Scribbles from the Journey

the BIBLE, what do I do with it?

2009-12-14T11:38:00.000-08:00

Humanity has had a long standing fascination with sacred objects. Things that are considered and treated extra special due to their close association with the Divine.

The Bible is such an object that fits solidly into the lineup of sacred objects, particularly for the 3 sister monotheistic faiths (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam), so much so that it has garnered the title for many, The WORD of God.

It has been a key source of inspiration for both much evil done on our planet and much love and compassion.

To greater and lesser degrees, it has found itself in the crossfire of debate and war on how to interpret and understand it.

The book pictured here has been intriguing for me of late in my journey of searching for what to do with the Bible.

Yes, I know what many people do with the Bible.
I also know what many people SAY I should do with it.
But, I continue wrestling with what should "I" do with it.

I've found Karen Armstrong's Biography on the Bible very enlightening to discover more how the Bible has developed from antiquity and how people other than those in the last few hundred years have treated and used it.

Some of the particular insights from her work are:

Interpreting Scripture very literally is a relatively recent development. History shows that it was often interpreted and developed in ways that were meaningful to the times, not necessarily true to an author's original intent. Indeed, much of the New Testament is a "wrestling" of Old Testament writings to help in dealing with the events at hand (i.e. how to relate to this self proclaimed Messiah and the subsequent stir that He caused).
Many documents eventually became included in Scripture not because of noticing inspiration within them, but because of how they were treated by people (i.e. used in sacred ritual settings).
Sacred writings (i.e. Scriptures) gradually replaced the Temple as the physical location for sensing the Divine.
Through the millenia, Scripture was not so much a text, but an activity-a spiritual process that introduced people to a sense of God.
Scripture is not a document on history as we consider history in modern times. Again, it was a process, (that most certainly reveals elements of factual history), that drew on historical events, ancient and current legends, and the ongoing "artwork" of interpreters to make it say something meaningful about current events.
Charity must be the guiding principle in the exegesis (the art of interpreting and explaining Biblical text) of Scripture. Karen tells the story of a rabbi before the time of Jesus that was asked to recite the entire Torah while standing on one leg. The rabbi proceeded to state something to the effect, "Don't do to others what you would hate to have done to you. The rest is commentary, go and study it". Some parts of Scripture will naturally lead to lessons and inspiration on this point, others will take more digging, some will teach by contrast, and, yes, some will have to be "re-worked" to promote this timeless principle.

If I took the time to prepare my thoughts, I could say so much more, but the last point above is my big "takeaway" from the book, which I realize is nothing new.

So, this morning I turn to a passage of Scripture to practice appling the principle above and I land on the story in Judges 19. Go read it. It may stretch your ability to see Scripture as a commentary on the Golden Rule. But then again, it may enrich it.

Karen Armstrong in a presentation suggested that much of the hard parts of scripture are actually testing grounds for us in learning to apply the Golden Rule. In other words, if we can find ways to make the evil in Scripture teach us something about practicing the Golden Rule, then maybe we can actually find ways to implement the Golden Rule on the street with those that "test" us.

my recent reads

2009-11-02T12:24:00.000-08:00

In the last couple of weeks, culminating in this past weekend, I've read through 4 books. This is somewhat out of the ordinary (ordinary being the trend of the last number of months) considering my shelf full of unread and partially read books. Some I will continue reading, some will be finished someday, and some may never be read.

Anyway, I'm sensing a theme that runs throughout the most recent reads.

As far as I can remember, the first book I completed was It's Really All About God by Samir Selmanovic.

My takeaway: God is bigger than any one "God management system", a phrase used by Samir to define how religions often posit themselves. In the end, no one really has God captured and figured out. God is a mystery. His presence is presented throughout His creation and His image is seen in every human. Thus, we can learn more about Him by being open to learning from each other, in every religion and tradition. This doesn't mean that there should be a great melting pot for religion, but that there is an opportunity to improve our world by respecting and listening the the various ways that God lets His presence mysteriously leak through a whole host of human diversity. Truth is not always learned through concrete certainty about who God is and what He does, but through the tensions that we often experience. Just such a tension is the pull between faith and doubt.

The second book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, written by a favorite author of mine, Donald Miller, was the second book I completed.

My takeaway: Our lives are opportunities to write good stories. Donald had felt his life slipping into meaninglessness after landing huge successes with his previous writings. He was approached with the offer to help write a movie about himself. Through this process he learned about what makes a movie a good movie (i.e. a meaningful story) and wondered if those same elements applied to making one's life meaningful. Indeed, for him, they did. The elements can be summed up like this-"A character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it". Naturally, the story is better if the the thing the character wants is for the good of others and has a relational aspect to it.

The third book, Speaking of Faith, written by Krista Tippet, host of the radio show by the same name, was a book I started on earlier this year. I have been blessed by her approach to matters of faith and spirituality on the show and knew I must read her book.

My takeaway: Religion is a topic that is well known to be divisive and polarizing. Often it's either manifest in the midst of debate and argument or in the context of proselytizing. For such reasons many want to dismiss it altogether. Krista argues that religion and faith, in spite of the persistent problems both with it and associated with it, hold much potential to improve our world. We need to find ways to "speak of faith" that don't create conflict and confrontation. She emphasizes that faith is more about mystery and questions than hard certainty.

The fourth book, Have a Little Faith, by Mitch Album, I just discovered recently and when I ran across it in Wal-Mart last Thursday, I purchased it on impulse. I sailed through it's easy read by Sunday. I have read several of Mitch's other books and, again, knew this must be read as well.

My takeaway: Mitch recounts the story of being asked by the rabbi of his childhood to present a eulogy upon the rabbi's death. Mitch agreed with the condition of being able to get to know the rabbi on a personal level. So began an 8 year journey that not only helped Mitch come to love and appreciate the rabbi, but also another clergyman from his own town. The lessons about faith were similiar, but the men from whom he learned, in this case, were vastly different. One a rabbi, the other an ex drug dealer poor Christian pastor.

Mitch was inspired to remember/notice that there is a Divine Spark implanted in each human soul.

All four books seemed to tie together in the sense of speaking about matters that truly bring meaning to life.

a mixed read

2009-06-23T21:27:00.000-07:00

The authors of the book pictured here have co-written this book (with one voice) as a followup to their previous work, "If Grace is True". The previous book argues their belief in Universalism-the idea that God will eventually save every person. When I first read it several years ago it disturbed me. I attribute this to the fact that the book both deeply appealed to me and challenged some core Christian doctrines. Anyway, I had mixed feelings about reading the volume pictured here, "If God is Love".

This book basically describes what it could look like if we truly believed that God wasn't going to destroy any of His children, but ultimately bring ALL to salvation. The authors work through categories such as the home life, religion, Christianity, money and wealth, politics, and prayer. With each topic, they artistically narrate a vision for a gracious world.

I still have trouble with the idea of Universalism, not because I don't like it, but because I like it too much. I don't feel comfortable yet that it's true according to Scripture.

However, I can certainly agree that much of "Hell" is simply the result of ungracious living and that true salvation would be where people begin to live and care for the salvation of all peoples irregardless of class, religion, race, or current moral convictions.

I found myself longing to grow to be more gracious. To be saved from myself. To see grace not just as an idea that I believe will be my "fire insurance" for what comes after this life, but to see it become the power that changes my life now in such real places as the family and bank account.

I also long to learn to view and treat other peoples and religions not as things to fix, but as other members of God's family to love.

This book, while not leaving me with comfortable theological conclusions, certainly left me with some Holy tuggings. Oh that the picture these authors paint would become an increasing reality!

church as facebook

2009-06-23T21:11:00.000-07:00

Recently I've attended frequent church social functions and been hit anew with a very positive aspect of my church life.

Church is a Facebook of sorts. In other words, it's a massive social networking site. Now, I know many would beg to differ based on their experience. I also recognize that being a pastor in my church gives me another level of automatic social connection that not everyone experiences.

However, it remains true for me, that my church gives me an instant social community wherever I go. No community is perfect and church community comes with its load of flaws. But, to be able to enter a new community, as I did last fall, and instantly be involved in countless BBQs, outings, home meal invitations, etc is a real privilege. Even the weekly meeting event called worship, although lacking greatly in being able to provide deep levels of friendship, still allows me to connect with people and build a social community very fast.

I don't know if this excuses institutional spirituality from some of it's other flaws, but it certainly is a benefit that I do well to appreciate.

Just some thoughts...

women in spiritual leadership

2009-05-28T08:45:00.001-07:00

The book that I discussed in the last post uses women in spiritual leadership as a prime example of how to listen and discern the Bible as story.

Scot McKnight acknowledges that there are 2 main Biblical passages, by Paul, that speak about silencing women's voices in spiritual leadership. He also points out how the predominate societal culture for ages has NOT treated women as equal to men in value, giftings, and abilities. Then, he reminds the reader of the overarching Biblical narrative that God created humans to be one with Him and each other, as evidenced in the gift of marriage. Then, with the onset of sin, men and women began to fight to dominate each other. The purpose of the re-creative process is to restore the orignial oneness with God and each other including the equality oneness of men and women.

Scripture gives us glimpes throughout history, in both the old and New Testaments, of women in leadership and prominent roles in the story of God's work to redeem humanity (Miram, Deborah, Huldah, Esther, Mary, Phoebe, Junia, Priscilla). Scot explores that although these characters don't get much "space" in scripture, it really is profound the the level of recognition given to them if one pays attention to the stories (prophets, rulers, teachers, apostles). The profoundness of this recognition is further emphasized as you remember both the cultural views of women during these ancient times and the fact that Scripture was largely written by men.

He shows that the trend of these stories of women in scripture is in keeping with the trend of God's progressive work to redeem humanity back to oneness with each each other and Him, in spite of the persistent cultural work, through the ages, to repress women.

So then, what do we do with the 2 passages of Paul's where it seems like he's calling for a silencing women? We also have to remember that Paul made the profound statement that "in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ".

Scot suggests that those two passages are like "blue parakeets" (see the previous post) that seem to interupt the flow of the trend and story of Scripture. Thus, we need to look closer at the stories of these passages. If on greater examination, they fit with the overarching story, then great. If they're an unexplainable mystery of Paul's, then we have a choice. Are we going to listen to a couple of passages that go against the trend of scripture at face value for the basis of our doctrine and practice, or are we going to look at the larger picture and story of Scripture and let a mystery be a mystery? (I encourage you to read Scot's book to see his further explanations of those passages)

Here's a couple of concluding points on the topic from my perspective.

1. I find it ironic that Adventists (my Christian tribe) have such a hard time, generally speaking, with women in prominent spiritual leadership (i.e. ordination for pastoral ministry) when the person that they look to heavily for spiritual guidance (second only to the Bible) was a woman, Ellen G. White. How do they deal with that? I guess for some it has to do with the technicality that Ellen White is considered a prophet and scripture talks about women prophets and somehow the the distinction is made that prophets are different than ordained ministers. However, to my simple mind, prophets are on a higher plane that pastors. There was nothing silent about Ellen White in public gatherings. She was a preacher-plain and simple.

2. The church needs the voice of women (which it does actually have in many circles but doesn't always officially recognize)! For us to carry on dishonoring the gifts that God has blessed the church with in women spiritual leaders (by not ordaining [i.e. recognizing] ) is only shooting ourselves in the foot. What a beautiful day that will be when pastor's meetings are populated by a balance of women and men! We certainly recognize the extreme benefit of the balance of gender in the medical field. Let's have it in the spiritual too!

living the bible in our day

2009-05-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

Well, here's what I'm exploring right now. I'm very interested in fresh approaches to how we deal with this complex book that we call the Bible. Scot McKnight points out how, as much as many people try to deny this, EVERYONE picks and chooses what they follow from the Bible and how they're going to follow it. Literally adhering to all of the Bible is impossible as evidenced by A.J. Jacobs in his Year of Living Biblically project. Thus, the question is, "how then do we live out the Bible?"

Scot tells the story how, as a birdwatcher, he observed a blue pet parakeet that had obviously escaped his cage and come and landed amongst the crowd of sparrows in his backyard. Initially, the sparrows were alarmed by this unwanted guest. Soon, however, they got accustomed to this parakeet and even seemed to like it. But, they didn't get him to become one of them. They couldn't tame him. He was simply an unusual intrusion to be lived with and observed.

Scot likens this example to the Bible. Often, we feel that we can make sense of much of the Bible until some "Blue Parakeet" passage pops in and seems to ruffle the understandings we've put together. So, what do we do? Do we tame the passage? Ignore it? Try to stuff it back into the cage of a predetermined theological system?

To begin, we have to recognize that the Bible is a story. This story reveals God creating, the fall, and the ensuing lengthy process of re-creation or new creation. God is seeking to restore oneness in His creation between each other and Him. As the story unfolds, we see God interacting with each person and group in their cultural ways. God talks to David in David's ways, Peter in Peter's ways, Paul in Paul's ways, and so on.

Our challenge is what to do with this Biblical collage. Do we return and retrieve the commands given to any particular Biblical character as literal for us?

Scot suggests that we need to start with LISTENING to the story. Then, we need to seek to DISCERN how to live out our lives now with the guidance of spiritual community, Holy Spirit, and also listening (not necessarily practicing verbatim) to the traditions of the forefathers of our faith. Ultimately, working within these parameters, we have to wrestle to work out what it means to live out God's story in our lives today!

I think I'm finding this perspective exciting and liberating.

However, I can hear voices (either in my head or anticipating what others may say) objecting to where will this approach end. Is there nothing absolute in scripture? Is this the beginning of the end of a denomination's theological belief system package?

Well, I don't know...

But, I do think we need to believe and rely more on the same Spirit that we believe inspired the Biblical process to also inspire the process of us continuing to live forward the story of God's redemptive work in our day and culture.

prayer-naming the heart stuff

2009-05-22T09:24:00.000-07:00

The other day I was listening to a podcast from Speaking of Faith entitled "The Spirituality of Parenting". The host, Krista Tippett, was interviewing a rabbi on the above topic. In the course of the conversation, dealing with how children are naturally spiritual beings and how to nurture that side of them, the topic of prayer came up for a few minutes. I was impressed with how the rabbi defined prayer.

Prayer is NAMING your:

Hopes

Fears

Gratitude

Thus, prayer is more than just a religious exercise. A conversation can be a prayer. A thought can be a prayer. Prayer is where the deep stuff of the heart is identified and nurtured.
It's where these parts of our soul are offered to someone outside of ourselves.
To someone bigger.
To God.

For me, I find this a practical way to view prayer.

meaning in life

2009-05-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

3 things that bring meaning in life according to an author (who I don't remember the name of) mentioned by my buddy in the phone conversation we just had.

1. Achievement

2. Love

3. Suffering

I suspect that I tend to feel compelled towards the first one primarily. A radio show I listened to once said that the great feeling of meaning from achievement is fleeting. It's love and relationships that bring the ongoing meaning in life.

And then, what about suffering? Many, more qualified than me, could speak to this aspect!

Now, supposing that these 3 qualities exist in some sort of balance or tension to bring a holistic sense of meaning to life, is that balance/tension to exist in every individual or in society and community as a whole? In other words, do some spend the majority of their days in only one or two of these experiences while others experience different ones. Then, in community, life is brought more meaning by appreciating these 3 things not just in one's life, but in the lives of others as well.

I'm thinking that balance in community may be more like it. Some seem to experience repeated achievements. Some are content to live quiet loving lives predominately. And many spend huge amounts of their experience in suffering.

Maybe the challenge is simply to be aware and increasingly appreciative of ALL 3 of these aspects to meaning whenever and however they are found.

life is a hike

2009-05-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

I just got off the phone with my buddy where we were engaged in one of our many conversations about life-its meaning, direction, fulfillment, purpose, etc. As the conversation developed, these mental images emerged about having vision in one's life and knowing where you are going. We were contrasting the ideas of living with a sense of vision for your life verses living in the moment and trusting God to lead you.

I think it's like a railroad. As a human I want to know where I'm going, how I'm going to get there, and be assured that the path is laid out. I want (I think) to be locked on rails taking me somewhere successful and fulfilling.

However, the reality is that life is probably more like a hike. I get glimpses of vision (mountain peaks, serene valleys, tropical beaches, etc.) and I start making my way there. All I have is a compass. Generally I move in the pictured direction. Countless times I will have to take side trips, backtrack around obstacles, get focused on working out the details of an obstacle at hand, sometimes even completely lose sight of the vision, and (most of all) learn to appreciate the journey. The "vision" keeps me moving, but not just to get to the destination. I need to keep moving so I can truly live the moments, and yet I can't get so driven that I miss the moments along the way.

Life is not a passive, direct train ride. It's a dynamic meandering through the forest of life compelled by a vision, guided by a compass, and lived in the moment.

Now, that's heady enough. What do the metaphors of vision and compass stand for practically in my life?

I wrestle on.....

ants in the pants of faith

2009-05-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

I just received the pictured magazine and the bold title of the article captured my attention. Reading it through quickly, I found myself frequently agreeing with it, admittedly out of my own experience sometimes. I share it here for you to read, of course attributing all credit to the author, Carolyn Arends. I have, however, bolded and italicized sections of the article that I particularly like. Please follow the above link to read the article without my highlighting/italicizing if you wish. I encourage you to check out Carolyn's music as well. On youtube you can listen to samplings of her work.

The article entitled "The Benefit of Doubt" begins here.

Sarah is a deep thinker. She wishes she could just accept things on the surface, but she can’t. A theological question about God’s sovereignty began to haunt her in her early 20s. She took her question to the spiritual experts available: her pastor and a local “Bible Answer” radio personality. They both told her it was arrogant to question God. But she found it difficult to be dishonest with God. So she stopped talking to God altogether.

Jenny grew up in the church and laughs that she’s saving her “rebellious phase” for her upcoming 40s. She’s had many faith-building encounters with God and loves to share them. What is harder for Jenny to talk about is the long, dark season after her first pregnancy when she had a colicky baby and a whopping case of post-partum depression. Worse, she had an agonizing sense of being cut off from God. For several months she begged God to break through the haze of her exhaustion and hormonal desperation with some reassurance of His love. The breakthrough didn’t happen. Gradually, she stopped feeling so desperate. But she also felt a little abandoned. Even now, when others testify about the times God met them in an hour of need, Jenny’s eyes well up with tears.

Richard was a minister but he’s not anymore. When a bridge collapsed unexpectedly in his small maritime town, so did his faith. His teenage son was on that bridge and drowned. After that, Richard couldn’t think of anything to preach about.

I’ve believed in Jesus since I was old enough to believe in anything. I can barely imagine a world or a life without God. And yet, now and then, I find myself sitting in a church service suddenly struck by the thought that perhaps the whole thing – faith in a personal, knowable God and all the creeds and prayers and the relationship that follow – is only a lovely dream, a benign fabrication that gives meaning to an otherwise achingly futile human existence. I refute these ideas as quickly as I can but I’m troubled by the fact that even now, after all these years of discipleship, such thoughts are possible.

I have questions about … doubt.

My research on doubt is informal. I’ve simply listened to my own heart and the half-whispered confessions of other pilgrims. But I’ve become convinced that most Christians experience doubt at least now and then. There are exceptions, beautiful ones, of believers who seem never to falter. I often wonder (as I fight back my envy) if perhaps they have received the particular spiritual gift of “faith” the Apostle Paul says has been given to some (1 Corinthians 12:9). Whatever the explanation, these unflappable Christians seem to be the exceptions who prove the rule. The rest of us eventually (or periodically) run into some set of variables – tragic circumstances, theological quandaries, physical or mental illnesses, or our own reflective temperaments – that leave questions welling up inside us.

We must determine, it seems to me, if doubt is always destructive or if it is potentially helpful. Are doubts the enemy of faith or, as American author Frederick Buechner puts it, “the ants in the pants of faith,” the very things that keep faith “alive and moving”?

The Bible encourages us to move toward faith and away from doubt. And yet, the “Hall of Fame” believers held up as examples in Hebrews 11 were almost unanimously a questioning lot. The point seems less that they never doubted and more that they came to God with their doubts. Some of them argued with or even hollered at God. But they didn’t walk away.

My favourite example is Jacob. Genesis 32 describes a mysterious encounter with a stranger whom Jacob eventually understands to be God Himself. Jacob wrestles with God all night long and tells Him “I will not let You go until You bless me.”

In the morning Jacob gets his blessing and a new name: “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel [‘God-Wrestler’], because you have struggled with God and with human beings and have overcome” (Genesis 32:28). Imagine that. God names not only Jacob but also His people, His nation, His church: Israel. God-wrestlers. It seems God wants us to wrestle with Him, to fight for Him, to grapple with the Mystery, to hold on tight and refuse to let go.

The more I read the Bible, the more I am convinced that God has empathy for our situation. I don’t think our doubts offend God. But I do think He is concerned when we swallow our doubt, when we pretend He is not beyond our understanding and when we attempt to hide our true feelings from Him (as if we ever could!).

So how do we let doubt be a fire that refines faith rather than consumes it? In my own experience, the following four principles have been extremely helpful.

Expect Some Turbulence
The other day I grabbed a cup of water from the kitchen table. It turned out it was not my water but my daughter’s lemonade. I like lemonade, but the tart flavour was so unexpected I did a classic cartoon “spit-take.” Expectations are powerful.

Many Christians expect a doubt-free walk with God. When trouble comes, we must contend with not only the questions themselves but also with the stress and shame at having the questions at all. Our panic will be significantly minimized if we understand that the majority of believers who have gone before us (from biblical heroes and Early Church Fathers to more recent saints like Henri Nouwen and even Mother Teresa) have encountered seasons of doubt.

I suspect a great number of Christians discover as they journey with God that the more they believe (the more they perceive of God) the more doubt springs up as a natural response to the gap between what is and what is understood.

To have real faith – faith that hopes for things that are not yet seen – we have to be confronted at least occasionally with a keen and painful awareness of just how unseen some of those things are. That awareness often manifests itself as doubt.

The author of Ecclesiastes claims “I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

The Bible is wonderfully candid when it refers to this incredibly good news (that we bear something of the eternal right at the deepest part of who we are) as a burden. The truth is, if we flesh-and-bone, finite creatures really do house something infinite, we can expect to feel at odds with ourselves a good deal of the time. Accepting that tension can go a long way toward helping us do something constructive with our doubt.

Don’t Forget to Remember
Every time I hold a friend’s new baby, I’m shocked by how much I’ve forgotten about my own kids’ infancies. When they were tiny, I thought every precious (and not-so-precious) detail would be etched in my mind forever. Now I can barely recall what they looked like back then. If we don’t actively remember things – by writing them down, taking pictures, and telling and retelling stories about them – we forget.

You’d think it would be easy to remember our spiritual epiphanies – answered prayers, Holy Spirit insights and touches of God through circumstances or special perceptions of His presence. In reality, spiritual encounters are particularly difficult to recall precisely because they belong to another realm that seems to vaporize when we get bogged down in our material existence.

The Old Testament prophets understood this problem. They had a habit of marking milestone moments with rocks and altars (they called them ebenezers) so that later, when it all seemed like a hazy dream, they could go back and touch something tangible and remember what God had done for them. It is critical that we do the same. Journal. Write a song. Tell a friend. Take a picture. Read the stories of other believers as a way of accessing the collective memory of the Church. Memorize Scripture. Remember.

Focus on the Who Question
Slowly, I am coming to accept the fact that if God is really God, and I’m really not God, it only makes sense that there are aspects of Him that are beyond me. This awareness allows me to see mysteries that once threatened my faith as actual grounds for belief.

At the same time, there is much that God has chosen to reveal about Himself – through creation, through His Word, through the faith community and, most wonderfully, through Jesus.

We often don’t have answers to so many of our questions. Why does God seem to intervene in some situations and not in others? When will there be ultimate justice? How will God bring it about? But we always have the answer to the Who question. If we wonder who God is, if we need to know if God truly is about justice and mercy and a love for us that cannot be exhausted, we only have to look at Jesus to get our answer.

Knowing who Jesus is allows us to trust God’s character even when our present emotions or circumstances lead us in other directions.

Don’t Stop the Conversation
Pray. Even when you seem to be talking into the void. Even when you have no words. Pray.

One of my favourite prayers is recorded in the Gospel of Mark. A father brings his very ill son to Jesus for healing. He pours out his heart to the Healer, crying, “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” “ ‘If you can?’ ” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

I imagine the father standing there in the middle of the chaos – his epileptic boy twitching on the ground, the voices of others crying out for healing, the crush of hundreds of people jostling for position – and sensing that this is the defining moment of his life. He swallows hard. “I do believe,” he says. And then he adds instinctively, “Help me overcome my unbelief!” The father is too desperate for charades. He comes to Jesus believing just enough to trust that Jesus will help him with his unbelief. And that, it turns out, is enough faith to move the heart of God.

I will not let You go until You bless me. I do believe; help my unbelief.

These are prayers God blesses – the prayers of honest people who understand that doubt is sometimes normal and that faith is worth fighting for.

god our mother

2009-05-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

The following is a sermon that I gave at a cute little country church this past Sunday. The picture here comes from this site.

I know God has no need to do this. But humour me for a moment please. God shows up at the BC Access Centre to apply for His driver’s licence. Instinctively the attendant hands him an application form. God goes and finds a seat, takes out his pen and begins writing. As usual, the form begins by asking for personal information.

What would He put down for his name?

What about His address?

Height?

Weight?

Color of eyes?

Gender? Pregnant pause.

You might think this last one the easiest for us to answer about God. But be careful about how quickly you answer this one.

Think back with me to that story where a tired and thirsty Jesus finds himself beside a well talking to a woman. In the course of the conversation the woman begins talking about the right PLACE to worship God. Jesus then says that true worship is not about a place because God is a Spirit.

As human beings created by God we are created in his image. Genesis says that which gender is created in God’s image? Both. So which is God?

This week I had a couple of conversations that seem to weigh in on this subject. The first was my friend from college who is also a pastor. He said to me that me that we really don’t have God figured out. Now, while this may seem like a no-brainer, it does make me think about the countless volumes that try to help us understand what God is like. It also makes me think of scripture and all the descriptions of God in Scripture. God is a rock, a lion, a lamb, light, bread, and so on. How many of us take these metaphors to be literal? No one human metaphor can capture all of what God is like.

Now, the 2^nd friend I was talking to just the other night on Facebook. (a popular social networking site on the Internet) He reminded me about the Lord ’s Prayer and how if Jesus used Father as the description for God then that’s good enough for him. I certainly agree with him that God is all the best attributes of a good father. But, could it be that Father, again, is simply a metaphor? A metaphor largely used because of human cultures that have tended to favour males in many ways.

And could it be that Mother is an equally helpful metaphor for God?

Have any of you read the popular book out in the last couple of years entitled The Shack? In trying to help us understand how the trinity cares for us, it portrays Jesus as a man like you would expect, but God the father is portrayed as a black woman and the Holy Spirit as an Asian lady. As you can imagine, this has raised eyebrows amongst some as some sort of new age doctrine infiltrating Christian circles. But for me, I find this to be a healthy mental stretch.

It reminds me of Paul’s statement in Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” God is both the source of all our human uniqueness and the unifier of it all.

The fact is, God is a Spirit.

I saw a funny little music video clip this week on the internet. Some of the lyrics go like this:

God is not a man.

God is not a white man.

God is not an old man

God is not a man sitting on a cloud.

God cannot be bought.

God will not be boxed in.

God will not be owned by religion.

But God is love

God is love and He loves everyone

God is not a man. Neither is He a woman. He is as scripture says, a Spirit. But, seeing as we’ve attributed male imagery to him predominantly, I’d like for you to think of God in motherly terms today on this Mother’s day.

We all have a mother. Mother’s are in many ways the strength that make our world go round. Mothers tend to be more patient than men. More compassionate (at least in my household). I’m more likely to feel irritation than compassion over the endless mishaps of family life. I have a lot to learn. Mothers posses a strength often foreign to men-that of stamina and endurance for the endless mundane of domestic life. Mothers are nurturing. As you think about your experience with your mother today, although no mother is perfect, many of you can probably identify some special characteristic of a mother that I haven’t touched on here.

Unfortunately, we don’t always appreciate this. Some of you may have seen this little story about the importance of a mother’s work entitled:

JUST A MOM?

A woman, renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk 's office,
was asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation.

She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.

"What I mean is," explained the recorder,
"do you have a job or are you just a .?"

"Of course I have a job," snapped the woman.

"I'm a Mom."

"We don't list 'Mom' as an occupation,

'housewife' covers it,"
Said the recorder emphatically.

I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our own Town Hall.
The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised,
efficient, and possessed of a high sounding title like,
"Official Interrogator" or "Town Registrar."

"What is your occupation?" she probed.

What made me say it? I do not know.
The words simply popped out.
"I'm a Research Associate in the field of
Child Development and Human Relations."

The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair and
looked up as though she had not heard right.

I repeated the title slowly emphasizing the most significant words.
Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written,
in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.

"Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest,
"just what you do in your field?"

Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice,
I heard myself reply,
"I have a continuing program of research,
(what mother doesn't)
In the laboratory and in the field,
(normally I would have said indoors and out).
I'm working for my Masters, (first the Lord and then the whole family)
and already have four credits (all daughters).
Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities,
(any mother care to disagree?)
and I often work 14 hours a day, (24 is more like it).
But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money."

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she
completed the form, stood up, and personally ushered me to the door.

As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career,
I was greeted by my lab assistants -- ages 13, 7, and 3.
Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model,
(a 6 month old baby) in the child development program,
testing out a new vocal pattern.
I felt I had scored a beat on bureaucracy!
And I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than "just another Mom." Motherhood!

What a glorious career!
Especially when there's a title on the door.

Does this make grandmothers
"Senior Research associates in the field of
Child Development and Human Relations"
And great grandmothers
"Executive Senior Research Associates?"
I think so!!!
I also think it makes Aunts
"Associate Research Assistants."

Where do mothers receive the qualities that make them who they are? Let me share with you a select few scriptures. See if you can detect some imagery for God that is not male.

Isaiah 66:13 As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you . . .

Isaiah 66:12 For thus says the Lord, ‘ . . . you shall be nursed, you shall be carried on her hip, and be trotted on her [God’s maternal] knees . . .’

Matthew 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.

Isaiah 42:14 “For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant. (15) I will lay waste the mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation; I will turn rivers into islands and dry up the pools.

Deuteronomy 32:18 You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth.

Psalms 90:2 Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Numbers 11:12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their forefathers?

James 1:18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

2 Corinthians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort

This is not always a quality that we men demonstrate very well. Even in my own home I watch my wife naturally exude this quality while I have to work to remember it and unfortunately forget it too many times.

Proverbs 8 portrayal of God’s wisdom as a feminine person that was present in the creation of our world.

Proverbs 8

Lady Wisdom Calls Out

^1-11 Do you hear Lady Wisdom calling? Can you hear Madame Insight raising her voice?.....

^22-31 "God sovereignly made me—the first, the basic—
before he did anything else.
I was brought into being a long time ago,
well before Earth got its start.
I arrived on the scene before Ocean,
yes, even before Springs and Rivers and Lakes.
Before Mountains were sculpted and Hills took shape,
I was already there, newborn;
Long before God stretched out Earth's Horizons,
and tended to the minute details of Soil and Weather,
And set Sky firmly in place,
I was there.
When he mapped and gave borders to wild Ocean,
built the vast vault of Heaven,
and installed the fountains that fed Ocean,
When he drew a boundary for Sea,
posted a sign that said no trespassing,
And then staked out Earth's Foundations,
I was right there with him, making sure everything fit.
Day after day I was there, with my joyful applause,
always enjoying his company,
Delighted with the world of things and creatures,
happily celebrating the human family.

Job 38:29

²⁹ From whose womb comes the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens

Diane Ackerman: “But for a baby in the womb the mother’s heartbeat performs the ultimate cradle song of peace and plenty; the surf like waves of her respiration lull and soothe. The womb is a snug, familiar landscape, an envelope of rhythmic warmth, and the mother’s heartbeat a steady clarion of safety.”

Have you ever considered that you come from the womb of God? In fact, are there ways in which we can learn to sense and feels God’s heart beat in our world now as a baby would in the womb?

Today, as we celebrate our earthly mothers (and all those who portray motherly care and love for us) let us remember the source of the Mother. God is our ultimate mother just as he is our father.

May you embrace the God who’s bigger than any of our language. May you celebrate ALL of the images and pictures and metaphors that help us better understand who God is and what God is like.

i want to be wealthy

2009-05-06T22:14:00.000-07:00

Wealth.
I want it.
I dream of it.
Imagine what I could do with it.

But what is it?

Is it money?
Is it material possessions?
Is it friendships?
Is it an appreciation for what is-the good, the bad, and the ugly?
Is it wisdom?
Is it health?
Is it contentment?
Is it an appreciation for our world and it's natural beauties?
Is it a secure belief in God and His love?
Is it an openness to learn?
Is it a hunger to learn?
Is it love?
Is it unselfishness?
Is it maturity?
Is it experience?
Is it excess?
Is it just enough?
Is it the result of suffering?

Who can have it?

Must you work for it?
Do you simply receive it?
Do you work to retain it?
Does it come only as you give it?

Just some late night musings!
Good night.

why did it bother me so?

2009-05-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

Sitting in church this past weekend I felt my frustration rising. It wasn't just the length of the sermon which was over an hour long. It was the content.

The purpose of the sermon was to get church members fired up to support an evangelistic campaign in the fall. This is Adventist jargon for a public series of lectures which run 5 nights a week for over a month systematically teaching people the beliefs of our church and trying to recruit them to membership.

The preacher tried to reinforce an Adventist belief that is strong in some and waning in others. It's the belief that the Adventist church is THE remnant people of God mentioned in Revelation. Furthermore, it's the remnant to the exclusion of ALL other denominations, religions, and faiths. To some Adventists this belief is their understanding of being unique and following the Great Commission to preach the Gospel. To an increasing number it's seen simply as arrogance and needs adjustment.

It was no surprise to hear this line of reasoning as I have grown up hearing it. But it was annoying.

Why did it bother me so?

1. Maybe because I simply don't believe that anymore. I think Adventism CAN be A PART of God's faithful remnant, but I don't believe the denomination is the definition of God's remnant in totality. (This doesn't mean that Adventism has nothing valuable and unique to offer.)

2. Maybe it makes me feel despairing. I long to see the church move more progressively towards unity with other churches (not uniformity) and I feel messages like this take us ten steps backwards because a certain element of Adventists lap this thinking up. I wonder, "What's the use of trying to fight it? Furthermore, do I have any purpose as a pastor if I can't make a difference?" (Here comes another pessimisism swell)

3. Maybe just pride. It proves I can't make the church become what I want it to be.

4. I think I feel a bit embarrassed of my church. I am trying to build networks of connection in the community and here my church is going to engage in an activity that I feel builds walls, not bridges.

5. I find it hard to sit through these type of arguments, and this fall I'll have to be a "good" pastor and support this with at least my attendance. Approximately 25 nights of stuff like this--ahhh.

The interesting thing is that aside from these beliefs, this preacher is actually a nice guy. I hope I can find a way to not be so bothered by this event and simply go along with it to be with the people that I'm called to minister to. Maybe I can even find points within the series that I can use has injection points to drop seeds of a different focus and purpose for Adventism. The above picture I found online was in an article entitled, "Frustration as an Opportunity".

May my frustrations with this upcoming series not be a discouragement to what I feel God calling me to do, but a challenge to look for creative ways to still live and preach what I believe, remembering that it's not my job to change the church. That's God's work. I'm just a seed planter.

golden contacts

2009-05-01T10:46:00.000-07:00

I heard a story recently by a retired colleague of mine in pastoring. He was sharing how one particular time a couple of young Mormon Missionaries knocked on his door. He invited them in and carried on a conversation with them. For some reason (not sure if the weather was bad and he felt sorry for them or not) he and his wife invited them to stay for a meal.

Somewhere in the conversation it came out that these young men had discovered a "Golden Contact" that very day. My friend inquired as to what this meant. The young men responded that this was a person who had been so interested in what they'd had to share that the person committed to becoming a member of the Mormon church that very day.

My curious friend then asked these fellows, "What kind of contact am I"? Their reply was, "A dud"! As you can imagine this didn't give my friend's wife the warmest of feelings after making these guys a meal.

I talk about this not to harp on Mormons, but to illustrate the typical approach of many church efforts across the board to evangelize. Although usually done less blatantly, the success of most church evangelism is considered reached when it leads to more people becoming members of that church.

Maybe the idea of "Golden Contacts" needs to be broadened. Any opportunity to serve and bless others in the name of Jesus is truly a "Golden Contact" irregardless of whether it builds the Church institution or not.

identity of spiritual community

2009-04-30T13:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was listening to a podcast over at the Spectrum website that was a panel discussion of sorts on George Knight's new book, "The Apocalyptic Vision and the Neutering of Adventism". Having only read a few introductory pages this morning I'm in no position to authoritativly describe the book's content or purpose. But, from what I hear, it's arguing that in order to have a reason to exist, the Adventist church must be faithful to the sense of urgency about Christ's second coming that was present in it's infancy. This, and other related doctrines, were the impetus for the formation of this now global spiritual community. Evidently, Mr. Knight feels that we must be true to our distinctive message (albeit in a Christ focused graceful way) in order to not whither into uselessness. It sounds like he feels that trends to downplay a focus on the Adventist interpretation of the profecies of Daniel and Revelation relating to "end time" events will ultimately result in the demise of our reason for existence.

Some of the discussion in the podcast seemed to go in the direction of recognizing that this is about understanding our identity as a spiritual community. Furthermore, what does it mean to be true to the historic and original versions of Adventist identity?

Do we need to believe exactly the same things as our forefathers or can we progress in our beliefs in ways that honor their beliefs, but adapts to our experience and culture just as they were responding to their own? Does our reason for existence in our current world cease to exist if the basis for our sense of identity grows/changes from the original definition?

In other words, is preaching that Jesus is coming soon (based on the above mentioned Biblical profecies) and other related Adventist doctrines really what it takes to be an Adventist?

I find this to be a fascinating discussion. I love the hope that Jesus will come to set things right eventually, but I've grown weary and disinterested in the idea that I have to maintain a sense of urgency about it. I have a hard time believeing that each momentous world event may just be the thing that causes "the end" to transpire. When generation after generation continue to promote these claims without the "great event" taking place, it begins to take it's toll. In fact, I almost have to hand it to those folks who can maintain that sense of urgency long term.

But what if that sense of urgency can be redirected? What if we can honor our theological history as Adventists in a different way?

What if our urgency was to work towards being the presense of Christ in this world now in more practical and relevant ways? Maybe embedded within Adventist doctrines are seeds of hope for the world that honor it's history, but look different now.

Okay, enough thinking out loud for now. I'll talk more about the book after I finish it.

incarnating the church

2009-04-24T09:37:00.001-07:00

Continuing the theme from the last post, I wonder how incarnation concepts apply to change and progress in the church?

When we think about influencing "the world" for God, we talk about this idea of incarnation-where you become a part of a culture not entirely your own and basically be an influence that is acceptable most of the time to the culture. There are times to make counter cultural stands for sure, but much of the time it's about engaging the culture and serving the culture.

What about change in church life? I feel institutional church life is largely about how to build the institution with others from the world who can be made to think and believe like the church. I long more and more for church to simply be a body of people who are on a mission to bless the world (even those who won't become members of the institution) and partner (not compete) with other religions and faiths in announcing God's kingdom work in the world (all what I believe to be in line with Jesus' mission when He was on earth).

Typically pastors are taught to act like CEO's and to guide a church to where he/she envisions the church should be. I have a problem with this though. I am not the CEO type. Furthermore, the vision and dream I have growing in my heart for the church goes against so much of traditional church thinking and practice. In fact, it may counter some church theology since practices are often the result of theology.

I know increasing numbers of pastors whose visions for the church and their seeming ability to accomplish it are incompatible. So they simply leave the pastorate to serve God's kingdom another way. I do not judge these folks and affirm how God leads them.

But, what if there's a calling to incarnate church culture? To work with a people whose beliefs and practices at times go counter to where you see the church should be going for the purpose both of serving these people and dropping seeds and hints of a different direction and purpose for the church. When do you work counter to church culture and when do you go along with it? What do you do if things that are a big deal to the church go directly against what you believe to be God's purpose for the church? Do you stand up and fight and likely destroy any possibility of change or just go along with the flow quietly spreading salt and feeling like no change is happening either?

In the end, I think there's value to the church incarnation perspective. But it's not easy, at least the way we as pastors are taught to think and practice. The biggest battle is likely with self, not the church.

IN but not OF the world

2009-04-21T11:17:00.000-07:00

This classic line from the lips of Jesus still challenges people today. Recently I posted the following question on Facebook, "What does it mean to be IN but not OF the world? What do we actually mean by this? Is what we mean by this the same thing that Jesus meant by it?"

I was surfing another blog at the Spectrum site where my friend Ryan Bell responded to a similar question in this way, "the tension might be described as being an oxygen-breathing creature in the water, but not of the water. Being in the water, he said, requires getting wet. But it does not require drowning."

I really like this analogy. The creatures pictured above go up for glorious moments of freedom above the water's surface, but that's not where they live. The environment and culture in which they spend the majority of their time is in the water with many other creatures. In fact, they couldn't survive above the water any more than they can survive below without air. They live in a tension between two worlds-that of air and that of water.

I think the final application to the above statement by Jesus is really about tension. There probably isn't a formula that can be applied across the board. Each must wrestle with what it means to get wet in this world and yet still breathe heavenly air.

finding meaning

2009-04-20T11:32:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday my church family participated in the age old sacrament of sharing in what's called the Lord's Supper. I've often mused and wondered what makes this so significant. How am I supposed to feel from this activity? What difference does this make to me or God? Am I supposed to feel really bad about my sins? Am I supposed to try to scan my life for stuff I can improve on (don't have to scan too deep for this)? I often end up feeling like I should be generating some sort of feelings (cause I don't have them) that are spiritual and sacred.

This week I sensed a possible breakthrough. I've been thinking a lot lately about the purpose of the people of God being to bless the world around us and to watch for opportunities to cast the vision of God's world made perfect (evangelizing about the coming Kingdom restored).

I've felt for a while that the Lord's Supper and Footwashing (a practice my church observes prior to sharing the Lord's Supper based on Jesus washing His disciple's feet) are nothing more than rituals and ceremonies.

I think that ritual and ceremony are for both remembering and imagining? We remember our heritage for the purpose of living in the present. This requires imagination. We have to wrestle with current realities in our world while we remember our historical stories and imagine better futures.

This weekend I asked myself, "What does the communion service have to do with blessing our world"? So, I challenged church members to use the foot washing ritual as a time to imagine specific ways that we can serve and bless our community this week.

During the Lord's supper, I again challenged people to imagine that this bread is not the body of Christ. We are! The bread is only part of the body of Christ as it becomes part of us. Maybe then, the Lord's supper can simply be another imagination catalyst for what it means to truly BE the body of Christ in our world. Or, simply a time to share ways we've been practicing serving our world. Or maybe even just shareing ways that we see Christ's life becoming evident in our local society, not just our church family.

The interesting thing about human nature is that when we do things together (especially acts of service) our capacity to be closer and more intimate is heightened. My wife and I often attribute certain elements of our friendship to the fact that we enjoying doing lots of different things together. It's after doing things together, that our friendship is strengthened and we have lots to share and talk about.

Could it be that the Church can truly commune together around Christ's life only as we practice being the Body of Christ in our communities and cultures?

In short, maybe the rituals of Footwasing and Communion have deeper meaning if they're focused not so much on our own personal spirituality, but on being a blessing to others.

holy huddling

2009-04-17T13:36:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is holy huddling time for me and my tribe (church family). While this may sound sarcastic, I think this is a healthy way to view our church gatherings. As long as we remember that huddles are not the point of a game. Playing the game is the point and huddles simply assist the better playing of a game.

My challenge as a pastor right now is, how can I encourage people to view their holy huddling for what it is and what it is not?

Or how can I encourage people that the majority of their spiritual/ministry energy is best spent outside of the huddle? Churches so often (I think) begin to view the holy huddling as God's great purpose and hope for the world. We think God's work is being successful when the huddle is growing and bustling.

But what if God isn't calling the huddles to grow so much as he's calling us to engage our world for him as He grows His kingdom in the world?

As more people are being blessed. As we use our unique gifts and religious perspectives to bless the real world around us, not compete for market share trying to increase the image of our huddle.

Let's go get em....

podcast along similiar themes

2009-04-15T15:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a podcast by Jim Hendersen about helping the church move away from the religion business to a service focus.

a book of encouragement

2009-04-15T13:54:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago I read Reggie McNeal's other book, The Present Future, and really enjoyed it. Naturally, when the Christian book store salesman informed me that Reggie had a new book out, I gobbled it up. Today is the conclusion of this gobbling.

I don't know how to do proper book reviews (and don't even know if that's my intent on this blog) but I'll give this a go.

Reggie makes the case that the people of God are called and sent by God on a mission. A mission to bless the world for Him. The message that the purpose of the church is not the church comes through loud and clear in this book (probably a reason I like this book so much).

Reggie says the church needs to undergo 3 shifts in thinking and practice to be the people of God in our world.
1. Move from an internal focus to an external one. He helps us remember how much of "church" life is really focused inwards (worship time, prayer concerns, budgets, buildings with policy manuals to keep the public out, keeping people busy with "church", etc.) and that all these resources can be focused towards the community in which the church finds itself. Furthermore, the purpose of the external focus is NOT to bait and switch people into church. It's simply to bless them like the Abrahamic covenant and Jesus' life indicate. Then, as relationships grow and develope, the opportunities to share the reason behind why we do what we do will be immense.
2. Focus on people development, not programs. He classically says in this book repeatedly, "Don't hear what I'm not saying!" Programs are not the problem if they serve people. But when programs are the measure of success and we simply get people serving them, then we're not helping people grow and become the children of God that He came to bring life abundant to. All we end up doing is making Christians tireder and poorer.
3. Transition from church based leadership to community biased leadership. It's time that leaders exist for more than running the church. Let leaders be leaders to and in their community.

Reggie gives lots of PRACTICAL imagination starters on how to implement these ideas and begin nudging the church towards this way of being what he calls a Missional Community (MC).

This leads me into another thing I appreciate about Reggie's approach. While he recognizes and supports the growing non-institutional version of church, he also sees value in the traditional institutional model of church that so many find themselves in (some love it, some hate it). In other words, he believes that the institutional church can move towards being a Missional Communty just like more organic forms of church. He offers tips for how to begin leading in this transistion.

For starters, what get's rewarded gets done (this is a prominent theme in the book). New scorecards need to be created. Measure new things. Celebrate new things in church life.
How many people are serving in the community rather than how many are attending church.
How many people are growing in their personal life (overcoming addictions, marriage improvement, etc.) rather than how many are attending church programs.
The list of different ways to measure things is sprinkled heavily throughout the book.

At this point, not knowing how much to keep saying about the book, let me suggest you read it or read this other great review on it (link below). Furthermore, listen to the following inspiring videos in which most of the ideas are unpacked.

Video 1

Video 2

Great review of this book.

discussion material

2009-04-15T12:44:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday was the cheap day ($1.64 including tax per film) at the local movie shop. I had long wanted to see the above documentary on the electric car. However, other titles captured my attention and I left with 4 documentaries and one other movie (Not Easily Broken).

Often, watching theatrical entertainment leaves me with an empty feeling wondering, "Why did I spend the last two hours doing this?" This last week was different! These films became fuel for discussion between my wife and I (good discussion). I feel enriched. I don't know how much of the above commentaries are absolute truth or not, but I believe that they at least point in the direction of truth on the various of issues of concern (Wal-Mart Problems, Electric Car Story, Limited Global Energy Supply, Credit Card Company & User Abuse).

It does help with my growing sense that there's room for improvement in my life regarding how I live in this world. It also will tie in with my next post regarding the belief that there are areas of concern in our world that the Church could be putting a lot more energy towards rather than just things that build it's own institution. Okay, enough on that. Time to go to the next post....

who helps who?

2009-02-25T10:01:00.000-08:00

As with many of my books, I started my journey between these covers over a year ago, but became bogged down due to the author's "big" language (not an easy read). Some pages have more footnotes than text.

However, the title and message of the book are of special interest to me and now that I've begun a sermon series on work it is timely to begin "working" my way through this volume. The big point appears to me to be that the clergy/laity distinction is not Biblical. That the whole people of God are called and ordained to minister for God.

Today, the following quote from this book impressed me. "Rather than having the church assist them to do the work of ministry, leaders are assistants to the rest of the body to empower them for their service in church and world."

You may feel like yawning and saying, "that's what I believe already". But, do we really? If beliefs are the underpinnings of our actions, do our actions and church structures reveal beliefs that truly see all members of the church as the "real" ministers?

Would anything about our modern "church" life look any different if we really believed this idea?
If so, how might it look different?

Should we be supporting the ordained, or ordaining the ordinary?

work-it's dignity

2009-02-20T12:19:00.000-08:00

What does this mean? What is work? What's its value? Why do we spend the majority of our waking ours engaged in this practice?

I'm "working" (no pun intended) on a sermon series on work. I give much credit to this effort to a fellow colleague in pastoral ministry, Ryan Bell, who has prepared an insightful series of sermons on work that have "scratched part of an itch" in my thinking about life in our world and how spirituality integrates with it.

This week the focus is going to be on Genesis 1 and 2 and the respective 2 Creation stories and what they teach us about work.

Story #1. God creates humanity in His image as His crowning work and blesses us with the responsibility to be co-rulers with Him in the care of God's good creation.

Story #2 God partially creates the world, but then pauses to create humanity because He "needs" (or wants) help to continue His good work.

In the one story humanity is portrayed as an image of God called to do God's work of ruling.
In the other story humanity is portrayed as a product (by God's power) of the same stuff as the rest of creation-dirt. Then we are called to till (or serve) our fellow creation by which we are surrounded. We are called to be co-creators.

Now, what is an important part of "creation" in our world today?
Social systems.
Agricultural production and care
Material production.
Service industries.
Family care.
Procreation.
Environmental care.
Spiritual guidance.
Politics
Art
Music
Anything that creates and highlights beauty
ETC!
I'm simply grasping to think about all the aspects of our world that "make the world go round" in a positive way.

The ultimate point I'm trying to get to is that much of human work is really a dignified Godly calling because it's participating in what He's created us to do. It's what He does.

This isn't to brush aside the fact that much human work is extremely undignified. But it's highlighting the idea that following God's call and blessing can be an integral part of what takes up the lion's share of our lives.
What if we truly viewed work this way?
How might this cause us to live our ordinary lives?

building on yesteryear's stories

2009-01-08T09:35:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I had the privilege of attending a conference in Ohio called Innovation. At least half of the speakers really "spoke"to me. One, however, rose above the others. He was a young Adventist history professor from Loma Linda University (I believe).

His talk, Adventism 3.0, was built on the idea that like progressive, ever developing computer software, Adventism has been ever progressive and developing (versions 1.0, 2.0, and now 3.0). And by Adventism he's referring to Adventist theology. The concept of "present truth" has driven the search for how to truly follow God now, not just ancient tradition. He believes that Adventism has had to "adjust" it's theology in response to current experience that no longer works for it. Does that make the historical story of Adventist theology wrong or indicate that God must not have been guiding in the begginning. Absolutely not! God gently guides us in spite of our viewing Him and life through a "glass darkly", and I think may even allow us to percieve truth in a certain way to get us through a certain point in our experience.

What I find so refreshing about Julius is that it appears that he has a deep love for God's work through and in Adventism. Rather than throw it out because he believes differently than some of the more fundamental sides, he believes the historical story and beliefs of Adventism are great platforms for advancing fresh practical ministry to our sin wracked world.

For example.

2nd Coming Doctrine.
Rather than allowing our sense of urgency for Christ's 2nd coming to get us paranoid about every natural disaster and trying to make as many as possible believe doctrinal points exactly like us, we set about to work towards what it means to BE the presence and Body of Christ in our local communities-because the world urgently needs Christ's presence NOW.

Sabbath Doctrine.
Rather than focusing heavily on the "right dayness" of which day to go to church, use the principles embedded within the Sabbath to propel us to work for rest, equality, justice, and environmental responsibility-all ideals which are part of Godly ordained "rest".

And the Sanctuary Doctrine.
Here's one that I often wonder what practical application this has for today. I know as Adventists we have beliefs that tie this to what God is doing now in Heaven. But it often feels so "out there" to me. Julius has an interesting idea for how this historical belief can have "a" practical, current, earthly focus. I'll reffer you to his blog post for you to check this out.

HELP!

2009-01-05T10:26:00.000-08:00

A word for desperate times.

Dallas Willard's thick masterpiece pictured here is one that I've been enjoying for "years" (ah, 3 or so). For some reason I haven't sat down and read it cover to cover. I'm only a little over halfway as a result of taking bits and bites from time to time.

Today I reflected on a couple more pages where he's expounding his ideas on the Lord's Prayer. The lines "have mercy on us" and "lead us not into temptation" were the phases to be unpacked.

In our modern society (or postmodern depending on what lingo you prefer to use) having mercy on someone simply means to give them a break. But apparently mercy meant something deeper in yesteryear. Mercy was more like pity. Most of us do not like to be pitied. It's embarrassing and humbling. It reveals our inadequacy. To ask God for pity is to swallow our pride and recognize our need of His mercy.

In keeping with the spirit of that line, the next follows suit. I've often wondered what the purpose of asking God not to lead us to temptation was. Why would God lead a person close to sin? Dallas says that temptation, while certainly including temptation to sin, is a broader term. It refers to tests and trials in general. Peter was very confident about being able to withstand the temptation that Jesus said he was going to fail in. Yet, he did indeed fail.

To ask God to spare us from temptation is to recognize that there are dangeraous trials in this life that, without God's intervention, CAN do me in. To believe that God will spare me does not mean He won't allow them to come my way. But it does mean I can trust Him to pull me through them and to spare me from the "lion's share". To forge ahead like Peter with a false sense of security is most assuradley a recipe for disaster.

So, I guess the 4 letter word in the post title above is pretty important for keeping my relationship with God in proper perspective.

no time like the present

2008-12-18T15:32:00.000-08:00

For months I've been aware of a nagging sense that I need (uh, want to) get back to this blogging thing. I could go on and on about all the change and stresses this year largely due to a major transition in my life moving from one pastoral district to another, but the bottom line is that I've been living with good intentions about blogging yet not "striking any keys". So I realize I need to prime the pump and start something now.

I've recently read Organic Church-Growing Faith Where Life Happens by Neil Cole.
What did I take away from this?

God's kingdom grows in ways that more closely resemble nature's growth principles than the business world's.

Spiritual community's basic unit is 2 or 3.

Church grows naturally where lives are being transformed by God's power in the midst of REAL life.

Something about the message of the book stirs something in me. I'm not sure if it's just a desire or a conviction.

I guess time will tell!

finished

2008-04-29T11:31:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Church Re-imagined! I have to write for a moment just to simply say every time I nibble away at this book I become inspired about what being a part of the family of God can be like.

I'm not sure if I really should set out to try to create such a spiritual community, or if I just need to watch for how/where God is creating community around me and join in on it.

Whatever the case, I long for it!

Get the book!

P.S. Maybe the above picture resembles human attempts to create community?

dreaming of a church

2008-04-17T06:23:00.001-07:00

Reading has been slow lately largely due to a lot of different issues on my mind as of late. When reading consumption slows so does writing output. However, I have been picking my way through Church Re-Imagined by Doug Pagitt. He's the pastor of Solomon's Porch in Minneapolis and the author of Preaching Re-Imagined of which I blogged about earlier.

I'm drawn to this book not only because the last one was good, but because I resonate so much with the title. The last several years have been a time of chasing mental dreams about what spiritual community is either supposed to be like or, better yet, can be.

The purpose of the book seems to be to let others experience in a small way a week in the life of the Solomon's Porch community. To facilitate the experience, there are half a dozen or so different members who add they're raw journal entries sprinkled throughout the book.

The following is a list of the dreams that are identified early in the book. I have emboldened the ones that really speak to me and added comments in parenthesis.

WE DREAM OF A CHURCH WHERE...
1. We listen to and are obedient to God. (through the Holy Spirit's speaking to our hearts)
2. People who are not Christians become followers of God in the way of Jesus.
3 Those who are not involved in church would become an active part of it.
4. People are deeply connected to God in all of life: body, mind, soul, and spirit.
5. Beauty, art, and creativity are valued, used, and understood as coming from the Creator.
6. Culture is met, embraced, and transformed.
7. Joy, fun, and excitement are part of our lives.
8. The Kingdom of God is increased in real ways in the world. (note-the Kingdom of God-not just our religious institutions)
9. The biblical story of God is told and contributed to.
10. Biblical justice, mercy, grace, love, and righteousness lead the way.
11. Truth, honesty, and health are a way of life.
12. We value innovation and are willing to take risks in order to bring glory to God.
13. Worship of God is full, vibrant, real, and pleasing to God.
14. Faith, hope, and love are the context for all.
15. The next generation of leadership is built up, and leaders are servants.
16. Everyone is equipped to do ministry.
17. God's Spirit takes precedence over all structures and systems.
18. Christian Community is the attraction to outsiders and the answer to questions of faith. (I would clarify for myself by saying "an" attraction as opposed to "the" attraction)
19. People participate in the Kingdom of God in accordance with their abilities and gifts.
20. We are connected to , dependent on, and serve the global Church.
21. People learn the ways of God and are encouraged to make them central to their lives.
22. Other churches are valued and supported.
23. People's visions and ideas of ministry come to life.

sabbath part 6

2008-04-04T10:42:00.000-07:00

This volume continues my journey of contemplating further what Sabbath rest is all about. Wayne Muller offers a summary of the concepts in his book over at this website. Here's the material from the website. Maybe take a Sabbath moment and reflect on what Wayne has to say.

We Have Forgotten The Sabbath

Sabbath time is a revolutionary challenge to the violence of overwork, because it honors the necessary wisdom of dormancy. If certain plant species do not lie dormant during winter, the plant begins to die off. Rest is not just a psychological convenience; it is a spiritual and biological necessity. Perhaps this is why, in most spiritual traditions, "Remember the Sabbath" is more than simply a lifestyle suggestion. It is a commandment, an ethical precept as serious as prohibitions against killing, stealing and lying. How can forgetting the Sabbath -- forgetting to be restful, sing songs and find nourishment and delight--possibly be morally and socially dangerous?

Plea For A Renewed Sabbath

...I make a plea for renewed Sabbath-keeping. As a nation, we cannot live like this, endlessly rushing about in a desperate frenzy, never stopping to enjoy the blessings of family and friends, unable to taste the fruits of life. We can change society by beginning a quiet revolution of change in ourselves and our families. Let us take a collective breath, rest, pray, meditate, walk, sing, eat and take time to share the unhurried company of those we love. Let us, for just one day, cease our desperate striving for more, and instead taste the blessings we have already been given, and give thanks. Religious traditions agree on this: God does not want us to be exhausted; God wants us to be happy. And so let us remember the Sabbath.

Practices for a Simple Sabbath

Light a candle.
Set aside sacred time for a family meal, for prayer or meditation or simply quiet reading. Set a candle before you, offer a simple blessing and let the world fall away.

Practice thanksgiving.
Give thanks before meals, upon rising, when going to sleep. During Sabbath, we are less concerned with what is missing and more grateful for what has already been given.

Bless your children.
Place your hand gently on their heads and offer your blessing. What do you most wish for them? Self-knowledge, courage, safety, joy? Let them hear your prayers for their happiness.

Invite a Sabbath pause.
Choose one common act -- touching a doorknob, turning on a faucet or hearing the phone ring. Throughout the day when this occurs, stop and take three silent, mindful breaths. Then go on.

Take a walk.
Stroll slowly to nowhere in particular for 30 minutes. Let your senses guide you. Stop and observe deeply whatever attracts you -- a tree, a stone, a flower. Breathe.

Pamper your body.
Take a guilt-free nap. Take a leisurely bath with music, special scents, candles. Make love with your spouse. Walk barefoot in the grass. The Sabbath is a day of delight.

Create a Sabbath box.
Put your to-do list, your keys, your wallet -- anything you don't need in Sabbath time -- into the box. Or write down a particular worry or concern and drop it in. Just for now, let it go.

Turn off the telephone.
Or the computer, the TV, the washer and dryer. Create a period of time when you will not be disturbed or seduced by what our technologies demand of us.

Prepare a Sabbath meal -- or a Sabbath cup of tea.
Even if you are alone, you can choose foods you love, put flowers on the table, take time to enjoy every dish, give thanks for the bounty of the earth.

Seek companionship.
One of the most precious gifts we can offer is to be a place of refuge, a Sabbath for one another. Ask for companionship when you lose your way. Give quiet time and attention to others.

Reset your inner compass.
Make a list of the values and principles that guide your life -- both those you follow and those you would like to follow. Speak them aloud, alone or with loved ones.

Surrender a problem.
The Sabbath reminds us that forces larger than ourselves are at work healing the world. Imagine that these forces already know how to solve your problem. Turn it over to their care.

perplexing attration-following the Rider

2008-03-20T14:10:00.000-07:00

Can you picture Jesus riding a Harley?
Not much in the way of a muffler.
No helmet.
Powerful engine.
A neighborhood presence.
At ease with so many.
At odds with so many others.
A person free from societal norms.
A person in tune and bound by the heart cries of even the lowliest.
Unworried about so many details of life.
Attentive to details that concern marginalized souls.

Jeff Jacobson, in his book "So I Go Now-Following After the Jesus of Our Day", writes about his own experience with Jesus in these modern times and how he's experienced His presence in the world.

This book is paradoxical for me. It was compelling enough to make me devour its contents between weekends with many "ahah" moments of agreement or wonder and yet it also had me slogging along trying figure out what on earth the author was saying and where he was going (the latter was the case more often than not). Maybe my struggle was tied somewhat to the idea that this work is one of poetry (as described by another person) and poetry is not always an interest for me-at least not an easy read. Poetry takes time to absorb. Maybe that's why Scripture is not always easy. So much is poetic-thus requiring meditation and time to digest. I figure I'll have to work my way through this volume at a slower pace next time to catch on to more.

However, my very attraction and struggle with this book about Jesus seems to strangely resemble the followers of Jesus in His day (2000 years ago) and their attempts to make heads or tails of Him. They were most certainly drawn to Him, and yet they couldn't seem to get Him all figured out. Maybe that's part of what keeps us attracted to Him. He's mysterious. It's through little epiphanies here and there-sometimes clustered together and other times, more often than not, spread thin throughout our lives such that we can almost forget them from one to the next-that we grow to understand who Jesus is and what He's up to.

Maybe the title of this book is really where it's at? I can't understand much of what He's up to, so I just go following after Him. When He invites me to climb aboard His Harley for a ride-I have a choice to make!

The safety of my minivan.

Or

The freedom and joy of riding who knows where with the Rider!
(This analogy borrowed from the book)

Oh yes, in spite of my struggle to grasp much of this piece of literature, I definitely recommend it and I'll probably scribble more about it later.

beautiful buoyancy

2008-03-14T06:17:00.001-07:00

Swimming is slowly on the up and up for me (Note-I took a swimming lesson a while back as mentioned in a previous post and am trying get better at the basics of swimming). I can now make it from one end of the pool to the other without stopping and am starting to get the breathing thing figured out.

One of my favorite parts of swimming is having my head in or under the water. I love the feeling of being totally enveloped by an atmosphere that gently holds me up in a full body hug of sorts. It's like being in a different world. I only wish I could breathe water like a fish and stay down for extended periods of time. During the front crawl, when my face is submerged and my eyes are liberated by the snazzy little swimmer's goggles, I get to study such things as the pool tiles, lines & stripes, and other bodies that happen to move through my field of vision.

Water has a very gracious quality about it-that of equal buoyancy for all. Now, I will admit that some folks do experience floating better than others and certainly some people can swim very well while others can't at all. However, I watch underwater as bodies that struggle to move and are bound by the relentless pull of gravity on land are magically liberated to be able to move gracefully underwater. Even their appearance takes on a special degree of beauty irregardless of whether the bodies are old or young, strong or fragile, heavy or thin, wrinkled or smooth, etc. The water seems to equally support, love, and beautify all living beings that enter it's hug irregardless of how they appear on land.

An author from the 19th century once commented on how the earth is surrounded by an atmosphere of God's grace as real as the air we breathe. I wonder if sometimes I just need the right God given goggles to see others within this atmosphere? Wouldn't it be neat if, when looking through the eyes of God's gracious favor, I noticed less the gravitational pull of sin on people and more the beautifying grace of God's favor that buoys people up and allows even the most unattractive, by human standards, to move with graceful beauty not naturally their own?

sabbath-part 5-getting out of egypt

2008-03-12T09:59:00.000-07:00

Mark Buchanan has a chapter entitled, "We're Not in Egypt Anymore". Egypt was that place were Israel was oppressed. A place loaded with demanding taskmasters. Pharaoh's hungry empire was never done seeking to achieve new levels of accomplishment and development. Pharaoh's drive for wealth and power was, in part, built upon the backs of people like the Hebrews. It was from that enviornment that God rescued His people and gave them Sabbath rest. No longer did they have taskmasters breathing down their necks and whipping them to submission.

I feel that so much of our modern society is mentally driven to build our own little empires. We feverishly press on 24/7 to achieve success. Maybe Sabbath rest is a time to leave the Egyptian empire. To ignore the taskmasters.

That academic assignment is not done.
You've got 4 people to call.
Those bills aren't paid.
The house needs cleaning.
The car needs repairing.
The boss wants this job done yesterday.
You get the point, and you know better than anyone who your taskmasters are.

When it's time for each of us to take a Sabbath rest, may we be able to say to our taskmasters (maybe not always to a real person but just in our hearts), "In the name of the Lord, I command you to leave me alone. In fact, I'm leaving your presence for now".

sabbath-part 4-a time to waste

2008-03-12T07:25:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't really mean waste as you'll soon see.
Sabbath is a time to play.
A time to do things simply for the joy of doing them.
Jesus once said to become as little children in order to be able to enter Kingdom life. I wonder if that in part means to be able to play like a little child. Play involves trust. You can't play if you've got the weight of heavy responsibilities weighing you down. Children can play carefree because they inherently trust that someone else is providing for their needs. It can be observed in some children how fast they "grow up" when for some reason they have to carry extra responsibility say in the case of a delinquent parent or the loss of a parent. I read a quote that went something like, "you don't stop playing when you grow old, you grow old because you stop playing"!

I think Sabbath is time, with God's permission, to lay aside the burdens of life's responsibilities to play. A time to do things that don't carry a lot of justification for their purpose other than they're enjoyable to do. (Now don't get me wrong-I'm not trying indicate doing absolutely anything that feels good even if it's harmful)

In play we can hear our hearts better. In play we have to slow down and release our burdens to truly play. Play brings healing to a harried heart. Like children, we can learn through play! Through play we can appreciate the beauty of God's gifts in deeper, more satisfying ways.

Play may be very different from person to person. But let's play!

sabbath-part 3-its enemies

2008-03-11T17:02:00.000-07:00

Yes the Sabbath has enemies. 2 key ones, in fact.

Busyness

Legalism

Busyness, the modern motto of being successful. Have you ever noticed, when greeting someone, how the answer to "how are you doing?" is often "busy"? Busyness invades our lives like a disease. The person who can multi-task is a role model. The busier we are for ever increasing lengths of time seems to make us feel as though our footprint on this planet is justified. And yet, life is well laden with examples of the need for balance between work and rest. Heart pumping rhythms, breath taking rhythms, sleep/work cycles, seasons, etc. all point to the need to cease busyness in order to prepare for renewed work. The mental state of busyness is one of the big challenges for the modern mindset to truly enter a Sabbath rest. I read a story, in a book on the Sabbath this morning (I'll talk more about this book in upcoming posts, however, the title is Sabbath, by Wayne Muller), about a doctor. He described how as a busy young physician, learning to function for long hours with little sleep was part of the learning curve. When meeting with clients and seeking to understand their concerns and problems, he would often order up loads of tests to determine what their situation was. He discovered after a while, if he would take a rest (a walk or something away from his busyness), he would come back renewed and actually able to listen to his patients and discern what their problems were. Then he might order up a specific test simply to confirm his hunches. More often then not, his discernments were bang on! What a powerful lesson.

Now, the other insidious enemy of Sabbath rest is legalism. Mark Buchanan felt that this was not so much of a problem nowadays as it was for the Jews of old. That may be true for many faith traditions, but it's a very profound insight for the faith movement (Seventh-day Adventists) that I'm a part of! Like the Jewish leaders of old that Jesus was often butting heads with (in love), it's easy to get so focused on what is/isn't permissible to engage in during Sabbath hours. I've experienced conversations about such topics and heard funny stories about how extreme such conversations can become. I think legalism, in the case of Sabbath, is focusing on some particular technical aspect of something and making it a rule for all thus robbing the concept of it's true creative beauty.

I can't help but wonder what it would be like if my denomination was known more for proclaiming the rich beauties of Sabbath mentality and how that can enrich one's life no matter what their situation is? What if we were known as a movement that helped people figure out how to take Sabbath rests, given the uniqueness of their circumstances, and gave them the confidence to do so, rather than being so focused on which day is the correct day? (Granted, I am making some blanket observations here that are not true for all as I know that many in my denomination do have a deep love for and balanced perspective on what Sabbath is all about) True, the Biblical Sabbath day has beautiful symbolism, but without a broader perspective on Sabbath rest it can become a burden. What if, when Sabbath was mentioned, the heart instantly thought of all the great opportunities of what can happen as opposed to all the things that can't happen? I think that Seventh-day Adventists are blessed with their historical interest in Sabbath and could use that as a platform to be an even greater blessing to the world than we've been to date.

May we learn to free Sabbath rest of it's enemies and in so doing find renewal for the God given responsibilities of life.

sabbath-part 2-a time to let go

2008-03-11T16:17:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't been raptured. Life has been absorbing my attention in other areas and I guess maybe I've needed a break from this blog for a bit. But I am looking forward to writing some more, especially about my growing interest in the concept of Sabbath largley sparked by Mark Buchanan's The Rest of God.

Mark talks a fair bit about Sabbath being firstly a state mind before being something you do or don't do. It's a releasing of the "have to's" of life, trusting them to God, and focusing on things that the working life doesn't make allowances for. Mark identifies what he calls the Sabbath's Golden Rule, "Cease from what is necessary, embrace that which gives life".

I find that perspective so refreshing. I know I have enjoyed Sabbath in my life, but it's so easily become clouded with a focus on what I can't do on that day! A time to stop! And yet the sense I'm getting recently is that it's more about releasing the burdens of life (because God will take care of them) and embracing the beauties of life. I'm also becoming more convinced that the application of Sabbath is different for each person as we each have different "work" in life. Releasing burdens and embracing life for one may be entirely different for another. For instance, the burden of work for one person might be yard work, while that very same activity may be a delightful rest from the pressures of life for another. Going to church for some (such as a pastor or other person with leadership responsibilities) may be heavily laden with "oughts" while it may be a rejuvenating sanctuary for others. Shopping, for many, may be a time that occupies the mind with financial pressures, consumer cravings, and the needs of life, while for another a relaxing window shopping excursion with a friend (with a stop along the way at the coffee/smoothie shop) may bring great healing to a usually harried heart.

The Sabbath command to rest from carrying our "ought to" burdens is given in spite of the needs still present. In spite of the unfinished projects. In spite of people still clamoring for our attention. Sabbath is not something to prepare for by getting everything accomplished so much as it is letting the unaccomplished things go for a space in time. It's God given permission to focus on soul nourishment.

It's in the letting go of the myriads of unfinished "oughts" that we can truly discover the God given beauties of life where ever they may found (a friend, an activity, a food, etc.).

studying the minor prophet-Habakkuk

2008-02-25T17:10:00.001-08:00

This is the 3rd sermon preparation period in the last month or so that finds me exploring minor prophets. I find, that so far, I'm getting increasingly interested in what I can learn from these typically "unpalatable" books. Habakkuk looks like it's got all kinds of pregnant ideas to look at and learn from.

If this interests any of you out there (and you can figure out how to run the comments button below this post) I'd love to learn how this little message from God speaks to you.

both can be liturgical

2008-02-25T16:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had the privilege of continuing my journey through area churches-this time the St. John Lutheran Church. As has been the case previously, I was impressed with some similarities to all other churches and, mostly, enjoyed meeting the people I already know from the community. However, I did find this gathering a step apart in uniqueness from what I'm typically accustomed to.

The whole experience was richly permeated with ritual and symbolism. Things began to commence as a young man quietly approached the "stage" with a candle lighter and lit each of the candelabras. Then, before leaving the stage, he made a little bow. Soon the pastor, clad in modest vestments, began his journey to the front pausing to bow and then approaching the cross to pray. Hymns were simply sung, prescribed prayers were rotely repeated, readings were observed, and lofty speaking was made. The choir assembled at the front for a couple of special pieces (hymns) which were simply but beautifully performed, almost making me want to join them (made me reminisce of my choir days in college). The end of the service was marked by a long pastoral prayer (again made by the pastor facing away from the congregation at the cross) , another hymn sung, and the candle guy snuffing out the candles.

I was mixed in my internal reactions to this service. Religious tradition typically reeks to me of dusty meaningless repetition. And yet as I participated in this unentertaining, but very symbolic service, I almost felt a little cleansed at the end. It was kind of strange. The simple hymns seemed to penetrate my heart in contrast to the "dry" readings. In talking with a lady after, I sensed that what went on there was very meaningful to her and a variety of others.

In the book mentioned in my last post, the author talks about high church vs. low church (the rough difference being that high churches have everything very ritualistic, symbolic, and prescribed while low churches value spontaneity and informality). The point was made that both styles of church are actually liturgical (liturgical is another term for high churches because it refers to following a liturgy or prescribed way of doing worship). While many churches pride themselves on doing things spontaneously in an effort to be real and authentic, they often actually end up with a different form of liturgy. There are all sorts of rigorously observed but "unwritten" protocols and codes. Even the prayers which seem to come "off the top of the head" are often very similar beginning and ending with much the same words.

Ritual, ceremony, and symbolism are an integral part of our humanity. Just look at Christmas, marriage, birth, birthdays, deaths, holidays, etc. and it becomes very appearant that we like to do certain things in certain ways to commemorate important events and relationships.

I'm not settled on what this all means to me ultimately. I just know I detest dry ritual getting in the way of the excitement of spontaneity and yet I'm mildly mysteriously drawn to how certain ceremonies and disciplines seem to bring a depth of meaning and experience that may be beneficial at times too.

In closing, I like how one Pentecostal pastor defined the difference between a liturgical church and a non-liturgical one. One has the service written out and the other doesn't.

sabbath-part 1

2008-02-23T06:58:00.000-08:00

Someone loaned me this book a couple of weeks ago. I was excited to start reading it at some point because it seems like a theme that maybe God wants me to consider as I've also recently acquired another book on the Sabbath which I haven't yet read, and several others I still wish to purchase. For these reasons, I figure this may end up to be a series of posts over time on the subject of Sabbath. Now, for some who don't know me, I'm no stranger to the concept of Sabbath. For as long as I can remember being mentally aware of my surroundings (meaning childhood-not an unhealthy mental condition) I have been immersed in a faith system that practices Sabbath keeping-of sorts.

The last several years have found me struggling with the whole concept of Sabbath as I've understood it. While there are parts of it I've appreciated, on the whole, I've wanted to be liberated from it. It has felt a bit like a choker chain to me-a day where you cease enjoying life, attempt to make God happy, and (in my case as a pastor) work more than any other day of the week (doing a work that's not considered "work" to most people in my faith system). I've simply shifted my focus from a legalistic practice of Sabbath to what the Sabbath symbolizes for me spiritually.

I'm kind of intrigued as I've come across these books as of late that are going to challenge me in the practice of Sabbath, but in a fresh new way. I've only started the above pictured book (read the intro and chapter one) but I sense in it a liberating way to approach the practice of Sabbath.

For starters, what if Sabbath is about finding rest from whatever produces unrest in my life, even though the causes for unrest are still present. It's kind of like a God ordained "nap" in spite of all the work still clamoring to get done (could be actual things to be done, things to worry about, etc.)? And, what if the practices for Sabbath keeping center around these 4 general activities: rest, worship, feasting, and play? If those are indeed healthy Sabbath practices, my ears are already perking up. What if Sabbath is not about what you can't do, but about what you have Godly permission to do that typical life doesn't either allow to be done or appreciated fully for various reasons?

outside the box

2008-02-21T15:47:00.000-08:00

Below is a statement made by Wayne Jacobsen during a podcast introduction jingle over at The God Journey website. (side note-God has used so many of the podcasts that they've produced over the last 3 or so years to be a real encouragement to my journey)

Thinking outside the box (of organized religion) is not about whether you go to a meeting or not. It’s about breaking free of the obligations of religious performance, and living in the adventure of a relationship with God as our Father. (Italicized comment my own)

That statement packs so much balanced, mature wisdom when it comes to the whole issue of trying to understand my relationship to God, His family of followers (the Church), and organized religion (the church-notice the small c).

As Wayne has said before, you can leave the institution and yet still have the institution in you. And conversely, Jesus said to be in the world but not of it. Sometimes people have to leave something to get it out of their systems, and other times God can have people in systems and yet the systems not be in them. I pray that each one of us are sensing where God would have us and that we would make it our focus to be in relationship with Him and His Body wherever we may be found.

laity ARE clergy

2008-02-19T14:31:00.000-08:00

The Greek word for laity is laos, meaning the people. The Greek word for clergy is kleros, meaning heritage or inheritance. Nowhere in the New Testament are either of the words laity or clergy used. However, the Greek counterparts are fairly prevalent, and from what I've seen and heard, never identify different classes of Christians-those who do ministry and those to whom it's done.

To make an ironic point, look at this text in 1 Peter 5:3 where Peter is writing to elders.

Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. KJV

The word heritage used in this text has for it's Greek counterpart, kleros, from which we get clergy. Of course, in this text, heritage is referring to followers of Jesus who have a heritage and hope in Him and these people are, as is stated later in the text, also considered the flock. So elders (leaders) are called not to lord over the kleros, heritage, or simply put-the flock. The clergy, if you will, are the people of God.

Now, clergy was a class distinction that came later as secular ways of government began to infiltrate the church. I just find it curious that a word that was used to refer to God's people as a whole, came to refer to an upper class, professional, religious sect very distinct from the common people.

easy to ignore or go crazy about

2008-02-17T14:17:00.000-08:00

This new book is a reprinting of an older book from a few years ago under the same title. Frank Viola is a dogmatic (in my opinion) promoter of the house church movement. George Barna, as some of you may be aware, came out with a rather provocative book a couple of years ago entitled Revolution (I may blog about this sometime). Pagan Christianity is Viola's work dressed up and reworked with Barna and offered as a sequel to Revolution.

Viola basically attacks every aspect of the modern institutional church: buildings, clergy/laity distinction, pastors, the sermon, church services, hierarchical leadership structures, special clothing for clergy and Christian gatherings, tithe as clergy salary, etc. He continually points back to 1st century followers of Jesus and how they appear to have functioned as a Spirit led living organic body of believers where all the members contributed to the Body through the various giftings of the Holy Spirit. He rigorously charts the development of the aforementioned aspects of modern church life over the last 2000 years pointing out how they are products of pagan/secular culture being adopted by the church. Then he points out how he believes those things cripple the Body of Christ from being what Jesus really intended His church to be.

I'm only about a 1/3 of my way between the covers and I find myself very mixed about what I'm reading. I'm enjoying the overview of church history that I'm getting. I also am very attracted to perspectives like this as I tend to agree with many of Viola's conclusions (at least to a degree) about how the things mentioned above do appear to water down the richness of life within the community of Jesus' followers. And yet, I struggle with Viola's black and white tone. He seems to paint a picture of the early church being one of perfection and that it's been a downhill slide since. I believe that neither Jesus nor His early followers abstained from using something just because "pagan" hands had touched it (a point Viola does admit to).

I'm trying to figure out how let this book impact my thinking. It's easy to either go crazy with it because of all of its good points, or to throw it out because of the tone.

The church as typically expressed today has lots of problems, but so it always has. I'm not sure if it's most helpful to attempt to tear away the problems seen with it or to seek to infuse possible solutions within it's current way of doing things?

OUT

2008-02-15T09:47:00.000-08:00

Paul Vieira in his book Jesus Has Left The Building has 7 chapters (out of 17) with a common word in each title, OUT. These chapters identify what he believes to be 7 characteristics of the early body of Jesus' followers. Here are the titles with a few of my own summaries and/or comments.

Inside OUT: They Were Amphibious
I mentioned this a few posts ago where I called Christians frogs. People that are called to live amphibiously in two communities-the culture at large and the spiritual family of the body of Christ.

OUT Of Order: They Were Chaotic
They lacked heavy human structure and control and were thus guided by the mysterious and often seemingly messy ways (at least to human eyes) of the Holy Spirit.

Hung Out: They Knew Their Teacher
Learning and spiritual nourishment came from discipleship (i.e. living life with their great mentor-Jesus), not passively listening to the lectures of some great religious guru.

OUTlook: They Were Ruined For This World
The world and its ways lost its appeal to them in light of following Jesus, and it earned them the titles of either holy or crazy.

Down and OUT: Prayer Gave Them Their Mission
Prayer, coupled with the belief that God actually speaks to His followers, is where they got their marching orders. Boardrooms full of human strategies probably weren't nearly as relied upon as they are today.

OUTcry: They Remembered The Poor
A strong trust in God's care lead them to not fear poverty and thus share their blessings with those in need, thus taking Jesus personal mission to the poor seriously.

OUTspoken: They Had A Voice To The Culture
Rather than living exclusively in the bubble of their own sub-culture, they infiltrated the popular culture and thus earned a voice to be able to speak into people's hearts and lives.

If you go to Paul's Website, you can download free audio readings up through chapter 10 of his book at this point.

another strong minor

2008-02-11T21:17:00.000-08:00

This coming weekend I'm going to be leading my church family through an exploration of another Old Testament minor prophet during the sermon. This time it will be the book of Nahum.

Here's some questions for reflection.

What can we learn about God in this book?
Why does God sound so strikingly different in this book as opposed to the Gospels?
How does this little book make you feel?
What is some of the historical context of this book?
What message (if any) do you think the Holy Spirit is teaching you through this?
What are some problems or questions you have re: Nahum?

Even if you're not a member of Cariboo Central, please feel free to leave feedback in the comments if you wish

7 clicks in the blogosphere

2008-02-11T19:07:00.000-08:00

Below are a few posts in the blogosphere that I've found interesting. They're only 7 different mouse clicks away! Have fun!

Britney Spears and Church Burnout
What can and often does happen to popular young church professionals.

Authentic Community
This is my ever deepening longing!

Becoming a Legend by Doing Nothing Special
The tension of my heart.

Embracing the Ordinary
Not a natural craving, but maybe where the real value of life is found.

Ways Following Jesus Messes Up Your Life
Does Jesus mess up our lives or fix them? Maybe it's both!

A Touching & Challenging Story
This touches back to the articles above on learning to flourish in the ordinary!

Sacred vs. Secular
A Reader's Digest version of church history that makes a stimulating point.

church hopping

2008-02-10T12:38:00.000-08:00

This morning found me engaged in the same activity as the previous two Sundays-attending area churches other than my own.

2 weeks ago I was at the larger of the Pentecostal churches.
Last week was the Alliance church.
Today was the Evangelical Free church.

I've felt inspired to embark on this pilgrimage to experience other parts of the Christian family within my own town. (It may also have come partly from reading the book Jim & Casper go to Church. See my earlier post.)

So far, the most enjoyable part has been running into folks that I already know. This includes, of course, the ministers as I have monthly meetings with them at the Ministerial Association. But it also includes a variety of people, at each church so far, that I've either met or come to know from other interactions within the community. It's also interesting to be an attender as opposed to the leader/performer. I find myself both enjoying aspects of my experience that I'm sure many churchgoers enjoy and asking the ever present (to me) why about so much of what is done. The differences between the congregations are very minimal, at least on the surface. The colors and flavors vary, but the substance of what goes on is the same. For all intents and purposes, I could be visiting different congregations/flavors of my own denomination and having a similar experience (except for meeting the particular people that I'm meeting).

I plan to keep hopping from group to group each Sunday, eager to meet more familiar faces and to be open to what God may want to teach me from this experience.

glossary for paul

2008-02-10T07:51:00.002-08:00

“What Paul Meant”, by Garry Wills, was both a trudge and coast (for me) to get between its covers. Along the way, he makes some revealing propositions regarding the apostle Paul.

Paul was for gender equality.
Paul was not against Jews.
Paul’s writings are the closest writings we have of the early body of Jesus’ followers, written well before the Gospels (which were probably a mishmash of 2^nd, 3^rd, or 4^th hand accounts themselves).
Paul’s writings probably give us the clearest picture of what it looks like to live life as a follower of Christ soon after His ascension.
Of the 13 books often attributed to Paul’s authorship, only 7 can be most certainly identified as his.
Luke’s account of Paul’s life in Acts of the Apostles (yes, Luke is the author of Acts) was likely written more from a theological agenda than historical accuracy, including some of the popular stories like Paul’s conversion. Much of Luke’s writings don’t seem to mesh well with what Paul says about himself in the writings known to be his.
Paul, like Jesus, never intended to start a religion. Religion was what got them both killed.
Paul believed in ultimately living by the rule of love, similar to Jesus.

In the appendix of the book, many terms from Paul, that we use nowadays, are cleaned up. In other words, based off of our view of Paul from a well developed 21^st century religion (Christianity), we interpret words from his writings in ways that he had no intention of meaning. Following is a rough rendition of this glossary. Listed first is the popular term and second is what it more likely meant to Paul.

Christians Brothers

A family of both Gentiles & Jews that believed in the risen Messiah-not a term for a new religion.

Christ Messiah

A term, not Jesus last name as it can almost sound in the way it’s used nowadays..

Church Gathering

Simple gatherings of the “brothers/sisters”. Not a hierarchical structured religion.

Gospel Revelation

Preach Bring the Revelation

Faith Trust

Justification Vindication

Be Converted Be Summoned

Salvation Be Rescued

Redemption Release

Grace Favor

Apostle Emissary

Messegers sent between gatherings. Not rulers. Paul even indicates there were women emissaries (apostles).

Bishop Overseer

Supposedly Paul only uses this term once in “his” writings and it’s in reference to informal leaders, not a ruling structure with titles.

To further get my mind around Mr. Wills’ writing, I will need to go back again sometime for a closer read. For now I’m intrigued by what I do understand!

frogs

2008-02-05T11:22:00.001-08:00

Tonight I asked my children at the supper table, "What kind of animal do you think a Christian should be like?" A frog was not one of their answers. But frogs would be the answer found in this latest book that I've just completed reading.

Paul shares an inspiring story of how God has directed his life, very supernaturally at times, and how he's increasingly asked the question "why?" when it comes to so much of what we do in organized religion and the results we get. He reveals a story of God using him and some friends at an early age to be part of a quickly growing ministry, and then at the height of it all, asking them to cease. From there he goes on to serve at a multi staffed church for a season, and it's in that environment that the why questions really begin to flourish, until God leads him out of that system.

Then he spends time working through various parts of Scripture (Old & New Testaments) expounding on how he believes God is calling a new generation to leave the safety and familiarity of "religious props" and follow Jesus wherever He leads in our world on a mission to expand the Kingdom of God.

This is where he incorporates the term amphibious. Frogs, which belong to this class of animals, need to swim in the water to stay moist, and yet must come out to get warm as they posses no heat of their own. Similarly, followers of Jesus are called to swim in the great sea of culture to love people for Jesus, and yet must come out and find renewal in time spent with other close relationships with fellow believers. It's a dual world we're called to live in.

And...it's only in water that frogs reproduce! Good thought there!

I don't really have the hang (or discipline) of doing a proper book review. I'm simply attempting to share some of my excitement about what I'm reading. I think I'll be talking more about this book in upcoming posts.

I would encourage you to get a copy of it if you want a challenging read!

winter drooling

2008-02-01T09:32:00.000-08:00

About this time of year my winter drooling is in full force. I pour over maps, pictures, and websites dreaming/planning of where my family and I will find ourselves in terms of outdoor excursions this summer. The picture above is the Green River in Utah. While not likely this year, I do hope to paddle the calm 120 mile stretch of river from the little town of Green River down to the confluence of the Green and Colorado rivers in an upcoming year.

Below is where we plan to paddle this summer-the famous Bowron Lake circuit. At a 116 kilometers long, we hope to take about 10 days in August to soak up the scenery and be reminded of God's expressed majesty through nature.

Below is us in our former boat last summer. While we had many great adventures in that little watercraft, it was time for it to find a new home for obvious reasons (at least I think they're obvious-can't you see how loaded we are?)
Below is a depiction of what will be our new boat. While not the exact model, this is how it will generally appear. It will be a handsome 3 feet longer, 4 gigantic inches wider, and 2 towering inches deeper in the middle than our previous one. Those are impressive numbers as they equate to 600lbs. more load capacity-a real issue for us!

So, until April (the time for receiving the new watercraft), I just moisten pictures and maps with anticipation!

ZEPHANIAH-hang on to your seatbelts!

2008-01-30T13:58:00.000-08:00

This week I'm studying Zephaniah in preparation for the sermon this coming Saturday. I find I often vacillate between the seemingly grace/love filled Gospels in the New Testament and the more familiar stories of the Old Testament (trying to stay with the ones that don't disturb me as much) when I go to spend time with Scripture. The Bible and I have been having a bit of a rocky relationship over the last while (maybe therein lies a clue-my spiritual relationship is to be with God, not the Bible). Sometime I may unpack the details of this experience more. Anyway, this week I felt impressed that it was time to dive into one of the areas of the Bible that I tend to avoid, trusting that the Holy Spirit will "protect" me! Landing on Zephaniah, it became time to "fasten my seatbelt"! The picture of God, at least initially, is rather disturbing, and in seemingly stark contrast to the one revealed in the man Jesus. However, as I've plodded through, the God of Jesus has begun to emerge. I am also being reminded that while God is "the same yesterday, today, and forever", He uses different communication instruments (people) in different eras which can make His voice sound significantly different at face value. So I press on, eagerly interested in what God is going to teach us through this "wild" little book.

I say us, because I've asked other members of our congregation to be exploring Zephaniah this week as well and to give me any feedback that they may have before the weekend in preparation for the sermon time. So, if any Cariboo Central members are lurking here, feel free to leave feedback in the comments section (anyone else, of course, is welcome to lead feedback too!).

Now, what does the above picture have to do with this? Those precious little darlings garner much of my affection at this point in my life. If anyone were to intentionally seek to harm them, well...let's just say that individual would have hell to pay! I wonder if that's part of the underlying message of Zephaniah? God will go ballistic (in some heavenly way) to love and protect the objects of His affection, you and I!

learning

2008-01-28T22:05:00.001-08:00

This little guy will probably never experience what I experienced today. My son was introduced to water soon after birth as were my other children. If we continue with lessons in proper swimming technique, his lack of fear for water will propel him forward.

But I, on the other hand, am a bit of a different story. Many things can be self taught, but not all. Even though I love water, the "doggy paddle" is just about the height of my expertise. Recently injuring my foot, I've been on the lookout for other forms of exercise and figured that my free pass to the pool is great reason to take up swimming. As you can imagine, something other than paddling like my furry friends would be much more efficient.

Arriving at the pool before some of you were awake this morning, my buddy began to give me some basic lessons about "proper" kicking, breathing, and a variety of different strokes. After some time, spluttering and clowning around, my friend could not help but laugh at me. Looking up, I noticed the life guard perched high on his chair like a little bird trying his best to act professional, but unable to completely conceal the smirk creeping across his lips as he observed this "big kid" (klutz) trying to learn to swim. As is often the case with me and popular sports of any kind, humility was a much needed virtue at that point in time. Somehow it becomes humiliating to learn things that are expected that one should already have mastered.

I wonder about an application to the spiritual life? Humility is needed to learn the great lessons of value and sometimes some of us learn them long after others do-which is okay. Maybe we need to give grace to those who discover them later along the journey!

experience is powerful

2008-01-25T13:18:00.000-08:00

A good friend from college recently mentioned to me, “We’re changed by the people we know, the books we read, and the places we go”! 3 simple phrases that give expression to the desires of my heart.

In keeping with going places, I had the opportunity to briefly visit 2 different churches in Portland last weekend. I had some idea of what the places would be like from books I’ve read. Navigating our pre-planned itinerary, we arrived at a beautiful high school in a residential section of town. We were greeted by a professionally made temporary banner announcing that we had arrived at more than a high school. This was the church, Imago Dei. Rushing to what appeared to be a front entrance (we were late) we quickly followed temporary interior signage to where the “big thing” (church) was happening. The speaker was already addressing the crowd of what had to be at least 500 people predominantly under the age of 40. Around the room were placed little tables adorned with flickering candles and supplied with bread and wine/grape juice for people to partake of during the appropriate time near the end of the service while the band played. I was reminded of a holiday that we don’t celebrate in Canada, as Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have A Dream” speech was played during the service. Of course you can’t get much of a true feel for what the gathering of believers is really like by simply taking in part of one service. I left enjoying some of the elements of my experience, but not feeling like there was much real difference from anything else I have experienced lately.

With a little time to kill before the next stop on our church route, we (I was accompanied by my wife) scavenged through a couple of 2^nd hand stores coming up with some good “loot”. Pushing the boundaries of time again, we wove our way through traffic to find ourselves out front of a little old fashioned looking church building, again in a residential area. This time a handwritten little sign placed on the sidewalk almost whispered that we had arrived at The Bridge.

If walking into the building attempted to take us back in time, entering the sanctuary quickly propelled us into the present. It was an assault to the senses of this sheltered country boy. Of course I’ve heard earsplitting loud music before and seen people in very individualistic and creative attire (interpreted as liberal use of tattoos, body metal, and a rainbow of clothing styles and colors), but finding these young people all crowed into what’s called a church building took a bit of time to absorb. I hoped that my wife and I wouldn’t look like we were too much in awe. Fitting with the American holiday at present, MLK’s speech was again used as a springboard for the lessons of the day.

Once the initial shock to my senses subsided, some things began to emerge. I notice that salt and peppered around the room were hand percussion instruments of all kinds. The music was not just an up front performance, but a community effort. It was a music that, to these folks, seemed to penetrate past the cranium and reach deep into their souls causing many of them to not be able to sit still or be quiet. I noticed the freedom that many people felt to be themselves in either raising their hands and nearly dancing to just sitting quietly. There was ample opportunity for anyone, including children, to express something from the front (an idea, question, frustration, etc) even as a response to the speaker. While there was a subtle direction (agenda) to the event, it didn’t seem to overpower the experience. Clean starts and stops were not present. Things just kind of flowed in an erratic way more like a family gathering in a living room. And to add to that family feeling, this gathering was no larger than maybe 50-60 people.

The teacher/speaker for the day was a woman pastor from another similar church (this was the first time I met or heard of her) called The Refuge from Colorado. I loved her simple down to earth manner of sharing some very meaningful ideas. Turns out she co-pastors with some other folks in her church. I thought that was beautiful. Just like the medical field needs the unique influence of women, so does the spiritual!

I had a great time meeting some of the folks afterward whose blogs I’ve been following and chatting with the speaker. I left the church feeling that I’d just experienced a family gathering rather than a big well rehearsed show. I sensed community and equality. The experience reminded me of the title of Rick Mckinley’s book-This Beautiful Mess. While the style of sights and sounds do not naturally cater to my preferences, I felt attracted to the glaring beauty of God's presence evident amongst His kids no matter what they look like, sound like, or how they gather. In fact, it seems that the down to earth simple manner in which they gathered simply gave more room for God’s work to shine brighter.

This was indeed a gathering like no other and I was grateful to have the opportunity to briefly share in it!

worship-service

2008-01-19T19:57:00.000-08:00

Here's another piece from the quote archive in my Palm.

Isn't it odd that we call our worship gathering a "service", but less readily term our daily acts of service "worship". Len Hjalmarson

I like to imagine how it might impact me if I saw my daily life as worship to the same extent or higher than the "divine hour" that is often promoted as one of the ultimate acts of worship.

God in all my boxes

2008-01-18T22:16:00.000-08:00

Tonight I attended a young adult gathering at my friend's church in Washington. The opening exercise for the Bible study was a variety of questions about how many of us spend significant amounts of time watching TV, surfing the net, text messaging, playing games, chatting on the phone, etc. The question was then presented for reflection, "Why do we struggle so much spending just one hour a day in prayer and Bible study?" I'm accustomed to such exercises that are intended (as far as I can see) to motovate (kick in the pants) us to do things that we think we should do (the outcome is often just a fresh dose of guilt added to our burden of ever increasing to do's).

As is often the case, my contrary mind wants to see thinks from a different perspective. We only have a certain amount of time to live each day. There are basic things that we do which fall into certain time "boxes" such as: employment, time with family, sleep, entertainment (and yes, I believe there is value to this in moderation), and devotions. The boxes are each competing for more and more of our attention. We dream about that illusive idea of balance. Religion is forever harping on the idea that our God box (devotions) is never big enough.

While I do see value in taking time apart from other life activities to focus on my relationship with God, I wonder if God is not wanting to compete with all my other boxes in life? Maybe He's more interested in joining me in each box that I'm living in at any given moment? Maybe God doesn't want me to be guilt ridden that His box in my life is never big enough. I think He just wants me to be aware of His presense (and to interact with it) in all of them like the cloud penetrating all the boxes of the day in the illustration above!

And then, maybe I'd find myself being drawn (not guilted) to prayer and Bible reading either in a designated "God box" or in any one of my other life boxes.

statement of truth

2008-01-17T19:48:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I was attending a pastor's annual retreat for fellow preachers from my denomination. At one point, my interest no longer captured after long hours of one-way monologues directed toward my ears, I was up walking around outside of the meeting room. I ran into one of the guys who works at my denominational headquarters and made some comment like, "You're tired of sitting too, eh?". He replied refering to the speaker/listener relationship, "The speaker speaks and I listen. Whoever gets done can leave!"

It took me a moment for the cryptic words to expand in my mind as their meaning was released. Then I couldn't stop chuckling to myself.
How true!

I'm sure there's many a patient listener of my frequent preaching attempts that have day-dreamed about the freedom to act on the above statement. The fact is, that statement packs much truth. Whether or not a listener actually gets up and leaves when he/she feels done, he/she does leave mentally!

lifestyle with...location about

2008-01-14T12:10:00.001-08:00

In keeping with sharing quotes from my Palm collection, I now upload this succinct little analogy.

"The religious man goes to church and thinks about fishing; the holy man goes fishing and thinks about God" Author Unknown

Provided this statement reveals an element of truth for some, what might we learn?

For starters for me, holiness is more about a lifestyle with God than a location about God. What do you think? (not to negate the lifestyle with God stimulation value of a Godly location)

I'd love some honest feedback in the comments below from those of you who have a thought on this.

...let the "Son" of God enfold you...

2008-01-13T06:11:00.000-08:00

Some time ago I began collecting quotes that stand out to me, either from conversations or from books, and recording them in my Palm Pilot. For some I've kept the author's names and others (unfortunately) I haven't.

I offer the following for your mental digestion today.

My wise dad (physical one!) often said that you never convince anyone by arguing with them. I really think that he's right. Argument makes people defensive, the walls go up. It's like the old story of the sun & wind having a competition about which one could get the coat off the man - blustering only wrapped it tighter, warmth won out by being gentle.

Patti

Another on a different note.

A fundamental mistake of the conservative side of the American church today, and much of the Western church, is that it takes as its basic goal to get as many people as possible ready to die and go to heaven. It aims to get people into heaven rather than to get heaven into people. Renovation of the Heart-Dallas Willard

My thoughts in summary-Jesus (the "Sun" of God) said something to the effect-God's kingdom is at hand. It's all around you. It's even in you. Reminds me of the chorus, "Oh let the Son of God enfold you, with His mercy and His grace."

check this out -- a lego church

2008-01-12T06:36:00.000-08:00

I discovered these pictures on the blog A Deconstructed Christian. Trot over there to see what both the author has to say about them and what some of the comments are. But, before you go, how do these pictures strike you? What lessons can they teach about what God's family can be like, is like, or should be like?

who is my neighbor? where is my church?

2008-01-11T11:30:00.002-08:00

Many are familiar with the ancient Biblical narrative of the Good Samaratin. The story intended to answer the question about who is one's neighbor. Who are we responsible to care for and take interest in?

Surfing some of my different blogs of interest, I happened upon this one on the Doable Evangelism site from Off the Map. I encourage you to click your way directly to the post link above and read the whole message for yourself. However, I can't help but quote from the message and recognize the similarities to the little parable by Jesus.

If you were to stop reading for a moment, look up, and look around you, you would find that your community is surrounding you. It’s the people at the coffee shop you go to everyday or the grocery store that you frequent. It isn’t just family and friends. Your community is everyone who steps into your path of vision, peripheral or otherwise. It takes a little extra effort, a lot of listening, and at times extreme patience, but it is never lonely.

Yes, community (neighbors) is often all around us. Sometimes it just takes eyes and time to engage them it as such. I think maybe the same can apply to the search for kindred spiritual spirits. I've heard of people basing their decisions to move to one town or another based upon whether their particular brand of Christianity (denomination) is in the desired location or not. For me, thinking about how the Body of Christ can be present anywhere God's Spirit has wooed a heart into following Him, it then opens up the possibilities immensely to where one might find spiritual community. In fact, I wonder if spiritual community surrounds me a lot more than I may at first realize because I'm too busy reading labels (different religions, denominations, race, social class, gender, etc.)?

God, what "church member" are you going to bring me into contact with next?

i rant on…

2008-01-10T11:07:00.000-08:00

(Please forgive my looong post. Maybe you can come back occasionally to take it in small bites)

Preaching, as you’ve undoubtedly detected, is taking a lot of my interest these days. I feel I could simply rewrite Doug Pagitt’s book, Preaching Reimagined, in my own words because so much of it resonates with me. Maybe in time I’ll look back and say, “Well, that was just one of my over-excited little diversions in life. Glad I got over that!” But, since I’m in the midst of my little rampage, I’ll keep “carrying on”. I finished the book yesterday and here’s a sampling of quotes that grabbed me.

I have seen several attempts at “interactive” sermons that fall far short of progressional dialogue, primarily because they were still framed around the idea that there are experts and then there are the rest of us. P. 198

This statement made me wonder about last weekend’s experience. Did I feel my preaching experiment was a flop because, although I was attempting to do something interactive and relational, I was partly doing it within the framework of the in-charge, in-power, up-front speaker. In short, I was imposing something relational, rather than inviting and seeking the other “partner’s” permission? It’s kind of like marching into a theatre and telling everyone to have a conversation with their fellow attendees. It wouldn’t work too well because people don’t come expecting to relate-they come to be entertained.

How does one solicit a church’s permission to be more relational in preaching style? I’m not sure...yet!

More quotes:

There are whole generations of people who’ve been taught a sermonized version of faith from the time they were children. As a result they’ve developed a taste for sermonization… P. 191

…the…problem is that speaching has led a great majority of people in the church to believe that they have nothing to say. P177

The idea…that only a trained professional can speak about God with any kind of authority goes against nearly everything we find in Scripture. P. 153

…just as people have been successfully socialized to sit still and be quiet in church, we can show them how to have constructive meaningful dialogue. P. 175

We need to create environments where having people contribute is not an interruption to what we are doing but an addition to who we are becoming. P. 171 (Bold emphasis mine)

Imagine the response if people in our churches believed their gifts, ideas, and experiences were as inspired by God as those of the preacher. P. 153

I imagine churches that see themselves as more than the context for speaching. The idea that church is a once-a-week event dismantles everything the gospel calls us to be about. When the worship event centers on speaching, the message to the people is clear: The focus of our life together is this 20-minute segment; the rest is gravy. But when preaching becomes an act of community formation, there is an implicit invitation for participation in the full life of the community. It’s a clear signal that we are about more than teaching, telling, and learning about God. We are about living in the story of God in all times and in all places. P. 169 (Bold emphasis mine)

…speaching is not the ultimate expression of preaching, and preaching is not the ultimate endeavor of the church. P 121

…know that the invitation to ministry is an invitation to join in the work of God and not to create it; God is at work with or without our sermons. Know that our preaching matters, but it isn’t our central contribution; more lives will be changed by the relationships created and lived out in our communities than by what we say in some sermon. P122

The purpose of preaching isn’t’ to make the Word of God easy; it’s to help people delve into faith more fully, more deeply.

Education theory tells us people really only learn out of frustration---the frustration that they don’t know but need to, the frustration that life isn’t working but there could be a better way. Frustration is not a bad thing—it’s a necessary thing. It’s what pushes us on. P. 101

Maybe my frustration with last weekend’s escapade was a tool that will continue to drive me further in seeking to create environments of dialogue? I also am becoming aware that I need to be okay with other’s being frustrated. I shouldn’t always take frustration to mean I need to do something to fix someone so that I can feel better about myself. Frustration may be exactly what some people need in church and spirituality! Frustration by both the pastor and the congregation may be an important part of moving to more relational preaching!

Finally speaking of the way things can be for the regular “speacher”:

…the pastor is supposed to bear all the burden of having something fresh to share each week. This pressure begins to erode the soul of the preacher like waves on a rock. ... There’s only so much a person can take of being the lone voice of faith…Something is tragically amiss when the life-giving gospel becomes hazardous to the lives of the people most engaged in it. P. 145

The scribbled comments inserted by me in my copy of the book next to these last statements were AMEN and YUP.

For the time being, rant is done!

Why do Christians need to be preached at?

2008-01-07T17:54:00.000-08:00

The Christian family, according to the apostle Paul, is compared to a body. It's a living network of different but equal members and all their resulting relationships. What I find interesting is the idea that's developed somewhere along the way, that the Body needs to be constantly on the receiving end of "professional" monologues delivered by a select few. The assumption seems to be that these speeches are what nourish, guide, and protect the Body spiritually.

Scripture portrays micro shots of the story of how Jesus preached the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Indeed, there was some lecturing (these were, at times, responses to questions and need/situation specific), but it didn't appear to consume the bulk of His activity. Service type activities and conversations appear to have received His greatest attention and through those mediums He "preached" non-stop!

I wonder if speaching (a term coined by Doug Pagitt to refer to preaching as speeches) has it's place, but not as a regular discipline? Maybe it works best for the initial presentation of ideas and topics to a broad audience?

So much of the New Testament seems to focus on the idea of "one another". We are edified by one another. We are rebuked by one another. We are taught by one another. We are loved by one another. And these networks of "one anothers" are influenced and guided by the Holy Spirit.

I wonder how many members of the Body of Christ see themselves as preachers? Not many in terms of a traditional view of preachers as professional clergy.

Lighter reading material.....of sorts

2008-01-06T10:38:00.000-08:00

After yesterday's emotionally charged day, it was time to read about someone else's emotionally charged life.

I was tempted to bring home the previous book that I've started to read, Preaching Reimagined, but felt strongly that I should leave it at my church office until Monday. This weekend I need things not so closely related to my work.

Having had a long standing interest in emergency work and currently enjoying the role of a part time rookie firefighter, this book (among several on this topic) is of increasing interest to me. While the stories bound between its covers are high stress to the characters involved, for me, from an outside perspective, it's a relaxing, entertaining, and therapeutic read.

The writer is very talented, in my opinion, at bringing you into his world behind popular public perception. Being a naturally very curious person, I love learning about real life behind the scenes.

So far, the stories have been quite sad, as most involve death and tragedy. But, I'm only a few chapters in. I hope to get back to the book tonight. For now, I'm off to try to extend my yard barrier (fence) upward in hopes of retaining my energetic Blue Heeler, thus sparing the neighbors from her curiosity with their trash.

ugh

2008-01-05T14:43:00.000-08:00

This is one of my frequent feelings following the presentation of a sermon (or coordinating the sermon time).

The sermon hour is such an inexplainable thing for me at times.

It's riddled with a complex web of emotions. I too easily ride the approval wave of whether the people that I want to be impressed actually are or not.

Today, I felt like the experiment, mentioned in the previous post, was a flop! Input was not free flowing. I had to keep prompting people with different ideas. It felt like milking an almost dry cow. People were nervously looking around with little smirks (God only knows what the real reasons were, but my eager imagination was ready to surmise). I took this to mean they didn't know what to do with the down time and were uncomfortable with "nothing" happening. Maybe it's me that was the one that was really uncomfortable? I tried to allow extended moments of silence after asking questions to allow people to have time to think of feedback.

Maybe it's just my expectations of what I wanted to see happen. I hoped to have a lively discussion take off with profound insights or stories shared by a wide cross section of the group that would leave most visibly wanting to participate in such an experience again. I would love to see something happen in a more relaxed type of gathering that is obviously God's Spirit taking over.

I long to see church gatherings be a more relational experience. And yet, it's hard to make relational stuff happen in a prescribed way. It's kind of like the silly little exercise that some groups do where they say, "Now is the time where you turn around and say 'hi' to your neighbor". Then you watch everyone (except the Sanguines) try to venture out of their pews and awkwardly say "hi" to the person they just greeted at the door 20 minutes ago. It's so artificial.

I wonder if it's worth it trying to do new and creative things in church?

So, I press on. I need time to process my emotions (as I usually do after every speaking engagement). I know (although it's hard to believe in the moment) that change takes time. I need to stay focused and worry less (ha ha) about what people think. I need to keep following the visions in my heart.

The interesting thing is that, during the meal downstairs, in the midst of my "ugh" feeling, someone shared with me how the insights shared by a couple of other people, during our discussion sermon time, actually answered some questions for her and tied into what she was teaching in the children's classroom. So there you go, maybe I just gotta do what I gotta do. Keep trying to trust that God does what He wants to with our efforts. Sometimes they appear great (BIG) and sometimes they appear insignificant, or don't even hit our human awareness radar.

Community Preaching

2008-01-05T07:21:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned earlier, Santa Amazon delivered a box load of great new reads for Christmas. Yesterday I started reading Doug Pagitt's "Preaching Re-imagined". This has special significance for me as a pastor.

My eyes were nearly flying over the words while my hands trembled attempting to turn the pages fast enough. What Doug has to say is so refreshing to a pastor very frustrated for the last few years with preaching. While I love public speaking (when I have a clear presentation in my head that I'm fired up about), I too often not only struggle to know what to share, I ever wonder what good it does. What difference does it make? Why do we do it the way we do? Why does one person (or a few select "talented" ones) always do the sharing of God's word? Does God only speak through professionals (plenty of Scripture stories to argue that idea).

I'm nowhere near done with the book. I'm just pumped about what I've read so far. Doug identifies the need for preaching (defined as proclaiming). However, he takes issue with the way we most often do it. Speaching (a term he coins) is the act of proclaiming only through one way speech monolgues. These are given regularly from one person, prepared in isolation from others, given to people known largely on an acquaintance level, presented in a manner that keeps the presenter in control of what's said, keeps listeners passive, unintentionally trains the Body of Christ to think that God primarily speaks only through certain people, creates a desire for ever "better" presentations, and does little to encourage transformational relationships!

Doug suggests a more conversational approach called progressional dialogue. This is where preaching grows out of community conversation. It's also where the act of preaching is seen more as conversation amongst the Body that enriches each other. This form assumes that God's Spirit is active in each member of the Body and that we can all participate in proclaiming God's good work from the perspective of each of our own experiences, thus adding a level of depth and richness that one person can never provide.

This has my excited creative juices flowing like a river. Today I will be attempting to apply this. I'll talk a bit about this whole idea. Then, I'll be asking a couple of people to read 2 different Scriptural stories (Creation account in Genesis and Incarnation account in John 1). After that, I will begin opening the floor for the sharing of triggers (things that the Scripture brings to mind-stories, experiences, impressions, longings, questions, etc.). I'm excited to learn what God may teach me from other people today.

Anyway-I'm giving it a shot...

Happy New Year....and what about Hell?

2008-01-04T20:31:00.000-08:00

2008! Here we are!

This holiday season was, for me, like a cup of hot chocolate on a cozy wintry evening or a cold glass of iced tea on a sultry summer afternoon-refreshing. It included fun, family, relax time, and-of course-reading! My primary reading diet consisted of Brian McLaren’s “The Last Word and the Word after That”. This enjoyable piece of fiction, which is the last in a trilogy series entitled “A New Kind of Christianity”, was dealing primarily with the issue of Hell (not as a piece of profanity, but as a place, concept, and/or doctrine). He compared various perspectives on hell ( everything from Eternal Torment to Universalism) gathering some value from each and pointing out serious issues with each and how they color our picture of God and what He really wants for His Kingdom-healing, re-creative, restorative justice for all!

The teaching is set in a story format which portrays others wresting with this subject. I could so often relate to some of the struggles. I too have felt attracted by Universalism, but been disturbed with what it seems to do with some Scriptural ideas. Along the way, Brian gave the perspective that maybe Jesus wasn’t the promoter of the concept of hell that it so often appears. Maybe He was simply using a popular concept of His day and flipping it on its head to motivate and teach a greater message about His Kingdom-a kingdom of love and grace.

In the end, maybe Hell is not God’s last word-His last great act? Maybe the Devil doesn’t have the last say? Maybe love and grace really do conquer? May God is greater than Hell? Maybe Hell (in some part) is what we experience to greater/lesser degrees when living in contrast to and apart from God’s kingdom of grace?

So where does this leave me doctrinally speaking? What do I believe in terms of popularly spelled out beliefs systems on this subject?

I DON’T KNOW!

I was inspired by how Brian seemed to indicate in this volume that “I don’t know” is a valuable and liberating tool. While there’s good in having an answer for what we believe, I think there’s also great merit in being able to say in relation to matters about God, I don’t know, even if others and denominations think that they do know.

The world is full of Hell! Maybe the calling upon Jesus’ followers is to be His hands and feet in seeking to liberate people from Hellish experiences now, not just in the afterlife!

oh to be strong!

2007-12-26T17:46:00.000-08:00

Okay, the picture has nothing to do with what I want to say. I just think it's adorable! And it reflects one of my hobbies-paddling. Winter is the time to dream and plan about summer paddling.

Last night I watched "We Are Marshall" with my family. Initially I kinda rolled my eyes at another sports movie with some hero strong leader type bringing a team to victory and teaching great lessons. However, I really enjoyed this movie and found it tugging at my own desires to be a stronger person. A leader! Someone with a clear sense of calling and direction that no one or nothing can shake. I reflect on my own personality (in fact, many times, I don't even have to reflect as my personality stares me in the face all too often) and find it to be so weak many times. I can easily vacillate in the winds of others ideas and approval/disapproval like the little boat in the picture would likley do in the slightest of breezes.

Some times, I simply feel that God has made me with my shifting personality and that through it I can minister to people in ways that "strong leader" types may not be able to do. But then I experience things that stir up these desires in me to be "stronger". To be visionary. To be wise. To have deep conviction.

Thinking about this last night again, I began to journal. As I clicked away on the keyboard spewing my feelings out as digits on the screen, I began to wonder and be impressed that maybe God has made me the way I am, but also has put these desires and longings in me to be a stronger person too. I sensed that if I ever became a stronger leader, it would be through something that God developes in me (possibly through greater life experience), not something I grit my teeth striving to achieve.

So, again I rest momentarily in the peace of realizing that God has made me the way I am and is continuing to grow me more and more. Who knows what He will do with/through me down the road.

Huh! Maybe the little picture does relate to these thoughts?

aaaaaaahhhhhhh! eeeeeehhhhhh! gggggrrrrrrr!

2007-12-25T18:50:00.000-08:00

My intention is that this blog would be reflections that I have as a result of reading and listening to other's thoughts (i.e. books, articles, podcasts, etc.). Well, today the thoughts of my children, among many, often ended up sounding like aaaaaaahhhhhhh!, eeeeeehhhhhh!, or ggggrrrrrrr! as they delightfully peeled open their gifts. Later I went outdoors with them and built a sled run up behind the house. After multiple trips up the hill to get the trail packed down with laborioulsy slow runs, the sounds mentioned above began again to be free flowing. (The kids weren't the only ones making such utterances as I clearly contributed my own share of shrieking "noise".)

This reminds me of how it says in Scripture something to the effect, "The Holy Spirit interprets our groanings as prayers." Maybe prayer is more about what's said in the heart than what's said with the lips?

I wonder how such conclusions about prayer could affect group prayer?

Simplicity of a child.....

2007-12-23T09:49:00.000-08:00

This has nothing to do with reading any books lately. (I can't wait to have some quiet reading time again. But, right now, it's time to be actively enjoying my family in various activities). It's simply a funny family experience.

Yesterday, while traveling in the van, my wife and I were talking with a friend who was riding with us. We were talking, at one point, about the age old husband/wife sleeping temperature dilemma-cold wife and warm husband. I was explaining about one recent night, while tossing and turning to fall asleep, my wife would nudge closer to me every time I moved so that she could stay warm.

After this discussion, my 7 year old son piped up from the back seat. "So, Mommy follows Daddy all over the bed cause' he's hot"?

The Kingdom of God belongs to a child, eh?

Read, Search, or Run?

2007-12-21T09:37:00.000-08:00

I'm leaving for Christmas/New Years and will be returning with a stack not nearly so large as this one. Santa Amazon has delivered nearly a dozen new (to me) books that will get placed in my own "to read" pile. I'll still be blogging through the Holidays, but just not as much.

By the way, what does the above picture make you want to do?

Jesus -- THE WAY

2007-12-19T10:56:00.001-08:00

I'm just beginning to read Diana Butler Bass's new book, Christianity for the Rest of Us-How the Neighborhood Church Is Transforming the Faith. As I get further into it, or complete it, I'll try to give my overall description and perspective on it.

But for now, I was intrigued by an analogy Diana gives of a GPS/Mapquest system to the way we sometimes approach finding our way to God. She's come to enjoy the specific directions of this technology-go 1.3 miles, turn right on ????, go another 2.7 miles, turn left on ????, etc. The GPS simply gives you the "best" route to take, and you've just gotta follow it. But, there's something a GPS can't do. It has no idea what's really happening on the streets (traffic jams, rush hour, construction, accident scenes, etc.). One time, while trying to get home, Diana and her husband ran into construction and were going nowhere fast. Her husband asked her to pull out the old fashioned paper map. Then, by utilizing map reading skills, down to earth street signs, an awareness of what was actually happening on various streets, and some creative willingness to try a different route, they were able to successfully arrive home in shorter order than the "right way" described by the GPS.

Sometimes I feel that Christianity (human nature) portrays itself more as a GPS. It portrays a "right" way of doing things for all people and all times. Do or die. Believe what we believe, do what we do, understand as we understand, be one of us, and then you'll find Heaven in the next life.

But, what if Jesus (through the Holy Spirit's mysterious ways) isn't always leading people to the Christian religious destination? Maybe He's taking each on a unique journey that navigates the realities of the way that person sees the world and God (taking into account why such perspectives exist-i.e myriads of positive/negative real life experiences)? Realities that may garner such labels as atheist, New Age, Muslim, liberal, conservative, disgruntled with religion, and the list could be infinite.

Could Jesus' statement ("I am the way, the truth, and the life") refer to how He is the WAY (early Christians were referred to as followers of The Way), as in a wise intuitive Guide that leads His followers on the best route (for each individually) to His Father's heart for finding abundant and eternal life-starting now?

Could it be that Jesus is leading people even if they don't recognize or acknowledge Him by name?

the tension remains.........at least for now

2007-12-18T14:59:00.000-08:00

For a while now I've been on a journey of understanding the whole concept of church as something entirely different than buildings, bylaws, doctrines, meetings, human authority, activities, and budgets. I'm seeing it (or at least wanting to) increasingly as a community of God/Jesus followers and seekers that are led and drawn by the mysterious Holy Spirit. A living organism way bigger than the confines of human institution. Something ultimately out of the control of humanity. A community that can be witnessed in a relationship of 2 people here and 50 people there. A "coincidental" meeting somewhere in a grocery store, or a committed gathering of religious club folks (both of these scenarios possibly equally authentic representations of God's true church).

But then there are nagging questions echoing in the background like this one, "Is this idea really true?" Furthermore, Jesus ministry did seem to be characterized by working within both the secular and religious culture of the day. Jesus worked within human institution to connect with people, and yet he was seemingly so unboxed or guided by it.

I long to be free from church being defined by the stuff that we typically do in religious institutions and for it to be a much greater relational community experience. But then I remember the value of rituals (holiday celebrations, etc.) in other areas of life. The way they can become environments for relationships to begin and grow. I think about how, to some people, age old religious rituals and practices seem to enhance their relationship with God and each other. But, then again, there are still those who feel the practices and rituals become substitutes and actually take away from greater relational possibilities with God and humanity.

Do rituals and institutions (organized religion) get in the way of the ultimate goal of growing deeper relationships or do they enhance them? Or is this simply a question that is answered differently from person to person? Or is it a paradoxical reality that both perspectives are true? Is it a call to live in the world (secular and religious), but ultimately be of neither?

And so, the tension remains.........at least for now!

One of My Bibles

2007-12-17T10:26:00.000-08:00

These were the pages I was slowly advancing through last night in preparation for another fire fighting test. This manual has over 700 pages of material that, hopefully, in the next year or so I will have covered entirely. Some of the reading is tediously slow going, but most of it interests me so much that, when I take the time to study, I really enjoy it.

I think back to my first training session with the fire department nearly 2 years ago. The deputy chief sauntered in and dropped several of these behemoths on the table for us "probies" (probationary firefirefighters). He informed us that these were our bibles. From now on we would eat and sleep this stuff.

Because I am enjoying firefighting so much, am very grateful to be a member of the fire department, and can't wait to hear my pager go and be on route to a call, I have no problem with studying this "bible". I actually enjoy it! However, I didn't join the department to read this book. I joined to be a firefighter. This "bible" just happens to be one of the sources that's profitable for instruction and correction in the field of fire fighting.

I think this has some application to the spiritual life and the Christian Bible. Sometimes the way Christians talk and act almost gives the impression that our purpose for being a Christian is to read the Bible. But is it really? I think it's to be a follower of Jesus, and the Bible just happens to be one of the tools/resources given to inspire and guide us in this journey.

DIRTY--word or heart?

2007-12-16T10:30:00.000-08:00

“It's your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words.” (Matthew 12:34, The Message)

Eugene Peterson has such profound ways of paraphrasing Biblical text sometimes!

I discovered this verse while reading a post about cussing Christians on Pam Hogewiede's blog. While this topic could easily spark heated debate about the morality of "clean" language, I was intrigued by some of the insights on Pam's post.

Here are some of my musings.

Words have power, yet, they only have the power that we give them. In and of themselves, words are just neutral digits, morally speaking.
If only I could learn to hear the real message of people's hearts behind their words?
The coarse language people use may not always be the exact meaning of their hearts. Many times, coarse words are common cultural expressions for heart feelings that we all have, Christian and non-Christian alike.
Would Jesus have ever found a piece of coarse language on His lips? (Let's not forget the crowd He hung out with a lot)
Could "accepted" language ever be dirtier than coarse language?

Pam writes in her blog, "Mark Twain said it this way, 'The idea that no gentleman ever swears is all wrong. He can swear and still be a gentleman if he does it in a nice and benevolent and affectionate way.'"

Well, how's that to stir up one's "pure" mind on the first day of a brand new week?

Am I promoting coarse language? I don't think so! Just wrestling with an issue that I'm faced with and have been wondering about.

A concluding prayer: May my heart be filled with love so that whatever words I use, they will be tools carrying blessing to others.

White Space

2007-12-15T06:52:00.000-08:00

Again, I'll remind you that last month I went to Off the Map in Seattle (Are you getting tired of hearing about Off the Map yet? Maybe you should just plan to attend with me next year! ha ha) I attended a little workshop entitled Sacred Accidents while I was there.

The presenter, Earl Creps, talked about the idea that often some of the greatest stuff, spiritual and/or otherwise, in one's life can be the result of just stumbling into it. He cited the famous invention of Insulin or the amazing success of Intel as examples.

In the spiritual world, Christians talk a lot about the power of God, yet how do we often operate? Take away our prayers before and after events, and what really looks different about what's going on in many spiritual communities from any other business or social organization? It appears that most institutional work that gets done is the result of humans intentionally making stuff happen.

Earl pointed out a tension to live by in the Spiritual world-making it happen vs. letting it happen. Maybe Christian leadership is being a steward and recognizer of those times when we're ambushed by Godly activity. When God interrupts our lives! Maybe the purpose of intentionality in leadership is to create what Earl calls, white space. Space in time, place, heart, etc. for God to have room to work.

What if we were to focus on creating white space and approached ALL of life expectant that God is already at work? We are just watching to see where He is going to show up next. We became stewards saying, "Hey, did you just see what happened? That was a God thing!"

I wonder what places, both in and outside of our spiritual communities, might we see God at work?

Overlapping Lives

2007-12-14T10:23:00.001-08:00

A bit ago I posted about a podcast where I heard Anne Lamott speaking during an interview. Near the end of the interview, she's talking about how much she enjoys listening to a particular extreme conservative (Anne is very, very liberal), not because she agrees with much of what He says, but because she feels he has good insights and it keeps her mind in a good place while navigating the stress of traffic in her car.

She mentions a saying from her AA group, "Take what you like and leave the rest."

She also says, "I can listen to anyone who really, really loves Jesus and loves the Bible."

Then, her final insight is to describe her relationship with the person interviewing her (who appreciates her very much, but has very different opinions about life in many areas) as a set of Olympic circles. Circles represent people, and the places where we overlap can be many, if not greater, than where we don't. I think the Olympic circles are a beautiful picture of the unity that Jesus prayed for His disciples to experience. Our differences don't have to dissolve when we love each other, but maybe love helps us discover how many places our lives really do overlap?

Have a Mighty Christmas

2007-12-14T09:25:00.000-08:00

Last Christmas I picked up a book by Ace Collins, author of More Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas. (oops! gotta go to the sanctuary-something's calling-not sure if it's God or not?.... Okay, I'm back! Sorry, no great revelations this time.) Yesterday, I did a Google search on Ace Collins and came up with an article from his other book, Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas, about the origins of the song, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen".

He tells how the lively song, carefully detailing the story of the birth of Jesus, was written by peasants in reaction to the "dead" church music of the day-that day being in the 1500's. Of particular interest to me was the meaning of the line, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen". Today's attempt at describing it might be something like, God give you happy gentlemen rest. While not a bad thought, it doesn't necessarily make much sense in the context of the times, who wrote the song, and the words of the song. However, if we translate the song title back from yesteryear's meaning to today's, it's quite different.

God Rest (keep or make) Ye (you-uh, you could figure this one out right?) Merry (great or mighty), (yeah, there originally was a comma after Merry) Gentlemen.

God Make You Mighty, Gentlemen. Written by folks who were not great or mighty. Written about a story that was great and mighty. Written as a reminder that God's love makes us great and mighty in His eyes.

Maybe you'll not be able to say, Merry Christmas , without thinking twice about the different meanings of merry.

Maybe I should try saying Mighty Christmas to someone and see what they say.