9:30 PM
It is raining. It sounds wonderful and peaceful outside my window. I just returned from hearing L.T. Jeyachandran speak in the Oxford Museum Lecture Hall (see photo) on “With All Year Heart – Service.”
Near the beginning of his talk, he noted the famous book by Rick Warren entitled, “The Purpose-Driven Life.” An Asian friend of L.T.’s named Ajith Fernando (also a friend of Deb and mine) wrote a book called “The Jesus Driven Ministry.” L.T. then commented that he didn’t like either title because of the emphasis on “driven.”
When it comes to serving God, a Christian’s motivation should be different than other altruistic motives, as good as they may be. Many times people are trying to find their identity in their acts of service. Take for instance the example off the difference between Princess Diana and Mother Teresa, who died on the same day. Diana was “driven” in her service out of her experience of lack of love and her own deep needs. Mother Teresa served because it is who she truly had become in Christ.
L.T. told another story about learning theology from his 2-year-old granddaughter who lives in India. L.T. and his wife went to visit the family and while there, his granddaughter came to life and talked to them and played with them, jumping on their bed, etc.
After they left India and went home to Singapore, they would call the family and tried to reconnect with their grandaughter as well. But, she would just hold the phone to her ear and smile! She could not respond to them speaking to her!
L.T. remembered Christ’s words that we need to become like little children to enter the Kindom of Heaven. L.T.’s granddaughter did not yet know how to relate with someone that was not face to face with her! Yet, L.T. reflected, how many of us as adults can’t relate to others without email, text messaging or cell phones? Can we build relationships and actually serve others without the hands-on, sweat and work of face-to-face relating?
He also told us that in his many years of working for the Indian government, and then in the years working for RZIM, he has come to see that there is a worldly “rat-race” and a Christian “rat-race.” They are virtually the same. The PROBLEM with BOTH is that after you finally win, you are still a rat!
Christian service is a response to a series of relationships.
Many have fallen into the trap of reducing service to a set or how-to-do-it’s or formulas and the right words to say. Right saying does not automatically lead to right being. But right being, will lead to right saying.
Our identity comes to us as a product of our relationship with God and each other. It is this identity in Christ that should lead to and motivate any service we do. The “How” is a result of knowing the “What” and the “Why” of service first.
6:15 PM
Just got back from a free-form “On The Spot” Q&A session with L.T. Jeyachandran and John Lennox. One question from the audience stuck out to me above the others. “Was there ever a time when you personally were about to throw away Christianity, or you were in deep doubt or dealing with a particularly tough inner struggle? If so, how did you deal with it and what advice can you offer those who may be in that place?”
Wow!
Here are some of the answers:
• Yes!
• Live honestly – even with non-believers.
• Make sure you are sharing openly and honestly with at least some others in the Body of Christ.
• We need to be thinking of the Church as a place where we would hear things like this regularly: someone stands up and says, “I fell into sin last week” and then sits down.
• John Lennox does not remember a time like this in his life that he can relate to. He admitted that this can be a drawback. However, to compensate, he has purposefully tried to make friends with those who do experience this… atheists, strugglers, truth seekers.
• Growth and maturity happen in pain.
4:15 PM
I still need to visit the Eagle & Child Pub (affectionately known as the “Bird & Baby”)… just a few blocks from where I am, on 49 St. Giles. Maybe this evening I will do that. This is one of Oxford’s oldest pub’s where “The Inklings” met including: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and others. This literary group used to meet in the back room (the “Rabbit Room”) every Tuesday morning from 1939-1962. Lewis died in 1963 on the day JFK was shot.
My favorite books by C.S. Lewis are first his science fiction trilogy of “Out of the Silent Planet, “Perelandra,” and “That Hideous Strength.” After those, I prefer “Mere Christianity“, “The Great Divorce“, “Screwtape Letters“, and “The Problem of Pain.”
There is another author and nook that relates to the C.S. Lewis story with Joy Davidman by Sheldon Vanauken called, “A Severe Mercy.” Deb and I have read the book a couple times, and we would recommend it highly for every couple.
4:00 PM – My Oxford City Pipe Story
In 1980, almost 26 years ago in August, I was in Oxford, England with my then “girlfriend” and soon to become fiancé, Debbie Wolgemuth. FYI – we actually got engaged in Oxford at a Bed & Breakfast on that trip! But that is another story!
Because of our mutual love and respect for “Jack,” we spent a few days exploring anything about C.S. Lewis that we could find! In the process of exploring Magdelan College, “The Kilns” and other places, we ran across a tobacconist on High Street, who sold a nice looking pipe called the “Oxford City” pipe. It reminded me of the pipes I had seen C.S. Lewis smoking in photos, so I bought one! It has been my favorite pipe ever since.
Well, I brought that pipe along with me on this trip, hoping to buy some good “long-bottom leaf” to put in it. Since very little has changed in Oxford, since I was here last, I walked to High Street and turned left hoping to find the same shop. It wasn’t where I remembered it, so I kept walking, trying not to give up hope.
A few blocks later my persistence was rewarded with a tobacco shop… but it didn’t look like the one I remembered. As I was sampling and purchasing some tobacco for my pipe, I asked about the shop’s history. It turns out that the current owner (Frederick Tranter – 37 High Street) bought the business from a couple who had purchased it from the owner I bought my pipe from in 1980. So, there was still a connection!
As I walked back to Keble College, that tobacco tasted really, really fine!
3:30 PM
I decided to skip lunch and walk around Oxford. They feed us way too much food anyway. Got back around 3 and took a shower, shaved and am ready for a nap! Exhausted!
I saw “Fred” as I was coming back in Keble College. With a big smile he said “How are you liking this so far!” After I answered, “Just great!” he replied, “Yeah – it’s like heaven,” as he headed off to Rhodes House for a seminar on the DaVinci Code.
12:30 PM — Other Notes:
• The Rhodes House is the place where we get the “Rhodes Scholar” from. Hanging on the lecture hall walls are portraits of famous Rhodes Scholars, among whom are President Bill Clinton (see photo), Nelson Mandella, and others. I have noticed that none are “Conservatives” in the modern American political or theological sense. I guess maybe you have to be something else to be a Rhodes Scholar?
• In the back courtyard area of the Rhodes House, where we take our coffee and tea breaks, are some beautiful English gardens. I think of Deb everytime I am back there as I know she would be thrilled to see them. I wish she were here.
• Standing in the center are some large trees unlike those we typically see in Chicago and the USA. One is a “yew” tree… and it is huge with a double trunk. The other is a “tulip” tree.
12:00 PM
My sleep is still “off” as I awoke really tired. Still fighting heavy eyelids during the morning sessions. I am back in my room (H604) near lunchtime to catch-up on the blog.
Our worship time in the chapel (see photo) was different this morning. Rev. Frog Orr-Ewing lead us in Communion. That’s right, his first real given name is “Frog.” He married Amy, one of the speakers here, and an author and speaker with RZIM. Today is their 9th Anniversary.
Amy (photo with Frog at right – photo by Maynard) is the author of several books including: “Is the Bible Tolerant?”, “Why Trust the Bible?” and “Holy Warriors: A Fresh Look at the Face of Extreme Islam.”
Amy Orr-Ewing spoke this morning at the Rhodes House on “The Uniquness of Christ’s Claims in Other Religions.” She focused on 4 areas: His Nature, His Character, His Claims, and His Deeds.
By contrasting these areas in Christ, with those of Mohammed and Buddha, she made a strong case for Christ’s uniqueness. You can’t make him something he was not, or did not claim. You cannot make him be what you want him to be. Christ stands in a category alone and separate from other religions and leaders.
Her conclusion is that a Christ followers response to all this should be that of worship and making him known.
7:00 AM
Finally! It is a cooler, rainy, and overcast day in Oxford, England! I will carry my rain parka with me today. Ah, now this is what I came for! 
Yesterday, I had my first introduction to the “Alpha” course. Alpha is a process by which people can explore the meaning of life, and ask any question in a relevant, respectful, and relational manner. We have heard about it for years through our friends in South Africa – Skip and Sheila Collins.
10:30 PM
4:45 PM
Am heading out for my walking tour of Oxford. Had a great conversation at lunch with a guy named Chris who lives in Tulsa and is in his residency program there. He is thinking about going into bioethics, and is here with his wife in the process of thinking that decision through.
Take away thoughts from Revelation. The basic problem with the church in Ephesus was that they were good at hating bad theology and teaching, and really poor at loving. In fact they had left their first love. We skipped ahead to the church at Thyatira, and saw that they were really good at loving, but did not take a stand against sin and wrong teaching in their midst. Then we skipped to the church at Laodicea to see that they were just lukewarm, neither hot nor cold and were about the be spewed out for it.