So, in my last post for 2006, I figured I’d weigh in on the Jan 1 (and beyond) bowls. Most of these games I could care less about, but I’m going to pick a winner regardless, since I’ll probably watch as many of them as possible (because it’s college football and it’s on TV). So, here goes:

Outback - Tennessee vs Penn State
I haven’t seen Penn State play, and I’ve seen at least a third of Tennessee’s games this year, so I feel like I only know half the story. Penn State’s 4 losses were to what amounts to 4 BCS teams (Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, plus Wisconsin, who’s not a BCS team only because of the 2-team per conference rule). So, the losses they had were to very good teams. However, Tennessee’s 3 losses were also to good teams, two of the three being BCS teams (LSU, Florida) and one that was almost a BCS team (Arkansas). I’m going to side with Tennessee in this game, but I’m not really sure why. I’ll say 24-19.

Cotton - Nebraska vs Auburn
Auburn never really looked that good this year, at least not as good as their ranking most of the season would seem to indicate. Yes, they beat LSU and Florida, but if you watched the games, it was more a case of LSU and Florida losing then Auburn beating them. And they were embarrassed twice at home to Arkansas and Georgia. Nebraska, like Penn State, I haven’t really seen play. They have 4 losses, two to BCS teams (USC, Oklahoma), the latter in the Big 12 Championship, along with losses to Texas and Oklahoma State. I’m going to go with Nebraska here, 24-14.

Gator - West Virginia vs Georgia Tech
I don’t believe I could care less about this game. Having seen both teams play, I’m inclined to pick West Viriginia, 28-17.

Capital One - Arkansas vs Wisconsin
This is a hard one, because I want to pick Arkansas. However, again, I haven’t seen Wisconsin play. There only loss was to Michigan, who is one of the top teams in the country. But I’m not sure that any of their wins were anything impressive or not, since I’m not too familiar with the Big 10 this year outside of OSU and Michigan. So, I’m not sure what to make of them. Arkanas will again miss Peyton Hillis, who would have been very helpful in their last two games. However, they still have McFadden and Jones, and because I want them to win, I’m going to have to pick them. Arkansas 21-17.

Fiesta - Oklahoma vs Boise State
Another game I could care less about. I saw nothing of Boise State, and only a little of Oklahoma this year. Oklahoma would be a one-loss team if the officials had any sense when they played Oregon. Boise state is a high scoring team, so it seems there should be a lot of points. I’m going to pick OU, 31-28.

Orange - Louisville vs Wake Forest
Guess what? That’s right - who cares? Wake has had a great year, winning the ACC. Louisville can score. Louisville 31-17.

Sugar - Notre Dame vs LSU
I remember thinking the LSU-Miami Peach Bowl would be the best bowl game besides the title game last year. It turned into a blowout win for LSU. I think this has the potential to be a good game, too, but either team could end up winning going away. LSU could turn it over 5 times like they did against Florida, or the Notre Dame team that played Michigan (or MSU in the first half) could show up. On the other hand, it could be a great game. Regardless, my pick is LSU, 28-14.

Rose - USC vs Michigan
This may be the only bowl game in which both teams don’t really want to be there. They’d both rather be playing Ohio state. However, these are two very good teams and should play a good game. But, I sense that it will be a letdown. Plus, honestly, I don’t really care who wins. I’m going to pick Michigan, 31-24.

BCS Championship Game - Ohio State vs Florida
I said a couple of times early on, after the final BCS polls, that I thought OSU will win this without much trouble. As the day approaches, I feel less confident of that. I think this has the potential to be another great game, just like last year. Maybe not quite that good, but still something worth watching. I’m still inclined to pick OSU, but it’s not going to be easy. I say Ohio State 27-24.

That’s it. That’s the list. Now go and pick otherwise…

Sometime after 10pm last night, I turned on one of the news channels and found out that Saddam had been executed. CNN even had it’s slogan up - “Death of a Dictator”. So, I checked out the websites, and it’s somewhat humorous how different news sites report the news.

At MSNBC, it was pretty straight forward. The guy was executed, a solemn picture, nothing special.

At CNN, it’s like an American entertainer or politician just died, with the birth and death dates next to his picture. You almost expect to see a headline to right saying something like “a nation mourns.”

And at Fox, they appeared to be going for a more menacing picture, and a caption that would appear at home on the cover of the National Enquirer.

Make of those what you will.

Okay, here’s my final selection from Shane Claiborne’s The Irresistible Revolution. I found this interesting in light of discussions over at Scott Freeman’s place in recent months on the issue of non-violence.

Claiborne tells the story of visiting a hospital in Iraq where children were being treated for injuries they suffered due to the war. One child was asking what she had done to America that they would do this to her. Another person, a father holding his child injured by a missle, said, “What kind of liberation would do this to my child? If this is liberation, then we do not want it. If this is democracy, they can keep it.” The one that stuck with me was from the manager of the hospital, who said this: “Violence is for those who have lost their imagination. Has your country lost its imagination?” A few paragraphs later, Claiborne quotes Walter Wink:

Evil can be resisted without being mirrored…oppressors can be resisted without being emulated…enemies can be neutralized without being destroyed.”

Later in the chapter, Claiborne writes:

Our world is desperately in need of imagination, for we have spent so much creativity devising ways of destroying our enemies that some folks don’t even think it’s possible (much less practical) to love them. We have placed such idolatrous faith in our ability to protect ourselves that we call it more courageous to die killing than to die loving.

Claiborne beckons us to consider the better way, the way of Jesus. Perhaps the Iraqi hospital manager was right. Maybe America has lost it’s imagination. But the possiblity that many American Christians have lost theirs (or so it seems) is more disturbing. Many support war because, as Claiborne says, they don’t see it as practical or even possible for anything else to work. Self-preservation is of utmost importance, even more so than following Jesus’ example.

And I understand that. Sometimes, it just doesn’t seem like there are other options, but I suspect it’s not because there aren’t, but rather because my imagination is too small, my view of God and his power is too small. It’s not always easy to trust God and respond the way Jesus did, to love the way He did. And I admit I would really rather respond in like manner to those who do evil to me. But I think Shane is right when he suggests that it takes more courage to “die loving” than to “die killing”. It takes more courage to live (and perhaps die) as Jesus did than it does to respond the way our sinful nature prompts us to at times. It may be costly, very costly, to truly follow Jesus, to respond with love to those who persecute us, to use our imaginations and find alternatives to the ways of the world. But will it cost us much more if we don’t?

I believe all people are made in the image of God and that I should always be aware of that in how I view other people. They, like me, are His children and should be treated as such. I am not always good at doing that, but I’m trying to do better.

However, sometimes people do or say stupid things, and someone is usually there to point it out. On this blog, that’s me. Let me state that I am also well aware that I am one of these people, and in no way intend to suggest otherwise. (Some of my stupidity is likely recorded here and readily available in the archives.)

Anyway, it’s more difficult to ignore stupid actions and/or comments by people in the public eye, so I’ve put together a list of public personalities who did or said some exceptionally foolish things this year. I’m sure I’ve left some out, and you can feel free to point them out, or disagree with those I have, but these were the first ones that came to mind. Here’s the list, in no particular order:

• Dick Cheney
  You’re Vice-President and you shoot a guy in the face, then you make the list. There’s not much I can do about that.

• Britney Spears
  I don’t really need to comment here, do I? Throw in Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, too.

• The New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets
  It’s been a couple of years since a good fight broke out in the NBA, but thanks to folks like Mardy Collins, Nate Robinson and Carmello Anthony, we didn’t have to wait any longer. Special recognition also goes to Knicks coach Isiah Thomas who - I believe - initiated this whole thing from the bench, all because of some perceived “dis’ing” by the Nuggets.

• John Mark Karr
  Besides being exceptionally creepy, this guy is also did an exceptionally stupid thing when he confessed to a crime he didn’t commit. It seemed that the JonBenet Ramsey case may have finally been solved when he was arrested and confessed to the crime. Yet, none of it was true.

• Mark Foley
  There were so many politicians to choose from - George “Macaca” Allen, John “Stuck in Iraq” Kerry, Virgil “Keep Muslims Out” Goode, Ray “Chocolate City” Nagin - but in the end I have to go with Congressman Foley, who resigned after sexually explicit instant messages he sent to male pages were made public, and he was accused of having sex with at least two of them.

• Mike Nifong
  The Durham, NC District Attourney attempted to prosecute 3 Duke LaCrosse players for rape based on shaky testimony and no evidence. The accuser’s story has repeatedly changed, and now rape charges have been dropped. Our justice system at it’s finest. Some of Nifong’s behavior in this case may not only be stupid, but also criminal. Why he still has a job is beyond me.

• Ann Coulter
  Again, many political talking heads could have been chosen. Sean Hannity, for example - for telling Democrats not to vote (then claiming the media is trying to suppress voting) and his verbal beatdown of a Harding student during a speech at the school. Or Debbie Schlussel for her ridiculous comments about Barack Obama. Or Dennis Prager for repeatedly advocating that Keith Ellison not be allowed to use the Koran when sworn in to Congrees. But I have to go with Coulter. She said many stupid things, as is her custom, but her “Al Gore is a total fag” comment cannot be trumped even by the moronic statements or actions of these other folks.

• Ted Haggard
  This Colorado pastor condemned homosexual activity and homosexual marriage, then it was revealed that he’d been having a homosexual relationship with a former male prostitute (Mike Jones). Haggard also bought drugs from Jones. After this was revealed, Haggard initially denied it, but later admitted to some of the activity alleged by Jones.

• University of Miami and Florida International football teams
  One of the worst college football fights in some time, these two teams went at it during the third quarter of their game in October. The bench clearing brawl resulted in 31 players being suspended (13 from Miami, 18 from FIU). Special recognition goes to Miami’s Anthony Reddick for using his helmet as a weapon, swinging it at the heads of opposing players during the brawl.

• Michael Richards
  Mel Gibson had a spot on the list locked up until Richards got on stage at The Laugh Factory on November 17th. His racist rant towards some black hecklers in the crowd resulted in outrage from all over, including Jesse Jackson’s call for a boycott of the Seinfeld Season 7 DVD release (which was in stores the following week.) Richards quickly apologized for the incident and later appeared on Jackson’s radio show, attempting to make amends for his comments.

• O.J. Simpson
  I saved this for last because he probably is one of the biggest morons in the country. Aquitted in 1995 of killing his ex-wife and her friend the previous year, many continue to believe he was the “real killer” (despite his constant search for the “real killers” on golf courses around the country.) This year Simpson sunk to a new low, attempting to release a book titled “If I Did It.” In the book, Simpson wrote a fictional account of how he would have carried out the crime he committed of which he was accused. A television interview regarding the book was also scheduled. However, both the book and the interview were canceled before being unleashed on the public. Were I awarding a prize, Simpson would have to be my idiot of the year.

That’s it. That’s the list.

I posted a few times last year from Erwin McManus’ book Seizing Your Divine Moment, mostly from his discussion about risk and safety. McManus challenged the popular notion that the safest place for a Christian is “in the middle of God’s will”, suggesting that indeed the opposite is true, that it is a place that is often dangerous, requiring great risk.

I would agree with the proposition that being in God’s will is a safe place to be in one respect - that our eternal destiny is safe. However, I would also agree with McManus that - in this world - living in God’s will may very well be a dangerous place. In discussing this last year, someone else asked, if it’s supposed to be such a risky place to be, are we sure we’re doing God’s will if our lives do not contain some measure of risk and danger?

I was reminded of all of this as I read the following from Shane Claiborne’s book. I’ve posted a little from this book, and have several passages from it copied to potentially post later (one of which I’ll use now.) This is what Claiborne writes after having discussed a time when he was jailed and forced to go to court over some actions to help the homeless (all charges were dropped):

We caught a glimpse of what Paul and Silas saw as they sang and prayed in that jail cell until “the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose” (Acts 16:26). … I knew that he meant it when he said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first… In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 15:18; 16:33). In fact, I remember thinking that if the world does not hate us, perhaps we should question whether we really are part of another kingdom.

Sounds familiar. McManus and Claiborne seem to be on the same page. Earlier in the chapter, Claiborne wrote the following:

Some Christians take so few risks, it’s no wonder folks have a hard time believing in heaven. Most of us live in such fear of death that it’s as if no one really believes in resurrection anymore. Sometimes people ask me if I am scared, living in the inner city. I usually reply, “I’m more scared of the suburbs.” The Scriptures say that we should not fear those things which can destroy the body, but we are to fear that which can destroy the sould (Matt 10:28). While the ghettos may have their share of violence and crime, the suburbs are the home of the more subtle demonic forces - numbness, complacency, comfort - and it is these that can eat away at our souls.

My dear mother (bless her heart) has some things to say about safety. Again, I’m her only child, so there’s a lot at stake for her. As she watched me go to jail and travel to Iraq, with God’s hand evidently in it all, my mom has learned a lot about faith, safety, and risk. It has not been easy, but recently she told me, “I have come to see that we Christians are not called to safety, but we are promised that God will be with us when we are in danger, and there is no better place to be than in the hands of God.” Perhaps the most dangerous place for a Christian to be is in safety and comfort.

He later brings up the scene in C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe where Lucy is about to encounter Aslan for the first time. Lucy inquires whether or not Aslan is safe, and Mr. Beaver replies, “Safe? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

Claiborne concludes the section: “That’s the God I have come to know, a God who is not at all safe, but a God who is good.”

As 2007 approaches, I’m hoping for more of a change of heart. Sometimes it takes a little time for things to sink in for me. After reading McManus’ book last year, I was challenged and thought about it’s implications a lot. It made me think a little differently, question a few things, but in the end, I did very little about it in 2006. Changing my thinking is the first step, and it seems changing actions often takes a little longer. God is not safe. But He’s good. That’s the God I want to know better, too. I hope this time it takes, and 2007 will be a much better year.

Once again, this year did not contain the one sports story I look forward to the most each year - Duke wins the national championship in college basketball. However, there were a few bright spots here and there. Here are a few of the things that were of interest to me in 2006:

First of all, the Arkansas football team discovered winning again this fall. A great season that was only a couple of plays away from being even greater (it would’ve helped to have Peyton Hillis playing in those last two games). For the fourth time, they won the SEC West and appeared in their third SEC championship game. They beat both Alabama and Auburn for the first time in quite a while, and are once again in a New Year’s Day bowl. Plus, Darren McFadden finished as Heisman runner-up. So, overall, they had a good year, and, while their schedule will be tougher next year, the team should be better and once again in contention for the SEC West and possibly the SEC championship. And McFadden will be a Heisman favorite from day one. I hope for another great season in 2007 from the Hogs.

Staying with football, the BCS championship game back in January was an outstanding game. For reasons I can’t explain, I was hoping to see USC win. I still don’t know why. Maybe I just can’t stand to see Texas to win anything. But the game was great and Vince Young’s performance was just mind-blowing. Regardless of the outcome, it was a fantastic game and one worth watching (unlike the previous year when the USC-OU game was over in the first quarter.) The BCS title game seems to be a disappointment more often than not, but hopefully Ohio State and Florida will deliver something similar to Texas-USC in a couple of weeks.

In tennis, I got to watch Andre Agassi play at the U.S. Open one last time. I’ve always liked Andre and the way he played the game. While guys like Sampras and now Federer are better players and are amazing in their own right, I’ve never enjoyed watching them as much as a guy like Andre. He’s more like past players such as Connors and McEnroe. They’re not just great players, they’re also a blast to watch. And, while he didn’t win it, and went out earlier than he did last year, it was still great to see him one more time, and the match against Marcos Baghdatis was another classic. Andre will be missed.

And, in basketball, it really was a great year for Duke despite losing in the sweet sixteen. The priviledge of watching Duke seniors Shelden Williams and J.J. Redick was a real treat, particularly some of the amazing games Redick had (scoring 40 on Virginia, 41 on Georgetown and 35 at Carolina.) Also, both of the Duke-Boston College games were instant classics. They were outstanding basketball games, the second being for the ACC Tournament title.

Also, the “competition” - at least according to the media - between Redick and Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison for player of the year was great to watch as well. They played on opposite ends of the country from each other, and both players had such phenomenal player-of-the-year seasons. Everyone hoped for a Duke-Gonzaga matchup somewhere in the tournament so that everyone could see these two go head to head. It would likely have been one of the most watched games of the year, if not the most watched. But neither reached the final four and ended their careers in games they were supposed to win. Nevertheless, it was a great year (and great careers) for both.

Another basketball story I’ve already mentioned several times is Bob Knight’s chasing of the all-time college wins record. On Saturday, he tied Dean Smith for the lead as Texas Tech defeated Bucknell and has a chance on Thursday to have it all to himself. A win over UNLV will set the new record at 880 wins (which will he will continue to add to in 2007.) This will be one of the biggest sports stories of the year if they win (which I believe they will.) Otherwise, the next game is January 1st, so the story will be on next year’s list, too.

And, you have to mention George Mason. They managed to break through as the first “mid-major” to reach the Final Four in the 64+ team era. Sometimes, non-power conference teams get a little lucky in early rounds and win a game, perhaps two. George Mason was not lucky. They earned it. They managed to knock off 2005 Final Four team Michigan State, 2005 national champion North Carolina, and 2004 national champion (and 2006 favorite) Connecticut along the way. You don’t do that with luck alone. I look forward to seeing more GMU’s contending in the years to come (just as long as they don’t beat Duke.)

I was watching ESPN’s The Sports Reporters on Sunday, and one of the sports stories of the year that they mentioned was the story of Jason McElwain. I mentioned McElwain’s story back in February. “J-Mac” is an autistic teen and was team manager for his high school basketball team. The coach allowed him to dress with the team in their final game of the year, and put him in the game late when the outcome was already decided. Everyone was hoping for him to score while he was on the floor, but they wouldn’t have dreamed of what happened next. McElwain first put up a couple of air balls, but then managed to catch fire and put up 20 points in about three minutes, including 6 three-pointers. After the game ended, he was carried off the floor by his teammates. It’s a great story and the “feel good” sports story of the year. Here is the CBS story I originally linked to earlier in the year.

From a more humorous viewpoint, The Onion always cracks me up, and they have their “2006 Sports Year In Review” on display on their front page now. I’ve compiled some of my favorite stories/headlines from the past year below.

• Florida State University To Phase Out Academic Operations By 2010

• Millions Of Americans Buying Floyd Landis-Inspired Bracelets

• Peyton Manning: ‘I Won This Game As A Team’

• Kobe Bryant Mourns Passing Of Ball

• Cardinals Apologize For Winning World Series

• Hank Williams Jr. Honored By Institute For Football Preparedness

• Colts Claim To Still Be Undefeated: ‘We Beat Ourselves’

• Healthy Grant Hill Schedules Season-Ending Surgery

• Larry Coker Fights For His Job By Swinging Helmet At Athletic Director, Chancellor

• Maurice Clarett Shows Up Late For Prison Camp

• Pete Rose Caught Trying To Get Inducted Into Hall Of Fame Under Assumed Name

• African Child Loves His ‘World Champion Seahawks’ T-Shirt

• NBA All-Star Skills Competition To Include Mock Press Conference

• Terrell Owens Blames Poor Game On Drew Bledsoe, Offensive Line, Hamid Karzai, NASA, Samsung

• Adam Morrison Successfully Misses Easy Layups During Workout For Raptors

• Incoming North Korean Missile Intercepted By Deion Sanders

• Keith Hernandez Narrowing Down List Of Places Women Do And Don’t Belong

• Redick, Morrison To Share ‘Larry Bird Trophy For Certain Intangibles’

• BCS Determines No Team Worthy Of Facing Ohio State In Championship Game

Just a few things on this Friday before Festivus…

Early Christmas presents

While growing up, nearly every Christmas my siblings and I would always plead with our parents to open just one Christmas present early. We already opened some presents early anyway - on Christmas Eve. I had 3 siblings, and we would open our gifts from each other the night before Christmas (”Santa” would come that night, and we’d get the rest of our gifts the next morning.) But that didn’t stop us from requesting something even earlier. Occasionally our parents would give in. I recall a few occasions when we opened a gift several days before, or on the 23rd (a Festivus gift, perhaps, although we didn’t realize it at the time.) I’ve found that my daugther has done the same thing in years past. I believe last year we let her and her brother open their gifts to each other - just as my family did as a child. She hasn’t asked this year, but I suspect we’ll hear more about it in the next couple of days. My son, at two-and-a-half, has already opened one of his gifts once (it’s since been re-wrapped.)

I don’t have any Christmas thoughts this morning, so I’m going to share a few early Christmas thoughts from others that I’ve read. Check these out:

• The Season of Reduced Expectations (Keith Brenton)
• A Christmas Meditation (Scott Freeman)
• Santa Claus is not God (Phil Wilson)

Duke/Gonzaga

Speaking of early Christmas gifts, I got one last night as Duke beat Gonzaga 71-64 in New York. I wasn’t sure they would beat the Zags on a neutral floor right now. Duke is ranked #6, and I still don’t see them as a top 10 team. Yet, they continue to win, even if it’s often ugly. Maybe I’m just being pessimistic.

Once again they struggled shooting in the first half (22%), but there was a lot more positive in the game than negative. I haven’t watched all of the game yet - and in fact can’t. I recorded it, but the game before it on ESPN went into double overtime, and lasted until halftime of the Duke game. I watched the first 10 minutes of the second half this morning and will finish it later. However, from the recap and stats, several things were obvious.

First of all, they only had 6 turnovers. They’ve been in the high-teens recently, so to have only 6 was great. And Greg Paulus again had more assists (4) then turnovers (1), so hopefully he will continue that trend. They did pick up shooting in the second half (50%), Paulus led them with 20 points. Jon Scheyer had 14, but his biggest contribution was his defense on Gonzaga’s Derek Ravio. The Zags leading scorer was averaging 20 points per game, but managed only 4 points against Duke on 1-4 shooting from the field. I feared Ravio would hurt Duke, and he wasn’t even a factor.

Josh McRoberts once again finish with a great line - 11 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks. If Scheyer and Nelson can continue to shoot like they have been, and Paulus can continue to improve, McRoberts may very well have more and more of these stat lines. I was worried early on that he was not going to be the player I expected him to be. But it’s starting to look like he’s going to be much better than I expected.

A great win for Duke, their first, I believe, against a ranked opponent (even though they’ve played a number of very good teams already.) Conference play starts soon. It still won’t be easy, and they still need to solve this problem of shooting badly for a half, but I’m starting to gain a little confidence in them for the first time this year.

Famous CoCer’s

I came across this website and found it interesting. In the society we live in, where celebrity status is far more important than it should be, it’s not too surprising that religious groups would also point to famous people in their tradition. With my heritage being Churches of Christ, the Church of Christ page was of particular interest to me. Just a few interesting names I noticed, some of which I’ve heard before:

• Marvin Lee Aday - rock singer also known by his stage name, Meatloaf
• Janis Joplin - dead rock star
• Paula Barbieri - former girlfriend of O.J. Simpson who avoided being murdered by him
• Weird Al Yankovic - it’s great to have Weird Al on our team
• Wimp Sanderson - former Alabama and Arkansas-LR coach. Wimp and I were members of the same church when he coached in Little Rock in the 90’s
• Gene Stallings - former Alabama football coach. Is Alabama a CoC school?
• Jim Morris - pro baseball player, “The Rookie”
• Fred Gray - Rosa Parks’ lawyer
• Pat Sajak - he seems like a pretty decent guy, I must say
• Jeffrey Dahmer - I first heard Dahmer’s conversion story in 1995, shortly after his death
• Gwen Shamblin - can we get them to remove her from this list?? Please??

That’s it for today. Maybe I’ll air some grievances tomorrow…

Missing Baby Jesus returns from year-long trip with photos from his journey.

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, I thought I would post the following from Shane Claiborne’s book The Irresistible Revolution. In his chapter where he records the details of his visit to Iraq, he writes the following:

I was invited to worship services nearly every day while in Iraq. The Christians in Baghdad gave me so much hope for the church. One of the most powerful worship services I’ve ever experienced was just a few days before I headed home. Hundreds and hundreds of Christians from all over the Middle East had gotten together - Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox. They read a statement from the Christian church directed to the Muslim community, declaring that they love them and believe that they were created in the image of God. Then we sang familiar songs like “Amazing Grace.” We said the Lord’s Prayer in several languages. They led us to the cross and prayed a prayer similar to the one Jesus prayed when he was on the cross: “Forgive us, for we know not what we are doing.” Hundreds and hundreds of people continued to try to get into the service and ended up gathering outside with candles. It was holy.

Afterward, I was able to meet with one of the bishops who had organized the gathering, and I explained to him that I was shocked to find so many Christians in Iraq. He looked at me, puzzled, and then gently said, “Yes, my friend, this is where it all began. This is the land of your ancestors. That is the Tigris River, and the Euphrates. Have you read about them?” I was floored – by my ignorance and by the ancient roots of my faith. It is the land of my ancestors. Christianity was not invented in America . . . how about that?

The bishop went on to tell me that the church in the Middle East was deeply concerned about the church in the United States. He said, “Many Americans are for this war.”

I nodded.

And he asked, “But what are the Christians saying?”

My heart sank. I tried to explain to him that many of the Christians in the U.S. are confused and hope that this is a way God could liberate the Iraqi people.

He shook his head and said, very humbly, “But we Christians do not believe that. We believe ‘blessed are the peacemakers.’ We believe if you pick up the sword, you die by the sword. We believe in the cross.” Tears welled up in my eyes as he said, “We will be praying for you. We will be praying for the church in the US … to be the church.”

I hear or read from time to time that the church in many other countries is stronger that it is in the U.S. It seems, at times at least, that American Christians believe that we are the ultimate example of Christianity in the world. Evidently, Christians elsewhere would disagree. It’s ironic that many American Christians are behind this war (as I was at one time), and yet those Christians that the war is supposedly helping oppose it and are praying for the American church to “be the church”, to be peacemakers. Perhaps the world would be better served if we were to put aside our arrogance and listen to other Chrisitans around the world. We might just have a lot to learn.

I’ve never heard of Debbie Schlussel, but if her column quoted here is an accurate represenation of her thinking, then I don’t need to hear anything else from her. Or this guy, either.