Bible

The Next Step: Board Certification

/ Rev. Evan Dolive / 2 Comments

Application for Board Certification

Nine months ago started a new (sorta) ministry path and accepted a position as a chaplain in Southeast Texas. Having completed four units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) I had the training and skills to begin this new journey.  At first it was a bit of a “culture shock” from church based pastoral ministry but I am enjoying it.

As part of my position at the hospital I have worked for the last few months on completing my application to become a Board Certified Chaplain through the Association of Professional Chaplains.  Last week after a couple months of writing off and on, I submitted a large stack of papers, reflections and critiques as part of my application.

My goal is to sit before my certification board at the national conference in Anaheim, CA this June.

In Christ,

Rev. Evan

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14 Books In 2014

/ Rev. Evan Dolive / 6 Comments

My new year’s resolution is one that I think many people make: to read more.

I enjoy reading and I even have a Kindle.

I have an ever growing list of books that I want to read, should read and have been recommended to me but by consequence of having a full time job, preaching on Sundays, a wife and two kids, time is scarce.

So this year I am going to make a goal to read 14 books in the year 2014.  I know to some avid readers out there 14 is the standard quota for a week but I am taking baby steps here.

I hope to write reviews on the books I read during this challenge and you never know maybe I will surpass my goal of 14.

If you have any recommendations for me feel free to comment below!

In Christ,

Rev. Evan

https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/420249744414224384

2014 Reading Challenge

2014 Reading Challenge
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Picture: “Books HD” by Abeee via flickr. used under the Creative Commons License 2.0.

Advent In Two Minutes

/ Rev. Evan Dolive / Leave a comment

For some, Advent may be a new concept.

Below is a good summation of Advent.

Enjoy!

In Christ,

Rev. Evan

Source

Sermon Series: Disciples 101- Freedom of Belief

/ Rev. Evan Dolive

DisciplesUniversity

Today I preached  part four of a six part series about the Disciples of Christ focusing on the primary tenets and beliefs.

We looked at Mark 9:17-24 and how as Disciples of Christ we have “Freedom of Belief”(Check out this page for more information)

Disciples are called together around one essential of faith: belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Persons are free to follow their consciences guided by the Bible, the Holy Spirit study and prayer, and are expected to extend that freedom to others.– disciples.org

(Recorded by Voice Record Pro by Bej Bej Apps for iOS)

In Christ,

Rev. Evan

Sermon: “All Encompassing Praise”

/ Rev. Evan Dolive
Praise The Lord

Praise The Lord (Photo credit: jubileelewis)

Below is the link to the sermon I preached entitled “All Encompassing Praise” based on Psalm 150 and Luke 17:11-19.

[audio http://k002.kiwi6.com/hotlink/0m2721je3j/all_encompassing_praise.mp3|titles=Children of the Light|loop=no|animation=no]
(Recorded by Voice Record Pro by Bej Bej Apps for iOS)

In Christ,

Rev. Evan

 

Have I Become The Christian I Dislike?

/ Rev. Evan Dolive

I live in Texas.  To many of its millions of residents it is the greatest state in the union.  We like things big and we like them to be bigger than every other state blessed to be in the Union.  Texans are proud of their state; chalk it up to early indoctrination of Texas history throughout the life cycle of Texas Public Education.

But being in Texas, especially East Texas, means that we are sitting squarely and firmly in the buckle of the Bible Belt.  The Bible Belt is a term used to describe the area where conservative Christianity is the prominent player in the state’s religiosity; generally this term refers to a high level of conservative, evangelical Christians.  This does not mean that you can’t find conservative, evangelical Christians outside of this arbitrary boundary but for some reason they seem to cluster in these areas in high concentrations.

I didn’t grow up in a church that beat people over the head in church or judged people for they way they acted.  I felt loved and welcomed in a place where people were friendly and they loved serving God.  I learned about Christ and God’s love for humanity.  It wasn’t until I was older that I began to hear more Christians speak more and more on the necessity of evangelising to people  or even being “saved correctly.”  I can remember on several occasions a certain church in the town I grew up in going door to door and asking people if they were to die tonight would they go to Heaven.  I can remember thinking that it was an odd tactic to get people to come to church.  It seemed so stand offish and so self righteous that it left a bad taste in my mouth.

As I have grown and matured this “I know more than you” mentality of Christianity has been something that I can not stand, especially when it flies in the face of my theology. Theology is a deeply personal thing. Hopefully, people have grown, honed and crafted their theology over time, adjusting and modifying it as time progresses and as contexts and situations change. I know some people will be turned off by the previous statement; please don’t read it  to say that I believe the message of God and/or Christ changes. The message of God’s love, acceptance, forgiveness and reconciliation never changes but how we find and understand it does.  People’s life experiences influence their interpretation but as we grow and hopefully mature in faith we must recognize these changes.  It is when people are unwilling to see another side of the theological coin when Christianity turns into a stalemate. (Don’t believe me?  It is happening in churches all over this country.)

But as I have grown and changed and my level of disdain for pushy, in your face, literalistic, anti homosexual, “turn away from sin you sinning sinners” rhetoric has also grown, I have come to the realization that maybe I am just like those Christians that I dislike. Maybe I believe my way is the highway we should travel, disregarding others along the way.

The denomination that I serve and I am ordained has freedom of belief as main tenet of faith. Maybe this is why I get so upset- many people are being disenfranchised with church or Christianity because they believe or feel that Christianity is whatever is shown on TBN or the 700 Club.  It’s hard not to react when I hear people speaking of the president as the anti Christ (which the word “anti Christ” is never mentioned in the Bible) or how one day we will have to have the mark of the Beast to buy produce at the store or how things were better back in the good ol’ days when “everyone” went to church.

As one of my professors in seminary said just because we have freedom of belief doesn’t mean that there is no such thing as a bad theology. I guess at the core of Christianity we are all called to follow Christ but many Christians claim to be Christ’s followers in name only. Their actions do not match the gospel professed on Sunday mornings.

So maybe I am like those Christians I can’t stand but still I want to foster an environment that welcomes differing thoughts to the table. If in the light of a civil discussion or bible study we can come to a different agreement then that’s ok with me. However, sadly, this is not taking place in many of our churches. We have all been in churches where people of like mindedness get together and espouse the same doctrine and belief structure they have always done.  Why are we going to the Bible to only reinforce what we already know?  (I’m asking myself this questions as well.)

Being aware of my faults I will continue to strive to live out the gospel message as faithfully as possible and along the way I hope to bring others to know the same God of love  and acceptance that I do. I know too many people that have been “burned” by a “well intentioned, God fearing Christian.”  If the church is to survive another 2000 years then we will have to start somewhere.

Let’s come to the table under the banner of Christ in all its many forms. Just as Christ humbled himself so we must put aside anxieties, stereotypes and preconceived notions about others; just as Christ did not think too highly of himself (even though he was divine), neither should we think that we are more than fallible human beings.  We have no secret knowledge, just an understanding that God manifests Godself on this rock to show humanity a new vision– giving and serving  others. Thinking that we have it all figured out or our ticket is punched is a rejection of the grace of God and the teaching of Christ.

In Christ

Rev. Evan

This piece is also published on Sojourners

Guilty Or Innocent: One Fact We Might Be Missing…

/ Rev. Evan Dolive / 2 Comments

There was one constant this week at work while I visited patients– and no, it wasn’t the fact that people mistaken me as a Doctor or a Nurse.  This week over 50% of the rooms I entered had the George Zimmerman trial on the TV.  CNN, MSNBC and other major news outlets have been running what seems like 24 hours coverage of courtroom drama; the lead story for most of the news stations and more than likely on talk radio (on both sides of the aisle) has been a run down of the evidence, the objections and word for word break down for the testimony given.  Social media has been flooded with hashtags, posts, reflections and petitions for both Trayvon and George Zimmerman.

Talking heads and media commentators have weighed the evidence and tried to ascertain what verdict the all female jury will return with.  They have debated the use of “cracker” as a derogatory word and have talked ad nauseum, often in circles, about this case.  At times, it can be too much to handle or absorb.

But through it all, there is one piece of information, in my opinion, that the ratings-hungry news organizations have missed or overlooked; whether the jury comes back with a guilty or innocent verdict, a 17 year old boy, Trayvon Martin, is dead.

Trayvon Martin via Wikipedia

While it is right to seek after justice, is it possible during the process to miss the point?  Has the media and the populace become so enamored with the trial and the ultimate verdict that Trayvon has been pushed to the side?  Is this the effect of the 24 hour news cycle with its constant updates, critiques and up to the minute details?

Trayvon was brought up during the trial.  But in my view it was more indirectly, as if he was a part of some grand motion picture of the legal system of Florida.  He was described as a thug high on marijuana as well as a 17 year old kid just trying to keep out of the rain and get back home.

What happened that February night was a travesty for all parties involved. No parent should ever have to bury their child and George Zimmerman now has to live the rest of his life knowing that he took another human being’s life.

At the center of the Creation story found in the Book of Genesis is the notion that all of creation is made by the hands of God.  But it is humanity that takes a special place in the order of creation.  God created humanity in God’s likeness and image.  Genesis 1:26-27 reads:

“Then God said, ‘Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and all the crawling things on earth. ‘ God created humanity in God’s own image, in the divine image God created them,male and female God created them.” (Common English Bible, 2011)

These two verses serve as a reminder that no human being is an accident and that every human being is a product of a living God. It was God who formed from the dirt Adam and then breathed the very breath of God into his nostrils. These two events are not the by product of a passive God; these events signify that God has an intimate relationship with ALL of humanity, no matter what side of the “train tracks” you are from.

During the next few days (or maybe weeks) we need to remember the story of creation.  As the verdict is returned and the news organizations postulate why the jury went one way or the other, may we remember that all life is precious and all people are children of God.

George Zimmerman, guilty or innocent, is a child of God.

Trayvon Martin, no matter his past or alleged wrong doings, is a child of God.

May we remember where we all come from not just during a high profile case, but forever.

In Christ,

Rev. Evan

And You Wonder Why People Aren’t Christians: Part XI (Transportation Edition)

/ Rev. Evan Dolive

batcopter_01It’s been a while since I have written on of these particular posts, not for the lack of material, rather I like to at least try to give Christianity a fresh perspective. However, this particular story needed to be shared.

The Christian Post recently reported that mega church minister, Bishop, I.V. Hilliard, of the New Light Christian Center in Houston Texas, made an interesting proposition to his congregation. According to the article, the church’s “Aviation Department” (yes, you read that correctly… aviation department) declared that the pastor’s helicopter (yes, you read that correctly… pastor’s helicopter) needed new blades. Click here to read the appeal letter.

This event is the same song but different verse of the prosperity gospel; this gospel promotes a tit for tat relationship with God. Since God wants you to be blessed and rich and prosperous, then giving to God will active that Divine power within your life. This issue here is not only is Bishop Hilliard requesting money from the congregation for new helicopter blades, Bishop Hilliard says that you will have divine favor in 52 days or 52 weeks if you donate $52. My initial reaction was “why not $40, that at least is a Biblical number?” Also, that’s quite a lengthy time frame you are giving me aren’t you?– either a little over seven weeks or an entire calendar year… The problem with this mentality is that you will then start to look for it even if it is nowhere to be found.

It’s like having a pain in your leg and thinking that you have a serious medical condition because one article on WebMD or some forum post confirmed your suspicion. When we do that we often disregard the mountain of other articles that state that your leg pain is merely a muscle pull. We want it to be one way so badly we are willing to disregard everything else. After those seven weeks are up and there still is no brand new Cadillac with a sun roof, XM Radio and a V-8, then we are going to use the remaining time of our year to make the puzzle piece fit. This is not what God called the church to do; God does not call the church to try to solve the puzzle of whether or not something is a blessing because the church bought new helicopter blades.

What about that single parent who is faithful to their God and needs a car for work or school as the Bishop is touting but can’t fork over $52? Are they just up a creek? Do they not reap the rewards of God’s blessing under this theological framework?

This type of theological frame work is predicated on the notion that God only does for you when you do for God. Last time I checked, that is nowhere to be found in the Bible. Giving to God does not mean that one will receive back from God. Giving in all of its many forms is about one’s response to God. God has gifted humanity with many different things and how are understanding of God and our relationship God dictates our type of giving. The thought is that people should give 10 percent of income or goods, but study after study show that this is not the case for much of the Christian populace.
Is this the reason so many people have joined the Christian faith over the centuries? Is a relationship with God and with Christ merely about a new car and a financial stability? If this is the case then I believe we have missed the point of the gospel. The gospel compels followers of Christ to be selfless and to give up our possessions that can rust and break down. The gospel is centered on the notion of the other, the lonely, the downtrodden, the outcast; they are the ones we are called to serve. Our faith should not be dictated on giving just because we want something. Our giving should be a expression of our faith in thanksgiving for what God has done for us. God does not care how big or how small it might be.

Bishop Hilliard did release a statement in response to the uproar; he mentions a few scriptures here and there but the one that he discarded was the one where Christ said one cannot serve God and money.
I’m not a minister of a mega church but I would hope that if I were I would not have a helicopter but rather use the money to feed the homeless or dig wells in Africa or something else more useful. This type of theology is appealing to some but some see the plight of the world, the hungry, the struggling, the hurting and believe a helicopter for a minister is a waste of money. If the minister has nicer suits and transportation that most of his/her congregation then is there disconnect between the printed words of Christ and the real world.

If Christianity is about giving to get… then it is doomed to fail.

In Christ,

Rev. Evan

EDIT: Formatting and additional text added (2:00pm)
EDIT 2: Sojouners picked up this piece as well click here

Review: “Soul Repair: Recovering From Moral Injury After War”

/ Rev. Evan Dolive
English: A folded American flag held by a Unit...

English: A folded American flag held by a United States Marine at the funeral of Douglas A. Zembiec. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I have never served in the military.  I have had family and in-laws who served this country in a variety of capacities though the armed forces.  Now more than ever, the public is keenly aware of the movements and campaigns of the US military are leading in the Middle East and around the world.  New stations cover a returning solider, coming back home to a throng of people cheering and waving US flags; we get choked up when we see a solider surprising their family; we stand and clap during sporting events when a service person is recognized on the jumbo-tron.

While all of these things are wonderful expressions of thankfulness and gratitude, what about what is going on in the inside of the solider, inside their mind, their heart and their soul?  Can one ever understand what life is like in service to the country?  Can one ever understand the what life is like in the line of fire? to shoot a gun? to have bombs go off near you? to lose a friend? to kill someone?

How does one (if ever) reintegrate into a fast paced, self centered, on the go American society?

The book Soul Repair: Recovering From Moral Injury After War takes a look at the notion of moral injury in returning combat veterans.

Moral injury results from having to make difficult moral choices under extreme conditions, experiencing morally anguishing events or duties, witnessing immoral acts, or behaving in ways that profoundly challenge moral conscience and identity and the values that support them. Moral injury is found in feelings of survivor guilt, grief, shame, remorse, anger, despair, mistrust, and betrayal by authorities. In its most severe forms, it can destroy moral identity and the will to live. The struggle of combat veterans to return to civilian life can be even more difficult than serving in war and last a lifetime. (taken from http://www.brite.edu/soulrepair/)

The book profiles five different soldiers from different campaigns that the US has been involved with and their struggle with their own morality and faith and how their soul was injured during their deployment.  The book is written by Rita Nakashima Brock and Gabriella Lettini who both had family member serve in combat; both articulate that their loved ones were not the same people after their deployments.

This is an eye opening book to the pains and injury (not just physical) that combat has. I guess sub conscientiously knew it but I never connected the dots.  This text brings moral injury to the forefront, to a place where we as a society and nation are faced with it.  By hearing the stories of struggle and pain that the soldiers went through the reader is taken to a different place, into a world that most of us are not privy to.

The book states that returning combat vets are at a statsically greater risk for suicide and violence; this leads many to think that the pangs of war and combat are deeper than just what is reported on television.

Soul Repair does not hold back on its critique of the Veterans Administration and the US government for not support returning veterans.

Selected Quotes:

Moral injury results when soldiers violate their core moral beliefs, and in evaluating their behoavior negatively, they feel they no longer live in a reliable, meaningful world and can no longer be regarded as decent human beings. (page XV)

Veterans who struggle with moral injury are struggling to recover their lost sense of humanity, which they require to reintegrate into the human community. No easy shortcut can bring them home. (page 54)

Engaging in collective conversations about moral injury and war can help us all to strengthen the moral fabric of society and the connections that tie us to the rest of the world. Our collective engagement with moral injury will teach us more about the impact of our actions and choices on each other, enable us to see the world from other perspectives and chart pathways for our future. (page 114)

The Disciples of Christ in 2011 voted to look into the notion of moral injury and how the church can help veterans from all campaigns with moral injury. Thanks to a grant Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas opened the Soul Repair Center.

I support the work of the Soul Repair Center and I pray that it will be used for the healing and restoration of all people who are faced with moral injury.  The authors note that the church used to assist with the transition of those returning from war who had “shed human blood.” They had to undergo “a rehabilitation process that included reverting to the status of someone who had not yet been baptized and was undergoing training in Christian faith. … this ancient form of quarantine was required because early Christians understood that killing or participating in war, regardless of of the reasons, injured the souls of those how fought. (page xviii)”

I recommend this book to anyone who has or has had a member of their family in military combat, no matter how long ago.  Moral injury is something that has been with humanity ever since the first war broke out.

 

Book Link
5 out of 5 stars
★★★★★
In Christ,

Rev. Evan

I’m One Of The Coolest Dads On The Internet??

/ Rev. Evan Dolive

Today I found out that I was listed in the Top Five Coolest Dads on the Internet by People Magazine!  They ranked me number 3!

Here is what they wrote:

When Evan Dolive, a reverend from Houston heard about Victoria’s Secret’s Bright Young Things collection, he wasn’t exactly running to the mall. Based on observations of the collection – which ranged from polka-dotted hipsters screen-printed with the phrase “Feeling Lucky?” to thongs emblazoned with the words “Call me” on the front – he was worried the iconically sexy retailer was targeting middle school-aged girls. And so he thought of his daughter, a 3-year-old who loves princesses, peanut butter and jelly and drawing pictures for people.

“I want my daughter (and every girl) to be faced with tough decisions in her formative years of adolescence,” he wrote in a March letter on his blog. “Decisions like should I be a doctor or a lawyer? Should I take calculus as a junior or a senior? … I want my daughter to know that she is perfect the way she is; I want my daughter to know that no matter what underwear she is wearing, it does not define her.” –Written by Alison Schwartz on people.com

I am honored to be selected for this list.  As I have said many times before (and will say many times again), I never thought that my letter to Victoria’s Secret would ever garner this much attention.

Thanks to everyone for reading and supporting me on this journey!

A BIG THANK YOU TO PEOPLE.COM AND THE AUTHOR ALISON SCHWARTZ!

If you would like to see the others listed click here for the full article.

In Christ,

Rev. Evan