Whirled Views with Dan Burrell

Do you like books? I sure do! Over the years, it almost became an obsession with me. As a speedreader, I’d constantly prowl about looking for interesting books, relevant books, challenging books and my favorite kind — good, cheap used books.

Visiting an used bookstore was a recreational activity for me and finding the odd bargain just made it all the better. But after collecting books for over a quarter of a century, enough is enough. I’m starting the process of unloading several hundred books to make room for future finds.

So…I’ve opened an on-line bookstore on EBay. I deal postcards on EBay regularly as a way of funding my kid’s college funds. So I’m going to combine both passions — postcards and books (plus any other junk I happen to collect) into one resale outlet at Dan’s Books and Postcards on Ebay. Here you’ll find dozens of books I’ve written, read, reviewed, collected, had sent to me for consideration, collaborated on and otherwise accumulated.

Here’s the best part — some books start as low as .25 cents, most are $1 - $2, with few exceeding $5.00. You’ll save loads off retail prices, plus, the more you buy, the more you’ll save on shipping. You can literally buy a box of books for the same price you’d pay for one book at Waldenbooks or Books-a-Million.

I’ll constantly be adding more books, so check by often. There’s a link on my store where you can sign up for a newsletter and I’ll let you know from time to time when I’ve got something special being offered.

Please note that I’ll also be featuring some of my sermons on CD’s and DVD’s, some of the books I’ve written, sermon series I’ve preached at Northside and other items I’ve personally developed or written.

So bookmark my store and come visit it often to pick up some bargains. The more you buy, the more books I can buy to replace those you bought.

About five weeks ago, I decided to take a break from blogging. There were several reasons for doing so. First, I was just intellectually tired. During the first six months of this year, I had drawn more attention to my writings and to our ministry than I had considered. With that came some scrutiny and criticism. I made the mistake of taking some of it too personally and then compounded that mistake by occasionally responding to the criticism too personally. Once I realized this, I decided it was time to give myself a time out to refocus, take a few deep breaths and make sure I regained a correct tone and perspective on my writing, ministry and life in general.

I’m in the process of emerging from my self-imposed hiatus from blogging which is now into its second month. During my break, my IT manager and I decided to switch to a different blog host. I am now using WordPress as my blog host and it is being launched from our own servers. This will mean a few minor changes….

First, if you have linked to “Whirled Views” through a “favorites” icon on your desktop or through your ISP, then you’ll want to change the URL. Effective immediately, this blog is found simply at www.danburrell.com. Previously, you would link to the blog by going to my site and adding /blog to the end of the URL. That is no longer necessary.

Secondly, if you link to my blog from your blog or website, you’ll need to switch the link as well. If you use a RSS feed, drop me an email at dburrell@northsidebapt.organd we’ll send you the code for that. I plan on adding several more blogs to my blog link list in the next few days as I get used to my new digs.

I’ll also be adding a few other features in the coming days including categories, website recommendations, etc… You may click on the calendar to get posts from a particular day of the month.

You may still connect to my other websites and interests from the danburrell.com address. This includes my Cross Connections radio and television broadcasts as well as links to the old blog and its archives, the church I pastor and our Christian day school. The difference is that the “front page” is now my blog. You’ll link to the other pages through the blog. I made the change because most of my web traffic was heading for the blog and this allows you to get there faster.

I’ll be posting new material shortly and I’ll be telling you what you can expect from my blog in the future as well. Thanks for bearing with me during my break and as we set up this new location.

Work has begun on relocating this blog to a new host. In the next few days, we’ll be switching to WordPress as our blog host. In addition, the blog is going to be moved to the front page of www.danburrell.com. You’ll be able to navigate to my video/audio page, Cross Connections and Northside Baptist Church from the blog front page.

This site will remain open for several months and I’ll put a link there as a final post here. My archives will remain on this site as it is not possible to tranfer those to my new blog. If you want to read any of my old articles, you will have to come to my old blog. All new articles will be posted on the new blog.

The new blog will be more user friendly and a bit brighter and more up to date. When I begin posting there, I’ll fill you in on what you can expect from my blog writing in the future.

Stay tuned and I’ll keep you posted!

It’s been a month since I’ve posted anything new on Whirled Views having decided that a bit of a hiatus might do me some good. Indeed, it has been somewhat of a respite though at other times, I’ve found myself itching to post something or the other that I thought my readers might enjoy.

I’m breaking the silence to tell you a few things….

First, I will be returning. I can’t give you an exact date right now. I’ve been working on several projects that are both personal and professional and they have occupied my time and attention. In addition, Julie took a spill up at our family retreat and has been in bed with a damaged foot for nearly two weeks. We return to the doctor on Monday and hopefully, she’ll be permitted to put some weight on it at that time. Thus, I’ve been playing “Mr. Mom” to our four kids in addition to my regularly insane schedule. But you can expect to see some “fresh” Whirled Views before too much longer so keep checking back.

Secondly, for some reason, Blogger/Blogspot — the host for Whirled Views has been having trouble with my RSS feeds lately. As a result, this blog has been responsible for shutting down the “Sharper Iron” Blog Aggregator multiple times in the last few weeks when they refresh after I post one of my “best of…” articles. I enjoy SI and appreciate being on their “blogroll”, so I want to see what can be doing that is causing a problem and try to resolve it. We have been unable to ascertain what is causing this after multiple attempts. So we are considering making a “move” to another hosting service in the next few days. If we do, we’ll make sure and link the location to the new site from here and we’ll keep this up for some time or until we figure out how to transfer our archives to the new site. Stay posted on this issue…

Finally, I appreciate the many emails of encouragement and calls for my return I’ve received over the last month. It is gratifying to know that one is missed. I am HOPELESSLY behind on my emails right now. I literally have hundreds waiting for some sort of reply. If you are one of those, I sincerely apologize. I’m just unable to keep up with it all and do the other things I need and want to do. I do personally read every single email (of the non-spam variety), so please don’t hesitate to drop me a line.

The month off from blogging has given me some time to do some personal reflection. I’ve dropped about fifteen pounds, on my way to thirty (at least.) I’ve done some planning for this fall and next spring in terms of what I’ll be preaching on from the pulpit of Northside. I’ve found a fresh focus on some areas within our church that really need my attention and that of our leadership team and I am already seeing positive progress in that area.

But as is always the case with me, the urge/need to write constantly churns within me. In the near future, you can expect to read how I will be approaching this blog when I return. Hopefully, with a fresh focus on my part, I’ll be able to turn my attention to producing writing that is of a more permanent nature than blog articles, but we’ll have to see regarding that.

This has been the first summer in many years wherein I haven’t taken an extended vacation. Apart from 5 whirlwind days in Orlando with my sister and her family, the only other real days “off” were the Monday and Wednesday before and after July 4th as we had friends from Florida in visiting. We’ll be leaving in 3 weeks to take Nathan off to Liberty University, but that will only be a 2-day event. In spite of not taking a real “vacation”, I feel renewed in that I am ready for a great fall in our church and my mind is reeling with projects and ideas for the future.

So….that’s what’s up for now. I’ll be back shortly to resume where we left off in June.

My kids, like most, are invited to multiple Birthday parties over the course of a year. Usually just prior, sometimes enroute, to these parties, we make a quick dash into the local Wal-Mart to spend $10-20 bucks on some over-rated piece of junk and another $5-7 bucks on a card, ribbon, paper and tapes just to cover it for the milli-second prior to the unwrapping. Within minutes, the paper, the present and the money are all forgotten.

We’ve had the same sort of parties for my own kids. I’ve often guiltily marveled to see my kids get toys and games that I would NEVER have plunked down one red dime to get. I’ve also found those same items strewn about our house or left laying in the yard within days of the party — broken, forgotten or both.

Yesterday, something different happened. My two youngest were invited to a part at “Catherines”. But on her invitation were these words — “No Gifts, Please. Instead, we will receive any monetary contributions you’d like to send, to be sent to a school for Haitiaan children which is run by our missionary, Jean Marc Desiree. So, we sent a check for the usual amount with each of our kids.

When they came back from the party, they were so excited. The described Catherine’s enthusiasm and joy as well. The kids brought and gave a total of $450 to the Birthday party! Catherine was heard to exclaim….”That’s 4 and a half kids that will get to go to a Christian school this year in Haiti (sponsorships are $100 per kid for books, uniforms, etc…)

Wow…isn’t that just a great idea? I wish I had thought of it. Not only was a missionary blessed, unknown kids will be experiencing a Christian education and American kids learned a lesson about really giving gifts that matter. In our age of materialism and excess, this was a grand lesson on selflessness and investment.

What a great example this family was to our family and I hope to many others as well. Our kids so often don’t appreciate what they have and have more than they need. To take the occasion of a Birthday party and put the focus on something spiritual and eternal is just about the greatest gift a parent can give to a child and one of the greatest lessons that could be taught to those who joined for the celebration.

I’m glad my kids have friends like Catherine. Maybe we should “pass it forward.”

Dan Burrell is on hiatus from Whirled Views for a few more days. While he has been taking a break from the blog world, we have been reprinting previous blog articles or articles from his column distributed by EP News.

Fundamentalism is a dirty word in this generations lexicon. Utter the term and, unless you have an understanding of the historical context of the word, youll probably conjure up images of abortion clinic bombers, head dress wearing anti-American militants, burkha-clad women being beaten by bearded-Muslim clerics or some late-night tele-evangelist who has a penchant for smacking people on the head in order to heal them.

Theologically, Im not ashamed to identify with historic Christian fundamentalism which was defined by a belief in certain basic Bible doctrines and includes believing that the Bible is the infallible and immutable Word of God. But the word has gained so much connotative baggage due to the conduct of people ranging from Eric Rudolph to Oral Roberts and the inclusion of other forms of fundamentalism as in extremist Muslims, I find it almost too cumbersome to explain what I mean when I use the term in reference to my own theological positions.

Today, fundamentalism has been re-defined in such a way that it connotes a militant, sometimes violent, unreasonably rigid, often frightening adherence to a set of values or principles. Just as more common words such as gay or cool or righteous have taken on different definitions, so has the term fundamentalism and to ignore it is to run the risk of miscommunicating what one really does believe.

That said, I think conservative Christian thinkers should be warily examining and challenging the rising tide of secular fundamentalism. If the new characteristics of fundamentalism described above are to be applied uniformly, consider the actions and attitudes of those who are daily waging war on the liberal left.

Freedom of religion for the secular fundamentalist has gone to the extreme of freedom from religion. The radical secularists would particularly hold conservative Christianity in disdain and have proactively attempted to intimidate religious right activists from speaking out on issues of moral importance. How can one explain the unending dedication and perseverance of those who would give enemy combatants in Guatanamo Bay their own (government-issued) copy of the Koran while spending millions trying to prevent our children from hearing a Bible verse in a public school or seeing the Ten Commandments on a courtroom wall? Is there not an utter contempt and loathing that is palpable from the ardent secular fundamentalist who holds a position as a network newscaster, Hollywood producer or star, newspaper editorial writer, public university department chair or the head of Move-On.org? The lip-curling diatribes from the likes of people like Michael Moore, Barry Lynn and Ted Turner are not all that dissimilar from those spouted by the Muslim clerics in Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

Im not accusing all liberals of being proponents of some sort of secular jihad anymore than I believe conservative Christians are trying to resurrect the Crusades. I am saying that there is an extremism embedded in secularism that is every bit as dogmatic and dangerous as those who use their religion to persecute those they consider infidels.

The hostility of the radical left and the growing desperation they obviously feel with each election that leaves them in the minority and every federal judgeship that comes open is very much obvious to those who observe and recognize the worst characteristics of the newly-defined fundamentalism. We ought not condone their outrageous excesses any longer or with any more patience than we would those who put on white-robed clan uniforms or who would beat a woman for exposing her elbow.

One of the great pillars of evangelical Christianity in general, and among Baptists in particular, is the fundamental belief that religious identification and commitment cannot be forced. Those who are not or will not be persuaded by the Spirit of God are not reachable by the threat of coercion or the manipulation of men.

We must resist accepting a mentality that would force its values on our culture, our nation or our families. Its not American, its not Christian and its not right. Extremism of any flavor or wearing any moniker is a dangerous thing.

Dan Burrell is on hiatus for a few weeks. During this time, we are re-posting early blog articles or articles that were written for his column with EP News.

Frankly, I get sick of people who like to make a buck off of Christians and Christianity. Sometimes it begins with a noble message or motivation as in the What Would Jesus Do (WWJD?) movement that swept pop culture a few years ago. Other times it is just exploitive from the get go.

Last week, I saw something that literally made me roll my eyes. It was the Jesus “Bobblehead” figurine. Most of you know that bobbleheads are today’s collectible equivalent (for some) of Beanie Babies that were so popular a few years ago. Athletes, politicians, pop starts and other so called icons have been turned into these little shelf warmers. But some scam artist now took it to a new level with the Jesus Bobblehead. What next? Bobblehead nativity scenes? (If they show up on shelves next year, I’m sueing someone for stealing the idea, btw.)

Another example would be PETA. Ive always believed that PETA the group called People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is a fringe group of extremists that has a pattern of childish, if not criminal behavior, which is used to attract attention to their agenda in lieu of using rational thought and rhetorical persuasion. These are the folks who throw red paint on the fur coats of people, who break into animal shelters and release feral cats back into the wild, who bomb research centers and who have been known in recent days for outrageous advertising. PETA members are generally the most extreme of animal rights activities and have indicated a willingness to do or say anything, no matter how outrageous to get attention. They believe that man is no better than animals and that we exploit them. They are against using animal products of any sort for clothing or food. Most of them are strict vegetarians even refusing to drink milk or use butter.

A few years ago, they caused a stir by featuring then-New York Mayor Guiliani in an advertisement that parodied the famous Got Milk ads produced by the dairy industry. They used Mayor Guilianis face with a milk mustache and the words, Got Cancer? suggesting a link between drinking milk and prostate cancer which has very little scientific credibility. After they had caused sufficient uproar, they pulled the ads, but got LOADS of free publicity from the act.

Then they took an additional step. Using an image of Christ often connected with the Shroud of Turin, they suggested that Christ made an impression by being a vegetarian. Of course, they are getting the residual free-press for their controversy.

But that brings me to the offensiveness of wrapping ones self (or product) in some form of image of Christ for the purpose of gain or self-promotion. From Al Gores constant reminder from the campaign stump about being born again (show me thy works and Ill know thy faith, Mr. Gore), to Broadway plays from Jesus Christ Superstar and other blasphemous productions, to some of the Jesus-Wear fashions so in vogue these days, I have to wonder if were not cheapening, if not down-right blaspheming the reputation of Christ.

In our consumer-driven society, nothing has remained sacred and sometimes we Christians dont act much better than the world in how we show reverence to the reputation of Christ. Jesus wasnt a Republican, nor was He a Democrat. Notice to PETA — He wasnt a vegetarian either theres a lot of Scripture that shows otherwise. But even if He was, that WASNT His message so back off. I dont think He was interested in marketing campaigns and public relations. He and His father were very specific that we werent to attempt to make any graven images of Him and I think that includes paintings, photography and statuary.

PETA is a petty little group of malcontents who need to grow up and get a life. Theirs is a message of pantheism that worships the creation rather than the Creator which we are specifically warned to avoid in Romans chapter one. But most of all, it is just offensive for them and for anyone else to use Jesus as some sort of endorser of political positions or products. His name is above all other names and to use it in such a way demeans it.

All of us could use a reminder to treat His image with more respect, to avoid the temptation to reduce His reputation by making Him one of us. Yes, God is Awesome, but I just wonder if it wants us to use T-Shirts and Bumper Stickers to announce that.

Somehow, I have to think that reading His Word and testifying to His grace from person to person is exactly how He wants us to learn of Him and His ways and how to share it with others.

Jesus never required a press agent or an advertising executive. He let His walk, works and words communicate His message and when someone saw or heard Him, He ALWAYS made an impression.

Dan Burrell is on Hiatus from Whirled Views for a few weeks. Until his return, he will be posting articles from his early days of blogging or reprints of his columns published through EP News.

Last night, I was at a meeting with a pretty large group of leaders from our church and the host of the meeting mentioned something that I had said at a Wedding Rehearsal Dinner for his son a few years ago. It deals with my philosophy of living that challenges us to provide some space in our lives for the unexpected, unplanned and unintentional things of life.

Years ago when I was still teaching high school students English, much of my free time was spent grading book reports, essays and various types of compositions. I had a few students who made my life very difficult because they simply refused to leave margins around the edges of their papers. They would cram so many words on the paper, that I would have no space available to write my comments and notes on their work. A paper without margins leads to frustration.

Its my opinion that many people lead their lives similarly. We cram so many activities into life, we buy into the cultural mentality that we must or can have it all, we fill our lives to the very edges of time and resources and we are missing a key ingredient to fulfilled life and relationships and ministry BALANCE.

We dont have or make the time to do that which is important because we have become slaves to that which is urgent. We over-obligate ourselves to the trivial or unnecessary while the truly important things wait patiently and quietly undone or unattended.

There are consequences to this kind of living. Burnout is often the result of living life in a constant state of high gear. Ive had people say to me that theyd rather burn out than rust out, but thats not logical. Whether you burn out or rust out, out is still out. Neither state is healthy.

Living without balance can also lead to excessive weariness, depression, frustration, impatience, anger, indebtedness and physical ailments. We will neglect important relationships, we will rarely have time to meditate or rejuvenate, we will become slaves to projects or property or priorities that will leave us spent and feeling empty. Invariably, one of the first things that people discard when losing their balance is their relationship with the Lord and their ministry for the Lord. We start skipping services, leaving town for the week-ends to get away, drop ministries or give them less than our best, quit giving or grow bitter. We operate on the spiritual fumes of duty and miss the joy of devotion.

Living with balance is essential for the mature believer. Living with balance requires us to live with discipline. We have to determine what is REALLY important and then do those things first. Personal time with God, family time, ministering to our spiritual family, career to name a few. These things become non-negotiables and anything else we might add cannot impinge upon them.

We simply must learn to smile nicely and say no to those things that will over-load us. It is better to do a few things well than a lot of things poorly or excessively. Here are some practical ideas:

- Schedule a mandatory family meal every day. At least once every day, family time must be a priority.

- Determine when you will spend time alone with God and then do it. If you skip it, deny yourself some other privilege like TV or reading the newspaper, until you take time to hear from God.

- Say NO to some family things. Many homes are ruled by sports schedules, music lessons, play groups, field trips and other good things. Each of these things can be positive, but theres no way one can or should do them all. Let each child develop one or two areas in their life. Reserve a family night each week where nothing can interfere. (I recommend Thursday or Friday night.) In reality, it may be more important for you to spend time at home wrestling on the floor or doing a puzzle with your kids than to have them at soccer games or at yet another birthday party.

- Declutter. The more stuff you have, the more maintenance it requires. Do you really need five bedrooms, a boat, four pets, a room of toys, a shed of junk, etc, etc? We can spend so much time minding our possessions that they eventually start minding us!

There are many other things we might do to add balance to our lives and Ive only begun to address this topic. Healthy living is balanced living. Christ was never frenetic or out of balance in the way He led and ministered. Lets follow His example and live and minister with balance!

Dan Burrell is on hiatus from his blog for a few weeks. During the interim, we are reposting blog entries from early during his blogging days and also a few columns from EP News that were published. Dan will be back in July sometime.

In a few days, America will celebrate her birthday. Each July 4th is replete with celebrations, parades and picnics as we take the day to wallow in unabashed patriotism and the values that make the United States unique among world governments.

Any explanation of the rise of an infant nation from a hostile shore to become the mightiest superpower the world has ever known, that fails to include providential design and our Judeo-Christian heritage, simply ignores the foundation of our wonderful country. Built on that foundation are institutions that provide the pillars of our national successes and blessings.

Consider our commitment to the Rule of Law. Each time that Ive been in the Supreme Court facility in Washington, DC, whether taking a public tour or a private one, I note the deep commitment our government has made to the Rule of Law. By agreeing that there must be a basis for civilization, morality and conduct, our Founding Fathers gave strength to a fledgling country that was hacking out its existence on a hostile frontier. Lawlessness, anarchy and hooliganism could have ruled the day and ruined the future, but from the onset of our federal and local governments, a respect for self-government based on the law was emphasized. Though some would abandon these principles and would turn our constitution into an evolutionary document that is not built on principles but whims, there is still a majority in this country who want the stability that only absolute Truths can provide and no greater record of those Truths can be found than those given to us by God in His Word.

Another Pillar is the strength of Christianity. Try as they might to censor the influence of Christians and Christianity from our history and textbooks, liberal educators and social manipulators cannot completely cover the power of our Christian heritage. Some have suggested that a type of religious pluralism founded on universalism wherein all religions were of equal significance was or is at the heart of our spiritual strength. This is not at all true. Throughout the original writings of our Founding Fathers, the pluralism and religious diversity that they emphasized was among Christian denominations in particular and Judaic sects to a lesser extent. Consider these words from Constitutional Framers

Whoever will introduce into public affairs the principles of Christianity will change the face of the world. - Benjamin Franklin

It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ! - Patrick Henry

The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected, in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity. - John Quincy Adams

Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers and it is the duty as well as its privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers. - John Jay (1st Supreme Court Justice of the United States.)

Finally, we should celebrate the pillar of family. It is the nuclear family which is the building block for our culture and civilization. It is to be the place where values are taught and caught. It is the haven of privacy and individualism. It is the center of education and training. It is the seat of authority and good citizenship. When Americas families are weakened or threatened, then our entire nation is weakened and threatened. One of the most patriotic acts that any of us can perform is to keep our marriage intact, our children safe and our family strong.

American has many other pillars the free enterprise system, representative government, freedom of the press and speech, opportunities to achieve, freedom to pursue our goals, diversity of choices and so many more. None of these pillars should be taken for granted and all of them should be appreciated and protected.

On this Fourth of July, let us each acknowledge that we are blessed among the worlds citizens to live in a country such as ours. Lets take the precious privilege we have to be Americans and use it for the good of our own and others and for the glory of God!

Dan Burrell is on hiatus for a few weeks. He’ll be back in mid-July. Until then, we are posting a few old blog entries or articles from his column with EP News. This article was first posted in 2005.