A Trip to the Notre Dame Basilica

Here is my reflection of my experience at mass last semester:

I had the privilege of visiting the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Notre Dame, Indiana. This is an experience I will never forget, and one that left me quite surprised. I was first taken aback by the impressive architecture on the outside of the basilica. Already I could sense the rich history of and aesthetic beauty of Catholicism. Upon entering these impressions were affirmed and amplified in the multi-sensory experience that is mass. Looking through the doorway into the midst of the basilica, I could see the the of candles which helped to illuminate the rich ornamentation adorning virtually every inch of the basilica. Taking my first breath inward I could smell the sweet aroma of incense which seasoned the air. The soothing songs of the organ filled the sanctuary with a reverent tone.

My wife and I journeyed to the left side of the basilica and found our seats while taking it all in. I noticed a young woman kneeling at her pew with her head covered in a black garment. I am not sure, but I think that maybe she was in mourning. I was surprised at how focused everyone seemed to be in their own way, as they prayed or sat quietly listening to the choir. I was nervous to speak as to break the air of reverence. I noticed that as each person came in or passed the altar they would bow towards the table or the crucifix, I am not too sure. Looking around at the ornamentation, artwork, and the stained glass windows, I could tell that they were wanting to convey the a rich sense of tradition and church history. Listening to the music, I couldn’t help but think that I was enjoying it more than some Adventist organ music.

At the center of the basilica is a large stage, raised by a few steps. I noticed that the central point of the stage was not the podium (which was to the left), but naturally was the table for the eucharist. Some of those directly involved with the service wore a robe. The priest, the pastor (?), and the song leader all wore robes. The priest seemed to be very kind and genuine in his interaction with the congregation. The priest presented the Word of God in a very reverential way. It was amazing to hear the utter silence in the sanctuary between the words of the priest. There was no talking at all, and everyone was intently focused on the priest. Any time the word was presented the reader would close with ‘The Word of the Lord’, to which the congregation would in unison reply with an ‘amen’. 

Another element that impressed me was the highly participative nature of the service. The congregation was just as involved as those up front. Standing, sitting, kneeling, reciting, singing, and other actions kept the people busy. One thing that was neat was a special blessing on the catechumens. Of course the pinnacle of participation was the actual eucharist service. Right before the eucharist itself, the priest made a few pointed remarks. One being that catechumens could not partake. Also, if one wanted a special blessing but didn’t partake, they would need to come up and cross their arms over their chest. The priest also said to the visitors that he hoped that one day we could partake with the Church at the one true table and have the Lord’s supper together. Here was the first instance where I could see the Catholicity and authority of the church become so apparent.

There was a big processional and routine building up to the partaking of the eucharist. The priest and pastor (?) poured the wine in large silver chalices. At one point they put water and wine together just for the priest. Everyone was singing together as this was taking place. A small group got up and partook of the eucharist, then that group distributed the eucharist to others. One would hold the silver cup of wine and say ‘the blood of Christ’, as each person would come and drink. They would then wipe the cup and repeat. Another person would say ‘the body of Christ’ as each person would come up and receive the bread to eat. I was quite surprised that such young people would come up and drink the wine. A few of them must have been 7 or 8 years old! 

Finally, at the end of the service the priest dismissed everyone. There were a few people who stood in various locations of the church with unlit candles giving a particular blessing of the throat. The music and choir kept singing and people began to disperse. At this point the seminary students met with a rector there who gave us a tour of the basilica. He also told us the history of the basilica and demonstrated great knowledge of church history, yet great ambiguity when it came to the Bible. It was an odd thing for there to be an archbishop buried there. I didn’t realize that was a common practice. 

I really enjoyed looking at all of the painted art everywhere, as well as the stained glass windows and sculptures. The weirdest part of this for me was in the relic room. I felt quite ambivalent about the idea of saint and relic ‘veneration’. This is an odd practice that I can’t fully wrap my mind around. The Catholic Church seems to take great pride and emphasis in the various giants of the church, even to the point of worship.

Overall, I was quite impressed by the services, but the theological differences left a bad taste in my mouth. The aesthetics, music, participation, and communion are all very charming, yet the emphasis on sacrament and ecclesial authority over the Bible, Christ, and personal sanctification leaves me quite troubled. The devoutness, reverence, and awe present in the service of mass is quite inspiring. These are good people. I would definitely recommend this experience to every Adventist, and in fact, every Protestant as a means to better understand and acquaint ourselves with our Catholic friends.

Long Overdue Update

Hey everyone, It's been a while since I've posted here. Here are the major happenings in my life over the past 8 months:
- My son was born! Emily did wonderfully!
- Emily's family came to visit and help!
- My son started to make good eye contact!
- I studied.
- My son started to hold his head up!
- I studied.
- My mom came to visit and help!
- I studied.
- My son started talking! (In his own language)
- My son grew! And grew! And grew!
- I studied.
- We went and visited Portland!
- I got to go on a mission trip to Brasil with my youth group!
- I got accepted to do evangelism in the Oregon Conference for Field School!
- I finished Spring Semester!
- My son grew some more!
- I started studying again!

I think you get the idea. I'm a dad and a student.

I'll post a few things next to fill in some details.

A Trip to the Mosque

Last Friday I went with my class down to South Bend Indiana to the Islamic Society of Michiana, for the purpose of observing and thus gaining a greater understanding of the Muslim faith in the context of a mosque service. I felt a wave of apprehension upon arriving as this was far out of my comfort zone, and I really didn’t know what I was about to experience.
We entered through the dining area, which had multiple shelves along the walls for the placement of the attendee’s shoes. The first noise we heard was coming through the speakers downstairs; the sound of someone reciting from the Qur’an. I think we all felt quite differentiated listening to the man continue his recitation as we ascended the stairs to the main room of worship. I was surprised to see that only a handful of people were up there on the large rug which filled the room. Yet they all seemed to be intently focused either on the words they were hearing, or upon their own prayers.
Our group was guided to the back of the room to a table and row of chairs for those who come to observe. Taking our seats, the recitation continued in fluctuating tone and cadence as a few more Muslims entered the mosque. As I looked around I noticed that the room was separated into two parts; one open section for the men, and a section for the women closed off by walls of highly polished wood. Adorning the walls were placards with Arabic writing on them, and clocks which told of the current time and the designated times for prayer. At the very front of the room was a large bookshelf with various translations of the Qur’an, the pulpit, and a stepped and covered structure which the imam uses for leading prayer.

I was amazed and inspired by the intense devotion and reverence I saw as each person performed their prayer ritual. Islam is a highly participative religion and every person goes through a ritualized personal prayer when they find their spot in the room. This ritual involves bowing toward the front of the room, which faces toward Mecca. It also involves symbolic gestures such as brushing your hands from your face towards your back, signifying the cleansing of the mind from worldly things, and distracting thoughts. They also whisper or meditate on particular sayings giving Allah and Muhammed glory. The whole ritual takes at least a couple of minutes.
One thing that surprised me was that even when the imam began his sermon, people would still do their ritual of standing, bowing, kneeling, and laying prostrate toward the east. The devotion and reverence in the room was uncanny.
I was impressed by the imam’s message, and the main point was one I could hear coming from a Christian pulpit. It was about the ethics of dialoguing with people of other faiths, and how we need to show kindness, respect, and love towards those we disagree with. It actually blessed me. During his sermon, suddenly I realized that the room was beginning to fill up. Soon it was practically at capacity! After the sermon, the imam transitioned into their corporate prayer ritual.
I was so impressed by the participative nature of this time. Everyone was unified as the imam lead the prayers and recitations. There is something powerful about the room filling with the roar of everyone prostrating themselves in unison. It made me desire this kind of ritual connection to my brothers and sisters in my church. Everyone seems to be engaging Allah. There is also a communal aspect in the sense that everyone is pressing together on the giant carpet to be close to the front. What an incredible sight it was to see everyone desiring to worship together!
This was definitely an experience I won’t forget. Our group was treated with so much respect and kindness. At the very end of the service, two of the prominent leaders in the congregation joined our group and were very eager to answer our questions regarding Islam, and everything we witnessed that afternoon. I think that is a gesture that every Christian church could learn from! If only every American could have an experience like this. I think that it would be very beneficial for people to see true Islam, rather than the notions of Muslims which are perpetuated on our media stations. The man leading the questions and answer session expressed genuinely that we are all brothers and sisters, and have no place to judge or condemn one another, for God is ultimately judge. What a far cry from the way we treat each other sometimes. One thing he said regarding Muslim conduct really stood out to me: “Radicalism is the bankruptcy of the mind”. This is a lesson we could all learn from!
My trip to the mosque was an incredible experience. Our Muslim neighbors are genuine, kind people, who are open to dialogue. And I feel strongly that in humility people of all faiths can learn so much from each other.

It's A Boy!

Basically, we are stoked.

"Everything Happens for a Reason"

Have you heard this saying before? Do you yourself use it? I know I have once upon a time. It is a mantra which is used frequently to explain an unforeseen event or sometimes a misfortune. ‘Everything happens for a reason’ they say, which for them seems to be a sufficient reply in the face of circumstance. But what does this really mean? What does this really imply? Is this philosophy true, or is it a big fallacy? I say it depends on how you look at it.

To really unpack this statement, we need to consider the two standing perspectives which the statement could or could not imply. For one, it can be used in the sense of cause and effect, which would make the statement accurate to the laws of physics. This is where there is truth in the statement. The other side of the coin is that the statement could imply a sense of determinism.

The dictionary definition of determinism is ‘the doctrine that all events, including human action, are ultimately determined by causes external to the will. Some philosophers have taken determinism to imply that individual human beings have no free will and cannot be held morally responsible for their actions.’This is to say that the events of our lives were planned, crafted, and forced into existence by some outside force (God, the Universe, or some other omnipotent force), and we have nothing to do with the daily events of our lives. Let us consider this idea first.

When one holds to this position, there is a degree of responsibility which is loosed from the individual. For example, if that person makes a poor decision and then faces the consequences of that action, they shrug it off and say ‘everything happens for a reason’. This is to say that ‘I had no control over what happened, and the current circumstance is one that serves some greater ‘uncontrolled’ purpose’. If this is true, then there is nothing that we do that is out of our own free will. The actions we make are ones which were predetermined and responsibility for them is not on us, but on the greater force which is forging our destiny.

What really is the truth in the situations that we find ourselves? Don’t we have control and responsibility over the choices we make? To say that ‘everything happens for a reason’ when we cause a situation which brings hurt to self or others is to deny our involvement in causing that situation.

At this point we need to consider the influence hindsight plays on this deterministic position. As we look back over the course of our own lives, we see that for each situation or trial we went through we came out of that as different people. In hindsight we can say that I went through circumstance a, and I grew or came out of it equipped all the better to face circumstance b. Sure, we can say ‘everything happens for a reason if we look to the past to see how we dealt with those situations, but we might consider rewording our philosophy.

A more fitting statement would be ‘the circumstances I face in a particular moment present me with new choices to make, and lessons to learn.’ I think that this gets rid of the deterministic element, and preserves the importance of responsibility.

What would it really say of God if we claimed that ‘everything happens for a reason’ in the sense that God causes suffering and pain? This would point God as being a malevolent god. We forget that there are indeed other forces in this universe besides God. We have and Enemy for one, and we live in a world of sinful people–ourselves included. People make mi

stakes in their lives, and the point of those mistakes is to learn from them, not to brush off our responsibility or involvement in a particular event. We have to deal with the things that we face, and grow from them without perpetuating them. Suffering in this world is not caused by God, it is the result of sin, and the actions of sinful humanity.

It seems that for some, ‘everything happens for a reason’ is an excuse for their way of living. Yet choice is something that we always have. We can choose to perpetuate our mistakes and live in a cycle of dysfunction (affecting others around us too), or we can choose to break that cycle and move forward in our lives while taking responsibility for our actions.

A more accurate way to view ‘everything happens for a reason’ is through the perspective of cause and effect. This looks instead at the cause of the situation, rather than the fallacy of there being some great purpose in dysfunction or irresponsibility. My situations today are caused by my choices yesterday. What happens today, is caused by what happened yesterday, and my reactions to those happenings.

For example, one could say ‘I don’t have money today, but everything happens for a reason’. Deterministically, this would say that the reason I don’t have money today is because of some grand purpose outside of my control’. But a more truthful way of looking at it would be that my lack of resources is the effect of a particular cause. The cause could be a variety of things: The lack of a job due to the poor economy, the lack of a job because the person doesn’t put forth effort and get out there and apply, the fact that the person ‘needed’ that new boat or PS3, or that all their money got stolen– the list could go on.

There is a text in the Bible which says ‘for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose’ (Rm 8:28). This is to say, that everything that we face this side of eternity, CAN be worked for good. All are called, to work according to His purpose, but few choose to live out His purpose. There is an ultimate end to our earthly lives, whether in death or in the Second Coming, and God has purposed that end. He has planned for all to come to know Him, and rise above the sinful life while abiding in Christ through the leading of the Holy Spirit. When we choose to rise above our circumstances and seek God’s will and way in the good and bad times, the situations work out for good. There is an ultimate purpose which God has for everyone, but it is the gift of free will which enables us to choose it or reject it.

There is an ultimate end, yet we all are given the ability to make our own choices in our lives. In closing, let’s recall Forrest Gumps words: ‘I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happening at the same time.’

Everything happens for a reason.

This philosophy is true.

This philosophy is false.

What do you think?

An Arrow.

I’ve been out of the blogging world for quite a while, and with good reason. These have been challenging times with school and other things, but in the midst of it all we learned something that will change our lives forever! We are having a baby! My Grandpa Hellman seems to be the most pleased, because he had bet me that we wouldn’t last in our 5-year plan of waiting to have kids. He called that one. Surprise!

Psalm 127:3-5

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!

I don’t know about ‘filling my quiver’ at this point; we will just focus on sharpening and straightening the arrow we have been given. I just pray that I raise the child to value the right ‘trajectory’. I pray my life would be one which models Christ to thechild, and does not turn the child off from Christianity.

My wife and I are now thinking about how to prepare for this baby. How do you prepare? We’ve been reading baby/parenting books over the past few months when we have a good opportunity, but at this point the focus seems to be just on growing a baby! We don’t know the sex yet, but we are drumming our fingers waiting for our appointment in a couple of weeks. It wasn’t until this last weekend that I was able to feel this kid kicking around in there! This really made it more real for me, on top of the ultrasound a month or two ago when we saw the baby bouncing and swimming around in the womb!
As excited as I am about having this baby, there is also a ‘healthy fea

r’ which clings to me as well. I don’t believe that this is an irrational fear, but an awe-some fear that comes with the incredible responsibility of taking care of something as fragile as a person’s life! So I guess this is a call to all experienced parents out there to give me any and all advice you have regarding raising children. What works? How do you raise a child to love the Lord? How do you discipline your kids? How do you raise a child to be self-sustaining and self-disiplined? How do you not mess this up!? My first thought is that the parents need to model these attributes themselves, but I’d love to hear some advice. Please gimme!

Speaking of heritage, now would be a good time for me to point out to you my mom’s blog– Mary Jane's Genes. My Mom is a genealogical maestro, and on her blog you can read about our quirky heritage. I am so proud of her and the research she is doing on our family. Week by week she surprises all the relatives with the new things she finds on our family. There’s one more coming Mom!

Wolverton Bible

Just a short hurrah for something I found that is way cool. I went to the college bookstore the other day and took a gander in the art section. My eyes caught a book called ‘The Wolverton Bible’. Thumbing through it I was immediately impressed. An artist by the name of Basil Wolverton spent alot of time from the 50’s to the 70’s illustrating the Old Testament and The Book of Revelation.
His attention to detail is amazing, and his approach to inked art is unique and original in his field. His highly detailed and sometimes grotesque style was developed in his career in comic books and MAD magazine, during which (go figure) he became a very conservative Christian in a small Sabbatarian denomination.
This book is way cool because it bridges my two loves: art and the Bible. However I wouldn’t recommend this book for children as the horrific events he depicts (the flood, destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah) are realistic and sometimes scary. I think what makes this book so much fun is the realism and lack of over-glamorization that we see sometimes in other illustrated publications.
At some points I have run into theological issues (like the futurist interpretations of Revelation), but all in all it is way fun.

The Mars Hill/Rob Bell Experience

Once I found out that Rob Bell’s church Mars Hill is in Grand Rapids, I thought it would be pretty cool to check it out while I am in Michigan. This last Sunday, Em and I hopped in the car along with the dog and headed up to see what it is all about.
Now I am not gonna get into Rob Bell, his theology, or the ruckus that the has been stirred up between him and the evangelicals. I haven’t read any of his books, but the Nooma videos he creates never cease to stir and inspire me. I admire Rob Bell for his creativity and excellence in storytelling, for breaking the mold of what a preacher is and what a church is, and for seeking to reach out and be a relevant influence to the current generation.
Mars Hill is a church that takes its dwelling inside of an old renovated shopping mall. The divisions of the old stores make up the various departments and ministries in the church, and I even saw an operating cafeteria with a children’s play-place that puts McDonalds to shame. What kid wouldn’t want a playground inside of the church? As we began to wander through the foyer/mall making our way to the main area of worship, I noticed tables adorned with hot-pots full of coffee, and trays of bagels available for the taking. Righteous.
Getting closer to the sanctuary I could hear the worship music inside. Much to my surprise and pleasure, they were singing the classic hymn “I Surrender All”. As the singers neared the chorus, suddenly the keyboard belted out in deep synth-organ–an 80’s pop riff. Whoa. I must admit I thought of feeling my pockets to see if I brought the Q-tips. Sure enough they busted it out again, and it was to the tune of ‘99 Red Balloons’. Okay, so they are attempting to be a little hip and relevant, I can jive with that. But they did it again in the next song. And the next. 80’s music with Christian lyrics.
Now I know that some of the hymns we sing today are old songs sung in taverns which have been baptized in Christian rhetoric. I’m sure if I heard the original songs I would still associate them with the hymns; time has done that. But this experience was really peculiar. We heard tones like “Take on Me”, and “Take My Breath Away” from ‘Top Gun.’ In fact Em and I glanced at each other with that look that said “This is cheddar.” That’s just what it felt like. Rather than having a worship experience, it was interrupted with this overwhelming feeling of cheesiness.
I cannot judge whether this brought someone close to God (I guess nostalgia can do that for some), but overall it seemed to just bring about laughter from the congregation. The whole deal ended with applause like the musicians put on a good show. And they did :)
Enter Pastor Rob Bell. Thankfully his talk redeemed the whole experience for me. Mars Hill is currently going through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, and Sunday’s message was centered around “Blessed are the peacemakers...” We journeyed through the challenges of conflict and the dangers of judgmentalism and an aptitude toward labeling others we disagree with. What it reveals about us is the unresolved issues of the heart. The main point was that since God meets us in the times when we fail, it really should be difficult for us to be judgmental of others in their failure. Right on. I agree. He also communicated that when it comes to conflict, ultimately Jesus is on both parties side rooting for their redemption. Amen.
The message was real, down to earth, thought provoking and inspiring. I was blessed. I thought that it was really innovative to close the service with a ‘peacemakers anointing’ upon those in the church who are facing conflict. During this time everyone was free to stay or free to go.
Despite my issues with the song service, I really appreciated the service and love of Mars Hill. We were escorted to our seats by a really kind usher, bearing a genuine smile on her face. We felt the love. I could tell that Rob has a really good connection and relationship with the church, and that he genuinely loves them. I think that this is a paramount trait for pastors. There was also a local outreach highlight which told of how members of the church are mentoring kids at the public schools, and the school is very impressed with the willingness of a church to serve the public school system. Hmm.
In conclusion, I was impressed by the creativity and outreach of this growing church. My reservations lie in the apparent disconnect we sensed among people when the service closed. Walking through the place as we left literally felt like walking through a shopping mall during the holiday season. I can’t help but think that there are many there which just blend into the ‘sea of faces’, never experiencing the fellowship and feeling of belonging that comes with smaller churches. All in all, I can tell that this church is on board in seeking to fulfill the great commission through creatively engaging the post-modern culture. And I suppose my perspectives are as unique as the many individuals that experience and participate in Mars Hill.

Shameless Adventist Plug

A friend posted one of these on facebook and immediately I was excited about what I was seeing. What a great contemporary way to share Adventist beliefs!

Promises of the Vine

I spent all day today at a spiritual retreat for my 'Spiritual Formation' class. I really didn't know what to expect other than hoping that God would speak to me. And he did. Looking into the scriptures and meditating upon them, I discovered the great promise that God will fulfill the purpose in which He had in mind when he created me and consecrated me from birth (Isaiah 49:1-7). What a blessing it is to release all of my future into God's hands rather than spending any time worrying about it. In that chapter in Isaiah there is also a promise that He will provide strength and He will work through me.

But there is a catch.

In John 15, Jesus declares that He is the vine, and that His disciples are the branches. If we are to abide in Him, we must be bearing fruit. The fruit of the spirit cannot be produced outside of the vine. It's impossible. For those who claim His name, must abide in Him. Jesus then says in verse 16 "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name." Whoa.

So then to presume that I can receive anything from God if I am living a disobedient life is like thinking that I can get some quality vitamins and minerals from eating donuts all day.

Upon meditating on all of this, I was also reminded of the promise of faith moving mountains (Mark 11:23).
So anything that I face while abiding in Christ I can overcome for God is my strength. Pretty awesome.

In response to all of this I decided to draw an allegorical picture. You can see the vine which represents Christ, has a branch sprouting from it. This fruit-bearing branch is representative of the faithful believers in Jesus. And in this picture, the branch is casting a mountain of adversity into the sea. This was fun. It's a little Dali-esque too.