Becky and I watched the George Clooney-produced movie, “The Boys in the Boat,” this past weekend. We thought it was a good film, and apparently the book by the same title is even better.

“The Boys in the Boat” tells the story of the 1936 University of Washington eight-oared rowing crew that represented the United States at the Berlin Olympics and ended up winning the gold medal, defeating, among others, Hitler’s German crew. It is a feel-good story that is true. No plot spoilers because everything that happens is predictable. The good guys win.

The boys in the boat are good guys not just because they are American. They are good guys by virtue of, well, virtue.  The eight rowers and their coxswain are all from Washington state, the sons of farmers, and fishers, and lumberjacks. Their hard work and loyalty to the team, their perseverance and indomitable spirit was not instilled by coaches or university professors. It is who they are and how they were raised. Mothers and fathers and small towns are to be thanked for who they are. On their way tp Olympic gold, the boys in the boat defeat the teams of rich boys from the Ivy League and German and Italian rowers drafted into the service of oppressive regimes. Virtue defeats money and power. Continue reading →

No, And Its Fate is Still Unlearned

I ordered something online last week. While I wasn’t promised next day delivery, I was told to expect my package by Monday of this week. The shipper sent me a Post Office Tracking Number to monitor the progress of  my order as it made its way from Portland, Oregon, to Auburn, Indiana. All was well until Saturday. The package had arrived in Indianapolis early Saturday morning and had just one short trip up Interstate 69 to Auburn, but instead it seems to have been put on the wrong truck or plane. It was in Houston, Texas, by dinner time Saturday and then made a middle of the night trip to a place called Missouri City, Texas, a Houston suburb. As I write, the Post Office thinks it may have left Missouri City, but apparently has no idea where it is now, certainly no idea when it might make it back to Indiana.

Yeah, 21^st Century and first world problem. Still frustrating.

In my frustration I read an article about a Post Office-commissioned audit of the Indianapolis distribution center. Apparently, it is not all that unusual for packages headed for Auburn, Indiana, to take a wrong turn in Indianapolis and end up in a place like Missouri City, Texas.

So, I could rant about how nothing works anymore – you know, go postal. But it’s not true that nothing works anymore. Actually, it’s quite amazing how well things work. They work so well that a late-arriving package is really frustrating. What should I do with my frustration? I could write to the Post Master General (Ben Franklin, where are you when we need you) and complain about my mistreatment. I may fill out the feedback form at the USPS website. Or I can wait for my late package to arrive from its long trip – or deal with it if it doesn’t. Continue reading →

Why Hope Beats Optimism Every Time

I begin most days with a devotional reading of Scripture texts from the Daily Office of the Common Book of Prayer.  This past Wednesday’s morning psalm was 72, and as I read it, contemporary events popped into my mind for obvious reasons.  Consider these verses.  Not quite “From the River to the Sea,” but close enough.

Psalm 72:8–11

May he have dominion from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth!
May desert tribes bow down before him,
and his enemies lick the dust!
May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands
render him tribute;
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
bring gifts!
May all kings fall down before him,
all nations serve him! (ESV)

The ancient superscription for the psalm is a single Hebrew word translated into English as “Of Solomon.” Continue reading →

This is not a plea for messages of consolation, nor does anyone need to feel sorry for my loss.  But there was sadness in the news that my friend had died.

I call him my friend and am glad to do so, for our friendship was hard-won. My friend and I served the same congregation, I as pastor and he as part of the staff I inherited when I was called to the church.  We did not agree theologically or about the hot-button issues of those days. Our conversations were sometimes heated and sometimes very personal. Partisans in the congregation sought to make the most of our disagreement and did their best to divide the congregation over it.  But we defied their schemes and became friends instead, our disagreements mostly intact.

It’s not that I think the issues between us were not important; they were hugely important: the nature of the gospel and faithful living. What I believed then I believe now, and perhaps with a heightened sense of the importance of it. My job, though, was not to change my friend. Rather I was to follow Peter’s admonition in 1 Peter 3:15, “in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…”

It had been 25 years since I had seen my friend face to face, and there had been only a handful of emails or text messages in the interim. But I thought of him if not often then with thanks for our friendship. Continue reading →

Conventional wisdom advises much caution if not a firm prohibition on talking about politics and religion when travelling abroad. Avoiding such topics is one of the top ten reminders when preparing folks for international mission trips.

I’ll get back to violating the forbidden topics conversation rule, but first a very quick summary of our past two weeks:  Great!!!  Becky and I arrived in Lisbon, Portugal, on Thursday morning, April 4, and left just after noon on Wednesday, April 17.  Yes, two glorious weeks.  For those who enjoy Google Maps, our itinerary took us to Lisbon, Sintra, Evora, Monsaraz, Redondo, Evoramonte, Porto, Aveiro, Peneda-Geres National Park, Ponte de Lima, and even a brief foray into Galicia, Spain. I’ve posted a few photos in the gallery below.

But back to those conversations against which conventional wisdom cautions. We found a tour guide to take us from Porto to Aveiro (the Venice of Portugal) and liked him so much we asked him to show us Peneda-Geres National Park another day. The sojourn into Spain was a bonus during our national park tour.  One of the first things our guide told us on the drive from Porto south to Aveiro is that he doesn’t think Aveiro is at all like Venice, despite the gondola-like salt boats they use for tours through the canals of the city.  I liked that honesty, and I think he is right about the comparison with Venice. Continue reading →