Generational Blessings

While we hear a lot about "generational curses" in pop theology, we rarely hear much about "generational blessings". It seems to me that Scripture has much more to say about the latter! While the ultimate act of blessing is the work of God, it is a fact that the patriarchs (and I would say matriarchs as well) made much of blessing the next generation and therefore the generations to come.

Though I have some room in my theology for generational curses which are supernatural by nature (demonic in origin), I have more room for "curses" which are brought on the the next generation through bad choices, poor modeling and sinful lifestyles of the elders, mostly the works of the flesh or worldly aspirations. In a similar way, the next generation, and those after can be blessed through right choices, good and intentional modeling and godly (and healthy) lifestyles.

I recently read a quote from "The Great Law of The Iroquois Confederacy" ((oddly enough, I read it on a detergent bottle!): "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations."

If I consider the impact of my decisions with that kind of sobriety, not only will my children be blessed but so will theirs and those for at least seven generations to come.

Is this not something of what it means to live a life of holiness?

So...I'm Still Alive

Okay. I realize it's been forever. Actually, I didn't realize just how long it had been till I took a look today! There's a lot of water under the bridge since I posted last: a national election, a Seminary board meeting, many, many meetings at school, horse shows, Eddie James' services, preaching and singing in Crab Orchard and...I've been to Kansas City, Pittsburgh and Helsinki, Finland! No wonder I haven't posted!!

The last post ("Guess Where I've Been") was of pictures from my reconnaissance mission for the Society for Pentecostal Studies. The 2010 meeting (for which I will be Program Chair) will be hosted by North Central University in Minneapolis, MN. So, yes, the pix are of Minneapolis. David Roebuck (Dixon Pentecostal Research Center and SPS Director) and I traveled to Minneapolis at the end of September in order to see the North Central facilities and to secure a conference hotel. North Central is a very nice campus and we were warmly welcomed. The president, Gordon Anderson, is actually a blues guitarist so we were off to the races! Dr. Glen Menzies, New Testament prof there, is the on-sight coordinator for the 2010 meeting. He had done lots of legwork and made the trip fairly easy. Long story short (as Groucho would say, "Too late!"), the facilities at North Central are great and we secured The Radisson Hotel for the conference. It is their flagship hotel and is really beautiful. And, yes, we went to a Twins game! (That was David's idea.)

The Pittsburgh trip was for an Association of Theological Schools meeting for Women in Leadership. I thoroughly enjoyed it and gained a lot of valuable insights into how theological education is functioning in the US and Canada. In addition, the conference was very helpful for women who are becoming leaders in what is traditionally a "man's world" (and where isn't that the case??)

Every Fall, I attend a meeting of scholars and pastors from the Wesleyan-Pentecostal traditions in Kansas City. This meeting is funded by the Louisville Institute and meets at Nazarene Theological Seminary. It is organized and nurtured by the man who first had the vision for it, Hal Knight. Next year is our final year meeting and I will miss the conversation.

And I just got back from Helsinki! I left November 14 and arrived home on this past Saturday (the 22nd). This was a meeting called the Joint Consultative Group sponsored by the World Council of Churches. It is a week-long conversation between representatives from WCC churches (Lutheran, Orthodox, Baptist, Reformed, etc) and representatives from Pentecostal non-member churches. We stayed at an Orthodox conference center called Sofia on the Baltic Sea. It was a lovely place and reminded me very much of Maine. The fellowship was really good and I enjoyed getting to know these pastors and teachers from various traditions. The Pentecostal team was made up of theologians and academics from the US, Finland, Holland, Zambia, South Africa, Malaysia and India. The Body of Christ is so diverse, yet there is an essential unity in the Spirit.

So...that's the catching up post! I've been so busy that the holiday season might even be a real relaxing time for me!!

Guess Where I've Been

The Fruit of Our Lips

For several weeks I have been contemplating the idea of Christian speech. I mean here the character of the Christian's speech. (For an excellent, and long, discussion written over fifty years ago by a Mennonite follow this link)

A few months ago I listened to a person speak on pacifism. I greatly admire this person, and agreed with virtually everything he said. However, the more adamant he became about peace, the angrier he became and the more violent his epithets became. Unfortunately, in many ways, his violence was more remembered than his pacifism. (Fortunately, I took notes on the rest of what he said!) It occurred to me then that in a moment one's words could undo a lot of good said otherwise.

Perhaps I am particularly sensitive to this issue because angry, sarcastic speech can be a besetting sin for me. As Corky has said often, the angrier I get the more lucid my speech! It's exhilarating! I am logical, and have a great memory, so I can be murderous in an argument! And that is just the point: I can kill with my tongue.

If I am to bear witness, then a large part of my public personae is my speech. And as the saying goes, "my speech betrays me". Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." My Nigerian friend, Ayo, told me about an African proverb which says that you can't blame the ugly speech of a drunk man on the drink; the drink only brings out what is inside. So, if my speech is unfruitful, I am not bearing witness to Jesus.

I am bothered by my brothers and sisters in the Religious Right who have adopted the rhetoric (both in content and style) of the Extreme Republican Right. There should be a marked difference between the speech of the Christian Conservative and the non-Christian Conservative. The Christian's speech, it seems to me, should be marked by truth and grace. It is possible to be prophetic, to rebuke and to challenge in a way that bears witness to Jesus or reflects Him. In a graceless age, my first obligation is to point the way to grace.

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer."

Emma Singing at "The Call", Washington, D.C.

So exciting! Emma sang with Eddie James on stage at The Call in D.C. on Saturday, August 16.

Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D

Of course we wanted to see Batman, a.k.a. The Dark Knight. And we plan to. But that's the problem. We didn't plan ahead. Somehow that takes the spontaneity out of the whole thing! Buying tickets way in advance. Anyway. We are getting old and it's not the priority it used to be. I fondly remember going to see the first Batman movie (appropriately titled "Batman") at a midnight "pre-showing", on Thursday before it opened on Friday while we lived in Atlanta. And I've seen all the others. And will see this one...probably soon.

Anyway, we went to see the new "Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D" at the Imax because we figured the crowds would be down and everyone would be waiting in line for "The Dark Knight". We were right.

"Journey" is great fun. It builds on the original but with great special effects and those in 3D! Lots of prehistoric dangerous plants and animals, cave experiences, and a reasonable and non-embarrassing romance.

Happily, one element that was left out was the "greedy old-man load" character. This archetype is best remembered as the terribly annoying professor in "Lost in Space". They are selfish, generally older men, who look out for themselves and then get into scrapes or have heart attacks which require the rest of the team to put themselves in jeapordy in order to save "The Load". (I am indebted to MST3K for this nomenclature utilized in their commentary on "The Mole People".) I believe the original "Journey" had one of these figures who loaded up with jewels, thus increasing his weight, etc. Anyway, that element is handled differently in this one and I'm thankful for it. Though, come to think of it, inclusion of "The Load" probably makes the whole thing more realistic and believable. Alas, "The Load" is a cultural universal (and a church universal). Can you name "Loads" in literature, movies, etc?

My "Various" Life

One of my favorite Mark Twain quotes comes from Huck Finn (I believe) when Huck and Jim don't enter a room because "it looked too various in there". [something like that! Anyway...that's the spirit of it!] That's the way this week feels!

It started with a great youth service at LH, thanks to Josh and Hope (and the youth). After the service Sunday night, Leslie, Lex and I made our way to Saluda, NC, where my sister and her daughter (Michele and Hannah) have rented a cabin for the week. My parents had come up from Rock Hill for the night and Monday....so they could see Lex! On Monday the 4 "girls" went tubing on the Green River [that's not us tubing...but it is the Green River]. Mom/Dad kept Lex on the bank and he got to wade in the river with his water shoes. He thought this hysterical since he's not supposed to get his shoes wet! The trip down river was about 3.5 hours (a bargain at $7!) and had moderate rapids (enough for kayaking) and still water to float in. It was wonderful and great fun! I hadn't tubed in years and loved all of it except drifting into the bank and overhanging spider-y tree limbs! I never fell out but at the very end when we were supposed to "de-river" so we could be picked up by the short bus, I went in over my head! Some guy who was fishing on the shore said it was only about 3 ft. deep there, and I was moving pretty swiftly away from the shore so I jumped out and in over my head! But the Mary Kay make-up stayed in place!! Leslie fell out once and scraped her back but still had a blast!

This morning, Leslie and I headed west to Shelbyville, Tennessee and the Celebration Grounds for the State 4-H Show. She races tomorrow (barrels and poles). She's at the pizza party and dance tonight and then camping out there. Meanwhile, I'm staying in a dorm room with Corky, who is completing his 2 week Fuller D.Miss. cohort at Lipscomb University. Beginning tomorrow night they are hosting the Christian Scholar's Conference with keynote speakers Sen. Bill Frist, Jim Wallis (yes...on the same program!) and lots of other sessions, including presentations by William J. Abraham (Methodist scholar from SMU) and the producer of "Amazing Grace". The theme is "The Christian Faith, Life of the Mind and the Public Square". There will also be a screening of the film.

So who said life is boring or dull? Tiring, yes; dull, never.

Moral Courage

Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality of those who seek to change a world which yields most painfully to change.

- Robert F. Kennedy, in a speech in Capetown, South Africa, June 6, 1966. Today is the 40th anniversary of his assassination. (Source: Wikiquote )

Cecil the Carrot and Lex

Since Corky posted the Lex the Bee I thought I would post a few more pix of Lex of late. I am particularly fond of the Cecil the Carrot pose because of one of our long-time friends from NC, Cecil Chambers, a friend through thick and thin. Lex isn't too sure about the carrot. The "playhouse sessions" photos were taken at the church playground.

I have been quite amused at Corky and I as we've found ourselves just watching Lex run and play, laughing at him and looking at each other in great Adoration of the Grandson. We could do that for hours and be totally content and entertained. We are getting old. And it's all good.

Emma's Home

Emma got home yesterday! She came in bearing gifts, stories and about 500 pictures. From all indications, her trip was a great success. They held medical clinics and worship services in 3 cities in Uruguay and Argentina. No one got sick, always a blessing on a missions trip! The American team (Patrick, Darien and 4 twenty-year olds) were joined by a team from a church in Argentina which included the pastor, some staff and several other 20-year olds. Emma sang and testified, checked vital signs and assisted Dr. Silvina Gonzalez and, it appears, was the life of the party. God is so good...they even came upon an Argentine folk dancing class and Emma joined in the dance!

This morning I am thankful to God that he kept her safe, that he broadened her experience and worldview and I am thankful for my church, the Church of God, without which this experience couldn't have happened. I need to remember that in this Assembly year when it's easy to remember and meditate on a lot of other things about my denomination!

Emma and the Away Team

Finally, this morning, we had news from Emma. Dr. Silvina Gonzalez sent pictures of her assisting with medical work and with the group. Silvina reports that Emma gave her testimony in the service in Artigas and sang with the team. Darien Fox, another former student, also on the trip, reported this morning that Emma is "the life of the party" and sent pictures of her eating to prove it! He also sent the picture here of the whole team. It was great to wake up to news and to hear how well things are going! Keep praying!

Pray for Emma in South America!

Our second-born, Emma, is flying to Uruguay at this moment. Last night she finished her job at the local elementary school where she had been teaching dance in an after-school program. They presented an end-of-the-year program featuring dances from the decades of the 30s through the 90s, ending with the show-stopper, "Party Like It's 1999"!

Today she joins a team of others, led by Dr. Patrick Jensen on a medical missions trip. They will work with Dr. Silvina Gonzalez in Uruguay and Argentina for approximately 2 weeks. Medical treatment will be given during the day and worship/evangelistic services will be held at night. Both Patrick and Silvina are graduates of the seminary and both are gifted worship leaders. Several of the others going are musicians as well. So, this trip is right up her alley! Nursing, singing and worship!

They will return on May 27! Please keep her in your prayers.

Dottie Rambo 1934-2008

My dad sent me an email with the sad news that Dottie Rambo had been killed in an accident in her tour bus early Sunday morning. Dottie was one of the earliest influences on me as a gospel singer. When I was very young, my dad brought the Rambos to Rock Hill, SC (my hometown) for a concert. I was mesmerized by this tiny woman with the huge voice, who could tear up an electric guitar, and, though I didn't recognize it, sang under an anointing of the Holy Ghost[she was UPC]. I do remember her shouting and dancing all over the stage, and shouting as my Dad's group, The Chordsmen, sang. I saw her a number of times in concert after that.

She was a prolific songwriter, writing over 3500 songs, recorded by numerous artists, even outside of gospel music, including Whitney Houston ("I Go to the Rock"). Some of her best-known songs, most of which I've sang at some time or other, are "He Looked Beyond My Fault", "We Shall Behold Him", "I Will Glory in the Cross", "Sheltered in the Arms of God", "If That Isn't Love", "Too Much to Gain to Lose" and "Remind Me, Dear Lord".

Dottie could be categorized as country-gospel, I suppose (her ex-husband, Buck, certainly could be), but Dottie had soul. I didn't like every phase she went through, and by no means, followed everything she did. Actually, I never owned that many of her albums, but her influence on me is undeniable.

Here's Dottie singing "I Will Glory in the Cross" in the early 1980s. I only regret I couldn't find a video of her playing lightening fast guitar as well!

Leslie's Saturday Barrel Run

Have You Seen My Grandson?

Lex is coming home tonight! He's been at my parents' (his great-grandparents) house since the family reunion. Mom and Dad are bringing him home tonight "on their way" to Pigeon Forge. Dad just sent me these pictures of Lex "riding" the rocking horse I had when I was his age!

More Family Togetherness

This week-end we traveled to my hometown, Rock Hill, SC for the reunion of the Newton side of my family. My mom's brother and sister-in-law, Wayne and Lil Newton, have taken the responsibility for the last few years of organizing this early summer event. This year there were four generations present (Lex representing the 4th). Most of my family are in the ministry (pastors, teachers, worship leaders, missionaries) so we have a lot in common beyond just blood. In spite of the holiness background, we did have fun dancing this year: YMCA, Macarina, Hokey-Pokey and Square Dancing. Few of us have any real talent in that area. Maybe, being holiness, we missed the moment in learning because the "young people" present all seem to be able to move! Of course, we dance in church, but that tends to be less-choreographed in our tradition!! Anyway, it was all great fun.

The hi-lite was having my Uncle Wayne officiate at the baby dedication for his young grandson, Christian Taylor Newton. Christian is the son of my first cousin Chip and his wife, Jennifer. This was both a dedication and a celebration of Chip's healing. About 7 years ago, Chip was diagnosed with testicular cancer, undergoing both radical surgery and radiation therapy. A newlywed at the time, he was told unequivocally he would not be able to father children. But the Great Physician saw the prognosis differently! Chip and Jennifer are now the parents of two beautiful children, Anna Grace (appropriately named!) and Christian Taylor! I know Mamaw and Papaw Newton were shoutin' and rejoicing with their kids, grandkids and great-grandkids yesterday!!

Recent Outings

Corky and I just returned from a week in Arizona. It was primarily a research trip for him (Navajo Contextual Theology/Practice and Disabilities Services) and a reconnaissance mission for my Aunt Margaret and Uncle Don Whichard (she will probably do a women's conference on the Navajo Rez next year). The picture was taken as we hiked 275 ft. down into Canyon de Chelly.

The other picture is of our family and Georgia family (Jill, Joel and Katie Libramento) and friends (Pete, Kristen and Katie) in Atlanta when we went to see the The Lion King.

Christmas in April: Of Lions, Onion Rings and Family

On Saturday the Tennessee Alexanders (Corky, Kim, 3 girls, son-in-law, grandson) drove to Atlanta to meet the Atlanta Libramentos (Jill, Joel, Katie and friends) to see the Lion King at the Civic Center (see Corky's blog for the trailer). This was our Christmas present to our family and Jill and Steave's to theirs. It was too wonderful for words...so I won't try. Afterwards, we had chili-cheeseburgers, onion rings, fries, peach and apple pies and Frosted Oranges at the Varsity. Again...too wonderful for words. Sometimes its nice to spread the festivities out--even over months!

The Weather....Again

It may drop to freezing tonight (it's 37 F right now) and the Meteorologist is on the weather porch again.