The Dude Lives Like Jesus

Dr. C. Louis Perrinjaquet, Doc PJ to his friends, lives in Breckenridge, Colorado and for a few months each year he practices family and sports medicine among the ski-season crowd. I can tell what you’re thinking at this moment: this guy’s a ski bum part-time physician who’s living the high life in a Rocky Mountain paradise. I thought the same thing while reading an article about him in Trail Runner magazine. Actually my exact thoughts after one full paragraph were more like, nut-case-ski-bum-part-time-physician. He’s a genuine piece of eco-work, but not for the reasons you might imagine. Doc PJ doesn’t use heat in his home, takes cold showers to conserve energy, buys giant bags of rice and beans to cut down on packaging, teaches transcendental meditation in his living room and breathes exclusively through his nose. I was with him right up to the point of breathing exclusively through his nose. That must be a TM thing; or possibly something to do with cold showers and not using heat during Colorado winters.

Doc PJ is also an avid trail runner, but again, not for the usual reasons. He trains six days per week to prepare for long stints as a jungle doctor. He treks to Darfur, Honduras, Cameroon, and Haiti to do relief medical work; often traveling on foot carrying a 50-pound pack filled with medical supplies. He has pulled rotted teeth from the mouths of Pygmies and cleaned gunshot wounds in raging war zones. He invests $5,000.00 and treats 5,000 people. By the end of the second paragraph I’m ready to canonize the guy and then I read these lines: “In 1991, PJ was working in Vanatu in the South Pacific, when he saw a diabetic man with no shoes. PJ gave him the shoes off his own feet. And to fill the void, he made a pair of sandals out of tire rubber.” This guy is the MacGyver of international medical relief doctors! He’s my newest hero.

I’d love to report that Doc PJ is a committed Christian who is living out his calling in Christ. Sadly, nothing in the article suggests that faith plays a part in Dr. Perrinjaquet’s unusual life. His life’s motto is placed at the bottom of his e-mails: Life is Bliss! Christian or not, you have to love this guy’s attitude and his passion for making the world a better place. Our world needs more people who live to serve others. Doc PJ may not realize it, but his life’s work is intensely Biblical in its application. Think, Mother Teresa in a pair of handmade sandals made of worn out automobile tires. This is the kind of life Jesus died to provide for us: others first, meeting the needs of the oppressed, orphaned, and sick, and being the living embodiment of Christ. Christian or not, the dude’s a role model for us.

Michael McCullar

An Islamic Bonfire?

A church in Florida is planning a Qur’an burning. I can’t remember the last time I went to an old fashioned burning of any type. As a kid I read about Christians burning Beatles music after John Lennon stated that people placed the Beatles above Jesus. Rather than participating I wanted to sneak in and save as many of the records as possible. My allowance was a pittance and purchasing 45’s wiped me out every two weeks. I’ve always been a big fan of marshmallow roasting and weenie-roasts but a Qur’an burning? Why in the world would a group of Florida Christians hold a bonfire for Muslim holy books? Apparently because their pastor told them to do so. He is a believer than Islam is a religion of Satan and as such the Qur’an should be burned.

I believe this pastor (our kind can be a looney lot) is going about this in the wrong way. If he asked me, which he won’t, I would suggest he read, rather than set fire to, the Qur’an. Then I would suggest that he reread the New Testament, especially the parts about Jesus, and reassess his strategies. If he did this he might come away with a different plan of action for dealing with Islam. It is true that Islam is patently non-Christian. Islam sees Jesus as the second greatest prophet and an all around talented guy; but not God Incarnate. Islam is a religion of works and must-do’s, and Allah is capricious and far away. Islam is both a religion of peace and violence due to the Qur’an being written in a longest to shortest chapter form and utilizing abrogation at its core. The Qur’an is a list of revelations received by Muhammad over many years. These revelations were progressive and whenever a later revelation conflicted with an earlier one, the initial writing was abrogated in favor of the latest. The confusing part is determining the verses that have been abrogated. None of the abrogated verses were removed; so many conflicting revelations are included. This is the reason why Islam can be simultaneously hailed as being both peaceful and violence-prone.

O.K., so Islam is confusing, can be violent with sanction and doesn’t see Jesus as God. Color me a heretic and don’t sign me up. I am a follower of Jesus and I reject the Qur’an as being my holy book, but never in a million years would I take part in a Qur’an burning. If Christians want to engage in a witness to Muslims they must first make sure they are doing so in a Christian manner. Simply rereading the life and teachings of Jesus will provide a plan for both witness and dialogue. Nowhere in the New Testament does it teach to demean and do harm to another religion; yet Christians have used Scripture as justification for the Crusades and for burning people at the stake. Where exactly is that verse in Matthew? This Florida pastor should stop seeking publicity and reread his Bible. If he did he would save the matches, the O-Zone and, if it’s not too late, his standing as a witness of Jesus Christ. Burn one Qur’an and your witness goes up in flames as well.

Michael McCullar

Lightning Strikes Jesus!

There are many scary and alarming things happening around the world. Daily life continues to get worse in Haiti. The oil spill is now well beyond a spill; dropping a glass of milk is a spill; this is an out of control underwater volcano of crude oil. The Gaza situation is a nightmare with no lasting answers in sight. The economy continues to resemble a theme park roller-coaster ride. Could things get worse? What’s next? Well, Jesus was struck by lightning.

A church in Ohio erected a six-story statue of Jesus alongside a major freeway. During a thunderstorm a bolt of lightning struck the statue and brought it down. The statue broke in several places, caught fire and in the end, fell to the ground. I bet the fire department had fun with that call: All units. We have a code seventeen at this address. Lightning strike and now a six-story unit is on fire. Hold all units. Jesus is on fire. Negative on the unit. It’s confirmed. Jesus is on fire.

The church was also likely flummoxed at this unique turn of events. That statue was their claim to fame. It was their landmark. They probably never imagined it would also function as a lightning rod. So what’s worse on the global scale? Haiti? An oily Gulf Coast? The Humpty-Dumptyization of Jesus’ statue? I’m going with the fragile environment, the eco-systems of the Gulf and the actual people of Haiti. People will disagree with me on this and that’s fine. Pat Robertson is likely already on sight filming a show where he blames Satan for this blatant attack on Jesus. Someone else will lay the blame on homosexuals; others will cite illegal immigration and the lack of Ten Commandments displays across Ohio. People in general feel the need to fix blame in order to make sense of it all. This happens after every natural disaster. Humans need a concrete handle on abstract events.
So what would Jesus say about this? What would Jesus cite as being the worst event? For my money it would be anything other than the statue crashing and burning. The Biblical Jesus would be grieving over the loss of Creation and for the suffering children of Haiti. That Jesus would also be the first to say that storms are part of Creation’s work and storms bring destruction. Lightning is as much a part of life as oxygen; and both were products of God’s earliest work. Would Jesus be upset over the statue’s demise? Who knows? The better question is this: What does today’s world need more: A six-story statue of Jesus or for the followers of Jesus to live elevated lives? That question shouldn’t be hard to answer, even on a stormy day.

Michael McCullar

"Awful" Is Relative

Being involved in relief and missions work in Haiti is both a good and a bad thing. Haiti is the kind of place that elicits travel warnings from countries like ours. Even before the earthquake people were warned about traveling there for a variety of reasons. The H.I.V. rate in Haiti is very high, as is the child mortality rate. Clean water is scarce and jobs even more so. Haiti is a place best described as simply awful. To drive through Port-Au-Prince is to be heartbroken as one sees humanity at its worst subsistence levels. It only takes one orphaned, homeless child living in a hole left by collapsed rubble to make you cry.

On the other hand Haiti is a great place to practice Christianity. Baptist churches are quite prominent in Haiti and Baptists have been at the forefront of relief work in the stricken areas. I have to say that working and living amongst Haitians was an exhilarating experience. To have the privilege of providing medicines and basic life supplies to people who might otherwise die is one of life’s few holy ground moments. To share this experience with fellow church members was also special, as was being able to tell those being helped that a church in the U.S. cares deeply for you. Sadly, however, we left Haiti only microscopically better than we found it. In reality Haiti remains a truly awful place. The majority of Americans would have trouble assimilating the realities faced by Haitians in simply trying to stay alive from one day to the next. It’s such a foreign concept to us that it might as well be an episode of the Twilight Zone. One has to see it to adequately believe it.

Haiti isn’t alone as being an awful place. Right now the Gulf Coast of the United States is an awful place. Crude oil being pumped directly into the ocean is causing long lasting damage to the already fragile eco-systems and shorelines. It may take decades to undo all of the damage being done, not to mention the price tag that will total in the billions of dollars (which will be passed down to consumers as no corporate jets will be lost due to the unfortunate oil spill). There are plenty of other awful places as well; Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Egypt, India, North Korea, Singapore, Chile…and the list could go on. Awful is relative and no one place or people group has cornered that market.

So, how should we deal with this awfulness? As Christians we cannot act as if it doesn’t exist; nor can we lay it off on the people who are suffering. Pat Robertson’s verbalized stupidity that Haiti made a pact with the devil and as a result received a well-deserved earthquake is beyond the pale. There is voodoo in Haiti. I’ve heard the drums and the chants. I have also seen people praising God and going without food in order to take care of an orphan. Jesus never laid blame on those who were suffering. Awful was the reason Jesus spent so much time with the sick and afflicted. Blame, no. Action, yes. Action is the only weapon Christians have against awful. Pray, give and go are three words that Christians in the United States should take to heart. Everyone can pray; many can give to support life-saving work and ministries already in place in most of the world’s truly awful areas; others can take the time and expense to go and help out in person.

Awful is a relative term that doesn’t have to define large chunks of our world. If we all do our part awful could become obsolete. Then we could move to better, and beyond. I’m convinced this is what Jesus would do.

Michael McCullar

What's A Week Worth?

What’s a week worth to you? A week is seven days made up of 168 hours or, if you like math, 10,080 minutes. There are typically 52 weeks in one year and the average person lives 74 years. Again, for the math-inclined, that would be 3,848 weeks. That’s a lot of weeks when you place it into the perspective of a full life. Have you ever stopped to consider what one week out of that huge total would be worth…to someone else? One week given to the cause of missions wouldn’t make a dent in most schedules. It would be one line of ink across the Month-At-A-Glance calendar; a key stroke on the Blackberry or I-Phone; a voicemail message stating “I’m away saving lives. I’m sorry I cannot speak with you but I’m sure you’ll understand that phone service in the nether regions of the world is spotty at best. When I get back to the not-so-real-world I will return your call. Until then, why not consider giving up one of your almost 4,000 weeks and go to a different place and make a difference.”

Many people feel the pull of missions but sadly, few take the really big step and set foot on different dirt. Those that do are life-changers. They leave home with the goal of changing someone else’s life; they return with their own lives having been radically realigned. It happens every time. You change. You become a different person. Life is different. You morph into a new mode. Deep inside each of us there’s a place where the heart, mind and soul connect. It is at that spot that you know you’ve made a difference. You have altered the course of life.

When does it happen? There’s a magic moment for each person when all perspective shifts and you simply know you’ve changed. It may be in the process of giving someone food; or laying block for a school; or digging a well; or teaching someone about Christ; or when someone touches you and says thank you. In that moment you look down and see Holy Ground.

You will never feel more alive. You’ll ask yourself why you waited so long to take the big step. After all, it’s only one week.

Michael McCullar

They Found Noah's Ark

I recently read (with some amusement) that a team of Turkish and Chinese evangelical explorers found the original Noah’s Ark on Mount Ararat in Turkey. I will admit to being skeptical about things like this, especially since this find was made by evangelical explorers, whatever that means and not actual archeologists. I will also admit to not keeping up with the archeological world; I just don’t dig it (sorry, couldn’t resist), but even a clueless person like me remembers hearing this refrain many times before. Hold the phone says the Chinese leader of the Evangelical Explorers Club (my Chinese is a bit rusty so the translation may not be exact), It’s not 100 percent that it is Noah’s Ark, but we think it is 99.9% that this is it. A real Doubting Thomas this guy is. Dude, I’ll spot you the .1%, be confident, you found the wood, stake your claim.

The downside of a purported find like Noah’s Ark is the scrutiny that comes with it. The Official Ark of the Covenant Relocation Troupe will be all over this one. These supposed Evangelical Explorers are fakes and frauds. Our group has one member who actually knows an archeologist and with our skill and professionalism we have not yet located the Ark of the Covenant. You may remember this group from their protests outside the Indiana Jones movie about the Ark. These people are not to be trifled with. Then there are the actual archeologists who like to weigh in on such finds. Fresh from an appearance at the Shroud of Turin Amusement Park in southern Italy, Dr. Ford Harrison Jones has emphatically stated that this find is a joke. I’m proud to hear that the Turks and the Chinese have patched up their differences and are teaming up together, but there is no way this group found Noah’s Ark. I suspect a Hookah pipe figures into this somewhere.

I don’t believe it either. For one thing my fence is only thirteen years old and it needs work. How could a primitive wooden boat last for thousands of years? And then there’s the whole Hey, wasn’t everything destroyed in the flood question? If so, wouldn’t it stand to reason that the only wood left on the Earth would be Noah’s boat? Hello! Mr. and Mrs. Noah need a new house! Bye-bye wood.

Proponents of this find believe it is proof positive that God exists and as a result thousands of people will begin to seek faith in Jesus. Of course, these are the same people who believe there was a W.W.J.D. bumper sticker on the Ark. Proof positive that Noah’s Ark existed is not what today’s skeptics are looking for. Authenticity is what people are hoping to find. Character and virtue sprinkled with consistency is the key to impacting the world of today. Paul’s writing on the Fruit of the Spirit is all we need to discover to change the world. Live those virtues and people will pay attention. A piece of old wood isn’t enough…even if it holds the inscription S.S. Noah.

The Anglican Dude Was Right

Over the years I have been afforded the opportunity to meet and study under several Anglican ministers and theologians. In total they are a scholarly lot; haven’t met one yet that wasn’t gifted in the brainier aspects of faith; and they look so official in their collars. They refer to themselves as Catholic-Light. One Anglican I’ve never met is the big Anglican himself, the Archbishop of Canterbury. I have the same chance of meeting him as I do of having tea with the Pope. The Archbishop of the worldwide Anglican church, which includes the U.S. Episcipol church, is Rowan Williams. He has the wildest eyebrows I’ve ever seen. I’m guessing it would take a small weed-eater to trim those bushes. He’s also one of the smartest people alive today. Let me add that smart and judicious are not synonomous. He’s made a few outlandish statements during his tenure; but even Billy Graham made a mistake or two. I believe the Archbishop’s faith matches his prodigious eyebrows. He also has the distinction of leading his faith group through a deeply divisive and troubled era. It can’t be easy being the Archbishop of Canterbury these days.

Reverend Williams, also a gifted writer, penned the following words: It is not the church of God that has a mission. It’s the God of mission that has a church. Let those words sink in and you may feel a tingle in your soul. There may also be a twinge or two of guilt as we instinctively invert this principle. Honestly, do we really see the church as part of God’s vastly larger plan? Do we really see our individual faith lives as being part of a global, infinite and inclusive scheme? Hopefully so, but speaking for myself, this is much harder than it might seem. It’s very easy to view the institutional church as the main event. It’s even easier to view our lives as being both front and center. It may hurt to admit it, but it’s true more times than not.

Again, speaking only for myself and my feeble attempts to live in the right order, an evaluative inventory is key. Why do I practice faith? Why do I practice stewardship? What is the goal of my church? If an honest answer doesn’t transcend the here and now, it may not be what the God of mission expects. Loving God for reasons beyond our own salvation, safety and stability is difficult, but necessary for living in the right order. Viewing the church (my church, your church) as existing more for God’s eternal scheme than for us is easy only while in Sunday School, but again, this is absolutely necessary for being God’s church linked-in-mission and in sync with God’s plan.

Sobering words indeed. And to think, it took a prodigiously-eyebrowed Anglican chap to make me understand this. God works in mysterious ways.

Michael McCullar