Here are 2 movies that I won't miss

I am not one who refuses to go to any movie unless it has "Christian Values". I believe it's important to engage with the culture and hear what it is saying; to affirm when it is on target and to challenge its assertions when it disagrees with or denigrates the values I hold. But I have to admit, I love it when positive stuff makes it to the big screen.

The phenomena of "The Passion" made people recognize "Passion dollars" - the money that is in the pockets of those with conservative values, that are waiting to be spent when we are offered entertainment that inspires and honors our values. And this fall will see the release of "One night with the King", a re-telling of the story of Esther, and "The Nativity Story" as well. I plan to see both, and to encourage others to also see these films.

A Reading: NAME and FORTRESS

The reading that follows was assembled to go between two feature songs this week: the first is "Your Name" by Paul Baloche and Glen Pakiam - a great new song from Paul's new release, "A Greater Song" - a recording chock full of content-laden lyrics:

As morning dawns and evening fades,
You inspire songs of praise
That rise from earth to touch Your heart
And glorify Your Name.

Your Name is a strong and mighty tower,
Your Name is a shelter like no other,
Your Name, let the nations sing it louder,
'Cause nothing has the power to save
But Your Name.

The Lyrics and Charts are on Paul's website, but not an mp3 - but there is a chance to listen to "What can I do?", another fine selection from "A Greater Song".

The song to follow the reading is "A Mighty Fortress is our God".

LEADER Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together.

ALL He has paid a full ransom for his people.He has guaranteed his covenant forever.What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has!

LEADER The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me;I will protect those who trust in my name”.

ALL Those who know your name trust in you,for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.

LEADER Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures:‘The stone that you builders rejectedhas now become the cornerstone.

ALL We who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidenceas we hold to the hope that lies before us –a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.

LEADER God is our refuge and strength,always ready to help in times of trouble.

ALL The Lord of Heaven is here among us; God is our fortress.

From Psalm 34:3, 111:9, 91:14, 9:10, Acts 4:9-11, Hebrews 6:18-19, Psalm 46:1, 11 (NLT)

More good coverage of Miles

My ordaining body, The Evangelical Covenant Church, has published a news story on its website about Miles' life with Diabetes and our Smiles for Miles fundraiser last week.

We've just passed the halfway point

...in an awesome series on the Lord's Prayer, entitled "Looking Up". I've written a drama for each of the seven weeks, in which an actor enters an office and has a conversation with their Father - who is not there - for it represents speaking to the Heavenly Father. Each section of the Prayer is covered:

The Father's Character: Our Father ... Hallowed be Thy Name...
The Father's Kingdom: Thy Kingdom Come, Thy will be Done...
The Father's Provision: Give us this day our daily bread...
The Father's Forgiveness: Forgive us our sins as we...
The Father's Guidance: Lead us not into temptation...
The Father's Protection: Deliver us from Evil...

The final week focuses on the Father's family, who together bring Him their praises: the first word of the prayer, "Our", calling attention that it is as a community of believers that we are invited to pray...

Last Sunday we had a powerful service focusing on Forgiveness. In this drama, the young woman (portrayed by ElenaClaire) did not enter the Father's office - she was estranged because of her disobedience and by the harm done by others and was unable to receive or to extend forgiveness. It created a very tender moment for Doyle to teach.

We also read responsively an expanded version of the Lord's Prayer, which I adapted from Max Lucado as found in The Great House of God. (pdf format file)

At the conclusion of the service the choir presented a Celebration of Forgiveness - three songs concluding with "This is how it feels to be free", with lead vocals by Raymond Foster, who is the best male vocalist in the church - there was a strong recognition of the wonderful experience of being forgiven. Powerful experience of worship.

Great Reading

Here is a great article entitled "Freedom and Justice in Islam" by Bernard Lewis, a leading scholar of near eastern studies who at one time was one of the very few european scholars permitted access the the archives of the Ottoman Empire. We need to hear his detailed yet thoroughly readable analysis of the history of the Muslim world in relation to the ideas of democracy. This essay and David L. Cunningham's excellent 5 hour film "The Path to 9/11" are both outstanding doors to opening the world of the 21st century.

Here is the wonderful piece about Miles that appeared this week in the Kingwood Observer.

Smiles for Miles

Once a year I invite my online friends to think about Miles and his life with diabetes. This in addition to the walk to cure diabetes, we're throwing a party called "Smiles for Miles".

Confession based on 1 Peter 4: 1-11 & 1st Thess 3: 6-13

God, forgive us.
We get ourselves locked up in old sinful habits –
Thinking of our own wants and needs,
Neglecting our brothers and sisters,
Failing even to hear your voice.
We've already put in our time in that God-ignorant way of life.
Now it's time to be done with it for good.

We confess to you.
Forgive us, Lord.

Now we ask you: Set us free,
So we can live out our days pursuing what You offer us,
instead of being tyrannized by what we want.

Guide us to do what we can to help others when their faith falters.
Pour on Your love so it fills our lives
and splashes over on everyone around us. Amen.

Draw me Near

Yesterday Mark asked for a couple of verses for "Jesus Draw Me Close". The end product is called "Draw me Near" and my verses read as follows:

1. Draw me near through Your Word
Draw me near as I pray
Draw me near in this place
as we gather together, receiving your grace.

2. For You came near to love
And you came near to heal
And you came near to save
as You died on the cross and you rose from the grave.

© 2006 Rick Lindholtz
melody available on request

CareCalendar.org

Check out www.carecalendar.org - we are just bringing our care ministry up on this neat idea which takes the familiar concept of an internet calendar and uses it to allow volunteers to provide meals and other kinds of caring to families in need. This is worth the attention of church leaders.

This Little Babe - for Christmas 06

Those familiar with "A Ceremony of Carols" by Benjamin Britten will recognize this edited text. I've long wanted to make slight adjustments to the text and write a singable melody - the melody (which I will post soon) has an old American hymn feel to it, arranged in such a way as to combine elements that suggest a lullaby with a military drum rhythm. If the combination sounds ironically mismatched, that's the point of the text.

This Little Babe
Robert Southwell (1561-1595) adapted by Rick Lindholtz
Melody © 2006 Rick Lindholtz

This little babe, so few days old
Has come to empty Satan’s fold.
All hell will at his presence quake,
Though he himself for cold do shake;
Though he is weak and small of size,
The gates of hell he will surprise.
If you would find fullness of joy
Depart not from this heavenly boy.

With tears he fights and wins the field,
His naked breast stands for a shield;
His battering shot a baby’s cries,
His arrows made of weeping eyes,
His martial ensigns cold and need,
And feeble flesh his warrior's steed.
If you would find fullness of joy
Depart not from this heavenly boy.

His mighty throne is in a stall,
Protected by a broken wall;
A crib his trench, hay stalks his stakes,
Of shepherds he his muster makes;
And though he comes so weak and poor
He holds the key to Heaven’s door.
If you would find fullness of joy
Depart not from this heavenly boy.

This little babe, so few days old
Has come to empty Satan’s fold.
So give yourself to Christ, my soul,
This little babe will make you whole,
Within his crib is surest ward,
This little babe will be thy guard;
If you would find fullness of joy
Depart not from this heavenly boy.

I AM NOT MOVED

Text: Rick Lindholtz, © 2006
Based on “My God I love Thee” a poem of antiquity,
possibly Latin in original; extant in Spanish and attributed variously to Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz or Juan de Avila
translated into English by Edward Caswall
Target melody: “Danny Boy”
for Daniel Martinez' 80th birthday

I am not moved, my God, to love and serve you
Because I long for heaven’s eternity,
I am not moved to follow in your footsteps
That I might not be lost eternally.
But I am moved to trust in you my Savior,
For on the cross you suffered in disgrace.
My Lord, you bore for me the pain of nail and spear,
And did it all, your children to embrace.

When I behold your passion and your suffering,
When I recall your pain and agony,
When I reflect upon the way You gave your life,
And all for one who was your enemy,
Then I am moved to trust in You my Savior,
For on the cross you suffered in my place
My Lord, you bore for me the pain of nail and spear
And did it all, to give to me Your grace.

I do not come to win the prize of heaven
I do not come to find a great reward
I do not come, the fear of hell escaping,
But you have shown Your love to me, my Lord
So let me love and honor you my Savior,
And in Your name, Your praises I will sing,
You are the God who died to show your favor
You are my God and ever-loving King.

Cape Cod, here we come

...and I hope we don't meet Tropical Storm Beryl while we're there. We fly out tomorrow for a family reunion on Lake Wequaquet with Alicia's parents and 5 of her 6 brothers and sisters.

In the meantime, I've updated the family pictures site, going with a blog format. Check it out.

We'll be back on July 31...

Weddings, Funerals, and Communion - a response to Jibstay

Don Johnson, whom I have considered a good though casual friend for 21 years, posted a few questions about weddings and communion. There are some interesting issues for discussion there and in the comments that follow.

So much to reply to, so little time...

1. About Communion in weddings... my bias has always been that weddings of believing couples, held in churches, are worship services. The service of communion should be offered to all who self-identify as believers - followers of Christ. To offer it to the couple only has the effect of denying the unity of the body, missing the admonition of 1 Cor 11:20-21, and treating a holy sacrament as a prop in a play. So I would not do that.

2. About "Fencing the Table"... interestingly enough I am serving in a church which is part of a national body that "fences the table" or is perceived so by most folks like Covenanters. But interestingly enough, the way it is handled locally is a manner that I think would fly in a Covenant Church. Here's what happens: in the worship folder at the point at which Communion takes place, these words appear (or words to this effect):

It is important to us that those who participate in this meal affirm with us the following: 1) I believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior and have been baptized. 2) I believe that Jesus Christ is truly present here. In this meal, I receive bread and wine and His body and blood. 3) I desire to partake of this meal so that I may receive power to live as a fully devoted follower of Christ.

Earlier in the service, usually before the offerings when some other worship details are being discussed, worshipers are alerted to those words in the folder and informed that if they aren't sure they can affirm these words, they are invited to receive a prayer of blessing when they come forward.

Interestingly, when I first heard those words the first time I walked in the door as a worshiper, I immediately recognized that a) the language in #2 was there to identify their consubstantial theology, and the whole statement was there to softly acknowledge their synodical position, without explicitly sending a "not-welcome" message to worshipers. I caught all that because of theological training. Alicia, however, completely missed the significance of it - as, I suspect, many if not most worshipers would.

Don - and other Covenant responders - I would love to hear your responses to this. If your sacramental theology is not consubstantial, you probably would not agree with it; but apart from that, how does it strike you?

3. Weddings and Funerals...The juxtaposition of these two words brought to mind something I said at the most recent wedding I performed, for my niece Bekah and hr husband Jon. I observed that one normally doesn't talk about death or funerals at a wedding, but in fact a wedding is a funeral in several very specific ways.

It is the death of our freedom to live as a single person of course; but more than that, I view marriage itself as in essence death, in this regard. We are told to give our lives for our partners. You hear language in Paul about husbands loving their wives as Christ does the church, and the common remark is "How did Christ love the church? He died for her", prompting the common remark of husbands to the effect that "I'd take a bullet for her if it came to it". The simple fact is that won't ever come to that for most of us, but that doesn't let us off the hook. Every day we make choices about dying for our partner - turning off the sports game on TV (usually him) or putting down a good novel (usually her) to invest oneself in that which is of significance to the partner.

Marriage is simply the best place we are given to pratice dying. And since weddings are where this officially starts, a wedding is a funeral. Living-for-self is the deceased, and if we're wise, we say "Rest in Peace" out loud, and silently, "Good Riddance".

Surprisingly enough, my niece said she was significantly and positively moved and challenged, not put off, by these words.

"Nothing in this life that I've been trying
can equal or surpass the art of dying"
-George Harrison

"Wash me" isn't good enough for a dusty car window...

This is just one sample. See more of his work here.

Theology in Pencil, Ink, and Blood

I so resonate with this essay by Keith Drury that I wanted to post it here. But it seems more gracious to let Keith get the traffic. So click here and read.

Happy Fourth

Interview
Read this interview with David Wells. What do you think of his premises and conclusions?

Family
Here's the Kingwood Lindholtzes, on July 1, EC's 18th birthday.

Where I'd like to be July 30 - Aug 5

...and where YOU should go, or send an arts-gifted Christian from your church:

--the conference: The Artist Unleashed: the Arts in Ministry.

--in partnership with the Gospel Music Association’s [GMA’s] “Music in the Rockies

--Click here for info and sign-up

--Featured Speaker #4: Karen Covell. Karen is a leader in profiling that Hollywood—and the film, arts & entertainment sub-culture—is a true “missions field,” and she’s right !! Karen is the Director of the Hollywood Prayer Network [www.hollywoodprayernetwork.org] . Through her job as a film and television producer she has lived her faith in the Film industry for years—while modeling and developing ministries of evangelism and discipleship within that community. Few Christians will challenge us as pragmatically as she can towards a lifestyle of ministry that is both culturally relevant and ‘ministerially’ effective. You can contact Karen directly at <>. Sign up to get her Hollywood Prayer Network updates for yourself.

A short word from Byron Spradlin: It’s time the Church wakes up to the reality that the Hollywood—Arts & Entertainment sub-culture is actually “shaping” the way Christians think about life and living; and that’s NOT a good thing. It’s also time the Church takes pro-active efforts to equip, commission and send qualified ‘ministry agents’ into that sub-culture (most of whom will be volunteer or bi-vocational). Our conference this year serves to affirm these critical “ministry agents” and equip them for more active and effective volunteer & regional ministry. Here are some of the topics: arts in missions, regional outreach strategies, personal ministry skills, biblical teaching on the “ministry” aspect of music & the arts, ministry organization, support raising for your ministry.

Our speaker list is outstanding: Karen Lafferty [missionary songwriter], myself, Dave Durham [missionary musician and culture creative specialist], Dave Bunker [music industry businessman, professor & arts specialist], Rory Noland, Scott Wesley Brown [recording artist, worship pastor, music in missions advocate], Karen Covell [Hollywood producer], Michele Suh [A.C.T. staff working in Hollywood with Hollywood Connect], Dr. Vernon Whaley [Worship & Music department chair at Liberty University], Steve Scott [pastor, arts in missions advocate, songwriter & poet], Billy Smiley [worship pastor, songwriter, recorder], Jeff Morrison [recording artist, songwriter, regional ministry specialist], Julie Branham, [worship leader with a music evangelism focus, singer & songwriter, regional ministry specialist], Larry Moshell [A.C.T. Staff Development Dir., ministry development specialist], Lee Porter [A.C.T. staff, vocal coach worship pastor].

Christ Church

Brad points us to Christ Church in Plano, Texas, one of the largest and fastest growing congregations in the Episcopal Church, USA, which has decided to disassociate itself from the denomination.

This is the church where I received training in the Alpha course and I was very impressed with the church and the people I met there.

While the collapse of the Episcopal Church is sad to observe, the reports from the Episcopal Church conference that are posted at the Christ Church site are truly inspiring - a voice of faith from within an apostate body.

Prepare a Highway

We're going to give a shot at writing our own Christmas Cantata this year and the first song I wrote (last week) is based on Isaiah 40. The melody can't be posted yet but when I can I'll record a rough version and post it here.

Prepare a Highway
From Isaiah 40:1-4 (second draft of lyric) 6/12/06

V1
Hear the words of Comfort God is sending:
To declare the time of brokenness is through,
Days of sad and wounded hearts are ending,
A tender voice of hope for me and you:

Ch
Prepare a Highway for the Lord,
A road that leads to life eternally.
Prepare a Highway for the Lord,
And let it run right through the heart of me.

V2
Let the mountains of my sin begin to crumble,
Let the valleys of my heart be filled with grace.
Make a pathway for the Savior, meek and humble,
For the road that leads to where I’ll see His face.

(Ch)

Bridge
Like the grass beneath the summer sun, we’re dying,
Like the flowers of the field we fade away.
We rely upon your grace, the forgiveness in Your face,
So let your work begin anew today.

(Ch)

© 2006 Rick Lindholtz

Various Things on June 12th...

1. END OF THE SPEAR is out on DVD tomorrow! If you missed it in the thatre, don't miss it on DVD. One of the best films I've ever seen.

Worlds collide and tragedy strikes as a missionary group journeys to the heart of the Amazon jungle in search of the Waodani, a tribe of fierce warriors on the brink of extinction due to revenge killings. When five of the missionary men are speared to death by tribesmen, their families are left husbandless and fatherless. Undeterred by their tremendous loss and spurred on by hope, the families decide to remain in Ecuador, and risk living among the Waodani. But the effects of that first encounter have yet to subside: A young boy, struggling to unlock the secret of his father’s death, must learn to accept a tragedy he cannot change in this powerful true story of sacrifice, courage, and reconciliation.

Available on DVD from Fox Home Entertainment starting tomorrow (June 13), End Of The Spear takes viewers deep into the heart of darkness to discover that faith and forgiveness can transcend the senseless acts of violence that stand in the way of cultural understanding.

Go to your local video retailer, or visit the following links to purchase End Of The Spear DVD's tomorrow: bestbuy.com , walmart.com or amazon.com !

2. JUST BACK FROM COLORADO!

ElenaClaire and I got back last night after 8 days in the Rockies with 80 teens and 13 adults. Awesome beauty. Adventure Experiences' Basecamp is at 10,000 feet. Our days were filled with hiking up to 13,000 feet to a bowl between three peaks (Our team went on the first day and we were led by 3 guides who had never done this hike before - and they started us off on the wrong trail, which led us to the wrong point - but we didn't mind - our hike was tougher than the usual one and we actually got totally off any trail - we also got lost on the way down - but we had an awesome hike and saw things no one else on the trip saw), rock climbing, high ropes challenge courses, a prayer trek, and white water rafting.

I got sick while up there - not altitude sickness, but a severe chest cold that flattened me and I missed several activities, but seeing God at work in the lives of students was worth going through a little misery.

3. MILES IS IMPROVING.

Just before I left, Miles was hospitalized overnight with diabetic complications. I would have cancelled my attendance on the trip but Alicia's sister Rachel said she's come down to stay with Alicia and Miles - which was so necessary because Miles needed constant attention - and even with Rachel there, Alicia absolutely exceeded all she is capable of. By the time I got home Alicia had not had a solid night's sleep in 13 days - Miles was needing blood checks every 2 hours, day and night, and though Rachel could take some of those, she could not make every dosing decision. Her presence also allowed Alicia to get a few things done during the day. THANK YOU RACHEL!