We’ll be feasting on ham and potatoes with salads and enjoying mead mixed with plum wine, and our traditional flaming plums and cherries over ice cream for dessert.

Then we will retire to the Plum Room for stories where many accounts of the legend of the Burning Plum will be presented.

In short, tonight we celebrate friendship, as we do every year at this time.

Let the Night of the Burning Plum commence!

We had a big ham, horseradish spiced mashed potatoes and a raspberry/walnut/gorganzola salad with a vinegrette. It were all *delicious*. Accompanying dinner was a mixture of plum wine and homemade sparkling mead. Also quite tasty.

For dessert we had our traditional Flaming Plums and Cherries served over vanilla ice cream and 8 year old Plum Brandy. It was lovely. Ralph brought some cream Sherry from the winery near where many of used to live in Pennsylvania which was also quite tasty.

After dessert and conversation we adjourned into the newly painted Plum Living Room for our tradition of telling stories. The children told many stories, including one from Toby that had Cthulu, Agent X, and Dr. Frankenstein. Their story telling has vastly improved over the four years and I’m glad for this tradition. Seth told his usual three stories, and we all shared in a lovely time (you can read Gabrielle’s story from last night here).

After all this we did a little cleaning up and then most went to bed and a few of us wandered down to Seth & Crystal’s for some Jungle Speed (which I won more times than I usually do against Seth and Ralph!).

Of the family traditions we’ve begun since our family was founded, this is by far my favorite. Next year, the 5th annual Night of the Burning Plum promises to be even better. I’m already starting to think of changes to the evening (minor, improving changes!) in preparation.

All in all, another lovely night, and a grand annual celebration of friendship. Hopefully those who couldn’t make it this year will be available in 2009.

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (Psalms 2:1-12, ESV)

Today, many people are having reactions to last night’s news. And they will continue reacting as more news comes in today. The voting is over, and as the final ballots are counted news will abound.

In January Barack Obama will become the 44th President of the United States. And many of those who did not vote for him are fretting about what kind of Presidency he will have, and in a future post I will deal with that fretting.

First, though, about reactions. The King of Kings is still enthroned. And as I wrote yesterday, it is God who removes rulers and sets others in their places. In our republic He does that through the means of the voters and the electoral college–but it is God who does it. And God has determined that Barack Obama will be the next President.

And Christians will be tempted to react many different ways today.

To those who voted for McCain: He did not lose because of your brothers who did not vote for McCain. Do not curse your brothers who voted for third parties, or even those who voted for Barack Obama. Furthermore, consider the additional executive powers that you were just fine with President Bush exercising and remember why limited government is important: power shifts. And if you’re not comfortable with Barack Obama wielding certain powers you shouldn’t want George W. Bush to have them either. And sit down and pray for our nation, and for our next President (more on this in the next post). You voted as you thought you should, and God will bless that–rest in that and trust in God for what will come next.

To those who voted for a third party: Do not gloat over the inability of the centrist, “RINO” McCain to inspire the nation. Do not say “I told you so” or bite back about how horrible it is that your brothers voted differently than you did. Don’t revile VNS for bad third party reporting. Don’t take a “holier than thou” attitude towards others who voted differently. Sit down and pray for our nation, and for our next President. You voted as you thought you should, and God will bless that–rest in that and trust in God for what will come next.

To those who voted for Obama: Do not gloat in his victory. And more importantly, despite whatever inspired you about him, never forget that he is a man. And many men, good though they appeared, have been corrupted by power even if they were not before. Also, be prepared to watch him do things that he said he would that you paid no attention to like signing the Freedom of Choice act and pursuing the so-called fairness doctrines that may hamper your free speech. I will resist the temptation to say “I told you so” later, but consider those possibilities now and do not be surprised if those things happen. And do not look down on your brothers for not voting the way you did. I am very happy that the USA was willing to vote for a Black president so soon after our war, even though I am sad that the first Black president has the views he does. And maybe this will bring some of that healing, but do think of those who did not vote for him as racist or betrayers. And sit down and pray for our nation, and for our next President. You voted as you thought you should, and God will bless that–rest in that and trust in God for what will come next.

Finally, to the title and verses above. There are many in our nation who want no part in the holy God who created them. They want to cast the cords that bind them away–rage against the Most High. No matter what happens in the public square over the next four years, God is neither surprised nor shaken. In fact, the efforts to throw off His control he scoffs at. He laughs! Our King is still enthroned, and He watches over our world, and He will not be dethroned no matter who rules on earth over any nation.

So pray for President Bush. Pray for President-elect Obama. And trust in the King. And serve no King but Jesus Christ.

Health: Better Safe Than Sorry – US News and World Report
Andrew Stout’s farm in Carnation, Wash., is one of the most successful small organic farms in the country. Each week, Full Circle Farm delivers fresh lettuce, green peas, spring garlic, and spinach to 17 farmers’ markets in the Seattle area, as well as to dozens of restaurants and retailers, including Whole Foods Market. Some 2,400 boxes of produce a week go out to families who have bought a share in the farm’s riches. His customers are counting on getting freshness and taste-and also on Stout’s care when it comes to hygiene. “Bacteria exists everywhere,” he says. So he keeps the manure pile away from the packing shed, tests the water used to irrigate and wash vegetables, and keeps an eye on his workers to be sure they wash their hands. “I’m a food provider,” he says. “You want to do the absolute best that you can.”

The rapidly growing passion for locally grown produce from farmers like Stout and his wife, Wendy Munroe, is one sign of just how nervous Americans have become about the state of food on their plate.

Holy Cow! Whole Foods Linked to E. coli Outbreak – The Checkout
Whole Foods initiated the recall after Massachusetts health officials investigating a cluster of E. coli illnesses discovered all seven victims had bought meat at Whole Foods. The chain pulled ground beef from some of its stores on Wednesday. The Nebraska Beef recall was announced late Friday night.

The first article I linked to above is one I read about a year ago while in Arizona visiting my parents, the second is one I saw on my Google homepage this morning.

Food. It’s the stuff we take in that God has designed to give us energy, life, health, and enjoyment. Certainly God could have designed a “more efficient” way for us to get our calories in, but food was given for enjoyment, for feasting. And we miss it when we fast–turning us back to Him.

But food lately has become a knotty issue, as these two articles point out. Food can be dangerous. It can give death almost as easily as it brings life, because it can carry with it many dangerous things that exist in our world since the fall. Most people in our nation look for the FDA and the USDA to guard the quality and safety of the food supply. But can they? I mean, short of inspecting every single food item before it hits your grocery store, is that even possible? And what would that do to the tax cost of food? And is it even their job?

The first article talks about a growing movement of buying food that is local. Food that you know where it came from. Certainly that doesn’t eliminate safety concerns, but doesn’t it make them smaller than a federal agency ever could? In the old days people would buy meat from a butcher that they knew, who bought the meat directly from a farmer that they probably knew as well. The grocer? He carried vegetables and such from local farmers also. And so on.

Do you know where your food comes from? Have you ever asked they guy at the meat counter where those chickens were raised and what they were fed? He probably doesn’t know. (As an aside, I have had conversations with people at both Alwan and Sons and Pottstown Deli locally and I got an answer, and usually it was someplace I could find out more about if I wanted to.)

If you don’t know where your food comes from, you are at risk. Maybe not huge risk, but since the largest organic food vendor (Whole Foods Market) in the United States just had meat issues, I don’t think you can even say that buying organic makes you safer.

But if you grow your own veggies or get them from a friend or neighbor or a local farmer–they’re likely to be safer, and at least you can ask more questions about what they grew near, what fertilizer was used, etc. And if you take responsibility for your consumption purchases, you will always be better off in the long run, and safer. We buy most of our meat directly from local farmers and prefer veggies from the same, when we can get them. (Here’s a link to a video of a chicken plucker that we got to help with, and help a farmer, who gave us a sizeable chicken for our work).

And you just might help a local business thrive instead of a big box.

So if you don’t know where your food came from, think about it, and consider changing that. If you do–good job!

I’m sure I’ll have more to write on this later, but be careful what you eat, especially if you have no idea where it’s been.

When I fly I get frustrated with the rights that are ignored and fractured in the name of alleged safety. As I think about one day opening a restaurant I fear and worry over the huge numbers of regulations that face me in the process- fearing that small infraction (or an overzealous inspector or other authority) that could be seized as an opportunity to overturn all the work that had gone into that business endeavor.

And this frustrates me beyond belief. In other contexts, talking to others in formal and informal counseling situations I’ve said that frustration is often (always?) a sign of our own sin rather than a right response to the sins of others. Yes, there is a righteous anger at tyranny, but even within a tyrannical system we are to respond in love.

Last week I posted a link to a site where you can adopt a terrorist for prayer, quoting Jesus’ words about how we are to respond to those who persecute us. Those who hate us. Our enemies.

Saturday I realized more clearly how deep my frustration and bitterness runs towards tyranny and fascism. And Sunday morning during prayer time in worship I realized how hard my heart is towards those who practice it. And I repented of it and prayed (and must continue to pray) that God would soften my heart towards fascist, tyrannical, persecuting people. I prayed that God would help me to love my enemies.

That’s what Jesus wants me to do. Certainly I should not grow tired of speaking out against tyranny and fascism. Certainly I should do whatever is in my power to stem the tide of such evils. Certainly I should beseech God to come in power to end the merciless injustice that follows in the wake of tyranny.

But.

But my response to those who practice the evil must be love. It must be to pray for them. It must be to bless the curser and to overcome the evil with good. And maybe then instead of frustrated outbursts of hating fascists I may see, by God’s grace, a hatred for evil that is punctuated by a love and prayer and what is lovely in the sight of all men.

This may change nothing but me. But it may produce more joy in what little suffering I’ve been asked to endure. And so today I ask that God will soften my heart towards those who do evil. And may He do that today and every day.

If you didn’t read the other post or the comments under it the link is right there. What I’m about to say has its jumping off point in what the two posts (and underlying comments) by Josh Gibbs that Seth linked to. I used to read Gibbs but stopped because I was skipping more posts than I was reading, but these two were pretty good, or at least thought provoking.

Some of what I’m going to write on this topic is in the “thinking out loud” category. I realize that it’s dangerous to think out loud walking around a room of people who kind of know you—and that doing the same thing on a blog that can be accessed from anywhere in the world but Tibet is another level of insanity altogether. But then maybe I’ll start a controversy and become famous. Not likely—but I might attract more than the current seven loyal readers.

It is somewhat ironic that I write this on tax day. I filed my taxes quite some time ago, but today is the day that many are rushing off to the post office to mail tax forms and extension forms. It is in this realm of taxes that some of the controversy surrounding poverty happens. At the outset of this discussion of poverty I want to make it very clear that I completely oppose any helping of the poor through dollars taken from taxpayers at the point of a gun. All government run poverty “helps” do just that—and while I’m going to talk a lot in this series (oh no! It’s over now) about all the things that need to be done in ministering to the poor in Jesus’ Name it is Christians who are supposed to do this, and with our own resources, not those that the government has taken from others.

I have been looking at this issue from one perspective of economics for quite some time, and have not found a lot out there that I agree with. It seems like somebody decided that there are two ways to look at the poor, and we have to simplify it down to those. There are those who think we should take money from the rich to help them (I’ll call these the Christian Robin Hoods) and those who just assume that you’re poor because you’re lazy or a drunk. There are varying grades of these two views, but there are very few in between.

As you read what I’ll write, you’ll know that I am decidedly in between. Here are some guiding questions as I get started:

1. Who are the poor? Defining who is poor and who is rich is controversial and difficult at best. Who is objectively poor and who is objectively rich? I have some thoughts on that but it’ll be a post in itself.
2. What is our responsibility? And how do we carry that out? And by whom? Is it enough to give lots of money to the local rescue mission? Should the rescue mission even exist? Is it OK to give a drunk money? Methodologies abound. I will make a distinction between methods and methodologies (principles that guide the methods). Of the former there are many right ways, of the latter the principles ought to be the same.
3. What are the goals? Is the goal that the poor become rich? Or that they are less poor?
4. Why is this a big issue of disagreement? Why can’t we agree that helping the poor is important and figure out how best to do it and go out and do it?
5. What are charity and justice? What do they look like in our current society? What might they look like in a non-capitalist society?

There may be more, but these are questions that can guide any discussion that takes place here and on other blogs that might throw stones this way. I’ll have more later.

The Gospel Coalition | Vision
We cannot look at the poor and the oppressed and callously call them to pull themselves out of their own difficulty. Jesus did not treat us that way.

I read a blog each day (or most days) called Of First Importance which mostly has quotes that remind me of the centrality of Jesus and His Gospel to my life. These are short reminders each day, and on many days I need them. Today there was a quote from this Gospel Coalition vision statement, including the quote above.

I have added some emphasis to the quote and I haven’t at all digested its context, but this quote struck me this morning because it’s something I’ve been thinking about in another context.

How should Christians, being like Christ, respond to poverty? This quote makes me wonder if our response needs to have in its context symbolism of what and how Jesus has done for us.

Lord willing I’ll have more thoughts on this later–no time this morning to expound. I wanted to put this here though so others can remind me later, and so I’ll remember to go back and look at this whole vision statement.

that George W. Bush, Nancy Pelosi, and Charles Manson all drink water? I think there’s some kind of vast, murderous conspiracy going on . . .

Guilt by association is back en vogue!

I know people who voted for Ron Paul. You know, the Ron Paul who was endorsed by Rolling Stone because he’s against the war and for the legalization of recreational pharmaceuticals? Some prostitutes and racists voted for Ron Paul, too. Therefore the people I know who voted for Congressman Paul must be racist adulterers, right?

I also know people who voted for John McCain. Senator McCain sponsored a bill that limits free speech. He voted for taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research. Therefore those people must be pro-choice, anti-baby and fascists who want to limit free speech, right?

The internet is a wonderful invention (thank you Al Gore!) but it’s also a cesspool. If you know somebody, don’t believe what you read on the internet about them–ask them face to face and give them some benefit of doubt if you’re not willing to bring it up to them personally. And if you read something about me on the internet, it might be true. But then I know people who are racist adulterous freespeech hating, baby hating fascists so I must be one too.

If you’re my friend I’ll ask you about yourself and generally trust what you say rather than what people who don’t like you say. And I’ll do that no matter whether you voted for Ron Paul, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Barack Obama or whatever. I’d like to hope my friends would do the same for me.

Oh, and by the way. I’m a sinner. And so are you and all my friends. And somewhere there’s a few things written about sin and what we do about it. Now where was that book…. oh right. It’s the Bible.

Grieving is something that for a long time I never really did. Not much, anyway. Some of it is related to how I handle crisis situations. I move forward, the greater the stress the calmer I am. So in a situation where others are sad and grieving, I step up and let them lean on me. And when the crisis is over I collapse, never really taking the time to grieve on my own.

Another part of it is pride. “I can handle it,” I tell myself. “Death is a part of life.” While it is true that death, and someone you know dying, is inevitable: so is grief.

Grief looks different for all of us. Some grieve quietly, some wail and moan as in deep, powerful, physical pain. Some cry, some become quiet. But grief, and some expression of it, is inherently human. It is bound up in the image of God that is in man alone—it is not exclusively human because God grieves. He grieves over our sin. He wept at the tomb of His friend. He groans with His creation is it waits for complete redemption. He speaks in sadness to Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus road.

Like all other aspects of the image of God in mankind, grief is marred by sin. Without Jesus, we grieve without hope. Without Jesus, grief can be consuming and become an idol in itself. Grief is among those emotions that is inherently good (God grieves), but which only exists because of sin. One day there will be no more grief. While these truths are important to remember—they are not the purpose of this post.

What makes me say that A Flower for Mara (AFM) sounds worthwhile is the power of story to help us grieve. Role playing games, at least as Seth designs them, are a group activity of collaborative story telling. We have a family tradition involving story telling in our Night of the Burning Plum celebration that happens each fall on Orange Street. And in those stories that are told are glimpses of the people who tell them. Just as God is reflected in His creation, so are our personalities and quirks and desires and thoughts and feelings reflected when we create. When we create stories, and tell stories, we reflect who we are to those who share the story with us. And (saying this not having “played” AFM) the Mara storyline is a time of reflecting the grief of the participants to one another and for us to see the grieving process in others in the absence of crisis. It is this grief in the absence of crisis that is intriguing to me, because that can only happen in the process of story. When grief hits in “real life” it is because of something devastating—either death or illness or accident intersecting with a life absent of that death or illness or accident immediately prior.

The possibilities are seemingly endless for community in the role playing of AFM. We are able to know one another better. We are able to encourage one another in our “following after God” creativity. We are able to enter into the past and present grief of our brothers and sisters through a “safer” mechanism than the actual crisis. We are able to see (and therefore recognize in the future) how one another grieve. This will make “weeping with those who weep” easier—because we will recognize grief and weeping our friends even when it looks decidedly different than our own grief.

I may have some more to say about this in the future, but these are some initial thoughts to keep the conversation going.

Today a truck pulls away from Hopedale filled with the belongings of the Evans family. They are moving to Tennessee as the Lord calls Bryan and his family to a different ministry. We will sorely miss them, in so many ways, but we will see them as often as we can. Thankfully they’ll be visiting family and such here at least a couple of times each year and we’ll see them then, and we plan to go down for their baby’s baptism in August and to visit on our way to Arkansas in May.

A couple of weeks ago we took them to a Peoria Rivermen game at the Civic Center. Home town boys won 5-0! Here are a few pictures from the game:

The zamboni between periods (above) as Samuel Logan (below) watches eagerly:

Here Bryan explains the finer points of the game:

“You see the guy with the “L” shaped stick? He’s trying to hit a little black rubber thingamabob towards the guy who looks like Jason from Friday the 13th. Then that guy catches it while doing ballet moves and simultaneously dancing the limbo.”

[Actually Theresa and I learned quite a bit more about hockey from Mr. Evans during the game and were glad to be able to take it in with them. Perhaps when they visit next December we'll get in another game together]

Guys skating:

And these last two are because Jedidiah and Faith were completely cute:

Good-bye, true and faithful friends. We will miss you dearly and pray that we will see you again very soon.