day was marked by speeches by three guest speakers, one each from the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities. (Each presenter speaking for 15 minutes). I was the guest Christian presenter.

It is the muslim tradition to have separate events for men and women. Consequently I spoke only to men. There was a parallel meeting for women at the same time, with female speakers. Tea and refreshments were served afterward.

It was, if nothing else, a very unique cross-cultural experience. It was also an opportunity for me to communicate the message of Christ.

My Christian faith tells me that the God I worship is a God who is intimately familiar with suffering because He Himself chose to suffer. Here, I realize, is where I part company with my muslim and jewish friends, but it is a very important part of the way I as a Christian process my understanding of the existence of God and human suffering. I therefore planned to conclude by explaining how this uniquely Christian doctrine informs my thinking on the crucial question that was the focus of our conversation.

My goals for the day were to learn from the other presenters and the people with whom I interacted; and to communicate clearly on my assigned topic with a distinctively Christian flavor.

I came away with a new appreciation of what it feels like for someone with no experience attending a Christian Church to walk into that environment for the first time. I’ve never been in a mosque before.

I was not concerned for my safety. Through my conversations with my host, Shahed, and my reading on the Ahmadiyya website, I knew that this muslim community, which is spread across 178 nations, utterly rejects violence and terrorism, recognizing that the word “jihad” refers to the individual’s inner struggle to live out a life that honors Allah.

My main concerns were that I would not unintentionally offend my hosts through my ignorance of their customs. I needed not be concerned. They were more than helpful and welcoming – truly delightful and friendly people who showed me where shoes could be placed during the symposium (since they are not worn in the mosque). Many of the 35 or so men present were quick to come forward and welcome me.

The program began with “a recitation of the Holy Qur’an”. If there was an element in the service that had me on pins and needles, this was it. What would I experience?

The Qur’an is always read in Arabic, and so one man came forward to read. I could not be absolutely certain about whether he was singing, or whether the rising and falling tones are reflective of the tonal nature of the Arabic language. The only experience I could compare it to was hearing Arabic over loudspeakers in Iran or Iraq, such as one sometimes hears on a television news program.

The reading was followed by a translation in English – certainly for guests like me, but I wondered if it was also for those whose Arabic is rusty.

Next were three 15 minute addresses by the three speakers – first the jewish guest, then myself, then the muslim speaker.

In my presentation, I observed a careful balance. On the one hand, I had been invited to speak on the assigned topic from a Christian perspective. I also wanted to faithfully represent the message of biblical Christian faith. On the other hand, I was a guest, and did not want to communicate in a manner that would offend my hosts. I think that I effectively hit the mark.

The next 30 minutes was a time of question and answer. The moderator requested that all questions be directed to all three panelists so that each of us could answer, so that was the way the afternoon flowed on.

However, when the moderator said there was time for one more question, a man rose to the microphone and said “I have a question I would like to direct only to Rick: You said in your presentation that the sufferings of Christ could alleviate the sufferings of humanity, and I am not clear how that could happen. Could you explain your meaning please?”

For me, this was a wonderful moment, for it seemed to me that I was being invited by my hosts to be more specific in describing the nature of my faith as a Christ-follower. And so I took several minutes to answer the concluding question.

After the symposium, many people came forward to graciously thank me and express appreciation for the content of my talk. One man said that he’d had many questions about Christianity, and I had managed to answer several of them. I was grateful. My secondary goal in being there was to help the listeners to learn and understand the day’s topic from a Christian perspective. I am grateful that this goal was met.

My primary goal had been to learn, and I certainly learned, from both the jewish and muslim people I encountered. I was struck by how similarly we approached the topic, and several times in the Q&A, I responded and then one of my fellow panelists said “I was going to say the same thing Rick said”.

If I’d had a third goal, it was to enjoy a very different, cross-cultural cuisine in the time of refreshments that followed. Alas, I might as well have been at a Texas Baptist pot luck: there was fried chicken, cole slaw, pasta salad, pizza and Coke. However, there were two desserts that were culturally distinct, and they were wonderful!

Jesus would not burn a Koran

2010-09-07T17:32:00.000-07:00

Even mentioning this story gives more profile than it ought to have. Jesus did not hesitate to speak truth, but he also extended every opportunity to receive grace - especially to those who were outside of his own tradition. In fact, his harshest criticisms were saved for those who were of his own background and believed themselves above critique or reproach.

September 3, 2010

2010-09-03T18:19:00.000-07:00

• Where are the 10 best cities to live in during the next decade? Here are Kiplinger's picks.

• Best cities for raising families? Here's that list. (Discerning eyes will note a similarity.)

• Gary Walter continues to inspire as he unpacks and re-articulates the identity of The Evangelical Covenant Church. He's doing a series of columns in The Covenant Companion and it's great stuff. Here are his columns available online (so far): March, April, May, and June. I am proud to call him friend and leader.

August 18

2010-08-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

-A great article about my family, The Evangelical Covenant Church, in a Duke Divinity School publication. (via Don)

-Miles had a great week this summer at Lions Camp. They do camp weeks for kids with cancer, kids with disabilities, kids recovering from burns - and kids with diabetes. It was Miles' first stay-over camp. He was resistant for years and went under protest this year - but came back with plans in place to return next year. If you know anyone who is a member of the Lions Club, tell them they are doing a great thing with their camps.

-Something big is happening in my life on August 30. God is teaching me how much I need to learn patience - by showing me how impatient I am.

Peter and Christine Kyhn is blogging on worship

2010-08-16T13:39:00.000-07:00

This will be worth following...

My Utmost - May 31

2010-05-31T07:33:00.000-07:00

My favorite line from today's reading:

God came as a baby, giving and entrusting Himself to me. He expects my personal life to be a “Bethlehem.”

A great turn of phrase. Bethlehem was the place into which God the Son was born. It is the place where His presence on earth was first revealed, and from which He moved, into other places, living a life that would grow in influence and extend God's gradce, love, healing, blessing and forgiveness to all.

MY life (and yours) is intended to be like Bethlehem - revealing Christ's presence on earth, carrying God's presence with us into other places, allowing our lives to influence the world in good and gracious ways, communicating love, healing, forgiveness and blessing.

Some days I definitely feel that I am doing that. What would the world look like if everyone who loves Him could live that way all the time?

My Utmost - May 27

2010-05-27T04:41:00.000-07:00

My Utmost for His Highest

I resonate with this. "Tarry"... Wait. I don't like waiting. But the disciples are told to wait.

Oswald writes "Our waiting is not dependent on the providence of God, but on our own spiritual fitness."

I don't like reading that but I accept it as true. There is work God is doing in me right now that He feels is necessary.

"The attitude of receiving and welcoming the Holy Spirit into our lives is to be the continual attitude of a believer. When we receive the Holy Spirit, we receive reviving life from our ascended Lord."

Had a friend in England who I remember for saying that if someone asks if you are filled with the Spirit, the correct answer is "If you have to ask, I must not be".

Remember the illustration: What does a glove do when it is not filled with the hand? Nothing. But when the hand fills the glove, the glove's actions are identical to the hand's intent and action.

Let me be a filled glove today.

My Utmost • May 19

2010-05-19T19:29:00.000-07:00

My Utmost for his Highest
I love this passage about being secure in the love of Christ. And I like where Oswald takes us: to realize that our experience of being "more than conquerors" comes to use when we are in all of these trying experiences.

I don't like going through trying experiences. But the times I have most experienced God's power to save and lift me have all been in times of trials. And what greater trial is there than the knowledge that I am lost? What greater lift than the lift I experience by trusting in Him?

My Utmost - May 18

2010-05-18T06:40:00.000-07:00

My Utmost for His Highest

I can't count the number of times when I have been stressing about some circumstance or other in my life (and like everyone, I have plenty) as I am driving down the road, when my attention will be caught by the flight of a bird, and I will recall the words of Jesus:

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

...and I think to myself, how small is my faith. How quick I am to question, to doubt God's faithfulness. I like Oswald's remark,

So often we impair God’s designed influence, which He desires to exhibit through us, because of our own conscious efforts to be consistent and useful. Jesus said there is only one way to develop and grow spiritually, and that is through focusing and concentrating on God. In essence, Jesus was saying, “Do not worry about being of use to others; simply believe on Me.” In other words, pay attention to the Source, and out of you “will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38 ).

My Utmost • May 17

2010-05-17T15:22:00.000-07:00

I remember processing with a friend years ago the whole concept of the ascension of Jesus. Something about it just seemed not quite right. What was it? Was it that it seemed so other-worldly? So different from any experience we might have? That felt like part of it. After all, a Jesus who goes fishing with friends, I can relate to. A Jesus who eats bread and drinks wine with his buddies, I can understand. I've fished; I've enjoyed bread; I've shared evenings with friends over a glass of wine. That part, I get.

But on further reflection, that's not the "bind". I've gone fishing, but I haven't calmed a storm, or any of the other miracles Jesus did, and yet they don't bother me.

Finally we arrived at the real issue. I didn't like the idea of Jesus leaving - being gone - in essence, what feels like abandonment.

And once I named it, I realized this was the turning point. Because the Jesus who ascended, seemingly leaving His friends, is the Jesus who said "I will never leave you or forsake you".

My friend Doug Hanks wrote about it in a song that I've always appreciated. The chorus:

"I'll never leave you or forsake you;
You will never be alone;
I'm with you always,
until I bring you home".

The presence of Jesus is mine through the person he promised and sent: The Holy Spirit of God. And that's Oswald's point today. Because Jesus was ascended, he through the Holy Spirit is present to me moment by moment. And to you as well.

My Utmost • May 15

2010-05-15T11:28:00.000-07:00

I have been away from blogging for a season and considering how to jump back in and decided that I am going to resume by responding to Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost for His Highest", which I read almost daily.

Today's reading is in many ways an expansion and continuation of yesterday's counsel. There I read these words:

It is adversity that makes us exhibit (Jesus’) life … The only thing that will enable me to enjoy adversity is the acute sense of eagerness of allowing the life of the Son of God to evidence itself in me. No matter how difficult something may be, I must say, “Lord, I am delighted to obey You in this.”

You must keep yourself in the proper condition to allow the life of the Son of God to be manifested in you, and you cannot keep yourself fit if you give way to self-pity. Our circumstances are the means God uses to exhibit just how wonderfully perfect and extraordinarily pure His Son is. Discovering a new way of manifesting the Son of God should make our heart beat with renewed excitement. It is one thing to choose adversity, and quite another to enter into adversity through the orchestrating of our circumstances by God’s sovereignty. And if God puts you into adversity, He is adequately sufficient to supply all your need.

Delighting in obeying, in following - even when difficult, even when painful. That is a challenge. I have gotten pretty good at accepting, at following. But not at finding joy in it.

So today Oswald coaches us on "rising to the occasion". For me these are the key words:

May God not find complaints in us anymore, but spiritual vitality—a readiness to face anything He brings our way. The only proper goal of life is that we manifest the Son of God; and when this occurs, all of our dictating of our demands to God disappears ... We are here to submit to His will so that He may work through us what He wants. Once we realize this, He will make us broken bread and poured-out wine with which to feed and nourish others.

And this is precisely my cutting edge. Incredibly, once I get that into my head, a change in attitude is following, and joy is more readily showing up.

The one passage that causes me to wrestle is this:

You did not do anything to achieve your salvation, but you must do something to exhibit it. You must “work out your own salvation” which God has worked in you already ( Philippians 2:12 ).

How does this challenge to "work it out" relate to the reminder of Galatians 3:3 -

After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?

In other words I wrestle with the call to invest energies into the process of sanctification, while also wanting to embrace the certainty of Philippians 1:6 -

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Willy Wonka Clips

2010-02-05T11:12:00.001-08:00

Groundhog Day plus 1

2010-02-03T05:06:00.000-08:00

• Here is a great little piece by my friend whom I have always called "Stevie Baby". (I don't think anyone else does. Don't ask me why, I just have.). He is a terrific guy, a great man and a great blogger, and this is worth reading.

• Miles is preparing a display. The assignment is supposed to simply tell about himself, and here are some awesome pictures he chose to tell his story:

Good Reading

2010-01-21T19:55:00.000-08:00

A good week for freedom

The fall of the house of Kennedy

Now the hard work begins

2010-01-18T12:54:00.000-08:00

The emergency rescue efforts in Haiti will be wrapping up in the next day or two. This week the efforts will start to shift more toward creating longer term relief systems to care for the earthquake survivors. In the months which follow community development projects will emerge to help people not only rebuild but also to improve on what they had.

I am priveleged to be a part of Covenant World Relief, an extremely efficient compassion and mercy network which works through all phases of such crises. Before most of us were aware of the magnitude of the Haiti earthquake there were already CWR operatives en route. Within hours, through our partners, we were busy rescuing men, women, and children. Now we're providing water, food, and shelter to thousands. In the coming months and years CWR will be there to assist in rebuilding -- just as we were after the hurricanes along the Gulf Coast, the tsunami in Asia, the turmoil in Sudan, and the list goes on.

Covenant World Relief is a grassroots Christian relief agency. Because we work with churches and through in-country partners we don't have a lot of the overhead expenses incurred by many organizations. Because we operate through the natural bonds and connections within the Evangelical Covenant churches we don't have to spend a lot of money or energy in marketing. This means that donations go quickly, quietly (without a lot of hype and fanfare), and directly to areas of need.

If you would like to share in this ministry you can:

1. Make an online donation to the CWR Haiti relief effort. (Do it now - even if it's only 5 bucks)

2. Read more about CWR at their website.

3. Follow their blog.

4. Pray
(via) - Thanks Brad for expressing this so well!

What a good article

2010-01-09T10:01:00.000-08:00

Thanks, Beth B and Brad B (no relation) for linking to this wonderful article and for getting my attention with this quote:

" Jesus doesn't call us to make a difference in the world, let alone to transform the world. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:13-16), he does tell us that we will be "salt"—that is, we will preserve the world from complete self-destruction. ...Salt and light—that's about the extent of our ...effectiveness. Nothing about transforming the world through our efforts. Make no mistake: Jesus does indeed call us into the world to do stuff: preach, baptize, teach, and heal. But he does not promise results. Faithful diligence in such tasks will sometimes change lives and change communities. Whenever this happens, we can rejoice that God has permitted us to see him at work! But a lot of times when the church has obeyed faithfully, we've only received hardship—violence that seems to make things worse for victim and perpetrator alike."

Thanks, John Michael Talbot, for a wonderful evening of music last night. (John is in Houston for all of January, and will be doing small concerts like last night many more times; also doing THursday night teaching which ElenaClaire and I hope to attend at least once.

Word of the year: Global

2009-12-21T06:59:00.000-08:00

"The dangerous idea that the democratic accountability of national governments should simply be dispensed with in favour of "global agreements" reached after closed negotiations between world leaders never, so far as I recall, entered into the arena of public discussion. Except in the United States, where it became a very contentious talking point, the US still holding firmly to the 18th-century idea that power should lie with the will of the people." Read more

An "18th century idea". My, aren't we backward here.

Help us serve a family in need

2009-12-17T07:44:00.000-08:00

When we met her 11 years ago she was a single mom who had escaped an abusive ex-husband. She's lived a hard life but was finding strength to rise above the circumstances of her past. Life is still challenging but she in walking in faith. Yesterday her house and all its contents burned to the ground. She and her teenaged kids lost everything including 2 pets.

Help us redeem this tragedy. Make a paypal donation to rlindholtz@yahoo.com or write to us at that address if you can help in other ways. Details are still coming in. The kids are a boy, 18-19, and a daughter, 15-16. Donations can also be made to Christ the King Lutheran Church designated for the "Christensen Fire". Donations made in that way are fully tax deductible.

Some good Reading this morning...

2009-10-10T06:48:00.000-07:00

• On the Nobel Prize, from the WSJ
• On Global Warming, from the BBC

If you need a passport...

2009-09-29T08:03:00.000-07:00

In advance of my trip to Canada I sought to get a passport.

Online I learned that there is a Passport BOOK and a CARD. I phoned to learn the difference and I was told, nearly verbatim, “The passport card is being phased in and is currently only good for Canada and Mexico”.

The person I spoke with left out one important detail: that it is useless for air travel. That would have helped me make a better choice.

Foolishly I decided based on their input to get the card. Of course, when I got to the airport on Sunday I learned I could not get on the flight nor make it to my meetings that day.
I had to get an expedited passport the next day. I also had airline fees related to my changed flight plans. My out of pocket expense due to this inconvenience is almost $300 in total.

Yes, after the fact, I discovered that there is one page on the State Department website that alrets you to this issue. It ought to be clearly stated on any page that references the passport card.

I am only posting this to caution potential future travellers. If you need a passport, get the passport BOOK unless a) you live near the border and will be driving across, or b) you will be on a cruise.

Re-Visioning

2009-09-18T10:08:00.000-07:00

I have the privilege of attending the Re-Visioning Retreat, September 20-25 in Cochrane, AB.

Sponsored by my ordaining body, The Evangelical Covenant Church, and underwritten by a grant from the Lilly Endowment, the retreat is designed for those in ministry who are seeking to renew their friendship with God, reignite their pastoral imagination and explore their call in a deeper way. Each retreat is limited to 10 applicants, so I feel very blessed to have this opportunity.

EC hospitalized

2009-09-16T07:31:00.000-07:00

To my blog-reading and facebook-reading friends,

Please pray for our family and especially for EC who is hospitalized again. Pray that the delicate balancing of medications can be accomplished; pray that other therapies can have their intended results; pray that God's own hand reaches and touches her heart and mind in a real and healing way. We do not know at this time how long this in-patient experience may last.

Pray also for Alicia and me, and pray for Miles, who worries about his sister whom he loves so much.

A Creed - the God who reigns

2009-09-09T14:46:00.000-07:00

I wrote this affirmation of faith for this weekend's services. It was written around the theme of "reign" and will follow Lincoln Brewster's song "God, you Reign".

I believe in God,
the God,
the only God,
who created everything
and reigns as King
over earth, sky, and water,
Sovereign and Holy,
and yet revealing Himself
in the intimacy of the name
“Father”.
He reigns over the nations; He is seated on his holy throne.
Psalm 47:8

And I believe in Jesus Christ,
the Son,
the only-begotten Son
whose reign began
in the weakness of a manger-bed,
conceived by the Spirit
and born of a virgin,
who reigned
even while nailed to a cross of wood;
who died and rose again, ascended and will come again.
He will reign forever; and his kingdom will never end.
Luke 1:33

And I believe in the Spirit,
the Holy Spirit,
the Spirit of God
who as God Himself
brings the presence of God
and extends the reign of God
in every believer and throughout the world,
who ever directs hearts
to our Lord and Savior,
so that grace might reign … to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 5:21

© 2009 Rick Lindholtz

A Thousand Questions

2009-08-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

Lancelot Andrewes 1555 - 1626

2009-08-13T06:56:00.000-07:00

I am a few pages into a project of paraphrasing The Private Devotions of Bishop Lancelot Andrewes, who was a contemporary of William Shakespeare and who headed one of the translation teams for the King James Version.

Remember that I am called by Your name,
and look on me with your eyes of compassion,
eyes that looked on Mary Magdalene at the feast,
on Peter in the hall of denial,
on the thief upon the wood.
With the thief , let me cry out to you in humility,
“Remember me, Lord, in Your Kingdom”.
With Peter, let me weep bitterly and say
“O the my eyes were a fountain of tears,
That I might weep day and night”.
With Mary, let me hear You say
“Your sins are forgiven”,
and with her, may I love you deeply,
because many sins have been forgiven me.

July 27

2009-07-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

• What a weekend. Astros baseball with ElenaClaire; Gilbert and Sullivan Sunday afternoon with Alicia. I was in "Pirates" over 36 years ago with a lot of friends of whom I was thinking as I heard and remembered anew all those great songs.

• Several people have remarked privately or on Facebook their appreciation for the video from the service. I'm glad. Some have said that it reminded them of how important it is to use your own influence, just as Mom used hers. Some who knew her were reminded of her influence in their own lives. Some who did not felt challenged and affirmed in their own service to Jesus. Mom would be pleased to know - is pleased to know that even after her earthly race is finished, she continues to mentor and bless others.

• I was thinking about the way music is such a powerful tool. I thought of the 3 songs that were selected for congregational singing at her service ("Day by Day and with each Passing Moment"; "Children of the Heavenly Father"; "Great is Thy Faithfulness") and how those songs (which are probably the same three that were sung at her own mother's service in 1984) will never be mere songs to me. They will convey all the blessings her life channeled to me. Then I recalled the song that I sang to her on May 23, the next to last day I saw her:

"I have a friend who loveth me,
He gave His life on Calvary.
Upon the cross my sins He bore,
and I am saved forevermore."

and to my great and never to be forgotten delight, Mom joined me on the chorus:

"Oh Hallelujah, He's my friend!
He guides me to the journey's end.
He walks beside me all the way,
and will bestow a crown some day."

Then I remembered the end of yesterday's service, when we sang Chris Tomlin's setting of "All the Way My Savior Leads me". Mom never sang that melody, but she certainly sang those verse and would declare their truth even today.

Our Mom's Legacy - a Conversation

2009-07-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

This is an excerpt from Mom's Memorial Service, held at University Covenant Church on July 18. A lot of people have commented on how meaningful they found it. Tom, Karin and I are glad to share it with you here.

Barbara's Legacy - a Conversation from Rick Lindholtz on Vimeo.

Playing for Change: "Stand by Me"

2009-07-24T09:14:00.001-07:00

The musical concept: singers and players from all over the world, making music together. I like it. The idea that world peace can be obtained through people singing - OK, that's a little naive at best. But the music is great. Watch and listen to the original track, "Stand by Me".

NASA and Paul - two flashes back to the 60s

2009-07-17T07:01:00.000-07:00

Nasa admits that it erased and recorded over the original footage of the first footsteps on the moon. But copies are being digitally remastered - samples are online. Pretty impressive!

While I was flying to California, Paul was performing on top of the Ed Sullivan Theatre marquee. What a sailor's life. Wish I could work it out to catch the Dallas show.

Friday, July 17

2009-07-17T06:33:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Davis late Wednesday night. Yesterday was day of seeing Dad and the gathering family at Tom's home in Elk Grove. While we did all that, Miles bonded with Michael, 11 year old son of Joe. We are staying at Joe's childhood home, with Joe, his son, Mom, sister and brother in law. Their home is next door to my childhood home, and this family is like a second family to me. The only one missing from their family is Ben, my buddy for all those growing up years.

Today is the day of Mom's service of committal - the graveside service committing her body to its final resting place - in sure and certain hope of resurrection to life eternal, as the service says. It is a brief service - no more than about 9 minutes - attended, in this case, only by family. We'll spend much of the remainder of the day at Tom and Lorie's home. Lorie, incidentally, seems to be recovering well from her eye surgery.

Tomorrow is the Memorial Service at University Covenant Church, the ministry founded by my parents and 4 other couples in the early 1960s.

Have you heard of neurotheology? A fascinating piece about experiencing God, from the pages of USA Today. I was particularly impressed with the analogy of the brain as a CD player or a Radio.

Dad's email last night - July 7

2009-07-08T04:42:00.000-07:00

The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

I went over after dinner this evening, planning on staying until 8:00 and taking care of her needs before coming home. When I went into the room at abouut 6:15, Mom's respiration was real fast--about 45/min vs the normal 24. She was totally unresponsive, so I thought the end was very near.

Her respiration continued to be rapid, so I just stayed and held her hand. For the first time, I was able to pray that the Lord would take her home. Unrealistically, I had kept hoping that somehow she'd come back, I guess, but it wasn't to be. Things went on like that until just before 8, and I started to care for her personal needs. Just as I was finishing up, I became aware that the respiration had ceased, so I hunted up a nurse to verify it. Actually, two nurses came and both agreed.

I kissed her good night, and told her that I'd see her in the morning. And I felt good that in her last moments, I was serving her in an act of love. I'll always love her, and I'll miss her terribly, but I know I'll see her again.

Love you all,
Dad

My letter to the Kingwood Tea Party Committee

2009-07-07T17:00:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Let me set out my credentials first. I am a registered Republican all of my adult life. I have voted Republican in every Presidential election since 1976 and in every Senatorial, House, and state office election. I believe Ronald Reagan was the greatest President of my lifetime, I proudly introduced to 12 year old son to George HW Bush this past spring as they shook hands, and like you I have serious concerns about the direction the nation is headed.

Having said that, I found it troubling to see the tone of your presence at the Independance Day parade in Kingwood, and in particular the yellow sign one of your members was holding that encouraged "Revolt".

It seems to me that Independance Day ought to be one day in the year that we set aside our political differences and celebrate America's founding and common values, rather than making it a divisive day that separates American from American on the basis of political perspectives, as your member's sign did.

My political and economic leanings are with yours; but it disturbs me to see the way America is becoming increasingly a nation of sore losers and whiners. That sign bothered me every bit as much as signs urging "revolt" against the policies of George Bush have bothered me at any time in the previous 8 years of Independance parades.

I am not challenging your right to freedom of speech. I am simply expressing my own to say that I thought it was in poor taste. I had the impression that your people were feeling some negative feedback from the crowd, because less than a half mile from the parade's start, they were already sounding defensive in their remarks to the crowd.

But I took the opportunity to educate my children about the call upon every American to support their government when they can, and to respectfully and responsibly work for change when they cannot support it.

I hope you will evaluate how to present your message in a positive rather than a negative light, so that your message of limited government (with which I agree) will not be lost in the angry and petulant tone of your presentation.

Tom's Latest report on Mom

2009-07-03T08:15:00.000-07:00

I've been making daily trips to see Dad & Mom since my last note. I haven't written sooner because there hasn't been a lot to report. Physically, Mom continues to decline, slowly. When I got there today she was dressed and sitting up in her wheelchair. Dad had taken her out to the patio for some sun and fresh air. But that seemed to have taken a toll on her energy reserves, and her eyes gave the appearance of someone completely fatigued.

Mentally and emotionally she seems still fully aware of what is going on and responsive. When I walk around the corner into her room, she inevitably smiles and her demeanor brightens. When I kiss her hello she always responds, "I love you, too." Today, as I was leaning over her bed, adjusting and fluffing her pillow, she reached up with her right arm and placed her arm around my back very tenderly, and said, "I love you." So the tender mother-love is still alive and well.

Dad continues to be strong and well by any measure I can see. His attitude remains positive. His humor is intact. We speak openly and candidly. He is going through some very difficult days. But he seems to be doing so in as good a way as I could hope. He continues to set such an amazing role model for me. And one of the great blessings -- and there have been many -- is that Dad & I have bonded ever more strongly through this experience. For years I have considered that I was fortunate to have a remarkably strong relationship with my Dad. But walking through this time together has strengthened and deepened those bonds.

Thank you all for your continued love and prayers for Mom, Dad, and our family. Your prayers have been answered in many wonderful ways. As I told someone recently, If you want to know how God cares for His children in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, you have to walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. And though the cost is high, the lessons learned, as is always the case with God, are worth the price of admission.

Love from all of us,

Tom

Tom Lindholtz

Michael Jackson Final Dress Rehearsal - pretty impressive

2009-07-02T19:50:00.000-07:00

Michael Jackson World Exclusive

2009-06-30T04:38:00.000-07:00

FACING A MASSIVE TOUR HE WAS ILL-PREPARED FOR, A DESPERATE MICHAEL JACKSON REACHED OUT TO GOSPEL SUPERSTAR ANDRAE CROUCH AND HIS MINISTER SISTER SANDRA FOR SOLACE IN HIS LAST DAYS

Los Angeles, California, (Bully! Pulpit News)---Facing a grueling concert schedule, Michael Jackson, the self-proclaimed King of Pop reached out to two old friends-legendary Gospel singer Andrae Crouch and his twin sister, singer and minister, Sandra, desperately seeking inspiration for a tour he was ill-prepared for, a few weeks before his tragic death.

(details at Bully! Pulpit News)

Where Life is real

2009-06-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

Late Tuesday night, after lengthy conversation with Tom and Karin, each of us wrote a letter to my Dad, which Tom will give to Dad today as they discuss how to give my Mom the gift of release, of permission to turn her eyes homeward. Here is the letter I wrote.
- - - - - - - - - -
Dear Dad,

As Tom, Karin and I talked last night, we knew that you would need the support and agreement of all your kids, and since I cannot be there, I am writing to express my heart for you and Mom.

I look over my life with awe and amazement. You and Mom gave us a gift we can never repay, that we can only receive with thanks and seek to pass on to our own children. You loved each other, you loved us, and you loved God. You introduced us to our Lord and Savior.

When I left Davis on May 24, I felt sure that I would not see Mom’s face again until the blessed reunion of Heaven. In love, gratitude and trust, I released her into the tender care of God. Today, I became aware that this release, this entrustment to God, is a gift I need to give Mom. My desire is to communicate this message: “I love you, Mom; I trust in God and His care for you, just as you taught me to do; and I want you to know that if you cannot keep fighting for life and health, that I entrust you to God, and to His grace and mercy”.

Dad, these are surely the most challenging and demanding days you have ever faced. It is important that you know you do not face them alone – even in those moments of seeming isolation, you have the hearts of your three children, and the life partners we have chosen, along with the families God has entrusted to us. You have our enormous respect, undying admiration, and deep love, but not only ours – also of people around the world, who probably number in the thousands. And above all, you have Him who said “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you”.

I am proud to be your son. I am proud to carry your name. I strive daily, and always will, to follow my Master as faithfully as you have modeled for me all of my life.

I love you Dad. May God’s grace, mercy and peace surround you now and always.

Alicia joins me in sending our love, prayer and support.

Your son,
Rick
- - - - - - - - - -

Here is Tom's report on how Wednesday went:

Today was a big day. It was yet another day in which it was apparent that God is going before us as we walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. The way things happened showed God's fingerprints all over it.

It started last night. I got home to find an e-mail from Dad, two e-mails from the URC social worker, and an e-mail from Rick. Over the past few days it has become increasingly clear that we were bearing down upon that day when we would reach a fork in the road that would require a decision. All of those e-mails addressed the need to make a decision from one perspective or another. So I arranged a conference call that included all of us kids and spouses. We talked at some length and all agreed that we had come to a point where we were ready to tell God that He could have her back, and ready to tell Mom that she had our permission to turn her eyes homeward. And so, as the one who is here, Karin & Rick gave me permission to speak for them to Dad & Mom, and each of us wrote a letter.

Today I awoke to another e-mail from Dad, and then a phone call saying that Dr. DaSilva wanted to talk to us. Nice timing since I had planned on Monday to come over again today to see Dad & Mom.

When I got to Dad & Mom's apartment, Dad immediately raised the subject of the e-mails and the decisions. The question of how to raise the subject vanished; Dad threw the door open wide. He raised the issues the doctor had that required a decision. So I recounted the phone conversation with Karin & Rick. Dad was as close to the same place as it is possible for him to be given that it is his wife.

We walked over to the skilled nursing facility, got Mom and went to a private room where we could talk. The doctor told Mom, and us, that her blood chemistry over the last few weeks has been deteriorating and has been a matter of concern to him. However, this morning's latest results were shocking to him. She showed clear and pronounced signs of malnutrition and dehydration. So, from a medical perspective, there is only one way to arrest this and that is to place a feeding tube; nasally at first, and then surgically. The only other alternative, continuing on as she has, will result in slipping into a coma, probably within a week, and then death would follow in three weeks or less as body systems break down.

I wasn't sure how well Mom was tracking this, so I moved around so I was directly in front of her, holding her hands, and I described her choices again, and then I asked her what she wanted to do. This time Mom really did seem to be tracking. So I turned to Dad and asked him if this would be a good time for me to tell Mom what Karin and Rick and I had spoken of the night before. Dad nodded yes.

So I gently, loving looked into her eyes and told her of our conversation; that we loved her so much, that we were so proud of her and the way that she had lived her life to serve her Lord and to serve us. But, I said, if you are to tired to fight any longer, if you are too weary to continue, we want you to know that you have our permission to turn your eyes toward your heavenly home. We are ready to let God have you back, and we want you to know that it is okay to go if you are ready.

I should say, this wasn't a monologue. Mom responded back and forth with me. Now reaching up with her hand to cradle my face, then smiling and saying "I love you". When I spoke again of the certainty of death if she didn't accept the feeding tube, she asked, "Does Keith (her brother, who visited last weekend) realize this?" I assured her that he does, that he did not expect her to return home. And then, after listening and thinking for a moment, Mom said, "Well, it's quicker than I thought it would be....but I am ready to go." It was the most amazing conversation I have ever been a part of.

The doctor accepted Mom's answer and turned and asked if we wanted him to call the hospice organization. We said, yes. Then he turned to Mom and said that if she changed her mind there was still a little time before it would be too late.

Then Dad & Mom and I went to lunch at the deli. Mom was very quiet, seemed lost in thought, didn't eat much. And after lunch Dad & I went back to the apartment to schedule a meeting with hospice for Friday morning.

It was a most amazing day.

At this point, according to the doctor, it looks like Mom may have three days to a week of awareness with significantly increasing tiredness. One day she will slip into a coma and not wake up. From that point the doctor said it could be anywhere from one day to a maximum of 21 days before death will occur. The doctor said it should be pretty painless, but hospice will be able to provide anything she may need for comfort.

The main prayer point for Mom seems to be for comfort in coming days. The main prayer points for Dad are for continued support and strength especially emotionally and spiritually. Although he continues to amaze me, still he is losing a beloved wife of 65 years. And though I have no doubt of his faith, this kind of loss cannot help but bring an attack at the very foundations of his faith.

Finally, thanks to all of you for walking through this with us.

Tom

How I got here

2009-06-22T05:19:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I think about how I wound up where I am, in the very satisfying role I presently occupy on the ministry staff of a large Lutheran Church. Me, the pastor who was ordained in The Evangelical Covenant Church and never expected to minister outside of that body. On the staff of a Lutheran Church and loving the church, the co-workers, and the people as much as I have loved any church in my life.

Fall, 2000. My disappointment was huge. I had come to a new church only 2 years previously and was certain that good things lay ahead. But several factors had caused me to admit that I had stepped into a dysfunctional climate that I would be unable to successfully lead as pastor. It had become obvious that the final good act of leadership, the last loving gift I could give to that church, was the hope that in my departure, they would find what they needed in order to turn a corner and move towards God's vision for their future. On my last Sunday, I concluded by saying,

"Just a word about what lies before us:

"Next Sunday I will not be here, because my family and I will be participating in the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes.

"Starting the week after that, I will be...

"...on special assignment.

"I don't know yet what that means, but I have faith that God knows, and will guide me in each step."

The truth of the matter is, I was not sure that what I had could be called faith. Hope might be a better word. I hoped my faith would be restored. But my life was a mass of uncertainty and confusion.

I remember saying to Alicia, "You know how I've taken one vacation Sunday in each of the past couple years, not to go on vacation, but just to visit area churches to see what else God was doing? Now we can do that all the time; we can visit a different church every Sunday!"

Alicia's response was wise beyond all telling. "You can do that if you want, and that's OK if you do. But the kids and I need a church...one church. And ElenaClaire and I have been thinking about Christ the King".

We had visited CTK the previous summer on the 4th of July weekend, at the invitation of our friend Catherine, whom we knew because of our shared journey as parents of diabetic sons. We had all enjoyed it and had noticed how much it resembled the healthiest of Covenant Churches.

I admitted to Alicia that I probably needed a church too - that wandering from church to church wasn't much of an idea. We made plans to attend CTK the next Sunday.

But I was still angry, hurting, wounded, and not a little distrustful. I told Alicia that I wanted no one to know of my career background - that I was a pastor without a church. I felt like a failure. I was diving into how I felt.

I quit shaving on Wednesday. I got up Sunday morning and pulled on a dirty black turtleneck and a pair of dirty jeans with holes in the knees. We went to church and I wanted to sit near the front.

I was a walking invitation to someone, anyone, to reject me. And when they did, I would walk away feeling justified in concluding that church wasn't part of my life any more.

But I remember sitting there, believing against all odds that there was a God who loved me, even though I was not feeling that love. Knowing I needed to feel His love, hear His voice, taste His forgiveness and grace.

Yet all the while thinking to myself, "What am I doing here? This isn't my church, these are not people I know, I'm not a Lutheran. What am I doing here?"

Then the service began. And the Lutheran Worship leader had selected among his choices for the day's songs, a Covenant song. A song by a writer from my tiny little denomination, a church body all but unknown to most of the world. But known by God, who had directed Mark to select Bob Stromberg's "As the East is from the west".

"As the east is from the west, so far has He removed
our transgressions
from us, Alleluia
Mercy high as the sky, reaching deep as the sea..."

I thought about that song, which I first encountered after it had been used at a Covenant youth gathering called CHIC. I thought about Bob, whom I had met casually through a friend named Marlene - and how we'd hosted him for dessert one night when he'd been in Lansing. I felt connected to my family of faith.

And I heard something else in my heart - the voice of God saying "This song is here for you. That leader up there doesn't know Bob's Covenant roots or yours. But I do. And I led him to this song for you. Don't worry, you are where you are supposed to be." And I felt peace.

We planned to attend again the following Sunday. But my doubt and my pain had overtaken me by Tuesday.

I quit shaving on Wednesday. I got up Sunday morning and pulled on a dirty black turtleneck and a pair of dirty jeans with holes in the knees... again. We went to church and I wanted to sit near the front.

I was, again, a walking invitation to someone, anyone, to reject me. And when they did, I would walk away feeling justified in concluding that church wasn't part of my life any more.

But I remember sitting there, again, believing against all odds that there was a God who loved me, even though I was not feeling that love. Knowing I needed to feel His love, hear His voice, taste His forgiveness and grace.

Yet all the while thinking to myself again, "What am I doing here? This isn't my church, these are not people I know, I'm not a Lutheran. What am I doing here?"

Then the service began. And the Lutheran Worship leader had again selected among his choices for the day's songs, a Covenant song. A song by a writer from my tiny little denomination, a church body all but unknown to most of the world. But known by God, who had directed Mark to select Lina Sandell's "Children of the Heavenly Father".

"Children of the Heavenly Father, safely in His bosom gather,
nestling bird nor star in Heaven such a refuge e'er was given.
"God His own doth tend and noursih, in His holy courts they flourish,
from all evil things He spares them, in His mighty arms he bears them..."

I thought about that song with roots that reach deeply back to my childhood. I thought about Lina, who is honored in statuary on the campus of the seminary I attended in Chicago. I felt connected to my family of faith.

And I heard something else in my heart - again - the voice of God saying "This song is here for you. That leader up there doesn't know Lina's Covenant roots or yours. But I do. And I led him to this song for you. Don't worry, you are where you are supposed to be."

And one more thing. I sensed that God said something else as well. "Rick, do I have to do this every week? Or can we settle this right now, between the two of us? You are where you are supposed to be. Be at peace. Stay here until I tell you otherwise."

And I felt peace.

At the time, I imagined that CTK would be my temporary home, my lifeboat until God opened the door to return to my Covenant home. I never remotely anticipated that I would be invited to join the ministry staff and would still be there nearly 9 years later.

I've wrestled over and over with God about this. I've watched for possibilities of returning to The Covenant. I still do. But in the meantime, I remember what I sensed God saying to me: "Be at peace. Stay here until I tell you otherwise."

Father's Day, 2009. I had the privilege of conducting the Men's Choir in worship at all three services. It was very well-received, and many kind words were spoken. But one remark stands out. One of my closest friends, who knows more intimately than almost anyone my wrestlings, placed an arm around my shoulder and said "Never doubt that you are where you are supposed to be".

Prothero on Post Christian America

2009-05-30T15:21:00.000-07:00

USA Today

Post-Christian? Not even close.

A high-profile ‘religious landscape’ survey is said to show that America is rapidly losing its faith in Christianity. One problem: It’s not so.

By Stephen Prothero

In the endless debate over whether the United States is a Christian nation, the "ayes" no longer seem to have it.

The "ayes" might have the 1892 Supreme Court ruling describing the United States as a "Christian nation," but the "nays" have the Treaty of Tripoli of 1797, which affirmed that "the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion."

Now comes President Obama, who in January in his inaugural address spoke of this country as "a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers." On April 6 in Turkey, Obama added that the United States "does not consider itself a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation" but "a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values."

One week later, in a mournful black-and-red cover reminiscent of Time magazine's 1966 "Is God Dead?" cover, Newsweek proclaimed "The Decline and Fall of Christian America." Setting off this alarm was the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS), released in March by researchers at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. This survey of more than 50,000 American adults contains all sorts of interesting tidbits about the rapid growth of Islam in America, and the relative strength of new religious movements such as Wicca. It tells us that Pentecostals are more likely to be divorced than the average American, and that Mormons are far more likely to be married. But almost all the news coverage this survey has garnered, both at home and abroad, speaks of the gains of the religiously unattached (or "nones" as they are often called) at the expense of Christianity.

Prior ARIS surveys were conducted in 1990 and 2001, and according to the co-authors of this report — Barry Kosmin and Ariela Keysar of Trinity College's Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture — the trend line for Christians looks disturbingly like the Dow Jones of recent memory. From 1990 to 2008, the portion of American adults who self-identify as Christians has dropped 10 percentage points (from 86% to 76%), while the portion of those who report no religious affiliation has almost doubled — from 8% to 15%. The "nones," it seems, are routing the nuns.

But are they?

Rhetoric vs. analysis

What makes this secularization angle plausible is the fact that it aligns quite well with the desires of atheists and evangelicals alike. The so-called new atheists want to see Christianity on the retreat because to them, religion is poisonous idiocy. But born-again Christians like the faith-on-the-run story, too, because it makes their centuries-old call to re-Christianize the country only more urgent.

Newsweek editor Jon Meacham begins his cover story with a series of quotations from R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, who offers the same sad story of Christian declension that American Christians have been telling since roughly the moment the Pilgrims first clambered over Plymouth Rock. "The most basic contours of American culture have been radically altered," Mohler says. "The so-called Judeo-Christian consensus of the last millennium has given way to a post-modern, post-Christian, post-Western cultural crisis which threatens the very heart of our culture."

Unfortunately, many who have written on the new ARIS survey have mistaken such timeless rhetoric for timely analysis. The fact of the matter is that only a small portion of the "nones" is truly secular. This information isn't in the ARIS report, but when I called Keysar in an effort to dig deeper into the beliefs and behaviors of the religiously unattached, she told me that when asked about God, 23% of the "nones" said they believed in a higher power and 21% pledged their allegiance to a personal God. A parallel survey released in 2006 by Baylor University found that almost two-thirds (63%) of Americans who claim no religious affiliation believe in God, and another third (36%) said they prayed at least occasionally. Finally, a 2008 Pew Forum study found that 41% of the religiously unaffiliated nonetheless describe religion as either very important or somewhat important in their lives. "Nones" are by no means non-believers.
What the rise of the "nones" shows us is not how American Christianity is declining but how it is changing. The data tell us that Christians are increasingly likely to describe themselves as spiritual rather than religious, that they are increasingly wary of labels and institutions, and that they identify their faith less and less with "organized religion" and more and more with the personal power of Jesus himself.

What the data do not tell us is that the United States is becoming "post-Christian." If you meet a random American walking down the street, the odds are only one in 62 that he or she will self-identify as atheist or agnostic. And even if we accept the ARIS survey as gospel, the United States today has more Christians than any other country in human history. The current U.S. population is more Christian than Israel is Jewish and Utah is Mormon. Meanwhile, Christianity remains, for good or for ill, a vital political force, not just on the right but also on the left, and the Christian Bible remains the scripture of American politics, invoked thousands of times a year on the floor of the U.S. Congress.

In the classroom

Over the past two decades, I have taught the "Christian America" debate to hundreds of students in my Religious Studies courses. When we finish our discussion, I call the question. My Christian students almost invariably describe the United States as a multicultural nation of religions, but my Jewish students tell me you have to be blind (or Christian) not to see that this is a Christian country. Here Christmas, not Passover, is a national holiday, and the only question about our presidents' religious affiliation seems to be from which Christian denomination they will come.

Mark Silk, who runs Trinity College's Program on Public Values, which released the latest ARIS report, agrees that the news media were napping when they spun secularization straw out of the gold in this report. For him, the rise of the "nones" is old news. From 1990 to 2001, the portion of those who said "none" when asked, "What is your religion, if any?" jumped from 8.2% to 14.1%. Over the past seven years, that figure basically flatlined, rising less than a percentage point to 15.0%.

The real news in this data, Silk says, is a shift in the center of gravity of U.S. Catholicism from the Northeast to the Southwest, and in the process from whites to Hispanics. The other big story, he told me, is the continued displacement of mainline Protestants by born-again Christians, who now constitute 34% of the U.S. population. The "non-denominational Christian" category that populates U.S. megachurches has exploded from under 200,000 in 1990 to 2.5 million in 2001 to in excess of 8 million today.

When I remarked that this hardly looks like a picture of a post-Christian country, Silk, who edits a newsletter called "Religion and the News," agreed, but warned me not to be too hopeful about diverting this story midstream. "You can tell the truth," he said, "just don't expect anybody to pay attention."

Stephen Prothero is the chair of the Department of Religion at Boston University and the author of Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know — And Doesn't.

2009-05-21T10:14:00.000-07:00

First the news from Kingwood: ElenaClaire has been released today. Her first stop was at IHOP where she is right now with her Mom and Kristin Geistkemper, who drove Alicia over this morning. Treatments and therapies will continue on an outpatient basis.

Now from Davis and Elk Grove, California. Mom's surgery went very well. However she is quite weak and not real responsive. She is not eating or drinking much. Her alertness level seems only about 50%. If she does not "snap out of it", this will probably directly lead to a bad outcome.

Dad, however, is doing very well and seems strong and sharp physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. He continues to inspire all of us with his tender devotion and service to Mom which has been in evidence all of our lives. He said he admitted with shame that this was actually a relief, because of the burden he has been carrying for the past months, and we assured him that this is no cause for shame. He is potentially facing the greatest challenge and loss of his life but is stepping up to the plate with courage and determination. At 85 years old, he is still setting the bar for what it means to follow Christ faithfully. "The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance". Ps 16:6

In all of this we have seen extraordinary demonstrations of God's goodness. Expressions of love and support from friends, circumstances falling into perfect alignment regarding travel and my presence when needed Tuesday morning to handle a medical need for Miles when Alicia was incommunicado at the hospital (what if I had made it onto that plane the night before and was not available to be there for Miles?), my absence on Wednesday morning which made it so natural for Pastor Al to accompany Alicia to a family conference at the hospital where his presence was so significant and helpful. 2 Cor 1:5 has proven itself profoundly true this week:
"Just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."

The time with Tom and Karin and their spouses is so rich. In some ways I sense that we are all wearing training wheels, learning in the earliest stages how to "ride life" without Mom - and eventually, without Dad. It's sad, of course, but greater than the sadness is the confidence of God's presence.

Continuing prayers are greatly appreciated.

Rick - at Tom's house in Elk Grove

University Covenant, Davis CA - 030109

2009-03-04T17:09:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure of preaching at 3 services Sunday morning in my home church, at the invitation of Pastor Jamie Crook, a great guy and pastor of University Covenant for over 10 years. Because a blog reader requested it, here for Marilyn and anyone else interested is my sermon from Sunday.

Sunday 3/1

2009-03-01T07:04:00.000-08:00

Broadcasting pioneer Paul Harvey dies at age of 90

Great times with family and friends in Davis this weekend.

Preaching three services today at University Covenant, my home congregation.

How much is a trillion?

2009-02-19T07:25:00.000-08:00

Congress passed a $787 billion stimulus package. The news media are calling it "almost a trillion", a number that will surely be passed by as interest rates are accrued to the amount.

Bypass, for the moment, the fact that the national debt, at 65.5 trillion dollars, now exceeds the Gross Domestic Product of the Entire World. Let's just think about the roughly trillion dollars.

Trillion ...Billion ... Million ... these are just big numbers. Infathomably large. And they sound the same. They rhyme. So it's hard to comprehend just how much money we're talking about.

But we all know what a second is. Go ahead, snap your fingers about a second apart. That was a second.

How long is a million seconds? A million seconds ago was about 12 days ago. 11.574 days ago to be exact. Saturday, February 7, 2009 was a million seconds ago.

How long is a billion seconds? A Billion seconds ago was June 12, 1977. Were you born yet? That was more than half my lifetime ago. Jimmy Carter was President. Barack Obama was in High School. A Billion (32 years) is quite a lot more than a million (11.5 days).

How long is a trillion seconds? Fasten your seatbelt. It's not World War 1 or the Civil War or the Declaration of Independence. It's not the reformation or the birth of Christ or the Exodus.

A Trillion seconds ago was 31,688 years ago. There is no archaeological evidence of humans standing upright that far back.

And that's how long it would take the US to pay for the stimulus bill, if we paid a dollar a second (or $31.536 million a year). And that's if we borrow the money at 0% interest...

EC Update, Weds 1/14 pm

2009-01-14T15:02:00.001-08:00

We were told that the minimum stay at the hospital was 5 days and that we should plan on 5 to 7, sometimes 10 days.

EC was admitted Monday 5 pm.

She was told today that she will be discharged tomorrow evening. She is doing VERY well – responding to the adjustments in medication extremely well – there had been side effects from receiving too much of both meds. They cut her dose of one to about 1/6th, the other to about ¼ of what she’d been receiving. The meds had been helping, but the help was being sabotaged by the side effects. I theorize that the bioidentical progesterone therapy was actually working, but it was being covered up by these side effects. Now that the dosing has been adjusted, it is evident that the progesterone therapy and thyroid therapy is working well.

Behaviorally the Dr. said she needs to eat three normal meals a day plus 3 Ensure protein drinks plus a couple Gatorades daily to rebuild her strength and stamina and she should be OK. And she’s been getting coaching about how to respond to stressors in ways other than allowing anxiety to rule her life.

She sounded so happy on the phone today.

Tuesday, Jan 13

2009-01-13T08:16:00.001-08:00

This is an update for those who have expressed concern about ElenaClaire. Yesterday she was admitted to Kingwood Pines Hospital. We expect that she will be there for 5-10 days. We have great confidence that this was the right step and our anticipation is that she will begin an accelerated move towards greater health. I'll keep you updated as there is news to report.

A Confession for Christmas Eve

2008-12-18T11:49:00.000-08:00

Lord Jesus,
This most holy of nights brings me
Gladness,
Grief,
and Joy.

Gladness,
Because you left the splendor of Heaven’s glory
To come to a dark and cold world,
To bring the light and warmth of your Kingdom
To a world so in need of
Your Love,
Your Peace,
Your Joy.

Grief,
Because you came into the world,
Yet the world did not receive You.
You came to Your own,
And your own did not welcome you.
And still today, people turn away from you.
I turn away from you.
Sin still scars your creation
And the hearts of your own people.

and Joy,
Because you offer perfect forgiveness and full cleansing to all who acknowledge their need of you.
Cleanse my heart tonight, Lord Jesus,
so that I may welcome you as I long to,
certain that I am also welcomed by You.

Amen.

© R Lindholtz 2008

Tuesday 12-16

2008-12-16T08:58:00.000-08:00

This is a verse of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" written for a complement to a service with an emphasis on Christ as Light of the World:

O Come now, light for all humankind
and over all your people shine.
in every dark and lonely place
we long to see your radiant face.
Come light of life
into our days
and show us your ama-zing grace.

words by Rick Lindholtz and Susan Senechal

McCartney's latest - listen online

2008-12-09T20:13:00.001-08:00

Paul McCartney as "Fireman"

2008-12-09T14:04:00.000-08:00

If you are invested at all in the stock market, either directly in stocks, or in mutual funds, or via a 401(k) or a pension; and if you have paid any attention to the ups and downs of the stock market in the last couple months; then this may be of interest.

Stock market volatility is the extent to which prices go up or down from day to day. Using the S&P 500 as a market index, and using a 4% price change in a single day as a big move, just how volatile is the recent market activity?

Over the past 60 years there have only been 68 days in which the market has moved up or down by 4% or more, A 60-year average of slightly more than once per year. However.....
Of those 68 days, 28 days have ocurred since September, 2008. In other words, until just recently we averaged about 7 of those days per decade; far less than once a year. But in the last couple months we've been getting bumped up or down at a rate of about once every 2-3 days.

That's why it seems like the markets are so shakey. They are.

Tuesday Morning Update

2008-12-09T07:59:00.000-08:00

The physician who saw EC yesterday reviewed the blood tests which show what we both hoped and suspected. There is an imbalance in her bloodwork of at least two items - one of which is only 5% of normal levels. This absence in the bloodwork can cause almost every symptom from which EC has been suffering. This is good news because this can be corrected, and this Dr. has had good success with treating patients who present with these symptoms. We've started the new medications which are naturally derived and not synthetic; and have been told that over the next 2-3 weeks we might expect to see considerable improvement.

EC ate pretty well yesterday and kept everything down, I think, and slept fairly well last night with only a couple minor wakeups that were easily resolved.

This morning one of her two instructors with as-yet-unfinished work said that he would give EC her present grade pre-final, even though she cannot finish the final. Her current grade is an A.

baby steps out of the woods continue...

Sunday Night Update

2008-12-07T19:15:00.000-08:00

We are seeing improvement on most levels. It is incremental improvement, aka baby steps.

-EC is receiving more nutrition which is a result of improved control over nausea and a fair amount of time and energy just helping her by distracting her when feelings of impending nausea have heretofore caused anxiety, which caused more feelings of nausea, and more anxiety etc. on and on. She is, it can probably be said accurately, eating two very light meals a day. Doesn’t sound like much for a girl in her condition but taken in context of what her health has been like for the last month or two it is a dramatic turnaround.

-We feel she is in a better position in regard to panic/anxiety attacks, both in frequency, severity, and duration… all diminishing.

-She is getting less interruptions in her sleep, but is still not able to be left alone at night, so one or the other of us is with her every night. (We have seen what we consider manifestations that we consider are evidence of a spiritual warfare dimension to all this and invite you to pray against the enemy of our souls.)

-She is still not eating enough (as noted above); still have feelings of nausea and still having anxiety attacks, and probably one of her biggest complaints is that she feels weak and tired too much. Some of the tiredness is probably the result of the combined sedative side effects of several medications.

-She is beginning to anticipate good things for her future such as working for some friends in a low-stress job as they prepare to open their restaurant; and further down the road, going to North Park.

-She has terminated her employment with Randalls (Safeway) Pharmacy, which removes a major source of stress, and they have made it clear that they adore her and that the door is open anytime she wants to return to work.

-She has finished all assignments for 1 of her 3 classes at Lone Star College-Kingwood, and for the other 2, a letter from her and from her Dr. have been delivered and the resulting options are: a) take whatever grade would be represented by her acquired grade so far as reduced by not taking the final; or b) an “Incomplete agreement” according to which she must take the final between now and June 1st, or else accept an F for the class. So when we know what her grade would be according to the first option, we/she will be able to make a decision on whether or not to accept that or to enter the second option.

-She has appointments Monday with the medical Dr. to get the blood test results; and with her counselor, which we will attend with her. She needs to make a follow up appt with the Psychiatrist who is adjusting the psychotropic meds for further evaluation.

2008-12-05T18:28:00.000-08:00

You can't have been raised in California in the 60s and not love the Beach Boys. Especially the tunes that predominantly feature the sunwashed vocals of the Wilson Brothers. (I have never been fond of the guy who currently fronts the touring version of the band - cousin of the Wilsons.)

Brian's story is inspiring. The guy survived against all odds and is still making sweet music. John Fischer wrote a very good article about him, found here.

Here's a video of Brian doing a number from his new CD, "That Lucky Old Sun". He's still got it. Even if it's just nostalgia music, he's still got it.

Thursday

2008-12-04T11:14:00.000-08:00

• How's EC? It has been a very long week of caring for her. Prayers were answered in the securing of 2 medical appointments on Monday. Medications are being adjusted as are doses. A blood test has been taken and we are awaiting results. We invite you to pray Romans 15:13 for her in specific, and for all of us.

• A birth Announcement from Hawaii, 1961

• Dr. Barb Orlowski has posted her thesis online - about church exiters - people who have left the church because of spiritual abuse. Worthwhile reading for church leaders.

Saturday

2008-11-29T10:04:00.000-08:00

This is a shout out to the occasional readers of this blog asking for your prayers for ElenaClaire, who is facing profoundly challenging health complications with both physical and emotional manifestations. It is a very, very serious situation and we need wisdom. Pray specifically that she can receive nutrition, rest, and that we can get to medical professionals early on Monday. Read Romans 15:13 and let that also direct your prayers:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Wednesday before Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T20:23:00.000-08:00

Tuesday at 5:50, ElenaClaire was found collapsed on the floor of the rest room at the Pharmacy where she worked. She was taken by ambulance to the ER on a stabilizer board. She was released late last night.

Her Dx as of last Saturday is Clinical Depression and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. This manifests itself in acute panic/anxiety attacks with nausea leading to vomiting. This has been going on longer than I have been aware, leaving her in a weakened and dehydrated condition.
She had an attack at work and went to the ladies' room feeling nauseous and was found there on the floor a few minutes later.

She was discharged last night after a full check-over and they added an anti-nausea to her anti-depressent and anti-anxiety meds.

News we've waited to see

2008-11-18T07:58:00.000-08:00

The most hopeful news I've seen in 10 years

2008-11-17T16:33:00.000-08:00

Two common cancer drugs have been shown to both prevent and reverse type 1 diabetes in a mouse model of the disease, according to research conducted at the University of California, San Francisco. The drugs – imatinib (marketed as Gleevec) and sunitinib (marketed as Sutent) – were found to put type 1 diabetes into remission in 80 percent of the test mice and work permanently in 80 percent of those that go into remission.

Monday 11/17

2008-11-17T07:15:00.001-08:00

Pictures from the Tea Fire in Montecito - from my friend Bill Groeneveld. This is outside the Westmont College Post Office. How does someone get a picture like this?

Fire in Montecito

2008-11-15T10:18:00.000-08:00

I've been watching the news from Montecito and Westmont College with sadness.

I started at Westmont in September of 1977, about 3 weeks after a terrible fire. The first weekend I was in town students went out to help dig out houses that were totally lost. Shoveling a family's posessions that were now nothing but ash.

You know how sometimes a page burns, but if it hasn't been crumbled, you can still read the ink on the sheet of ash? I remember picking up a sheet of ash that had been printed music. I could still see the staff and the notes. Then I tapped it and it dissolved into powder. Being a musician myself I felt a moment of the family's loss.

We all know underneath the veneer that "you can't take it with you", but loss through fire strikes something primal.

All of the dorm buildings that were lost, to my knowledge, were in the Clark complex, including Clark S. I roomed in Clark R - a few feet from the destroyed building.

My heart aches for the campus, faculty, staff and students. And I am praying for my friend Don Johnson and his congregation at Montecito Covenant Church just down the hill. Church members lost 10 homes.

I'm Back...

2008-11-14T06:11:00.000-08:00

...after nearly a month-long sabbatical from blogging. Sometimes one needs to step away.

-The Houston Walk to Cure Diabetes was Saturday, November 8. Some ten thousand people showed up to walk. Our MILES FOR MILES team was the largest we've ever had in this, our tenth walk.

ElenaClaire couldn't make it but here are the rest of us. The "10" on the shirt refers to Miles' ten years living with diabetes, and our tenth walk. It also happily declares that we surpassed our goal of raising ten thousand dollars for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation!

Why I am Hopeful

2008-10-21T04:40:00.001-07:00

Andy Crouch's essay is your reading assignment for today.

an MPD day

2008-10-20T14:21:00.001-07:00

...or at least that's what Sunday felt like: multiple personalities all over.
At 8:20 I was a tenor in a Contemporary Praise and Worship Choir
At 9:30 I was a keyboard leader of a Traditional Worship Service
At 11:00 I was doing 8:20 again
At noon I was a singer in a rock band for the All-Church BBQ picnic
At 4 pm I was a pastor officiating at the funeral of a 25 year old woman who was our babysitter 10 years ago
At 6 pm I was a husband out to dinner with his wife and some friends
At 8 pm I was a Dad consoling a daughter who was feeling overwhelmed by stress.

This morning I was a guy with a muscle spasm in his lower back.

and wondering if the muscle spasm was related to the previous day?

SMILES

2008-10-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

Friday evening was SMILES FOR MILES, our annual evening benefitting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. With Ike and the economic downturn, we figured our $10,000 goal might need to be revised a bit downward. I thought maybe $7,000 was reachable.

We wound up hitting just barely over $8,000 in cash, checks, online donations and confirmed pledges. We were delighted. Subsequently we realized that some 25 students plan on walking with us at the November 8 Walk to Cure Diabetes, and each of them is committed to raise a minimum of $20 - that gets us well within striking distance of our $10,000 goal.

If you have not looked at our webpage and especially the video of ElenaClaire, please take a look. And we invite, encourage, and request you to make an online, tax-deductible donation to JDRF using this link.

• John Williams, our Youth minister, is undergoing bypass surgery today. (Our youth guy is the oldest guy on the called staff) Prayers appreciated.

Affirmation

2008-10-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

My Faith is in You, Almighty Father,
as I live on this world You created –
revolving, bringing morning after night -
this world that speaks with so much eloquence
of love and faithfulness, and of your grace.

My Faith is in You, Jesus, Holy Lord:
As I recognize my own brokenness
And then remember how You came to earth,
My heart is filled with gratitude and joy,
that You would give Your life upon the cross
And rise again in glorious victory!

My Faith is in You, Spirit from above,
and sent down by the Father and the Son,
You help me to remember whose I am:
For I am Yours: the one eternal God
still reaching out to claim me as Your own.
My King, I will forever sing Your praise!

© Rick Lindholtz 0908

Wednesday...

2008-09-24T11:14:00.000-07:00

...back from Fredericksburg. It was a nice respite from post-Ike reality. We heard from EC that our power came back on late Monday night. There was a section of Kingwood that lost power Tuesday and we almost cancelled our return drive, but a friend drove by and saw our ligths on so we drove home, arriving about midnight last night.

Fredericksburg was really a pleasant break and I especially enjoyed seeing the National Museum of the Pacific War (housed in and around the property owned and operated from way back in the 1850s by Admiral Nimitz' family - hence the unusual location in a tiny hill country town) and the LBJ Ranch about 20 miles east of town. Johnson's "Texas White House" only opened for tours about a month ago and the only portion open to tours is the office area. But it was quite interesting.

Top Ten Reasons Why Hurricane Season is JUST like Christmas

2008-09-20T07:54:00.000-07:00

10. Decorating the house (boarding up windows).
9. Dragging out boxes that haven't been used since last season
(camping gear, flashlights).
8. Last minute shopping in crowded stores.
7. Regular TV shows pre-empted for "specials".
6. Family coming to stay with you.
5. Family and friends calling from out-of-state
4. Buying food you don't normally buy ... And in large quantities.
3. Days off from work.
2. Candles.
And the number one reason Hurricane Season is like Christmas?
1. ...At some point you know you're going to have a tree in your house!

159 hours later...

2008-09-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

...power came back on. Thank you Lord.

Hurrication

2008-09-19T13:16:00.000-07:00

...that's the word that has evolved this week to describe what we're in. It's not like vacation at all. In fact I think the kids would just as soon get back in school. But Kingwood schools won't re-open until next Thursday according to current schedule. Which means they've been out of schools a day shy of 2 weeks. That gets old when there's no power for your Wii and all the other stuff kids are used to.

I saw a map of the hurricane track for the first time today. Probably old news to those of you who have power and regular newscasts, but the eye of the hurricane went right over Kingwood and our house was in it. It was quite unusual to go to absolute stillness about 6:30 last Saturday morning, and then back into the storm about an hour later.

We're getting away after church on Sunday. We're going to Fredericksburg, where Alicia's cousin lives. We just need a breather.

SMILES FOR MILES

2008-09-17T13:07:00.000-07:00

Once a year we throw a party called SMILES FOR MILES, an evening benefiting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. It's a great evening of live music, food from three area restaurants, comedians and magicians, raffles and auctions, and donations towards a truly worthwhile cause.

I know that many of my readers live elsewhere and won't be able to join us; but I invite you to surf over to http://miles.lindholtz.net/. Enjoy the poster there - the third in our series of posters honoring a certain four musicians we're partial to - and also click to watch the 3 minute video featuring ElenaClaire. Then, if you like, click to make a secure online donation to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. You'll be part of millions of dollars raised, including our goal of $10,000 in this, Miles' tenth year of living with diabetes. We want to see this thing cured before he graduates from High School, which was the prediction of his endocrinologist back when Miles was 2 years old.

Wednesday post-Hurricane

2008-09-17T06:55:00.000-07:00

We continue to work our way through recovery from Hurricane Ike. We have it SO much easier than many – especially those in Galveston. We are without power into our 5th day now, but we have power at church – it’s on the same grid as the Fire and police Stations, by happy circumstance – and our water supply is fine in Kingwood, as opposed to greater Houston. And we also have a few friends who are on that same grid. Grocery stores are open, though without refrigerated foods, and even though gas station lines are half a mile long, we live within a mile or two of everything we need, so we can stay out of those lines and let others who really need the fuel have it. So our circumstances, though wearying, are not at all desperate as many people are.

I have to keep in mind our blessedness, because my little exposure to media features people whining and getting angry because someone else is not taking care of their needs. I do not intend to get government assistance for anything I am going through. But I realize there are those far worse off than I who do need help.

Last time (Katrina and Rita) churches and individuals all over the country sent gift cards from Target, WalMart, gas stations etc. to us and we distributed them to those in need. That worked well and we are prepared to do that again, though we will probably do it through ministry partners closer to the areas of real need. But we suggest sending checks and letting us purchase the cards here, for security reasons. You can find our mailing address here (bottom left corner).

Tuesday after Ike

2008-09-16T14:43:00.000-07:00

Well, actually, first the rest of Monday. We sat down as a staff and went through the entire list of people with connection to CTK. "Were they here at church yesterday?" If yes, consider them in contact. "Has anyone heard from or seen them, or know someone who has heard they're OK?" Scratch them. That left us with about 300 households from whom we had no info, and as we'd gone through the names we sorted them by neighborhood. We then sent staff and other volunteers to phone them and confirm they were OK or if they had needs they needed help with; and if we could not make phone contact we drove past their homes (it was quite a task to map out a plan to go these homes in sensible order so as not to burn up too much gas, which is a rare commodity - lines at open stations are 5 blocks long); if no one was home, we left notes. If they were home, we'd see how they and their home was; were there needs; if not, were they of a mind to help others? It was a good day of ministry in a hands-on way - people were touched to know that their church was reaching directly out to them.

Now Tuesday. We reviewed needs and prioritized them, and then assigned staff to meet needs, but not to do it alone - to recruit those who said they were available. So I went to the home of a single woman who actually is out of town - she ditched Houston before the storm - and with a crew of 10 adults and children, cleaned up her yard, raking debris and large branches from the lot and off the roof. Happily we had few people with huge pressing needs.

The church has power, being on the same grid as the Fire and Police station, and we have Wi-Fi, so that's being made available to anyone who needs it. Though this is not publicly announced - our strategy is to connect with the "person of peace" - the one who has connections to someone in our church or who approaches us because they see us in the community - i.e., the receptive person.

This afternoon after we cleared that yard, Alicia and I cleaned the last of the food out of our fridges and freezer. We've seen some power trucks around the area in the last day or two so we're hopeful that we'll have power before the week is out.

Monday Morning Post-Ike

2008-09-15T06:45:00.000-07:00

It is blissfully cool and dry this morning. Yesterday was a productive day of cleaning up the yard. I'll post some pics later, but we have several large piles of debris raked into piles for crews to haul away eventually, including a number of very large branches, lots of smaller stuff, and of course 80 feet of fencing.

We are thankful to have a couple friends who have power. They (and the church) are on the same power grid as the local fire station and police station, so they get back online fast. We're hoping for some time today.

We know we have it much better than a lot of people, especially down in Galveston, but even here in Kingwood there are people whose houses were sliced in two by falling trees. And the fact that we have friends like the Burkes whom we stayed with last night - it's amazing how a good night's sleep in air conditioning can improve one's attitude.

Grocery stores are pretty empty and most gas stations are gasless. More updates are being posted on my site each day. Click here.

Prepping for Ike

2008-09-11T11:27:00.001-07:00

Here’s the news we sent out to our congregation.

...and now, Ike

2008-09-11T07:30:00.001-07:00

…and once again we’re bracing for a storm. In our area (northeast corner of Houston) we’re told to expect 7-12 inches of rain and winds of 75-115 mph. The church will likely be opening as a shelter and will also be housing first responders. The Kingwood area tends to lose electrical power rather easily, so I’m expecting we’ll go through that, which is a complication for Miles – keeping his insulin cool, and really, keeping HIM cool as well – we may be staying with friends down the street who have a generator if we lose power for long. Gustav was nothing for us, but this one looks more serious. I’ll post as I am able. The storm is expected at o dark thirty on Friday night-Saturday morning, and much of Saturday and Saturday night as well.

Random Notes

2008-09-03T06:57:00.001-07:00

• Needless to say, as I sit here in suburban Houston with the sun shining and the gentle breezes blowing, Gustav was a no-show in Kingwood. I suppose it’s necessary to show extreme caution, but the alarm bells in the media and government are going to be hard-pressed to avoid comparisons to a certain boy who cried wolf. Our prayers, though, are with those in the severely-hit areas, who are truly suffering.

• The Wall Street Journal features this assessment of the economy during 2001-2007. It’s not what the news media would have you believe.

• In the “strictly for fun” category, I browse through offbeat music blogs looking for interesting rarities, and found the master tracks for Marvin Gaye’s “Heard it thru the grapevine”. Individual tracks for bass, drums, guitars, lead vocal, keys, orchestra, percussion, and BG vocals. Load these individual tracks into audacity, and you’ve got your own mixing board to re-mix a true classic. My favorite, remixed yesterday: Lead vocal on one side, Harmony vocals on the other, and bass guitar in the center, That’s all. The same music blog had already provided me with the master tracks for 4 Sgt. Pepper songs as well.

First Responder

2008-08-31T06:42:00.001-07:00

Christ the King is a base for first responders who are coming into the area in preparation for Hurricane Gustav. Obviously no one knows for sure where it’s going to hit or how hard, or who will be most deeply impacted. Keep us in your prayers in these days.

August 17

2008-08-17T14:20:00.000-07:00

• Last night was awesome. These Guys Here performed at Berryhill under the name "The Reese Foster Experience". Here's the back story. When our drummer Reese was in 9th grade, there was a 9th grade dance at which the bands would be composed of 9th graders. Reese said he had a band but the other 3 guys were old. We got to play and that is the name we played under. Last night was Reese's last night before leaving for college. His Dad, our guitarist Raymond, had about 50 shirts printed up with the R.F.E. band name, and we wore them along with a LOT of people in the house. And lots of other band supporters and friends of Reese were there as well. The owner loves the crowd we draw. Anyway with that kind of enthusiasm in the house, we had a GREAT night.

• Miles and I are 15 chapters from the end of book 7. We started Book one last July, right when everyone else was finishing Book 7. We've been reading about a chapter a night since then and I am enjoying the books SO much - we both are - major Dad-Son bonding - but I am also grieving that I am nearing the end of the series. Still,we have three movies left (we watched the first 5 movies after reading the first 5 books) - but learning that movie 6's release has been pushed back to next July was a downer. Miles and I were looking forward to that.

• Michael Phelps is awesome. He won #8 during a band break last night, which was very considerate of him. Everyone in the restaurant was gathered around the TVs in the place cheering him on. I know he'll appreciate knowing that.

• Alicia and I had purchased one of those digital converters for the TV, and at first it didn't get a strong enough signal to work. But I discovered quite by accident last week that the antennae line needed to be well away from power lines, and suddenly we're getting very good reception on about 5 channels in our area. Having quit the cable habit about 5 years ago, we've gotten used to unsatisfactory, fuzzy reception. Now we're enjoying crystal clear images and audio almost all the time.

• How did Thrivent afford that? Thrivent Financial hosted a splash day at Schlitterbahn Galveston, which normally costs about $33. We got in for $5 each. And the price included a BBQ brisket lunch that was worth about $7.

You are the One

2008-08-14T07:04:00.001-07:00

Our 7 week fall series will be called "Every Breath: God". Its goal is that disciples learn the joy of God's powerful presence and leading in every minute of their lives.

Mark suggested that I write something for the song "You are the One", by Lincoln Brewster and Paul Baloche. Here's the original song (PDF):

You're the One who made the heavens
You're the One who shaped the earth
You're the One who form'd my heart
Long before my birth
I believe You'll always lead me
All my days have been ordain'd
All Your thoughts toward me are holy
Full of love and grace

Chorus
You are the One You are holy
You are the One You are worthy
You are the One, You are the One
Everlasting
You are the One I will worship
You are the One I will serve all my days
You are the One, You are the One
Everlasting
You are the One
Jesus You're the One

Brewster/Baloche © 2002 Integrity's Hosanna! Music

Here's the piece I wrote:

Every second, every moment,
Every minute, every hour,
I rely upon Your presence,
Stand upon Your power.
You have called my heart to follow
You’re my Savior and my friend
You surround my life with goodness,
Faithful to the end…

©2008 Rick Lindholtz

P.S. By happy coincidence, if you add "I will" to line 4 and "You are" to line 8, you get a verse that will work with the traditional hymn tune "Hyfrydol", which is often sung with the lyric "Jesus, what a friend for sinners".

August 8

2008-08-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

• Sherwood Pictures, the church that produced the films

"Flywheel" and "Facing the Giants", has a new film coming out September 26, called

"Fireproof". Sure looks good. Firefighting is the backdrop, but the hard work of building a good marriage is the storyline.

• I am so glad to have Alicia and Miles back home from their weeklong visit to Cape Cod. Wish I could've been there with them...sigh...maybe next year... there are few places that mean more to our family than 44 Nyes Neck Road, Centerville.

August 5

2008-08-05T17:16:00.001-07:00

Worship was powerful this past weekend. One of several highlights was Sara singing "We will Cry". (The file is hosted on www.drop.io, a very cool utility. Bookmark it.)

I wrote this confession for Sunday. For some reason it was overlooked at 8:20, and at 11:00 there was some kind of technical problem, but here it is:

Lord, You call us to a life of faith and faithfulness – of living with trust that the life revealed in Your Word is
Your best design for our lives.

We confess our weak obedience to Your call. We drift far from Your path for us. We are often distracted by
other voices around us. And when the journey includes hard times, we struggle even to believe that You
have our good at heart.

But here and now, we declare yet again our faith in You.

We confess our sins, confident that Your promise of forgiveness is true.

We ask once again for the filling of Your Holy Spirit, to empower our life in You.

We thank You for your many gifts of grace. Amen.

The sermon, "Grace for the Hard Times", was excellent. It can be heard here. Afterward, Raymond sang "Healing Rain" - also archived at www.drop.io/mp3s080308. It was very powerful.

• Alicia and Miles flew home from Cape Cod yesterday. It's good to have the whole family under one roof again.

• Tropical Storm Edouard was a blowout. When I was a kid we used to call these "rainy days", and they didn't cancel all regular television programming so the news guys could talk it up all day long. They didn't send some poor sap of a reporter out to a street corner so that he could say on local network television "There is a puddle of water here on the side of the road". Literally!

Back to the Tracks

2008-07-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

This blog is entitled "On the tracks" because of the picture above, taken near Mount Hermon Conference Center in the Santa Cruz Mountains. There as a child of 5 or so, my heart said yes to the God who had already said yes to me, and the faith in which my parents raised me became my own.

12 days ago I fulfilled a longtime wish and revisited that place with my family. I took a walk on the tracks with ElenaClaire and with Miles.

Before we left I knelt in prayer on those tracks, and only two things tumbled out of my heart: "Thank you" and "Yes". Yes to Christ; to His gospel; to His call and plan for mylife; to whatever the future may hold.

July 25

2008-07-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

Having returned from a very nice vacation in California, I've uploaded pics to a drop site for those of you who might enjoy seeing the Lindholtz gang's family pics. There were too many to put on the family pic blog. I just discovered this site from a friend and it's a good way to share stuff. No sign ups, no email requested.

Next week Alicia and Miles head to Cape Cod for a week with her family. I am jealous. But I'll be busy every evening working on the score for a movie.

Sunday, July 13

2008-07-13T19:33:00.000-07:00

• I preached at CTK for the first time today. Here's the link to the podcast page.

• Tomorrow morning we're off for 10 days in California. Looking forward to time with all of my family; with some of my friends from High School; and with other friends as well.

• The link is up at Miles' page for SMILES FOR MILES on October 3.

Declaring Faith

2008-07-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

As Mark and I are preparing worship for Sunday, we wanted to come out of Covenant Pastor Andrew Thompson's "We've Come to Worship", which includes the line "Trading our shame for your holiness", include a short confessional piece, and move into the song "Trading my Sorrows".

Here's the confession component:

Leader: All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own.

People: I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night.

Leader: But You are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and rich in unfailing love.

People: In Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.

Leader: You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make us rich:

All: Beauty for ashes,a joyous blessing instead of mourning,festive praise instead of despair. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Isaiah 53:6 Psalm 51:3 Nehemiah 9:17 Ephesians 1:7, 2 Corinthians 8:9, 9:15, Isaiah 61:3

(into "Trading my Sorrows")

Then after "Trading my Sorrows", we wanted a brief affirmation of faith that would connect the repetition of "Yes Lord" in the song with biblical truth:

Leader: The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. (Isaiah 40:28)

People: Yes, Lord! Amen!

Leader: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. (1 Timothy 1:15)

People: Yes, Lord! Amen!

Leader: He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. (Romans 8:11)

People: Yes, Lord! Amen!

Leader: All of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” ascends to God for his glory.
(2 Cor. 1:20)

(return to song: Yes Lord, Yes Lord, Yes Yes Lord…)

Monday, July 7

2008-07-07T12:14:00.001-07:00

Miles and ElenaClaire are at Camp Rainbow this week. Camp Rainbow is a diabetes day camp experience. Kids like Miles can’t go to overnight camps because of their medical conditions, but Camp Rainbow is fully staffed by medical professionals and volunteers from Texas Medical Center. Miles began when he was only 4, and he has 2 more years before he hits 13, after which he can only go as a Junior counselor. ElenaClaire has been going for years as junior counselor, then as junior medical staff. This year she is the senior medical staff for the 12 and 13 year old group. Even though she’s only finished one year of college, she is the only one in that particular team of volunteers that has been to Camp Rainbow before, and besides that, of course, she’s been helping to care for a diabetic brother for 10 years. I call that the equivalent of a doctoral degree in pediatric diabetic care. (She asked the group of volunteers “Who has ever used a glucometer before?” No hands went up. So she’ll be leading and training a team of newbies.

We’re beginning to “gear up” for our annual JDRF fundraiser, SMILES FOR MILES. Every year we do a poster based on an album cover by a well-known band dear to our hearts. Here’s this year’s poster.

Our trip to California looks like the pieces will fall in place nicely next week. We expect to spend lots of time with family, and also with friends who live in the vicinity, including trying to find the place on the railroad tracks where the picture at the top of this blog was taken.

My last ministry assignment before vacation is to preach here at Christ the King – a privilege I have never been afforded. Not out of lack of confidence; but we have three pastors on staff, plus an accredited Director of Christian Education, all of whom are excellent communicators. There’s rarely a time when one of them is not available. But our Senior Pastor invited me to preach here – I regularly preach on a monthly basis at a struggling little church plant about 10 miles south of us. So it’s a blessing to have this opportunity. (I’ll also be preaching at a Vespers Service the following Sunday at University retirement Community in Davis, where my parents live.)

As I was writing this, a little spider came down on a web not more than 3 inches from my nose. THAT was interesting!

June 27

2008-06-27T18:42:00.001-07:00

What’s happening these days in the Evangelical Covenant Church, my ordaining body? Some pretty cool things. Gary Walter, whom I consider a friend, has been elected President, succeeding Glenn Palmberg, who announced his impending retirement last year. Gary takes office on September 1. Glenn was my Superintendent in the North Pacific Conference and was an outstanding leader both there and for the whole Covenant for the past 10 years. Gary has led the Department of Church Growth and Evangelism for most of the past 10 years – a period of exceptional growth and aggressive church planting and intentional planting and adopting of multiracial churches. Under Glenn’s leadership the denomination began a new Department of Compassion, Mercy and Justice, and Gary, in addition to new church development, has brought in a sub-department of church revitalization – going to conflicted churches and helping them find a healthy path to the future – even going so far as to establish a revitalization assessment center to identify pastors gifted to help turn around struggling churches. (Talk about a call I don’t want…)

Meanwhile, I am watching the news from a distance, both geographically and – I struggle to find the right word... Ecclesiastically? No – sounds too hierarchical and theological. I really am a Covenanter at heart – but one who has been deeply touched by being reconnected to the roots of the Covenant in the Lutheran tradition. Relationally? Not really. There’s no relational break between myself and anyone in the Covenant on a personal level, and every time I attend a meeting there are those among the pastors and Superintendents who ask when I will be returning or if I am open to conversations with churches. On the other hand I ache for missing many good friends who serve in the Covenant. Emotionally? Perhaps. Part of my heart is permanently lodged in the Covenant, but an equal part of my heart is lodged in Kingwood and in the friends I have and the church I serve here. If / When I ever should leave here, I will take a confirmed Lutheran daughter and a baptized Lutheran son with me (and if I stay 3 more years, he’ll be confirmed as well). These two parts are often – almost always - at odds with what they hope for and long for. I stay because I love the people and church I am serving, because my family needs the stability, and mostly because God called me here (even if, technically, the church didn't) and God has not at all said “go” nor even given my heart the freedom to seriously consider another ministry assignment.

So, from this distance, I wish the Covenant and it’s new President-elect well, and I say to the retiring President, “Go color outside the lines”. He knows what that means – it refers back to a conversation he had with ElenaClaire when she was 5 years old and had a handful of crayons at the restaurant table. She offered him a crayon and told him it was OK if he didn’t stay inside the lines.

Meanwhile, it has been a restful week of vacation for me after finishing up a most successful run of “Annie Get your Gun” – 4 shows at the Nathaniel Center in Kingwood, and 4 more at the crown jewel of Houston’s downtown theatre District, the Hobby Center. And so life carries on.

Annie Get Your Gun TV Commercial

2008-06-19T06:27:00.000-07:00

...and if you just HAVE to see more, I've posted the opening number "THere's no Business like Show Business" and its reprise here.

May ends and June begins

2008-05-31T08:02:00.001-07:00

...and that makes it time for days and days of rehearsals preparing for ANNIE GET YOUR GUN. We had 4 ½ hours last night and we’ll have about 9 hours on Sunday night. Next week we’ll have Wednesday; tentative Thursday and Friday rehearsals; 8 or 9 hours on Saturday; and then Sunday is load-in day, moving into the Nathaniel Center. The next week we rehearse every night until we open on Friday. 4 shows at Nathaniel and we load out on Sunday. On Monday we load in at the Hobby Center and do 3 nights of rehearsal followed by 4 performances there.

Oh, and did I mention – during that week between Nathaniel and Hobby, I am also directing all the dramatic Bible teaching at VBS? It’s very improvisational and fun, but it’s going to make for a busy week.

Saturday night at the Hobby, June 21, I have 80 friends coming to enjoy the show, as well as my sister, her husband, and Alicia’s sister.

Monday, after the wrap the show, the family is taking a well-earned short vacation to San Antonio. I’ll be off most of the rest of the week.

May 19

2008-05-19T07:05:00.001-07:00

This from our Director of Student Ministries:

Tyson Hendrickson is one of the greatest kids I’ve ever worked with. Over the past decade we have stayed in touch as he has been living and working in the San Francisco area. Recently he left his .com position to start his own firm. He wanted his first effort to be more than a website based business, he also wanted to use it for something of which God would approve. He has started a new website. Basically the aim is this

1) Help people use discount coupon codes (those things you always see at the bottom when you order something online. 20% off, free shipping, etc.) when ordering things online.

2) At the same time you provide funding to 3^rd world entrepreneurs. Giving small loans to people to start their own businesses in order to escape the cycle of poverty. This is not charity but low or no interest loans that hopefully get paid back so that they money can be used again and again.

Please check it out. The site only came online today. So any suggestions to how to make it better are welcomed.

http://coupongood.org

Annie Get your Gun is 25 days away from opening. If you’re in the Houston area you don’t want to miss out. Alicia and I have a group of over 30 people coming to the Hobby Center on Saturday, June 21. We spent 7 hours rehearsing yesterday afternoon and evening. I think this is going to be a great show.

JDRF HOUSTON held the annual Gala Fundraiser on Saturday night, in which all four of us volunteered. It was a great evening with over 900 in attendance and 1.2 million raised.

My Commute

2008-05-12T12:11:00.001-07:00

Tickets now Available

2008-05-09T20:32:00.001-07:00

ANNIE GET YOUR GUN

at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts,

the Crown Jewel of Houston's Theatre District

June 20-22

Hope to see you there!

A Song for Pentecost Sunday

2008-05-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

This is set for a tune called "Beach Spring", from the Sacred Harp (1844), the source of many well-loved hymns that feel like "early American" hymns. "Sacred Harp Singing" also goes by the name "Shape Note Singing" because of the unusual notation used:(That's not the melody for this song that's pictured above, just an example of shape notation).

The melody I wrote te text for is set to the text "As we Gather at Your Table" in the Covenant Hymnal: A Worship Book, and has also been used for the text "Come ye Sinners poor and needy". (If it doesn't ring a bell, you can hear a pretty cheesy and slightly fast MIDI arrangement of it here.) I arranged it with block chords in the key of F.

Anyway the idea here was to write a text for Pentecost Sunday that placed the ministry of the Holy Spirit in a biblical context.

Holy Spirit, sent to fill us by the Father and the Son,

You were promised by our Savior, He who died to make us one.

Come and make your home within us; come and claim us as your own,

Come reveal to all your people Jesus reigning on His throne.

Come and teach us how to follow and upon you to rely.

Show to us the face of Jesus, Christ our Savior, born to die.

He came down to dwell among us, with His mighty power to save,

Gave His life for our salvation, and is risen from the grave.

In the faith may we be guided, to the truth may we be led.

Spirit cause us to remember all the words that Jesus said.

May the Love of God our father come to us and never part;

May the beauty of the Savior enter into every heart.

April 27

2008-04-27T05:37:00.001-07:00

Chris Forbes has published an e-book called “Facebook for Pastors”, advocating that ministry leaders should be on Facebook. I agree with his premise.

I am in the thick of writing a seminar that combines the best parts of “Bringing my World to Christ”, which I taught for 15 years, with “Living a Life with a Mission

By Mike Breen with Bob and Mary Hopkins”. Mike, a mentor of our staff, developed “LifeShapes”, a set of ministry tools that are very useful. The key concept in the “Octagon”, his primary evangelistic teaching tool, is the concept of identifying the “Person of Peace”.

April 24

2008-04-24T04:52:00.000-07:00

• A case can be made, and in fact has been made, that the Christian faith most Christians profess today — its creedal affirmations — comes from Africa. (read more on Scot's blog.)

• "America may not yet be ready to elect a black President...The fact that Mr Obama and Mrs Clinton are both such impressive candidates, intelligent, sincere, articulate and in command of the issues, while John McCain does not qualify on any of these criteria only makes matters worse." (The Times)

• The new Insulin pump promotional brochure arrived yesterday from Accu-Check. It features a DVD with comments from Alicia and Miles, as well as a printed remark from Miles.

• My backyard landscaping project is moving forward.

I went with Vonage

2008-04-18T19:10:00.000-07:00

• After fooling around with Magic Jack (which had some pretty cool features but in the end proved too much trouble) I went with Vonage. I had to re-locate a cable line so that it was right with a phone jack, which involved fishing a cable through a wall from up in the attic, but that wasn't hard. Now our phones are set up and it's pretty pleasing. It's fairly easy to set up so that if we ever experience interruption of internet service, calls are sent to one of our cell numbers; we can also set it up to relay calls to one of our phones after a given number of seconds. So it has some flexibility and it saves us 50% over what we were paying. Plus we got 2 free months - double their usual offer. And if you tell them I referred you, we'll both get 2 free months. So if you decide to make the jump, contact me and we'll both benefit.

• I spent most of the late morning and early afternoon doing landscaping in the backyard. I am tired but satisfied.

Stylin'...

2008-04-17T09:07:00.000-07:00

We did a review of several numbers from "Annie Get Your Gun" for a group called the Madhatters - who also held a silent auction, the entire proceeds going to Centrestage. That probably brought in enough to pay for the union orchestra. Anyway, here's a snap someone took. There's no Business like Show Business!

in the order of worship this weekend

2008-04-17T07:25:00.000-07:00

This text was written out of a desire to set the work of God in creation alongside the completed work of Christ. It is set to a very old song dating back to at least the early 1700s in Scotland, entitled "O Waly Waly". Sarah Brightman recorded a version; James Taylor (among others)recorded it under a more familiar Americanized version entitled "The Water is Wide". Many hymnals contain Hal Hopson's lyric "Though I may speak with bravest fire" set to the same melody.

I see your work, your mighty hand
as breaking waves crash on the sand,
but marvel more, thinking on when
you came, a child in Bethlehem.

I see your work as I arise
and sunrise paints the morning skies,
yet greater still, as from above,
you came to teach us how to love.

I see your work in sunsets fair.
then, lost in wonder, kneel in prayer
when thinking on your bitter loss:
you gave your life upon the cross.

I see your work as through the trees,
the eagle rises on the breeze,
then watch in awe, as from the grave,
you rose, my shattered soul to save.

Just as a sculptor's work of art,
your Spirit works yet in my heart.
I lift my hands for all my days,
and come to offer songs of praise.

© Rick Lindholtz, 2004

Incidentally...

2008-04-16T15:08:00.001-07:00

You know, you do this blog thing where you try to write something that is of interest to you. Some are quite focused on topic, like Scot’s or Don’s; other are, as Brad says, “desultory” (“marked by lack of definite plan”). As I noted in the post on lyrics, I started out by posting the kinds of worship resources I was developing – at a time when, frankly, I thought I was entering the job market again.

So it’s just interesting to review the stats and discover that my more desultory posts (about Elephant Painting and Magic Jack) are responsible for the vast majority of traffic in the last 2-3 months. Hundreds of hits about each. Reminds me of when Brad offered an early link to a tsunami video and was getting a tsunami of hits within a few days. Bizarre thing, this…