Jesus Had a Bleeding Heart

Another Year Passes

2008-12-31T20:26:00.000-05:00

Tonight we say goodbye to 2008. I'm not sure if seeing the year pass into history saddens me or if it makes me glad. It has been a year with few major changes, positive or negative.

At the beginning of 2008, I believed that God was calling me to help with the planting of a new church. That has not come to pass. A number of circumstances came up which put that on hold indefinitely. God has also kept me in the current church, even though it is dying or dead. For some odd reason, there still seems to be a ministry for me there. I have no idea what 2009 will bring.

My duties as an educational assistant have changed. Instead of working in a single self-contained class, I now travel to a number of classes within the building. It makes the day go a bit faster and I get to work with a variety of students. I'm still coaching basketball, but this year it seems there is more teaching needed as far as skills go.

Our daughter, Jennie, has flown the coop and made her way to the left coast, where she is trying to leave her mark on the film industry. I'm looking forward to seeing how God works in and through her. Josh, our son, is halfway through his architecture studies, and is still enjoying it.

My beautiful wife, Jan, continues to minister in a Christian school, although this year her duties have increased. We are grateful that her parents are in town so we can see them and help them as they need it.

God continues to teach me, and strip ideas and beliefs from me that I don't need. I'm finding that I am being increasingly, as imonk so succinctly put it, "reduced to Jesus." I'm seeking to follow more closely the Rabbi presented in the Gospels, rather than than the one created by modern Christendom. I'm finding that the pursuit is a lifetime thing rather than a one-time "turning everything over to God". Actually, spending a lifetime trying to follow Jesus so closely that I am covered in the dust from his feet is not a bad way to live. There are days when I sense his presence right there with me, and there are days when I wonder where he is.

As I enter 2009 I journey down a back road that is shaded by trees that have grown over the road and made the path very dark. It's not scary. It's more like an adventure, like exploring a path that you know leads somewhere. The question is where? I don't have an answer. Only God does, and he hasn't chosen to let me know. So, I journey on, step by step, walking by faith and not by sight.

Maybe in 2009, the branches will part and a bit more of the path will be revealed.

Happy New Year everyone! May you have a blessed year.

A Baby Changes Everything

2008-12-24T12:21:00.001-05:00

Last night we were watching "A Home for the Holidays". It's a tv special about adoption. At the beginning, Faith Hill sang a song about the birth of Christ, and there was a recurring line that stated, "a baby changes everything".

To me, that sums up the message of Christmas. A baby changes everything. The world that this baby was born into was under the control of an oppressive empire. The people of God were in bondage and waiting for a redeemer to come and free them. Then along comes this baby, born into a working class family and placed in a feeding trough. What many of the folks at that time didn't realize was that the Redeemer had come. The One who would free them from bondage had arrived on the scene. Everything was about to change.

When Jesus began his public ministry and people began to follow him, most still didn't realize the extent of the changes that were coming. They didn't know that even their expectations had to change. They didn't see that the bondage they were under was spiritual and not just political. They didn't see that the Kingdom that was in their midst was a kingdom founded on love and grace, not on power.

Everything has changed. Because this baby was born in Bethlehem, because God took on humanity, we can now be saved from the oppression of sin. We can now enter the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom of love. Everything has changed because this Kingdom does not operate like the kingdoms of this world. This Kingdom turns things upside down, or maybe it's the kingdoms of the world that are upside down. Everything has changed because this Kingdom is concerned, not with serving self, but with serving others.

Everything has changed because this King will not die and allow another to take the throne. He has conquered death, and so His subjects will reign with Him forever in the new heavens and earth.

It's true. A baby changes everything.

The Bible

2008-08-28T20:28:00.000-04:00

In Eat This Book, Eugene Peterson describes how the King James Bible is still a best seller almost four hundred years after its initial publication, even though the English in the King James is a far cry from the English used in twenty first century America. I wonder why.

I've heard all the talk about the KJV being a best seller because it is the only translation that is God's inspired and preserved word. I don't think that's the reason at all.

I believe that the fact that the KJV is still a best seller has more to do with the way most people see the Bible these days than in anything special about the language that is used. The Bible is seen by many Christians as a depository of "timeless truths" that can be pulled out and used whenever they are needed. Some see it as a rule book for life or a sort of owner's manual that they can go to and find rules and procedures for the things they do. Others search out promises and use them as something akin to magic words to try to get God to do what they want. Still others read Scripture out of a sense of duty, because someone told them that to be a good Christian they have to read the Bible every day.

What all these reasons have in common is a lack of desire to really let God's revelation of himself and the story of his people get inside them. I know from personal experience that it is easy to read the Bible on a regular basis and not be changed. I've studied Scripture (in Bible college I got A's on both my theology written and oral exams). I learned the inductive, deductive, and any other ductive methods of Bible study. Those things really didn't have much of an impact on my spiritual growth. I knew a lot of information, but it really didn't mean that much.

Peterson tells a story of an adult class at his church that was studying the book of Galatians. His purpose was to remind the people of their freedom in Christ. Peterson noticed that the class was more interested in their coffee and conversation than they were with the Scripture. This frustrated him until he got the idea of taking the Greek words of the original and putting them in modern American English. He writes that very quickly the coffee was forgotten in the excitement of seeing the revelation of God in words that they were familiar with and could understand, words that they used every day. Peterson notes that the New Testament was written in the common Greek of the day - street language.

I think the reason many people buy and read the King James is that it is in a style of English that they don't use in their day-to-day lives, and can therefore be kept separate. It's part of the division between "sacred" and "secular" that many have to keep God from messing with their routine. It's also useful as a sort of "code" that only the "sanctified" can understand. (I've noticed that a large part of some sermons is reading the King James and then translating it into modern English so the congregation can understand).

I believe that the Bible is not a book to be studied the way one would study a textbook or manual. It is not a collection of facts about God or a book of regulations and procedures. It is God's story of himself and his dealings in this world, of how he is building a Kingdom and restoring all things, and of how he will finally bring about that restoration completely. It is a story that invites us to enter in, to join our story with God's story. As we enter into this story we learn, in real ways, how to become like the Savior and King the story points to.

To do this, to enter into God's story and open ourselves to being transformed by it, we must have this story in a language we can understand and relate to. For most people the KJV doesn't fill the bill.

Falsetto Spirituality

2008-08-06T22:22:00.000-04:00

In Soul Graffiti, Mark Scandrette writes, "A fascination with the supernatural can be a sign of spiritual fragmentation, a falsetto spirituality that strains to reach beyond the normal". As I pondered that statement, I realized that it is so true in much of what is called Christianity.

The obvious examples of this "fascination with the supernatural" are those who run from place to place seeking signs and wonders and "fresh anointing" from God. The supposed moving of God can keep arenas, and ministry accounts, full for months as people swarm to experience a touch from God to lift their lives above the ordinary sameness of their daily lives. While some would consider these events on the fringe, there are other examples that hit a bit closer to home.

Mainstream evangelicalism is concerned with showing people how to have their best life now, with programs that will enable folks to experience a life that rises above the ordinary. Church leaders are given opportunities to learn the secrets of success from The CEO: Jesus. Congregations strive to be extraordinary and have bigger and better facilities and programs. Supernatural power that gets prayers answered and our needs (wants) supplied is constantly sought.

Even those of a more conservative, fundamental bent are not immune to a hunger for the supernatural. They seek a home far away in heaven, a home where the physical no longer matters, a place to escape this broken world. Many of the rules and regulations in fundamental groups seem designed to limit contact with this physical world and its "corruption".

I'm not saying that the supernatural does not matter. I am awed when God performs genuine miracles of healing, and when he provides for his people in supernatural ways. I rejoice when prayers are answered and when godly leaders influence others to follow Jesus Christ. I too believe that this world is broken and corruption runs deep.

What I am saying, and what I think is the point of the quotation from Scandrette, is that the normal, ordinary parts of our lives matter. We are called to follow Jesus here and now, not in a future existence outside of this world. Jesus proclaimed that the Kingdom was here, that the King had arrived. Christ's Kingdom is not of this world, but it does have an impact on this world. We have been given the commission and privilege to participate in the work that God is currently doing in this world.

If we look around us with eyes that can see, we can notice how God is working in the day-to-day of our lives. In fact, I think the really supernatural and miraculous thing is that the Creator of all things uses broken, ordinary people like us to do the work of restoring his creation, a work that will finally be complete when Jesus returns. The work of the Kingdom is not just those things that we see as "spiritual". It sometimes involves getting dirty and dealing with ordinary things. But, then again, Jesus used ordinary things. He used spit and dirt to heal a blind man, for goodness sake! Why do we think we have to "rise above the ordinary".

Look for God at work in the ordinary, and ask him where he wants you to fit into what he is doing. Don't run after the supernatural. Remember, many times a falsetto voice doesn't sound very good.

Just Wondering

2008-07-31T16:37:00.000-04:00

I was thinking this afternoon (that's dangerous, I know) about Jesus statement to his disciples that they could expect to be hated and persecuted because he was. When I was growing up I was always taught that this meant if I didn't dress like the world, didn't listen to the same music as the world, and didn't hang around with worldly people, then those folks would hate me, make fun of me, call me names, etc. It would be okay though, because Jesus had been hated, been made fun of, and been called names. That message is still being preached in some churches around the country.

There is no question that Jesus was hated and persecuted by some of the people in his day. Heck, they even put him to death! But, I started to think about the folks who did the persecuting and the reasons why. Amazingly enough, it was not the "sinners" that hated Jesus, made fun of him and called him names. Those were the very people who followed Jesus. They were the ones who hung on his every word and who believed that he was the Messiah.

It was the religious leaders who hounded Jesus wherever he went, always looking for a way to trip him up and get him in trouble. They were the ones who said Jesus had a demon and implied that he was an illegitimate child. And, they called Jesus names like drunkard and glutton because he hung out with the "sinners". Wait a minute. I thought the sinners, the ones who drink and party, are the very people I'm supposed to stay away from so my "testimony" isn't damaged. I mean, heaven forbid someone should see me go into a bar or attend a party where "lost" people are gathered. They might start calling me a drunk or something like that, or at least might think that I'm not a very good Christian.

After all, I'm supposed to be a follower of Jesus and he would never put himself in a position where others would see him hanging out with the riff-raff and think badly of him. Would he?

Wait, you mean...?

Hmmmm.

Dreaming Again - Or Not

2008-07-23T12:33:00.000-04:00

Most of my life I've heard that God wants us to "dream big", "attempt great things for God, expect great things from God", and desire to be "greatly used". Well, I've dreamed big dreams and I've asked God to let me do great things for him. And, guess what? *crickets chirping*

That's right. Nothing has come of those dreams. In fact, most of them have crashed and burned. The dreams have ranged from competing in the Olympics (or at least getting to the Trials), to coaching college basketball and building a program that would be among the best in the country and having a ministry that would deeply impact the campus. I've even dreamed of of helping plant a church that would touch my community and advance the community. I've followed the advice of Christian motivational speakers and asked God to give me his dream for me, and I really believed he had done this.

I have come to the point in my life where I am done with dreaming. I believe that God does give some big dreams and big things to do for the Kingdom. I don't believe that I'm one of those people. Through my reading (Bible, blogs, and books), praying, and thinking, I've come to believe that God has called me to simply be a follower of Jesus. He is telling me to not worry about where the road is going to go, or what I am going to do along the journey. When I ask, he just says, "You'll find out". There were a lot of followers of Jesus in the 1st century that didn't make it into the New Testament or any of the writings of the time, but they were faithful to what God called them to do. That's what the Father is calling me to be. And, I'm okay with that.

I've often described my walk with God as a journey on the back roads. One of the things about the back roads is that they are away from the crowds, away from the spotlight. Back roads are not the places to do great things or become famous. They are places where a traveler can slow down and get to know their companions, where those you encounter are more likely to give and accept anything that is needed.

So, I'll continue following my Teacher and Friend down the back roads (and sometimes along narrow trails). There's a lot to see along the way and many interesting people to meet. And at the end, I look forward to the Father saying, "Welcome home".

Jesus and "Us"

2008-07-16T23:31:00.000-04:00

There's a guy in our town who puts religious messages on a sign from time to time. The current sign reads, "The last two letters in Jesus is us".

I'm not quite sure how to think about it. I'm don't know what message he is trying to get across. My first reaction was, "Typical American evangelical Christianity. It's all about me." After further consideration I thought that there is a sense in which the message of the sign is true. Jesus did die for individuals and individuals follow him.

On the other hand, there is a sense in which following Jesus is about so much more than the individual. I firmly believe that we are Christ's disciples in community and that we need each other. I'm much more generous in my thinking about what form that community can take than I used to be, but I still believe we are called to be on this journey with others.

So, I'm kind of muddled in my thinking about this. What do you think?

Hummingbirds II

2008-07-10T13:50:00.000-04:00

A while back, I wrote about the hummingbirds that come to our feeder. A couple of days ago, I was sitting on the back porch and a hummingbird came to the feeder. It was interesting to watch because it spent all the time looking around to see if another bird was going to come chase it away. The poor thing never did get any nectar because it was afraid of the other hummingbird.

I got to thinking how often we are like that hummingbird. We are afraid to really follow Jesus because we are afraid of being attacked, by non-Christians and by Christians. Those of us who grew up in more conservative circles know what it's like to always worry about doing something that will "harm your testimony" or "offend another Christian". When I first began to realize that many of the things I was taught when I was younger were more in line with the culture that grew around the American Church in the past century than with what the Bible teaches, I still had times of looking over my shoulder in fear of what people might think or say.

That is not a Christ-honoring way of thinking. Jesus has set us free from the expectations and opinions of others. He has called us to follow him, not any system or philosophy concocted by human beings. A quick glance at the history of Christ followers shows the diversity in the ways we are called to follow. Beyond what we find in the New Testament, Jesus did not give us an exhaustive list of how to live our lives. Yes, there are certain principles that inform our lives, the most important being love God and love others. But there is a lot of life that is not as cut and dried as some would like to think.

Galations 5:1 Paul tells us that it is for freedom that Christ set us free. Galations 5:13 does tell us that we are not use our freedom as an excuse to sin, but much of the time that verse is misused as a weapon to get people to do what a particular group or person wants them to do.
We are free. Free to follow Christ in the way that he calls us, without worrying about what other people think. What can they do? Take our things? It all belongs to God anyway. Will they refuse fellowship? We have fellowship with the Father. Will they try to damage our reputation? What reputation? We're all broken people in need of God's grace and none of us is better than another. Will they take away our position? That frees us up to pursue another avenue of service. The worst they can do is kill us. If they do that, then we are with Christ. If we realize that all we are is because of God's grace and that Jesus loves us no matter what, we can then be free to live our lives as the Holy Spirit leads us and become more like Jesus according to his schedule, not ours or any body else's.

Don't be like the hummingbird. Spend time drinking the nectar of God's amazing grace instead of looking around to see who might attack you.

Man-made or God-made?

2008-04-23T11:22:00.001-04:00

The other morning on the radio, the announcer was talking about the display that we see in spring, the beauty of the trees and flowers as they bloom and leaf out. He compared it to what we see at Christmas, with the lights and decorations. The Christmas displays have to be put up so, without human effort, there would be nothing to see. On the other hand, what we see in the spring is from God, and doesn't depend on human effort. The beauty of spring far surpasses that of Christmas.I think the same thing is true in our lives. We try to please God by our own efforts, by trying harder to not sin, by doing more spiritual things, and by teaching others to do those things. So many times the result is something far less than beautiful. Sometimes it looks like a tacky artificial tree with the most fake looking ornaments, sometimes it looks simply ugly.By contrast, we can recognize that it is only by the grace of a merciful Father that we have anything. Because God is merciful and loving, and because Jesus has died for us on the cross, we can rest in the fact that we are loved by the Creator of all things and are heirs along with Jesus. If we fall into that endless, amazing grace and let the Holy Spirit work in us and form us into the image of Christ, the result will be something beautiful and wondrous to behold. Like spring.There is another thing to remember when other people don't seem to "get it" like we do. In spring, the plants don't all come out at the same time. Sometimes even plants of the same species are on a different schedule. So it is with God's children. We are all growing, just at different rates. Back when I was a teenager (way back in the dark ages), there was a popular saying among Christians: "Please be patient, God is not finished with me yet". We need to remember that.

To Drink or Not to Drink. That's a Question?

2008-04-16T22:02:00.001-04:00

There's a very good post on Christians and alcohol consumption here.

President Lincoln on Corporations

2008-04-10T22:32:00.001-04:00

"We may congratulate ourselves that this cruel war is nearing its end. It has cost a vast amount of treasure and blood. . . It has indeed been a trying hour for the Republic; but I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of the war, corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed. I feel at this moment more anxiety for the safety of my country than ever before, even in the midst of war. God grant that my suspicions may prove groundless."

The passage appears in a letter from Lincoln to (Col.) William F. Elkins, Nov. 21, 1864

A Theology of Dirt

2008-04-09T10:40:00.002-04:00

You will often hear it said that more wars are fought over religion than any other reason. This is a lie, as even cursory review of history will reveal. (The conquests of the communist and atheist Soviet Union are the most ready example.) The truth is that almost all wars are fought over who owns and controls dirt. True, many leaders have used religion to manipulate their populace or as a rationale for their wars. But the wars rarely are about religion; they are all about dirt. And dirt is something that Jesus, surprisingly, has a lot say about.

He mocks Rome, the chief dirt-collector of his day, at his "triumphant" entry. Jesus’ procession in to Jerusalem coincided closely with the timing of when Pilate would have entered. But Jesus "triumph" march is different than a Roman would be. Rome is about projecting authority. Jesus comes...on a humble donkey. Later, he tells Pilate quite directly, "My Kingdom is not of this world," and goes on to explain that, if it was, his servants would have fought his arrest. You may think you control us, he seems to be saying, but you don’t. My Kingdom is over yours.

But his scorn isn’t reserved only for the foreign oppressors. He causes the commotion at the Temple, where he famously upsets tables and drives out the money changers. This was a holy site, the seat of Jewish religious life, but Jesus tells them that it is supposed to be a house of prayer. It is not the dirt that is holy, he seems to say, but what is done here that makes it holy.

Lastly, there is the Samaritan woman at the well. Here, he speaks not to the Man, nor to the religious elite. He speaks to the outsider. She asks, where is the ‘right’ place to worship, on the mountain or at the Temple? And Jesus answers, in effect, Neither. The true "place" to worship is in Spirit and in Truth. The right place to worship is wherever worship happens to occur.

What got me thinking about this was a song I bought from iTunes over the weekend. It is called "Line in the Sand," by Lucy Kaplansky. It’s about the fighting in the Middle East over the Holy Land, which really is the epitome of a war over dirt. The song breaks my heart, because the answer is so obvious. It’s just dirt! Can’t they see how simple this is? Stop killing over dirt! There is plenty for everybody. But they can’t see, so they keep fighting and they keep killing.

I suppose it shouldn’t surprise me. We like to think of ourselves as more advanced, as being beyond all this, but we all still fight wars over dirt. Families squabble and break apart over inheritance, which is really just refined dirt. We build high walls around our planned communities, making sure only the right people can touch our dirt. (For safety, of course. You just can’t trust those people out there.) We dedicate inordinate time & resources to making sure the dirt in our front yards is green enough, not so much because we like it that way but because, if we don’t, the neighbors will talk. Heck, our entire economy built on the desire for more: more cars, bigger houses, cooler gadgets & gizmos, more and bigger and better dirt. The lust for more and better dirt seems to be fundamental to the human experience, and we will do most anything to protect it.

Perhaps, in the new creation, we will at last realize that "The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it." Perhaps we will finally understand that it’s not our dirt.

Tax Rebate

2008-04-03T13:49:00.001-04:00

If you're wondering what to do with your share of the "economic stimulus package", check this out.

Lesson in Grace

2008-03-31T14:22:00.001-04:00

It is so true that, when we least expect it, God brings things our way to teach us. Last Friday, I had a run-in with a boy in my class. He is a Christian and is not afraid to let everyone know it. He can also be a behavior problem at times. His attitude toward school and authority is not what you would call good, and occasionally we will clash.He came into class griping about something, and was some what disrespectful to the teacher I work with. After listening for a bit, I had had enough. I said, "If you're going to act the way you do, and have that kind of attitude, just stop calling yourself a Christian."

Last night, God told me that I needed to apologize for my self righteous arrogance. I came in this morning and called the student aside and apologized to him. Somehow, in the middle of my apology, I got the brilliant idea that this was an opportunity to teach this young man about grace. Instead, he reached out his hand and said, "That's okay, I know we all have problems and things God is working on us about. I know I've got anger issues, and I'm trying to deal with it." Then he shook my hand and went to class. Then God reached out and lightly smacked me on the back of the head. I realized that I was the one who needed to learn the lesson about grace. In effect, what the student had said to me is, "It's okay, we're all broken in some way. But you're my brother so I love you".

That's what God says to us. "I know you're not perfect, and you're going to screw up. But you're my child and I love you". "My grace is big enough to cover everything".

Because God has given us the gift of his unending grace, we need to extend that same grace to those we come in contact with. Because we're all broken and we all need grace, both from God and from each other.

My Favorite Thing About Grace

2008-03-27T21:41:00.000-04:00

I think my favorite thing about grace is that it is limitless. I have heard the term "greasy grace" and it never sits right with me. One day I was thinking about that very thing and God said to me "Isn't it funny how people think they can put limitations on MY grace?"

It stunned me for a minute. Yeah, it is funny, because who are we to say anything about a grace we can't even fathom. There is grace, for the sinner and the saint. There is grace for those who haven't quite discovered the life changing love of Christ, even if they profess him as savior. Funny how we like to make God into the God of our morality, our own sense of right and wrong. It seems like "God" then becomes totally bias to our opinions, whether or not those things are the convictions of someone else. (for example, the old school belief that going to movies is bad....)

We like to scream love love love, until we actually have to apply it to our own situations....then we become all about judgement. And maybe God puts folks into our life to see if we really mean what we say. Love your neighbor, but not if your neighbor plays noisy music all the time. Love your enemy, but when they aren't around , talk trash about them. Love everyone unless they interfere with the plans you've always had for your family. Sounds so hypocritical, doesn't it? Yeah, I'm included in the hypocrisy brigade, but I've discovered an amazing secret.

Grace. Apparently, I would fit the greasy grace category...using God's grace for my advantage. But I think that is what grace is actually for...our advantage. How else would we make it through? How else would we learn? If we say God is our Father, some christians have some pretty scary fathers. I don't see God that way. I love my children, and even when they make mistakes I am moved with compassion for them. I desire to extend grace. I believe God wants to extend grace to me, even when I am the line leader for hypocrites anonymous.

So when I find myself in a place where I am totally lacking as far as being Christ-like is concerned, I say the amazing word that fixes my mess and me in the process. Grace. God give me the grace to see things like you....to have your attitude....to show your love. What would christianity be like if we actually took God up on his offer?

Easter Changes Everything

2008-03-23T20:54:00.002-04:00

"Easter mean we no longer have to kill to please God."

My pastor said that at Easter sunrise service today, and it really smacked me between the eyes. The obvious thing he was referencing was the end of animal sacrifices. But as I look back across the Old Testament, and can't help but see all the other killing there, all the God-sanctioned killing, all the God-ordered. I'd be lying (and for years I did lie, at least to myself) if I said all that holy bloodshed doesn't make me squeamish.

But I think we make a mistake when we read our post-resurrection circumstances across the gap. Because Easter really did change everything. I know some liberals (okay, a lot) try to dismiss the resurrection as if it didn't happen, or at least as if it didn't matter. They want to focus on living the right way now. But there is no living the right way without Easter. The resurrection of Jesus, the real, bodily resurrection of Jesus, changes everything. It is the catalyst, the power that enables the changes we seek. When Jesus stepped out of that tomb, it's like a new law of physics was turned on, like gravity had been switched on for the first time.

Imagine:
Before the resurrection, people were adrift, doing everything they could to cling to the earth, scratching, clawing, biting, even killing, whatever it took to try and stay grounded, to make sense of it all, to keep from floating off into oblivion. And then Jesus steps out of that tomb, and suddenly the ground begins to pull on them. They don't have to struggle anymore. The earth that they had once tried desperately to cling to now clings to them. Everything is different, and they are home at last.

Let us never lose sight of the resurrection. It is the turning point of history.

Waiting

2008-03-22T08:42:00.001-04:00

"How could this happen? How could we have been so wrong?"
"We believed the kingdom was going to be restored and those pagan dogs sent back to Rome where they belong. But this 'messiah' turned out to be just like all the others."
"Now here we are hiding from the priests and the Romans."
"Why didn't we fight back? What kind of wimps are we?"
"Fight back? Did you see how many men they had? Besides, Peter tried and he told him to put the sword away!"
"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but as soon as all this mess dies down, I'm going back up to Galilee."
"Me too. Back to the old life. When the only thing we had to worry about was catching fish and fixing nets."
"Yeah. It's been an interesting three years, but I'm through with messiahs and kingdoms. Just give me my boat out on the water. As soon as I can, I'm getting out of here."
And so, they waited.

Good Friday

2008-03-21T21:53:00.002-04:00

This evening, we went downtown for a Stations of the Cross service. I was privileged to help carry the cross to one of the stations. It gave me just a minuscule taste of what my Savior went through.

While we were at one of the stations, a transit bus pulled away from a stop and drowned out part of what was being said. I thought how for most people in our town, life was going on as usual tonight. I imagine that on the day that Jesus was crucified, life went on as usual for many of the people in Jerusalem. The religious leaders had a day that was out of the ordinary, as did the followers of Jesus. I would guess that most of the folks in the city went about the usual preparations for the Sabbath. The darkness and earthquake threw a bit of a scare into them, but it may have been a minor inconvenience.

How many of us are like that? Sure, we believe that Jesus died to save us, that his blood cleanses us from sin. We are thankful for that, we sing songs about how much we love him and we "Amen" sermons about the cross. But we go on and live our lives as if nothing significant happened, and life goes on as usual. What difference has the cross made? Is it really important, or is it just something that defines our religious system as different from others?

Jesus didn't die on the cross just to buy us a ticket to heaven. His sacrifice was not so we could use the cross to prove that we are better than others. Jesus suffered and died so that we who were dead could live. He died to make us children of God. His death takes away all our sin and our guilt so we no longer have to live in fear. We are free because of the cross.

Jesus' death also serves as the example of the way we should love others. He said that the greatest love was to lay down your life for your friends, and then he laid his life down for us. Jesus also gave a command that we love others in the same way that he loved us. He said that our love would prove to others that we belong to him.

Do we live in a manner that puts others first? Are we known for our love and sacrifice, or are we known for the things we are against? Is our life characterized by simplicity and generosity or are we wrapped up in the pursuit of the American Dream?

Has the cross made a difference in our lives? Is it continuing to make a difference?

Or is life going on as usual?

Giving it all up

2008-02-15T21:54:00.001-05:00

In A Renegade's Guide to God, David Foster tells a story of a wealthy man who built a large art collection with his son. The son goes off to war and is killed. Later a soldier shows up at the man's door with a portrait that he had painted of the man's son, saying that the son had saved his life. The portrait is given an honored place in the man's art collection.

The wealthy man dies and his entire estate is put up for auction. The first item is the portrait of the son. The crowd is waiting for the "good stuff" i.e. the Picassos, Rembrandts, and other great works. No one bids on the portrait. Finally a man bids ten dollars. It is the one who painted it and ten dollars is all he has to give. Because no one else bids he is the highst bidder. The auctioneer then says that the auction is closed. There was a clause in the will that states that the son's portrait was to be the only thing auctioned and that whoever bought the picture would get the entire estate. So the soldier, who gave everything he had to get the son's picture, also got everything else.

That's what being a Christian is all about. You give up everything you have to "get the Son", and you get everything else that the Father has. It's all about a relationship with Jesus. It's not about a bunch of rules, how you dress, what kind of Bible you carry, how you vote, what kind of music you listen to, whether you smoke or drink, or any other external things. It's about whether you realize that you can not save yourself and that Jesus Christ loves you and has died for you so you don't have to die. It's about having a relationship of love with the Creator. It's about following Jesus and letting his Spirit guide you and form you into his image.

Jesus said he came to give us a life that is abundant and full. That's the way Christians should be. Are we?

The End?

2008-01-27T22:03:00.000-05:00

Internet monk has an interesting post concerning evangelicalism here

What do you think? Is the end of evangelicalism as we know it near?

Commitment

2008-01-24T14:47:00.000-05:00

In The New Christians: Dispatches From the Emergent Frontier, Tony Jones writes:

"Just ten percent of Americans are not affiliated with a church or synagogue, and another five percent hold a faith other than Judaism or Christianity. That leaves eighty-five percent of Americans who can write down the name and address of the congregation with which they are affiliated. Yes, that bears repeating: eighty-five percent. There are about 255 million church-affiliated Americans.What can be questioned is the level of commitment that Americans have to their churches. They may know the address, but do they know the doctrinal statement? Or the denominational affiliation? Do they care? The answer to the last question is most decidedly no. American Christians care less and less about the denominational divides that are so important to their seminary-trained pastors."

He is answering the notion that America is becoming more and more secularized by stating that the majority of Americans are spiritual, but without the concern with denominational teachings that divide. I think to some degree that is true, especially with those who consider themselves emerging. The emerging conversation definitely cuts across denominational lines.

The statement, "What can be questioned is the level of commitment that Americans have to their churches", raises a different issue. Looking at the fact that eighty-five percent of Americans are associated with a church (or synagogue), I question the level of commitment that American Christians have to Jesus.

We are called to be salt and light. Salt flavors and preserves, and light allows us to see. When a great deal of what passes as the "Christian" arts is nothing more than cheap knock-offs of what is already out there, and when much of the preaching is really self-help philosophy wrapped in Scripture - where is the flavoring? When we are more concerned with beginning more programs and building bigger buildings than we are with the homeless, the poor, and the hurting in the neighborhoods surrounding those buildings - where is the preservation?

We say we have the light, but instead of going and shining that light into the darkness, we want people to somehow stumble out of the darkness into the light inside the walls we have put up to protect the light.
We have become so afraid that somehow the corruption in society will overcome the salt, or that the darkness will overcome the light that we have put ourselves in a ghetto where we are safe within its walls and from which we lob scud missiles at those outside - with the same effect.

We say we believe that God has called us out of darkness into the light, that he has saved us by his grace, that grace gives us the power to follow Jesus and that God is forming us into Christ's likeness. We say that Jesus told us to go and make disciples. We claim to follow the King of Kings. Yet we live in fear. Fear of the culture capturing and corrupting us, fear of screwing up, fear of somehow not quite measuring up.

We are loved by the Creator of the universe! His word tells us that this love is perfect and that perfect love drives fear out! If we belong to Jesus, our day-to-day life, not just our salvation, is by God's grace and not our feeble effort! Our Father loves us and accepts us just as we are, and will change us and make us grow. He will not leave us in our current state. Yes, there are commands in Scripture for us to follow. We are not absolved of all responsibility. But the power is from the Holy Spirit.

As we focus on Jesus Christ and the amazing grace that God has given us, we will desire to follow Jesus closer and closer. We will, as the Jewish rabbis used to say, be "covered in the dust" of our Rabbi. As we become more like Christ we will truly be salt and light. We will mess up from time to time. We will fall. When we do, we just pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, agree with God that we screwed up, and turn away from it and move on. I believe it was Martin Luther who said, "Sin boldly, trust God more boldly still." Walk with Jesus and trust him to guide your steps.

Thank You, Captain Obvious

2008-01-23T07:10:00.000-05:00

Real headlines from my newpaper:

Misinformation Found in Run-Up to War

War-Torn Nations Have High Child Death Rates

In other new: Despite Inflation Risks, Gravity Holds Strong!

Resolving my 2007 New Year's Resolution

2008-01-02T07:37:00.000-05:00

I know it's been a while since I blogged. Between illness, the holidays and a family vacation, I just haven't found the time. But it's a New Year, so lets get back on that horse! And I thought I'd start the New Year by recapping last year's New Year's Resolution.

I declared 2007 to be the year of "fish or cut bait" in the house church area. I was really making myself and those around me miserable obsessing about it. I concluded it was either time to: 1) Go out and do it, or 2) Kwitcherbichen (Pig German for "stop complaining") and get on with being a productive member of my current congregation.

Now, what I thought was going to happen was, this would be the kick in the pants I needed to step away from the IC and into the great unknown. I was looking forward to being a pioneer. I read all the books. I was excited. But something funny happened on the way to the house church.

First, I began to question whether the house-church model was a workable in a bedroom community/commuter city. Most of my relationships with non-church people are through work. Not many people I work with live near me. Not many people I work with live near each other. That probably means commuting to a house church. Which is kinda dumb, when you think about it. The sprawl in the Tampa area seems to work against the house church model.

Of course, the ideal of house church is to meet with your neighbors. But the commute again works against this. My wife and I spend 11 hours a day either at work or going to and from work, and we are not atypical. It is easy to say "you should know your neighbors" but difficult to actually get to know them when you have so little time each day to do so.

I also think the culture down here does not lend itself to the house church model. We are not really the adventurous sort. The few that are adventurous seem to be committed to the IC model, to making little mega-churches. (And I don't mean that as an insult.)

And then something even odder happened.

I found contentment where I am now. My resolution (inadvertently) freed me from expecting my church family to be something they were not. I began to embrace them once again for what they are. Which are people trying to figure out how to follow Jesus in a bedroom community of Tampa.

Sad Cafe

2007-12-08T00:03:00.000-05:00

A few years ago the Eagles sang a song titled "The Sad Cafe". Here are some of the lyrics:

It seemed like a holy place,

protected by amazing grace.

We would sing right out loud

the things we could not say.

We thought we could change the world,

with words like love and freedom.

Part of the lonely crowd inside the Sad Cafe.

I think this is a good picture of what the church should be. A holy place, protected by God's amazing grace. A place where people are free to share their needs and struggles without fear of condemnation. A place where the people go out to change the world with the love of Christ and the freedom that is found in Him. A place where the lonely can come and find community.What would this world be if the church was really the place it should be?

Hope

2007-12-02T12:59:00.001-05:00

Today in the church service we lit the candle of hope on the Advent wreath, and the pastor did a good job reminding us that hope in the Christian sense is not the same thing as hope as we in our current culture think. Hope is not "wishful thinking." There is a security, an expectation in Christian hope.

It reminded me of when my cousin from Vermont was coming in to visit. I sat up till two in the morning, staring out the window, waiting for them to come. I was not wishing they would turn the corner. I knew they would. It was just a matter of time. And so I waited.

And I waited.

And I waited.

I got frustrated. I paced. I looked out the window some more. And I waited. But I never doubted that they would come. They had said they were coming, and, well, why wouldn't they? They were not the kind of people who make promises and then renege on them.

And so I waited.

Finally, the pulled into the driveway, and we celebrated. They were here! Let the party begin!

That is what the Hope of Christmas is like.

Love God, Love Others

2007-11-30T22:21:00.000-05:00

The more I hear and the more I see around me, the more I am convinced that the church in America has failed to keep the two commandments that Jesus said were the greatest, the two "rules" on which everthing else hangs. Those two greatest commandments are love God with everything we have and love others as we love ourselves. Jesus later said that the love we have for others is the one thing that will prove we are his disciples.

What I see out there instead is Christians attacking other Christians on the radio, on blogs, or in books in the name of "defending truth", as if truth needed to be defended. So many of these attacks do not even address the "truth" involved, but instead are directed at the individuals who do not toe the particular party line. I have heard and read things about people that would make you think they are the second coming of Judas or some other, even more evil person.

When those outside of the faith look at the church and see the fighting that goes on over things that are not essential to following Jesus, is it any wonder that they shake their heads and determine not to have anything to do with us? Sure, there are some things which are core to faith in Christ. But there are so many others that can be left up to each individual's conscience and guidance from the Holy Spirit.

While we follow the Truth, and we do have a true and accurate record of God's dealings with humans throughout history, none of us has all of the truth that God has. In fact, I believe that when we stand before God, he will tell us that there were certain things that nobody got right, that he had something totally different in mind.

Since none of us is perfect, and none of us has all of the truth hidden away in our tiny little minds, why not concentrate on what our Savior told us is the most important thing? Love God with every fiber of our being, and then love everyone else as we love ourselves.

Think about the impact that would have.

Learning

2007-11-18T20:27:00.000-05:00

This is something I wrote about a year and a half ago.

I was there
I knew the truth

Then you decided I had more to learn

At first it was easy
The new things were "positive" and encouraging

Then you decided I had still more to learn

Then it was hard
The new things were "negative" and discouraging

Hours of solitude and inactivity
Silence from heaven

I was in the desert
Waiting and waiting. Waiting and wondering

When will it end?
How long will I be out here?

Faith had been mine
But faith was misplaced

My faith was in what you would do
And you didn't do

What is going on here?
Why isn't this working?

You finally spoke
You told me to be patient

You sent me teachers
Those who had traveled the same path

I finally learned
To trust in you

Not in what you might do
But in you as you are

I departed the desert
But I left some things there

Just in case

Oasis in the Desert

2007-11-07T13:32:00.000-05:00

I have spent several months wandering in a spiritual desert. In detoxing from institutional church and religion, it seemed to be long winter months for my spirituality. Sure, I've had glimpses of hope, but most of the time, like a mirage, they disappeared as quickly as they came. I tried to cling to anything that passed by, but you can't hold sand for very long before it slips through your fingers.

And then, one day, I found the beginning of an oasis. A trickling stream of fresh water, so desperately craved by my soul. I realized the very corruption that had over taken me.

In this time of "should we church or should we not" many stay and many leave. There is a pull from some to stay, citing that we "should not forsake the assembling of the brethren". There is a pull to go from the camp that says "its all a machine". Here is what I have discovered: Church as usual only keeps babies in the crib.

I'm not advocating all to jump up and leave their current church, but I am advocating some serious thought at where your walk with God is. Have you stagnated? Are you dependent on others to tell you the will of God? To be the voice of God? You may immediately answer no, but here is some food for thought.

I have begged God for months for any sign of life. Anything. Speak to me, show me a sign, give me a clue, because I feel like I'm going in circles. Very recently, life situations have turned around once again toward a negative slant, and I said "Fine. I give up. Nothing makes sense anymore, anyway." And I heard a still small voice say "Finally".

You see, what I have come to realize is that for as long as I was a church-goer, someone had an answer for me. Rarely was it specific, it was more along the lines of a newspaper horoscope. Vague at best. I would go to church and hear a sermon that I could use to make hope out of my situation. When that hope didn't pan out, suddenly, there was another sermon, or vague incident that I could "claim" as my own. There was always something I could warp to my own situation and put a positive spin on it.

I have had no voices to "assure" me of my right path. The only thing I've had thus far are deep "gut feelings". After a few times, I decided to trust that... and the small voice said "That was me." What was so beautifully pointed out to me was this: I have been equipped by the Holy Spirit to be a follower of Christ. I have been wandering in this desert to learn how to rely on myself, and my confidence in Christ.

We as Christians should be able to function without someone constantly spoon feeding us what we should know ourselves. In no way am I saying I am an island unto myself, in my heart of hearts, I desire a close relationship with some fellow believers. But seeing as how I don't have that right now, it doesn't mean that my life gets to stop. It doesn't mean that my walk with Christ gets to stop. I must move on, by myself, with my Lord. Continuing to pursue truth and love, and being a light in a dark world. I am not lost without the church. I am important, not just another rear-end filling a pew...I am important enough that He called me out to understand that life isn't anything without Him, and that He is invested in me.

And like a cool drink on a hot day, this news was refreshing to my soul.

Waste

2007-11-02T21:18:00.000-04:00

The last time we went to Ci-Ci's Pizza for dinner I realized what one of America's biggest sins is. It's gluttony. In the traditional sense of overeating yes (I admit I was rather stuffed when we left), but also in the larger sense of overconsuming and wasting. As we were eating, Jan pointed out the amount of crusts and entire pieces of pizza that were left on plates. People go into a place like Ci-Ci's and see the tremendous amount of food displayed before them. So they load up their plate and begin to eat. Since this is an all-you-can-eat buffet, they go back for a second plate. Then, if they don't go back for a third plate of pizza, they have a few pieces of dessert pizza. The problem is many of those people find that they can't eat all they have taken. So they leave it. They leave it to be thrown away and wasted.

Then I thought about our culture. Gas prices keep going up, and how many really change their driving habits. There are many examples of wastefullness in our society. Most of you could come up with a few.

My question is: What does this say about our culture? More importantly, what does this say about those of us who claim to belong to Jesus? Are we doing what we can to conserve and not waste the things God has given us? These things include gas, food, natural resources, time, talents, relationships. Christians should be the best environmentalists. Not in a worship Mother Earth, man is a virus type of way, but in a way that recognizes that this world was created by God for us to wisely and compassionately use to build the kingdom and minister to others. God didn't give man the right to abuse creation. We are stewards and are to take care of the gift we have.

Because Jesus Lives

2007-10-31T08:53:00.000-04:00

I keep hearing that "liberalism" (especially in relation to the Christian faith) is a failed doctrine. That it has been tried and found wanting. And for a long time, I believed it. But now, I wonder.

I stopped running from the "liberal" label about a year and a half ago. Not that I exactly embrace it now. I understand the label for what it is: shorthand people use to get their heads around ideas. All labels do that. Are they over-broad? Of course they are. But they are also useful, so long as we define the labels instead of allowing the labels to define us. That is, if it helps you to think of me as a liberal, that's fine with me. I don't have to defend myself. I don't adopt liberal views unthinkingly, just because they fit the liberal orthodoxy. I adopt views I believe to be true. As it happens, lots of them do skew to the left. And (here comes the heresy!) there isn't anything wrong with being a liberal!

I don't believe liberalism has been tried and found wanting. I believe it was often hijacked by people with power-seeking agendas. I believe some liberals lost the plot. I believe some liberals mistook the means for the ends. And worst of all, some liberals in their quest to change the world gutted the power to affect that change: the death & resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The core of liberal Christianity is still alive, vibrant, and waiting to be unchained. Because the core of liberal Christianity is Jesus Christ. Jesus, who cares for the poor and oppressed, and demands that you care as well. Jesus, who throws wide open to all the door to the Kingdom. To men. To women. To children. Jesus, who invites each one to be full participants in His Kingdom coming here. Jesus, who challenges the unjust authority of the Temple and speaks the truth to the Powers. Jesus, who suffers for his convictions to Truth, even to death. Jesus, who rises again and ensures final Victory. This is the core of liberal Christianity.

When liberals lose the plot, this is what we must remind them: We live because Jesus lives. Things change because Jesus lives. The Kingdom comes because Jesus lives. The poor are lifted and the marginalized included because Jesus lives. And Victory is sure because Jesus lives. It is that simple. And it is that difficult.

Less Consvervative Than I Was Yesterday

2007-10-30T17:35:00.000-04:00

My husband and I served our last Sunday at Cornerstone three days ago. There was no mention of our leaving, no apology, not attempt to resolve differences before we left. It ranks up there in the worst days list.

My husband resigned after a conversation with the Sr. Pastor which had three parts. Part 1 was Luke being accused of being to narrow-minded in his ministry style. Why can't he ever be open to old-fashioned forms of ministry like door-to-door? Part 2 was the about how the Sr. Pastor really wanted people in his Church that are just like him. That are specifically looking for Church to be done the way it was done in the 50's. Part 3 was a discussion about me. Apparantly I make him uncomfortable because I choose to wear jeans to church and not make-up, and becuase I had strong opinions. He said "I'm not comfortable with Lindy having the role of Pastor's wife when she behaves as she does. She needs to work harder at keeping up appearences ".

I felt as if someone had let a bomb off next to me without any warning. The denomination states on paper that they are completly egalitarian when it comes to the role of women. They will ordain them, and have no official stance on "biblical marriage roles". However I've learned that it's much easier to change a denominal position than it is to change the beliefs of their clergy. A simple sentence in the discipline dosn't protect women who are choosing to not sell Pampered Chef.

Girls are growning up convinced that day care is akin to abuse, and that they will be happiest taking a support role to their husbands in vocational ministry, even though they share the same degree. I just can't stand it anymore.

The best part is that the interpretation are applied in an obviously North American middle-class context. To make a stay at home parent possible, there had better be a pretty good single income coming in. I don't know off an evangelical church that provides support for single mothers, or lower-income parishiners. Women wearing make-up would have been scandelous only 100 years ago in the same churchs that now gossip about women not "keeping up appearences".

I'll end my rant here, and try to put a productive spin on it. How do we address these issues without being written off as liberal femminists? How can we take the "Biblical Model" and apply in a more gracious light to women who don't have the gentle option of being a stay at home mom?

Lindy

The Good Son

2007-10-23T14:42:00.000-04:00

“There was a father, and he had two very different sons. The youngest (and less-reputable) son said to his father, “Dad, I don’t want to wait until you die to get what’s coming to me. I want what will be mine now, so I can enjoy it before I get too old like you.” The father, who loved both of his sons, divided everything he had and gave it to both of his sons.

Not long after that, the younger (and less-reputable) son left his home with his newly acquired wealth. He visited every red-light district he could find, even traveling across the ocean in search of further debauchery. He spent money voraciously. He indulged in food, but also drink – only the finest crossed his lips. He tipped extravagantly, and treated his many friends to meal after meal. It seemed his wild living, his expensive lifestyle, his wonderful life would never end.

Until the restaurant – the one with the wonderful crab dish – returned his card with a hushed whisper, and words about alternative payment methods. Slowly, his friends (their free ride over) had conflicts with their calendars. Nobody wanted to be around him, nobody remembered the lavish lifestyle his money provided them for the past months.

And when he really needed money, when he really needed something to eat…the sound of doors being locked, the continued pulse of cell phones being unanswered. Irony attacked. The younger son found himself living (without the owner’s knowledge, of course) behind the dumpster of his once favorite restaurant. He picked through the garbage. He found derivatives of the delicacies he once enjoyed.

One particularly cold, hungry night, the youngest son came to his senses. “How many of the immigrants who work for my father have food to spare, give extra to the poor! And look at me! Eating out of the dumpster! I will go back to my father and apologize.”

So, the younger son returned home. While he was still a shadow across the fields, his father saw him and turned his back on the younger son.

The son yelled, “Father! I have sinned against you! I know this! Please, let me work in your fields alongside your immigrant workers!”

The father shook his head vigorously, yelling to the son: “You come back to me now? After spending everything I saved for you? You think you can come back to me, even as a slave?”

The older brother heard this, and with a smug look on his face, said to his younger sibling, “You smell like garbage. What have you done to yourself? Make sure you stay away from the house tonight, because Father is having a party for me to celebrate my dedicated service, my unwavering faith, and my constant obedience. And I don’t want people to know that filth like you shares my blood.”

The younger brother pleaded with his older brother, and with his father. “I made a mistake! Please! I want to know your touch again! I want to hear you call my name lovingly once before you die! Please, let me work for you, let me be your slave until I am once again fit to be called your son!”

The father and brother went inside, forgetting about the sinful man kneeling before them.

That night, the younger brother heard the sounds of a party. The best food was being served, and his normally frugal father was sparing no expense. Lamb. Tender potatoes. Savory vegetables. The best desserts. The younger brother couldn’t stand it anymore, and his nose led him closer and closer to the window of the feast.

Looking over the pane, he saw his father with his arm around the obedient brother, the brother who lived perfectly. The best family robe was on his shoulders. Grandfather’s ring was on his finger. A new pair of sandals were on the brother’s feet.

The father quieted the crowd, and when he had their attention, said: “Here is to the obedient, the son who never leaves his father. Let everyone know that my son has always been here with me. Let everyone know that he is an only child.”

Pray Without Ceasing

2007-10-22T09:25:00.000-04:00

My last post, I talked about unrealistic expectations in prayer. The second reason we find prayer difficult, I think, is that our definition of prayer is too narrow.

Paul says to "pray without ceasing." Does he really mean that we should be in constant conversation with God about everything? "Hey, God, whadayathink, should I wear the blue shirt or the red shirt? The chicken or the fish?" I think we would all agree that prayer should not be a constant monologue. But is constant dialogue necessary?

Is prayer "alone-time with God"? Yes, of course, and it is vitally important. But prayer is not just alone-time with God; it is more than that. Once again, I think it is helpful to put it into the context of a marriage relationship.

I am always cognizant that I am a married man. As such, I try to avoid things that I know will upset my wife, and I try to do things that please her. (Well, mostly.) But I do not have to consult her on every issue. Why? Because I know her. She is part of me.

Silly example: I do not need to ask my wife if it is okay for me to go out to lunch with the hot new girl in accounting who has been flirting with me. Because I know she will most certainly think it is very not okay. In fact, I would expect a cold shoulder just for asking.

Serious example: My wife spent a large part of this weekend at the hospital with her father. While she was there, the kids and I cleaned the house. Not just an ordinary cleaning, but a pretty thorough one. Why? Because I know she appreciates it. It lifts her spirits (and they really needed to be lifted this weekend). I did not have to ask her about it, because I know her.

I think "praying without ceasing" is like that. It is a constant consciousness of who you are and whose you are. It's important to remember that, if you are a Christian, Christ is in you. To be continuously cognizant of this fact, I think, is what it means to live a prayerful life.

Are there times we should sit down with just the two of us? Of course there are. Just like in a marriage, there needs to be times that are "just for us, no distractions." That is, after all, one of the ways you get to know each other. It's important to talk. It's important to hang out.

But we don't do these things because we have to. We don't do them because we are supposed to. We do them because we want to. The biggest obstacle to successful prayer life is guilt. So don't take the bait. Pray where, when, and how the Spirit leads you, and always be aware that He is leading you.

And here's the funny thing that happens when you keep a Christ-consciousness in the forefront of your mind: you want to spend more time with Him, to get to know Him better. And when that happens, well, prayer isn't so hard anymore.

Beating swords into plowshares

2007-10-21T19:45:00.000-04:00

This morning our pastor was teaching from Isaiah. In chapter 2, verse 4 Isaiah speaks of a time when, "He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, now will they train for war anymore."

Now, I realize that the ultimate fulfillment of this will come when Jesus returns. But, the question I have is, "Why don't we who are the people of God strive to bring this about in this life, in this world that we live in? Obviously, because of mankind's sin, there will always be those who will steal, fight and kill to get what they want. But there has to be something that we can do to bring peace. If nothing else, we can be peacemakers in our communities and neighborhoods. We can take steps to support groups that minister to people in other nations and cultures. We can support government policies that promote the well being of others .

Jesus said that the peacemakers are blessed. Those of us who claim to belong to Christ should take a long look at how we go about our day-to-day lives. Are we trying to bring peace wherever we can, or are we letting our selfish desires rule us? What can we do to at least partially bring Isaiah 2:4 to fulfillment?

Prayer & Unrealistic Expectations

2007-10-18T07:48:00.000-04:00

I've heard people say that prayer is hard, and I used to agree with them. Heck, I used to say it. Now, not so much. I don't think prayer is nearly as hard (and by that I mean difficult) as many people think. I do believe that one of the reasons people think it is so difficult are 1) unrealistic expectations, and 2) misunderstanding what "qualifies" as prayer.

Unrealistic expectations
Too often we think prayer should be like going on a date with God. We put on our best clothes and our best behavior, and we expect God to do the same. We expect butterflies, mountaintops and fireworks. Then these things don't show up, and we think we must be doing something wrong. We try harder to make it feel like it should. And trying harder only makes things worse. (Have you ever been on a date with someone who was trying way too hard?) We become convinced that something must be wrong with us, or at least with our approach. We try different venues. (Instead of a movie, how 'bout we go to a concert?) Sometimes this works, and we renew the "spark" we think we're supposed to have. But this feeling never lasts. We end up on more and more pathetic God-dates, trying desperately to come up with something witty to say. We keep trying, because people tell us, and Scripture tells us, how important it is to pray. But our continued failure to "make it work" convinces us that there is something wrong with us (and makes us wonder, to ourselves at least, if maybe there isn't something wrong with God). And we say things like, "Man, this prayer thing is hard!"

But what is prayer isn't a date? What if it is a marriage? I mean, we are the bride of Christ, are we not?

I've been married for almost 19 years. I love being married. I would not trade it for the world. And, despite what lots of people say, I don't think being married is all that "hard." (And by that, I still mean difficult.) I do think it is often boring, but that is a whole different issue, isn't it?

And boring is not always bad. There is also "good boring". Having someone you know you can depend on, who you don't have to impress, who knows you at your worst and likes you anyway, well, that's just about the best thing there is. Don't get me wrong, there are still fireworks and mountaintops in my marriage. We still enjoy doing things together. We still laugh together. We still often have great sex (despite what my kids think). But these do not define marriage. Our commitment to each other does.

So your prayer life doesn't still "rock your world"? Who told you it was supposed to? I mean, that's a lot of pressure to put on a marriage, don't you think?

I gotta get to work, but here's a teaser for Part 2: Is the concept of prayer as "time alone with God" inaccurate?

The Liberal "Script"

2007-10-15T12:33:00.000-04:00

The "Script": Every group has one. A "script" is a list of things that people who are X are suppose to think or do or believe (or, alternatively, never think/do/believe). Some parts of it can be generated by the group itself, others are tacked on by outsiders.

Which parts of the liberal "script" are you comfortable identifying with? Which parts annoy you?

Sodom, Gomorrah, and Church

2007-10-12T22:42:00.000-04:00

In Isaiah chapter 1, the prophet is proclaiming the word of God about the rebellious nation of Judah, the people of God. In verses 11-17, God tells the people that he has had quite enough of their religious rituals and observances. "The multitude of your sacrifices - what are they to me?" "Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me." "When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers. I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood; wash and make yourselves clean."

Before this, Isaiah, in verses 9 and 10, hits them with something that had to have been a total shock: "Unless the Lord Almighty had left us some survivors, we would have become like Sodom. we would have been like Gomorrah. Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah!"

Think about this for a minute. God is telling his people that all their religious stuff is worthless, that their observances and rituals have become detestable to him. And, on top of all this, he says that the nation of Judah - God's chosen people - the ones with the truth, are no better than Sodom and Gomorrah!

Now, fast forward a couple of thousand years. Many churches in America are well known for their stand on "the truth" and their vigorous "defense of the faith". They are busy with preaching, with attacking the evils of society, and all of the other things that have been part of "church" for the last 100 years or so. Others are just as well known for their "innovation", for their desire to change, and their willingness to do anything to be "relevant". The rest of us sit secure in our knowledge that we aren't like either camp, that we have a handle on what's really true.

The question for all of us who claim Christ is: Has all our religious stuff become the most important thing, even more important than the God we say we're doing it for? Does it really mean anything, or do we do what we do because we've always done it that way? Or, do we so idolize change and newness that we leave behind the right things from the past?

What would God say to us? Would he liken us to Sodom and Gomorrah? God help us to search our hearts!

Feeding

2007-10-10T14:28:00.000-04:00

Got this from Dan Kimball over at vintage faith: "Give a man (or woman) a sermon and you feed them for a day. Teach a man (or woman) to study Scripture on their own and you feed them for a lifetime."

Following Jesus?

2007-10-08T20:11:00.000-04:00

A couple of months ago, I did the teaching at church (You all can stop laughing now). We had been in the book of Acts for almost two months. We're in the beginnings of a new work that is geared to reaching those who are unchurched or de-churched (I know, every church says they want to reach the "unsaved", but how many really want to minister grace to those outside of the church's walls). Anyway, we were looking at what the original church was like and trying to figure out how to translate first century Christianity (for lack of better term) to the twenty first century.

That Sunday we looked at chapter four. Basically, it boils down to Jesus. Jesus is the reason and authority for the healing of the lame man in chapter three. Jesus is the reason Peter was transformed from a wimp who was scared of a servant girl into someone who boldly stood before the council. Jesus was the focus of the church's prayer and request for boldness. Jesus is the reason the people shared everything they had with each other, ensuring that there were no needy believers.

The question is, What would it look like in the Church in America, our local body, my life, if the reality of the power of Jesus Christ happened in me? Has my life been altered by an encounter with the Jesus of the New Testament? Am I following Jesus, or a religious system that calls itself "Christianity" but is really "churchianity"?

Being Content

2007-10-08T09:58:00.000-04:00

A post from One House got me thinking.

I've been flirting with the house-church idea for some time. Probably would be doing it if my family was on board, but they aren't. So for a while I slogged through. And I was miserable. But not anymore. Because I've given up on church.

Not given up attending. Just given up expecting it to be something of which it is incapable.

I no longer expect to be "fed" by the pastor. It is my job to feed myself. Part of that (a pretty small part, really) is to process what the pastor presents on Sunday morning. 'Cause some of it is pretty good. Sometimes, he's even right. :) But it is not his job to "make" me grow. And it's not MY job to make me grow. It's my job to be "good soil," to be receptive to whatever God sends my way, regardless of the source. To seek first the Kingdom.

I no longer feel that lack of emotion in worship is tantamount to failure. And I no longer think a surplus of emotion in worship equals success. This change of heart allowed both the manipulative and the guilt aspects of a worship service to fall away. I have decided to be sincere. Not just in the worship service, but in all things. Because all things can be worship. I will live in the moment. Even if that moment happens to take in a church service.

I no longer expect people to meet my expectations. This is probably the biggest change. You know that "do unto others" thing? I realized that the thing I want most from other people is for them to cut me some slack. To stop being so picky about every little thing. So I decided, since that is what I want most, it is what I would give them. I gave my fellow parishioners the freedom to disappoint me. (And, I might add, they have done a fine job!) This seismic shift in perspective has led, surprisingly, to a deeper affection for many of them. Not expecting them to be something they are not (yet) has allowed me to better appreciate who they are (now).

These changes have allowed me to be content. Look, I may still run off and start a house-church some day. I still like many of the concepts. I still think the way "big church" is organized has many unintended negative consequences that outweigh the positives. But if I do, I am convinced that it will be with a right attitude. And if I stay, it will be to worship and serve joyfully.

Teflon Church

2007-10-04T22:46:00.000-04:00

One day, back when I was a motor coach driver, I passed a road named Mt. Elon Church Road. At first glance it looked like Teflon Church Road. Since my mind works in mysterious (some would say strange) ways, I got to thinking - What would a teflon church look like?

I imagine it would be a place where nothing "bad" sticks. Things of the outside world would have no effect. The church would be a "safe place" for Christians to gather and get away from "the world". To those looking at it from the outside, it would seem like a place where everybody had it all together, a place where those within were just "holier" than the rest.

Of course, there would be other things that wouldn't stick. Things like compassion for those outside, concern for those on the margins of society, a realization that none of us really has it all together, that it is only by the grace of God that we stand. Things like love for brothers and sisters in Christ as well as those who are neighbors.

Eventually, a teflon pan gets cracks and the teflon wears off. In a church, the cracks eventually happen and what is going on beneath the surface comes out. A pan that has lost teflon is useless and will be thrown out. Fortunately. a church that has lost its teflon can be redeemed and made useful again by our gracious Father.

I'm tired of this.

2007-10-03T10:48:00.000-04:00

Sure, I went to a very liberal divinity school. Yes, they encourage sinners (read: homosexuals) to seek degrees. Hell, they even have gay staff and faculty members. (And they have no problem with their graduates using "Hell" as a declaratory beginning of a statement.) So, it makes sense that I would have no problem being labeled a liberal, right?

Well...

Sure, I voted for Ralph Nader (twice...) And yes, I am a card carrying member of the ACLU. I've protested against state executions. I'm anti-war, and pro-environment. I would support universal health care, and believe (in my radical moments) that the poor should revolt against the economic injustice in the world. So, it makes sense that I would have no problem being labeled a liberal, right?

Well...

Maybe this will help.

A few years ago, at my denomination's annual get-together for preacher types, a good friend of mine told me a story. Her friend (oh, yeah - I also believe in women pastors...) came to her distraught.

"One of the men in my congregation just called me to tell me he is a gay man."

My friend - we'll call her Sherry - asked if this was a surprise, if the man was married, the usual fare.

"Oh, no he's not married. And how would I know if he was gay? I don't know what gay people look like. It's just...well...why would he tell me this? When did I become a liberal?"

Sherry, while telling me the story, asked me a question that frames this entire liberal versus conservative nonsense.

"When did Christian compassion and love become a liberal trait?"

In a time of compassionate conservatives and moderate democrats We (as in the Christian We...) have lost all sense of what it means to be compassionate, what it means to Love our neighbors.

Now, I understand this all smacks of postmodernism, and the idea that we need to "reevaluate everything..." But, please know that it is more than that. It is more than a changing of the guard, or a new reformation in Christian thinking.

It's about the basics of what it means to be a follower of Christ. It's about understanding the difference between love and political ideology. It's about empathy. It's about shedding the fear that Christ will condemn us for - gasp! - showing an interest in people that are hurting (trust me, we all are), different (yes, you too), and even sinful.

Being liberal has been fun. I'm just ready to get past it. I'm ready to turn in my liberal card, and forget the secret handshake. I'm ready to look at my faith, my life, everything - finally! - in a way that isn't so fractured by perceived thought patterns and voting requirements. I don't know. I just hope this is something Christ is interested in too.

And those dreaded Republicans.

Hummingbirds

2007-10-02T21:26:00.000-04:00

We have a hummingbird feeder outside our back porch and it's fun to watch them hover and drink the sugar water. It's interesting that they have to come back often to drink because of the amount of energy they expend flapping their wings at such a fast rate.

Another thing I've noticed about hummingbirds is that they are very territorial. An aggressive hummingbird will chase others away from the feeder and will actually sit in a nearby tree watching for an interloper. In fact, a beautiful ruby throated hummingbird that was the first to come to the feeder was driven away completely by a brown one. It seems to me that an amazing amount of energy is wasted defending something that never belonged to them. The feeder is there because of the good graces of my wife and me. So instead of sharing the bounty with the other birds, one bird wastes his energy to defend something that is a gift and not his to keep.

How often are we, the Church, like that. We take the grace that has been freely given us and jealously guard it from those who don't agree with us in everything. We think that God's grace, like the sugar water, was given to us alone. We put God in a little box and try to interpret everything by the limits of that box. We waste an awful lot of energy defending things that either are indefensible, or are not vital. Then, we don't have the time or energy to spend on the real work that Jesus gave us to do - making disciples who follow the Christ.

I'm not saying that Biblical truth doesn't matter or that we should adopt an "I'm okay, you're okay" philosophy. I am saying that we need to take a hard look at what we believe and make sure that we believe it because it matches up with what God says rather than because "it's the way we've always been taught". Is our Christianity Biblical or cultural? Did the faith we hold begin in the 1st century or in the 19th and 20th centuries?

Are we disciples of Jesus? Or, are we hummingbirds?

What kind of Love is that?

2007-09-29T21:41:00.000-04:00

Hello, my name is Ann and I *may* be a bleeding Jesus fan....

Let me first start out by saying that I believe Jesus came to show the world love. I grew up with the "Jesus and the Sword" motif, that is, Jesus is coming back to kick anyones butt who didn't believe in him. As time and life wore on, I came to a difficult conclusion: either Jesus had to be love, or he wasn't at all. In the heat of the crisis, I was shown love. Mercy. Peace. There were no swords present, only a quiet voice reminding me that when I abide in love, so he abides with me.

Which brings me to the topic I wanted to share with. In the modern regular church going arena, where is the love? Before I stopped attending church, I thought love was a lot easier than it actually was. You love your fellow Christians. You love your family. You love your pastor.

But the conflict began with my husband. Definitely not your "run of the mill" Christian. He grew up "unchurched". And with that, came an abundance of questions. Honest ones, usually the kind that most people don't want to answer. Questions like: " I can't find that in the bible. Can you tell me where it is?" And that was one of the more "easy" questions he asked. As the time passed, I found myself with a regular group of friends, fairly well-liked, working in ministries, and my husband was an outcast.

I fought tooth and nail to stay. I kept trying to convince him to give it one more chance. And finally I experienced what he experienced, only, my question was "If Jesus loved and accepted people, why aren't we doing that? Why don't we stick with people instead of writing them off?"

That question got me a one way ticket to shuns-ville. It hurt, but it was eye-opening to say the least. Jesus kept company with beggars and hookers and drunks. But the church people I know want to start a program that someone else will run, so they don't have to get their hands dirty. Where is the love in that?!

I've decided that the best way to be a representative for Jesus is to be love. It is hard. When that needy friend calls you yet again, and you don't have the mental, physical or emotional capacity to deal with it, but you do. Because you can't stop yourself. Because someone took the time to love you when you were desperate and wounded.

And I'm starting to wonder if there will be some kind of revolution, beginning with me and others like me. Are we willing to take up the cup and offer water to the thirsty? (and I really mean water. That wasn't an allegory) A shoulder for the weary? Is it possible to change the way that people learn to connect with God solely through love? I believe it is. And I am willing to throw my hat in the ring to bring about the change. That "Christian" isn't a dirty word, or a laughing stock, but that it begins to represent what it should have in the first place. Love.

Anyone with me?

The Church & the Ghey: Orientation

2007-09-29T09:42:00.000-04:00

As I said in the opening post, there needs to be a brightline distinction between sexual orientation and sexual practice. There is room to disagree over what sexual practices a person should engage in. In fact, it is a good and healthy conversation. But as far as orientation, there should be no disagreement. There is no sin in a man being attracted to a man, or a woman to a woman, or a person being attracted to both sexes.

I think the greatest obstacle we put in the way of preaching the gospel to the LGBT community lies in the guilt we heap on those just for thinking such things. And really, this goes beyond the issue at hand. It applies to a multitude of things that good people wrestle with in private. Church should be a safe place to work out the intimate details of our lives. It should be a place that encourages us to really examine the details of what follow Jesus looks like in real life. There should not be topics that are "out of bounds."

We need to do more than stand against stereotypes. We need to be active in encouraging these "out of bounds" conversations to flourish. It will make some people uncomfortable. Okay, it will make most people uncomfortable. But we need to take off the muzzle and talk about it, because there are most likely some folks in your local fellowship who are really troubled right now. And there are cetainly people outside your little fellowship who are troubled. They need to know that Jesus came for them too.

The Church & the Ghey: Wrestling with the Questions

2007-09-25T07:40:00.000-04:00

I posted yesterday about this condemning business Christians like to get into, particularly in regards to homosexuality. That it is not the role of the Church to be condemning people. And I mean that wholeheartedly. But let me be clear: this does not mean the churches must change their stance on whether or not homosexual behavior is a sin.

But they do need to thoroughly examine the opposing opinions and not deal in caricatures and stereotypes. Many folks have wrestled with these questions. They've searched Scripture and history. They've sought God in prayer and in their own hearts. They've sought Godly counsel. And they've arrived at a different answer to the questions. To dismiss the answers (and the struggle) without consideration is cruel. And, to be blunt, I think most opposition to homosexuality is not based in Scripture but in the "ick" factor.

So I wanted to give a thumbnail sketch here of some alternate views. There are many good books, articles and websites on the subject if you want to dig deeper. Then I'll wrap it up with some personal opinion (this is a blog, after all).

Some people think that, since Jesus didn't mention anything about homosexuality, it is evidence that he does not condemn it. Or, at the very least, he didn't consider it a high priority.

Some people believe that when Paul makes his case against homosexuality (such as in Romans 1), he is not dealing with the concept of a homosexual relationship. That he is probably talking about temple prostitutes, or promiscuous same-sex sex. That Paul had no understanding of a committed, monogamous gay relationship.

And some people think Paul does speak against all gay sexual relationships. They just think Paul was wrong. Or at least, he is wrong for our time. And it is important to remember that this line of reasoning does not attack Paul so much as the does the doctrine of inerrancy. Many people in this camp see Paul's writings as God-breathed, instructive, and useful in spurring us on to good deeds. But that doesn't mean he got all the details right.

I lean toward the third camp. I don't believe homosexuality was God's idea from the beginning. I think it is, in the classic sense, a perversion. But then, so is pain in childbirth and working hard for a living. Just because something has been twisted by sin, that doesn't mean it cannot be redeemed. In fact, the only things that can be redeemed are those that have gone awry. And I have seen many loving and caring gay relationships. And I wonder, how can compassion be bad? How can placing the care of another higher than yourself be bad? How can love be bad?

Like I said, you don't have to change your mind. But you do owe it those who have to at least consider it, pray about it, wrestle with it. If nothing else, the process will help you see your "opponents" as real people, not caricatures and stereotypes.

The Church & the Ghey: Condemning

2007-09-24T08:20:00.000-04:00

Christians love to condemn people. Well, that's maybe not fair. People love to condemn other people. Maybe to make us feel superior. Maybe just to confirm to ourselves that, while we may be messed up, at least we got this one thing right.

But Christians are not supposed to be in the condemning business.

Jesus said he did not come to condemn the world, but to save it. Why didn't he come to condemn the world? Because there was no need to. The world was already condemned!

There is simply no need to condemn the LGBT community that is outside the Church. There is no Kingdom calling to do so. In fact, it is counter productive. It drives them further from the gospel that can save them. And it leaves the false impression that to come to Jesus, you need to get your act together first.

Gays of the world are not condemned because they are gay. They are condemned because they are of the world. They need a Savior, just like everybody else.

And gay Christians are not saved by stopping being gay. They are saved through the work or Jesus. Period. It's called Grace, and is the key to the gospel. That we are not saved through our own efforts; we are saved by God's action. Whether you lean reformed or Arminian or Wesleyan or whatever, this Truth remains: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. And now, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

I think we can disagree about whether or not gay behavior is what God had in mind. Whether it is best for us. But condemning people should have no part in the Christian walk. This must stop being common practice in the Church.

The Church & the Ghey

2007-09-24T07:30:00.000-04:00

A while back, I wrote a post on encouragement for Gay Christians, and fellow poster Lydia wondered in the comments what the Church's responsibility was to the LGBT community. I'd like to explore that a little further, and also invite my fellow posters here to do the same. First, some ground rules (for my posts anyway).

I think transexuality is probably a totally different issue, so I'm not going to be addressing that here. And want to be clear in separating sexual orientation from sexual (for lack of a better word) behavior. (And I’m wondering, how come we never talk about straight sex a behavior? Maybe that's a discussion for another time. Or maybe it will come up here.)

Lastly, I know this issue can get testy. So I'm going to turn the comment moderation feature on. I'm not going to allow abusive speech on this blog.

I think that about covers it for ground rules. Let the conversation begin.

The Day That Changed My Life

2007-09-20T12:44:00.000-04:00

I have been to and through many events that people have said would "change my life." The vast majority of them have not. Not that I didn't enjoy them, or didn't learn anything. It's just that most have not lived up the hype. In fact, other than marriage & fatherhood, it's been my experience that the greater the hype, the less difference said event actually has upon real life.

However, I have been through many life-changing experiences. Most of them came unsolicited and unheralded. This is the story of one of them. It was probably the most influential day of my life since my children were born. But to any outside observer, it probably looked like a guy killing a January afternoon at the mall while his wife & kids were shopping. Which is exactly what it was.

Some background. For many years, I subscribed to Worship Leader Magazine. They put out a CD every month with new Praise & Worship music, something I am quite interested in. Some time during the fall, Enter the Worship Circle's You Are My God appeared on one of the disks, and I liked the different sound they had. So, when I got "a little something extra" in my Christmas card from the folks I work with, I picked up a couple CDs. And I fell in love with the nouveau-hippie folk groove of it. (This is not uncommon for me. I have a new favorite sound every four months or so.) Then, a few days later, while spending the Border's gift card my mom gave me for Christmas, I saw Ben Pasley's book (he's the front man for the group) called, imaginatively enough, Enter the Worship Circle. And so, there I was in the mall, reading through this nice little book on a January afternoon while my wife & kids spent Christmas money. And God spoke to me.

"Do you know that I love them as much as I love you?"

[Aside: This was not just an "inner voice" that might be confused with my conscience. This was a "hey you" moment, and was spoken in a fashion in which God is not in the habit of speaking to me. This was the first, and so far the last, time it happened. It may not have been "out loud" (and since no one else seemed to hear, I doubt if it was), but it might as well have been.]

Again: "Do you know that I love them as much as I love you?"

I looked up. There were two Muslim women watching their children play on the little mall playground.

"Them? The Muslim women?"

"Yes, them and their children. They are precious to me. Are they precious to you?"

I was stumped, and a little perturbed at the question. Of course I knew God loved everybody. That was the core of the gospel. I know several folks from work who are Muslim. I like them, mostly. I certainly don't dislike them just b/c they are Muslim. I don't treat them any differently than I do anyone else. Of course I knew that they were precious to God. But why was He telling me now? What was I supposed to do with this kind of information?

"Of course I know you love them. Why?"

But God was done talking.

I went back and forth, wrestling with this odd thought. If they were precious to God, what did that mean to me? What should I do? Should I walk over? Tell them "Jesus loves you"? At best, that would draw a suspicious eye from them. Maybe a weak smile. And then what? How exactly does one follow up an unsolicited "Jesus loves you"? With a tic-tac?

At worst, they might be offended, or even frightened. What kind of a weirdo walks up to two young moms in the mall just to say "Jesus loves you" anyway? If you truly were as precious to me as they were to God, is that the sort of way you would treat someone who is precious? It seemed more like the kind of thing that would make me feel better. Like I had actually done something, no matter how symbolic. Even if that something might make these two women and their kids more leery of Christians than they might already be. Walking up to strangers with a "Jesus loves you" did not seem to me to be the sort of thing someone who actually thought they were precious would do! It seemed like the sort of thing someone who wanted you to think you thought you were precious might do.

So I had identified what not to do. But what to do was still a mystery. And I thought the answer might be in the book. I opened it again and started reading.

"Hey, Dad."

I looked up. It was my son, Josh.

"Hey."

"Wanna go to the Game Store?"

No, I didn't want to go to the Game Store. I wanted to read my book! I wanted to find out what you should do to a person who is as precious to you as he or she is to God. Now, go away boy, I need to read. I need to find out...

"Wait, what?"

"Wanna go to the Game Store?"

A million lights went on. This is exactly what you do with a person who is as precious to you as they are to God. You go to the Game Store with them. You spend time with them. You talk. You laugh.

I closed my book. "I'd love to go to the Game Store with you."

We walked off, and I heard God smile. And He said:

"I made you exactly the way you are. But I am not done making you."

I realized that day that you cannot show people you care if you do not know them. And I realized that to truly show people you care, the most important part is just being there. I've spent the last several years since then trying to actually be present for the people I care about. I'm trying to expand my circle of caring. I have had mixed results. Sometimes, I am better than others. Sometimes I still retreat to my little shell. But even in those times, I can't escape it: They are precious to me. Are they precious to you?

Well, are they?

The Limits of a Bleeding Heart

2007-09-13T11:55:00.000-04:00

So I have this friend (and, no, that is not code for "me") who seems to run from one catastrophe to another. It's financial problems, it's her kids, it's her overwhelming workload, on and on. I'm trying to be compassionate. I'm trying to sympathize. But she is pushing my bleeding heart to the limit. I find myself trying to be encouraging and offering constructive suggestions to her face, but then rolling my eyes with a "here we go again" sigh when she turns her head.

You know people like this, don't you? People who seem to live running from one crisis to another? Who even seem to revel in the crisis in some perverse way? They are very frustrating people to deal with.

I'm reminded of Jesus, seemingly looking for someone to heal at the pool of Bethesda. (At least, I think it was Bethesda. I don't have a reference guide right now.) Anyway, Jesus says, "Do you want to be made well?" And the guy's response is telling: "I don't have anyone to put me in the pool."

I wonder if Jesus rolled his eyes. You didn't answer my question! Do you want to be made well? I wonder the frustration he often showed with his disciples flashed when he says to the man, "Get up, pick up your mat, and walk"? I wonder what his tone of voice was when he catches up to the man later and warns him that if he doesn't repent, something worse might happen to him?

I'm not saying my friend doesn't want to "get well." But I do wonder sometimes. And I wonder what my role should be in that process. And I wonder how far compassion can stretch. What do you do when your bleeding heart runs dry?

Father, fill me.

Brain Processes Reflect Politics

2007-09-10T07:08:00.000-04:00

This is interesting. Apparently, "...liberals tolerate ambiguity and conflict better than conservatives because of how their brain works." The experiment was conducted on college students with varying self-identified political orientations, and basically consisted of a one letter typing test: Type a M when you see an M, don't type an M when you see a W.

Frank J. Sulloway, a researcher at UC Berkeley's Institute of Personality and Social Research who was not connected to the study, said the results "provided an elegant demonstration that individual differences on a conservative-liberal dimension are strongly related to brain activity."

Analyzing the data, Sulloway said liberals were 4.9 times as likely as conservatives to show activity in the brain circuits that deal with conflicts, and 2.2 times as likely to score in the top half of the distribution for accuracy.

So here's the question I have: does our brain chemistry make us think differently, or does thinking differently affect brain chemistry?

Who Let the Hippie In?

2007-09-08T11:09:00.000-04:00

Okay, this is not terribly deep theologically. In fact, it's not theological at all. But does anybody else feel like this might be you?

Sally Morgenthaler article on Worship as Evangelism

2007-09-05T18:56:00.000-04:00

Sally Morgenthaler, author of "Worship Evangelism," has a great article over at Allelon about the recent changes in her ministry and mindset. A snippet:

JCPenney stores adopted a new motto a few years ago: "It's all inside." That may work well for clothes and housewares, but it doesn't work so well for spreading the gospel. Ah, but aren't buildings important? Yes, they are. Jesus himself spent crucial time in synagogues and the Temple. He affirmed that the worship of God is central to what it means to be a disciple. But here's the catch. He did not make the building—or corporate worship—the destination. His destination was the people God wanted to touch, and those were, with few exceptions, people who wouldn't have spent much time in holy places. Jesus' direction was always outward. Centrifugal. Even in death, he was broken and poured out for the sake of a needy world. God's work may not be "all outside," but if we look at where Jesus spent his time, I think we can safely say that most of it is.

I've been a fan of contemporary worship for a long time. I sing in the praise band, I've written several worship songs, and have led worship on many occasions. But I've always been uncomfortable with the "worship as evangelism" idea. I think our worship should be relevant not because it "reaches the lost" but because it is the language the people speak. That includes music, but extends beyond music. And yes, worship can be evangelism. But generally, that is not the role of corporate worship. The role of corporate worship is...well, for believers to worship God.

It is entirely too easy to think that putting on a good show on Sunday eliminate the responsibility of getting to know our neighbors and co-workers. For that is really how they can encounter God. That is how they see Jesus who cares about them. Not through a 3 minute Chris Tomlin song.

What is Faith?

2007-09-02T22:56:00.000-04:00

Often we try to define something by saying what it is not.

They say that doubt is the opposite of faith. This rings true as far as it goes, but doesn’t explain those who press on in faith in spite of their doubts.

A former pastor gave the illustration that the opposite of faith is not doubt, but fear. This sounds a little closer to me. It speaks of the courage of faith, the pressing on in spite of all our doubts, in spite of the circumstances. But it still seems off somewhat. We often carry on courageously while we are afraid, not after we are done being afraid.

Ann Lamott says that the opposite of faith is certainty . This puts a bit of a different spin on it, and it is an appealing idea to me. But it leaves the uncomfortable notion that faith and uncertainty are somehow synonymous. That's a leap I'm not willing to take. It's just too wishy-washy.

Here is what I think: I think we have to differentiate between faith and belief. Belief is merely intellectual assent. Belief is that ground between certainties, between “yes, this is absolutely true” and “no, this is absolutely false.”

If you were to plot it, it might look like this.

There are of course varying degrees of belief between these two poles. But nowhere on this line would you find faith. Because faith is not simply intellectual assent. Faith requires movement. Faith generates action. It moves us toward the object of our faith. As Christians, the object of that faith is Jesus.

If you were to plot it, it might look like this.

Our faith is not in a set of principles. Our faith is not in data or in ideas. Our faith is not even (gasp!) in a book. Our faith is in a person: Jesus Christ. And our faith is what moves us in the way of Jesus. This faith can have its genesis from anywhere along the belief line, because faith says, “God, no matter how many doubts I have, about this situation or about that idea, I will trust in You.”

Faith is about following. You see faith when you are willing to act, when you are willing to risk, when you are willing to be changed. Faith is not nearly as concerned with where you started as it is with the going. Faith that does not move us is not faith. It is dead.

Larry Craig Fiasco

2007-08-30T07:22:00.000-04:00

Some thoughts on the Larry Craig fiasco.

What was the purpose of this "sting" anyway? Is this a good use of our limited resources? I mean, I’m not in favor of men hooking up with men in restrooms (or with men hooking up with women in restrooms for that matter). But if people wanna – well, why should I care? This is a America, right? Remember when it was free country?

Now, if your goal is to prevent people from "doing it" in the restroom, that's a whole different thing. A security guard can take care of that with some patroling. But this whole "sting" sounds terribly un-American to me. It's designed to not to prevent behavior, but to bust people.

As for the sexual life of Sen. Craig, I don't know if he is gay or just a pervert. And I don't care. First, I don't live in Idaho. And if I did, I still don't think it would matter. Is he a good senator, or a bad senator, that is the question. His handling of the aftermath may say a little about his judgment, but from what I've been reading there has been quite a lot of ink spilt in Idaho trying to uncover "whether he is gay or not" spread over many years. So I can understand his quandary when he got caught (excuse me) with his pants down. But for me, the overriding question is his legislative ability. Period.

Aside #1: And actually, from what I've read, I wouldn't have voted for him in the first place. But then, I can't vote for him anyway and I'm glad of that. Florida has quite enough dysfunction for me as it is.

Aside #2: Still, does anybody else find it funny that the Senator from I - da - ‘ho! got himself into this predicament?

Anyway, I'm leafing through the newspaper, trying to come up with a way to wrap up this post, and I come across the wisdom of Barney Frank. (Stop laughing!) The openly gay senator was on Bill Maher’s HBO show.

Maher: This Larry Craig character from Idaho. You must have met him at least, what does your 'gaydar' tell you about him?

Frank: I actually served in the House with him, and my sense tells me to shut up.

Preach it, Barney!

Howard Dean is an idiot

2007-08-29T10:19:00.000-04:00

I was originally a democrat, back in the day. The first candidate I voted for in a Presidential election was Mike Dukakis. (Stop laughing!) But then I bought into the whole religious right thing, and switched to the republican party when we moved to Florida in 1991. I’m still a registered republican, but I have not voted in any election since Bob Dole lost to Bill Clinton. I’ve had become so dissatisfied and disillusioned with the politic process in general, and the integrity of politicians specifically (on both sides of the aisle) that I didn’t see the point. And I wasn’t convinced voting made a real impact in the lives of people, especially given the amount of time required to 1) figure out the candidates positions beyond a sound bite and 2) figure out if he/she would actually do anything about said position after the election was over. So I chucked the whole thing. I figured I would dedicate myself to small scale: helping real people I know, caring about real people in whose lives I can make difference. Overall, I think this was a step in a positive direction for my focus as a Christian.

But I’ve rethought the non-voter thing. Mostly because, well, I still follow politics. I still follow the news and read the Op-Ed pages every day (along with sports & comics). I’m actually one of the more informed citizens I know as far as politics goes. In fact, the only thing I’ve really managed to swear off is voting, talk radio and cable news programs. So this year, I decided to re-enter the realm of voter-citizen.

[Aside]: I will continue to abstain from talk radio & cable news shows. I encourage everyone else to do the same. You will be much happier person for doing so.

So I was planning on changing my registration back to the democratic party. Got the card filled out and everything, ready to mail it in. And the national party pulls THIS. So I may stay a republican, at least through the primary season. Or may just register independent. All because Howard Dean is an idiot.

Mike Vick: Repentance, Forgiveness & Redemption

2007-08-28T07:15:00.000-04:00

Mike Vick, former star quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons and dog fighting felon-to-be, has apologized. Story here. And I’m puzzling over what this means for me as a Christian and a sports fan.

I have to say, I was impressed with the apology. It was not the typical "celebrity non-apology." Unlike so many, he did not apologize for how he made us feel without actually admitting to doing anything wrong. To do that is not to apologize at all. No, Mike Vick apologized for what he did, and for how what he did affected others. There were no notes. It was not rehearsed. It was not particularly eloquent, but it sounded very sincere. I think it was an excellent first step.

But like ESPN’s Tom Jackson, I don’t think a four-and-a-half minute apology makes up for six years (at least) of despicable behavior. To feel sorrow for your sin is the start of repentance, but it is not the totality if it. Real repentance involves turning away for the bad we we’ve done and pursing what is good instead. It involves making amends for our misdeeds when that is possible. Mike Vick has made a nice start, but he has a very long way to go on the road to true repentance.

He will serve his time, as he should. Being a Christian, even a liberal one, does not mean thinking that people shouldn’t face the consequences of their actions just because they say "I’m sorry." And I don’t know how I feel about him ever playing football again. I think that’s a more complex issue that involves public opinion as much as it does any real change in Mike Vick. And frankly, football is the least important item on the table right now. Mike Vick needs redemption not for the sake of his NFL career, but for the sake of his own soul. I pray he finds it, and so should you. Our God is a God of second chances.

God’s Christian Warriors

2007-08-24T07:40:00.000-04:00

I watched the third part of the CNN special, "God’s Warriors," last night. It focused on Christian fundamentalists here in the US. Like the last two blog posts, this is not a review, just some impression. I’d love to hear some comments from anyone else who watched and your impressions.

First, aren’t their any fundamentalists anywhere else? Australia? The UK? Are we the only country with Christian fundamentalists?

Second, I am always stunned at what passes for persecution in this country. From both extremes. Would anyone be damaged one way or the other if a girl did (or did not) pray at a graduation? Can anyone seriously be offended by the ten commandments? How thin must your skin be? And do you really think that not having a time set aside for prayer in school is an attack on you? Is your faith so fragile that you can’t just go ahead and pray silently anyway? Folks need to get over themselves, stop worrying about symbols and start worrying about what the symbols are supposed to stand for.

Also, I think there was a caricature of fundamentalists presented here. I’m not sure if it was because that is what the people she interviewed talked about or if it was clever editing. But most of the fundamentalists I know have a broader focus than abortion, gay marriage and creationism/evolution. These are certainly important issues to them. But other than the "political operatives," the focus of most fundamentalist I know is getting people to "accept Jesus as their personal savior." I really didn’t see much of that presented at all, save the girl at the end of the Ron Luce segment.

Speaking of the Ron Luce segment, the suggestion that the dress code at Teen Mania is the same as the Taliban was laughable. The idea that people would voluntarily enter a program with a modest dress code is the equivalent of a government mandating one (and an extreme one at that) is absurd. I thought Luce could have answered the question better, but I’ll give him pass since it was so far out of line. Especially since my personal response might have contained an expletive or two. "Are you @#(*& kidding me?"

I was very happy to see the interviews with Greg Boyd and Richard Cizik. (At least, I think it was Cizik. I didn’t take notes). One thing that was disturbing about the Muslim episode was that there was no “correction” presented by other Muslims. Amanpour mentioned that most Muslims opposed terrorism and extremism, but those representing that view did not appear on screen (other than a few former terrorists who had renounced violence but kept up hope of establishing Islamic states through the ballot box). So it was heartening to see a self-correction being presented. I have hope for evangelicalism.

I am increasing bothered by the connection a lot of right wing Christians have between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of America. The kingdom of God is bigger. Christians need to stop selling it short.

I was quite pleased that there were no fundamentalist presented that were set on overthrowing the government by force. She made brief mention of a few anti-abortion related homicides, but by and large, in spite of their war rhetoric, this is a peaceful movement. It is not a budding theocracy. Rather, it is (largely) a call for people to choose the good way for themselves and their city/state/country. You may disagree that their way is indeed the good way. But there is no conversion by the sword in the works. Especially coming after the Muslim Warrior episode, this was very encouraging.

Lastly, I hope that viewers got a picture of a Christianity that demonstrates the love of Jesus. But I’m not sure they did. There was a good deal of bias in this final installment. While I was able to read past most of it, I’m not sure a non-evangelical would.

Any thoughts on any of these episodes? On the entire series in general?

Tired

2007-08-23T21:39:00.000-04:00

I just feel tired. When I look at anything that has to do with faith any more I feel drained. Its as though the topic of talking about is like this mountian and I don't feel like doing the work that people require to prove my faith.

I've slowly noticed I've been considered "liberal". I've always considered myself moderate or just a little to the "left of moderate". Maybe in my "tired place" I've become liberal. Maybe out of a need and maybe out of just learning to lay back in in God's arms. However, some would disagree with my last statement. Some would say its an emotional response I'm having with God and this is leading me to a deeper path of sin. Some would say I've come to a more enlightened faith with God. I'm so tired that I don't care about either opinion. I'm just trying to work out my faith daily. In daily trying to live in honesty, integrity, and growing faith. So here I am, tired and "liberal". Wanting so badly to reach an audience who gets the chatter that comes out of my mouth and maybe finding some for the journey.

Ok, so my first post is a ramble, but yet a ramble that for me brings peace within me. Have fun figuring this one out.

Finding a Good Charity?

2007-08-23T10:30:00.000-04:00

How does one go about finding a good charity?

By "good" I mean a charity that:

1. Does not proceed to call, snail mail, or email me 2,000,0000 times to ask for more donations.
2. Is ethical.
3. Spends as little of my donation as possible on administrative costs.

I posted this on The Ooze looking for general information about finding charities that aren't going to annoy the h*ll out of me or misuse my funds.

I thought I'd ask you guys about specific charities. Do you know of any good ones?

God's Muslim Warriors

2007-08-23T07:04:00.001-04:00

Saw the second part of the CNN special last night. This section was on God's Muslim Warriors. Like the last post, I'm not terribly interested in writing a review. This is more about my personal impressions, and what it means to me as a Christian. Some quick thoughts:

First, I was less impressed with this one than last night. I learned a bit about the rise of militant Islam, at least this incarnation of it. And the history of the Sunni/Shi'ite split was informative. (Kinda makes the whole Protestant/Catholic thing seems civil.) But overall, I was kinda disappointed. Ms. Amanpour seemed to be pushing her agenda (that the problem is the mix of religion and politics) a little harder this time. Of course, the folks she was profiling give her plenty of...um...ammunition.

A bit about the agenda. Ms. Amanpour clearly thinks faith & politics should not mix. And in these particular cases, she has fine examples of the dangers. But it seems to me that she ignores all the benefits faith has brought to politics. We are (generally) a better world it. Freedom and liberty are more prevalent. Dial back 2000 years. You think things were all warm and fuzzy back then? You think religion invented oppression and intolerance? The problem is not the mix of faith and politics. The problem is people. Always has been.

Anyway, back to the Muslim Warriors in particular. I really don't understand the mindset. I do admire the committment to being faithful. And in an odd sort of way, I can respect the calling of martyrdom that a lot of the more extreme Muslims are seeking. To stand in the face persecution for your faith is noble. To die for your faith is noble. But to seek out that persecution and death seems...off. And to take others with you in your "martyrdom" through a suicide bombing is evil. There is no other word for it.

What I was most struck with is a feeling of helplessness. This is not a battle that Christians can fight and win, especially Western Christians. Because, to these Muslim Warriors, we are part of the problem. I suppose you could say that the West could take care of it's own house better, be less materialistic, be less interested in our "interests" and more interested in "justice." Our government could not support Israel so blindly. It may reduce some of the fuel to the fire. But it is not clear to me what the jihadist view of "justice" even is. And even if Western Christians were to buy into these "corrections," I don't think the jihadist would have any desire to see it clearly anyway. They are comfortable with their strawman. It feeds their ambitions. (Having an enemy always fires up the troops.) And it's doubtful they would take correction from an "infidel" in the first place.

Those who can stem the tide of militant Islamic fundamentalism are those in the Muslim world. The governments there can treat their people fairly. Other faithful Muslims must provide correction to this skewed view of the Koran. There was a bit of hope, in that many of the former jihadists she talked to are now seeking a different way. But that was a small slice of hope indeed. Mostly, the two hour special last night left me lost for a solution, save one:

Come, Lord Jesus.

God's Jewish Warriors

2007-08-22T06:51:00.000-04:00

Saw most of the first part of the CNN series "God's Warriors" last night. I missed the first half hour b/c of a church meeting, but I think I got a pretty good feel for it. A few semi-random thoughts:

It was difficult to watch and not hear the sometimes brutal Old Testament stories replaying in my head. It is not surprising that a selective reading of the Hebrew scriptures (which is what I believe the settlers do) helps bring about this sort of situation. Why were there no religious Jews talking about the scriptures on how you should treat the alien? On how they were blessed so that the world might be blessed? But like all of us in general, and fundamentalist more than others, they focus on the bits that advance their cause and ignore or marginalize the rest.

Another part that made me very uncomfortable was the section on the evangelical/Israel alliance. They are indeed strange bedfellows. I've heard "those who bless Israel will be blessed and those who curse Israel will be cursed" all my life, and it bothers me more and more every time. Even if it is true, is that a good reason to support Israel blindly? So we can be blessed? It reminds me of the prosperity doctrine, where you tithe so God will give you more money. Should that your motivation at all? What you get back from God? The quote from the Jewish settler toward the end of that section about "taking advantage of our friends" is true of both Jews and evangelicals. And I don't think it will work out well for either in the end. I don't think God is pleased with this sort of exploitative motivation.

To the greater Israel/Palestine conflict, I think it is an oversimplification to saddle all the blame on Jewish settlements. But it is certainly a major contributor, and it adds to the compromise = capitulation theme that runs through just about the entire Middle East region. And logically, it just doesn't make sense. The settlers say that giving land will bring more terrorism? Really? So, building more settlements, how's that working out for you? Brought peace yet?

Last note is, for all the talk of "God's Warriors," I was struck how little God was actually mentioned. God in this scenario is more like a great grandfather who deeded the land to his decendants before he passed on. It seems to be more of a squabble over real estate than anything else. Which brings to my mind the words of Jesus:

"Believe me, woman, a time when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem...a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth."

I'm all in favor of not killing each other anymore. (Geez, now there's a liberal idea for you.) But "no more killing" does not equal peace. Peace will come when people realize that it's not about real estate. It's about worshiping the Father in spirit and in truth wherever you are. It's why Jesus' message was so revolutionary. And it's why, 2000 years later, I still think he is the only real hope for any of us.

I won't get a chance to check in on this or the other blogs until later tonight, but I look forward to the cross-blog comments.

Sleeping banned in Kalamazoo public park

2007-08-21T07:07:00.000-04:00

Story here.

This is not to single out Kalamazoo. It's a tactic being taken all over the country. And it's wrong. Sometimes sleeping in public is the crime. Sometimes serving food is the crime (that's what happened where I live in Tampa). The goal is to move the homeless along, hopefully to a shelter. But if not to a shelter, then somewhere else. Out of town. Away from us.

Homeless shelters are a good thing, and, generally speaking, are better for homeless people than sleeping in public. But trying to compel them into going is wrong. Stripping them of their rights for no reason other than not having a place to sleep is wrong. Further marginalizing them is wrong. It is not what Jesus would do.

The story says they've had complaints of illegal behavior. And if that happens, the violator should be arrested. The city apparently have police patroling to cite these folks for sleeping already. So it doesn't seem this would be a drain on police manpower.

These people are not trespassing. It is a public park. By all means, offer them services. Help them get...um...un-homeless. But at the end of the day, let them sleep.

I Am An Atheist

2007-08-20T20:05:00.000-04:00

What do you think of this?

Personally, I love all things McLaren. And I love the whole worship circle thingie the music has going on. But the lyrics are...ugh. I mean, do you know any Christians who are for "violent jihad"? The first time I listened, I thought he was taking a shot a extremist Muslims. Which would be really weird (and horribly out of place) for a worship song.

Brian, stick to writing books.

God's Warriors on CNN

2007-08-20T19:42:00.000-04:00

I'm going to be watching this on CNN this week and blogging about it later. A couple other blogs are hopefully going to be going the same. It should lead to some interesting discussions.

While I am no longer a fundamentalist Christian, I consider my journey through it to be valuable. And, as they say, some of my best friends are fundamentalist. ;) Anyway, I hope this series helps us move past a lot of the sterotypes. An interesting quote from the article:

"To the West, martyrdom has a really bad connotation because of suicide bombers who call themselves martyrs," she said. "Really, martyrdom is actually something that historically was quite noble, because it was about standing up and rejecting tyranny, rejecting injustice and rejecting oppression and, if necessary, dying for that."

The series also has one of the last interviews with Jerry Falwell before he died. Should be interesting. Tune in, and let me know what you think.

Healing

2007-08-16T11:25:00.000-04:00

Healing is tough isn't it?

I've been exposed to so many different teaching on healing through the years. I've been to Vineyard churches where they pray over you until you can run around without back pain- or whatever your problem is. They will keep praying and praying until they see results. I've been to Churchs that have connected sickness with sin to the point where if you have a cold there must be a sin you are "struggling with". Sometimes people in these churchs hide illness from the general population of the church because they want to avoid condemnation. Others refuse treatment because the answer isn't in medicine but The Bondage Breaker.

Having a chronic illness I've had pretty much rejected these teachings. Eventually you realize that you can wait for God to heal you, or you can do what God has for you to do. There is little point of putting your life on hold when God can heal you no matter where you are.

When I talk to my "liberal" friends about healing what most often comes up is their belief that God can and will work through modern science. I hear things like "God created medication because God created the person who invented it" or "Why should God supernaturally heal you when you can take a pill and get the same result".

What I don't see very often however is any discussion about supernatural healing. There is no discussion about the power or prayer or of God coming down and really shaking things up in a Church service. Are we playing it too safe?

When do we start to ask for healing? Right away, or only when all other avenues have failed. Is there any validity to the theory that sin and sickness are connected? Should we bother to ask at all, or can we just assume that an omnipotant God will know and just heal us if He wants to.

Encouragement for Gay Christians

2007-08-15T07:37:00.000-04:00

This is not a “gay” blog, so I’m tentative to make back-to-back posts that involve the subject of homosexuality. But a post on the ooze (“Encouragement for Gay Christians”) degenerated into what those posts always degenerate into. So I wanted to put some thoughts out here. Note – this encouragement is coming from someone who is gloriously and unashamedly straight, as well as fairly new to the position that homosexuality is not a sin in the classic sense. (I’m sure there will be more on that in further posts, but this is not the time or place.)

1. Do not be defined or let others define you by only your sexuality. This is true for straight people too, but I think it is a bigger issue in the gay community because you have been forced or conditioned to deny a part of who you are for so long that, when freedom comes to you, it is often expressed in unhealthy ways. Sexuality is a large part of who we are, but it is not the totality of who we are. If your sole identity is in your sexual identity, you will inevitably begin defending people and behavior that is not God-honoring. To paraphrase Paul, Do not use your freedom as a license to sin. I think this is still good advice.

2. Do not assume the worst of those who hold a more traditional moral view of homosexuality. Most traditional Christians (in my experience) do not hate gays. They are just trying to live out their faith and uphold Scripture. Calling them bigots and homophobes does not advance the cause. “So much as it is in your power, live in peace with one another.”

3. Try to avoid bringing divisions to your faith community. This really piggybacks on the last point, and applies particularly to the hot button issues of gay marriage and gay clergy. The truth is, most faith communities have not seen loving examples of Christian gays in real life, so of course they will shy away from these sorts of issues. This is not to say you should hide your sexuality. But use care. Gays are not even real people to a lot of them. So this is your role: to show them Jesus in real life. To show them that gays are not “perverted” and “sick.” To show them that a person can be kind and merciful and, yes, “holy” while still be attracted to the same sex.

I think the abortion debate in the US is especially instructive here. The legalization of abortion through judicial fiat short-circuited an important conversation, and we have been suffering from the effects of that decision for 35 years now. 35 years of vitriol. Is that anyway to show the love of Christ? If we are to maintain any sort of Christian unity, you have to change people’s hearts before you change the rules. And you do that not by insisting on your rights, but by demonstrating Jesus.

Thanks for listening.

Our First "Ghey" Post!

2007-08-13T22:00:00.000-04:00

Okay, this has gotten a good bit of play in the God-blogosphere. So a liberal Christian blog should probably address it, right?

"A megachurch canceled a memorial service for a Navy veteran 24 hours before it was to start because the deceased was gay."

This is bad on so many levels. I don't want to suggest that the church doesn't have a right to decide who they should provide services for. But I think they missed a wonderful opportunity to show Christ's love to hurting, mourning, grieving people. (And we are supposed to mourn with those who mourn, aren't we? Isn't that basic to Christianity?) This has nothing to do with whether or not homosexuality is sin or not. We mourn sinners at every funeral.

It is sad that their could not be some compromise. According to the family, the church made no attempt. But then, there are typically two sides. And I find it hard to believe they did not think this might stir up a problem. So I think both sides probably bear some blame here. But the church shoulders the lion's share. They are supposed to be in the reaching out business.

And I gotta say, I'm not real happy with the article in general. It seems written for the purpose of inflaming. What does him being a Navy vet have to do with anything? And, considering that most funerals happen on a fairly tight timeframe, is 24 hours really that far outside the norm? It seems the writer here has a axe to grind.

Lastly: what does this mean for us? I know it feels really good to get all worked up into a lather over issues like this. Makes us feel really righteous, pointing out what everyone else shoulda done, how we would have done it if we were there. But is that how a Christian is supposed to live? Angry all the time?

What do you think?

Marcus Borg & "History Remembered"

2007-08-12T18:26:00.000-04:00

Okay, I promised some blogging on "The Meaning of Jesus." But I'm not feeling that well, so I'm gonna keep this kinda short.

Borg is definitely more of a classic liberal than I am. He does not believe many of the gospel stories (walking on water, feeding the 5K, virgin conception and bodily resurrection of Jesus) actually happened. He does believe that Jesus is the decisive revelation of what God is like, but he thinks many of the New Testament stories were invented by the early church to convey the kind of impact Jesus had on them. He breaks down the gospels as sometimes "history remembered" and sometimes "history metaphorized." But I think he misses a large point when he does so.

"History remembered" need not be "the way things really happened." When we see varying accounts of the same event, I tend to chalk it up to different people remembering the event differently. I don't think inconsistencies in accounts invalidate whether or not something actually happened. In fact (as Wright brings out in the resurrection chapter) inconsistencies tend to say that there was not colusion between the witnesses. There is not an attempt to "get our story straight."

And seeing "history remembered" as just that -- "remembered" -- fits in nicely with Borg's larger theme of the gospels as a developing tradition. There are of course various accounts in a developing tradition. Why would you assume that, when they started writing it down 50 years later, that the various oral traditions would be exactly the same?

Overall, I find Borg trapped in a modernist, either/or, Newtonian worldview. Though he speaks about Markian primacy and Q, his main objection to many of the stories (to me, anyway) seems to be, "well, we know that couldn't have happened that way, so there must be another explanation." And he comes up with the history metaphorized concept. It seems as if he has already planned his outcome, and is rigging the evidence to fit it. I think a more honest way of looking at it might be to admit that the writers of the gospels and the early church fathers certainly believed these stories to be true. You could still say they were mistaken, that these sort of things just don't happen. I think he would still be wrong, but it would be a more intellectually honest way of looking at it.

What I find very refreshing, though, is that I'm no longer sure how much the differences between Wright & Borg matter. Borg clearly believes in living a life of love and compassion. He sees this life revealed in Jesus. And isn't that the point?

John's Belated Introduction

2007-08-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

I just finished "The Meaning of Jesus," and I intend on blogging about it this weekend. But I realized, after reading Lydia & Lindy's posts, that I've been a bit remiss in introducing myself. So here goes.

My name is John. I'm 38, soon to be 39, married, living in Florida (just north of Tampa). And I say, quite proudly, that I am a secretary.

I was not always a secretary, nor am I a native Floridian. (But then, who is?) I was born & raised in small town SE Pennsylvania. It is Amish & Mennonite country, quite conservative, but not what I'd call fundamentalist. I was raised in the Methodist church, and still embrace that tradition.

Life got interesting in college. It is the classic American story: boy meets girls, boy chases girl, girl runs away, boy stalks girl, boy wears girl down, girl relents and dates boy, girl finds out boy is not so bad, boy proposes, boy and girl get married and drop out of college, boy joins Navy and sees world (it's mostly water, btw), boy gets out of Navy and boy and girl settle in Florida. Along the way, boy and girl make another boy and girl.

My journey in the liberal side of Christianity (if that indeed is what to call it) didn't start until a few years ago though. And it started with books. Books are wonderful and dangerous things, which is why I hope to blog about quite a few of them. I also hope to blog about how one goes about applying the ideas in these books into real life. That is, what is a "liberal" Christian life supposed to look like?

So there ya go. This is me. :)

Lydia's Introduction

2007-08-05T16:16:00.000-04:00

Hello, Lydia here. Like Lindy, I'm also 24. I live in Toronto, and I've voted in every election I've ever been eligible to vote in.

I more or less agree with the things 1beggar posted about biblical inerrancy and universalism earlier, so I won't bother to repeat them. :) Here are a few areas in which I could be labeled a liberal:

1. I sympathize with people who are agnostic - the older I become, the less sure I am about many of the things that other Christians seem to accept without question. Strangely, it doesn't bother me. I've long since given up on dueling Jesus'. :)

2. I am an avowed, unashamed pacifist.

3. I do not support the use of the death penalty...but I don't hate those who do support it. This fact has surprised more than a few people in my time. Not sure why.

4. I am pro-choice not because I think abortion is something that God condones but because I think it is necessary at this time (much as 1beggar thinks that capital punishment may be an option that we as a "messed-up" society keep open, even though it's "less than the best" because the alternatives are worse. Hopefully he doesn't mind my loose quotations here. :) )

The Meaning of Jesus

2007-08-05T11:55:00.000-04:00

I'm reading "The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions" by Marcus Borg and N.T. Wright. The cover sums it up this way:

"The leading liberal and conservative Jesus scholars present the heart of the historical Jesus debate."

I haven't read much of Borg, but I'm a big fan of Tom Wright. I'd hardly call him "conservative" though. I'm not sure when a belief that Jesus really did rise from the dead became conservative. I would say it's more an orthodox versus revisionist presentation.

Anyway, it's pretty good so far. While I don't agree with some of the conclusions Borg draws, I can still appreciate where he's coming from. And the obvious friendship between the two makes for a much more amicable discussion. It's quite refreshing, especially if you spend any amount of time in the God-blogosphere. The book encourages me that we can disagree (which they do frequently) without being demeaning toward the other person.

I'll be blogging more about the points they make over the next week or so. For now, I think this is a good starting point.

An Inconsistent Life Ethic

2007-08-02T08:32:00.000-04:00

Being a liberal, to me, involves trying to see the best in people, and trying to assist them in the journey there. It means to be as forgiving and merciful as possible. It means believing that people can change, that redemption is always available to those who pursue it. It all sound very flowery, very (as one of my favorite trolls at the ooze liked to put it) “fuzzy wuzzy.”

Until you actually try to apply this ethic to life and death situations. Then it gets hard. It’s not so easy to talk about mercy when an unrepentant man responsible for the genocide of thousands is finally brought to “justice.” Or when you look into the eyes of a father whose daughter was raped, then buried alive.

Are there limits to a society’s mercy? And what exactly would mercy look like in these dark situations in the first place?

So where do I stand? To borrow from John Prine, this is what I think: “Jesus don’t like killin’ no matter what the reason for.” In a perfect world, we would not execute people. But then, in a perfect, people wouldn’t need executing, would they? So I’m not sure how helpful that is.

I must confess that when Sadam was executed, I didn’t feel all that bad about it. I mean, I still thought it was “wrong,” but my sympathy was tempered. Should I feel guilty about that? For not feeling sorry for the death of mass murderer? Are there levels of “wrongness” in killing?

I also wonder if maybe some people will not truly understand their crimes until they are faced with the consequences. I wonder if facing the consequences (maybe even the ultimate consequence) often is a catalyst for the redemption I talked about earlier. So, is it possible that capital punishment might actually be a merciful thing for the condemned? I think it might be.

But then, I also have serious misgivings about our particular society’s ability to mete this out justly. Our judicial system certainly slants along racial and class lines. Another part of me says that no one should be executed until we can do it “right.” That is a biblical principle, isn’t it? Not to favor the rich (or the poor) when handing out punishments? So then we should chuck the whole thing.

But then I’m back at that father’s eyes, trying to explain to him why this scumbag’s life is worth protecting, while his daughter’s life was not.

I wonder if the death penalty is like what Jesus said about Moses and divorce. That God allowed it (divorce) because of the hardness of their hearts. Divorce was not the ideal. It wasn’t what God had in mind. But He allowed it because, well, people are messed up. And He understands.

Look, I still think Jesus don’t like killin’. But I think he looks at the anguish of a father, and he understands. He looks at a society wrestle with these questions, and he understands. I think He gives us authority to make these sorts of decisions, and as long as we make them in good faith, He understands. Even if we choose the option that is “less than the best.” And, let us always remember, this world is not all there is. Ending a life is a horrible thing, no matter who is doing it. But there is life after here. And it will all make much more sense on that side of the veil.

I hope so anyway. :)

My friends say I'm a liberal when I say...

2007-07-31T22:18:00.000-04:00

Dwight asked for particular points where I am liberal, so I thought that was a good topic for a few posts. We’ll start with the most obvious theological ones.

I am a hopeful universalist. That is, I have hope that all will be saved.

Now, before you run off into the “if everybody goes to heaven, then why should we evangelize now” idea, let me define a few things. Just because I said “universalist” doesn’t mean I don’t believe in hell. I do. I just don’t think it is necessarily forever. I don’t think the purpose of hell is punishment; I think the purpose of hell is redemption. I don’t think the saving hand of God ends on this side of death. The God I know is relentless in His love for us. He will not give His glory to another. He will redeem whatever is redeemable.

And I say “hopeful” because I hope that all might one day be saved. But I know that God does not force Himself on people. Some may insist on rejecting Him. But I don’t believe that God ever stops calling, ever stops reaching.
About Scripture: I do not believe the Bible is inerrant.

First, I don’t think it says that about itself. (See 2 Timothy.) I think it is inspired certainly. I believe God speaks to us through it. I think you would be a fool not to read it. But inspired is not inerrant.

And please, I did not say that the Bible is "full of errors." I believe the writers got the main story right (read: yes, I believe in the cross and the resurrection, the virgin birth and the miracles, and pretty much anything you find in the Apostles & Nicene Creed). And they got lots of the details right too. But I don’t think they got all of them. I just don’t see inspiration working that way. There are some inconsistencies, I think.

And to be perfectly honest, there are some editorial comments by the writers, especially Paul. I am not saying that Paul is wrong. I am saying that I don't think he is necessarily right all the time. I don't think God requires the writers of the Bible to be right all the time. Because I don't think we are supposed to follow the Bible. I think we are supposed to follow Jesus. And Jesus promised a Spirit that would live in us. He never promised a book.

Last note on Scripture: I’ve never understood the “if it’s not all true, then none of it is” argument. I mean, does anybody read anything else like that? If I’m reading a history book, and the writer got a couple dates wrong, does that mean the Germans might have World War II? If I’m reading a memoir, and the writer gets his timeline a little mixed up, does that mean that his recollections are worthless? That none of it happened?

So, there ya go. Two “liberal” points to chew on. There's a lot more to unpack here on both of these, and a lot more to list, but this is start.

Another Semi-Liberal Checks In

2007-07-30T15:28:00.000-04:00

Hello. My name is Lindy. I thought I would take my lead from 1begger and introduce myself. I am 24 and live in Washington D.C. I love my city so much that I'm never going to leave. My husband is a Wesleyan pastor, and I am a music teacher.

I have the same confession as 1begger- I don't really consider myself a liberal, but my friends disagree. I have spent the last nine months living in inner city. Any illusions I had about a possible simple solution to the poverty went out the window. I developed a "bleeding heart".

Thoughts that have been mulling around in my mind lately......

Is correct thought or correct action more important to God? It's obvioius to me that they both matter, but we as human beings seem to have a hard time with the balance. If we are incapable of doing both, what do we choose? I choose to love my neighbor and leave the judging to God.

I believe in absolute truth. However if I had to make a list of things I'm absolutly sure of, I could fill one had, but I doubt I could fill two. How much of it really matters.... and when you get down do it, how much of that is worth fighting over?

Well this is about as profound as I can get after 10 pm. More to come later.

I have confession to make

2007-07-29T13:50:00.000-04:00

Before this blog really gets up and rolling, I think I should start with a disclaimer. I don't really consider myself all that liberal. It's other people (especially my friends) who think I'm a liberal. I don't really care for the label all that much. Or, I didn't used to anyway.

See, I grew up conservative. Liberal was bad. Liberals were undermining the foundations of the our country, of our church, of our faith. Liberals must be stopped, and I was on board in the cause.

But Jesus kept getting in the way. Because, well, he seemed kinda liberal to me. He gave liberally of himself. Always healing people. Always reaching out to lepers and prostitutes. Making lots of food out of a little, and then giving it way. Turning water into wine, for Pete's sake!

So, while I've had lots of help in finding this new road for me, Jesus is the one who started me on the path to being a liberal. Mom, you can blame him. :)

Welcome!

2007-07-28T12:47:00.000-04:00

This blog was born out of the ooze (a wonderful online community to which I belong.) Several folks there have started group blogs. This is a stab at another one. So if you love Jesus, lean a little (or a lot) to the left, and don't see that as a contradiction, this might be the place for you.