Putting the Puzzle Together in the Crosswinds

Earlier I wrote about putting a puzzle together. This puzzle would be easier if we had a picture to evaluate the pieces by. If you had 1000 pieces and no picture what would you do? You might as well take any piece and try to figure it out. You start from yourself and eye the piece of the puzzle and try to figure out what it is. Then you look at other pieces and try to figure their relation to the one you pick. It would take a long time to put it together. It would speed up if and when you thought you knew what it was to look like.


Life is like a puzzle. To many it is puzzling. Things happen to us or to the world and we wonder how that fits. How do we interpret these pieces? We do this by what our family believes about them. Or what we are taught by our friends as we grow up. Teachers and other important people have an impact on us and our world view is developed. Yet most of the time we don't know we have a world view. We just think that what we are taught is the way it is.... Until we find someone who thinks differently than you. That throws a chink in the puzzle. Why, it's obvious that .... We tend to think in bits and pieces. By this I mean we have our social life and work life separate. Those who have faith in a religious system separate faith from their work life. Then they may have their married life and on and on. Our life is fragmented and in many ways frustrating. Some may like that but I think many of you don't. Let me list 10 pieces of the puzzle that make up a world view and I will tackle each one in this order. We have theology, philosophy, biology, psychology, ethics, sociology, law, politics, economics and history. Now these are academic pieces to the puzzle, but they all relate to everyone of us.


So we need to realize we have a world view and this world view interprets life for us. We need to examine our world view and keep what we believe is true and add or subtract others. But first, let us define a world view. Simply put it is a way we make sense of the world. It answers the questions, Where am I from? Why am I here? Where am I going? We need to start with the fundamental question of theology. EVERYONE has a theology even atheists. Their theology is that God does not exist. Their world view flows out of their lack of belief. As a Christian Chaplain my theology starts with God. Crosswinds has a presentation entitled, "Who's On First?" The presentation deals with this issue. Your starting point is of fundamental importance. Contact the ministry to have someone give your church or organization the presentation.

Colossians 1:15-21 gives the Christian the BIG PICTURE. The text says:

"And He is the image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and the earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers and authorities___all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first born from the dead ; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. For it was the Fathers good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; Through Him I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven."


This big picture puts Christ at the center of everything. Jesus Christ created everything visible and invisible. He made all things for Himself. He holds everything together. He is the head of the Church. He was the first to rise physically from the dead never to die again. He is the pre-eminent One. He is God. Scripture tells us He is the Image of the invisible God and all the fullness of the Fathers good pleasure to dwell in Him.


Our theology starts with the Triune God who created all things. He started all things and holds everything together. God is now involved and will continue to be involved in His creation. How does this impact our thinking about the world and what happens to the world and how it impacts us. What kind of philosophy is generated from this kind of theology? Lets meditate on this first step, this BIG PICTURE. Remember to put the puzzle together we need to see the big picture and let that be the lens we view the world through. s

Cooperation without Compromise - Navigating the Crosswinds

Help for the Wiccan, an unusual post from a Christian Blog. I was asked by Bob to review a book entitled, "Faith and Magick in the Armed Forces: A Handbook for Pagans in the Military." It is by Stefani E. Barner a pagan herself whose husband is in the military. Her goal is to help the pagan/wiccan believer navigate the sometimes hostile and sometimes frustrating military world and practice their faith. Sometimes the most frustrating people are Christian Chaplains who are indifferent if not hostile to them. I can understand the feelings of the Chaplains but I also see how Chaplains are walking a fine line in the military. Eleanor Holmes Norton said, "The only way to make sure people you agree with can speak is to support the rights of people you don't agree with." As Chaplains that is what we are to do. It is summed up in the First Amendment, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." It is the responsibility of the Christian Chaplain to help any faith practice in the military environment. Now there are some guidelines but overall our responsibility is to be an aid to other faiths. This can be done in a positive manner. This in effect is ministering in a pluralistic environment.


Some may want to know if there are enough pagans/wiccans in the military to be an issue. I really believe there is. When I was in Iraq we had wiccans who wanted to hold their practices. They did this at night. The base Chaplain was trying to help them and they need to go through the steps required by the military to be recognized.

Another situation was with a young man who had problems and was not overly enthusiastic about talking to a Chaplain but he did talk to me. I asked him if I could pray for him and he said no. I asked and he told me he was Pagan. He was a loner but he did his own rituals. We talked more and I asked him if there was something I could understand the Pagans better? He gave me a small book that explains what he does. We left as friends and he told me he had a Baptist pastor he was friends with in Florida. They would often talk about faith and Jesus. This was a positive response to someone who holds to an anti Christian religion.

But the military is really a microcosm of the society as a whole. It reflects the culture we live in. Wiccans are a private group usually who do their thing undercover of secrecy to avoid ridicule or unwanted attention. I found out that they are in places I would not consider. In my regular job I had to go to Watervalley MS. I stopped to ask directions, and yes men do ask directions, and the lady who helped me had a snake ring on her finger and a pentagram around her neck. The book I read said those who are into Wicca usually have something to identify themselves. A ring or necklace etc. I asked her if she was into Wicca. She quickly, confidently affirmed that she was. This is in little town Mississippi. If they are there where else are they? If they are in Water Valley, they are in the Military.