Lael Arrington's blog

Before they hung Jesus on the cross, the soldiers offered him a little wine mixed with myrrh--a way to escape the full reality of his pain. Did you ever think seriously about why he refused?

He was supposed to claim his kingdom, throw out the Romans, sit on the throne of his father, David, return Israel to most-favored nation status. Mary was supposed to be highly honored among women. The disciples were supposed to sit on twelve thrones and rule over the twelve tribes of Israel…

But…here he was…flogged and crucified, features swollen and bloodied beyond recognition, Mary broken and weeping, disciples looking on from a distance, the people sobered and watching…the soldiers gambling for his clothes, the chief priests and elders smug and triumphant, mocking, gloating…in just five days high expectations of national and individual dreams turned to blood and dust, abandonment and betrayal. When Jesus acknowledged that he was the Messiah, the people, and especially his disciples, expected him to do what any red-blooded Messiah would do. But God, this is NOT what you promised. Did Jesus even try to manage their expectations?

There’s “sad,” and then there are those times when sorrow seeps down into your soul and collects there into an aching pool of grief. You sleep. You wake up. And for a minute it’s better. Then the drip... drip of pain begins again. After thirty-two years with rheumatoid arthritis I would rather spend a day in significant physical pain than a day in significant emotional pain, although sometimes the two are inextricably linked. When we find ourselves in that kind of pain, how might we find relief?

As James wrote, "The tongue is a fire...full of deadly poison(James 3:6,7)." It’s been a tough week for civil political discourse. Discussions over freedom of religion have degenerated into Rush Limbaugh calling a congressional witness a “slut” and a “prostitute.” Over on CNN Pierce Morgan, with apparently no sense of hypocrisy, has accused Limbaugh of crawling out of a “swamp” and demanded that he “grovel” for an apology. For good measure Bill Maher’s unprintable 2008 comments about Sarah Palin have also come under review. Why is it so hard to keep talk of politics, or any deeply-held differences respectful?

Like it or not, millions of Americans are giving up Downton Abbey for Lent. Or at Lent. The final episode aired Monday. “Keep calm and wait for September” the Facebook icons reassure.

You wouldn’t expect to find such a cool set-must see TV-water cooler buzz-show on PBS, but Masterpiece Theater has struck gold (four Emmys) with its story of Lord and Lady Grantham, their three Jane Austinesque daughters and the downstairs intrigue of butlers, valets, footmen, ladies maids and cooks. What hooks millions of viewers all over the world? A world of daily candlelight dinners, beaded Chanel gowns, side-saddle hunts and Christmas pheasant shoots is rocked by World War I, the explosion of technology (automobiles, electricity, telephones), the rise of modern media and women’s and workers’ rights and a plot laced with secrets, theft, jealousy, midnight rendezvous, dead bodies, romance and a fairly astonishing moral clarity and commitment.

Not through your taxes, but out of your budget. Or your business budget. This past January the department of Health and Human Services in essence told Chris Catholic, You must pay Eric Insurance so that he will in turn pay for Emily Employee’s contraception and morning-after abortion-inducing pills. Otherwise you will pay a fine. This is the greatest attack on religious liberty in my lifetime.

I’ve wanted to like Romney because the conventional wisdom says he is the only Republican candidate who can beat Obama. And then I’ve pictured legions of Mormon missionaries all over the world pointing to the President of the United States for validation of their appeals to believe the Book of Mormon and join the church of Latter Day Saints.

I’ve wanted to like Newt Gingrich because he has a beautiful mind and gravitas and carefully thought out policies and commentary on world events. And besides, I have a really good snapshot of the two of us in the Columbia Marriott lobby.

“The Prince of America has had his fill of milk and honey. Imagines the universe as his star spangled playground. He was given authority over shopping malls and the church of commerce. And we of the laity, we sing “Glory be,” we sing, “Alleluia…oh…we’re gonna last forever.”—Zach Arrington, “Prince of America”

The five large canvases circle an intimate room in Columbia’s Museum of Art. Over Christmas my son Zach, Jack and I stood in the middle and turned slowly around. The unfolding drama of the rise, decline and fall of a great civilization plays out against the same scenic backdrop. Thomas Cole’s Course of Empire series trumpets a warning. Like the charioteer charged with whispering regularly in Caesar’s ear, “All glory is fleeting,” these canvases illustrate the inescapable trajectory of every empire under the sun. The viewer is compelled to consider…Will it last forever? Or…in which painting are we now?”

Imagine a flannelgraph Christmas story that includes Mary overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, a pregnant Mary walking past smirking Nazarites, the dirt and dung of a real stable, the virgin birth (the real thing in a strange town, Mary crying and bleeding), Simeon warning that a sword will pierce Mary’s heart, Roman soldiers thrusting their swords into the hearts of Bethlehem babies while mothers scream and claw at them.

You could even imagine Coventry Carol playing in the background, “…then woe is me poor child for thee, and ever mourn and say, “for thy parting nor say nor sing, bye bye lully lulay.”

Go deeper into the incarnation, feast on the art of Christmas, plan a mini advent retreat, host a "True Meaning of Christmas" tea, mix the fun with the meaningful at parties, and serve "the least of these." Click for practical suggestions and links.

Artist Makoto Fujimura has followed his own advice (as reported by my co-author, Kelly Kullberg): “In the midst of fear. In the midst of material and emotional scarcity. In the midst of the world’s collapsing idols, Mako encourages the Church to draw on the Giver / Artist, and to let His creative Spirit spill over into a hurting world. Creating living art, out of love, in the form of kindnesses (whether friendship, food, hospitality, music, dance, painting, flower-arranging, whatever our gifts…). Spiritual, emotional and material generosity is surprising in an age of perceived scarcity; therefore, we, the Church, can rise to the occasion. We create art not as commodity, but as a gift. Just as the Gospel is not commodity, but Gift.

Jesus: What else, Chloe, what is your big pro of buying an iPhone?

Chloe: Well…there is…the “cool” factor…

Jesus: Ah...tell me, what do you mean by “cool” and why is it important?

Chloe: Cool is cutting edge. Something new, fresh.

Jesus: So cool is being “different”…

Chloe: Jesus, I’ve been thinking about buying an iPhone. What do you think…would you buy an iPhone?

Jesus: Why do you want an iPhone?

Chloe: Well...I can’t get email on my phone…can’t browse the web…

Jesus: There are other options…

Chloe: …yeah…

Jesus: Sounds like you’re not really interested…so why an iPhone? What are the pros and cons as you see them?

Chloe: Well, one big con and one big pro…

Jesus: Tell me.

In a 2005 Commencement Address to the Stanford graduating class Steve Jobs encouraged his young audience to live mindful of their approaching death--because it focuses you on what is truly important. It helps you take risks and follow your heart. He continued, “ No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is maybe the single best invention of life. It is life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you. And someday, not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it's quite true.”

Commentary on Jobs’ death floods the media, but I don’t hear anyone suggesting that the King of Cool became obsolete and was cleared away to make way for the new. Yet Jobs insists, “Death is life’s change agent--the single best invention of life.” Really? Is death actually the Unverse’s way of sweeping away obsolete humans? Like slipping old Blackberries into the bottom drawers after the new iPhones arrive?

To celebrate my Dad’s 84th birthday I packed up to fly to Texas and came to that point in my routine where I go out to the car to get my umbrella. Suddenly the irony hit me…I’m packing an umbrella to fly to Texas?? Pictures of bronzed skies and dying cattle played in my head.

Bill Hybels always challenges me as a leader, as a woman of influence, as a woman who wants to spend less time living foolishly and more time living wisely. This year at the Leadership Summit he opened with some intriguing excises to refresh our souls and take stock of where we are and where we want to go.

Rosie, who reads stacks of books and rewards only the best, grabbed me by the shoulders; “You have got to read Unbroken.” This was now the fourth friend endorsement (and definitely the most physical) for Laura Hillenbrand’s World War II saga of Louis Zamperini, Olympic runner, Army bombadier and Japanese POW. There is still plenty of summer left to read it.

It’s not that I’m outright disobedient to Jesus’ demand to go and make disciples. It’s that, like Jill and Scrubb in CS Lewis’ The Silver Chair, I lose focus. Drift. Get distracted. My default pursuit of fun and comfort takes over. Aslan draws Jill and Scrbb into Narnia to accomplish a special mission: rescue Prince Rillian, the crown prince of Narnia, now missing for over ten years.

In his 1941 State of the Union address, President Franklin D. Roosevelt attempted to unite the American people to a common cause. Though Pearl Harbor was still a year away, the war was already raging in Europe and Asia. England was on the verge of collapse. Pres. Roosevelt, faced with an isolationist-leaning America and the looming prospect of a second world war, set forth a vision that would inspire citizens to brave the sacrifices and perils he foresaw in the war against fascism. His vision consisted of four universal human rights:

I'm unsubscribing from Newsweek magazine. It used to feature stories on the values and beliefs that drive the news, especially religious values. But lately, under Tina Brown's new Daily Beast management, it has featured the Olsen twin's clothing line on the cover and the size of celebrity engagement rings and "Lady Gaga's Oprah Moment" inside. One more example of one of the most troubling trends of our times--how Life is becoming Entertainment.

It’s high graduation season—the time when Valedictorians and VIPs rifle their mental files for Something Significant to say about new beginnings and the quest for the good life. A couple of years ago on our radio program The Things That Matter Most I interviewed Dallas Willard about how we can live a successful life.

In 1997, when my son Zach was in 8th grade, I wrote a book, Worldproofing Your Kids: Helping Moms Navigate Today’s Turbulent Times. My desire was to help Moms understand a Christian worldview and pass it on to their children. Several years later my son came home from college and shared his own struggle with his faith in God. If I wrote a new version of Worldproofing today I would add a few insights born of these years of living in the trenches with Zach’s struggle:

1. Giving up prepares me to receive.

The discipline of sacrifice, of forgoing a favorite past time or returning something I bought, or not eating what I want clarifies and strengthens. It clears away distraction. Focuses my attention on the road of Jesus’ sacrifice to the cross. I think of the self denial of Lent like the sherbet served in a fine restaurant before the next course. It cleanses the palate and prepares mind, heart and body to experience more keenly the journey ahead.

Charlie Sheen was recently fired from his hit TV show. I don’t ever remember a TV star being fired. (and then maybe rehired?) But all the raging monologues and platinum harem goddesses and WINNING finally exhausted the producers and a lot of other innocent bystanders. (Before we cast stones let us pause and ponder what it might be like to live and work in the whirling Hollywood vortex of pretense, strut and spin. Where TV programmers with botoxed smiles and siliconed cleavage agonize over how to get grittier reality and authenticity up there on the screen. It well might be enough to drive one to drink a bottle of Tiger Blood or two.

In a recent column in the New York Times Bob Hebert highlighted a provocative new book, Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses. According to the authors, Professors Richard Arum of New York University and Josipa Roksa of the University of Virginia: “Many students come to college not only poorly prepared by prior schooling for highly demanding academic tasks, but — more troubling still — they enter college with attitudes, norms, values, and behaviors that are often at odds with academic commitment.”

TV and Facebook are all abuzz with Oscar talk. Sunday night the stars will walk the red carpet and, since I’ve seen (and enjoyed!) several of the 2011 nominees for Best Picture (Inception, True Grit, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, The King’s Speech) I’ll tune in to see how my favorites fare. Maybe you will too, and maybe like me you will feel a little conflicted. I love a good story well told. I enjoy movies for R&R. But we may both feel uneasy about how entertainment’s impact on our lives and families is growing like Audrey, the blood sucking plant in Little Shop of Horrors. “Feed Me!!!” Perhaps the most significant cultural shift we are experiencing at the turn of the millennium is how even Life is becoming Entertainment.

We as the church have a historic opportunity to pray for Egypt. Should freedom and democracy prevail we can hardly imagine what that might mean for the gospel. We can pray the forces behind both anarchy and Muslim extremism would be defeated and that Egypt's prophetic destiny would advance. We may forget, but Egypt has a crucial role to play in God's Kingdom come on earth.

I read the 2-inch button pinned to the co-eds purse and smiled. In this, perhaps the most anti-intellectual age in Western civilization, she was trolling for a guy who liked to think. And in a Christian college. Christians don’t tend to be known as thinkers.

By the time most of us receive our first full-time pay check there is no one to tell us what to do with it. With “Freedom!” in our hearts and VISA in our wallets we’re thrown into the financial lake to sink or swim on our own. The result: record levels of debt, bankruptcy and foreclosures.

Somewhere, between Big-Hairy-Audacious-Goal (BHAG) resolutions and a postmodern shrug, “whatever,” lies a profoundly Christ-like approach to a New Year. I’m not sure exactly what it is, but I take great inspiration from two Christ-followers, Mary the Mother of Jesus and Phil Vischer, Creator of VeggiTales. Mary was told she would become the mother of the Messiah and her heart song response, The Magnificat of Luke 1: 46-56, gives us a glimpse of her Queen Mother dreams. Phil Vischer didn’t see an angel, but when challenged by Good to Great author Jim Collins to come up with a BHAG, it occurred to him that the media was stealing the imaginations (and the hearts) of the next generation and what the world, and surely God, needed was a Christian Walt Disney. So he named his company BIG IDEA and the rest is VegggieTale history. And while most people know the rest of Mary’s story, most people don’t know the rest of the VeggieTales story. It went bankrupt.