Okay, so threedux isn't a work, but redux is, and I couldn't think of a word for a third repeat (other than threepeat--but that's not in the same literary category as redux), so I concocted threedux. Add it to your dictionaries folks.
You may remember a young man named Corey I met and wrote about a while back. If not, you'll find it detailed here. He's a guy I have no reason really to have a connection with other than the fact that God keeps bringing us together. We don't live near each other. We're not close in age. We don't have similar occupations. And yet, as I said in that earlier post, "God is in the details."
If you read my earlier post, you'll see that I hadn't seen Corey for several months. Again, no real reason I should have. But two days ago at the Old Orchard Elementary School movie night Barb and I stuck around afterwards to help clean up and also to meet new people. One of the people I met was Fay. She had a son in school there, but she lives in Dayton, OH. She comes up regularly to be with him. She just happened to have some family members with her. She introduced me to them and one of them happened to be her cousin Corey!
I don't know what you think about the fact that God keeps bringing us together. In a city of 300,000 people what are the odds that he would be at my son's elementary school with his cousin and nephew? (It's only a school of about 200 kids, 217 to be exact.) I was able to make a good connection with him that night--even exchanging contact info and me helping him with some job info.
I say this all the time, but when you put yourself in position where God can use you, when you open yourself up to the world outside of your comfort zone, God will do amazing things like connecting you with the people He wants you to connect with--even when it's one out of three hundred thousand.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
I Was a Bookfair Chairperson
So, I'm chairing the Scholastic bookfair at Oscar's elementary school. I know--that's not really me. Anyone who knows me knows I'm about as organized as a pile of leaves. Still, we felt like it was something we should do to help out at the school and to make connections with teachers, students, and their families. It's not really an area of strength for me, but we believe the opportunity was given to us for a reason. Let me explain.
Last week, Barb and I went to a seminar at Mount Vernon Nazarene University put on by the Gallup Organization called StrengthsFinder. Backed by 30 years of research and development, it consists of a battery of 180 questions that lead you to the discovery of your strengths. Some of them may be obvious to you, others may not. There are 34 different ones and you receive a personalized list ranking them from most dominant to least. At this seminar, we received our top 5. Just in case you're curious, mine were: Adaptability, Ideation, Input, Intellection, and Connectedness. That doesn't tell you much, but you can look them up if you're a stalker and really want to know.
While I think there's a lot of good that is going to come from seeing pastors and congregations use this (think: spiritual gifts test tailored more toward personal talents and strengths), I also had to think about the Apostle Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 12:9, "But [God] said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."
In looking at my strengths, there are certainly some things that lend themselves to church planting--Adaptability, Connectedness (seeing things as having a purpose; understanding that all of us are created for Someone greater than ourselves)--but the others aren't quite so strong. In fact, I would think that strengths like the Achiever, Maximizer, Developer, Activator would all be more suited to what we're doing here in Toledo. Then I remembered Paul's words that in our weakness, Christ becomes our strength.
I often tell people that part of the reason I'm planting Emmaus Road is for my own salvation. I NEEDED to be in a place where my faith was challenged on a daily basis, where I was counting on Christ's strength instead of trusting in mine. I came to the point where just going through the motions and playing at being the church were leading me to a place where my Christian walk was dying. The disjunction between what I believed Christ died for and what I was experiencing was too great. It was time for a change.
In stepping out of our comfort zone, taking a leap of faith to a city where we knew noone and had no prospects, doing something we've never done before or even been trained to do, we have come to a place of complete dependence on God and His power through Christ and the Holy Spirit.
I prayed this morning, as I've prayed many times in the last 6 months, that God would do what He wants to do here. That He would fulfill in us what He's designed for us. I have to believe that the many literal "signs and wonders" that we've witnessed are testimony that He's at work in ways more awesome than we can imagine. I also prayed that I would be open and diserning enough to see exactly what it is He's calling us to do. That I would follow each day His direction. That I would work alongside Him rather than being an obstacle to Him.
So, if God wants to be in charge of the Old Orchard Elementary Bookfair, then so be it. Even with my weakness, I'm in.
Last week, Barb and I went to a seminar at Mount Vernon Nazarene University put on by the Gallup Organization called StrengthsFinder. Backed by 30 years of research and development, it consists of a battery of 180 questions that lead you to the discovery of your strengths. Some of them may be obvious to you, others may not. There are 34 different ones and you receive a personalized list ranking them from most dominant to least. At this seminar, we received our top 5. Just in case you're curious, mine were: Adaptability, Ideation, Input, Intellection, and Connectedness. That doesn't tell you much, but you can look them up if you're a stalker and really want to know.
While I think there's a lot of good that is going to come from seeing pastors and congregations use this (think: spiritual gifts test tailored more toward personal talents and strengths), I also had to think about the Apostle Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 12:9, "But [God] said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."
In looking at my strengths, there are certainly some things that lend themselves to church planting--Adaptability, Connectedness (seeing things as having a purpose; understanding that all of us are created for Someone greater than ourselves)--but the others aren't quite so strong. In fact, I would think that strengths like the Achiever, Maximizer, Developer, Activator would all be more suited to what we're doing here in Toledo. Then I remembered Paul's words that in our weakness, Christ becomes our strength.
I often tell people that part of the reason I'm planting Emmaus Road is for my own salvation. I NEEDED to be in a place where my faith was challenged on a daily basis, where I was counting on Christ's strength instead of trusting in mine. I came to the point where just going through the motions and playing at being the church were leading me to a place where my Christian walk was dying. The disjunction between what I believed Christ died for and what I was experiencing was too great. It was time for a change.
In stepping out of our comfort zone, taking a leap of faith to a city where we knew noone and had no prospects, doing something we've never done before or even been trained to do, we have come to a place of complete dependence on God and His power through Christ and the Holy Spirit.
I prayed this morning, as I've prayed many times in the last 6 months, that God would do what He wants to do here. That He would fulfill in us what He's designed for us. I have to believe that the many literal "signs and wonders" that we've witnessed are testimony that He's at work in ways more awesome than we can imagine. I also prayed that I would be open and diserning enough to see exactly what it is He's calling us to do. That I would follow each day His direction. That I would work alongside Him rather than being an obstacle to Him.
So, if God wants to be in charge of the Old Orchard Elementary Bookfair, then so be it. Even with my weakness, I'm in.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
17 years in 2 minutes
Here's something to pass a couple of minutes. Watch a man age 17 years in 2 minutes here. Not something you see everyday.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Emmaus Road Church Building Photos
Thought some of you might like to see the building Emmaus Road Church is going to be leasing soon. It sits on a busy street corner of Central Avenue. It's not a lot to look at yet (inside), and there's a lot of work to do, but we're excited about how God's going to use us and that building to reach our neighborhood and our community.
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Jesus Loves McDonalds
The reason they call them the Golden Arches must be because Jesus works there a lot.
This is the weirdest thing, but I've had 3 significant spiritual encounters at the McDonald's on Monroe and Talmadge since we've been in Toledo. Let me share.
The first one was a week or two after we'd been here. We had a good conversation with a father there, which turned to spiritual matters after a while. Although I've not heard from the gentleman we spoke with that day, I believe it was not a fruitless discussion.
The second encounter was a rather roundabout one. One day, I was to catch a ride with a friend down at the rescue mission to go to a conference together. Well, his secretary told us both different times, so I missed him and was stranded. I ended up walking back toward home. About a fourth of the way I decided to catch a bus. I had a fiver in my pocket and thought I was set. When I boarded the bus, they only took exact change--$1 please. I was about to get off the bus when they young guy behind me offered to pay my fare. (It was a real lesson in humility for this middle-aged white dude from the innerurbs to have his $1 bus fare paid for by a kid from the hood.) We sat next to one another on the bus--he wasn't really talkative, but I thanked him and asked him where he worked. Bingo. McDonalds on the corner of Monroe and Talmadge. Two weeks later, I saw Corey sitting outside of his apartment building as I was driving downtown with the fam. We pulled a uey, and I jumped out, gave him a couple of bucks and told him he had offered me grace, and I wished to do the same. I shared with him briefly that we're starting a church and gave him an info card. I haven't heard from him since, but God's in the details.
Numero three: Today, Barb had a meeting with the Old Orchard Mom's group at our house, so I took the kids out for dinner at--drum roll, please--McDonalds on the corner of Monroe and Talmadge. While we're sitting there, I strike up a conversation with a couple of women who were there with their kids. Shortly after we start talking, one of them says, "Pastor Andy?" It was Nicole, a young mother of a student at Oscar's school with whom I had spoken and invited to our Bible study a couple of weeks ago, but hadn't seen her since. I hadn't recognized her at first because of her new weave, but the three of us struck up a conversation like we were old friends while our kids rampaged on the jungle gym. It ended with not only Nicole, but her sister planning on joining us this coming Sunday evening. You tell me, what are the chances?
I'm not sure what it is about that place, but Jesus seems to love hooking me up with people there, so I guess I'll keep going back. The food's not half-bad anyway. (did I just say that?)
This is the weirdest thing, but I've had 3 significant spiritual encounters at the McDonald's on Monroe and Talmadge since we've been in Toledo. Let me share.
The first one was a week or two after we'd been here. We had a good conversation with a father there, which turned to spiritual matters after a while. Although I've not heard from the gentleman we spoke with that day, I believe it was not a fruitless discussion.
The second encounter was a rather roundabout one. One day, I was to catch a ride with a friend down at the rescue mission to go to a conference together. Well, his secretary told us both different times, so I missed him and was stranded. I ended up walking back toward home. About a fourth of the way I decided to catch a bus. I had a fiver in my pocket and thought I was set. When I boarded the bus, they only took exact change--$1 please. I was about to get off the bus when they young guy behind me offered to pay my fare. (It was a real lesson in humility for this middle-aged white dude from the innerurbs to have his $1 bus fare paid for by a kid from the hood.) We sat next to one another on the bus--he wasn't really talkative, but I thanked him and asked him where he worked. Bingo. McDonalds on the corner of Monroe and Talmadge. Two weeks later, I saw Corey sitting outside of his apartment building as I was driving downtown with the fam. We pulled a uey, and I jumped out, gave him a couple of bucks and told him he had offered me grace, and I wished to do the same. I shared with him briefly that we're starting a church and gave him an info card. I haven't heard from him since, but God's in the details.
Numero three: Today, Barb had a meeting with the Old Orchard Mom's group at our house, so I took the kids out for dinner at--drum roll, please--McDonalds on the corner of Monroe and Talmadge. While we're sitting there, I strike up a conversation with a couple of women who were there with their kids. Shortly after we start talking, one of them says, "Pastor Andy?" It was Nicole, a young mother of a student at Oscar's school with whom I had spoken and invited to our Bible study a couple of weeks ago, but hadn't seen her since. I hadn't recognized her at first because of her new weave, but the three of us struck up a conversation like we were old friends while our kids rampaged on the jungle gym. It ended with not only Nicole, but her sister planning on joining us this coming Sunday evening. You tell me, what are the chances?
I'm not sure what it is about that place, but Jesus seems to love hooking me up with people there, so I guess I'll keep going back. The food's not half-bad anyway. (did I just say that?)
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
WWYD?
I was driving past a church today that had one of those marquee-like signs out front filled with what they hoped would pass for wit and/or wisdom. As most of us do, I glanced over to read what trifle it contained this week. At the same time, the car in front of me had applied its brakes to turn a corner. I had to stop harder than usual to avoid a collision.
The question then occurred to me: What if someone looking at that sign actually hit the car in front of them and, God forbid, actually killed someone in the collision?
Then I thought, what if the pastor of that church could somehow know that at some point in the future, that the church's sign would divert someone's attention long enough that they would accidentally kill another person in an accident? What would that pastor do?
Of course, we'd contend he or she would remove the sign immediately.
Ah, but here's the dilemma: What if the pastor could never tell anyone what he or she knew about the sign and its effects? And what if the people of said church were irate over the sign and demanded it be put back up? What if the issue threatened to divide and destroy the church? What if the issue caused someone to lose his or her faith?
WWYD?
What would you do if you were the pastor of that church?
The question then occurred to me: What if someone looking at that sign actually hit the car in front of them and, God forbid, actually killed someone in the collision?
Then I thought, what if the pastor of that church could somehow know that at some point in the future, that the church's sign would divert someone's attention long enough that they would accidentally kill another person in an accident? What would that pastor do?
Of course, we'd contend he or she would remove the sign immediately.
Ah, but here's the dilemma: What if the pastor could never tell anyone what he or she knew about the sign and its effects? And what if the people of said church were irate over the sign and demanded it be put back up? What if the issue threatened to divide and destroy the church? What if the issue caused someone to lose his or her faith?
WWYD?
What would you do if you were the pastor of that church?
Monday, September 15, 2008
Relational Evangelism
Just this past week I was talking with someone about Emmaus Road Church and the fact that we're still meeting on Sunday nights with just us and one other person. That's one new person total in over 5 1/2 months of ministy here in Toledo. Not exactly stellar if you use the standards by which many church plants are measured.
Now I'm as good at justifying myself and make excuses as the next person, but I don't think what I'm about to say concerning our "numbers" at ERC is in any way a justification or excuse for our low numbers.
The conversation I had earlier turned to the subject of evangelism. The question arose about whether we might need to do more head-on evangelism to reach people. I had explained that we've made numerous significant relationships with many neighbors and have had a lot of contacts with folks in the community around us. But the question remained, are all of those contacts and the relationships really getting it done when it comes to growing a church and reaching people for Christ? Good question, and one I've asked myself a lot over the last few years.
My conversation partner brought up two examples to prod me further. First, he asked about Jesus' calling of the disciples--"Come and follow me"--which appears to indicate Jesus made a cold call to join Him, and they did. Second, he asked about the examples of the Aposlte Paul and John Wesley who preached publicly in what ostensibly was non-relational evangelism--speaking to large, unfamiliar crowds.
It was in answering these two questions that the reality that good evangelism has always been relational became apparent.
Matthew 4: 18-21 is the reference to the calling of several of the disciples. Often when we read it we take it out of context or we don't do a little common sense thinking about it (we fail to use common sense way too often when we approach the Bible--not explaining things away, but simply using common sense). Usually when I've heard people talk about Jesus calling the disciples we assume that Jesus neither knew these men nor did they know him; He just walked up, and His personal charisma and attractiveness reeled them in (pardon the pun).
I read it a different way. What makes us think that Jesus didn't know them before? As a rabbi or teacher (as Jesus is often called), He would have had contact with many people through His teachings. As a person who had to eat, He would have to have bought food from the local fishmongers and fishermen. As a carpenter, He may have even crafted fishing boats for the locals. All of these instances provided ample opportunity for Jesus to have contact with them.
And even more than that, how many of us would drop everything--family, friends, house, job (assuming we like our job)--to follow someone we know nothing about? If we wouldn't, then common sense says they wouldn't either. Moreover, why would Jesus choose men about whom He knew nothing to carry on His work after He'd returned to heaven? Doesn't it make much more sense that Jesus would have chosen persons whose character and personality He knew something about?
But beyond all of this, we have record in John's gospel that Jesus did already know these men. John 1:35-42 let's us in on this fact. You say, "Ah, but what about Nathanael? (See John 1:43-51. Some scholars think that the disciple Bartholemew is the same person as Nathanael.) It seems Jesus didn't know him ahead of time."
It helps if we understand the phrase "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree." That phrase in Jewish tradition commonly referred to one who was a student of Torah, as rabbis were often said to sit down under a fig tree to teach their students. In other words, Jesus had seen Nathanael learning about Torah and the Messiah at a previous time, perhaps when Nathanael was unaware he was being observed. And to take the relational evangelism element even further, even though Nathanael may not have known Jesus personally up to this point, he never-the-less was brought to Jesus on the strong recommendation of a close friend, Philip.
Concerning the Apostle Paul and John Wesley's preaching, I would simply point out two things: First, both Paul and Wesley (and many others I might add) utilized the public forum in a way consistent with their culture. Open air preaching or teaching was more common then than it is today. People who preach on street corners today are more often than not seen as something out of the ordinary. In Paul's and Wesley's days, it was not so. Second, both of them, although they preached (evangelized) in a public setting, in a seemingly impersonal, non-relational sort of way, were preaching to folks many of whom would join or were already part of communities of Jews or gentile Christians. For Paul is was the synagogue or house churches of his day. For Wesley, it was the bands and societies that he started in every town he visited. There existed strong relational ties in both instances.
All of that is to say that relational evangelism is a legitimate, and perhaps even superior, form of evangelism and one that we would be smart to follow.
As we've attempted to make many friendships here in Toledo, we understand that it accomplishes two things. First, it connects us to each other as humans in a way that God intended; indeed, relationship makes us more human, more like God intended. Second, it gives those whom we know, the opportunity to see and feel the incarnational love of God in Christ through us, and hopefully, they will come to know the fullness of life that is in Jesus Christ too.
Well, if you've stuck around this long, I'd love to hear your thoughts--even, and especially if, you disagree with me. I'm certainly not done learning.
Now I'm as good at justifying myself and make excuses as the next person, but I don't think what I'm about to say concerning our "numbers" at ERC is in any way a justification or excuse for our low numbers.
The conversation I had earlier turned to the subject of evangelism. The question arose about whether we might need to do more head-on evangelism to reach people. I had explained that we've made numerous significant relationships with many neighbors and have had a lot of contacts with folks in the community around us. But the question remained, are all of those contacts and the relationships really getting it done when it comes to growing a church and reaching people for Christ? Good question, and one I've asked myself a lot over the last few years.
My conversation partner brought up two examples to prod me further. First, he asked about Jesus' calling of the disciples--"Come and follow me"--which appears to indicate Jesus made a cold call to join Him, and they did. Second, he asked about the examples of the Aposlte Paul and John Wesley who preached publicly in what ostensibly was non-relational evangelism--speaking to large, unfamiliar crowds.
It was in answering these two questions that the reality that good evangelism has always been relational became apparent.
Matthew 4: 18-21 is the reference to the calling of several of the disciples. Often when we read it we take it out of context or we don't do a little common sense thinking about it (we fail to use common sense way too often when we approach the Bible--not explaining things away, but simply using common sense). Usually when I've heard people talk about Jesus calling the disciples we assume that Jesus neither knew these men nor did they know him; He just walked up, and His personal charisma and attractiveness reeled them in (pardon the pun).
I read it a different way. What makes us think that Jesus didn't know them before? As a rabbi or teacher (as Jesus is often called), He would have had contact with many people through His teachings. As a person who had to eat, He would have to have bought food from the local fishmongers and fishermen. As a carpenter, He may have even crafted fishing boats for the locals. All of these instances provided ample opportunity for Jesus to have contact with them.
And even more than that, how many of us would drop everything--family, friends, house, job (assuming we like our job)--to follow someone we know nothing about? If we wouldn't, then common sense says they wouldn't either. Moreover, why would Jesus choose men about whom He knew nothing to carry on His work after He'd returned to heaven? Doesn't it make much more sense that Jesus would have chosen persons whose character and personality He knew something about?
But beyond all of this, we have record in John's gospel that Jesus did already know these men. John 1:35-42 let's us in on this fact. You say, "Ah, but what about Nathanael? (See John 1:43-51. Some scholars think that the disciple Bartholemew is the same person as Nathanael.) It seems Jesus didn't know him ahead of time."
It helps if we understand the phrase "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree." That phrase in Jewish tradition commonly referred to one who was a student of Torah, as rabbis were often said to sit down under a fig tree to teach their students. In other words, Jesus had seen Nathanael learning about Torah and the Messiah at a previous time, perhaps when Nathanael was unaware he was being observed. And to take the relational evangelism element even further, even though Nathanael may not have known Jesus personally up to this point, he never-the-less was brought to Jesus on the strong recommendation of a close friend, Philip.
Concerning the Apostle Paul and John Wesley's preaching, I would simply point out two things: First, both Paul and Wesley (and many others I might add) utilized the public forum in a way consistent with their culture. Open air preaching or teaching was more common then than it is today. People who preach on street corners today are more often than not seen as something out of the ordinary. In Paul's and Wesley's days, it was not so. Second, both of them, although they preached (evangelized) in a public setting, in a seemingly impersonal, non-relational sort of way, were preaching to folks many of whom would join or were already part of communities of Jews or gentile Christians. For Paul is was the synagogue or house churches of his day. For Wesley, it was the bands and societies that he started in every town he visited. There existed strong relational ties in both instances.
All of that is to say that relational evangelism is a legitimate, and perhaps even superior, form of evangelism and one that we would be smart to follow.
As we've attempted to make many friendships here in Toledo, we understand that it accomplishes two things. First, it connects us to each other as humans in a way that God intended; indeed, relationship makes us more human, more like God intended. Second, it gives those whom we know, the opportunity to see and feel the incarnational love of God in Christ through us, and hopefully, they will come to know the fullness of life that is in Jesus Christ too.
Well, if you've stuck around this long, I'd love to hear your thoughts--even, and especially if, you disagree with me. I'm certainly not done learning.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
God Bless America!
After watching both political parties hold conventions the last two weeks, it appears that "God Bless America" is the new black. You couldn't be blamed if you thought the candidates were wind-up dolls who, when you pulled their strings their little electronic voices proffered you a very merry "God bless you, and God bless America!"
It's a common sentiment to voice and even desire in this proud country of ours. Especially as Christians, we want God to rest His blessing on us and the place we call home. It just makes sense.
While I don't think it's wrong to ask for God's wisdom, guidance, and blessing for our nation, too often we confuse our nationality with our Christianity. Or should I say we mix our nationality with our Christianity in a dangerous way. What happens is that we implicitly begin to believe that God's special favor resides with us in a way that it doesn't with other countries--especially ones where the people wear turbans and pray five times a day (far more than many Christians, I might add).
The other day I read the Book of Amos chapter 9, and it's been stuck in my craw ever since. I'm just putting it out there for you to consider in relation to the divine invocation we so often hear and the sentiments that undergird it. Here it is. Let me know what you think.
“Are you Israelites more important to me than the Ethiopians?” asks the Lord. “I brought Israel out of Egypt, but I also brought the Philistines from Crete and led the Arameans out of Kir.
“I, the Sovereign Lord, am watching this sinful nation of Israel. I will destroy it from the face of the earth. But I will never completely destroy the family of Israel,” says the Lord. “For I will give the command and will shake Israel along with the other nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, yet not one true kernel will be lost. 10 But all the sinners will die by the sword—all those who say, ‘Nothing bad will happen to us.’" (Amos 9:7-10, NLT).
It's a common sentiment to voice and even desire in this proud country of ours. Especially as Christians, we want God to rest His blessing on us and the place we call home. It just makes sense.
While I don't think it's wrong to ask for God's wisdom, guidance, and blessing for our nation, too often we confuse our nationality with our Christianity. Or should I say we mix our nationality with our Christianity in a dangerous way. What happens is that we implicitly begin to believe that God's special favor resides with us in a way that it doesn't with other countries--especially ones where the people wear turbans and pray five times a day (far more than many Christians, I might add).
The other day I read the Book of Amos chapter 9, and it's been stuck in my craw ever since. I'm just putting it out there for you to consider in relation to the divine invocation we so often hear and the sentiments that undergird it. Here it is. Let me know what you think.
“Are you Israelites more important to me than the Ethiopians?” asks the Lord. “I brought Israel out of Egypt, but I also brought the Philistines from Crete and led the Arameans out of Kir.
“I, the Sovereign Lord, am watching this sinful nation of Israel. I will destroy it from the face of the earth. But I will never completely destroy the family of Israel,” says the Lord. “For I will give the command and will shake Israel along with the other nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, yet not one true kernel will be lost. 10 But all the sinners will die by the sword—all those who say, ‘Nothing bad will happen to us.’" (Amos 9:7-10, NLT).
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
The Problem with Politics
The real problem in politics seems to me to be that when you vote for a person--you end up voting for his or her party also--and all the people that are in that party. In effect you're saying, ostensibly, that you give your approval to that party and everything it stands for. That's harsh.
Anyway, I listened to several of the RNC speeches tonight, and the fact remains that based on experience and substance, John McCain seems to have a very strong upper hand. If voting were based on charisma, Obama wins in a landslide. If voting is based on ability and experience, McCain comes out ahead. I can't wait for the debates (I'm betting we'll actually see fisticuffs at the vice presidential debate!).
I wonder how many other people are still making up their minds in this election.
Anyway, I listened to several of the RNC speeches tonight, and the fact remains that based on experience and substance, John McCain seems to have a very strong upper hand. If voting were based on charisma, Obama wins in a landslide. If voting is based on ability and experience, McCain comes out ahead. I can't wait for the debates (I'm betting we'll actually see fisticuffs at the vice presidential debate!).
I wonder how many other people are still making up their minds in this election.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
DNC--Senator Obama's Speech
If you didn't get a chance to hear Barack Obama's speech tonight, do yourself a favor--find it and listen. I've rarely, if ever, heard something so inspiring.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Seeing Through the Microscope
So tonight I attended a house gathering of Barack Obama supporters. That's not to say I'm definitely voting for Mr. Obama in November. Nor is it to say I'm voting for John McCain. But as I've been searching the issues, reading what the candidates are saying, I wanted to see what was happening and being said at the local level.
I fully expected a room full of hip, urban, young people of varied backgrounds. What I discovered was that I was the youngest in the room by a good 30 years. Granted, this was a small meeting for which about 80 invitiations had been distributed door-to-door by the host, but I confess it surprised me.
Fairly quickly we got into the "Go around the room and introduce yourself" bit. The ironic thing about it was that these "liberal" folks were just as quick to disparage anyone who might be a Republican as those right-leaning folks whom they accuse of doing the same to them. I heard several times how they couldn't imagine in their wildest dreams how anyone in their right mind could ever vote for a Republican. One person even went so far as to say Republicans must have their heads buried in the sand.
So it was interesting when it got to me. In a poetic justice sort of way, I got to go last. I told them it was a good thing they were sitting down because I am a registered Republican. But then, as graciously yet honestly as I could, I proceeded to tell them precisely why I was there. In all sincerity, I'm trying to make a decision based on what the candidates have to say and what they stand for and what kind of character I perceive them to have and how they handle the issues rather than on what some political pundit or talk-radio loudmouth has to say.
I shared with them that I think the problem with out politicians today is that they simply opt for what's expedient to the exclusion of what is right or what is healthy long-term. Too often they make decisions based on what will get them re-elected or what vote will garner more money rather than what is actually good for the people and the country they represent. And we can't blame just one political party--both Democrats AND Republicans are to be held accountable for many of the problems of not just the last eight years, as many at the meeting had been quick to point out, but the last 16 years and beyond. More than that, it's not just politicians who are to blame, it's all of us--the American people. We have become a country of people obsessed with possessions, comfort, and personal "rights" to the exclusion of ever making sacrifices for the good of others and all. We demand of our leaders that they enable us to live these hedonistic and utterly selfish lives. We consume without ever thinking of how it affects our brothers and sisters here, around the world, and in the future.
I'm leaning toward Barack Obama in part because of how I see his faith in Jesus Christ informing his decisions. From what I've seen so far, he seems to be a man who is deeply engaged in wrestling with the issues we all face--and not just in a politically expedient sort of way. The way he speaks about them betrays an acknowledgement that not everything in life is simply black and white--there are many shades of gray in this world. We cannot afford to adopt pat answers because our politics or religion beg us to. Jesus never fell into the trap of giving easy answers to hard questions. In fact, He often confronted such questions with more questions. There are no easy answers.
What struck me the most about this setting, was the sad fact of how quickly we create and adhere to caricatures of others. The folks at this gathering--good people, concerned for our country and for others--so easily resorted to name calling and strawman arguments. It was an us-versus-them mentality. This was evident when I shared my views on the immoral nature of abortion and why we should have laws against it. One man stated he was a Roman Catholic and that he thought abortion was immoral, but that we can't legislate morality. I didn't respond--I simply said I disagree but that this meeting wasn't a place to get into that discussion. I knew I wasn't going to convince any of them there of my position anyway (although, he was WRONG of course--we legislate morality all the time as in such areas as murder, stealing, welfare, healthcare, and so on).
My hope about Barack Obama is that he is not a black and white, us-versus-them, pat answer, party-line kind of person. I hope that he is a person whose confessed faith in Jesus Christ engages every part of his being in a way that it informs and shapes the decisions he makes. It may not always lead him to come down on the same side of the decisions that I would, but at least I think I can trust that he is engaged in that theological, philosophical, ethical process.
Shortly before I left, one of my last comments was to reflect on what I read a delegate say at one of 2004's national conventions. He said that if we could stop looking at each other through a telescope and start viewing each other through a microscope we would be much better off. I think what he meant was that the more we start seeing each other as brothers and sisters instead of these sad caricatures we want to make of each other (whether it be political, racial, ethnic, economic, national, and so on), the sooner we'll realize how much we need each other, and how much we owe to each other as fellow human beings.
And really, isn't that what Jesus demonstrated? He came down to the personal level to rescue us from the sinful caricatures we'd become--from the hopelessly self-centered, myopic, hateful, people we are. As Athanasius (and some say Irenaeus before him) once said, "God became one of us so that we could become like Him."
I'm still not sure who I'll be voting for--I could certainly change my mind between now and November. But two things I pray for is the grace to be Christlike to others around me during this political process, and that God would guide us (and we would listen!) to elect the person who will most reflect His will.
I fully expected a room full of hip, urban, young people of varied backgrounds. What I discovered was that I was the youngest in the room by a good 30 years. Granted, this was a small meeting for which about 80 invitiations had been distributed door-to-door by the host, but I confess it surprised me.
Fairly quickly we got into the "Go around the room and introduce yourself" bit. The ironic thing about it was that these "liberal" folks were just as quick to disparage anyone who might be a Republican as those right-leaning folks whom they accuse of doing the same to them. I heard several times how they couldn't imagine in their wildest dreams how anyone in their right mind could ever vote for a Republican. One person even went so far as to say Republicans must have their heads buried in the sand.
So it was interesting when it got to me. In a poetic justice sort of way, I got to go last. I told them it was a good thing they were sitting down because I am a registered Republican. But then, as graciously yet honestly as I could, I proceeded to tell them precisely why I was there. In all sincerity, I'm trying to make a decision based on what the candidates have to say and what they stand for and what kind of character I perceive them to have and how they handle the issues rather than on what some political pundit or talk-radio loudmouth has to say.
I shared with them that I think the problem with out politicians today is that they simply opt for what's expedient to the exclusion of what is right or what is healthy long-term. Too often they make decisions based on what will get them re-elected or what vote will garner more money rather than what is actually good for the people and the country they represent. And we can't blame just one political party--both Democrats AND Republicans are to be held accountable for many of the problems of not just the last eight years, as many at the meeting had been quick to point out, but the last 16 years and beyond. More than that, it's not just politicians who are to blame, it's all of us--the American people. We have become a country of people obsessed with possessions, comfort, and personal "rights" to the exclusion of ever making sacrifices for the good of others and all. We demand of our leaders that they enable us to live these hedonistic and utterly selfish lives. We consume without ever thinking of how it affects our brothers and sisters here, around the world, and in the future.
I'm leaning toward Barack Obama in part because of how I see his faith in Jesus Christ informing his decisions. From what I've seen so far, he seems to be a man who is deeply engaged in wrestling with the issues we all face--and not just in a politically expedient sort of way. The way he speaks about them betrays an acknowledgement that not everything in life is simply black and white--there are many shades of gray in this world. We cannot afford to adopt pat answers because our politics or religion beg us to. Jesus never fell into the trap of giving easy answers to hard questions. In fact, He often confronted such questions with more questions. There are no easy answers.
What struck me the most about this setting, was the sad fact of how quickly we create and adhere to caricatures of others. The folks at this gathering--good people, concerned for our country and for others--so easily resorted to name calling and strawman arguments. It was an us-versus-them mentality. This was evident when I shared my views on the immoral nature of abortion and why we should have laws against it. One man stated he was a Roman Catholic and that he thought abortion was immoral, but that we can't legislate morality. I didn't respond--I simply said I disagree but that this meeting wasn't a place to get into that discussion. I knew I wasn't going to convince any of them there of my position anyway (although, he was WRONG of course--we legislate morality all the time as in such areas as murder, stealing, welfare, healthcare, and so on).
My hope about Barack Obama is that he is not a black and white, us-versus-them, pat answer, party-line kind of person. I hope that he is a person whose confessed faith in Jesus Christ engages every part of his being in a way that it informs and shapes the decisions he makes. It may not always lead him to come down on the same side of the decisions that I would, but at least I think I can trust that he is engaged in that theological, philosophical, ethical process.
Shortly before I left, one of my last comments was to reflect on what I read a delegate say at one of 2004's national conventions. He said that if we could stop looking at each other through a telescope and start viewing each other through a microscope we would be much better off. I think what he meant was that the more we start seeing each other as brothers and sisters instead of these sad caricatures we want to make of each other (whether it be political, racial, ethnic, economic, national, and so on), the sooner we'll realize how much we need each other, and how much we owe to each other as fellow human beings.
And really, isn't that what Jesus demonstrated? He came down to the personal level to rescue us from the sinful caricatures we'd become--from the hopelessly self-centered, myopic, hateful, people we are. As Athanasius (and some say Irenaeus before him) once said, "God became one of us so that we could become like Him."
I'm still not sure who I'll be voting for--I could certainly change my mind between now and November. But two things I pray for is the grace to be Christlike to others around me during this political process, and that God would guide us (and we would listen!) to elect the person who will most reflect His will.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Coincidence? I think not.
Remember the old Time Life Books commercials for "Mysteries of the Unknown"? They always ended with the phrase, "Coincidence? I think not."
Ever since we've been here in Toledo, there have been so many times where something has happened that left me saying "Coincidence? I think not!" I'm not talking paranormal experiences, or ghosts in our hallways. God has been working in our lives and circumstances in incredible ways--ways I almost wouldn't believe if I weren't experiencing them.
I've already mentioned how I met Dan Rogers here, so I won't go over that again. But in the last couple of weeks, a few more experiences have left us nearly breathless.
We were visiting Trinity Church of the Nazarene two weks ago. We walked in and were greeted warmly by several people, but then as we entered the sanctuary, a woman came up to us and asked who we were. We told her, and then, out of nowhere, she asked if I might perchance have been a worship leader or could lead worship. Of course I've led worship for over 8 years prior to this, so I told her that. She was elated, said she'd been praying and asking God to bring someone her way who could lead worship at the Toledo Christian Schools' junior/senior school retreat. Barb and I just felt like God had certainly brought us together with this woman that morning. After praying about it, I agreed to lead it. I'm still amazed; who knows what God has in store for us and Emmaus Road Church as a result of the upcoming retreat?
A second, maybe even more amazing incident happened last weekend at the Leadership Summit which was put on by the WillowCreek Association. I had heard about it when we visited a large (8,000 person) church which was hosting the Summit in Toledo via satellite connection (there were 100,000 people across the U.S. involved, btw), but for financial reasons I had decided not to attend. Then, two weeks before the Summit, Dan from the mission e-mailed and asked if I wanted to be their guest at the event--which meant everything was paid for.
So, I went, and God once again worked in an amazing way. The testimonies and teaching of the speakers continued to confirm in my heart that we're doing what God has for us. But more than that, Dan introduced me to about a dozen church leaders from across Toledo who are at the forefront of ministry and ministry ideas. Suffice it to say that I'm now set to meet with several of them in the coming months to talk about church planting, to network with other church planters and leaders, and simply to receive encouragement and wisdom from them.
One such person was Lee Powell who is the pastor of Cedar Creek, the 8,000 person church hosting the Summit. Because I've been to the Cedar Creek, Toledo campus on several occasions, I'd heard him talk about his vision for planting 12 new churches by 2015 (6 would be part of Cedar Creek and 6 would be from other traditions). On Thursday when Dan introduced me to Lee, we spoke for a minute about a shared Nazarene background (his grandmother was Nazarene and his first church experience was in a Nazarene church) and briefly about Emmaus Road Church. But even more amazing was the next day, Friday, when I was talking with another pastor friend, Bill Roman (my local spiritual mentor) from Hope Lutheran, and he once again pulled Lee aside to introduce me. Obviously we'd already met, but Lee went a step further to tell me about their 12 by 2015 initiative and asked me to e-mail him because perhaps we could be one of the churches they sponsor that would not be a part of Cedar Creek itself. I was blown away.
I'm not saying anything is a done deal, or that any of these meetings will necessarily mean huge things for us or Emmaus Road Church, but there was no way that on my own or in my own strength I could have been connected with so many people who have the potential to be friends and helpers on this journey had it not been for God working things out this way.
Finally, I want to briefly mention about the possibility of getting a building for Emmaus Road church to meet in. About 3 months ago, I met Bruce Ott, the owner of a dental lab that makes crowns and bridges. I was out visiting and praying for people in the community when I stopped by his office. I soon found out he was a believer and at the end of our conversation he said, "If you guys ever need a building for your church, let's talk because we have a space for lease next door." I told him I'd pray about it and get back with him.
Fast forward to three weeks ago. I went back and spoke with him again in further detail about the building. He showed me around the space and told me in effect that they really would like to get some good neighbors in there and would love if it was our church. He said they'd really like to work with us on a price. To make a long story short, he offered it to us at 1/3 of price they were asking through their realtor! It's 1,000 square feet down stairs and has 3/4 rooms upstairs. It really would be perfect for ERC because it would provide plenty of worship space as well as children's ministry rooms upstairs. Not only that, but it's on one of the busiest streets in Toledo and only about 5 blocks away from our house.
The last part of the story has to do with the ability of Emmaus Road Church to afford the space. Even though it's an awesome deal, the only income we have at this point is our tithe which isn't enough to cover the cost let alone the utilities and such. But God knows this already. As we were praying about this, and before we even made the need known to anyone, we got a check made out to the church from Barb's grandfather. He said he felt God laid it on his heart to begin giving this amount monthly to ERC! Of course the amount more than put us over what we need for rent and would cover utilities also. Like I said, we hadn't told anyone about the need. God placed it on his heart and provided beyond what we could even imagine.
I know this has been a long entry, but I wanted to praise God and also encourage you, wherever you are, that God works in amazing ways when you put yourself in position to see and receive whatever it is He wants to do in your life.
One of the speakers that spoke at the Summit said, "God doesn't want to make you safe. He wants to make you brave." I hope that if you're not already putting your full trust in God by getting out of your comfort zone to a place where God can use you, that perhaps this post might be the encouragement you need to begin doing so today.
Ever since we've been here in Toledo, there have been so many times where something has happened that left me saying "Coincidence? I think not!" I'm not talking paranormal experiences, or ghosts in our hallways. God has been working in our lives and circumstances in incredible ways--ways I almost wouldn't believe if I weren't experiencing them.
I've already mentioned how I met Dan Rogers here, so I won't go over that again. But in the last couple of weeks, a few more experiences have left us nearly breathless.
We were visiting Trinity Church of the Nazarene two weks ago. We walked in and were greeted warmly by several people, but then as we entered the sanctuary, a woman came up to us and asked who we were. We told her, and then, out of nowhere, she asked if I might perchance have been a worship leader or could lead worship. Of course I've led worship for over 8 years prior to this, so I told her that. She was elated, said she'd been praying and asking God to bring someone her way who could lead worship at the Toledo Christian Schools' junior/senior school retreat. Barb and I just felt like God had certainly brought us together with this woman that morning. After praying about it, I agreed to lead it. I'm still amazed; who knows what God has in store for us and Emmaus Road Church as a result of the upcoming retreat?
A second, maybe even more amazing incident happened last weekend at the Leadership Summit which was put on by the WillowCreek Association. I had heard about it when we visited a large (8,000 person) church which was hosting the Summit in Toledo via satellite connection (there were 100,000 people across the U.S. involved, btw), but for financial reasons I had decided not to attend. Then, two weeks before the Summit, Dan from the mission e-mailed and asked if I wanted to be their guest at the event--which meant everything was paid for.
So, I went, and God once again worked in an amazing way. The testimonies and teaching of the speakers continued to confirm in my heart that we're doing what God has for us. But more than that, Dan introduced me to about a dozen church leaders from across Toledo who are at the forefront of ministry and ministry ideas. Suffice it to say that I'm now set to meet with several of them in the coming months to talk about church planting, to network with other church planters and leaders, and simply to receive encouragement and wisdom from them.
One such person was Lee Powell who is the pastor of Cedar Creek, the 8,000 person church hosting the Summit. Because I've been to the Cedar Creek, Toledo campus on several occasions, I'd heard him talk about his vision for planting 12 new churches by 2015 (6 would be part of Cedar Creek and 6 would be from other traditions). On Thursday when Dan introduced me to Lee, we spoke for a minute about a shared Nazarene background (his grandmother was Nazarene and his first church experience was in a Nazarene church) and briefly about Emmaus Road Church. But even more amazing was the next day, Friday, when I was talking with another pastor friend, Bill Roman (my local spiritual mentor) from Hope Lutheran, and he once again pulled Lee aside to introduce me. Obviously we'd already met, but Lee went a step further to tell me about their 12 by 2015 initiative and asked me to e-mail him because perhaps we could be one of the churches they sponsor that would not be a part of Cedar Creek itself. I was blown away.
I'm not saying anything is a done deal, or that any of these meetings will necessarily mean huge things for us or Emmaus Road Church, but there was no way that on my own or in my own strength I could have been connected with so many people who have the potential to be friends and helpers on this journey had it not been for God working things out this way.
Finally, I want to briefly mention about the possibility of getting a building for Emmaus Road church to meet in. About 3 months ago, I met Bruce Ott, the owner of a dental lab that makes crowns and bridges. I was out visiting and praying for people in the community when I stopped by his office. I soon found out he was a believer and at the end of our conversation he said, "If you guys ever need a building for your church, let's talk because we have a space for lease next door." I told him I'd pray about it and get back with him.
Fast forward to three weeks ago. I went back and spoke with him again in further detail about the building. He showed me around the space and told me in effect that they really would like to get some good neighbors in there and would love if it was our church. He said they'd really like to work with us on a price. To make a long story short, he offered it to us at 1/3 of price they were asking through their realtor! It's 1,000 square feet down stairs and has 3/4 rooms upstairs. It really would be perfect for ERC because it would provide plenty of worship space as well as children's ministry rooms upstairs. Not only that, but it's on one of the busiest streets in Toledo and only about 5 blocks away from our house.
The last part of the story has to do with the ability of Emmaus Road Church to afford the space. Even though it's an awesome deal, the only income we have at this point is our tithe which isn't enough to cover the cost let alone the utilities and such. But God knows this already. As we were praying about this, and before we even made the need known to anyone, we got a check made out to the church from Barb's grandfather. He said he felt God laid it on his heart to begin giving this amount monthly to ERC! Of course the amount more than put us over what we need for rent and would cover utilities also. Like I said, we hadn't told anyone about the need. God placed it on his heart and provided beyond what we could even imagine.
I know this has been a long entry, but I wanted to praise God and also encourage you, wherever you are, that God works in amazing ways when you put yourself in position to see and receive whatever it is He wants to do in your life.
One of the speakers that spoke at the Summit said, "God doesn't want to make you safe. He wants to make you brave." I hope that if you're not already putting your full trust in God by getting out of your comfort zone to a place where God can use you, that perhaps this post might be the encouragement you need to begin doing so today.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
More from Solzhenitsyn
So I've been reading a some more of Alexander Solzhenitsyn's writings and came across his address to students at Harvard University just over 30 years ago. It's remarkable how prescient is his analysis of our current state of society--as if he foresaw where America and much of the West would be 3 decades later. I might also argue that this address might be one of the earliest and clearest portents of postmodernism as we are experiencing it today. Finally, his prescription for the way forward preceded and yet stands perfectly in line with where many of our leading contemporary Christian thinkers believe we ought to go.
While I won't copy all of the address here, I would like to reprint his concluding remarks. If you'd like to read the address in its entirety, you can read it here.
Here are his final remarks. Tell me if they aren't spot on.
"I am not examining here the case of a world war disaster and the changes which it would produce in society. As long as we wake up every morning under a peaceful sun, we have to lead an everyday life. There is a disaster, however, which has already been under way for quite some time. I am referring to the calamity of a despiritualized and irreligious humanistic consciousness.
To such consciousness, man is the touchstone in judging and evaluating everything on earth. Imperfect man, who is never free of pride, self-interest, envy, vanity, and dozens of other defects. We are now experiencing the consequences of mistakes which had not been noticed at the beginning of the journey. On the way from the Renaissance to our days we have enriched our experience, but we have lost the concept of a Supreme Complete Entity which used to restrain our passions and our irresponsibility. We have placed too much hope in political and social reforms, only to find out that we were being deprived of our most precious possession: our spiritual life. In the East, it is destroyed by the dealings and machinations of the ruling party. In the West, commercial interests tend to suffocate it. This is the real crisis. The split in the world is less terrible than the similarity of the disease plaguing its main sections.
If humanism were right in declaring that man is born to be happy, he would not be born to die. Since his body is doomed to die, his task on earth evidently must be of a more spiritual nature. It cannot unrestrained enjoyment of everyday life. It cannot be the search for the best ways to obtain material goods and then cheerfully get the most out of them. It has to be the fulfillment of a permanent, earnest duty so that one's life journey may become an experience of moral growth, so that one may leave life a better human being than one started it. It is imperative to review the table of widespread human values. Its present incorrectness is astounding. It is not possible that assessment of the President's performance be reduced to the question of how much money one makes or of unlimited availability of gasoline. Only voluntary, inspired self-restraint can raise man above the world stream of materialism.
It would be retrogression to attach oneself today to the ossified formulas of the Enlightenment. Social dogmatism leaves us completely helpless in front of the trials of our times.
Even if we are spared destruction by war, our lives will have to change if we want to save life from self-destruction. We cannot avoid revising the fundamental definitions of human life and human society. Is it true that man is above everything? Is there no Superior Spirit above him? Is it right that man's life and society's activities have to be determined by material expansion in the first place? Is it permissible to promote such expansion to the detriment of our spiritual integrity?
If the world has not come to its end, it has approached a major turn in history, equal in importance to the turn from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. It will exact from us a spiritual upsurge, we shall have to rise to a new height of vision, to a new level of life where our physical nature will not be cursed as in the Middle Ages, but, even more importantly, our spiritual being will not be trampled upon as in the Modern era.
This ascension will be similar to climbing onto the next anthropologic stage. No one on earth has any other way left but -- upward."
While I won't copy all of the address here, I would like to reprint his concluding remarks. If you'd like to read the address in its entirety, you can read it here.
Here are his final remarks. Tell me if they aren't spot on.
"I am not examining here the case of a world war disaster and the changes which it would produce in society. As long as we wake up every morning under a peaceful sun, we have to lead an everyday life. There is a disaster, however, which has already been under way for quite some time. I am referring to the calamity of a despiritualized and irreligious humanistic consciousness.
To such consciousness, man is the touchstone in judging and evaluating everything on earth. Imperfect man, who is never free of pride, self-interest, envy, vanity, and dozens of other defects. We are now experiencing the consequences of mistakes which had not been noticed at the beginning of the journey. On the way from the Renaissance to our days we have enriched our experience, but we have lost the concept of a Supreme Complete Entity which used to restrain our passions and our irresponsibility. We have placed too much hope in political and social reforms, only to find out that we were being deprived of our most precious possession: our spiritual life. In the East, it is destroyed by the dealings and machinations of the ruling party. In the West, commercial interests tend to suffocate it. This is the real crisis. The split in the world is less terrible than the similarity of the disease plaguing its main sections.
If humanism were right in declaring that man is born to be happy, he would not be born to die. Since his body is doomed to die, his task on earth evidently must be of a more spiritual nature. It cannot unrestrained enjoyment of everyday life. It cannot be the search for the best ways to obtain material goods and then cheerfully get the most out of them. It has to be the fulfillment of a permanent, earnest duty so that one's life journey may become an experience of moral growth, so that one may leave life a better human being than one started it. It is imperative to review the table of widespread human values. Its present incorrectness is astounding. It is not possible that assessment of the President's performance be reduced to the question of how much money one makes or of unlimited availability of gasoline. Only voluntary, inspired self-restraint can raise man above the world stream of materialism.
It would be retrogression to attach oneself today to the ossified formulas of the Enlightenment. Social dogmatism leaves us completely helpless in front of the trials of our times.
Even if we are spared destruction by war, our lives will have to change if we want to save life from self-destruction. We cannot avoid revising the fundamental definitions of human life and human society. Is it true that man is above everything? Is there no Superior Spirit above him? Is it right that man's life and society's activities have to be determined by material expansion in the first place? Is it permissible to promote such expansion to the detriment of our spiritual integrity?
If the world has not come to its end, it has approached a major turn in history, equal in importance to the turn from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. It will exact from us a spiritual upsurge, we shall have to rise to a new height of vision, to a new level of life where our physical nature will not be cursed as in the Middle Ages, but, even more importantly, our spiritual being will not be trampled upon as in the Modern era.
This ascension will be similar to climbing onto the next anthropologic stage. No one on earth has any other way left but -- upward."
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Goodbye Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Alexander Solzhenitsyn died today. God be praised for the life and work of this man. Peace be with you.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Night at the Mission
It's been two weeks now since I spent a night at a local rescue mission in cognito. I wanted to write about it before the experience is too far past.
I chose to go there because I hoped to come away from the experience with a little more understanding and sympathy for those living life on the streets. I also hoped to get a better grip on the stratification that exists in our society between the haves and the have-nots. I defintely got both.
The whole idea was sparked by the girl who presented at the orientation I attended for those interested in volunteering at the mission. At one point she noted that prior to them hiring a new person, they used to ask him or her to actually spend a night living with the men or women at the mission. They no longer require this, but the idea stuck with me.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized how far from that lifestyle I really am--not that I couldn't end up there in a heartbeat--but all of us so insulate ourselves from the struggles of the thousands of homeless and millions of poverty-stricken people in our society that we cannot fathom what their lives must be like. Consequently we often lack any real compassion for them.
After this experience, I don't profess to "understand" homelessness and its many causes. Nor do I have any real answers to propose. Instead, I believe I simply grasp a little better what it is to spend a night there and the lives of the individuals who call it home.
Check in was at 7:00. After dressing in some fairly normal, perhaps slightly worn-looking clothes and a baseball cap, Barb and the kids dropped me off at 6:30, 6 blocks from the mission.
I got there early and, like the others, I loitered around the front of the building until the doors opened. A lot of cars traveled that street and would stop at the intersection in front of the mission. For the first time in my life, I felt the humiliation of being eyed with contempt or completely ignored by passersby simply for being homeless--judged and labeled, even though they didn't know me at all.
Once we got inside the building, we all stood in a waiting area. In the corner was a man lying half-dressed on a dirty sleeping bag. Another man in a Reds baseball cap sat nearby rocking and mumbling to himself. There were your typical homeless-looking men, bearded, disheveled, hardened, but there were also many others who, had they not been standing in line with me, you wouldn't be able to identify them as anything but ordinary citizens with homes in the 'burbs. And that was one of the things that stood out so starkly to me--many of these men are simply there because they need a place of transition between their former life and their new, and hopefully different, one.
During check in I observed how the staff treated the men. It was obvious that they were professionals as they proceeded in the difficult task with ease. At one point, after having his bag checked through, a man was told to leave and not return until he had gotten rid of the liquer and pornography he'd hidden in his bag. The staff person was firm and straight faced, but he remained friendly throughout. Never once did I witness anyone being treated poorly or with disrespect.
As my turn came to check in, they patted me down for weapons, checked my bag, took my name, and sent me in to find my way around. If there was any apprehension on my part that night, it was then. I didn't really know where to go or what to do. As I was wondering the halls, one of those "homeless-looking" men came up and gave me some direction as to what I should do. When I said thanks, he responded, "Hey, we've all had our first time here before." I'm not saying that the mission is a place you'd want to spend the rest of your life it, or that it's heaven on earth, but inspite of their living conditions and the daily grind of life on the street, kindness still existed in the hearts of some of these men.
Following his advice, I found my way to where they kept the sleeping mats. Since it was my first night, I got to spend the night on the floor. I entered a large room containing about 25 bunk beds. Each one had a fairly clean looking mattress which the men covered with the clean sheets the staff gave to each of us. I found a place on the floor that was as out of the way as I could get and made my bed. I pretty much spent the rest of the evening from 7:45 until midnight lying there listening to the conversations around me.
Many of the men there were just out of prison and trying to get back on their feet. It surpised me how many of them had cell phones and spent a lot of time talking on them. The banter was friendly and you could tell many of them knew each other pretty well. Certain men seemed to have more authority in the place that others. There was some friendly bickering over which direction the large industrial fan in the corner would face as it was hot in there. Gradually the men continued to file in until most of the beds were full.
Sleep was hard to come by. Like I said, it was nearly midnight before I could fall asleep. Part of it was because my mind was processing the experience, but part of it was the discomfort of the floor, the heat, the noise, the talking, and the turning on and off of lights (to much protest) as someone had to look for something. I had slept for a couple of hours when loud sirens passed by and woke many of us up again. This happened again at about 4:30 a.m. I'd finally gotten back to sleep when at 5:30, the lights came on and we all received the morning wake up call. It was back to the streets.
I folded my bed and made my way back out the front door. By now, the floors were crowded with men lying all around. I could tell that the men I had come in with at 7:00 the night before were probably some of the onse who had some hope of getting out of this cycle. But the men I saw on the floors, meaning they were first-timers like me or they were too late to get a bed, looked much harder, much more abused and wasted. I guess many were probably drug addicts who stumbled in after their stash or their money ran out and the high started to wear off. To see human beings in such a state left me deeply saddened.
Once outside, it was strange how the men simply faded into the background of the city. Like grains of sand they sifted along the streets, between the buildings, until they came to their resting place for the day. Some certainly went to jobs, but many others would sink to the sewers of society until evening came once again.
The message of the mission is this: "Rescuing the downtrodden. Restoring hope to the hopeless. Releasing God's greatness to our communities." In some sense, I witnessed that first hand as men found food, shelter, and a sense of dignity in that building and through the staff. At the same time, I left feeling discouraged because homelessness and its deeper causes will, as Jesus said, always be among us. What keeps driving us, and even more, the staff of the mission, to continue to care for these men when there's little outward sign of appreciation and perhaps even contempt? I concluded that it could only be the work of Christ in our hearts and the understanding that when we serve the least of these, we are serving Jesus himself. God, help me never to forget it.
I chose to go there because I hoped to come away from the experience with a little more understanding and sympathy for those living life on the streets. I also hoped to get a better grip on the stratification that exists in our society between the haves and the have-nots. I defintely got both.
The whole idea was sparked by the girl who presented at the orientation I attended for those interested in volunteering at the mission. At one point she noted that prior to them hiring a new person, they used to ask him or her to actually spend a night living with the men or women at the mission. They no longer require this, but the idea stuck with me.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized how far from that lifestyle I really am--not that I couldn't end up there in a heartbeat--but all of us so insulate ourselves from the struggles of the thousands of homeless and millions of poverty-stricken people in our society that we cannot fathom what their lives must be like. Consequently we often lack any real compassion for them.
After this experience, I don't profess to "understand" homelessness and its many causes. Nor do I have any real answers to propose. Instead, I believe I simply grasp a little better what it is to spend a night there and the lives of the individuals who call it home.
Check in was at 7:00. After dressing in some fairly normal, perhaps slightly worn-looking clothes and a baseball cap, Barb and the kids dropped me off at 6:30, 6 blocks from the mission.
I got there early and, like the others, I loitered around the front of the building until the doors opened. A lot of cars traveled that street and would stop at the intersection in front of the mission. For the first time in my life, I felt the humiliation of being eyed with contempt or completely ignored by passersby simply for being homeless--judged and labeled, even though they didn't know me at all.
Once we got inside the building, we all stood in a waiting area. In the corner was a man lying half-dressed on a dirty sleeping bag. Another man in a Reds baseball cap sat nearby rocking and mumbling to himself. There were your typical homeless-looking men, bearded, disheveled, hardened, but there were also many others who, had they not been standing in line with me, you wouldn't be able to identify them as anything but ordinary citizens with homes in the 'burbs. And that was one of the things that stood out so starkly to me--many of these men are simply there because they need a place of transition between their former life and their new, and hopefully different, one.
During check in I observed how the staff treated the men. It was obvious that they were professionals as they proceeded in the difficult task with ease. At one point, after having his bag checked through, a man was told to leave and not return until he had gotten rid of the liquer and pornography he'd hidden in his bag. The staff person was firm and straight faced, but he remained friendly throughout. Never once did I witness anyone being treated poorly or with disrespect.
As my turn came to check in, they patted me down for weapons, checked my bag, took my name, and sent me in to find my way around. If there was any apprehension on my part that night, it was then. I didn't really know where to go or what to do. As I was wondering the halls, one of those "homeless-looking" men came up and gave me some direction as to what I should do. When I said thanks, he responded, "Hey, we've all had our first time here before." I'm not saying that the mission is a place you'd want to spend the rest of your life it, or that it's heaven on earth, but inspite of their living conditions and the daily grind of life on the street, kindness still existed in the hearts of some of these men.
Following his advice, I found my way to where they kept the sleeping mats. Since it was my first night, I got to spend the night on the floor. I entered a large room containing about 25 bunk beds. Each one had a fairly clean looking mattress which the men covered with the clean sheets the staff gave to each of us. I found a place on the floor that was as out of the way as I could get and made my bed. I pretty much spent the rest of the evening from 7:45 until midnight lying there listening to the conversations around me.
Many of the men there were just out of prison and trying to get back on their feet. It surpised me how many of them had cell phones and spent a lot of time talking on them. The banter was friendly and you could tell many of them knew each other pretty well. Certain men seemed to have more authority in the place that others. There was some friendly bickering over which direction the large industrial fan in the corner would face as it was hot in there. Gradually the men continued to file in until most of the beds were full.
Sleep was hard to come by. Like I said, it was nearly midnight before I could fall asleep. Part of it was because my mind was processing the experience, but part of it was the discomfort of the floor, the heat, the noise, the talking, and the turning on and off of lights (to much protest) as someone had to look for something. I had slept for a couple of hours when loud sirens passed by and woke many of us up again. This happened again at about 4:30 a.m. I'd finally gotten back to sleep when at 5:30, the lights came on and we all received the morning wake up call. It was back to the streets.
I folded my bed and made my way back out the front door. By now, the floors were crowded with men lying all around. I could tell that the men I had come in with at 7:00 the night before were probably some of the onse who had some hope of getting out of this cycle. But the men I saw on the floors, meaning they were first-timers like me or they were too late to get a bed, looked much harder, much more abused and wasted. I guess many were probably drug addicts who stumbled in after their stash or their money ran out and the high started to wear off. To see human beings in such a state left me deeply saddened.
Once outside, it was strange how the men simply faded into the background of the city. Like grains of sand they sifted along the streets, between the buildings, until they came to their resting place for the day. Some certainly went to jobs, but many others would sink to the sewers of society until evening came once again.
The message of the mission is this: "Rescuing the downtrodden. Restoring hope to the hopeless. Releasing God's greatness to our communities." In some sense, I witnessed that first hand as men found food, shelter, and a sense of dignity in that building and through the staff. At the same time, I left feeling discouraged because homelessness and its deeper causes will, as Jesus said, always be among us. What keeps driving us, and even more, the staff of the mission, to continue to care for these men when there's little outward sign of appreciation and perhaps even contempt? I concluded that it could only be the work of Christ in our hearts and the understanding that when we serve the least of these, we are serving Jesus himself. God, help me never to forget it.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Happy Birthday and the Problem of Evil
So I turn 34 today (I've outlived Jesus--I don't know if that's good or bad), and I spent the morning (well, 6:30-8:00) unlike any birthday I can remember--walking, jogging, and praying.
I say I was praying, but it was a bit of a one-way conversation with me doing most of the talking . . . er, complaining. I get that way sometimes, and I've found that long walks in places of solitude and silence lend themselves better to really getting at the heart of the issue. If we're truly honest, a lot of our praying closely resembles someone feeding a dog table scraps: We're occupied with whatever it is we're doing, not wanting to be bothered, but we feel guilty enough to toss a bone or two God's way every now and then. That's where I started off this morning, but with time (and the opportunity to pray aloud) what's gnawing at my gut usually makes it's way into the dialogue (or is it diatribe?).
I usually pray for my family at some point, for physical safety and spiritual protection, and that's when the "Problem of Evil" reared it's head again. I may pray that my children and wife will never have to experience some horrific act of violence and evil, and, although God may indeed protect my family, what about the thousands, perhaps millions of others who do suffer such atrocities? What about those who suffered in the genocide in Rwanda, or who languish in North Korean prison camps, or the children and women in brothels like those in Svey Pak, Cambodia that I read about recently in Christianity Today or even in those right here in Toledo? Why do they have to suffer when we pray for an end to evil? As a parent who loves my children immensely, and would never knowingly allow them to experience something so terrible, how can God, who is supposed to be "Love" itself, let people suffer the way they do?
The answer usually given is that in order for real love to exist, humans must have free will; we need the freedom to chose to love or not to love God. Well, this morning I said a big fat "Screw You!" to free will. Why not just give us limited free will--I think we could still love God just as much if the only things we weren't free to do were those sickening acts of violence toward others, particularly children, which we too often hear about. I mean, if you think about it, we already have limited free will anyway. I may wish to, but I can't just jump out of my window and fly away. There are physical laws in place that limit my freedom. More to the point, according to the Bible, I don't even have the freedom to reject God and ever truly be happy. So what would be the dectraction to free will if we added one more limiting factor: No violence toward others, or at least children?
So then, I began to question God's existence, as I think all of us must do from time to time if we're to be honest with ourselves and our experience of life. The "Problem of Evil" summed up states the following: We say God is all loving and all powerful. Yet if evil continues to exist, then God must either not be all loving--else how could He allow it to continue--or He's not all powerful, because if He were all loving and all powerful then He certainly would do something about it.
Now, sorry to disappoint you here, but I don't claim to have an answer to this--I don't think anyone does. Still, as I was having it out with God this morning, a thought occured to me which is helping me make some peace with it--at least for now.
I began to realize that rather than turn me away from God, the problem of evil actually ought to strengthen my belief in Him. Evil in the world does at least one thing well--it proves how truly messed up we human beings are when left to our own devices, when we do what we want to do instead of what God desires for us. Evil highlights our deep, infinite need for God. It demonstrates in visceral ways our utter lostness apart from Him and His laws.
Even more, as my former philosophy professor, Dr. Truesdale once wrote, "The Christian faith has no adequate rational "justification" or "solution" for the problem of evil. But it does have a more-than-adequate response." (If God is God, Then Why?, p. 107).
He goes on:
What sort of God do we meet in the Cross? None other than the God who suffers with us. The Cross guarantees that God is present with us. He doesn't stand safely aloof. In Christ we meet the eternal God, who so radically identifies with a suffering world that He takes the world's evil upon himself. Not just the sins of the world, but the unfathomable abyss of evil. In Christ, God radically identifies with human brokenness. He suffers the heinous death of His only begotten Son (p. 108).
I think I understand how the problem of evil could turn people away from God, but I think it only can when people fail to recognize that evil results from people choosing to do whatever it is they want to do and fail to yeild to the will of God.
Like I said, it still doesn't explain how evil can exist when we believe that God is all loving and all powerful, but it does at least point us to the One who ultimately has the answer to that question.
Well, here's to my 34th.
I say I was praying, but it was a bit of a one-way conversation with me doing most of the talking . . . er, complaining. I get that way sometimes, and I've found that long walks in places of solitude and silence lend themselves better to really getting at the heart of the issue. If we're truly honest, a lot of our praying closely resembles someone feeding a dog table scraps: We're occupied with whatever it is we're doing, not wanting to be bothered, but we feel guilty enough to toss a bone or two God's way every now and then. That's where I started off this morning, but with time (and the opportunity to pray aloud) what's gnawing at my gut usually makes it's way into the dialogue (or is it diatribe?).
I usually pray for my family at some point, for physical safety and spiritual protection, and that's when the "Problem of Evil" reared it's head again. I may pray that my children and wife will never have to experience some horrific act of violence and evil, and, although God may indeed protect my family, what about the thousands, perhaps millions of others who do suffer such atrocities? What about those who suffered in the genocide in Rwanda, or who languish in North Korean prison camps, or the children and women in brothels like those in Svey Pak, Cambodia that I read about recently in Christianity Today or even in those right here in Toledo? Why do they have to suffer when we pray for an end to evil? As a parent who loves my children immensely, and would never knowingly allow them to experience something so terrible, how can God, who is supposed to be "Love" itself, let people suffer the way they do?
The answer usually given is that in order for real love to exist, humans must have free will; we need the freedom to chose to love or not to love God. Well, this morning I said a big fat "Screw You!" to free will. Why not just give us limited free will--I think we could still love God just as much if the only things we weren't free to do were those sickening acts of violence toward others, particularly children, which we too often hear about. I mean, if you think about it, we already have limited free will anyway. I may wish to, but I can't just jump out of my window and fly away. There are physical laws in place that limit my freedom. More to the point, according to the Bible, I don't even have the freedom to reject God and ever truly be happy. So what would be the dectraction to free will if we added one more limiting factor: No violence toward others, or at least children?
So then, I began to question God's existence, as I think all of us must do from time to time if we're to be honest with ourselves and our experience of life. The "Problem of Evil" summed up states the following: We say God is all loving and all powerful. Yet if evil continues to exist, then God must either not be all loving--else how could He allow it to continue--or He's not all powerful, because if He were all loving and all powerful then He certainly would do something about it.
Now, sorry to disappoint you here, but I don't claim to have an answer to this--I don't think anyone does. Still, as I was having it out with God this morning, a thought occured to me which is helping me make some peace with it--at least for now.
I began to realize that rather than turn me away from God, the problem of evil actually ought to strengthen my belief in Him. Evil in the world does at least one thing well--it proves how truly messed up we human beings are when left to our own devices, when we do what we want to do instead of what God desires for us. Evil highlights our deep, infinite need for God. It demonstrates in visceral ways our utter lostness apart from Him and His laws.
Even more, as my former philosophy professor, Dr. Truesdale once wrote, "The Christian faith has no adequate rational "justification" or "solution" for the problem of evil. But it does have a more-than-adequate response." (If God is God, Then Why?, p. 107).
He goes on:
What sort of God do we meet in the Cross? None other than the God who suffers with us. The Cross guarantees that God is present with us. He doesn't stand safely aloof. In Christ we meet the eternal God, who so radically identifies with a suffering world that He takes the world's evil upon himself. Not just the sins of the world, but the unfathomable abyss of evil. In Christ, God radically identifies with human brokenness. He suffers the heinous death of His only begotten Son (p. 108).
I think I understand how the problem of evil could turn people away from God, but I think it only can when people fail to recognize that evil results from people choosing to do whatever it is they want to do and fail to yeild to the will of God.
Like I said, it still doesn't explain how evil can exist when we believe that God is all loving and all powerful, but it does at least point us to the One who ultimately has the answer to that question.
Well, here's to my 34th.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Getting Outside the Four Walls
Since Barb and I have been in Toledo (nearly 4 months now) we've had the great opportunity to visit a lot of different churches on Sunday mornings. As a pastor for the last 10 years, I've always been tied to a particular congregation on a Sunday morning, but since we don't have a congregation right now we have the freedom to check out other places to see what God's up to.
So far we've been to the following churches:
--Cedar Creek Church (non-denominational)
--First Alliance Church (Christian Missionary Alliance)
--Westgate Chapel (Christian Missionary Alliance)
--Hope Lutheran (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America)
--Hope Community (Nazarene)
--The Source (Nazarene)
--Upper Valley Community (Nazarene)
--Bedford Church of the Nazarene
--Vineyard Toledo (Vineyard)
--North Point Church (Church of the United Brethren in Christ, USA)
--Joshua Generation (non-denominational)
Each one has been surprisingly different, a fact that certainly points to the creative diversity of God's Spirit moving among His people. It also points to the diversity of human beings and the ways in which we connect with God. I can't recommend enough to you that you take opportunities to visit other churches in your area. It will expand your vision of God's kingdom in ways that few other things can. And it will either increase your love and understanding of your own church or your dissatisfaction with the current state of things. Either way, you'll grow.
In visiting all of these churches, it wasn't until this last week that I felt like I was really sitting amongst "the least of these". Without exception, every church we worshiped in was well organized, well behaved, fairly monochromatic (meaning: predominantly white), and comfortble. Joshua Generation could not have stood in sharper contrast to them all.
Joshua Generation is a new church whose nascency is in a local rescue mission. It began about 10 months or so ago at the building where they feed the homeless on Sunday mornings. Recently, the president of the mission asked the pastor if he'd consider taking the church to the streets in south Toledo, and he agreed.
My first meeting with pastor Chris both impressed and surprised me. Chris stands about 6'2" and is a big African American man. Looks like he played football or something. His arms sported tattoos and gold jewelry. The white baseball cap on his head was cocked slightly to the side. MC Hammer would have been proud of his sunglasses. He immediately welcomed me and said, "We just trying to get out the four walls. We takin' God's love to the streets!"
"To the streets" was right. They'd blocked off the old brick-paved road next to their building which stood next to a boarded up, weed-overgrown Rally's (btw, how does Rally's go out of business in the hood?). A dj blared Christian gangsta rap through the sound system. On a small platform sat three shiny, new bicycles and 3 microphones. I soon found out they were raffling the bikes off as well gift certificates to WalMart (free raffle, of course). 50 or so metal chairs sat in about 10 rows between the crumbling curbs.
The people gathered were a true cross section of the hood: black/white/latino; poor; homeless; drug addicts, prostitutes, old, young, and inbetween; clean/dirty; sober/hungover; and a few of us middleclass urban types sprinkled throughout. To be honest, we felt a bit out of our element.
We arrived at 10:15 for the 10:30 start which turned out to be more like 10:50. Preceding the worship time was JJ's Express Drill and Drum Corps, which, if you've ever been to a parade in an large urban environment, then you know what I'm talking about. It's about loud drums and booty shakin'. (But I think it's also about a lot more--the backs of their uniform/tshirts stated "We all we got!" For some of the kids that was probably true. I praise organizations like JJ's for that.) I doubt that it would have gone over in many other churches, mine included.
Then pastor Chris stood up and with all the aplomb of a ghetto MC began to tell us about himself--from the hood, grew up in church, made some bad decisions, got into gangs and drugs, God got a hold of his life, and now he's trying to help others find the Savior. Powerful.
After that, a couple of guys moseyed over to a drums set and keyboard sitting next to the curb while 4 women and a teen took the stage. Pastor Chris and the singers began to lead us in a few shouts-out to the neighborhood and then moved into the R&B edition of "This is the Day" and a few other songs I didn't know. When this was over it was 11:45. We'd been there and hour and a half and we'd just started.
I confess to you that we had to leave at that point. The loud music, blazing sun, and general bedlam had taken its toll on our 16 month old to the point that she was inconsolable. The other two were content playing in the dirt on the street (sorry mom) and pulling the leaves and flowers off the weeds, but we decided it was time to make our exit.
Since yesterday, I've been thinking about and praying for Joshua Generation and pastor Chris. I'm not trying to say one church is better than another just because it's out on the street, but I can't help but read the Bible and see what kinds of people it mentions as being around Jesus and wonder: Are we missing something?
In a moment both comical and lamentable, the catholic church, which sat on the corner opposite our little street scene, let out their services just at the time JJ's drummers were banging away and the dancers were shakin' it. To quote a popular syrupy Christian song: "I can only imagine" what those people thought. Were they disgusted, amused, dismayed, confused, angered, joyful?
Did they recognized God at work there? Did it make them grieve that they'd missed out on such a large segment of the population around them?
What about me? Did I really care for these people like pastor Chris did? Like those serving did? Like Jesus did? Were many of us there simply out of shame--like we should be doing something? Out of fear--"whatever you've done unto the least of these you've done unto me"? Out of guilt or sense of duty--I ought to do something because I'm white and privileged? Out of hubris and pride--I can fix these people? My guess is that it's a little bit of everything all mixed up together.
I don't know if we'll be back. I would guess we will, but I don't know. I can't guess what's going to happen to that little church, but I believe God's in it.
Still, I know two things: many of the people gathered there wouldn't have been in another church that day if it weren't for Joshua Generation, and, if He could have only chosen one church in Toledo to be, I doubt you would have found Jesus anyplace else either.
So far we've been to the following churches:
--Cedar Creek Church (non-denominational)
--First Alliance Church (Christian Missionary Alliance)
--Westgate Chapel (Christian Missionary Alliance)
--Hope Lutheran (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America)
--Hope Community (Nazarene)
--The Source (Nazarene)
--Upper Valley Community (Nazarene)
--Bedford Church of the Nazarene
--Vineyard Toledo (Vineyard)
--North Point Church (Church of the United Brethren in Christ, USA)
--Joshua Generation (non-denominational)
Each one has been surprisingly different, a fact that certainly points to the creative diversity of God's Spirit moving among His people. It also points to the diversity of human beings and the ways in which we connect with God. I can't recommend enough to you that you take opportunities to visit other churches in your area. It will expand your vision of God's kingdom in ways that few other things can. And it will either increase your love and understanding of your own church or your dissatisfaction with the current state of things. Either way, you'll grow.
In visiting all of these churches, it wasn't until this last week that I felt like I was really sitting amongst "the least of these". Without exception, every church we worshiped in was well organized, well behaved, fairly monochromatic (meaning: predominantly white), and comfortble. Joshua Generation could not have stood in sharper contrast to them all.
Joshua Generation is a new church whose nascency is in a local rescue mission. It began about 10 months or so ago at the building where they feed the homeless on Sunday mornings. Recently, the president of the mission asked the pastor if he'd consider taking the church to the streets in south Toledo, and he agreed.
My first meeting with pastor Chris both impressed and surprised me. Chris stands about 6'2" and is a big African American man. Looks like he played football or something. His arms sported tattoos and gold jewelry. The white baseball cap on his head was cocked slightly to the side. MC Hammer would have been proud of his sunglasses. He immediately welcomed me and said, "We just trying to get out the four walls. We takin' God's love to the streets!"
"To the streets" was right. They'd blocked off the old brick-paved road next to their building which stood next to a boarded up, weed-overgrown Rally's (btw, how does Rally's go out of business in the hood?). A dj blared Christian gangsta rap through the sound system. On a small platform sat three shiny, new bicycles and 3 microphones. I soon found out they were raffling the bikes off as well gift certificates to WalMart (free raffle, of course). 50 or so metal chairs sat in about 10 rows between the crumbling curbs.
The people gathered were a true cross section of the hood: black/white/latino; poor; homeless; drug addicts, prostitutes, old, young, and inbetween; clean/dirty; sober/hungover; and a few of us middleclass urban types sprinkled throughout. To be honest, we felt a bit out of our element.
We arrived at 10:15 for the 10:30 start which turned out to be more like 10:50. Preceding the worship time was JJ's Express Drill and Drum Corps, which, if you've ever been to a parade in an large urban environment, then you know what I'm talking about. It's about loud drums and booty shakin'. (But I think it's also about a lot more--the backs of their uniform/tshirts stated "We all we got!" For some of the kids that was probably true. I praise organizations like JJ's for that.) I doubt that it would have gone over in many other churches, mine included.
Then pastor Chris stood up and with all the aplomb of a ghetto MC began to tell us about himself--from the hood, grew up in church, made some bad decisions, got into gangs and drugs, God got a hold of his life, and now he's trying to help others find the Savior. Powerful.
After that, a couple of guys moseyed over to a drums set and keyboard sitting next to the curb while 4 women and a teen took the stage. Pastor Chris and the singers began to lead us in a few shouts-out to the neighborhood and then moved into the R&B edition of "This is the Day" and a few other songs I didn't know. When this was over it was 11:45. We'd been there and hour and a half and we'd just started.
I confess to you that we had to leave at that point. The loud music, blazing sun, and general bedlam had taken its toll on our 16 month old to the point that she was inconsolable. The other two were content playing in the dirt on the street (sorry mom) and pulling the leaves and flowers off the weeds, but we decided it was time to make our exit.
Since yesterday, I've been thinking about and praying for Joshua Generation and pastor Chris. I'm not trying to say one church is better than another just because it's out on the street, but I can't help but read the Bible and see what kinds of people it mentions as being around Jesus and wonder: Are we missing something?
In a moment both comical and lamentable, the catholic church, which sat on the corner opposite our little street scene, let out their services just at the time JJ's drummers were banging away and the dancers were shakin' it. To quote a popular syrupy Christian song: "I can only imagine" what those people thought. Were they disgusted, amused, dismayed, confused, angered, joyful?
Did they recognized God at work there? Did it make them grieve that they'd missed out on such a large segment of the population around them?
What about me? Did I really care for these people like pastor Chris did? Like those serving did? Like Jesus did? Were many of us there simply out of shame--like we should be doing something? Out of fear--"whatever you've done unto the least of these you've done unto me"? Out of guilt or sense of duty--I ought to do something because I'm white and privileged? Out of hubris and pride--I can fix these people? My guess is that it's a little bit of everything all mixed up together.
I don't know if we'll be back. I would guess we will, but I don't know. I can't guess what's going to happen to that little church, but I believe God's in it.
Still, I know two things: many of the people gathered there wouldn't have been in another church that day if it weren't for Joshua Generation, and, if He could have only chosen one church in Toledo to be, I doubt you would have found Jesus anyplace else either.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Deep Fried Ambrosia--All Hail the Donut!
Okay, so maybe most people wouldn't equate donuts with the food of the gods, but I'm not one to shy away from such a claim.
Donuts, or doughnuts, aren't for everyone. I'll admit it. People who count calories shouldn't eat them; denizens of Weight Watchers, Jenni Craig, Jazzercize, and Overeaters Anonymous need not apply; self-abasing ascetics who eschew all earthly pleasures will run from them like a vegan from a Waffle House.
Yet, for those courageous enough, indeed brazen enough, to admit to their inner, hedonistic urges for all things doughy, to 'fess up to their wanton lack of self-control, yea even self-concern, the donut stands supreme in its ability to separate them from the rabble of wannabes and poseurs.
I've lived and traveled in my share of towns, villages, cities, and boroughs. I'd like to share a few of the outposts of deep-fried opulence in which I've had the privilege, nay, the pleasure, of procuring the portly, round pastry called the donut.
Kansas City, MO--Johnny D's (chocolate, iced cake donut), Fluffy Fresh (holland creme filled long john), and Lamar's (old fashioned).
Gatlinburg, TN--The Donut Friar's (bizmarks.)
Lafayette, IN--The Donut Company (Long John's)
Toledo, OH--Mama C's (bizmarks), Cafe Donut (glazed)
I'd like to know where the best donuts you've ever had are from. Who knows, I might be in that neck of the woods someday and get a hankerin' for some cholesterol.
Donuts, or doughnuts, aren't for everyone. I'll admit it. People who count calories shouldn't eat them; denizens of Weight Watchers, Jenni Craig, Jazzercize, and Overeaters Anonymous need not apply; self-abasing ascetics who eschew all earthly pleasures will run from them like a vegan from a Waffle House.
Yet, for those courageous enough, indeed brazen enough, to admit to their inner, hedonistic urges for all things doughy, to 'fess up to their wanton lack of self-control, yea even self-concern, the donut stands supreme in its ability to separate them from the rabble of wannabes and poseurs.
I've lived and traveled in my share of towns, villages, cities, and boroughs. I'd like to share a few of the outposts of deep-fried opulence in which I've had the privilege, nay, the pleasure, of procuring the portly, round pastry called the donut.
Kansas City, MO--Johnny D's (chocolate, iced cake donut), Fluffy Fresh (holland creme filled long john), and Lamar's (old fashioned).
Gatlinburg, TN--The Donut Friar's (bizmarks.)
Lafayette, IN--The Donut Company (Long John's)
Toledo, OH--Mama C's (bizmarks), Cafe Donut (glazed)
I'd like to know where the best donuts you've ever had are from. Who knows, I might be in that neck of the woods someday and get a hankerin' for some cholesterol.
Monday, June 23, 2008
I want to live in a Coldplay coccoon
New album's out. I've been wallowing in Chris, Jonny, Guy, and Will's sonic sweetness for a week. They're like salve for a wound.
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