Al's Musings

Who do you see?

2012-01-05T09:35:00.000-08:00

A simple question: Who do you see?

Pretend that this

is a mirror you are looking into (or a webcam showing yourself).
What and who do you see?

If we are to be the reflection of Christ, to be his incarnation in our world,
Do you see Jesus?
Or someone else?

When people look at you do they notice someone with compassion and humility? Someone who goes out of their way to connect with the ordinary, those in need?
Do they hear a voice filled with love and affirmation? But with the boldness and insight to have scathing things to say to the arrogance and elitism sometimes found in religious institutions?
Because that’s exactly what Jesus was like.
He saved his tough words for the scribes and Pharisees, those who put stumbling blocks in the way of people seeing the merciful character of God. All the rest of the time his words were gentle, kind, helping, affirming.

When confronted with ‘sin’ he said; “Neither do I condemn you.”

When confronted with religious folk who prided themselves on their observance of the law, he said; “You whitewashed graves.” Or, as The Message puts it: “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You’re like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it’s all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you’re saints, but beneath the skin you’re total frauds.” Matthew 23: 26, 27
So when you look in the mirror, who do you see? Jesus, or a Pharisee?

In-car-na-tion

2011-12-25T12:12:00.000-08:00

My thoughts this Christmas season have wandered often to the Christmas narrative of John 1:14—where we hear that God invaded the earth as a living, breathing human. And not just some far off locale, but as Petersen’s The Message puts it, ‘into the neighborhood’.

And so my musing isn’t that it happened once, a couple thousand years ago, but happens everywhere, everyday, if we allow it to happen.

If the plan of the Divine was to make sure that we understand how loving our God is, then we need not be surprised that Christmas happens every day of the year, in every corner of the world.

It seems that power often rises to stifle the simple message of grace. So God needs, again and again, to counteract that kind of arrogance with the welcoming message of love.

Surprised to find out that you get to be the latest incarnation of the love of God? Find it a bit scary to think that you are the only Jesus people will see?

Don’t be scared! Just let Love invade you, and pervade you, and then escape out through your actions and words.
That is my Christmas message.

Christmas spirit?

2011-12-15T20:40:00.000-08:00

If you are into Christmas at all, you probably subconsciously search and long for the ‘Christmas Spirit’. Naively we might expect that that Christmas Spirit is the same for everyone.
That is far from the case.
Each of us has that inner combination of nirvana, utopia, childhood memories (colored by the passage of time), and zeal that styles itself as ‘The Perfect Christmas’.
That is what we tend to long for; the reincarnation of something that actually never was.
We want everything to be perfect, just like we remember, except it never really was that perfect.
We take our piecemeal assortment of Christmas images, tastes and feelings and try to make them all magically appear right in front of us.
And then when it doesn’t quite all come together as we had hoped, we deal with the rubble as our dreams crash around us.
What’s the solution?
Lower expectations?
Perhaps.
Give up?
Well, no, that’s a bit extreme.

How about:

Recognizing the futility of trying to make everything perfect, and
Choosing to make one part as good as you can, given your present circumstances.

No, you won’t be able to bring peace on earth, or solve all of your family dysfunction with one marvelous turkey dinner, but you might well be able to accomplish a special moment to honor a special relationship.
There’s no way that you will make all of the kids completely happy by buying everything on their ‘gimme’ list, but finding something within your budget will both let your child know they are loved, and yourself survive January without plastic surgery.
Or maybe it can even be more simple than that.
Last Christmas I did my normal routine: Write my Christmas newsletter, and try to get creative for some special Christmas gifts for some special friends and family members. I decided to create a little booklet of some of my blog posts from the previous Christmas. That worked out well enough, and they were delivered into the hands of Canada Post.
But the special memory of last Christmas is what happened Christmas morning.

Last fall I met a young man hanging around Centennial Square. He had recently lost his job, and like many of the rest of us, didn’t have enough saved to survive until he found another job. So, here he was, out on the street. Panning, trying to find a job, moving night by night through the 7 day rotation of the youth ‘Out of the Rain’ shelter system. 7 different locations each host the shelter one night a week, but the kids are turned out after breakfast and have no dry/warm place until the next evening.
We had some great conversations. He’s quite a friendly guy, and we hit it off.
His home life had left a little to be desired, so he was missing the positive presence of his parents.
As Christmas approached, I began feeling quite ‘fatherly’ towards this young man.
I really wanted his Christmas to be special, something more than just another night at the next stop on the youth shelter tour.
So, I made plans with him to take him out for Christmas breakfast.
I found out where he would be spending the night of Christmas Eve, and the time I could pick him up.
And there I was, at 9 or so Christmas morning. Knocking on the door, asking if Dan was there.
A few moments later, out he came.
I had spent a bit of time trying to think of some fun little gifts I could afford. A flashlight, some candy, a pair of gloves, etc. I wanted him to have some special gifts, something to let him know he wasn’t just another lonely young man, some guy alienated from his family.
So as we sat in the van, getting ready to head to Denny’s, I gave him his little pile of gifts.
It really was as much fun for me as for him.

And then we went for breakfast. He still snickers at the memory of how a hamburger was his special Christmas Day meal, but he enjoyed it.
And so did I.
I’ve seen him many times over the past year. Some things are going a bit better for him, some things haven’t changed much. He is an industrious sort, so has put on a lot of miles collecting bottles and cans, turning them in for the deposit. But for now at least, he’s still not back in the work force.

So a few days back, I asked him if he was interested in Christmas breakfast again.
And what he added to my memory of the previous one almost broke my heart.
Although he knew we had planned on getting together for breakfast last Christmas, he really hadn’t expected me to show up. People hadn’t kept their promises before, so he didn’t expect me to either.
So when I showed up at the door of the shelter, asking for him, he was quite shocked.
It wasn’t anything personal, just how he had learned to deal with the downer of broken promises.

It looks like we’ll be able to do breakfast again this year.
I’m looking forward to it.
It may well be the best memory of this Christmas as well.

And I think that’s one good way to deal with that inner longing to rekindle the Christmas Spirit—find one kind, special thing to do for someone, and do it right.
That’s the kind of Christmas Spirit that should last all year.

Christmas--it's more than just gifts

2011-12-01T20:59:00.001-08:00

November 27, put up my Christmas tree. 4 weeks until Christmas Day.
For some reason, every year I seem to entertain different emotions, ideas, insights, or whatever you might call them.
A couple years ago, I really got into the themes of Advent, and lots of memories of Christmases past.
Last year, not nearly so prolific on the musings.
This year has its own unique flavor.

Since I’ve been contemplating Kingdom principles on many different levels for months now, and with the whole Occupy Wall Street movement stirring up a new awareness of the emptiness and greed of capitalism, I’m really not looking too positively at the whole Buy, Buy, Buy thing.
And then today as I was letting the nearness of Christmas waft around my mind, I had a revelation.

For all of the push for buying wonderful gifts for everyone on your list, gift giving is really a small part of celebrating Christmas.
How long does it take to buy, wrap, mail, deliver, etc. the gifts? A fair amount of time.
How long does it take for the recipient to open them ? Mere moments.
And then it’s back to those things that Christmas really is about.
You wait forever it seems (at least it feels like forever when you are a kid) for that moment when you get to gather around the tree and open the gifts.
You wait weeks and weeks.
And in literally minutes it’s all over.
As a family, long ago we got in the habit of taking turns opening our gifts. That way we would actually get to watch each other open what we had bought for them.
But even then, it didn’t take 30 minutes for the party to come to a crashing end.
But the good thing is, for all of the $$$ spent on the gifts, Christmas is about so much more.
(And no, this isn’t a sermon about keeping Christ in Christmas. I may yet rain on that particular misguided and hypocritical parade, but not in this post.)

Whether you are a person of deep Christian faith or not, here are some of the things that make Christmas meaningful. Things that actually take up a lot more of your time and effort, and also end up meaning a lot more than the gift bags around the tree.

Music. Whether it’s a special concert, listening to the old traditional vinyl, singing the carols in church or on someone’s doorstep, music is a wonderful part of our Christmas celebrating. Bing Crosby still tugs at the heart, even though ‘White Christmas’ is now 70 years old. This is a genre where all ages can make music together.

Food. I don’t think I have to explain this one. But Christmas dinner isn’t the only time food and special company figure in our celebrations. Between the work Christmas party, the eggnog with friends, baking cookies, or the special meals for kids home for Christmas, there are many, many special moments spent over a special meal.

Lights, trees, decorations. We all have some special memories of a particular Christmas ornament. Maybe the one you made in Grade 1, but that one is probably the special one on your parent’s tree, not yours. And then after all the decorating is done, you get to sit and absorb that old, comfortable, traditional atmosphere. Crackling fire (even if it’s only on TV), hot apple cider, and a piece of that Christmas baking. And if you weren’t rushing around trying to get every last bit of shopping done, you could even enjoy the ambiance more.
Family. Sure, some of us aren’t quite so sure about the annual visit from Great Aunt Hildegarde, or maybe your Mom’s new ‘attachment’, but by and large, family is particularly important at Christmas. It’s one of those seasons when we usually think past the surface tension to the deep awareness that family is who will stick with you longer than anyone else.

Friends. If the family thing doesn’t work well for you (and there are certainly those who battle the most royally with their family members), we do tend to have friends. Probably a few very close ones. And those are the ones you hang out with whenever you can—and not just at Christmas. But we create special occasions at Christmas to celebrate those relationships. One of the strengths of these relationships is that they don’t require a fancy gift to prove their existence—a cup of hot chocolate is just as effective.

Spiritual. Nearly everyone has memories of some kind of inner experience connected with Christmas. It might be the Christmas Eve service at church. The choir. The kids. Or maybe the peace that settled down in your spirit along with the gently falling snow. Maybe it’s that when everything is done—the house decorated (inside and out), the baking done, the shopping done (including wrapping, mailing, etc.), the house cleaned, the turkey in the oven, and so on—then you pause and remember that Christmas is, after all, the story of God showing up on earth as a human. Bringing joy. Bringing peace. Bringing love.

Oh yes, love. Love keeps sneaking into all of our Christmas celebrating, if we let it.
The love within the family (at least some part of it!).
Love for your friends.
Love for the little kids that are a part of your life.
The love in giving gifts. And receiving them.
Loving good food, and good music, and beauty.

Lately I’ve been realizing that one of the greatest gifts that Jesus brought was the understanding that God isn’t some big, mean ogre.
If Jesus shows us what God is like, then God is the lovingest, mercifulest, kindest being you could ever, ever imagine.
And we get to experience that love, and pass it along.
Sure, a gift can demonstrate love.
But so can sharing a special time with a special friend over coffee and a cookie.
So can singing Christmas carols in the park with a gang of untrained, but exuberant voices.
So can sitting beside the tree with your dearly beloved.
So don’t get all hung up on the gift buying. Going into debt isn’t loving anyone except your bank, and they don’t tend to know how to deal much in the currency of love.
Instead of trying to fill everyone’s gift list, fill their love tank instead.
‘Cause really, they’ll spend a lot more time eating your baking and enjoying your company than they will opening your gift.

Justce vs. grace

2011-11-19T20:52:00.001-08:00

I keep being reminded of the grace of God. The incredible, scandalous grace of God.
And then I hear a news story like the one I heard this morning. Here in BC, limited government budgets made Community Living BC close down several group homes for the developmentally disabled, and rearrange the care of needy individuals to a less costly model. Some of the people moved were forced to do so against their or their families will. And hundreds more who need help are still waiting.

And so, my ungracious little mind remembers one of the reasons we have financial issues here in BC.
Former Premier Gordon Campbell’s ‘legacy’—the 2010 Winter Olympics. Billions spent. And now it seems we are reaping the ‘benefits’.

Oh, I know you never have enough money to do everything that should be done.
And there are other great ways that money has been wasted.
And in some ways, the Olympics may have had some benefit. (Here are some of the reasons I didn’t support them.)
But as I think about justice, equality, fairness—all of those qualities that we are told are part of God’s character, and that we are to imitate—then I start being ungracious.
I start thinking of ways of bringing guys like Mr. Campbell to justice (or at least vengeance).
I’m not able to balance justice and grace, at least not in the same breath.

But God…
Somehow God is able to be Gracious,
and Just.
At the same time.
To the same person.
To me, and to you.
And even to guys like Mr. Campbell.

That is today’s mystery.

For such a time as this

2011-11-13T21:36:00.001-08:00

This phrase, and the related story from the OT book of Esther has probably fueled many passionate sermons.
“This is your moment to shine!”
“This is our time to take back our nation!”

I don’t know that it needs to be particularly apocalyptic, but I think these are very intriguing times in which to live.
I’m old enough to think about life before _______. Life before computers. Life before instant communication. Life before the world had shrunk to a global village.
And when I think of the ‘before’, I am usually grateful to be living in the ‘after’. Sure, life was simpler a few centuries ago, or even a few decades ago. Back in Norman Rockwell’s time.
But as we look at the incredible happenings of the past few months, as the people of nation after nation start regaining control of their societies, it’s an exhilarating time in which to live.
It’s tempting to be a spectator. To watch the news, maybe even drive by the nearest ‘Occupy’ settlement, and then go back to your suburban ranch house and wonder where it will all end.
Well, we have the opportunity to determine where it will end, or at least what the next steps will be.
We can choose to open our eyes and ears to the grassroots movement for change. And we can do some of our own research (thanks to the internet!). And we can decide to get involved.
As a follower of Christ, you can even look at it all through a scriptural, spiritual lens. And you may be shocked to discover that much of the cry from the faceless masses resonates wonderfully with what the OT prophets cried out for. With what Jesus castigated the Pharisees about. What some of the saints through the ages have worked for.

Justice.
Equality.
Human rights.
Our natural world.
Compassion instead of greed.
Sharing instead of hoarding.

Our local Occupy movement recently posted a “living, breathing document that can, should and must be amended through dialogue and debate” that contained the following paragraph:

“The establishment of a long-term democratic assembly in Centennial Square has underlined for us the necessity of addressing the pressing needs of many who have joined us: the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the mentally ill and those struggling with addiction in our city and beyond. We have been reminded that these brothers and sisters of ours are some of the most deeply affected by economic and social injustice.”

Now that is something that Jesus would have supported wholeheartedly. And something that strikes a chord in my own heart.
And that is by no means the only part of the document that should be preached from your nearest pulpit.

So, to not be a spectator pretty much demands that I become a participant.

That I get off the fence.
That I stick my neck out.
That I open my mouth. (Or post on my blog.)
That I tip over the odd apple cart (or table of a money changer. Matt 21:12)
That I become willing to face the disagreement of those who aren’t yet ready to join me, or haven’t yet ‘seen the light’ that I believe I have seen.

Now this ‘such a time as this’ find itself at the altar of a wide variety of sacred cows—and some of them are very, very sacred (and scared).
Some have grazed on our land for generations, even centuries.
But it is time that they fought for their right to own the pasture—or land on my barbecue.
Theologians and thinkers from almost every stripe of the rainbow are skewering left and right. In fact, they come from left, right, and center, Catholic and Protestant, conservative and liberal, or whatever other spectrum you use.
And they aren’t doing it to erase the thought of God, or to minimize God’s influence in the world. Rather, they are pushing us to give God his due, to release God from whatever box you have tried to nail him into (including God’s gender). They are reminding us that Jesus taught us to love our brother—so it’s time we started doing just that.
It truly is a wonderful time in which to live, if you are willing to reassess your own life.
Many people have been feeling nudged to ask questions. Their satisfaction with the answers they were taught is turning into honest doubt.
Not that they are about to abandon ship, but when you finally recognize the sound deep beneath the deck you are standing on is the creaking and groaning of a ship in distress—then it is time to consider your options.
I’m so glad I was nudged (fairly gently) into discovering the underground world of life on the street. A few years back I discovered that not everyone lived in a traditional existence with job, house, family, etc. Through my experiences with CARTS, the Rainbow Kitchen, Occupy Victoria, and other connections, I am realizing that this is another ‘for such a time as this’ moment in my life.

How about you?

‘For such a time as this’ you were brought into this world. (You could have been born a thousand years ago.)
‘For such a time as this’ you are fortunate enough to live in this country—and to use that good fortune to bless others. (You could have been born in a third-world country).
‘For such a time as this’ you were nudged to look outside the box.
‘For such a time as this’ you have been invited to join the present, living, breathing kingdom of God.
‘For such a time as this’ you can take your place… or stay where you are.

“And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14.

Step into the messy

2011-10-26T08:51:00.000-07:00

I like people. I have some awesome friends, friends that I love hanging out with. People that encourage me, challenge me, welcome me. People that are fun to be around.
But these are the easy ones. They don’t necessarily expect or need a lot of attention. They are pretty self-sufficient. They can make it without my help. They are low maintenance. They are my peers.
Sure, we are a blessing to each other. Being together feeds my spirit.
But they don’t require a lot.

Not everyone is like that.
Not everyone is safe within a secure environment.
Not everyone comes from a stable home life.
Not everyone is able to be planning for the future.

Some people are messy.
Their lives are filled with sadness.
They have a dark and sordid past—abuse, poverty, violence, brokenness, emptiness.
They don’t have the history of a secure childhood.
They struggle with mental or physical illness.
Their basic coping mechanisms involve addictions and dependencies.

Oh, they are often more self-reliant than the rest of us.
They can survive on the stuff the rest of us throw away.
They have a support network that gets them through the darkest of days.

But they are messy.
They are black holes that will suck up every little bit of love around, and still seem as sad and empty as before.
They don’t necessarily exhibit the social niceties that we tend to expect from each other—‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’, or ‘Excuse me’.
Not that they are boorish, they just live in a more gritty world where you need to move quickly to get what you can before it is gone.
They are often a little rough around the edges. Their language and behavior speaks more of the street than the board room.
They can be the nicest people you have ever met. They can be pleasant and polite. They can be very grateful.

But they are messy.
They require a commitment of time and love. Lots of time. Lots of love.
They require patience.
Because they often come from a history where trust has been broken so often, trust takes a long time to be built.
As much as they need to be able to tell their story, they are careful with who they tell it to. They don’t want to scare you off, or maybe they do. Some people have so little experience with genuine love that they don’t know how to handle it.

I invite you to step into the messy.
Put on your boots and get out into the real world.
Harden your ears to the coarseness of the language, but soften your heart to the rawness of the story.

Open your spirit to the hunger of their spirit.
Bridge the gap.
Enter their world.

Not as a savior.
Not as a deliverer.
But as a friend.
A friend that has no agenda other than being the best friend you can be.
As Gregory Boyle puts it, "Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a covenant between equals." from Tattoos on the heart
As The Message puts John 1:14: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.”
It’s not about ‘success’, it’s about faithfulness.
Again I invite you to step into the messy.
It’s actually holy ground.

What we really need

2011-10-20T19:30:00.000-07:00

The world doesn’t need more experts.
Especially the kind that have it all figured out.
And know it.
And make sure that you know it.

The world doesn’t need more talkers.
It needs more listeners.

Sure, there are lots of people with lots of good things to say.

And that’s just it.
Not just one person has good things to say.
And no one person knows everything good that should be said.
We all have a piece of the whole picture.

So we all need to be heard.
And that means we also all need to listen.

It’s too bad that sometimes your good thing that needs to be said
doesn’t agree with the good thing that I need to say
because we tend to think that
one of us is wrong
and should shut up.

Instead, what we really need, is a place where we can all share our good things in safety.
And then sincerely and honestly look at what has been said
And encourage each other’s ability to see and understand and pass along good things
And help each other see and understand and adjust the parts that maybe aren’t so good.

Oh, it was so handy when we had an expert with his big black book.
An expert who knew exactly what the big black book said and meant.
We could pay him to tell us the good things we needed to know,
and the things we shouldn’t believe that someone else tried to tell us (because he was part of a cult).

But usually the person who was ‘wrong’ to our expert, was an expert to someone else,
And he was telling them
Not to listen to us (because we were a cult).

And more than once
They were both quoting from the same big black book.

So does that mean that everyone is always right,
Even if they don’t agree?
Or that the big black book is useless
Because every expert sees things
Just a little bit differently?

No!
But it does mean (at least to me)
That we need to very quickly
Dismount from our high horses.
And just as quickly
Walk together.

Together with the expert we disagree with.
Together with the expert we can’t see eye to eye with.
And be willing to learn from him.
Humbly.
Meekly.

And we need to follow the teaching of the Master in the big black book
When he said we shouldn’t be so quick to judge.
And that maybe what we should expect to see
Isn’t profound wisdom
But profound love.
(not only from our experts, but from all of us)

The kind of love that listens to someone with a different point of view.
The kind of love that tries to learn from someone who understands something from the big black book in a different way.
The kind of love that understands that being an expert
Isn’t really a good thing at all
If it comes across as being an arrogant know-it-all.

Because God knows there are way more than enough of those around already.
And for some reason we have tended to worship
The ground they walk on,
And the pulpits and TVs that they preach from.
And the books that they write.
And when the Great Moment of Truth comes,
And God sets us all straight,
Perhaps we will have to acknowledge why we
Exalted our experts
Over Him.
And worshiped our way of understanding the big black book
Over His loving character.

And why we didn’t even listen to the guy who disagreed with us
That God had sent to try to set us straight.
(although we certainly expected him to listen to us,
For the very same reason).

Yes, I’m sure there are absolute truths
Truths that cannot be denied.
But I doubt that any of us have really figured very many of them out.
You might have a couple,
And I might have one,
And some nice lady from India
And an old guy from Africa
Might have some more.

We really don’t have the right
Or God-given privilege
To claim that
My truth
Is better than yours
Because it was spoken from white lips of European ancestry.
Male lips
Straight lips
Rich lips
Conservative Evangelical Fundamentalist Born-again Christian lips.

‘Cause after all,
Our religion
Is (supposedly) based on the teachings of a guy
Who wasn’t European, white, rich, or a Conservative Evangelical Fundamentalist Born-again Christian.

He really wasn’t, you know.
He wasn’t even a Christian.
I’m not so sure if he would want to be if he was walking the earth today.
I kinda think Christians might well receive similar tongue-lashings
To what he gave the Pharisees.

The big black book says he is the Way, the Truth, the Life.

And I think that means that we aren’t.

Too often we are
In the Way,
Disguisers of Truth,
And more dead than Alive.

James says (near the end of the big black book);
“Don’t be in any rush to become a teacher, my friends. Teaching is highly responsible work. Teachers are held to the strictest standards. And none of us is perfectly qualified. We get it wrong nearly every time we open our mouths.” (James 3:1, The Message)
And from Richard Rohr’s The Naked Now” chapter called ‘Yes, but’ a few choice quotes:
“Yes, the mind is very useful, but when it does not recognize its own finite viewpoint it is useless.

Yes, the mind can serve the world, but in fact it largely serves itself.

Yes, the mind is needed, but we also need other ways of knowing or we will not know well, fully, or freely.

Yes, the mind likes to think, but until it learns to listen to others, to the body, the heart, and all the senses, it also uses itself to block everything it does not like to do or to acknowledge.

Yes, the mind is our friend, but when we are obsessive or compulsive, it can also be our most dangerous foe.

Yes, the mind welcomes education, but it also needs to be uneducated, to learn how much of what it "knows" is actually mere conditioning and prejudice.”
It is only as we are willing to listen to and learn from others that we really begin to “be the change that we wish to see in the world.” (Gandhi)

Dogs, cats, and the least of these

2011-09-14T14:28:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a week back home in Alberta. My lovely niece got married, and that gave me a great reason to go back and visit the family. Once my sister had recuperated from her mother of the bride duties, I spent a few days out relaxing at their place in the country. I missed seeing some of the friends I usually get to see, but that’s how it goes sometimes.

My sister’s family includes two gorgeous Golden Retrievers. They are about 11 months old, close to full grown physically, but still puppies—and therein lies the tale.

The dogs are siblings—the male is larger than the female, and each has quite distinct personalities.

As most puppies, they are very playful and attention seeking. The female has this unconscious need to put her paw up on whatever is close—your leg, your arm, the chair, and she doesn’t realize that her claws have a bit of a bite. No matter how much love and attention she is getting, she seems to need to put her paw up to make sure that you know she is there.

And the male. He is definitely becoming an alpha male. He doesn’t do the paw thing. He doesn’t have to. He just barges into the middle of the action, pushing the female to the side.

In both cases, they seem to need the reassurance of your love. No matter how much you might be focused on them already—scratching, rubbing, talking, playing—they need to see that love in their own way.

It rather reminds me of God and us. No matter how much his love and attention are aimed our way, we seem prone to have to see it expressed in our own language. Even though we already have his undivided attention, we still barge in. “See me God? Here I am. I love you. See how much I love you? Do you hear me? Do you know I’m here? Did you know that I love you?” etc. etc.

And we don’t even realize it if we run over someone else as we push ourselves onto God’s lap. It’s not that we aren’t already the apple of his eye, but we need to be reminded constantly even when our methods might be a bit obnoxious like the incessant paw or constantly licking tongue.

We can rest in his love, we really can. Like a conscientious pet owner, God has our best interests at heart, loves us faithfully, and loves to be with us. We don’t need to fight for his attention, or try to put on the best show in order to be loved.

In the same household is a cat.

Cats, of course, are different. They don’t tend to ask for the constant affirmation, but they do like hanging out, being scratched and loved on. But the dogs run roughshod over the poor cat who often just walks away, back into her own little world. Just as appreciative of love, but not so pushy.

The cat is kind of like the ‘least of these’ the Jesus talked about. Not strong enough to push their way to the front. Not so self-centered as to expect to be the center of attention.

But just as capable of expressing love, especially when being cared for one-on-one.

And maybe that’s why I care so much for the ‘underdog’ (or under cat). I know how capable of love they are, how deserving, and yet how much of a challenge it can be for them to get treated equally.

Now, if only those two attention seeking canines would quit hogging the limelight, there would be space for the feline to get some loving.

Your love makes me…WHAT???

2011-08-18T21:32:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I was singing the Doerksen/Brown song Hallelujah (Your love makes me sing). I’ve sung it millions of times (OK, perhaps only thousands), but this time one line really tripped me up.
-The song is about the awesome, amazing love of God. Check
-It’s strong, gentle, mysterious, good and solid. Check
-It hits us in many different times and circumstances of life. Check
-And as I realize how incredible this love is, when I begin to respond to it, when I recognize the magnitude of this love, what is the most appropriate, most stupendous thing I can do in response?
Sing.
Sing?

The most incredible demonstration of affirmation and compassion has exploded into my life, and the best I can do is get together with some other like-minded people and sing.
Does that sound rather feeble to you?
And perhaps less than appropriate given the power and purpose of love?
Sure, I have always loved music. There are wonderful examples of great music. And music is a great tool for communicating ideas.
But is a song the best way to respond to something as powerful as the love of God?

Here are some of my thoughts:
• In recent years the church has been inundated with ‘worship’ music. Worship (among other things) means worthship. But is talking/singing about something wonderful the best way to demonstrate that it is wonderful? Is the best form of worship our voices? Or is it our actions?
• We refer to God as Creator. Is talking the best way to honor the Creator? Or maybe being creative ourselves, and maybe by valuing the creation around us?
• We speak of God as gracious. Do we sing about grace? Or extend that grace to others?
• I believe the best way to honor the worth-ship of someone or something is to reflect that which we value back out into our world. We have experienced the love of God. We honor and desire to declare the worth of that love. What better way to demonstrate how incredible that love is than to reflect that same love to someone else?
• The love of God isn’t just to make us feel good, just to give us a theme for a song. It is to change the world, to bring the Kingdom.
• What do you think warms God’s heart more? Us gathering in our clubs, singing our pep rally songs, or us showing the value we place on His love by passing it along to someone else?

In Luke 6 Jesus teaches about trees being known by their fruit, and good men being known by the good treasure that comes out of their heart. Then he says; “Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46)
As I thought about that verse, I wondered what Jesus would say about what we call worship. Are we just saying/singing nice things about him, or are we actually following his teaching?
When he tells us in Matthew 25 that we are to care for the least of these, are we putting our energy into doing that? Or are we spending our time, effort, talent, and finances singing nice songs in a nice sanctuary with some other nice people (not even aware of the least of these on our doorstep)?

What a riot!

2011-06-16T20:19:00.000-07:00

Last night’s nonsense in Vancouver caused many of us to re-think some of our loyalties. Not so proud to be a Canadian male right about now. Of course, those few hundred testosterone and alcohol filled, brain cell emptied specimens are in no way representative of the majority, but they do raise a few questions.

Some I direct towards my 20- and 30-something friends. These fine upstanding citizens are from your generation. What can you tell the rest of us that will help us understand their psyche? I mean this question honestly—how do you read the general tone of your peers? What do you think last night’s shenanigans tell us is important to your demographic? Every generation likely has its own sense of what is important, and what isn’t. My generation needs to have a better understanding of yours, so help me out here.

My generation reacted to life around it with the hippy movement—a strong statement that the values of our parents weren’t necessarily our values. And each generation since is probably responding against what it sees are the errors of the previous ones.

So, does the apparent lack of valuing personal property say something about how your generation perceives the values of previous generations? How about the apparent lack of value for human life? What else do you see in last night’s actions--what motivated them? What about the apparent need to be part of the crowd, to be part of something bigger than oneself?

And how about the value being put on getting your face splashed across social media. That seems to be part of the goal—‘Look at me, I’m breaking a store window! I’m going inside and ripping stuff off of the shelves! And I’m proud of myself!!’ Or, ‘Look at me! I can tip a car over! I can light it on fire! Aren’t you impressed!!’ What does that say is important to your fellow humanoids? Let me repeat—I’m not saying everyone 20 or 30 years old is likely to cause a riot, but that generation has values that I am trying to understand.

To all of us I ask: What are we doing about it? If we see a negative shift in the things we feel are important, what are we doing to promote and revitalize what we see as valuable? If some of us are part of the generations that potentially gave rise to this shift, how are we making amends? If others are part of the generation that now is wreaking havoc, how are you influencing your peers in a positive way?

And what can we learn from this generation? Maybe we need to learn that there are more important things in life than possessions, and big corporations. Maybe we need to learn to live more in the moment, and less for the $$$.

What do you think? I’d really like some feedback.

So, what have we learned?

2011-05-22T21:19:00.001-07:00

In the light of yesterday’s non-event (judgment day), what have we learned?
It seems every second month some self-proclaimed messenger of God makes statements that make many of us wince.
These past days it has been Harold Camping. Before that it was Terry Jones, the Koran burning pastor. Then it was Fred Phelps of Westboro Baptist Church. In times past Pat Robertson made a stir with his words about Haiti. And on it goes.
But do we learn anything from the ill-advised comments/pronouncements of some who consider themselves followers of Christ? Are we gaining ground?
Or rapidly losing it?

For some, the back pedaling from Mr. Camping goes no further than repeating the mantra that the Bible itself tells us not to set dates. As if everything else Mr. Camping has been preaching is A-OK, but he shouldn’t have put a date on it.
And that Mr. Jones just shouldn’t have actually burned the Koran although his inflammatory rhetoric against Muslims is fine.
And that Mr. Phelps probably shouldn’t be picketing funerals—but his theology is otherwise kosher.
In other words, many are still holding to the main thrust of these ‘prophets’, just not the last step that put them over the top.
Many still totally see God as a terrible being, ready to toss his lightning bolts at anyone who doesn’t line up with some arbitrary interpretation of the Bible. They still preach that the ‘Good News’ of the Gospel is that God is anxiously waiting to judge almost everyone—except them. That his strongest desire is to populate hell with as many people as possible.

As long as we think the main thrust of the preaching of the Gospel is judgment,
we haven’t learned anything from the likes of Messrs. Camping, Jones, Phelps, Robertson et al.

An open letter to Mr. Harper and Mr. Layton

2011-05-03T09:55:00.000-07:00

Dear Mr. Harper and Mr. Layton;

The most important thing I took away from both of your speeches last night was that you plan on working together for the good of the country. You will support good policies, even if they come from a different party. That is what will make this country work.

Mr. Harper, 60% of the people who voted did not vote for your party, so your party does not represent a majority of Canadians. However if you choose to listen to and work together with ALL of the other members of parliament, we truly can begin to see our democratic system working again.

Many people voted for change. 2% more people (than 2008) wanted a Conservative government . 12.4% more people supported the NDP’s call for change. Although overall Green Party support dropped, they were able to elect their first ever MP. So, in many ways many people indicated a desire for change that did not point to the Conservative party.

Mr. Harper and Mr. Layton, the ball is about to be played in your courts. You can choose to hog it or fight over it, or you can choose to use it for the betterment of our country. You can use it to keep your friends happy, or to strive for the good of all.

We will be watching you both. We still don’t have a lot of faith in our political system, because we have been burned many times. You can help restore faith in our system, or you can give us every reason to say “I told you so.” It’s up to you.

The times (part 3)

2011-04-11T21:27:00.000-07:00

I’ve already written a couple posts on changing times (here and here.

Less concrete in terms of dates and magnitude, but earth shattering none the less are the underground explosions on the theological front.
Much of the Christian church seems (at least on the surface) to be continuing on as it has for years. The liberals are being liberal, the conservatives conservative, and both pooh poohing each others' stance on various issues. Both camps seem to be entrenching themselves more deeply in their positions, both quite sure that God is on their side. (And that is just assuming that there are only two points of view on any given question.) Religious/political alliances are solider than ever, and it might look like the status quo will remain.

But the tremors are coming from within, and ripples are becoming evident. Sacred, long-held and strongly supported views on a wide variety of issues (homosexuality and hell to name a couple) are coming under fire. Sermons are being preached, books are being published, blogs are being posted, and discussions are happening in coffee shops everywhere. In many ways, this proliferation of conversation is in itself a sign of change. Rather than trusting a few elite folk to determine what is important, and what is orthodox, anyone with a voice or a keyboard is making their thoughts known. The rank and file as well as the deeply studious are recognizing their right and responsibility to question some of these established positions.
(This is probably the place to mention Fred Phelps (Westboro Baptist Church) and Terry Jones (Koran burning pastor) who are doing a lot of shaking on their own.)

One of the very sad results is that parts of the church are not open to questions. The Protestant church came into existence because of the courage of certain people to question the status quo. Now some elements of that very Protestant church can’t handle people within it protesting or questioning. It seems that we still have a long way to go to live out the passionate desire of Jesus: "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." Asking questions isn’t unloving, it’s being honest. What is unloving is excommunicating someone because they have the insight to ask questions.
What strikes me as refreshing is that these discussions are not springing from an indulgent, over-permissive way of thinking, but very often from a renewed concept of a God of grace and compassion. Surprising as it may seem, most of these disturbers are truly seeking to better grasp what the Bible is trying to tell us, what God may now be prompting us to discover.
Sure, there are multitudes who wouldn’t see it that way, who believe their maintenance of the way things have always been is a firm allegiance to the fundamentals, and to God himself.
But those who desire to question that foundation claim to also be building on something very fundamental—the character of God.

Suffice it to say that the times they are a-changin’, and that Japan isn’t the only place rumblings are happening below the surface.
My forecast is for continued unrest and scattered conflict, giving rise to wide-spread turmoil and upheaval, probably ending with a readjustment of the traditional theological tectonic plates. But, like all seismic activity things will always be shifting.

How did we get here from there?

2011-04-05T20:52:00.000-07:00

In the beginning was Jesus. A man with a simple vision statement: to live a human life exemplifying the character of God. So he was probably more than a little exasperated when Philip said: “Show us the Father.”
He had a few committed followers, and many more who traveled around to hear him teach and watch him live out his vision.
He didn’t set up any plans for a structured system for keeping his vision alive within his followers after he died. He didn’t even dictate or write out his memoirs.
The echoes of his voice had hardly died out after he left the earth before his followers had begun to create a system for keeping his message alive.

Of course, they were following a tradition hundreds of years in the making. From the early days of the Jewish people’s experience of dealing with the Divine, they had Pomp and Circumstance. Commandments, sacrifices, offerings, traveling sacred space, and then the permanent temple. Gold, holy days, Sabbaths, festivals, and hierarchy. Politically they had moved from a theocracy to a monarchy.
Then came the disruption of foreign oppression, captivity, and trying to keep the faith alive in a strange land. The temple had been back home in Jerusalem, and now it was destroyed. They were miles and miles away, so they needed to establish new systems for remembering their God.
Synagogues developed—places where history could be remembered, the writings could be read and expounded on, the past kept alive until the temple could be rebuilt. By the time the people were back home, this system was alive in Jewish communities everywhere, and even worked well back in Israel.

So, when the followers of Jesus got together to talk about what Jesus had taught, they had this structural system already in their DNA.
The converts from Judaism to ‘The Way’, and even converts from the Roman Pantheon all came with similar religious institutional experience. Starting a new religion with its sets of rules and observances wasn’t a conscious choice. It just flowed from the systems already in place.
The Jews met in the synagogue, particularly on the Sabbath. We’ll start our own meeting places, and meet on the first day of the week.
They had their sacrifices and observances, we will celebrate the Eucharist.
They had their statement of faith (Hear O Israel, the Lord is One). We will develop our own list of things we believe to be true about Jesus. If you agree, you are part of us.
They had systems of leadership and a priesthood. Paul helped develop a system of bishops, pastors, etc.
It all made sense, especially from their background and experience.
And that was all within the first few years.
Although the Roman empire was initially the enemy, by the time of Constantine the church and state had become best of friends. The church had taken on a decidedly Empire-like structure and authority. The office of ‘Caesar’ was replaced by ‘Pope’, with all of the levels of governance needed underneath. Palaces and ornate places of gathering and government were replaced by cathedrals and the like. Oaths of allegiance and creeds became the way to keep the faith pure, or at least consistent.

Fast forward through centuries of refinement to the time when protest, division and separation became the new definition of what is the church.
As if one set of structures, doctrine and practice wasn’t far enough removed from the simple (but potent) teachings of Christ, now we had an ever expanding list of off shoots. Each quite sure that they are closer to the fundamental truth than anyone else. Each feeling that it is their responsibility to let the others know how they are wrong, and to continually narrow the definition of who is a ‘true believer’. Each much more concerned about doctrine than daily life. Each more convinced than ever that pure doctrine is the only vital ingredient of being a part of the right religion. Each promoting the importance of this ‘right belief’.
And over the centuries, we haven’t done much to separate the Siamese twins of church and state. In many places religion is still in bed with empire, and neither is willing to admit it.

So here we are today. This is how we got here from there.
But what an infinite distance we have traveled from the teachings of Jesus. The one who told us to “Follow me”, the one who gave us only 2 commandments: Love God, and love each other.
He didn’t come to establish a new religion. Sure, he was quick to point out the many shortcomings of the old one, but didn’t put his energy into building a new one.
He announced The Kingdom. A new paradigm which he spent his time living and teaching. A way of life that he invited people to follow. A radical lifestyle that we are still invited to live out.

But it isn’t really that simple. We can’t just jettison church denominationalism, and figure that we now have what Jesus wanted.
If Jesus didn’t give us a detailed schematic for constructing a new religion, what did he have in mind?
Was he planning for his message to die with him? That doesn’t make sense.
So what was his plan? Would he have hoped that his kingdom message would bring about a utopia, that as individuals changed, society would change in an onward and upward spiral towards perfection?
That would be a wonderful dream, but Jesus certainly knew the weaknesses of humanity. Just as friction slows down a moving object, so the selfishness of humankind stops us from reaching the ultimate perfection of the whole world bearing the likeness of God. The great kingdom lifestyle of ‘otherliness’ gradually morphs back into ‘me first’.
Jesus said: “I will build my church.” (Gk. Ecclesia—meeting, congregation, assembly, synagogue.)
He said: “I am leaving, but I will give you my Spirit.” because he knew that we couldn’t do it on our own.
He left his message in the hands and hearts of 12 guys who were only beginning to catch on. Maybe his death was premature—if he had had more time with them, he could have been able to more completely instill his message within them. Maybe a new religion was OK, it just needed a different flavor or style than what did develop. Maybe instead of a new religion he wanted to permeate all religions with his universal kingdom message.
However it appears to you, here we are a couple thousand years later. The baggage of those 2000 years is a bit heavy, and not just a bit unwieldy. We need more than a luggage trolley to deal with it. Maybe a couple sticks of dynamite might be more appropriate.
I’m very grateful for people who are nudging and nagging us to go back to Jesus’ message and example. Whatever ‘church’ means to you, make sure it doesn’t take up so much space that there’s no room for a life of love.

Stained glass windows and scripture texts and baptisms and choirs all have a place in our collective history.
They can inform our effort to follow Christ…
or confound it.
They can serve that lifestyle…
or get in its way.

Let’s just remember Jesus, and continue to figure out what it means to be his follower. And not spend all our energy fortifying our defenses against someone else who is also trying to figure out how to be a Christ-follower.
This message of Jesus is still alive two millennia after Jesus’ words and actions echoed across Palestine. So it still has the inherent power to continue to change us.
And the rest of the world.
Thanks be to God!

I can't love God

2011-04-02T20:48:00.000-07:00

Samir Selmanovic: It’s really all about God

My deadpan honest and brilliant New York City friend Norm once raised his hand during the worship service discussion time and blurted out, “I can’t love God.” What flashed through my mind is that Norm would rarely, if ever, say, “I love God.” It was just not something you could hear coming from him. He was one of those people who are usually absent from discussions of theology because they are impatient with words and are busy embodying them.

Every gathering has people who for some reason do not fit in the group because they are not up to par in some way. They look like they don’t have a clue, or taste, or a shower. Norm could always be found talking with these people, lavishing on them genuine curiosity and an open heart.

So when he said, “I can’t love God,” we all gave him space to explain himself, perhaps to confess that this whole God thing has been overrated. He continued, “I have so many people I am committed to love, but my time and resources are finite. If I add God to the list, I will only be able to give God a small part. But,” Norm paused to try to find the right words to explain his silly sacrilegious confession and then continued tentatively, as it asking for permission, “If I can love God through loving people and the world, then I can love God with all of my love.”

At that moment, I came to understand how sweet and real Norm’s love for God really was. Norm isn’t about God because God isn’t about God. Or alternatively, Norm is all about God because to be all about God is to be all about all of us.

You’ve got to be taught to hate

2011-03-30T17:47:00.000-07:00

I’m walking down the street, minding my own business, listening to Barbra Streisand. And this song comes up. It’s a two song medley, one from ‘South Pacific’, the second from ‘Into the Woods’.

Think about the philosophies of life and theologies that are passed along from generation to generation.
Think about the ethnic, gender, religious or economic biases that you learned from your parents or other influential adults in your early years, and how you have continued to live them out as an adult.
Think about how your kids now reflect those same values.

If only our homes and schools and churches were places safe from discrimination.

Here are the lyrics to the songs as sung by Barbra on her ‘Live in Concert 2006’ album.

You've got to be taught to hate and fear
You've got to be taught from year to year
It's got to be drummed in your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught

You've got to be taught before it's too late
Before you are six or seven or eight
To hate all the people your relatives hate
You've got to be carefully taught

Careful the things you say
Children will listen
Careful the things you do
Children will see and learn
Children may not obey, but children will listen
Children will look to you for which way to turn
To learn what to be
Careful before you say "Listen to me"
Children will listen

How can you say to a child who's in flight
"Don't slip away and I won't hold so tight"
What can you say that no matter how slight Won't be misunderstood
What do you leave to your child when you're dead?
Only whatever you put in its head
Things that you're mother and father had said
Careful what you say
Children will listen
Careful you do it too
Children will see, and learn
Which were left to them too
Oh guide them but step away
Children will glisten
Temper with what is true
And children will turn
If just to be free
Careful before you say
"Listen to me"
Children will listen.

It’s not too late to:
1. Change your heart, and
2. Pass along something better to the next generation.

Kindness

2011-03-26T23:24:00.000-07:00

It’s way too easy for me to rant. To get on my high horse and try to knock off the other riders.
I could say it is my gift, that I am supposed to disturb people. That I have a responsibility to complain about things that need to be changed.
That may be true, as far as it goes—but sometimes it needs to go farther, and in a different direction.

Tonight I basked in a Steve Bell & band concert. Awesome music. Awesome band.
Steve is releasing his new CD called Kindness. The title song was written by Brian McLaren. Yes, that Brian McLaren.

The words are gentle, simple, encouraging, positive. Not at all rant-ish.

Hearing Steve sing it tonight reminded me of the extreme value of being positive.
Of pointing out the good, not just the bad.
Of encouraging, edifying, uplifting.

Here are the lyrics for the song:

Christ has no body here but ours
No hands no feet here on earth but ours.
Ours are the eyes through which he looks
On this world with kindness

Ours are the hands through which he works
Ours are the feet on which he moves
Ours are the voices through which he speaks
To this world with kindness

Through our touch, our smile, our listening ear
Embodied in us, Jesus is living here

Let us go now, inspirited
Into this world with kindness

You can listen to part of it here:
I was at the conference Steve refers to in his notes for the song, and blogged about it here:

The times (part 2)

2011-03-22T22:07:00.000-07:00

I expect there have always been natural disasters. But when a big one happens, you start tallying up the recent ones—and it seems they are happening with greater frequency.
We have the triple whammy of earthquake, tsunami, and radiation from Japan, and then we immediately remember New Zealand, China, and the monster in Haiti. Then, not that long ago was the huge and deadly earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia and the Indian Ocean. It’s easy to see a trend, to say that these disasters are another way that times are changing.
If we aren’t diligently killing off people through war, we are seeing it happen through ‘Acts of God’.

Are things getting worse? Are we approaching the end of the world? Is God trying to tell us something? Some Christians seem to think that these disasters give them a great soapbox to deliver a message of God’s judgment. Or is there a certain amount of blame to be placed back on us, the energy hungry Western world?

What do we do, what can we learn? Do we use these catastrophes as an opportunity to preach, or to get involved, to actually care? Or do we thank God that it didn’t happen to us, make a token donation, and carry on with our daily, consumptive lives.
I’m not trying to promote pat answers here, just some more thinking. For us on the West Coast, we realize again how little control we have over nature, and news of another earthquake tends to shake us out of our lethargy (at least for a few days). Maybe this time we will get more prepared for our own disaster, and really work towards making a difference where the need is the greatest.

The times (part 1)

2011-03-21T20:16:00.001-07:00

“The world is changing: I feel it in the water, I feel it in the earth, and I smell it in the air.” (Tolkien)
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” (Dickens)
“For the times they are a-changin'” (Dylan)

Words that are terribly apropos in recent weeks and days.
Whether it is the groundswell of political unrest in North Africa and beyond, or the triple disaster in Japan, the world is not the same as it was even a few months ago.

Where do we (or should we) find ourselves as followers of Jesus?
One answer seems pretty obvious. Compassion is always an appropriate response.
But for me less obvious is my response to the surge of freedom fighters in a number of Arab countries.
Sure, I’m all in favor of throwing off the yoke of oppression of a dictatorship. And, as a product of a fairly democratic country, I tend to see democracy as a great concept. But perhaps that is just the knee-jerk reaction of a Westerner?

Is there a perfect political system?
Where does the Kingdom of God figure into this? In its most perfect incarnation, what would it look like if a nation followed the kingdom principles of the Sermon on the Mount, for example? Does democracy best exemplify loving your neighbor, being poor in spirit, or turning the other cheek? Or is there a different system that would better mirror the Kingdom?
And, as a guy endeavoring to follow the example of Jesus, should I support some kind of effort to ‘subdue’ the leader of a totalitarian government? Should I encourage or support military action (OK, call it war) from outside in order to strengthen the efforts of the locals to establish a government of the people? Or should I mind my own business, and let them duke it out on their own? Our politicians face similar questions, and have made their decision.
Or should I assume that this is all part of God’s way of bringing about Armageddon, the end of all things. That we should rejoice because ‘wars and rumors of wars’ are proof that the end of the world is coming soon, and that this is the ushering in of a New Heaven and a New Earth a la Revelation?
The last option smacks too much of a view of God that I don’t want to be connected with. The God that enjoys smiting. The God that loves us, but hates them. The God that calls us to war. The God that some individuals or groups of people claim is on their side as they ‘destroy the infidels’.

Back to the question: What is my response to these cataclysmic events?
Well, my heart immediately sides with those who desire freedom. And my internal justice meter redlines at the violence perpetrated by and on behalf of the existing leader in order to stay in power.
But isn’t that much the same as happened decades ago as ‘the Allies’ joined together to defeat Hitler? Not only was there moral support for freedom, but over a period of time, many nations declared war on nations they felt were threatening that freedom. I think the prevailing consensus of the West is that war was necessary—the ‘just war’ theory.
Of course, the same logic has been promoted for outside involvement in many other countries since then, including Iraq and Afghanistan.
But does that make it right?
Crucial, pivotal times. Times that can challenge us to think. And I think thinking is an undervalued, overdue activity.

”All the screws have been removed.”

2011-03-18T21:48:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I heard that phrase somewhere—but now I don’t remember the setting (and Google hasn’t been of any assistance). It had something to do with preparation for moving something that had once been solidly attached, and now was going to a new location.
Whatever the setting, the phrase hit me between the eyes.

What a sense of expectation!
And fear!
And anticipation!
We aren’t in Kansas anymore Toto—but I don’t yet know where we have landed.

It’s putting on your skis or committing your feet to the snowboard. You are on a smooth surface, any moment now you could be off on a trip—somewhere. Any nudge will get you started.
All you can say for sure is that the future will not be like the past. But you have no assurance as to where the end point is.

Is it comfortable? Not on your life!
Is it safe? Likely not.
Is it good? Potentially, very good.

Sometimes removing the screws is the first step in a repair project. Once you have removed all of the screws, you can fix the problem with your toaster or vacuum cleaner or carburetor.

Sometimes it is the first step in upgrading something. Remove the screws, take off the cover, and now you can replace that old hard drive in your computer with something bigger.

Sometimes it is the first step in renovating. Take off the old curtain rods, or kitchen cabinets, and install something more modern or useful.

Think about the block of wood once attached to the lathe. While there, it was being formed for a particular purpose. Sure, it was quite an operation, but there was a sense of security in the attachment to the rest of the tool.
Then, the shaping is over, the screws are removed, and real life begins.
Or the student in college. A solid, structured life. Classes, assignments, exams.
Then comes graduation, the dorm is vacated and a new life begins.

And it doesn’t necessarily stop once you have established a career. Sometimes a well-established job disintegrates, or the family needs to move, or all of the little tax deductions are now out on their own, and the nest is empty.

Or, sometimes, God stirs the nest. You get this strange unnatural urge to ask a question. And one by one the things that you thought were written in stone (to switch metaphors) are now less concrete. It’s not that the foundation is crumbling, but certain pieces of the structure are being replaced. The screws are being loosened, and one by one removed so that the structure itself can be placed somewhere else.

If this has happened to you, you know what I am talking about. It’s not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it is probably the best thing that ever happened to you—but it is still a scary place to be.

Whether physically, emotionally, or even intellectually or spiritually, you now know that your course has been changed, but you don’t yet know where you will land.
Rationality says: “Quick, get reattached. Reset your anchor. Don’t let yourself float away.”
Trust says: “Help! I’m scared—but I know that my little boat isn’t going to be swamped. Blow me where you want, I’m free and safe in You.”
Are you feeling like “All the screws have been removed”—but not yet reattached? Hang in there! As trite as it sounds, you are now ready to move on.

Invisible

2011-03-10T18:08:00.000-08:00

Did you know that you have the power to make people disappear?
As you move through a public space, who do you see?
And who do you not see?
Who do you intentionally try to not make eye contact with?
Of course, we see our friends, and usually have no problem seeing people we may not know.
But there are the others…

Here in Victoria, there is a business that hires people to be fund raisers for various charities. They place people in pairs on the street, lying in wait to sign you up as a regular supporter of groups like the Red Cross, or Amnesty International. I admit, I often do what I can do avoid getting pulled in by their tractor beam—ducking into a store, or crossing the street.
Panhandlers have told me more than once that they feel invisible. Even when they offer a cheery “Good Morning!”, they are often treated as if they didn’t exist.
How about the ‘non-normal’ person that you come into close proximity with as you walk down the sidewalk? The lady with the white cane, the boisterous drunk or flailing young addict trying to maneuver their way down the street. The social misfit, the chatty guy from the group home, the obvious member of a different culture.
“I don’t feel comfortable….”
“Not quite sure what to do….”
So I pretend they aren’t there.
Perhaps we are acting like the first two characters in the story of the Good Samaritan who ‘walked by on the other side.’
But what does it feel like to the one who is ignored?

And then there is the flip side—those who don’t want to be seen, who don’t want to have an encounter. Ears plugged with earbuds, eyes focused on texting or reading, apparently afraid that they might have to join the real world.

What does this all mean?
Is it OK to ignore those who look like they want to be ignored, or those I am uncomfortable with?
The prickly question to ask in response to the previous questions is: “What would Jesus do?” If my most important calling in life is to follow Jesus, what would he be doing?
He would go to the well in the center of town where, in the heat of midday is a Woman who Has a Past. And he would talk with her.
He would hang out with publicans, tax collectors, sinners—the riffraff.
He would let a prostitute pour oil on him, wiping him with her hair.
He would touch the untouchables.

The old gospel song says; “I’ll go, where you want me to go, dear Lord.”
Will we? Will we go down an uncomfortable street?
Another song says; “Here I am, Lord. I will go, Lord, if you lead me, I will hold your people in my heart.”
Really? Will we go where he has already gone?
How about: “Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus.” In the light of Matthew 25:40 (Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.) will we open our eyes and see Jesus in the person we were trying to ignore?

You have the power to make people disappear or appear. What will you do?

Christmas lights

2010-12-25T14:00:00.000-08:00

I’ve always liked Christmas lights. Especially many-colored lights. Particularly against a dark background. The twinkling effect of many small colored lights against a night sky, or on a dimly-lit street is quite striking.

I realized this again this past week as I was walking to the store. The street wasn’t well-lit, and the house was just lit by the colored lights. Each bulb was small, and not very powerful.

But taken together, against the darkness of the surroundings, they were very effective.

Of course, I started thinking deeper than the science of light and electricity. You may already have arrived at the same point I arrived at:
• White is a fine color, but the variety of different colors adds so much more flavor. So it is with each of us. Our style, our theology, our gifts. And you probably remember your elementary science—put all of these colors together, and you get white light. So it is in God’s Kingdom. It takes the combined force of all of our differences to begin to adequately reflect the white of God’s light. Individually, we are just a part—and each part is necessary to make a complete whole.
• Lights are most visible and useful against the darkness. You probably don’t have your outdoor Christmas lights on during the day, because no one would see them anyway. But at night, they shine brightly. So it is with us. Although we love to hang out in church with all of the other similar sources of light, we are most effective when we shine where things are dark.
• It doesn’t take a powerful wattage in order to make inroads against the darkness. Even if you think you aren’t very bright, get out there and shine!

For Tyler

2010-10-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

A young man named Tyler committed suicide a few days ago. He left a note on his Facebook page: “Jumping off the gw bridge sorry.”

No matter how often something like this happens, it’s a tragedy.

This story is even sadder than sad.

It turns out that Tyler was a recent high school graduate who had just begun university. His roommate secretly set his webcam to spy on him having a sexual encounter in his dorm room, and then sent the video feed to some of his friends.

When Tyler discovered what his roommate had done, he was so humiliated that he posted the Facebook message, drove to the George Washington Bridge in New York, and jumped to his death.

Tyler was an accomplished violinist whose music touched everyone.

Although the roommate who posted the video isn’t known to be a bad guy, he had posted this on Twitter: “Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went into molly's room and turned on my Web cam. I saw him making out with a dude. Yay.”

Apparently, Tyler’s parents didn’t know he was gay.

So here we have an incredibly sad and tragic story. A young man is trying to cope with being gay. For whatever reasons, he wasn’t able to share this innermost secret with his family, so wasn’t able to get any support there.

Then, when it seems the whole world is about to find out his secret, the humiliation overwhelms him and he finds no solution but to end it all.

A wonderful life cut short.
A talented young man no longer able to move others with his music.
A student who isn’t able to live out his dreams.
Another young gay kid who hasn’t been able to find the support he needs to be able to stand against the tide of homophobia around him.

Nothing is said in the news reports I read about this (here and here) regarding matters of faith or church connections. But you can well imagine the lack of support he would have received in many church settings. I can just imagine the lack of sympathy this whole story generates, once the detail of his gayness becomes known. (As a point of interest, did your feelings about Tyler change once you discovered he was gay?)

And perhaps that is almost as big a tragedy as the death of Tyler Clementi.

Tyler, society failed you. We failed you. We didn’t stand with you, or let you know you were safe and loved and accepted.

Let’s take some steps to change things for the next Tyler.

Everybody needs a hero

2010-09-18T18:56:00.001-07:00

I’m a sucker for an honest, great story. We have lots of stories of bad guys. Today we need a story of a great guy.
This weekend honors one of Canada’s greatest heroes.
No, he’s not a professional athlete. Or an actor or musician. He’s not a politician or businessman.
No, he’s a guy who died before he turned 23. But in his life and in his death he exhibited qualities that make him a legitimate world-class hero.

He is Terry Fox.
He lost his right leg to cancer before the age of 20. And then decided he was going to run across the country to raise money and awareness for cancer research. And not just a couple miles a day. He set out to run a marathon (42.195 kilometers, over 26 miles) every day.

Since he grew up in British Columbia (my side of the country), he decided to start on the other side, and run towards home. His goal was to raise $1 for every Canadian (at that time, 24,000,000). He dipped his right leg into the water off Newfoundland on April 12, 1980 and set out.

Of course it wasn’t easy.
Of course there was pain.
Early mornings.
Dodging traffic.
Weather.
Terrain.

But there were the good times.
He got to meet some of his heroes.
To meet others who were struggling with cancer.
To receive the nickels and dimes and dollars of generous people.
To discover that he was winning the heart of the nation.
But the cancer came back and halted his run at 5373 km (3339 mi) at Thunder Bay, Ontario. Although he wanted to come back and complete the run, he passed away June 28, 1981—1 month before his 23rd birthday.

By this point his Marathon of Hope had indeed raised over $24,000,000.
But that isn’t the end of the story.
He had lit the fire under Canadians. By September of 1981, plans came together for a country-wide Terry Fox Run in communities large and small to continue to raise money.
So, every September on the 2nd Sunday after Labor Day the Terry Fox Run is held, now in dozens of countries. Over $500 million has been raised in Terry’s honor.

Sure, it’s easy to complain about the sorry state of the world.
But this weekend we remember Terry.
He makes me proud to be a Canadian.
I’m proud to be part of a country that gave rise to a man like Terry.

Now go and make a difference in your world.

(click to enlarge)
This plaque is located where Terry would have completed his Marathon of Hope, had he been able to make it here to Victoria.

What does loving your neighbor really mean?

2010-09-14T08:45:00.000-07:00

I followed my friend the weary pilgrim to a blog called Hugh’s Views.

Here are Hugh’s notes from a presentation he made at Big Tent Christianity. To whet your appetite, here are a few excerpts, but you definitely need to read the whole thing for the full benefit.

According to Jesus, loving your neighbor is half of the greatest commandment. Pretty much everyone agrees that, if taken seriously, it’s a radical idea that could change the world. And yet it seems nearly impossible for American Christians, liberal or conservative, to agree on what it looks like.

Loving your neighbor presupposes a relationship. It means knowing your neighbor is going through a divorce, that the lady who cleans your office has a mother that is dying, that the man at the end of the street holding a cardboard sign has been outside for three years now, and his name is Brian. In the story we call the Good Samaritan, it meant getting in the ditch to bind the man’s wounds yourself.

When the average person in the pews can tell you the names of all the Judges on American Idol, or can name all the Glee cast members, but does not know a soul that makes 1/4th their income, I think it is fair to say we have lost our sense of mission as co-creators of the Kingdom of God.

Here in Wake County, the official statistics say there are approximately 1200 homeless people. And many hundreds of Christian congregations. You cannot tell me that out of the many thousands of Christian homes represented by those churches, there are not 1200 empty beds somewhere. Of course there are. But we save those beds for people we actually know.

Jesus expects us to storm down those gates [Matthew 16:18] and invade Hell itself. Jesus is telling us to go to Hell to be with the drug addict and the alcoholic. Go to Hell to be with the victims of abuse, and with the abusers. Go to hell and liberate the adulterer, the homeless man, the pornographer. In hell is where we will find the single mother and the embezzler, the pimps and the pimped, the hungry, the broken, the forgotten. We, you and I together, should be wading into hell itself and proclaiming that there is a new way to live and a new way to love, and that new way is bringing about the justice of God.

Read his full notes here. Thanks to the weary pilgrim, and especially to Hugh for a pretty straight-forward understanding of a pretty obvious principle—that most of us totally ignore.

Sometimes life sucks

2010-08-29T19:49:00.000-07:00

Sometimes my life is good, but since a friend is struggling with something, then life still sucks, just not my life.

And then, sometimes it seems that life is really quite OK. Things kinda fall into place. The things that matter to you also matter to other people, and together you can git er done.

Like CARTS.

CARTS Victoria is a local street outreach that I have been a part of for about 4 years. It’s been around for over 7. CARTS stands for Christian Actions Reflecting The Spirit. And it also stands for the green four-wheeled wagons that we pull around the streets of Victoria once a week bringing food, clothes, and love to our street family.

CARTS was started by two wonderful ladies. Sisters. As one person put it, ‘They aren’t nuns, but they are saints.’ For over 7 years most of what CARTS is has operated out of their home, their garage, a shed in their back yard, their kitchen, their car, their time, their energy. You get the picture. Sure, others of us help, but it was still them doing most of the work.

A few weeks ago we heard from the company that operates the downtown parking lot where we gathered every week (before heading out on the streets) that we were no longer welcome in their lot. They had their reasons, and that is fine, but it nudged us to a place where we had several decisions to make.

Today we had a meeting of many of our volunteers (about 25 or so). We needed, among other things, to relieve the load that these 2 dear ladies had carried for these 7+ years.

And together, we figured out a new scenario that looks like it is going to work well for everyone.

The two ladies still will have an opportunity for their passion and compassion to reach out to the streets, but more of us will share the load.

I knew we could figure it out, but I didn’t know if we had the people power to take up the slack. I really didn’t know if we would still be CARTS, or if things would need to be scaled back so much that we would kinda fizzle.

But, we were of a mind to git er done! New ideas, sorting out of who we really are, and a willingness to take responsibility.

We still have more decisions to be made, but we made some great strides today.
Sometimes life sucks.

But not today.

Wheat and weeds

2010-08-08T18:51:00.000-07:00

So, if we aren't supposed to be making enemies (For or against), what does Jesus tell us about dealing with things/people we may not think are correct?

Well, another of his stories comes to mind. And this one has always seemed a little strange to me as well.
Here it is: Matthew 13:24-30.

He told another story. "God's kingdom is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field.
That night, while his hired men were asleep, his enemy sowed thistles all through the wheat and slipped away before dawn.
When the first green shoots appeared and the grain began to form, the thistles showed up, too.
"The farmhands came to the farmer and said, 'Master, that was clean seed you planted, wasn't it? Where did these thistles come from?'
"He answered, 'Some enemy did this.' "The farmhands asked, 'Should we weed out the thistles?'
"He said, 'No, if you weed the thistles, you'll pull up the wheat, too.
Let them grow together until harvest time. Then I'll instruct the harvesters to pull up the thistles and tie them in bundles for the fire, then gather the wheat and put it in the barn.'" (The Message)

However you understand the weeds (ideas, sins, people), the fact remains. Jesus said we are to leave the weeding up to him.

But what about....?
I don't know. I just see here that Jesus is more worried about the life of the wheat than the death of the weeds.

By the way, I see a similarity with 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 where Paul talks about “gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble”, where God will identify what is good and what isn't.

Yes, he definitely wants us to be of value, to be legitimate and 'rightly divide the word of truth'. But I've seen an awful lot of un-Christlike attitudes and actions masquerading as an obsession with truth.

And my hope that people learn to get along (last post) means that both you and I will have to be less concerned about fault finding, and more concerned about encouraging each other—even if we don't agree. That's easy for me to encourage you to do, but not nearly so easy to encourage myself to do.

For or against

2010-08-06T10:28:00.000-07:00

I find it so easy to worry about someone else's orthodoxy. To see their theology as being wrong, their philosophy as wrong, their style as being wrong. If not wrong, then at least as less valuable or right than mine, and in need of being changed.

As I find my own understanding of things being adjusted, I want to see everyone else see things the same way I do. I have seen the light, so should you.

And if you don't (or won't), I shouldn't have anything to do with you. Since you aren't in complete agreement with me, I should consider you as an enemy, an outcast. How can my light have fellowship with your darkness?

I know this isn't the right way to look at such things, and I'm working on it. I really try to emphasize relationships over orthodoxy, friendships over 'truth'.

But somehow it still seems skewed and twisted. Shouldn't I be standing up for correct doctrine, making sure truth prevails? Isn't it my responsibility to keep the faith pure?

Well, no. At least not to that extent.

The church is already divided. Very divided. There are around 38,000 (or more) Christian denominations. Every one probably claiming to be more correct than everyone else. Every one probably claiming to have God and the Bible on their side.

But today I was reminded of Jesus' words in Luke 9: 49 and 50.

And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. And Jesus said unto him, Forbid [him] not: for he that is not against us is for us. (KJV)

John spoke up, "Master, we saw a man using your name to expel demons and we stopped him because he wasn't of our group." Jesus said, "Don't stop him. If he's not an enemy, he's an ally." (The Message)

The parallel passage in Mark 9:38-40 (The Message):

John spoke up, "Teacher, we saw a man using your name to expel demons and we stopped him because he wasn't in our group."
Jesus wasn't pleased. "Don't stop him. No one can use my name to do something good and powerful, and in the next breath cut me down.
If he's not an enemy, he's an ally.

I've wondered about these verses before. Is Jesus really telling us that we can be friends, even if we disagree? Yes.
Is he suggesting that it is more important to dialog than to debate? You betcha.
Is he encouraging us to look for similarities instead of differences? Absolutely.
Is he telling us that being right isn't the most important thing? That's the way it looks to me.

It's long past time to drop the arrogance, to stop crying “Foul” every time someone has a different take on something than we do.
It's time to get down off our soapboxes and start shaking hands.
It's time to look for friends instead of enemies, those who are with us, not against us.

Sure, God probably has a list of absolutes, those things that determine whether someone is 'in' or 'out', whether they are with us or not.
But I'm sure that list isn't based on the criteria that many Christians would like to use. It's not as nit-picky as we tend to be.

Our responsibility is to love each other. We can leave the sorting out up to God.

A milestone is reached!

2010-07-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

I've been a bad blogger.
A rather unfaithful one, of late.
However, it is time to celebrate a milestone.
A milestone in my limited mind, at least.

I have reached 20 ~~disciples~~ followers!
In honor of this occasion, it might be interesting to find out how you found this particular piece of internet enlightenment. Some of you are longstanding friends. Others I have known for a shorter time, and others I know very little about. So I, at least, am interested in discovering how we made this cyber connection.
To spur your thoughts a bit, I have a couple trivia questions:
--which of my posts has generated the most hits?
--which of my posts has generated the most spam?

If you show any interest at all in those questions, I will be happy to tell you the answers.
Otherwise, you will forever be in the dark.

And now back to the idea of being a disciple, which brings up what I think is an important point.
A disciple is a follower.
And that implies movement.
For Jesus' disciples, it wasn't a static placement of ones' feet. It was putting one foot in front of the other, and going where the Master went.
And this wasn't just in a physical sense. It also meant spiritually and emotionally.

So why are we so anxious to make disciples for Jesus, but then pretty much demand that they reach a particular 'plateau' and then stay there?
Can't we realize that our Master is moving,
and so should we.

Stagnation isn't a pretty sight (or smell).

Discipleship isn't lining up with a predetermined list of qualifications.
And then relaxing.
Or proudly saying; “I've made it, I've arrived.”

But that is the example that is usually laid out for us.
We aren't encouraged to move on, to ask new questions, to challenge the status quo.
But what if that is exactly where the Master is going?

Why are we scared to think the Master may be moving on, just as He asks us to.

So this is Canada Day, eh?

2010-07-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

I'm wearing my nice red t-shirt with the Canadian flag on it. But no, I didn't join in Victoria's living flag, aiming for 2010 participants this year.

Pretty proud to be Canadian.
Most of the time.
And for some good reasons.

Except for things like what happened in the Toronto police state last weekend. I'm crying for my country when a few elected thugs decide what is good for the country and the world.
And don't like anyone to disagree with them.

Hundreds of protesters manhandled in various ways, detained for hours (or longer) and many released without being charged. Because they did nothing wrong, except stand up for values they believe in.

In my Canada, it didn't used to be wrong or illegal to have a different opinion than someone else.
Even if that someone else has the power to order police forces to shut you down by whatever force is necessary.

Lots of stuff went down at the G8/G20 meetings in Toronto. Thanks to technology and independent media, a 'politically incorrect' take on the proceedings can be heard and seen. Here are four stories/reports for your reading and viewing pleasure:
O Canada
Lacy MacAuley
Amy Miller (View video #4)
A comprehensive look at the week of protests in Toronto

It makes me sing even more fervently:
God keep our land,
Glorious and free.

And pray for God's kingdom to come to this beautiful, wonderful land of Canada.
I think people like me have to take a stand.

So here I stand.

Christ-like

2010-06-11T08:44:00.000-07:00

I have the impression that being a 'Christian' means being like Christ. A 'little Christ'. A follower and imitator of him.

Of course, I could be wrong. Being a Christian may only mean adhering to a particular set of dogma, signing up to a list of beliefs.

But I hope not. I hope its' meaning is more outwardly observable than what is going on someone's head.

Perhaps something Jesus said will help: “This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples--when they see the love you have for each other.” (John 13:35)

Given that idea, I have a question.

Which of the following best fit the title of 'Christian'? Lots of people claim that title, others don't. But which ones (in your own estimation) actually seem to be living out the character of Christ? And why do you think so? What qualities in their lives point back to Jesus? Do you have other good examples? And why do we seem to have so many bad examples?

(My list is just to spur your imagination)

Billy Graham
Pat Robertson
Florence Nightingale
Gandhi
Jack Kevorkian
Oprah Winfrey
Benny Hinn
Any past or present Prime Ministers/Presidents or other leaders
Mother Teresa
Martin Luther King Jr.
the Buddha
Fred Phelps
Bono
Desmond Tutu
William and Catherine Booth
Albert Schweitzer
Adolf Hitler
Joyce Meyer
Che Guevara
Galileo Galilei
Sam Walton

And a final thought. Put your own name in that list. Do you think your life is headed in the right direction, or has it been sidetracked as it appears has happened in some of the people listed above?

A parable

2010-06-03T10:48:00.000-07:00

Skye lived in a land where everyone liked the color blue. They wore blue clothes, drove blue cars, and lived in blue houses. Their favorite food was blueberry pie.
Across the water was a land where everyone liked the color red. This was where Rose lived. She lived in a red brick house, drove a red car, and wore red clothes. Her favorite food was tomatoes.
Skye often joined her friends down on the beach. Together they would look across the water to 'red'land, and loudly invite the red folk to come over and try out the blue life.
“Life over here is more peaceful”, they said. “Red is too passionate. We feel like we are so in tune with all of nature. And blueberries are very healthy.”
Meanwhile, Rose and her friends were often on their beach, proclaiming the power and passion of their red-hued land. And the relative nutrition of tomatoes.

But for all of their orating and proclaiming at each other, no one ever even attempted to cross the water and try the alternative life.

In another part of the world was Jock. In his land, hockey was king. Everyone lived and breathed hockey. They had everything they needed to play hockey 12 months a year.
Across the water from this land lived Art. He and all his friends were painters. The land was filled with studios, easels and paint brushes.
When they didn't have their skates on, Jock and his friends were down on their beach, extolling the virtues of physical exercise towards the land where Art lived.
And Art and his friends were on their beach promoting creativity over violence.
Again, even with all of the effort put into the proselytizing, no one changed their location.

One day Skye started thinking and wondering if there just might be a little bit of value and enjoyment in just checking out red land.
So, she ventured across. Of course, she stuck out like a sore thumb in her blue garb, but to her surprise, Rose and the others welcomed her with open arms. They showed her all the tones of red that were around them. Skye checked out the brick houses, and even tried a slice of tomato. She went to a designer who fashioned her a blue and red striped jacket.
After a wonderful exchange of ideas and experiences between Skye and Rose, Rose decided to travel back with Skye and try some blueberry pie. In a peacefully passionate way, both of them told the rest of Skye's friends that they all had a lot in common. Skye admitted that Rose was really very nice, and so were her friends.
Rose actually donned a completely blue pair of slacks which didn't clash with the rest of her red attire (and loved the piece of pie she tried).

Meanwhile, one day Art ventured across the water. He was very apprehensive of the noise of the hockey arena, but decided he should paint a picture of the game. When he finished it, he presented it to Jock, who proudly hung it in his home.
Jock returned with Art to check out this whole painting gig. He soon discovered that his stick-handling ability translated well to wielding a paint brush, and soon had finished his first effort—which Art promptly brought to the main art gallery on the island where it occupied a place of honor (although many of the locals needed help in interpreting all of the movement it contained).

Over time, the tentative overtures of Skye and Rose turned into a sturdy bridge where there is now a lot of traffic. Although blue land is still predominantly blue, there are many shades of purple, mauve and plum, and some plaids and stripes. There are even a couple brick houses. Similar scenes can be seen in red land, although red is still predominant.
Jock is teaching a few of his friends how to release their passion by painting, and Art has built a small rink for his friends to vent their frustrations (but in a creative and controlled way).

If we were to continue to explore this vast world, we would discover an island where people meet in ornate structures, listen to the heavenly sounds of an organ, and together chant melodic and rhythmic words of eternal wisdom, read from a holy book.
Just across the water is a group of people gathered in the open air under a large tree where they are happily singing and dancing to the accompaniment of some drums. It took a long time for their bridge to be built, and then for many years the movement seemed to be only going in one direction. Fortunately, the traffic is becoming more two-directional.

On a different side of the land of ornate structures is another island where people are always getting together to ask questions and consider ideas. They don't necessarily expect or receive answers, but they love to discuss. When the first visitor arrived, repeating his words of eternal truth from his holy book, he was listened to politely. However, the response was a barrage of questions: “How do you know this is true? What about....? Doesn't this make just as much sense?”
Many of these questions were logical. Some of the questions had no definite answer. Sometimes the words from the holy book that the visitor read in response could be taken in different ways. Soon other visitors from the land of the holy book came to orate on the street corners. Often the visitor would feel the need to retreat rather than engage in the spirited dialog. It was safer back in the land of ornate structures.
But a few started building a bridge. This bridge became a place of safety and discussion. Most of the people continued to live where they had always lived, but found this bridge to be a great place to meet and learn. Even the people with the holy book learned to ask questions, and not always get answers. And the people from the land of perpetual seeking have begun to really appreciate the heart of the people of the land of ornate structures.

So, what can we learn from this parable?
As Skye and Rose learned, we are more similar than we think.
Jock and Art have shown us that passion doesn't always express itself in the same way.
And the inhabitants of structure-ville, drummer-ton, and the city of perpetual questions have demonstrated that it is not wrong to ask questions, nor is it wrong to form different ways of expressing what you believe to be true.

But for me, the biggest lesson is bridge-building.
There will always be islands of people who think differently. We can't expect everyone to come to our point of view, we need to understand theirs. People are usually very willing to help us get to know them, if we are willing to listen.
Let us be incarnational, and like Christ, become flesh and blood and move into someone else's neighborhood.

Ya gotta love good deeds done on the sly

2010-05-30T23:56:00.000-07:00

I attended a conference with Brian McLaren on the weekend. Steve Bell was the musical complement for Brian's teaching sessions.

This story is about Steve.

I've got to start in the middle, because that's where it started, for me. After Saturday's morning session and lunch, I headed out to find a nice cup of coffee. Since my personal preference is anything but Starbucks (you know, big corporate giant, etc.), I looked for something different close by. A couple places were closed (must do most of their business with the office crowd Monday to Friday).
I remembered a place a block farther away, and headed over.
Nearly there, I come upon E, occupying a familiar doorway with her loaded grocery cart, and hat out for change. I stopped for a brief hello, telling her I needed to be on my way soon, to get back to my session. (Every time I find myself cutting a conversation short, I feel like one of the baddies in the Good Samaritan story--too busy to help the guy in need.)
Anyway, she says; "You mean the Steve Bell conference?" She had attended a concert of his several years ago, and is still a big fan.
I answered in the affirmative. (Actually, I guess it was a Brian McLaren conference, but why quibble?)
She got quite animated, and said; "He bought T and I coffee this morning! I didn't realize it was him at the time, but he looked familiar. I guess it's his new beard that kept me from recognizing him at first. I just realized a few minutes ago that that's who it was!"
Well, I figured that was quite something. She had talked to me previously about Steve, how she enjoyed him, how he was coming to town, how she wished she could go see him.
Now she added; "Can you tell him thanks again for the coffee, and maybe see if I can get a ticket for the concert?"
Well, I wasn't really too sure about hinting about free tickets, but I certainly thought it was cool that Steve had bought them coffee.

It was getting time for the afternoon session, so I headed back.
As luck (or whatever more spiritual word you might want to use) would have it, Steve was tuning his guitar or something, just kind of hanging out getting ready for the session. I approached him and asked him if he had bought a couple people coffee that morning. He was fairly shocked that I would know about that, but told me the story of how he and his manager had gone to Starbucks for breakfast, had seen these two people outside with their carts, and offered to buy them something.
When I told Steve that E had later figured out who he was, and that she really enjoyed his music, had seen him years before, and wondered if there was some way she could get to the concert, he immediately put down his guitar, headed back to his merch table, grabbed a couple tickets and a CD and asked if I could bring them to her. No questions, just another kind deed by a guy who obviously is used to doing kind things.
I hurried back the couple blocks, so that she wouldn't have disappeared, and I could get back for the session. When I waved the tickets in front of her, she lost it. She stood on the edge of the sidewalk and screamed in rapture. She's a pretty expressive person, but this was more than I have ever seen before. She was happy. She was extremely happy. I believe the word could even be ecstatic.
She was concerned about finding a spot at the church for her grocery cart during the concert, so I said I would try to find someone to be prepared for it.
Later on in the afternoon I was able to let Steve know how excited she was, and chatted with someone from the church about storing the cart during the concert. It seemed like things could be worked out for the cart somehow, and, as they say, the stage was set.

I ended up being a bit delayed coming back for the evening concert, so wasn't there when E showed up. Later she told me that the church staff had been very helpful, helping her squeeze everything through the doors, and finding a place for the cart. I saw her sitting near the back, and joined her for the evening. Even before the concert began, she told me that this was probably the best thing that had happened in 2010, maybe even 2009 and 2010 put together.

As the concert went on, she was very touched. Several of the songs moved her to tears. Obviously, there was a lot of emotional stuff going on, her heart was touched by his kindness, and by the presence of God through the music and stories. She lives a pretty hard life, but has a firm faith in God. This was one of those special moments when you know that God hasn't forgotten about you, that although life is hard, he is always there--and this time he brought a present!

Things didn't work out for her to chat with Steve after the concert, and she was a little disappointed about that. I suggested that perhaps he would be looking for her the next morning, to find out if she had made it.

When I got home after the concert and chat with E, I sent a message to Steve to let him know how the evening had gone regarding E and the tickets. Later Sunday afternoon he got back to me saying that they had driven around in the morning until they found her, and had a nice visit.

Now here's what I think is the coolest part of this story.
Steve didn't use this in anyway to blow his own horn. He could have mentioned it at the conference, or at the concert. He could have painted a pretty picture of how he had helped this lady. He is a great story teller, so I'm sure he could have found a cool place to just slide it in somehow.
But he didn't.
He just did what was the right thing to do, without planning on any pats on the back.

Now perhaps you might think that I am telling this story to somehow share in the glory. I hope not. I really had nothing to do with it.
But then again, Steve might say the same thing.
It was just being in the right place at the right time.
And being ready to do the right thing.

As I said, Steve is a great story teller. So, maybe sometime there will be a great place to tell this story. But somehow I have the idea that God will get the glory.

Good words

2010-05-26T13:55:00.000-07:00

Brian McLaren spoke at the 187 Commencement ceremony at Virginia Theological Seminary last week. Although delivered to a group of seminary grads, his words are encouraging for us all.

Here are his words...

Questions?

2010-05-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

What is the value of asking questions?
Is it only so we can find out the answers?
Or is there a benefit in moving from thinking we know the answer already to knowing that we will probably never know the answer?

Is it better to ask; “God, who are you, really?”, than to state; “This is what God is like.”?
Is it better to admit that we don't know everything than to organize all our knowledge into some wonderful system?
Do we really need to discover the answers?
Can we exist in a world where there are unknowns?

Does God promise to answer every question we ask?
Are we better off if we move from doubt to certainty?

Why do we seem to feel we need to have an answer when someone else asks us a question?
Why do we feel lessened by not being able to give an adequate answer?
Why are we tempted to give an inadequate or even wrong answer rather than admit we have no answer?

Why do we tend to jump into a conversation when someone asks a question?
Why don't we just sit and contemplate the depth and wonder of the question for a minute, and then perhaps admit that we aren't too sure either?

Is it inappropriate to ask questions if you don't expect an answer?
Is this one of the paradigm shifts in the world as modernity gives way to whatever post-modernity is?

Will the system break if we ask too many questions that society cannot answer?

Why do we expect 'FAQ's to always have answers?

Is “What is a rhetorical question?” a rhetorical question?

Are all of these questions making you nervous?
Are you worried about the state of my mental/spiritual health?
Do you think I am reverting to the young child who always asks; “Why?”?
Why might you think so?

It seems to me...

2010-05-19T13:04:00.000-07:00

that it's the 'underdog' who really understands the inequity and injustice they are facing, and then responds passionately about it.

For example, doesn't it seem that more women than men talk about gender equality?

Or more gays than straights talk about the various levels of inequality faced by gays?

Or more ________(insert culture or color here) talk about racial equality than the predominant culture/color in the country?

In many ways, this makes total sense—how can I, a white male understand the depth of inequality that a non-white female has experienced.

BUT--and I think this is important--Why should it have to be the one being treated unfairly who has to stand up for his or her rights? Why should I be silent just because I'm in a pretty privileged position? Shouldn't I be willing to at least try to take the position of my brother or sister who has to deal with the unfairness of society? If indeed I have the 'privilege' of being in the position of power, shouldn't I use it for good?

But why is it that it seems (at least to me) that it is mostly women who are raising their voices about equality (and so on)? Is it that, no matter how hard he might try, a man will never really know the perspective of a woman? That a white Canadian will never understand the perspective of a First Nations Canadian? That a straight male will never understand the perspective of a gay male?

Is there, lurking somewhere below the surface, some kind of 'underdog mentality' that doesn't even want support from the 'upperdog'? A 'chip on the shoulder'?
Perhaps it feels condescending?
Perhaps it is?

But then again, perhaps the sense of condescension is only in the eye of the beholder.

I think we all need to stand against injustice, whether it is being perpetrated against us,
Or by us.

For Darcy

2010-05-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

I'm enjoying Mother's Day sitting in Beacon Hill Park. The fountain in the middle of the pond is fountaining, the frisbeetarians are exercising the freedom of their religion, a baseball game is in full swing (as are the mini golfers), and some kids are getting a kick out of a soccer ball.
Families are enjoying the beautiful day. Mom pushes the empty stroller while Dad gives junior a bird's-eye view of things from atop his shoulders. Grandma gets a wheelchair tour, and the dogs are investigating every tree and rock.
A mallard is preening itself at the water's edge (until Grandpa and grandson come too close).
It's all quite idyllic, a perfect setting for a family values photo shoot.

But my heart is back at the memorial service for Darcy a couple days ago. Perhaps his liver gave out, but that was only a passing comment. If true, it would be a logical sign of the decades of street life and alcohol.
At the service in his memory, a number of people testified that he had been their best friend—and that would be no exaggeration. He was that kind of guy. He partied hard and often, but he also loved with the same intensity. Loyal, generous, experienced, protective.
The last time I saw him was 4 weeks ago at CARTS. I didn't realize then that his days were numbered. Looking back now, I am grateful for all the conversations. Love given, love received. By both of us. He cared, he cried, he loved. And over the years, we connected often through CARTS.

As I process my thoughts, a few things come together.
--Not everyone has the same idyllic life I can see happening around me here in the park. Many people have more painful memories of their childhood than happy ones. Physical, verbal, emotional and/or sexual abuse, missing fathers, stressed out mothers.
--A kid learns how to cope, how to bury the pain. But it is always there. So the cycles of self-medication begin. Something to deaden the ache. Alcohol or drugs become medicine, not just party or mood enhancers.
--Even though the troubled one recognizes the physical and mental effects of his substance use, what is he to do? When he isn't at least partly buzzed, it just hurts too much. So, even if he enters a rehab program, the pain probably remains when he comes back home.
--As Dr. Gabor Maté notes, every hardcore addict he has ever worked with has experienced some trauma/stress in their early years. In Dr. Maté's experience, it is the long-term, ongoing treatment of love, acceptance and affirmation that heals the inner pain. Sure, miracles can happen, but those are beyond our control. What we can do is play that loving and affirming part.

When it is easy,
when it is hard.

When our friend can articulate his feelings clearly,
and when he is so messed up you can only sit with him, hug him, love him.

--I don 't know if this was Darcy's story or not. Our conversations never really went to that depth. I only know that several times he and I did share some deep moments. Love given by both. Love received by both.

You are now at peace, Darcy. The pain is over. Rest in the arms of the one who has always loved you, always held you.
And I will go forward, endeavoring to be the arms and heart of Jesus to others whose hearts are crying for hope, and love, and peace.

Programs, projects, people

2010-04-30T09:12:00.000-07:00

There are different ways of approaching the activities we pursue. This is true in the individual sense, and also true in the larger, corporate sense.

Churches and corporations (and even individuals) can engage in programs. Major, full-on, organized activities focused on a particular demographic (seniors, men, single moms, homeless teens), or goals (expansion/growth).
Programs tend to set goals and priorities based on tangible, observable statistics. “We now have three new locations, we raised a $million for the new building, 20 new moms are now part of our parenting class.” It's the numbers that count—the 3 B's of bucks, butts or buildings. Success is based on an adequate increase in the numbers. Churches may use the word 'ministries' instead of 'programs', but the idea is still the same.
So, how does it feel to be nothing more than a number? One of many others who have made some organization feel successful, even if no one knows who you are. What tends to be missing in the program paradigm is the personal aspect.
Instead of statistics or size, we begin to realize that we need to focus on people.

But often this turns into making someone our project. We focus on 'fixing' someone. They have a problem, and we decide to take them on like a contractor might take on a reno job.
Now success is gauged on just that that—success. It has been a successful project if the desired end has been reached. The individual has stopped using drugs, been re-united with their spouse, or found a job. Once the project is completed, the focus changes to someone new.
It is even worse if the project is deemed a failure (the individual is still using, finalizes the divorce, or never gets a job). Sooner or later the project is dropped like the proverbial hot potato.
So, how does it feel to be a project? It is still dehumanizing. You are only important until the particular 'job' is done. No lasting relationship has been formed. Note: 'conversions' usually fall into this category. Once the person has 'said the prayer' they are funneled into a program for new Christians.

That moves us to the third alternative—people. Meeting someone and making a friend. Not to fit them into your church's ________ program, not to make them your project, but just to get to know them. To find out things they like to do and have fun together. To affirm their existence. To hang out. To listen.
--even if they never come to your church.
Ever.
--even if they don't stop any of their bad habits.
Ever.
To be friends.
Period.
And that is how success is rated in this paradigm.

If the shoe was on the other foot, which would mean the most to you?
--being a statistic in a successful program somewhere?
--being taken on as someone's project?
--or being a friend?
I thought so.

And What Would Jesus Do?

Awesome words of grace

2010-04-23T08:16:00.000-07:00

From the pen of my good friend the weary pilgrim.

Amazing Grace

2010-04-18T21:14:00.001-07:00

It can really get quite messy, this concept of grace. Once you realize that you are the recipient of it, you are responsible to extend it to others.

Think about it.
Is God gracious?
Does his grace include favor, affirmation, acceptance?
How gracious is he?
Not, somewhat, quite, very, infinitely?
What does God require or expect in order to give away his grace?
What do we do in order to deserve it?

We are taught that God is gracious and compassionate. We see it all over the life of Jesus. We hear him tell us to live the same way.
Then we use the Bible to clobber people who don't line up with our theology.

We are told that grace is free, that it cannot be earned. We see that demonstrated in Christ.
Then we preach that God only loves/accepts you if:
--you believe the 'right' way
--you live the 'right' way
--you follow a particular set of rules
--you sign on the dotted line.

Either God is gracious, loving and compassionate,
or he only loves those that we figure make the grade.

You can't have both.
Don't bother doing the 'Bible clobber' thing and also try to say that God is gracious. We've already turned off millions of people with that hypocrisy. Grace suffers every time you try to make the Bible say something that limits his love for absolutely everyone.
If it comes to a disagreement between God's unlimited graciousness and my understanding of the Bible, it's my biblical interpretation that needs to be reworked.

Speaking of hypocrisy, I'm continually having to face my own thoughts and actions. If I have received the benefits of God's unlimited grace, I need to reflect the same to all I meet.
--I have no right to choose who 'deserves' the food I hand out on the street, or who gets my spare change.
--Even though I figure that the kid on the bus should know enough to give up his seat to the lady with the walker, I still have to grant him grace.
--When I see the good church folk on their way to a Sunday service ignoring the hungry/cold/wet street campers, I need to be gracious, and not think evil of them.
--I even need to be gracious toward people who call themselves 'Christian', but are legalistic, arrogant, unloving or not gracious. (Although I'll still call them on their sad, limited, ungracious understanding of God.)

I know God still loves all of them, so I need to as well.
I know from experience that God loves me when I am a jerk, so I need to do the same.

In praise of good friends

2010-04-08T20:19:00.000-07:00

Who says technology is a bad thing? (OK, sometimes I do, but not this time.)

Ron (weary pilgrim) and I had the extreme pleasure of hanging out for a couple hours today with Ian (shallowfrozenwater).

That whole scenario wouldn't have happened a generation ago.

The three of us weren't blogging then (neither was anyone else, for that matter). So, we wouldn't have discovered that we are on similar journeys, and wouldn't have known we have lots in common.

And Ron & I wouldn't have had any reason to discover that Ian and his wife are here in Victoria for a couple weeks R & R.

And we wouldn't have got together for lunch.

It was a good time of getting to know the man behind the blog. I suppose Ian was doing the same with us.

It was only a few months ago that I first met Ron, and we embarked on our common search for the things of the Kingdom. That started out with coffee once a week. Now we also do CARTS together, and recently I joined the Monday dish crew at the Rainbow Kitchen that Ron has been part of for quite a while.

Sorry to say, I won't be able to do anything similar with Ian, since he heads back to Winnipeg in a few days. But I at least have a more up-to-date visual image of him than the avatar on his blog!

Oh yes, I also need to mention that Ian joined us for part of our CARTS jaunt last Friday. I tell you, there's nothing like seeing a guy get right into serving to show me that his heart is in the right place. (And he picked the most horrendous weather to be with us.)

Blessings, Ian. It has been an honor and a joy to meet you.

And I hope to meet more of my blogging bros sometime.

Are you a New Testament Christian?

2010-04-07T08:28:00.001-07:00

Is it your goal to live as close as possible to the way the early church lived?
Are you making sure you don't eat any food offered to idols, wearing a head covering (if you are a woman), or treating your slaves well (if you are their master), or obeying your master (if you are a slave)? Are you making sure that women are silent in your church and have no place of authority?
Or is that pretty much entirely missing the point?

It's easy to see the specific things the Bible talks about. Some things that may well have been really important to people two thousand years ago. But don't enter into life much today.
It's harder to get down into what is below the surface. It takes more energy, more thought, more heart. It takes being willing to find out what God is like.
Instead of finding a verse that might fit your favorite theory, it involves truly digging.
You might discover that the God you have created isn't at all like the one you discover. You might discover that God is much more loving than you figured. That he loves a much wider assortment of people than you want him to.
Take a look as Jesus. Tell me one group of people that he didn't love. That he didn't accept. That he had any harsh words for.
Well, yes, there is one group. But you might not want to look to close at them. You might recognize a bit of your self-righteous side.
But you won't find any kind of segregation, any 'insiders' and 'outsiders'.

Back to trying to live like a first century Christian.
The world doesn't need someone who is out of touch with their reality. If people are going to be attracted to Jesus, it will be through people who understand life today. Who have discovered that the message of Jesus has something to say in today's world.
That this Jesus who showed he loved everyone 2000 years ago still has that kind of inclusive love today.
That he still says; “Neither do I condemn you.”
And that his followers echo that sentiment.

Are we there yet?

2010-03-28T22:13:00.000-07:00

It is the perennial childhood question:
--How long until we get to Grandma's house?
--When will it be Christmas?
--How long until I get to learn to ride a two-wheeler?
--Are we there yet?

Life has goals, and we live for their fulfillment.
But sometimes we miss the enjoyment of the trip because we are waiting for the destination.
We miss all the fun of shopping and baking and eating of December because we are waiting for Christmas morning.
We don't think of enjoying our tricycle because we can't wait to get a 'real' bike.

Since life is a journey, this problem doesn't stop at adolescence, or even adulthood.
Spring grows into summer, but we are already waiting for next year. We haven't even picked the tomatoes from our garden before we are planning next year's garden.
A major life transition moves us on from a particular job or location, but we are anxious to again have the security of that new job or new house. Instead of celebrating and enjoying the moment of freedom, taking the time to reflect and gain a new perspective on life, we rush to get back into the responsibilities that we just left.

I see this in some of the blogs I have been reading lately.
People are being drawn out of the traditional/institutional church. They are finding exciting new expressions for their heart of justice, relationship, community. Their lives are no longer filled with sermon or music preparation. No endless business meetings and decision-making. Now they are building relationships in their community, plugging into neighborhoods, serving their fellowman. Being the kingdom in perhaps a much greater way than they ever did while being involved in the organized church.

But some of them are bemoaning their (apparent) fruitlessness and lack of direction, hoping their new 'ministry' will start soon. Subconsciously they think there is supposed to be an arrival at a new destination that will look like the old one.....when God has intentionally booted them out of a nest that looks like that.

I know it's not easy to change the glasses we look at life with.
It's not easy to change the definition of goals, success, arrival.

But how long do you need to be on the plane moving from Vancouver before you realize that your goal isn't to land in Toronto and start over again
.... but to be the pilot.

Are we there yet?
Maybe we already are, and just need to settle in.

Dualism

2010-03-11T18:47:00.001-08:00

According to Brian McLaren's latest book (see my review here and here), dualism is a product of our Greco-Roman history. I wasn't around then, so I guess I'll take his word on it.
Basically, dualism is the philosophy that things can be divided into two groups—not more, not less.
It reminds me of the quote: "There are two kinds of people in the world: those who divide the world into two kinds of people, and those who don't" – Robert Benchley

...and most of us do.
--good and evil
--us and them
--the haves and the have nots
--the majority (culture, language, etc.) and everyone else.

(I've touched on this kind of thinking before.)

I guess we come by a dualistic/binary view of life honestly enough. The human body has two arms, two legs, two eyes, two ears.
--left and right
--right and wrong
--my way or the highway.

But it really tends to segregate us.
We like to pigeon-hole, to categorize, to stereotype, and to separate.
The people who are like me—and those who aren't.
The unspoken idea is that, 'Me and my kind are OK. We're normal. We're right.' And anything else doesn't really matter because they aren't normal or right.

I'd like to propose two alternative ways of seeing people.
--as only one group. We are all human. Equally loved by God. Equally underserving. Equally wonderful.
--as an infinite number of groups. You are unique. So am I. The more characteristics you notice about yourself, the fewer people you find that are just like you. And don't just consider the externals like size, hair color, or handedness, but things like passions, abilities, character and personality.

If we stop looking at people in the dualistic like-us-or-different, and begin to celebrate both our oneness and our uniqueness, we will better see people as God does.
Paul had this figured out. Galatians 3:28 says: “In Christ's family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal.”
Jesus tore down the wall that separated us into various groups.

It's not easy to lose this dualism. It's tied to our pride of place, nationality, status or whatever else.
But we have Christ's example—He set aside the things that made him different and became one of us. We will need to do the same.
Perhaps we need to radically change the song 'Give Thanks' so it says: 'Let the rich say I am poor, let the strong say I am weak.' Maybe then we won't tend to look down on people that are different than us.

I'm proud to be a Canadian,

2010-02-28T19:35:00.001-08:00

usually.

Although I admit that has taken a beating the past few months as we (or those we elected to represent us) have sacrificed a few of the things we stand for in favor of a few things that (not surprisingly) are the opposite.
-We have sacrificed a social conscience that is aware of injustice for a blind eye to anything but the Olympics.
-We have sacrificed support for the little guy for corporate greed.
-We have sacrificed justice and a social safety net for the underprivileged for budget cuts to arts, education, health, and other programs.
-We have sacrificed a healthy multiculturalism and honor for cultural uniqueness for hijacking the parts of First Nations culture that look good (while continuing to dishonor the people themselves).
-We have sacrificed freedom of speech for the threat of free speech areas and billy clubs.

I realize this is a downer on the day Canada won a record number of Gold medals, and concludes a successful Olympic Winter Games. But it's what I observe.

I was walking around Victoria's inner harbor during the dying moments of the gold medal hockey game. Soon after the noise level began rising around me, the local carillon began playing 'If I were a rich man' from 'Fiddler on the roof'. Perhaps quite apropos, if the pessimism about the cost of the Olympics proves to be true.

A few minutes later, in the midst of whoops and hollers and honks, I saw a faithful group of young people again firing up their BBQ for the regular Sunday afternoon Tailgate Grill for hungry Victorians down by the 'whale wall'.
Not everyone has the wherewithal to watch a hockey game on the local pub's big screen, and then do victory laps, waving the flag. Some people are struggling just to be warm, dry, and fed.
I'm impressed with the Tailgate Grill crew for knowing which activity is most important.

I'm still proud to be a Canadian. But I hope we can regain the heart for people we are known for. Not just those with money and power, but for those with neither.

“A new kind of Christianity” Brian McLaren--part two

2010-02-23T08:33:00.000-08:00

Book Two (Questions 6 – 10)

As Brian leaves his larges themes of Book One where he seeks to unlock and open the doors of the captivity we may be feeling, he moves into Book Two where we are invited to emerge and explore some specific concerns..
He continues to visit the first 5 framing questions as he illustrates how our long-held understandings affect our responses to these final 5 questions—and I am gaining a deeper understanding of Greco-Romanism, dualism, Plate, and Aristotle! It's making more sense every time it comes up.

Question 6, the Church question. What do we do about the church?
First up is the church. A valid question since the church as we know it is pretty much built on centuries of the patterns and systems Brian spent Book One analyzing and deconstructing. He correctly identifies the need to start over starting with “...this one goal of forming Christlike people, people who live in the way of love, the way of peacemaking, the way of the kingdom of God, the way of Jesus, the way of the Spirit.” “...to create a new future of the church as a school of love—which means a school of listening, dialogue, appreciative inquiry, understanding, preemptive peacemaking, reconciliation, nonviolence, prophetic confrontation, advocacy, generosity, and personal and social transformation.”
This isn't particularly new to those of us who have been rethinking church for awhile. But it really fits with the paradigm shifts of the first 5 questions. And it really fits with me. It gives me a spark of hope that this could actually come to pass.

Question 7, the Sex question. Can we find a way to address human sexuality without fighting about it?
As is usually the case, McLaren casts a broader net than might be expected in this question than just the question of homosexuality. When he approaches sexuality, he reasons solidly from his provisional five- (now six-) cornered foundation. (Keep in mind that although he has spent much time developing a new framework, he is open to discussion and modification.) Each of the preceding questions and responses has an important bearing on this one. He doesn't go as far as some have to re-exegete the Biblical references typically used against homosexuality, but then, he isn't feeling the need to use the Bible constitutionally as a weapon against any specific behavior. Instead, he re-tells the story of Philip and the eunuch from Acts 8 with commentary from Deuteronomy. We come to better understand the non-place the eunuch would have had in Old Testament temple worship, and the significance of Philip immediately extending Christ's kingdom to him—the open, accepting, affirming kingdom where all are welcome. His point is well made.

Question 8, the Future question. Can we find a better way of viewing the future?
As I read this chapter, I realized how this is one of the three or so things that really triggered my own questions about the church as I had experienced it. For several years I have been wondering: “How can something as divisive and subject to personal interpretation as 'end-times prophecy' have become so time-consuming and predominant in many churches, while concerns related to the here-and-now like poverty, war, or ecology are mostly ignored (except as they might figure into yet another re-write of an end-times timetable)?”
(In case you are interested, a couple other triggers have been observing a major disregard for the teachings and example of Christ regarding poverty and injustice in favor of a rather inward focused 'bless me' mentality, and the presence of a rather distasteful and very unChrist-like persecution of people-who-are-not-like-us made even more unpalatable by the persistent lobbing of scripture verses which may or may not say what the hurlers fervently hope they do.)
Back to the future. We already can expect that McLaren is going to remind us that the kingdom of God is more a matter of here and now than there and then. So, it's not surprising that he is calling for a 'participatory eschatology' which means together we are to live out the principles of the kingdom instead of sitting and waiting for it to show up according to some time line. He warns that this participation walks a narrow line between ignoring God's leading and presence, and complacency in just watching it happen.

Question 9, the Pluralism question. How should followers of Jesus relate to people of other religions?
The initial, first-part answer to this question is pretty unanimous among the post-church crowd—the church needs to lose her arrogance, get rid of the us and them mentality, and love as Christ loves. Some readers may be hoping (or dreading) a next-step response to include a major sellout of redemption, salvation, or being 'born again'. But he doesn't go there. He knows that no one has all the answers, that we need to be more willing to learn from others than to teach them. But he has no plans on being a universalist. He reminds us that the issue is following Christ—his life, his way, his deeds, his character of “compassion, healing, acceptance, forgiveness, inclusion and love.”
I think he probably has more to say on this question, and perhaps has a lot more thinking to do before saying it. In some ways, his response to this question may not take you as far as you want to go—but that's OK. If he stirs up discussion, he has done what he wanted to do.

Question 10, the What-do-we-do-now question. How can we translate our quest into action?
As McLaren comes to his final question, it is a 'What next?' kind of question. Although he certainly encourages us to rethink many of the paradigms built over the past 2 millennia, he is careful to not let us stop at just thinking and talking. “If this quest leads only to a reformation in our thinking and talking, it is not a new kind of Christianity at all, but just a variation of an old kind. ... The end of our quest is a better world in which God's will is increasingly done.”
Although the call is to action, it is not just outward action. It must include “...a deep desire to know and love God.” He calls us “...to arise each day in the real presence of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”, to “...nurture an interior life with God”, “...to struggle with the versions of the faith we inherited without giving up on faith altogether”, “to proceed...more by quietly building communities of peace and practice rooted in the teaching and example of Jesus.”
In a desire to both honor the rich history and theologies of the past, yet press on in our quest, he paints a colorful rainbow of the historical stages of our quest: Survival, security, power, independence, individuality, honesy, and then something much richer than just peace, that includes healing, unity, liberation and rediscovery. His warning to us is that “Sometimes our honest inquiry simply leads to conceit and a critical spirit.” Instead, he encourages us to recognize that each stage is reached by an honest search, and growth out of the previous one. Although we may see all stages present around us, each has value for those who find themselves within it. We must not be content in a stage of 'honesty' critiquing the other stages, but move to a place of “one-another-ness, interconnectedness, joined-in-the-common-good-ness, and profound commitment to the well-being of all”—the place where we must realize God dwells. Contrary to a view that pits one theology against another, we need to see the inclusivity of Christ. This is a much more generous and magnanimous position than I might naturally take. After all, if each stage is a step forward, it is easy to berate those who are:
-content to stay where they are, and
-happy to pin the tag 'heretic' on anyone who is struggling forward.
McLaren concludes his response to the final question with confidence. Confidence that we will continue to grow and adapt in grace and love.

McLaren wraps things up with some wisdom for those continuing the quest (slightly edited):
-Don't think your way into a new way of living, but live your way into a new way of thinking.
-This needs to be a communal activity, not a solo sport.
-“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
He also gives some sage, gracious advice for working out whether you will stay or leave your present community of faith, and how to do so lovingly.
He ends on the high road of honoring and staying connected with the past, while precipitating a change “... out of love for the truth, and the desire to bring it to light” ( Luther).

“A new kind of Christianity” Brian McLaren

2010-02-16T17:08:00.000-08:00

My friend and fellow blogger Ron and I are reading and reviewing Brian McLaren's latest: “A New Kind of Christianity” which has just come out.
Here is his post.

This is probably the tenth McLaren book to grace my bookshelf. This is not the book to start getting to know Brian. For me at least, his earlier books started closer to home, only a small journey from the familiar pathways of modern Christianity. True, even his earlier writing takes you out to the edge, but this book starts off in 3rd gear, and doesn't even slow down for curves. If you think you want to get an idea if McLaren has something to add to or aid your own journey, his earlier works are probably a gentler place to start.

First, some general comments.

Sometimes we are exposed to ideas that are discordant with the inner, deepest vibrations of our heart. They are jarring and off-key, they don't fit.
Other times, these new ways of understanding resonate to the very core. It is deep calling unto deep.

Most of McLaren's writing resonates with me in this way. Although his journey may be quite different from mine, it soon crosses paths with some of my questions.
He often goes farther than I have even thought of going as he ventures out sword in hand, slaying our sacred cows. No question is too heretical, too basic, or too presumptuous for him to entertain, as he searches for potential responses that will better fit within the complete framework of our faith.

I like his intention of not providing answers to the 10 questions that form the backbone of the book. Rather than assuming that there is one complete, absolute answer for each, and that he has figured it out, he approaches each question with a desire to provide an alternative response to the answers we have probably grown up with. He intends to stir up conversation, not end it. He uses the term 'response' instead of 'answer' to intentionally steer away from the 'Here's the complete truth on this' idea.

He has written the book in a particular sequence, with each question and response providing a foundation for future chapters. He seems to approach the design of the book as an architect who might first draw a few sketches of what the finished building will look like, and then draw the blueprints. Then comes the actual construction with footings, the foundation, the first floor, and then succeeding floors.

For this reason, the book needs to be read in order, as a progression. You can't skip ahead to question six without first understanding how he has built the framework through the first five.

You don't have to agree with every premise he makes—I think he would rather stir up healthy discussion, comparing and contrasting various angles. But at the same time, you can't expect to be able to enjoy the third floor of the structure without having a degree of acceptance of the overall plans and the earlier construction. Since the earliest chapters and questions deal with major foundational elements, you will likely find that you are either willing to tentatively accept his premises and carry on, or decide that they are too unorthodox, and you will move back into the old building you are familiar with. (But there is nothing like seeing even the first stages of a new structure to make you realize that the old one has its limitations.)

Although McLaren's detractors may feel he doesn't honor the Bible as the Word of God, I believe he not only does so fervently, but he has the ability to read it again for the first time. After deconstructing centuries of some aspect he considers a misunderstanding of the intent of the writer, he is able to read it again without that earlier predisposition.

Brian lays out a bit of his own journey by way of introduction, something I rather appreciated. It helps place his present thoughts within the timeline of his own odyssey.

Book One (Questions 1-5)

Question 1, the narrative question. What is the overarching story line of the Bible?
McLaren jumps in with both feet, and his talk of Plato and Aristotle, the Greco-Romans and dualism soon had me begging for mercy! I am no student of history, and didn't catch all of the drift of his thoughts until coming back to it after reading the rest of Book One. A simpler contrast of viewing the story of Jesus backwards (from now back through the various reformers and theologians to Christ himself) versus forwards (from Adam through Moses, David, and on to Christ) made more sense. Seeing how Jesus comes after many stories of God's gracious dealings with man throughout the Old Testament places him in historical sequence more accurately than through the many lenses of theologians since then. His retelling of the Old Testament stories recapture the positive, hope-filled dreams of the Jewish people, the mercy and forebearance of God and the many times he forgave and was reconciled with his people. Seeing the Old Testament story-line in this way made it easier to see God as merciful, patient and forgiving.

Question 2, the authority question. How should the Bible be understood?
If Question one didn't scare you away, number two pushes even more buttons. Rather than trying to destroy Christianity, the Bible, or people's faith (as some will no doubt say), I believe he is doing the opposite. He tells us that we can learn more from the Bible by not expecting it to be something it doesn't claim to be. By not forcing it to have a specific answer to every specific question, we can rather learn the themes and story-line of the Bible—and from that learn how to live. He gives a “deeply disturbing” illustration of how individuals and groups claimed biblical support for slavery for many years.
Through his attempt to read the Bible as he feels it was intended to be understood he is finding solid reasons to return to a faith based on love and compassion, justice and ethics, centered on the character of Christ, rather than the pride and self-promoting system often seen masquerading as Christ's church. He freely admits that the challenge is to unlearn the old habit of expecting the Bible to be a constitutional system of laws, a book to answer every question (but is willing to let you take a bit of time to work through this one).

Question 3, the God question. Is God violent?
McLaren presents the unfolding of God's character as a timeline—and we have not yet reached the end of it. There is a common understanding that God was more violent and vengeful in the Old Testament, and more gracious in the New. McLaren breaks this rough dichotomy into more stages, but sees them more as a revelation of His character over time, not a change in it. As well, he correctly points to Jesus as the way to understand God. We must not try to shape or control Jesus by our pre-conceived view of God from elsewhere in the Bible, but to shape our understanding of God from how He is presented to us in Christ. Jesus shows us what God is like; all our conceptions of God need to line up with Jesus.

Question 4, the Jesus question. Who is Jesus and why is He important?
I loved McLaren's allusion to the ballad of Ricky Bobby's table grace. Hilarilously and poignantly it illustrates a common trait among us as Christians—we tend to make Jesus into whatever we like (and set aside the parts we don't) and have the nerve to believe that our view is 'objective' and 'true'. In this section he demonstrates his appreciation for God's purpose in scripture by drawing an incredible number of very specific parallels between the Gospel of John , and the Old Testament (particularly Genesis and Exodus).

Question 5, the Gospel question. What is the gospel?
In a nutshell, his premise here is that the gospel needs to be a new kind of Christianity based on the teachings of Jesus. Instead of interpreting the Gospels through what we think Paul is saying, interpret Paul through what Jesus said and did.
A couple quotes:

“We're not claiming some new revelation or new authority figure. We're following the best Christian tradition of going back to Jesus and the Scriptures.”

and,

“Shouldn't you read Paul in light of Jesus, instead of reading Jesus in light of Paul?”

Book Two (Questions 6 – 10) next week!

On generosity and spades

2010-02-13T16:18:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking a bit about the balance between generosity of spirit, and calling a spade a spade.

Let me explain...

As I find myself seeing some things in a different light than many others do, I have felt that a generosity of heart and spirit is appropriate. I need to recognize the rights of other people to feel the way they do, to understand things the way they do. I guess this is coming at least partly from an effort to not be arrogant, saying “I'm right, you aren't, end of story.” I am realizing that there needs to be lots of room for conversation, for sharing of ideas, for openness of mind. I don't always see this in the traditional church setting when most teaching is very one-directional (lecture-style), and that style of delivery doesn't provide opportunity for discussion.

So, I don't want to be the same kind of guy, spouting off my own interpretation, and then expecting everyone to agree with me. I want to try to encourage a better way of approaching the searches we all have at one time or another.

So, I want to be generous, allowing others to see things differently than I do.

But what if the 'others' are effectively blinded by the process (and to the process) that brought them to their present point of view?

Forgive my proximity to another rant on the Olympics, but how can people NOT see how spending billions of $ on 16 days of partying versus spending $$ on the well being of our children, healthcare, education, etc. is a terrible exchange? Is the combination of cutbacks on government programs and the likelihood of years of debt NOT a scary one? (Not to mention other injustices I have blogged about before here and here.) And yet facebook is filled with excited clamorings about the Olympics.

It makes me think about the Biblical prophets. They are given a 'shape up or ship out' message to pass along to a people that aren't exactly in a doomsday mood.

So are they supposed to generously let the people go on their merry way if they don't choose to 'shape up'? Or are they expected to don their 'the end is near' sandwich boards, and stand on the street corners, even if they get untold flak from the general populous?

This is not a rhetorical question—I'm interested in your thoughts.

We were made for this?

2010-02-11T17:52:00.000-08:00

A (perhaps) final rant on the eve of the 2010 Olympics.

You may have noticed that I am not a fan of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. Particularly so because of the many negative things connected with these games; I'm not necessarily against international sporting events.

One of the big things about the Olympics is the need to collect money to pay for all that is involved. Piles of money. Major piles of money.
So, the right to use the Olympic rings, logo, name, etc. etc. etc. are sold to the highest bidder. You can get to be the official Olympic soft drink, or bank, or fast food purveyor, or what have you.

One of our national department stores has paid for the privilege as well.
That would be “The Bay”, a business that has been around since 1670. That's right, almost 340 years. It began as the Hudson's Bay Company, “the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England trading into Hudson Bay.” Initially they dealt with our First Nations, trading furs for manufactured goods across the continent. Now they are a retail chain that has acquired a number of smaller chains including Zellers, Simpsons, Woodwards, Fields, and K-mart (but probably not doing too much fur trading).

All that to say that their Olympic advertising slogan is “We were made for this”.

If by “this” is meant hosting the world or putting on a world-class sporting event (except that we are struggling to find enough snow), I would say they are right. We are well known for being loved by most nations. Want to travel? Put our Maple Leaf on your backpack. We're a pretty friendly bunch. Quite laid back, given to peacekeeping more than warmongering (at least, that's what we tell ourselves.)

If by “this” is meant this pretty long list of injustices:
--colonialism and imperialism
--no Olympics on stolen land (unsurrendered First Nations territory)
--ecological destruction
--homelessness and poverty
--impact on women
--2010 police state
--public debt
--corporate invasion,
then I don't think we were made for this at all.
We might be doing a pretty good job of accomplishing those 8 evils, but it doesn't mean we want them to be our legacy.

I would hope and think that we were made to be known for our justice, fair treatment of our First Nations brothers and sisters, looking after the planet, looking after those who need a little extra help, championing the rights of everyone (not just white males), freedom of speech, prudent use of resources, and not so heavy into consumption.

I would really like to think that.

So, to “The Bay”, I don't think we were made for what these games are going to be remembered for.

Paradise lost-paradise regained

2010-02-10T17:20:00.000-08:00

Genesis tells us that life/society/the-world-as-we-know-it started in a garden.
Idyllic perfection.
I know that is kinda hard to believe, given the-world-as-we-now-see-it.

Of course, the whole process of how the world came to be is a big debate, and even whether there was a literal garden, Adam & Eve, and so on.

But, no matter how you understand the first chapters of Genesis, it is a valid concept—the world started out in better shape than it is today.

Then it went downhill fast.
Thistles and sweat and death.
Selfishness, arrogance and thirst for power destroyed paradise.
Since then, it has been generation after generation, just trying to stay alive.
The original perfection now only a distant memory.

Except in God's heart.

He really wants to see his original wonderful world back, to see paradise regained.

If his first creation was sublime, nothing would be better than to see it reinstated. I really don't think heaven (whatever it entails) should be presumed to be better than God's initial concept of paradise.
Beauty
Peace
Relationship
Walking with God in the cool of the evening
Innocence
God's home
There is no better picture of the kingdom of God, because that is what it was.

So, God's ultimate goal has been to bring it back.
Enter Jesus
“As everyone dies because of Adam, so also everyone will be made alive because of Christ.” 1 Cor. 15:22
“If one man's sin put crowds of people at the dead-end abyss of separation from God, just think what God's gift poured through one man, Jesus Christ, will do!” Romans 5:15
It really is an awesome symmetry: paradise lost, paradise regained. The kingdom of God lost, the kingdom regained.

That's why Jesus' teaching on the kingdom is so essential. That's why we need to see how Jesus described the kingdom, and follow him on it.

Adam was the end of the beginning, Jesus is the beginning of the end. Actually, he is the beginning of the end of the end of the beginning. His life and death marks the end of the effect of paradise lost—if we actually follow him.
“If death got the upper hand through one man's wrongdoing, can you imagine the breathtaking recovery life makes, sovereign life, in those who grasp with both hands this wildly extravagant life-gift, this grand setting-everything-right, that the one man Jesus Christ provides?” Romans 5:17

That's why being and bringing the kingdom is crucial. Being kingdom-minded puts us and God on the same trajectory towards paradise regained. Sharing the same dream as God!

And I am NOT talking about sitting around waiting for some escape into heaven! I am totally talking about living the kingdom life Jesus was always teaching about, here and now.

Re-read my posts about the kingdom.

Then see if you and God are on the same wave-length, if you are living in such a way that his kingdom is getting closer to restoration. That you are working to see paradise regained.

The Kingdom in Luke

2010-02-09T08:36:00.000-08:00

Luke 6:20-23 contain some similar teaching by Jesus to the beatitudes in Matthew 5:
--The poor will inherit the kingdom
--the hungry will be filled
--those who weep will laugh
--and those who get flack for following Christ will be rewarded.

Luke adds some punch by contrasting these positive attitudes with some 'anti-beatitudes':
--the rich will miss out on the kingdom
--the well-fed will be hungry
--the happy will cry
--and don't celebrate just because people like you.

Then he presents some kingdom paradoxes:
--love those who hate you
--bless those who curse you
--don't be satisfied with just a small sacrifice
--and set the example for generosity, don't wait for the other guy to do it first.

You will get what you give:
--judgment
--forgiveness
--generosity

Some more nuggets:
--check yourself out before pointing out someone else's faults.
--whatever is on the inside is what is going to come out.
--words don't prove much—it's actions that demonstrate who you really follow.
--a solid foundation and secure building are a picture of a person who lives out the words of Christ. Mere words or statements of faith are like a house with a shaky foundation. The house may be OK, but without a solid foundation of action, it won't survive the storm. Are we putting into practice the things we have heard, or are we just talking about them? Note: Jesus own interpretation of this story is not that he is the foundation, but that obedience is the foundation.

Notice the similarities between the person who built on the rock, and the one who built on sand:
--both hear Christ's words
--both build the house
--both experience the flood.

Now note the differences:
--the house on the rock pictures the person who puts Christ's words into practice, thus building the foundation on the rock, and survives the storm.
--the house on the sand pictures the person who does not put Christ's words into practice, and thus has no foundation, and his house collapses in the storm.

“And why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?” Luke 6:46

Blessed are... #8

2010-02-07T20:57:00.001-08:00

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Want to see God's kingdom come into being, to see people living in harmony? Be willing to suffer some persecution as you work towards seeing it happen.

Persecution will come from people and forces that do not share your purpose or style.
Persecution neither proves that you are right, or that you are wrong. Just expect it.

It may well come from power-hungry, proud, arrogant people who aren't pursuing peace, mercy, teachability or the other traits commended in the beatitudes.

Blessed are... #7

2010-02-04T20:59:00.000-08:00

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Actively working to bring factions into agreement.

De-escalating violence, revenge, or retribution.

'Child of' can also be used to mean 'has similar qualities of' as in 'a child of the 80's'.

It is God's desire to bring relationships into a state of peace. Those who desire to follow him and live as his kids will want to do the same.

Peacemakers are actively involved, promoting, instigating, stirring up the best in others.

But, just in case you think this is an easy one to follow, here are some tough questions:
--Can a tank be a peacemaker?
--Can we use violence to enforce peace?
--Is there such a thing as a 'just' war?
--How do we make a stand for justice without fighting against injustice?
--Is Jesus calling us to passively acquiesce in the face of evil?
--When trying to resolve an argument, are we supposed to just give in?

Blessed are... #6

2010-02-03T23:09:00.000-08:00

Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.

Blessed are the genuine, blameless, sincere, untarnished, undefiled, unmixed, transparent in understanding, will, character, thoughts and passions, for they will perceive, know and experience God.

Looking for and expecting to see good character in people will enable you to see those God-like, positive qualities within them. You will see what you look for.

C.S. Lewis in 'The problem of pain' (quoted by Brian McLaren in 'The secret message of Jesus') says: “It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart want to.”

Blessed are... #5

2010-02-01T17:50:00.000-08:00

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

I forgive you for what you may have done or said that hurt me.

Mercy is more in action than in word—it is best demonstrated, not just verbalized.

Being merciful infers an openness to a different perspective—allowing someone to have a different point of view than your own.

Mercy is a generosity of spirit.

Both mercy and arrogance will engender the same in return. What you plant you will harvest. Kindness and generosity towards others will make them much more inclined to be kind and generous in return.

Blessed are... #4

2010-01-28T09:46:00.000-08:00

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Again there is the value of recognizing a need, seeing a hole that needs to be filled.

Thinking everything is all figured out, complete, finished, means there is no room for improvement (so the unacknowledged hole still remains).

Righteousness is the state approved by God. So, a desire to have his heart and character should be right on the money.

I think this hunger is both for oneself (personal) and for the world (the kingdom of God).

Can't see the forest

2010-01-24T19:26:00.000-08:00

for the trees, or maybe the toothpicks, newspapers, turpentine, or other wood by-products.

There are a few major themes in the Bible. Things like redemption,
compassion, peace, justice, just to name a few. The 'forest' if you will.

It seems that over the centuries the church has got really good at
distilling, digging, mining for little nuggets (pardon the mixed metaphor) of truth.

But in so doing, we have forgotten the forest these little nuggets were taken from.

Instead of compassion and affirmation, we have emphasized one or another definition of 'holiness' that isn't compassionate.
Instead of justice for all, we have focussed on individual freedom, blessings, wealth, power, etc. And justice for all has turned into injustice for those who aren't the privileged few.
Instead of God's desire to redeem even the worst, we are ready to consign them all to hell as we tell them: “I told you so, serves you right.”
Instead of an active, present sense of the reign of God in this world, we have turned our back on the problems of today's world in order to plan only for eternity.
Instead of a land where God's shalom permeates and brings resolution to conflict, we have invented 'just war', the Crusades, colonialism, and other 'Christian' ways of dealing with injustice.

To continue the forestry analogy, we have clear-cut the whole forest, and all we have to show for it is a little pile of dead branches and leaves, and a massive mansion.

Instead of an environment where all creatures can co-exist, we have an obscenely huge home for one of the creatures, and displaced everything else.

Can't see the beautiful, natural forest of compassion because the trees have been turned into instruments of hate, segregation and division.
The few trees that remain are hard to identify as the former glorious forest—but it still is the forest!

Just step back and regain the perspective of the big picture.

If we allow it, the forest will grow back.

God's kingdom is still a place of rest, hope, support, affirmation, encouragement, peace, joy, love, equality and redemption.

We just need to get back to looking at the forest instead of focusing on what we can make of the trees.

Blessed are... #3

2010-01-23T21:17:00.001-08:00

Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.

Meek doesn't particularly mean weak, it means teachable, gentle, humble, patient. It can have a sense of passivity, but I believe it is the idea of recognizing a higher authority that Jesus has in mind.

Not arrogant, not closed to further understanding, not overly confident in oneself.

They will take over the earth. Now that is as unexpected as any of Christ's upside-down teachings. Those who don't fight will win the battles.

The teachable will live to see things improve. They will see (and be) the kingdom of God infiltrating, permeating, changing life here on earth. As Jesus says a few verses later (5:13, 14), his followers are to be salt and light. Those who are open and humble will be his presence on earth, bringing out the God-flavors and God-colors (The Message) in this earth.

So why do many Christians think they have already arrived and should be teaching others, while not being open to being taught? The best attitude for a teacher is to be ready to change his mind, to have the same openness of mind that he would expect his learners to have.

Someone else's musings

2010-01-22T12:24:00.000-08:00

“We cannot say what we believe. We only do what we believe.” (emphasis mine) Todd Littleton, commenting on Peter Rollins' post where he says:

“Without equivocation or hesitation I fully and completely admit that I deny the resurrection of Christ. This is something that anyone who knows me could tell you, and I am not afraid to say it publicly, no matter what some people may think…

I deny the resurrection of Christ every time I do not serve at the feet of the oppressed, each day that I turn my back on the poor; I deny the resurrection of Christ when I close my ears to the cries of the downtrodden and lend my support to an unjust and corrupt system.

However there are moments when I affirm that resurrection, few and far between as they are. I affirm it when I stand up for those who are forced to live on their knees, when I speak for those who have had their tongues torn out, when I cry for those who have no more tears left to shed.”

(I found this while surfing Jon @ who follows Daniel who posted this. Are you lost yet?)

I don't think any commentary is necessary.

Blessed are... #2

2010-01-22T09:56:00.000-08:00

Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.
Mourning points to pain, grief, something missing.

Again it infers that we know something isn't right, that everything is not OK.

The result of this mourning is comfort—the hole will be filled.

Not recognizing or caring about the void means that it will still be there, though it may not be noticed or identified.

So don't feel sad because you notice things need improving--sadness is the first step towards a brighter day.

Blessed are... #1

2010-01-21T16:32:00.001-08:00

Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Those who recognize that they are needy, that something is missing.

Those who are dissatisfied.

Those who are helpless.

Will be partners in the eternal plan of God to make the world the wonderful place he always planned on.

The kingdom isn't just a hope for the future, it is very much for right now.

It's better to be poor than rich when it comes to a recognition of your need of God. “You brag, 'I'm rich, I've got it made, I need nothing from anyone,' oblivious that in fact you're a pitiful, blind beggar, threadbare and homeless.” (Revelation 3:17)

Blessed are... (Intro)

2010-01-20T19:29:00.000-08:00

The beatitudes are right at the beginning of what we call Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 – 7). A parallel passage is Luke 6: 20–49.
Jesus doesn't give us a lot of theology. He seems more interested in example, and illustration. My good friend Ron figures that is probably quite significant in itself. (Even more interesting, according to Ron is the fact that he never asked his disciples to affirm any statement of faith, or make them conform to any particular doctrinal position.)

So, this sermon must be quite important.
It must hit on the most important things that Jesus taught.
And it probably starts with a bang—the beatitudes.

As I have been mulling over these pithy and pointed projectiles of practical precepts, I realize that they were aimed (not so subtly) at the 'excessive confidence' of the Pharisees. Those guys who had it figured out so completely that they had nothing more to do than to teach everyone else. Sound like any person or institution that you have come across? Each beatitude encourages humility, an awareness of need, a lack of arrogance.

For that reason, I think these few verses have a lot to say to us, we who are trying to bring God's Good News to our world.
As an introduction to Jesus' teaching about the kingdom (the dream, revolution, mission, party, network or dance of God), they lay a foundation for everything else he as to say.

A few general things that fit each of the beatitudes:
--they all start with 'Blessed are'. A blessing is more than a good feeling, it is an impartation.
--each of the positive behaviors/attitudes/character qualities results in something specific.
--there is at least a degree of the opposite of each beatitude also being true. Those who recognize their hunger will be filled. Those who think they are full will end up hungry. The parallel passage in Luke emphasizes this with the 'Blesseds' and the 'Woes'.
--notice how each one is an affront to the person who thinks he has already arrived.

“Kingdom”

2010-01-18T10:45:00.001-08:00

Jesus talked a lot about 'kingdom'. The kingdom of heaven is like... Gospel of the kingdom... Thy kingdom come... The kingdom of heaven is at hand... Seek first the kingdom of God...

Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionary expands the Greek word to: “ properly royalty, that is, (abstractly) rule, or (concretely) a realm (literally or figuratively): - kingdom, + reign.”

In Jesus' time, the idea of kingdom was relevant and easily understandable, although the image wasn't always a positive one. The Jews had a history of some good, benevolent kings, and some despots. In the time of Christ, the Jews were under the rulership of Rome, and well understood the concept.

However, as Jesus said, his kingdom was not of this world. His rulership would gain power and influence as his subjects put themselves under it, and promoted the lifestyle of their chosen king.

In our present experience, the idea of 'kingdom' lacks the potential excitement it would have brought to Jesus' hearers. Most kings in our memory are either powerless figureheads, or dictators.

So in “The secret message of Jesus” Brian McLaren suggests some other images that might better picture the wonder and power of what Jesus was announcing.

The dream of God. It has always been God's intent that his creation enjoys all he has given us. After all, Dr. Martin Luther King was only echoing the heart of God when he said: “I have a dream.”
The revolution of God. Restoring life to its intended fullness will require some drastic changes. But it will be a revolution of love, not violence.
The mission of God. This thought echoes the concept of the church being 'missional'. Actively involed in the various works of Jesus.
The party of God. Not as in a political party, but a birthday party.
The network of God. The place we can all connect, be a community.
The dance of God. The dynamic rhythm, movement, cooperation of us along with God.

I like these pictures. They still point to God, to his reign, but add depth and breadth, color and texture, taste and smell.

As we start looking at the Beatitudes, keep some of these pictures in mind.

What kind of church are you a part of?

2010-01-13T21:31:00.000-08:00

I've heard this story before, you may have as well. But it's worth another listen.

Our apologies

2010-01-13T19:30:00.000-08:00

There is no better way to pass this along than to repeat it verbatim:

(Stolen directly from Nathan Colquhoun's blog Based on a True Story. Read the first part of the post for background.)

Forgive us, friend: It’s been forever since our last confession.

Where to start? We’ve really come off as self-righteous fools, haven’t we? Good intentions or not, we’ve made mistakes and we want to clear the air.

About the Crusades, we’re sorry. ‘Holy War’ is a contradiction in terms. And over 200 years of fighting is an absolute disgrace.

In memory of those who we murdered, burned at the stake and excommunicated because we disagreed with or disapproved of their ideas or ideology, we are sorry. We let ideas in our head become more important than people, the irony haunts us.

In regards to the televangelists, fundamentalists, self-help salesmen, prosperity preachers and all ‘round religious nuts who have claimed to come in the name of Jesus – we apologize. This clearly is not our best foot forward.

To the gays, lesbians and trans-gendered: We have confused human rights and faith. We’ve unlovingly forced our convictions onto your freedom. Words cannot describe how ashamed we are.

To the Aboriginal people of Canada: We are guilty of remaining silent during your greatest times of need. Please forgive us.

To the children abused by church leaders whom they should have been able to trust: We are deeply grieved by this travesty. Please know that God weeps with you. Forgive us.

To the poor: We apologize for being so distracted and consumed with our own security and comfort that we’ve often ignored your cries for help. We’re also sorry that we’ve categorized you as charity cases and not valued you as humans.

To those have been fighting for the planet: At best we’ve been shamefully absent, and at our worst we’ve even been the antagonists. One of God’s very first instructions to us was to take care of the earth. We should know better. We are truly sorry.

We are sorry for coming off as elitists.

We are sorry for our unloving protests.

We are sorry for reducing sacred art and music to bumper-stickers and hollow jingles.

We are sorry for all the guilting, shaming and scare tactics.

We are sorry for not being the church that Jesus set us out to be.

Our sincerest apologies.

We are so sorry.

Kingdom living

2010-01-12T20:27:00.000-08:00

I'm musing on the Sermon on the Mount again.

I'll blame it on Brian McLaren, as I'm reading his 'The secret message of Jesus'. I've started some potential musings on the Beatitudes, but want to comment on the 'secrecy' of giving, praying, and fasting in Matthew 6.
“But when you help a needy person, do it in such a way that even your closest friend will not know about it. Then it will be a private matter.” Matt 6:3,4 Good News Bible.
“But when you pray, go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you.” Matt 6:6 Good News Bible
“When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don't make a production out of it.” Matt 6:16 The Message

I've talked more than once about CARTS, the ministry I help with on Friday nights. As I again think about what Jesus said about giving in secret, not blowing your own horn, not making a production out of it, I wonder if that is what I am doing.
Oh, I have other reasons for talking about it as well—like encouraging people to actually start living out the Gospel, not just talking about it.
But it still makes me think.

So, if you think I've been doing anything but 'giving in secret', I apologize.
Not for doing it, but for talking about it.

A couple great links

2010-01-08T17:26:00.000-08:00

Two recent posts by a rapidly-becoming great friend. We met about three months ago, and share a lot of thoughts in common.

the gospel...an inconvenient truth

and

2010, Faith, Hope...and challenge

You will be challenged!

Scattered randomness (with a chance of meatballs)

2010-01-05T11:53:00.000-08:00

(just in case these deep and wonderful thoughts never have the chance to grow up into full-blown musings.)

Two rather similar thoughts from different sources: “I'd rather be a ripple than a splash”, and “It's better to be a candle than a trumpet” (Randy Hein @ The Place Jan 3, 2010). To me, these both say that it's more important to be a small, consistent, far-reaching influence than a one-time big one.
I don't 'go to church', I am the church. Regularly attending Christian meetings with a group of people isn't the point. The point is to be engaged in relationships, acts of service and compassion, etc.
We native-born, European-descended, able-bodied males have an incredible place of privilege in our society. Not that we deserve it (we had absolutely nothing to do with any of it), but we tend to unknowingly exert the rights of this privilege in everything from how we enter (and take over) a room, public transit, or a conversation. Observe how true this (and the opposite) is the next time you are in a group of people. Notice who talks louder/more confidently, who takes up more space (sprawling on a bus, for example), or who assumes they should be treated well. (Thanks to my good friend Comrade for this insight.)

Out on a limb

2010-01-02T15:21:00.000-08:00

I did a fair amount thinking and writing about Advent and Christmas this past month. (You probably noticed!)
Christmas is usually pretty noticeable in my life.
New Years, not so much.
I don't tend to do NYE, to me it's no different than any other night—except that you get to do a mad scramble to find a new calendar.
I don't do resolutions either. In a more lofty frame of mind I would probably say, 'If something is worth doing, you don't have to wait for New Years to start.' On a more realistic level, perhaps it's just that I don't tend to set too many goals.
I don't do year-end analyses of favorite things from the last year either, although I have enjoyed reading quite a few on the blogs I read. I think one of the reasons I do enjoy them is that it provides a quick synopsis of what turns someone's crank, what is important to them.

So, this post isn't really any of the above, but it could be considered a bit of a meditation for From Here On In, or From This Day Forward (or, if you insist) a Challenge for 2010.

I recently posted some thoughts from Matthew 24 and 25.
I've continued to muse about Jesus' story about the man traveling to a far country in Matthew 25: 14-29. As usual, I found Peterson's The Message to add some insight.
As I mentioned in my previous post, this story is part of a 2-chapter sermon by Jesus regarding the end. If you have ever heard preaching or read books about end-time prophecy, this scripture will figure in it somewhere. Of course, there are various ways this passage can be taken, and that is not my purpose here.

I want to note a couple things about this story that hit me.
First, look at the incomplete perception the guy with one talent had of his master. “Sir, I knew that you are a hard person to please. You harvest where you haven't planted and gather where you haven't scattered any seeds.”
He may not have been wrong, but he was missing something very important.
Something that the other two servants must have known quite well.
Their master was gracious, understanding, and very willing to forgive mistakes.
Think about it.

The one guy was too scared to try anything for fear he might actually have less to give back at the end than he started with. He was more worried about punishment than reward.
He figured his safest bet was to hide the money so he at least could give the same amount back when his master returned.

The 2 other servants were much more willing to take risks.
They knew that even if they failed in one attempt to use this capital wisely, they could try again.
They knew their master wasn't going to shame them or condemn them for failure.
They knew he was a kind, generous, forgiving man.

And this freedom paid off for both of them. Over the extended period of their master's absence, they were each able to double the value of their initial bankroll. I also think it shows that the master knew his servants well, and gave his money to those whom he knew would handle it wisely.
The limited discernment of the other guy ended up bringing him the shame and condemnation he thought he was sidestepping through his failsafe plan.

Secondly, the challenge to go out on a limb.
Here are the final verses from The Message:
"The servant given one thousand said, 'Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error.
I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.'
The master was furious. 'That's a terrible way to live! It's criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least?
The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.
Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this "play-it-safe" who won't go out on a limb.'”

I believe Jesus is letting us know that:

he knows who he is giving his talents and abilities to.
he trusts us to use them in worthwhile ways.
he wants us to experiment with them, to find new ways of using them, to 'go out on a limb'.
if we bury them/hoard them/don't use them to help the 'least of these' (next parable, Matthew 25: 41), we totally miss the point of why he gave them to us. I actually think that only using your skills and gifts within the typically closed setting of a church is tantamount to burying them.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to go out on a limb.
Look at yourself.
What are the abilities, skills and interests that you know you have? What are the things about you that set you apart from most people (even if you don't think they are anything special)? What attributes do other people notice about you that they think are unique?
If you are already doing something with that skill, go farther. If things are pretty solid, go out on a limb a bit.
If it is an ability that seems to be buried, dig it out, and develop it.

Remember that the master desires to reward people who utilize what he gave them. That he is loving, gracious and forgiving if (when) we sometimes miss the goal we are aiming at. He encourages us to try again.

His mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13).

10 years ago

2009-12-31T21:33:00.000-08:00

--we weren't just saying 'Happy New Year', or 'Happy New Decade' or even 'Happy New Century'. No, it was 'Happy New Millennium', even though technically the millennium didn't start until January 1, 2001.

--we were holding our breath, worried to no end about Y2K.

Not only the prophets of doom were wondering if we would make it. Even the more optimistic types weren't sure what might be hiding just around the corner.

Well, we've made it another 10 years.
Sure, we've had some major disasters in the last decade. Like the December 26, 2004 tsunami killing 230,000+. Or earthquakes in Kashmir (86,000), China (70,000), Iran, (30,000), India, (20,000), several heat waves, and a cyclone. War, disease and famine continue to plague the planet—and many of these deaths could be averted if we put our time, money, and energy into helping instead of fighting.

OK, so the world is a disaster, so let's just give up. (Would you have been surprised if I ended this post here?)

So why are some people happy when they can find one more tie-in between prophecy and current events that points to a soon end-of-the-world? Why are they so quick to give up?
Do we really think that is God's way of looking at things? Is he that anxious to see everything fall apart? Is he as willing to concede defeat as we seem to be?

Or does he still want to see His kingdom come?

Is he wanting us to climb to the top of the nearest mountain and wait for the end, or to be as involved as possible in bringing his kingdom into being?
Matthew 24 and 25 give Jesus' sermon about the end of the world. There is lots of imagery, and the first section really seems to point to something that occured within a few decades. The whole sermon contains many references to being prepared because we don't know when the end will be. But there is no call to sit back and wait for it. Actually, the opposite is true.

The story about the young ladies and the lamps shows us it might be later than we are ready for. Think about that one.

The story about the guy who gave money to 3 of his servants shows us that going out on a limb to use our abilities is more valued than hiding them and waiting for him to return.

Then he starts talking about sorting people into two groups. To one group he says: 'I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.'
To the other group he says: 'I was hungry and you gave me no meal, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was homeless and you gave me no bed, I was shivering and you gave me no clothes, Sick and in prison, and you never visited.'

Now, what do YOU think Jesus wants us to be doing? (Particularly for those who spend a lot of time thinking about the end of the world, but even for those people who don't.)

After Christmas

2009-12-27T14:36:00.000-08:00

It's been a different Christmas. Quite in keeping with the ruminations of my mind these past months, I suppose.
I'm not exactly sure what caused it to be different.
It's not the first time I haven't been around family for Christmas, although I've only missed about 3.
And it wasn't the first time I've been to a midnight Christmas Eve service (although I've only done a couple in my life).
And it's not the first time I was able to be out bringing people on the street some Christmas cheer.
It might have been the first time there were no colorful presents under my Christmas tree, but that kind of fits with the aforementioned ruminations, and wasn't a negative thing.

I think this Christmas has been more true to the heart of Christmas.
It may have started with taking time to think about Advent, the time of waiting and yearning. Thinking a bit more intentionally about what Christ's coming means.
Or maybe it started a couple months earlier when I did what little Christmas shopping I did do, so that I could bring stuff back to my family in Alberta when I went there in September (instead of mailing it in December). I really didn't spend a lot, although I tried to find gifts that had some kind of meaning. This took my mind off of shopping during December. Oh, I wandered through the malls a bit, but not with the harried look of a hapless shopper. So, subconsciously, I joined the Advent Conspiracy, or something along the same lines.

For several weeks we knew that our regular Friday night CARTS ministry would coincide with Christmas Day, so our planning took that into account. We wanted to make this week special, so extra treats were planned. A couple churches and a local ministry provided over 150 Christmas stockings to give out (filled with useful items, as well as some candy—which is useful in its own right). So, my thoughts for Christmas Day have been focused for several weeks on how we would serve, not on turkey, presents, or a party.
My personal life journey into caring about the street community has been growing for the past four years, so in some ways this Christmas has four year old roots.

The end result of these various threads has been:
--an intentional moving away from spending much money on gifts for people that are already blessed (not that they aren't loved, just that money went elsewhere).
--more time spent contemplating some of the deeper heart of the Christmas story.
--attending several church services that helped these meditations.
--being more present in some of the communities I am able to share in. Gaining more understanding of where the kingdom Jesus came to bring is intertwined with everyday life. Giving my time, attention, and assistance to some practical projects. Not because it is Christmas, but because it is right.
--being able to be a part of an awesome outpouring of love and generosity Christmas night to the 150 or so street people we were able to connect with. Realizing again how much fun it can be to give yourself as a gift (along with 35 other people who are doing the same thing).
--having several opportunities to hear people's stories. Some filled with pain, some with joy.
--enjoying a number of awesome friendships. Time spent together, ideas exchanged, passions shared, coffee ingested.
--Christmas has been so much more than just one day, even more than just one season. It has been both much more and much less than a couple warm moments in a cold, dark month. Because the spirit of the season is more entrenched in my spirit than ever, it was around before December, and will still be around when the decorations are packed away for another year.

-The people I love will still be around to share conversation with after Christmas.
-The people I can bless with a smile, a word, or some food will still need me after Christmas.
-The people who have something to teach me will still be talking after Christmas.
-The people who can learn from me will still be watching me after Christmas.

So, Christmas isn't really anything special, or at least shouldn't be. The love of Jesus is just as inspiring and unbelievable in March or October. Our response to that love is just as beneficial to others in the summer as it is in the winter. You can give something to a special friend any day, not just on Christmas Day.

If your understanding of the universe and the kingdom of God grew this Christmas, you don't need to let it slide back to its former level now that Christmas is past. If the fire is burning a little brighter, keep throwing on the wood. If you caught a new glimpse of where you fit in this crazy world, clean your glasses and look for even more insight.

Christmas memories 4

2009-12-24T09:10:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve

My ancestry is Swedish—I am proud of the fact that all four of my grandparents were born in Sweden, and immigrated to North America where they met, married, and raised their kids (my parents). So, a lot of the traditions at home came from the Old Country. Including celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve. Not that Christmas Day was ignored, but the festivities definitely started the evening before. Santa was never part of my upbringing, so the fact that we opened our gifts Christmas Eve did not conflict with when he might arrive.

I was privileged to have two families of relatives close by that we almost always got together with at Christmas (either Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day). One family was my aunt and uncle and cousins who were similar in age to my brothers and I. The other family was an older cousin with kids only a bit younger than me. So, we made a crew of about a dozen and a half.

The evening started, of course, with food. Swedish tradition called for a menu of rice and fish. (No, not at all in a Chinese style!) There was supposed to be one whole almond cooked in the rice. The person who ended up with the almond was supposed to have a year of good luck, or something like that.

As I said earlier, I grew up on a farm. Cows to milk, chores to do. So, after supper (the evening meal was never called dinner—that was the noon meal), the cows had to be milked. For us young'uns, it seemed to take forever.

Finally, Dad would come in from the barn, clean up, and we were one step closer to PRESENTS!

Then was the reading of the Christmas story from the Bible. It seemed that most of the Old Testament prophecies were included in what felt like a 5 hour scripture marathon. Actually, it was probably about 10 minutes, but it seemed like we would hit the Easter story before it was finished.

Then the patriarchal prayer. I realize now how blessed I was to have that kind of upbringing, but at the time it seemed to take FOREVER!

Then the gifts. Finally. Wonderful surprises, even in a setting where money was never plentiful. Funny thing is, I never remember feeling that I suffered. There was always lots of food, gallons of love, and no shortage of fun. Yes, there were the gifts of clothing, and other 'useful' things, but plenty of toys as well. I remember a chemistry set (with a volcano that never had enough 'oomph' to actually blow its top). Lots of board games like Monopoly or Clue or Careers. If there was a new one, the whole family would be playing it soon.

Jig saw puzzles spread over the table (only to be covered by a tablecloth for Christmas dinner the next day). And more food. Popcorn balls, mandarin oranges, fudge, fruitcake, lefse, pepparkakor and much more. Isn't it funny how food ends up being involved in all of our wonderful memories!

I have to take a moment to talk about pepparkakor. They are these Swedish cookies—quite spicy, rolled thin and baked until completely crispy. They MUST be cut into holiday shapes, and are best eaten by dunking in hot chocolate or coffee. A definite staple in any homemade Christmas cookie arsenal.
(By the way, the pictures are much more recent than most of these memories, and include my Mother, sister, and nieces, and show that the family addiction to jig puzzles has not been rehabilitated.)

Advent-are we there yet?

2009-12-23T21:54:00.000-08:00

As a kid, the build up to Christmas seemed to last forever.

Of course, it doesn't help when the Sears catalogue shows up before school starts in September, the ads and store displays are out in October, Mother is cleaning and baking (and you aren't allowed to eat!), the Christmas tree is up, the yard is decorated, and still it's not Christmas.

Our Christmas carols start expressing the longing and waiting:

"I'm dreaming of a...
"It's beginning to look a lot like...
"In the air there's a feeling of....
"Soon it will be......

But it's still only December 23rd!

Sometimes it feels like Narnia where the white witch had made it always winter, but never Christmas.

In many ways we still are looking for something. Not just lights or presents. Not even some nice warm fuzzy feelings.
Deep inside we are longing for real peace on earth.
Where is the joy that is supposed to come to the world?

Our Christmas hymns mix longing and fulfillment, desire and consummation.

And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

How silently, how silently,
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His Heaven.
No ear may hear His coming;
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still,
The dear Christ enters in.

So don't worry.
Soon the bells will ring, the angels will sing, and again we will rejoice that the Baby was born. And we will again have renewed hope that somehow, we will have Peace on Earth.
It may not come to the whole world in your lifetime or mine.
But it can come to my world through me, and to your world through you.

Truly He taught us To love one another;
His law is love And His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break For the slave is our brother;
And in His name All oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy In grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us Praise His holy name.

Christmas memories 3

2009-12-22T22:22:00.000-08:00

Christmas tree
I grew up on a farm, and Dad had planted 3 rows of spruce trees parallel to the road near our yard as a shelterbelt. The idea was that when the trees grew bigger than the 12 inches they started out as, they would stop the snow from drifting onto the road.

Well, it took a few years, but the trees became tall enough that we could lop the top off of one of them and bring it inside. Over the next few years the tree would grow a new top. For many years, we only had to walk a few steps down to the road, and harvest our yearly Christmas tree. The biggest challenge was bringing a frozen tree that was almost as wide as it was high through the door. Not as exciting as the stories of heading out into the forest with an axe, but it worked well for us. Those trees are now as tall as the power lines, so they are definitely doing the 'shelterbelt' thing well.

The decorations were an uncoordinated blend of stuff Mom had from her days as a child to whatever had been added over the years. The fragile glass balls, the unbreakable plastic ones, the bubble lights, and the angel at the top.

This was long before designer trees, fake trees or mini lights—but you can't beat the warmth of a 'real' tree with decorations that each tell a story of Christmases past.

Christmas memories 2

2009-12-20T14:35:00.000-08:00

Community Choir

Small town, small churches, lots of reasons to cooperate. For many years as an older teen and into adulthood, the four churches in our community plus one next town over (and people who maybe didn't even go to church) formed a community choir. We always had one person who could play the piano well enough to learn new and/or difficult music, and pound out the notes for the gang to learn their respective parts. We usually had a person who was either good enough or could be roped into leading this motley crew. And there were usually about five of us who could read music. The rest learned by hearing the notes often enough, and together we had lots of fun. Some years we attempted something out of the ordinary, other times, a familiar selection of carols.

Part of the fun was singing in each others' churches sometime in December. There were times that we hit three churches in one morning. We were incredibly ecumenical in a time when that was rather unusual. The churches ran the gamut from Catholic to Anglican to United to Lutheran to Pentecostal.

Then we would perhaps have a concert for the community in the local community hall.
And we would often haul ourselves through blizzards to the senior citizens lodges in the area. It always seemed to be blizzard season just before Christmas. But we would bring our version of cheer to add to the entertainment the seniors would 'enjoy' during December. And lots of home baking to finish off the evening.

We often did the same kind of thing for Easter.

Advent-joy

2009-12-19T10:01:00.000-08:00

I think joy is the meeting point between 'waiting' and 'arrival'.
Whether it is the arrival of a family member for a visit, a parcel in the mail, or the birth of a child, there is great joy when the anticipated moment finally occurs.

Now it is not 'Rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel', but:
'Joy to the world, the Lord has come.'

'Delayed hope makes one sick at heart, but a fulfilled longing is a tree of life.' (Prov. 13:12)
'And it came to pass, while they were there, the days were fulfilled that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son; and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.' (Luke 2:6, 7)

'But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent his Son, born among us of a woman, born under the conditions of the law so that he might redeem those of us who have been kidnapped by the law. ' (Gal. 4:4)

I don't think it was a particularly 'Silent night'. I think the angels singing, and shepherds rushing, and baby crying ('cause I expect even Jesus cried) made it a noisy, joyous night.

'The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight.'

'Gloria in excelsis Deo!'

'Good Christian men rejoice
With heart and soul and voice!
Give ye heed to what we say
News! News!
Jesus Christ is born today!
Ox and ass before Him bow
And He is in the manger now
Christ is born today!
Christ is born today!'

Christmas memories 1

2009-12-18T12:33:00.000-08:00

Memory is a wonderful thing.
It tends to be selective—you remember the good things better than the bad things. Sure, bad things leave their mark, but we do tend to remember the pleasant things more than the painful ones.
I think a lot of what we as adults try to recapture in our Christmas celebrating is the joy and innocence of youth. We work hard (and sometimes fail) trying to recreate the warm fuzzies of when we were kids. But time goes on, situations change, and even the way we celebrate takes on new forms.
So, I hope you have some pleasant Christmas memories as you slide through another December, and perhaps have opportunities to relive some of the fun you remember as a kid.

This is the first post of a few Christmas memories. May they at least trigger some good ones of your own. And it's never too late to start making some new ones.

The Sunday School Christmas Program

Every fall, the Sunday School teachers would start planning for the yearly 'event'. Finding cute (hopefully meaningful) little recitations, and some sort of drama for the teenagers to perform. It would involve several weeks worth of practicing, before 'that night' (one of my Mother's pet peeves was the constant reference to what would or wouldn't happen 'that night'.) As a kid I remember helping make the candy bags to give out at the end of the evening—a brown bag half full of candy, peanuts, orange, and probably some homemade fudge. And don't forget the costumes—angels with lopsided halos, shepherds in over-sized bathrobes, and wise men with 'priceless' boxes wrapped in foil.

One of my lifelong memories involves a play that I was in as a teenager. One of the bits of action on stage involved another actor handing me a note. Now it didn't matter if anything was actually written on the paper, it was just a prop. However, one rehearsal the gal who was to hand me the note had written this silly little riddle on it before handing it to me: 'What happened when they threw oranges at the synagogue?' 'The Jews (juice) ran out.' Well, it probably wasn't all that funny, but it cracked me up, spoiling the seriousness of that particular moment. And I still remember it mumblty mumble years later.

It's the most wonderful time of the year

2009-12-15T18:52:00.000-08:00

That's what the familiar Christmas song says, but is it?

Being the pessimistic sort of people we are, we have the idea that Christmas isn't such a wonderful time, that suicide rates go up at Christmas, and so on. A quick Google search, however, comes up with the following:

“Contrary to what many believe, the notion of increased depression during the Christmas season is a myth. Suicide rates actually decrease over the Holidays." (source)

“Although the papers presented show a mix of suicide and parasuicide statistics it is apparent that there is a general trend for such events to reduce in December and in particular around the days preceding Christmas day.” (source)

“It is important to note, however, that while suicide rates do not increase over the holiday season, depression rates do.” (source)

But, these reports and statistics don't help much if YOU are feeling down. It doesn't help much to tell yourself that you should be less inclined to feel bad, statistically. In fact, the stress of thinking you should be feeling better may well make you feel even worse.

So, if you are feeling 'blue' this Christmas, what should you do?

The Canadian Mental Health Association suggests:

“Loneliness, depression, feelings of loss, financial burdens, family conflicts, and alcohol abuse can intensify during the holidays.
“Here are the experts tips for coping!
-Plan ahead. Take time to identify your feelings about Christmas.
-Be realistic, look at what you can afford to give.
-Choose to celebrate with the people who make you feel positive and hopeful.
-Let go of your expectations & make time for what is important to you!”

Depending on your circumstances, some of these might work fairly well, but some may be beyond your control. For example, for a guy living on the street, separated from his family by distance, money and/or apathy, even points 2 and 3 are pretty much impossible. But all four points deserve consideration.

Plan ahead. Take time to identify your feelings about Christmas.
By all means, realize that you will be bombarded with particularly strong emotions at Christmas. If you have seen a pattern emerge in previous years, don't let it sneak up unannounced this year. If you figured out some coping strategies in previous years, bring them out early and put them in place before the dismalness sets in. As best as you can, analyze your feelings and see what is particularly noxious. Is it the absence of family? The loss of a family member (by death, divorce, or distance?) Is it unrealistic expectations of 'Peace on earth', love, joy, and all of the other 'warm fuzzies' in the Christmas songs you are bombarded with? Is it the stress of buying gifts, and then having to pay for them?
Once you know the specific things that hit you hardest, look for a way to bypass the negative, and replace with something positive (even if it is small). Missing your family? Fins someone else in the same boat, and do something special together. It doesn't have to be Christmas dinner, but maybe an opportunity to share a seasonal activity—skating, Christmas caroling, watching a movie, checking out the Christmas lights.

Be realistic, look at what you can afford to give.
If money is a big issue (and it probably is for most us), persuade yourself that you don't have to keep up with the Joneses. Or even your siblings or fellow employees. Think of something that particularly reflects your own nature and passions, and turn that into a gift. It might be baking or a creative craft. It might be a gift of snow shoveling or your undivided attention over a cup of coffee.
Perhaps you would much rather donate to a worthwhile cause in the name of the family members that you know really don't need anything. Shop at a used book store instead of Chapters. Don't knock yourself down because you can't spend the money you wish you could. There truly is no value in going into debt just to make the rest of the family think you can afford to spend hundreds or thousands of $$ on them. And it's not only people with limited incomes that are choosing to cut back their spending on gifts. Many people are re-thinking the whole consumer-centric version of Christmas, and choosing to celebrate in simpler, more personal ways. Advent Conspiracy

Choose to celebrate with the people who make you feel positive and hopeful.
This might mean you will have a very small celebration. You might be better off alone than with a group of people that tend to bring you down—and that might even include family. Again, perhaps you can find another person who needs the same kind of simple, unassuming, time together.

Let go of your expectations & make time for what is important to you!
Your celebration doesn't have to be anything that you don't want it to be. Don't want to be in a crowd of people? Then don't. Don't want to have to decorate, or bake, or get dressed up? Then don't! Do you like a nice hot cider and some conversation? Then that's what it should be. Want to watch a movie and have some popcorn? Then make that your Christmas celebration. Remembering past traditions is nice, but it is easy to expect that DOING the familiar thing will automatically bring the same warm feelings that you remember for times gone past. That isn't necessarily the case. Don't do something just to try to make yourself feel warm and tingly. Choose to do something just because you enjoy doing it, and as much as possible, choose to do it with the people you want to be with.

Let Christmas be an opportunity to be reminded of things like love, relationships, good friends. It might include reviving an old tradition, or perhaps starting a new one.

Read a familiar story—Luke 2 is certainly appropriate!
Or perhaps Dr. Suess
or Clement Moore
or Charles Dickens
or O. Henry (William Sydney Porter).

Join with a few other people and go caroling.

Find a special church service. Sneak in to the back row, and just sit and absorb. Sing if you want (or not). Pray if you want (or not). Talk to other people if you want (or not). But let the peaceful presence of the spirit of Jesus invade you.

Choose a charity endeavor, and help make Christmas special for someone else. (And don't forget about either the charity or the people they serve the rest of the year. Lots of people get involved just before Christmas, but the need usually continues all year.)

There is something special that happens inside you when you do something for someone else. You can call it the Spirit of Christmas, or get a bit more spiritual and recognize it as the Spirit of Jesus.
Either way, it is love. Plain and simple. Not necessarily easy, but not complicated. Give away something that means something to you. It doesn't have to involve money, or things. It might go deeper and involve a gift of your time, your energy, your heart.

You will probably discover, as many have before you: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive'. Or, as The Message puts it: 'You're far happier giving than getting. (Acts 20:35).

If you are facing the struggle of getting through another Christmas season intact, if you DON'T think Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, then step back a bit, choose to make it a bit better for someone else, and I'll bet yours will be a bit better too.

Don't demand that you feel all warm and fuzzy inside for every minute between now and Christmas Day. Choose to be content with an opportunity or two to bring a smile to someone's face. Wish someone a 'Merry Christmas'. Remember that we can have Peace on Earth—but it's going to take all of us working together.

To all my friends and enemies near and far,
May your Christmas have special moments of joy, and remember that there are more people that love you than you know!

Advent-love

2009-12-15T10:56:00.000-08:00

If Advent signifies waiting, expecting, yearning....what is it like to be waiting for love? And how does the coming of Christ fulfill that yearning? And where does love fit in to the presence of Christ in this world through us? If hope means that change is possible, where does love fit into the equation?

How many people are in need of love in our world today?
Should love be a characteristic of a Christ-follower? (Duh!)
Is it a characteristic of me?

I think love has to be a foundational component of the presence of Christ, whether 2000 years ago, or now.

Love looks past the appropriateness of a person's clothes, and sees inside.
Love ignores the smell of the guy who hasn't had a shower for ever, and hugs him anyway.
Love struggles to understand the broken English of the new immigrant, and helps her find the local amenities she needs.
Love senses the pain and fear showing in the eyes of the young lady worried about her unplanned pregnancy, and walks with her through the choices and consequences of the next months, and beyond.
Love endures the unfamiliar music style, and builds a friendship with the young metalhead.
Love recognizes the familiar humanness inside the unfamiliar attire of the neighbor kid and works even harder to connect.
Love says I can make changes in my lifestyle that will improve this global community. Small things perhaps, but a start. Riding a bike or taking public transportation instead of a gas-guzzling SUV. Fair-trade coffee. Less consumer products. Less landfill. Recycling. Reusing.
Love isn't satisfied with the status quo. Love recognizes the scope of where change needs to happen—and starts somewhere.

About short-term vs. long-term

2009-12-13T09:32:00.000-08:00

It's Sunday morning, and even before I'm out of bed I'm thinking. Maybe that's a great time to let your mind work on the big questions of life—before the immediate issues of the day come to the forefront.
And that is kind of what I'm thinking about. Should we (I) be putting time, energy, money into things that only bring momentary relief, or should all of my attention go to long-term solutions?

As I said, it's Sunday. A day of the week when (dare I say it) all of the Pharisees are too intent on attending church to attend to those around them who could really benefit from their time and help. Around here, at least, Sunday is the day there aren't many programs available for people on the street. Monday to Friday there are several meal programs and other services available. Saturday morning some of the downtown churches take turns hosting a nice breakfast. Sunday, almost nothing.

As I said, all the ~~Pharisees~~ Christians are too busy getting together to worship. Really reminds me about the poor fellow that the good Samaritan helped out in Jesus' story. The religious folk were much too busy keeping the system alive to actually notice (or help) someone who really NEEDED a bit of their energy.

But that also brings us back to the question: 'Which deserves our attention? Short-term or long-term?'
Or do we somehow need to juggle both?

The common wisdom often says: 'Give a hand up instead of a hand out.' 'Teach a man to fish for a life time instead of just giving him a fish today.' The principles make sense except for one thing: If it takes more than a few minutes for the guy to figure out how to catch a fish, he may starve before the long-term benefits kick in.

I'm sure we recognize the folly in telling the person who is on the street panhandling: “Get a job, go find a place to live, get over your addictions, get over your mental illness.” It just isn't that simple. But spending $1 million on low-cost housing and 0$ on emergency shelters won't keep the guy alive tonight in order for him to be able to move into that apartment next month or next year. Setting up that community garden will be a wonderful thing once it is happening, but that single mom needs a food hamper today to survive until the garden is producing.
Here in British Columbia there are rumors and grumblings about the government cutbacks of essential services (health, education, housing, etc.) and extravagance on the Olympics. So in many people's minds it looks like we are losing ground on both the immediate and long-term solutions to some prevalent issues.
Priorities, priorities, priorities.

But it isn't only the government's responsibility to look after people in need.
I am my brother's keeper.

Back to the question at hand (again): How to balance short and long-term needs and solutions.
I think Jesus (as usual) gives us a good example. He fed the hungry multitudes. He provided wine for the wedding party. He healed people from their diseases. Even though tomorrow they would be hungry again, the party would be over, and they would all die anyway. And He taught that the Kingdom of God was here. A kingdom that affects life today. A kingdom of justice and affirmation. A kingdom of love and compassion.

He also taught about life beyond today. An eternal home. 'I go to prepare a place for you.'

But it seems to me that most of His attention was focused on those around Him. He didn't tell people to suck it up and wait for a better life in heaven. He let them know He cared about them right at that instant. Calming the storm on the sea. An immediate large catch of fish. Healing blindness, deafness, leprosy, hemorrhaging, death.

For sure, it makes sense to build affordable housing, community gardens, drug rehab facilities. It makes sense to provide medical diagnosis and medication for the mentally ill.

But it's not a waste of money to give a guy some lunch. (Although it's a bit tougher to consider the panhandler who may well be making enough change so he can get his next bottle or bag of weed (or worse)).

Sitting here typing isn't helping anyone who is hungry and cold. But maybe tomorrow or next week there will be one more of us out there giving a cup of water on behalf of Jesus.

And that will be a good thing for both the short-term and long-term.

Advent-peace

2009-12-09T09:12:00.000-08:00

There seems to be a lot of flurry (again!) about what greeting is 'correct' at this time of year. Some Christians are (again!) up in arms trying to make sure people are saying 'Merry Christmas', not 'Happy Holidays', or 'Season's Greetings' or 'Will that be on your credit card?'

I figure a great compromise is 'Peace on earth'.
It's Biblical.
It is the wish of Christians and non-Christians alike.
In fact, even war-mongers and peace-mongers would both likely rather have peace (I hope!).
Plus the fact that this is the original greeting used about the birth of Jesus, long before today's consumer-driven extravaganza came into existence.
Double plus the concept that the coming of Christ was to bring peace between God and His creation. To reinstate the relationship He intended all along.

Fighting over what greeting you use isn't exactly promoting peace.
Fighting over who has to host the family get-together isn't promoting peace.
Trying to talk your parents into going into even greater debt than usual in order to buy you the latest _______ isn't promoting peace in your family.
In fact, there's a lot about our typical celebration of Christmas that isn't very peaceable.

How can we change that?
How about choosing to do something as a family that will help someone less fortunate—drill a well in Africa, sponsor a child in Thailand, bring Christmas dinner to a family in need in your own neighborhood?
Research the involvement of your nation in a war on foreign soil. Honestly figure out if it is something you want to support or not. And then let your elected representatives know how you feel. (You might think the fact that I am including this idea in a post about 'peace' reveals a bit of my personal bias on this—Who knows? But even if you feel it is right to support a war in Afghanistan, for example, consider it in the light of how to ultimately promote 'peace on earth'.)

Think closer to home. Think of an issue that raises lots of public conflict in your city. Think of ways to promote peace, resolution, agreement.
Get really close to home. Work to bring peace into your relationships. Estranged family members, ex-spouses or other sticky situations. You may only be able to choose to not fight anymore, but removing one of the combatants usually cools down the war considerably.

Maybe the situation you face (personally, civically, nationally) is one that you feel requires more passion, not less. Maybe it is right that you should stand up and be counted. Maybe being peaceable is the last thing you should do. Maybe you need to get down and dirty and join a peace march. Or a march against some other social ill that really stirs you up. Or pick a fight with city hall.
Guess what. Jesus did that too. The Prince of Peace really stirred things up in the temple.
I think you can probably figure out how you can be a 'person of peace' and yet be an activist if that is appropriate.
Peace needs to go hand in hand with love and justice. They really aren't mutually exclusive. They are all segments of an integrated life.

Looking for feedback

2009-12-07T11:23:00.000-08:00

This post is to get some feedback from my readers.
Do you read my blog directly from my blogger site (Does it show the sculpture of the thinker at the top?)
Do you check randomly, or are you signed up as a 'follower'?
Do you read it on Facebook when it posts to my wall?
Do you check it out on Blogger when I notify of a new post on my Facebook status?
Do you follow on Facebook's Networked blogs?

I'm trying to figure out which works best, which looks the best, and how best to reach my millions of fans! OK, not millions--but I have reached the grand sum of 12 ~~disciples~~ followers on blogger, so perhaps I can be satisfied--after all, Jesus only had 12 disciples!

I've been on Facebook's Networked blogs for awhile, but can't really see the benefit. I supposedly have 6 followers, but can't even find out who they are.

I have Blogger feeding to my Facebook Notes page, but perhaps using Facebook's Network blogs would work/look better. Any comments from anyone who already uses Networked blogs?

I tend to format with Blogger in mind, rather than Facebook, since Facebook basically has no formatting.

Perhaps I should consider using Wordpress or Typepad, although I don't know how much work might be involved in switching over from Blogger. I like some of the features on the others, but .....
Any comments would be helpful.
Speaking of comments, I find that some people comment on the Blogger site, others comment on the Facebook page, and there is no cross-pollination between the two. For that reason, I am tempted to use only Blogger, and stop the direct feed to Facebook. That way, I could post notifications on Facebook, but all comments would (hopefully) be kept together.
Any thoughts?

Twenty years ago today

2009-12-06T21:09:00.000-08:00

Twenty years ago today Canada's worst mass shooting occurred. 14 women died at the hand of a gunman whose violence was directly targeted against women at the Universite de Montreal’s Ecole polytechnique. You can read more about it here.
As a result, this day has been declared Canada’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women.
With this post I want to remember 14 women, varying in age from 21 to 31 who did not choose to be martyrs, but had their lives cut short simply because they were women who ended up in harm's way.
Today they would have been from 41 to 51 years of age, in the prime of their lives, careers, and families.
These biographies are taken directly from a CBC story.
Geneviève Bergeron was a second-year scholarship student in mechanical engineering. She played the clarinet and sang in a professional choir. In her spare time she played basketball and swam.
Helene Colgan was in her final year of mechanical engineering and planned to do her master's degree. She had three job offers and was leaning toward accepting one from a company based near Toronto.
Nathalie Croteau was another graduating mechanical engineer. She planned to take a two-week vacation in Cancun, Mexico, with Colgan at the end of the month.
Barbara Daigneault was expecting to graduate at the end of the year. She was a teaching assistant for her father Pierre Daigneault, a mechanical engineering professor with the city's other French-language engineering school at the Université du Québec à Montréal.
Anne-Marie Edward, a chemical engineering student, loved outdoor sports like skiing and diving, and was always surrounded by friends.
Maud Haviernick was a second-year student in metallurgical engineering, and a graduate in environmental design from the Université du Québec à Montréal.
Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz was a first-year nursing student. She arrived in Montreal from Poland with her husband in 1987.
Maryse Laganière was the only non-student killed. She worked in the engineering school's budget department. She had recently married.
Maryse Leclair was in fourth-year metallurgy, had a year to go before graduation and was one of the top students in the school. She acted in plays in junior college. She was the first victim whose name was known, and she was found by her father, Montreal police Lt. Pierre Leclair.
Anne-Marie Lemay was in fourth-year mechanical engineering.
Sonia Pelletier was the head of her class and the pride of St-Ulric, Que., her remote birthplace in the Gaspé Peninsula. She had five sisters and two brothers. She was killed the day before she was to graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering. She had a job interview lined up for the following week.
Michèle Richard was in second-year metallurgical engineering. She was presenting a paper with Haviernick when she was killed.
Annie St-Arneault was a mechanical engineering student from La Tuque, Que., a Laurentian pulp and paper town in the upper St-Maurice river valley. She lived in a small apartment in Montreal. She was killed as she sat listening to a presentation in her last class before graduation. She had a job interview with Alcan Aluminium scheduled for the following day. She had talked about eventually getting married to the man who had been her boyfriend since she was a teenager.
Annie Turcotte was in her first year and lived with her brother in a small apartment near the university. She was described as gentle and athletic, enjoying diving and swimming. She went into metallurgical engineering so she could one day help improve the environment.

Remember them today, and work and pray that it never happens again.
Saying anything more would take away from the point of this post.

Advent-prepare

2009-12-06T13:17:00.000-08:00

If Advent is the season of expectation and waiting, then preparation is involved.
John the Baptist was God's Advent messenger for the coming of Christ. Matthew 3 tells us of this strangely dressed man with an even stranger diet who quoted the prophet Isaiah, and ranted about the Jewish leaders who were missing the point about actually preparing for the Messiah's kingdom.
We soon get the message that he was calling for an internal preparation, a reordering of priorities. To start doing things that would ultimately make it easier for God's kingdom to come. To begin to recognize the individual changes necessary for the kingdom to take root. To take one step towards God so that they would be ready to walk with Him.
John's call to repentance (turn around) was scary enough. Christ's declaration that the kingdom had arrived was potentially life altering. It's one thing to try to point your life in a new direction. It's another thing to surrender your independance to a new King.
Now I'm not saying we can or have to clean ourselves up a bit so that we can go have a bath. The idea of preparation that John's preaching brings is to make the first step towards following this new King. To turn around. To change your mindset. To watch and follow.
As we again contemplate that Christ came to bring His kingdom, let us recognize its' coming by taking a step in the right direction. Following Christ involves following. A step towards Him starts this lifelong journey with Him.
One final thought about preparation. Isaiah invites us to “Prepare for GOD's arrival! Make the road straight and smooth, a highway fit for our God.” Is 40:3, The Message). To me that says: “Make it easier for other people to get to know God.” Not only are WE to prepare to follow Christ, but we should help (not hinder) OTHERS from following Him as well.

CARTS

2009-12-05T09:01:00.000-08:00

Last night was another evening out on the street with CARTS. CARTS is a 'backronym' for 'Christian Actions Reflecting The Spirit'. Since we walk around the streets of downtown Victoria pulling a few sturdy garden carts, CARTS is a good name for us.
These carts are loaded with hot chocolate, sandwiches, fruit, pastries, homemade cookies, blankets, jackets and other warm clothing, socks, underwear, toques and scarves, and other necessities of life.
Over the period of about 3 hours every Friday, we meet and help about 200 people in various positions of need. All of them receive love, and whatever we have that we can share with them.
For most people, it's not the excitement of getting a peanut butter and jam sandwich that brings them around every week. It's the love expressed in the smiles, the hugs, the words, the genuineness. It's knowing that our volunteers are out in any weather because we want to be there. We've never missed a night, and this year we're looking forward to being able to be out on Christmas Day. That is going to be such fun!
Last night we probably had a record number of volunteers. 29. We had so many that 3 or 4 had nothing specific to do except walk and talk. We had at least 4 new volunteers who joined us for the first time, while many of us have been doing this for several years.
We have the greatest caliber and variety of volunteers—and this includes the many who are involved behind the scenes who never join us on the street.
The faithful teams that make the sandwiches every week.
Those who make our famous CARTS chocolate chip cookies. They are huge, tasty, and include the secret ingredient—love.
The lady who faithfully goes to Starbucks for their day-old pastries, and wraps them for distribution.
The little old ladies who knit scarves and toques.
The people who regularly cull their closets for good used clothing and blankets.
The businesses and individuals who faithfully share financially with us, and the businesses who donate day old food items.
The school kids who collect and donate the proceeds from drink containers.
The church ladies group who stuffed 91 socks with personal hygiene items for us to give out this Christmas.
It's a never ending list.
Many items are donated, some are purchased with the cash donations. But there are the regular volunteers who not only join us in distributing everything, but who out of their own pockets buy special treats.
The young man who buys and gives away at least 100 full-size chocolate bars every night he joins us.
The lady who makes incredible home-made fudge, wraps it and gladdens the hearts of those who ask: “Is the fudge lady here?”
The lady who once a month makes about 180 of our famous CARTS cookies. Other nights usually have several people making a batch or two, but she does one whole night herself.
A young couple who give out the little Halloween-sized treats.
The guys with muscles who pull the heavily-loaded carts.
The guys and gals who give out the clothing items with grace and flare. It's almost as much fun as going to a boutique!

But I've saved the best until last. The two faithful ladies who started CARTS nearly 7 years ago (the two ladies pictured here). Two sisters with a vision for interacting with people face-to-face, on their level. Bringing joy, love and food to those in greatest need. Not worried about a little dirt or grime. Not deterred by the roughness of the street culture. Not scared by the unpredictability of someone on drugs. Just being angels of mercy. Rejoicing with those who rejoice, weeping with those who weep.
I'm so glad I connected with CARTS a few years ago and am able to be a part of this wonderful expression of God's heart for people. Sunday morning church is nothing compared to this loving act of worship for the One who encourages us to give a cup of cold water in His name.

More thoughts on the five R's

2009-12-02T08:45:00.000-08:00

Here are some more parallels between home and Church renovations.

One of the HGTV shows I have watched is about 'unsellable' homes. A house is listed for sale, but no one seems to be interested. The homeowner thinks the house is great as it is, but in reality it is dated, has projects that need finishing or the outside needs some serious curb appeal before anyone will put in an offer.
Pretty much any of the shows on home renovations demonstrate that a reno usually goes over budget—and I'm not just talking a couple percent. There are usually problems that aren't visible until you start getting down to the basics—bad wiring or plumbing, mold and rot, or structural/foundation issues. It seems that nothing is ever simple. And the big renos are even worse. The more you want to do, the more you are going to blow your budget.
It's not only money that you run out of in a reno project. It usually takes longer than you expect. Many of the shows like to give themselves a deadline—and then have to rush like mad to get it done on time. (Personally, I'd rather see it take more time, and be done well, but I guess that isn't suspenseful enough for TV.)
Another thing I've noticed is that our tastes and desires are always bigger than what we are willing to pay. People out shopping for a home have high hopes and dreams for the latest style, everything in top shape, and exactly the design they want. But something like that in their preferred location is going to cost them a lot more than they can afford. They give their real estate agent their wish list and budget, and the agent tries to find something. Then the prospective buyers pick apart the possibilities, and complain about the price. It often seems that the reality check goes right over their heads.
The lessons for the Church from this are obvious enough to not need any interpretation.

Retain, redecorate, renovate, reconstruct, replace

2009-12-01T21:53:00.000-08:00

There comes a time in every homeowner's life....that you think about doing something to spruce up the place. For some reason I like watching HGTV, the Home & Garden channel. There are lots of shows about new home buyers, trying to sell your home, renovating, decorating, etc.
OK. Let's assume you are wondering if you should do something to fix up your house.
You might think it is just perfect the way it is. You wouldn't change a thing. Retain.
You might decide to paint a few rooms, change a carpet, or get new drapes. Redecorate.
You might decide to knock down a wall, put in another bathroom, or turn the garage into an in-law suite. Renovate.
You might decide to rip off the roof and build another floor, gut the interior, move the kitchen to the back, and add two more bedrooms, or perhaps raise the whole house and build a new foundation. Reconstruct.
You might decide you like the location, but need to completely destroy the house and build a new one from scratch. Replace.
It all depends on how much work you think is necessary. How much is wrong with what you have. How to make your house more useful, more of what you need it to be. How much of what you have is worth saving. How solid what you have is, and how much it can stand major work.

Most of us recognize that the Church needs some work. It isn't showing it's age as well as we might hope. It isn't quite as practical or useful as it once was. There seems to be some rot in one corner, and we aren't sure how deep the problem is. There are a couple rooms that just don't get much use anymore, while another one could sure use some enlarging.
I guess the issue is the same as fixing the house.
How much work is necessary?
How serious are the things that are wrong?
What will it take to make it more usable?
How much is worth saving?
How solid is it, can it stand the amount of change necessary, or does it basically need to be torn down and completely rebuilt?
I think the difference between the positions taken by different people on the state of the church comes from their answers to the previous questions.
Some people think it is as close to perfect as you can imagine. The preacher is fine, the style is fine, the atmosphere is fine, the attendance is fine. Retain.
Some see that a couple minor changes will be all it takes to bring the church up to speed. Perhaps an adjustment to the music, or adding a new youth program. Redecorate (figuratively).
Others are ready for something a bit more strenuous. Ditch the liturgy (or bring it back). Start meeting on Saturday nights instead of Sunday mornings. Ditch the pulpit and pews, and put in round tables and sit the people around them in small discussion groups. Fire up a few candles. Renovate.
Still others think all of that is small potatoes. Sell the building. Eliminate the pastor. Meet in coffee shops or pubs, open a soup kitchen, live in a communal house. Welcome and affirm everyone. Reconstruct.
A few brave souls even want to go further. Reconsider the Bible more as literature and less as a question and answer book. Rethink salvation and grace. Question things considered fundamental like sin, hell, the sovereignty of God. Rebuild.
I'll bet that any of you that consider yourself a follower of Christ can see yourself in one of these categories. Anything less drastic doesn't seem like enough, anything more seems like heresy.
And therein lies the rub within Christendom.
There is something worth salvaging about this group of ragtag imitators of Christ. We just can't agree on how much.
There is a chunk of the foundation that is solid enough to build on. We just aren't sure how big that chunk is.
And if we figure out how deep to carve away, we still won't agree on what the new finished product should look like. Or how soon we will probably have to do it again.
I really appreciate the conversation these days about all of this. It encourages my heart and gives me hope. But also almost drives me to distraction sometimes.
God help us!

Rant

2009-11-29T21:49:00.000-08:00

I've just started reading a book about Black Metal. I understand that it has a fair amount to say about Satanism, paganism, church burnings, and the part the Christian church played in the rise of Metal. I haven't got past the introduction and already I'm thinking along those lines. To my non-Christian friends who read this post (and I hope you do), please recognize that this rant is double-barreled—at western society as a whole, and the church in particular.

Every year more young, maturing, thinking adults enter society.
Long enough observers of the status quo, they have ideas ranging from improbable to impossible—what's wrong, how to fix it, how to force change.
At any point, this group of newly-minted citizens are in the minority. The majority have lived long enough to realize the benefits of leaving well enough alone, even though they were young once.
Yesterday's hippies are today's CEOs. The revolutionary has morphed into a republican. The anarchist is now a capitalist. The placard-waving, solidarity-singing protester now waves his nation's flag and sings about the value of his RRSPs (after parking his BMW in his 3 car garage).
But his kids have taken up the torch he allowed to drop.
Their ideas may be improbable (get rid of carbon-based vehicles) or impossible (reverse global warming), but they aren't wrong. In fact, they are often the only source of anything new or hopeful.
At best, society lags behind.
The church is often even worse. Instead of leading the way being current with present-day thought and philosophy, it seems we have to work hard to only be one generation behind.
We have solidified our emphasis on capitalism and personal wealth when the rest of the world is preaching sustainability and our responsibilities within the global community.
New adults value fair-trade, renewable energy and open dialogue. They abhor racism, sexism and other age-old stereotypes. They like the color green and recycling. They have given up on politics and religion.
Meanwhile, where are we? Our churches or filled ( or more likely only partly filled) with comfortable seniors and suburbanites. Well-fed and well-dressed, safe in the security of their gated communities and pension plans.
It's time we as not-so-young adults gave more than a passing glance at our young prophets. They are more observant and astute than we might expect or admit. Even if some of their potential solutions aren't viable, their perception of the problems is accurate. If we listen to them, we will probably hear the voice of God calling us to justice and community, reminding us of the importance of people over things.

(The preceding paragraphs contain a lot of generalizations. They are not true in every case, BUT THEY ARE TRUER THAN YOU THINK!)

Advent-hope

2009-11-29T09:00:00.000-08:00

Growing up as I did in a non-liturgical church, I pretty much missed any significance to Advent. December was upon us? Christmas is coming! Full-on preparation for a kids Christmas program, signing of Christmas carols, buying presents, etc.
No contemplation of the emotions and yearning for the coming of Christ. No recognition of the hunger and anticipation of the Jewish people for the Messiah to come. No thoughts about how we look for the kingdom of God to come to us today.
Nope, just, 'Yippee, here comes Christmas!'
I think the contemplation of Advent is one of the reasons I am growing to appreciate the liturgical calendar more.
I want to meditate some this year on the coming of the kingdom in our world.
It always is a good time for Jesus to come.
The world is always in need of the peace, love, justice, and relationship that Jesus came to bring.
Whether it was the centuries of build-up before His birth, or the daily grind we find ourselves in today, the world can use a lot more of the presence of Christ's kingdom.
One of the big themes of Advent is Hope.
Pain and injustice without the possibility of deliverance induce misery.
Darkness and death without the promise of light and life promote despair.
Evil and hate and inhumanity are demoralizing unless there is the hope for things to change.
That's why the prophets' promise of the coming Messiah kept the Jews alive duirng years of agony.
A similar hope helps us survive the emotional drain of living. We see wars and disasters, sickness and poverty, hunger and thirst, and yearn for deliverance.
For some Christians, the hope is focused on the Second Coming of Christ at the end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it. Their hope is based on escaping, leaving it all behind to be destroyed.
But I think we have a much more imminent hope.
Jesus arrived on the scene 2000 years ago, inaugurating his kingdom. That kindgom carries on today in us, we who choose to allow his rule in our lives and actions.
We don't wait for his kingdom to start, we pray and act for it to expand in power and influence. We don't look forward to a moment in the future when we get to escape and leave it behind, we get to be an active part in seeing its influence grow today. Our salt is permeating, our lights are shining, the kingdom is advancing.
So this hope doesn't take our attention away from the misery around us, it helps us see that we can and are making a difference now.
That anticipation and yearning is just as aware of the need, it just is more immediate. It sees ways of effecting change, of fighting for justice, of feeding the hungry.
That hope still sees that it is the coming of Jesus that brings change. It just recognizes that he makes a difference as he comes through us.

Come thou long-expected Jesus,
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a Child and yet a King.
Born to reign in us for ever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all-sufficient merit
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.
Charles Wesley

“ 'I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.'
Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me--you did it to me.' ”(Matthew 25:35, 36, 40 The Message)

-ing vs. -ed

2009-11-17T11:43:00.000-08:00

Verbs are words of action. Talk, eat, drive.
Verbs have tenses which indicate when the action occurs. I talked to John yesterday. I am eating my lunch now. Tomorrow I will drive to work.
Some verbs end in ing. They are used in a tense called present progressive or present continuous. These words indicate action that is ongoing. It has been occurring, it is occurring, and it will continue to occur (for at least a while).
Breathing.
Resting.
Jogging.
Other verbs end in ed. This is the past tense. Action that has occurred. It is done.
Graduated.
Published.
Washed.
As you can see, there is quite a difference between these two tenses. One indicates life, advancement, progress. The other indicates completion, rest, consummation, maybe even perfection.
One says: “I'm not there yet, I am still learning.” The other says: “That's all there is. I have attained.”
One says: “There is still more to figure out, more to investigate, more discussion is necessary.” The other says: “Ahhh, now I've got it. I know the answer. Listen and become wise.”
One can be teachable, open to new ideas, ready to change and adjust. The other can be arrogant, headstrong, unhearing.
One has room for adaptation, new knowledge, further study. The other is satisfied, immovable, rigid.
I have a feeling you are already getting my point.
Is our faith, our theology, our expression of Christ's kingdom a journey or a fait accompli?
Is our understanding of truth something that has room for further understanding, or already set in concrete?
I find the arrogance of 'I'm right and that's all there is to it' a very poor representation of God's kingdom. Yes, I expect that He knows everything, but we don't.
And won't.
Ever.

Remember

2009-11-11T15:56:00.000-08:00

Some of my friends are pacifists. Some of my friends are activists. Some of my friends are in the military or have been in the military.

It's not a simple question with simple solutions.
Not resisting might mean you end up under the control of someone or something that radically limits your freedom. Not fighting back could mean death or imprisonment for you or your family.
But fighting back tends to escalate. What might have started out small ends up huge. What starts out with one side killing a few people ends up with the other side killing hundreds of thousands. What starts out as one specific issue ends up being a whole cloud of issues.

I come from a nation who's military involvement in the last half century has been in peacekeeping. We haven't started any wars, and no one has declared war on us. We just help other nations try to maintain the peace that has (supposedly) been negotiated. It's a pretty lofty calling, I imagine. Also pretty difficult. Kind of like standing between two siblings fighting over a toy. Both sides usually figure they have right on their side. And even though peace has been negotiated ('Stop fighting, or you will be grounded for a week.'), that doesn't mean peace is at the top of either person's priorities. So, the peacekeeper might end up getting it from both sides.

And then there's 'Blessed are the peacemakers.' Peacemaker—cultivator of peace, one who works for peace. It seems to involve action, not just observation. It might even involve actively engaging someone for it.
Perhaps pacifists are OK with peacekeeping and/or peacemaking. Perhaps not. Both could involve violence, even if it isn't directly intended.
Perhaps activists are OK with peacekeeping and/or peacemaking. Perhaps not. Either one might not be active enough to right a wrong, to enforce justice.

Today we remember.
What is it we are remembering?
--That people have died in various times and places of armed conflict?
--That some people felt strongly enough about freedom to put their lives at risk to uphold it?
--That what we take for granted today (liberty, human rights, standard of living, safety) has had a cost?

Lest we forget.
--that believing something is important may well call for involvement on our part.
--that even our democratic process can easily erode the freedoms we have enjoyed.
--that sometimes only a minority of people recognize a potential danger, and do something about it.

I don't know how you normally spend November 11.
I don't know if it reminds you to look around you today, as well as remembering the past decades.
I don't know if your life tomorrow will be more thoughtful than yesterday.
I don't know if you can think of anything worthwhile that needs your help in supporting it, fighting for it, sacrificing for it.

So today, don't just remember.
Remember and do something about it yourself.
Take up the torch passed on by those now gone.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch, be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields

In Flanders Fields was first published in England's Punch magazine in December 1915. Within months, this poem came to symbolize the sacrifices of all who were fighting in the First World War. Today, the poem continues to be a part of Remembrance Day ceremonies in Canada and other countries throughout the world.
The poem was written by a Canadian—John McCrae, a doctor and teacher, who served in both the South African War and the First World War.

ReThink

2009-11-10T21:32:00.000-08:00

Certain physical symptoms point to a specific diagnosis, and a precise treatment. Now if the observation of the symptoms isn't deep enough, doesn't probe sufficiently, or ignores things that seem irrelevant, then the diagnosis may well be off, and the antidote ineffective.
Let's cut to the chase with an example:
What if you notice that a generation or two is missing from your church? Here are some possible solutions:
--more 'youthful' music.
--better use of technology.
--more relevant sermons.

Deeper observation might see a widespread disconnect in the country between these generations and the church as a whole—partly caused by too much connection between religion and politics.
So, the prescription might go a little deeper:
--have some conversations with university students.
--find some 'spiritual' topics for your sermons, served up in a post-modern style service.

But what if the patient has a deeper problem than a common cold, the seasonal flu (or H1N1)? What if the patient is terminal, actually suffering from a life-threatening disease?
--Is an anti-histamine enough?
--a couple aspirins?
--lots of fluids and a bowl of chicken noodle soup?

Is rethinking our style of music really going to matter?
How about retooling the order of service?
More technology and lights (maybe even candles)?
More relevant preaching?

What if it's rethinking Jesus that we need? Reconnecting with his love and compassion?
What if 'getting back to the fundamentals' means a trip of two thousand years, not just a few decades?
What if we need more than a trendy paint job, but a radically different looking building?
What if our reading the Bible means more than just a different font or contemporary language—but really needs us to have new eyes?

Let's look deep enough at the patient to see the depth and breadth of the symptoms. Then maybe we will discover what we really need to rethink.

Wanted: some reformers

2009-11-03T22:30:00.000-08:00

I have noticed for quite awhile that several large and innovative Christian organizations had their genesis at about the same time. The organization I serve with (Youth With A Mission) celebrates 50 years next year, and Operation Mobilization had their 50th a couple years ago. Teen Challenge began 51 years ago. All were started by men with unique visions that have continued to this day. There may well be other organizations that fit the same template, but those are the three that I often think about.
I started checking on the age of the founders and started seeing something that is almost creepy, it is so peculiar.
I guess it makes sense that an organization that is now 50 was started by someone in their young twenties, but in about 10 minutes I thought of 11 men that are incredibly active (two have passed away) in the conservative evangelical church. They all have had a very strong media presence, and all began large ministries.
Now for the almost creepy part—Of these 11, 9 were born between 1930 and 1940.
As I said before, it stands to reason that people who are now 70 to 80 years old have had a life time to have a profound influence on the church. However, I doubt if you could find very many a decade or two younger who have had a similar influence.
Here are the men and their dates of birth (according to Wikipedia).
Billy Graham (1918) Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
Bill Bright (1921) Campus Crusade for Christ, wrote The Four Spiritual Laws (passed away in 2003)
Pat Robertson (1930) 700 Club, and many other Christian/political organizations
David Wilkerson (1931) Teen Challenge
Jerry Falwell (1933) Liberty University, Moral majority and Thomas Road Baptist Church TV presence (passed away 2007)
Jimmy Swaggart (1935) Jimmy Swaggart Ministries
Loren Cunningham (1936) Youth With A Mission
James Dobson (1936) Focus on the Family
David Mainse (1936) 100 Huntley Street (Crossroads Christian Communications)
George Verwer (1938) Operation Mobilization
Jim Bakker (1940) The PTL Club
Yes, some of these guys have been in the center of some spectacular scandals, but most are still faithfully serving God. Yes, some of them are best known for what they are against, but again, most have a pretty positive reputation. Perhaps most of them are cut from fundamental/conservative cloth, but they are a product of that era, after all—they come by that foundation honestly enough.
I just find it very interesting that that particular generation has had such an impact on the world, and on the church.
How about the rest of us?
Are we as visionary?
Are we willing to leave our comfortable denominational security as some of them did in order to follow the path they felt compelled to travel?
Are we pushing the envelope of our surrounding church milieu the way most of them have had to?
Are we seeing the potential in today's culture and technology the way they did?
As we look at the church today, we may be crying out for a new Reformation, we need a Luther, Zwingli or Calvin to stir up a complacent church.
Every generation needs someone to take what they have been given (in our case, 2000 years of Christian history) and make it appropriate and alive for that generation.
The 11 men I mentioned (with probably even more women!) poked and prodded the church of their day. Some of them left the security of a sending church and went out on faith and vision, and made a difference. Most of them adapted to new media technology and have used it widely. Most of them saw a hole that they could fill.
I think it's time for another gang to make a difference. Are you up for it?

Thinking about thinking

2009-11-02T19:23:00.000-08:00

My last post ended with the sentence: “I think it's time we started searching and thinking for ourselves, and not just repeating the things we have heard others say.”
I have no well thought-out conclusions about thinking, but here's some of what I think so far.
We have a brain. It is capable of independent thought. In fact, I would say that is what it is intended for. Whether you believe God created humans in the exact form we now take, or that some form of evolution has occured, the fact remains that most people are capable of making decisions based on an internal process called thought. Basing all of your decisions on the thoughts of someone else is not maturity or independence. At best, this circumstance is necessary for people with incomplete brain development, at worst it is what happens to people who have been brain-washed.
If you are of the group who believes that you were put here on earth by God and designed by him, then you likely recognize the place 'free will' has in your life. You have made the choice to believe what your place and purpose in life is. If you are a part of the group that believes God either doesn't exist or doesn't have much involvement in what goes on around here, you also likely recognize the place of 'free will' in your choices.
I think all of us tend to put ourselves under the influence of people who we admire, who we think are good role models, who we will take advice from. And many of us have done so to the detriment of independent thought. Whether it is a system (religious, political, psychological), or a person (parent, minister, teacher, wise friend, musician), we let someone else translate life for us and tell us what is good for us.
Stop and think about how this has been good in your life—as a child, trusting your parents to feed you well, protect you from outside harm, help you understand weighty concepts. There is definitely a place for this. There is a place for that kind of influence throughout life.
Now think about how intentionally choosing to listen to others has stifled your ability to think for yourself. Learning that 2 + 2 = 4 limits your math skills (but in a good way). Learning that sticking your finger in a light socket adds spark to your life limits your ability to die early. Learning that capitalism provides food for your table limits your understanding of helping the less fortunate guy survive. Learning that your future existence is hiding just behind that approaching comet limits your ability to plan for your retirement. Learning that a certain passage in the Bible means this (and only this), limits your ability to see other nuances and ideas in that particular passage.
All of this is, of course, dependent on choosing to continue to believe what you learned, and not contemplate other possibilities.
I think that is the whole point I am making. There is a place for accepting what we are taught. There is a place for continuing to accept what we were taught long ago. But there is also a place for being open to re-thinking things. Probably more things than you might think.
Part of the criteria for re-thinking is recognizing who taught us, why they taught us what they did, and the benefits of accepting a new viewpoint.
The things we consider as 'truth' vary in their possibility of error or change. There are lots of things that we can consider as absolute. Certain math truths will never change ( 2 + 2 for example). Other truths develop as we mature and gain more knowledge (an electrician knows when he can put his finger in a light socket safely, for example). Other truths are principles that are best taken in conjuction with other principles (a blend of capitalism and socialism instead of either one alone, for example.) Still other truths are adequate for a certain time and place, but not necessarily for a future time or a different place. There were cultures where slavery was considered a normal part of society, and even the slaves didn't understand things differently. Today, of course, we have a more lofty view of human rights, the equality of all. (We still have a long ways to go to see this really put into practice, but that involves a personal willingness to 'adjust' our present concept of 'truth' to include a broader view of humankind.) Science continues to discover new and more complete explanations for things—the earth is no longer considered the center of the universe, and neither is the sun. And doctor's don't prescribe leeches any more.

My point in this monologue about truth is that we need to be open to consider new answers to old questions, to be willing to add new truth to old truth and reorganize our thinking accordingly. We need to recognize that even our understanding about God (gasp!!) has lots of room for growth.
You have a brain.
Use it.

Injustice and the lords of the (Olympic) rings

2009-10-29T12:41:00.000-07:00

In light of the looming approach of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, and the imminent Olympic torch relay beginning in our fair city tomorrow, I have been thinking about injustice. (By the way, I don't think this post is for the faint of heart... There are lots of links, and I encourage you to check them out.)
I'm sure some of you wonder at the juxtaposition of the Olympics and injustice, but I will get there in a moment.

Some of my friends believe the best and right way to respond to something you disagree strongly with is peaceably, without force or violence. They believe that is the Jesus way.
I have other friends who are activists, very willing to use whatever means necessary to oppose what they see as wrong. They believe active evil requires active resistance in response.
I'm not sure where I put myself on this. I haven't studied it, but at the same time I'm not sure how willing I am to either put my neck on the line, or get involved in civil disobedience. I don't see myself as a pacifist, but neither do I see myself as a subversive rebel.
I suppose it would make a difference if I felt strongly enough about the issue. I have marched in a few parades (fun, but perhaps not too effective). Would I be willing to be arrested for my beliefs? I don't know.
The third group of people I perceive are those who go along with the status quo, and don't see the evil in the particular situation. Many Christians appear to be in this camp. For one reason or another, they are quite content to support the activity in question, even if there are suspicious undertones.
This third response is easy. It doesn't require standing out as against something. For them it may well be the best thing to do, and it isn't my purpose to be the voice of God to tell them they are wrong. (I would just encourage them to not be naive or unaware.)

Ok. Now for the Olympics.
In a very general sense, and on the surface, it probably seems like the Olympics are promoting positive things like sportsmanship and international cooperation. I expect the hope is that they rise above politics, nationalism, prejudice, greed and other ills of society. I hope that each new location starts out with those ideals in mind.
However, over the years we have definitely seen things to the contrary. Enormous debt for the host country is normal. Decisions are based on greed and political gain over the value of the athletes themselves. Some countries, specific sports and certain athletes have become notorious for increasing their chances of winning in a decidedly unsportsmanlike manner (Can you say 'performance-enhancing drugs'?)

As a citizen of British Columbia, in a city near to Vancouver (and home of the provincial government), I have seen and heard unending stories of how politics, money and injustice have once again hijacked what might otherwise be a nice way to spend a couple weeks in mid-winter, watching the best athletes in the world.
A group called no2010.com produced a video (Resist 2010: Eight Reasons to Oppose the 2010 Winter Olympics) to express 8 reasons why the 2010 Olympics should not take place. (This provides plenty of occasion to discuss how it might be appropriate to resist—peaceably, actively, forcefully).
These 8 reasons they give are:
--colonialism and imperialism
--no Olympics on stolen land (unsurrendered First Nations territory)
--ecological destruction
--homelessness and poverty
--impact on women
--2010 police state
--public debt
--corporate invasion

Injustice?
Money being spent by the rich on the rich, but the poor and homeless being treated even worse than before. “This is taxpayers’ money, our money. We don’t know exactly how much is being spent. But by our incomplete tally and with another year to go until the Games, it’s more than $6,000,000,000.”
“Yesterday, the city of Vancouver announced that they will begin ridding the streets of homeless individuals to prepare for the 2010 Winter Olympics starting in February 2010.”
Curtailment of free speech:
“The city passed the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games bylaw in June to restrict the distribution and exhibition of unapproved advertising material and signs in any Olympic area during the Games.”
Free tickets for politicians, but no help for former Olympians:
“Gary Reed has broken records running for Canada at the Olympics, but the proud Canadian athlete can't catch a break scoring tickets to the 2010 games. "
More reading from an indigenous point of view
Interesting insight on where the idea of the torch relay first began (Hitler in 1936):

I know what I feel about the Olympics, but I'm still having to dig deep to figure out what my response should be. I know I'm not supporting the torch relay tomorrow, and I'll probably join some anti-Olympic marches at some point, but as far as being peaceable or forceful, I don't know. I don't expect I'll blow anything up or hurt anybody, but what would Jesus do?
When do you 'turn the other cheek' (Matthew 5:39) and when do you 'kick over the tables of the loan sharks' (Matthew 21:12)?
How much 'activism' is appropriate, and how much is too much?

I'd like to hear your thoughts—not just what you might have been taught to think, but what really echoes the heart of God against injustice. (I think it's time we started searching and thinking for ourselves, and not just repeating the things we have heard others say, but that's for a different post.)