Elevating The Conversation

My community this week is discussing this video. From OozeTV comes an interview with Andrew Marin who has spent a decade of pastoral work in the GLBT community. This interview has a lot of wisdom and insight in it. I never post about the topic of homosexuality because I don't want to be inundated with people fighting over IF it is "right" or "wrong"; "sin" or not! However, I think (and would love to hear your thoughts) that he has some great insight that sum up, stretch and challenge some of my own approaches to this topic. He speaks about HAVING THE CONVERSATION and ELEVATING THE CONVERSATION. Please leave your thoughts, what grabs you, and what perhaps you would like to add or disagree with. Please leave them in a respectful manner!



Original link:HERE

Thoughts While Observing Life

I love when I sit back and watch kids doing an activity, and all of the sudden something they've done teaches me a lesson. I truly think that there is endless depth to the ideas of "faith like a child" and how much kids have to teach us!

Yesterday at a birthday party that I was taking photos for, I watched as my wife led some different activities for the group of kids ages 4-6. One of the activities had the kids putting in different ingredients to make something between Silly Putty and Nickelodeon slime. However, as with happens with a bunch of kids and a little chaos, the ingredients weren't measured correctly and it didn't come out like it was supposed to.

But here's the thing that really hit me. The stuff still felt weird, slimy and cool while they were mixing it up with their eager little hands. They were so excited by the most simple of senses: touch. They would say things like, "ewwwwww", "gross," and "that's so cool". But they could not get enough of touching the wet putty-like substance. Did they care that it didn't turn out like it was supposed to in the end? NO! Not in the least! They were so in the moment simply enjoying that instance in their journey.

Too often we waste each moment of our lives by looking for what's on the other side. As we grow older, we seem to lose the sense of excitement and giddiness that comes with the moment...with the journey.

Man, we have so much to learn from kids. There is something unblemished...innocent... something holy in them that seems to fade as we become adults. Perhaps we can blame life for doing that to us...or perhaps we should blame ourselves for ALLOWING life to take it from us. Perhaps we can be retaught to immerse ourselves in each moment of our journey!

On Death and loss

Death Stands Above Me

Death stands above me, whispering low

I know not what into my ear:

Of his strange language all I know

Is, there is not a word of fear.

--Walter Savage Landor

Today I lost one of the best people I've ever known. My grandfather was 81, and he faced death as he faced life; without fear. Although he had lung cancer, and his final days found trouble breathing, Death was kind to him. Perhaps in some small way it was repaying him for the kindness and love that he showed others in his life.

He did not fear death for he did not fear life. I think there has to be some sort of correlation here! For if one lives life and all of its trials and tribulations without fear, then what does death have that it can hold over us?

The unknown?

The uncertainty?

Judgement?

No, as much as we think we know about death, we truly know very little. We believe a lot, but know next to nothing.

I believe that death whispered in my grandfathers ear, and his words were words of comfort. I'd like to believe that even as my grandfather's hand turned cold, he took death's warm and inviting hand and follow to where ever death might lead. What comes next is referred to as many things. Some may call it heaven and some may call it oblivion, but I call it the next step on his journey.

I imagine my grandfather telling death that he wasn't ready to leave all of us that he loved and cared for. Death however, is leading the way, telling him of how his children and grandchildren will live their lives. He will tell Papa of the impact that he had made on all of our lives, and how those ripples will carry on to our children and theirs.

My grandfather will be missed more than he will ever know, by more people than I will ever know. He has touched so many lives, and he lived his life showing me what it means to truly live and care for others.

In Memory of Hayden Robinson (1928 -2009)

Feel free to not only share your thoughts, but also your own stories!

Emerging Greatly

Something that a wise woman said to me over the summer keeps haunting me. She said that people are opposed to purposeful change because in order to pursue change one must admit that that which is the current approach is no longer working. In essence; admit that something is wrong...and no one ever wants to admit that something is wrong!

I know I've mentioned that before on here, but like I said, it keeps nagging at me. I have seen this in my own life. Ever since a year and a half ago when I was fired from the church I was working at because of power trips and protecting the status quo (see this post for the story), I have allowed myself to get depressed, lose management of myself, and completely change my lifestyle. Where I was once always bright, hopeful and energetic, I now found myself slow, sedentary, and pessimistic. If depressed is the opposite of vitality, then I was surely depressed.

Lately I've tried to take back control of my own life and one of the first things I realized I needed to do was loose the wait I had gained since losing my job. My wife has had a lot of success with Weight Watchers and so (along with many other new-years resolutioners) I signed up Monday. It focuses not on being a diet, but a change of lifestyle. And that is exactly what I need... I need to change my lifestyle in more than just my eating habits in order to completely move past the pain of being burned by people and a place I loved.

Before Monday could happen though, I had to come to a point where I was ready to admit that something needed to change. Something was not right, not optimal in my life, not VITAL, and thus CHANGE NEEDED TO OCCUR. I now better understand what that wise woman said to me last summer about change!

Of course, this hit me on a much deeper level as I've been reading The Great Emergence By Phyllis Tickle. In the first chapter she argues that the great emergence is happening in the world but churches usually take one of two positions on it. She draws a corollary between how churches approach the changing zeitgeist to how people approach changing seasons. (I've added a little to her analogy below)

1) They prepare for the upcoming season beforehand. They purchase gloves, scarves and hats for the winter, and sometimes even pull out the heavier fall jackets to address the transition even before the new season arrives.

2) They decide to wait until the new season arrives, see what it brings, and then decide if, when, and how they might change with the climate.

I would argue that there is a 3rd approach, which is simply no approach at all. This groups ignores the inevitable change at best, and argues loudly against it at worst.

Change is coming. There's nothing we can do to stop our world from progressing and changing. The question then becomes, "when are we going to admit that there is a need for us as Christians and the Church to change along with it in order to remain relevant and VITAL both THROUGHOUT the transition and when the new season has already arrived?" Like me deciding to make a lifestyle change, I had to stop wallowing in my own sloth and self-pity and become proactive. Likewise I think that many churches and Christians need to think about doing the same!

I say this, not to be degrading or cynical, but to hold a candle of hope. I don't hate the Church. I love the Church. If I didn't love her so much, then I would not have been hurt as bad as I was when she and her people threw me to the street. No, the church is like a lover who has gone astray and I pray for her return. I want to take part in any way I can in her revival and renewal. In the same way I love Christ. I love Christ even more than I do the Church. Yet since I love them both, I don't want to see them struggle and fight death and irrelevancy, because that is what many churches and Christians are fighting. I would much rather see them struggle to come up with new creative ways to remain relevant during the great emergence. Why? Because Christ is relevant as much now as he's ever been...maybe even more so than ever before. Why? Because people are searching. People are looking for a life worth living. People are looking for hope, love, joy, peace, and all of the other things that Christ brought.

It's a humbling experience to admit that something I really didn't want to face needed to change. But for my health....for my vitality...for those that I love, I sought out change!

Blogging WIth Pictures

Check out my new Photoblog: IMAGinE Photography

I will post pictures that I take and sometimes talk about them. I sometimes will just post them to see what thoughts and feelings it might invoke in others.

Check it out and let me know your thoughts!

j

Have An Intentional Holiday

With Thanksgiving and all of the other holidays coming upon us, I've had a few thoughts running through my head I would like to share. Something that I plan to practice this year, and am hopeful that this will inspire others to do the same.

It all started with pondering rituals. We all have rituals. As a Christian who has spent his life in church, rituals/traditions and holidays just go together. As a minister every year if and when we were having the Christmas Eve service came up as an issue. (Just a kind thought on that, as a minister who has SEVERAL families that we need to try to see, very few parishioners think about how much more stress these extra services put on ministers. We don't get the luxury of not showing up because we have family to travel to see. Please be careful about the expectations you place on your ministers. Just a personal aside!) So anyway, churches have rituals, families have rituals, and even as individuals we have routines/habits/rituals in our daily lives.

The problem with rituals is that they become...well habitual. We do them without thinking about the reason. We don't stop and ask, "why is this a ritual, and why is it important?" Mom spends all day cooking the meal, making sure that she meets everyone's expectations (wouldn't want to not have the stuffing...it's a ritual!), and the guys hang out, eat, then go watch football afterwards. Some families say grace, others don't. Some families say what their thankful for, others don't. Some families argue and some don't.

I was wondering, what would happen if we slow down in this overly ritualistic time of the year (I don't mean overly in a bad way, just that there's a lot), and be intentional about what we do? What if we acted not out of ritual but intention?

Perhaps mom wouldn't be alone in the kitchen. Perhaps we would take the time to show gratitude to each other through the whole day rather than a quick mention at the table. Perhaps we would choose a family game over the pigskin and gridiron on TV. Perhaps we would live the whole day in prayer and meditate on what that means.

OR, perhaps nothing physically would change in our routine, but we would understand why we do what we do. What if we applied this to all the rituals in our lives...in our families...in our churches? Maybe then, the rituals would be less habitual and more intentional!

(painting by norman rockwell)

Below The Line

Today is "Blog Action day", where many bloggers come together and focus/discuss one issue: Poverty!


Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

I start with some links to some great posts:
Poverty Sucks
A Deconstructed Christian
Blog Action Day 2008 :: Redistributive Giving
Blogging about Poverty
Blog Action Day 2008: Poverty - Two Things You Can Do
Blog Action Day: Their Daily Bread
________________

As I sit and watch the presidential debate tonight, one can really see that the economic recession, depression....whatever we call it, is hurting many people. As I look at how much money my wife and I have lost in this past month in our investments...well it's discouraging!

But there is one thing it is NOT. What it is not, is sickening! What is sickening is the issue of world poverty. When I see numbers and figures of people (and it's not just in underdeveloped countries.... News Flash: there's a poverty problem in the U.S. prior to the economic crisis) who live DAILY in poverty, hunger, and disease. looking at even our seemingly meager budget, my wife and I STILL can't imagine what it is like to live a life below the poverty line. It's not even a fair comparison. But maybe, just perhaps, we will remember how hard it is now that we have to cut back on some wants, and then think about those that have no budget for needs...little less wants.

So two things I want to contribute to the discussion:

1)A verse and a thought:
Proverbs 13:23-- “A poor man’s field may produce abundant food, but injustice sweeps it
away.”

Poverty is a huge injustice in this world. Every person, made in the image of God; a child of God, deserves the basic human rights. Each person deserves the right to feed themselves and their families. Everyone deserves the right to have shelter and medicines. Everyone has the natural human right to live... to experience a life where each day's bread is provided.

Do we hear the poor's prayer that says, "give us this day our daily bread." Perhaps when we were commanded to pray that same line as those who "have" it was partially a reminder that we DON'T have to worry about having food tomorrow, so let's think about what we can do for those who do have that stress.

2) How I help:
There are many links of charities to give to within the links above. Alison and I have several things we do. Compassion International is a good organization (I've known people who work with the kids), and we support a child from Honduras. There are a lot of other organizations we support, but you have to find the one(s) that's right for you.

My personal favorite is the ONE Campaign. The reason I like this is because you don't send them money. If you want an organization to send money to, there is a list on there site here. I have worn the bracelet and shared the vision with many people for almost 2 years. I like that I can take a more active role. I have written letters, signed petitions, spoken with organizations I have connections with about partnering/supporting ONE, and have worked through those organizations to further the cause of ONE: the campaign to end world poverty!

ONE wants the poverty issue to be known, to truly become an issue that we care about! They have been very active during this election year. Here's a vid.



This may not be the organization for you, but still, help make the issue known. Talk with your friends and family about it. Make this invisible issue an ongoing discussion. Find a way where you can help, and know that it's not always about giving money. Your time and energy can be just as effective.

This is more than just a "one day a year" discussion and issue for me. It is a big part of the essence of my calling as a follower of Christ.

Do I believe that world poverty can be eliminated? I HAVE to believe it, because I have to believe that since there is enough wealth and food in the world to eliminate poverty, that one day humanity in all of its goodness will come together and take this issue off the table. Then on one "Blog Action Day" sometime down the road, we can have a discussion of what a terrible thing poverty used to be, rather than what a terrible thing it IS...

Love,
Justin

On Judgement

These are some raw thoughts that I've been kicking around in part due to my "True<" post and part due to the circumstances in my life and ministry in the past year+. I'll admit that once you are fired for NOT judging others, it is hard to let this theme go. At the same time, it is also a challenge not to stand in judgment of those who have wronged me. This theme keeps rearing its ugly head, and this is my attempt to vocalize my thoughts on this topic, while admitting that I am speaking about myself first, and others in general second. It is meant as simply an exploration of an idea; an understanding, with no intention to offend or inflict pain. Please respect it as such.

ANY AND ALL THOUGHTS ARE WELCOME!!!!
_________________

On Judgment and Judging Others:

When we become judgemental of others (and we all do it), we judge them based on the (perhaps unconscious) concept that we are closer to "perfection" (as we understand it) than that person is, and that we are closer to perfection that is that person.

Therefore, we feel free to stand in condemnation and conviction over someone who does not measure up to our "ideal". This could be someone we call a heretic because they have differing beliefs than we do. It can be someone who is gay, had premarital sex, had an abortion, committed adultery, has been in prison, and on it goes. It even seems that some want to be the judge of women who seek the pulpit in fulfillment of their calling (article here) from God. Is it our right to judge these people?

Because we see ourselves as "closer to perfection" than those around us, we give into our nature to be judgmental. Yet we have all "sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:23). We have all come up short next to perfection. And God, by the very nature and definition, is perfection.

Therefore, Judgment rests SOLELY in the realm of God, and is never perceived as a task for mankind. Yes, we have a court system for offences of a person against another person. But that is the task of the institution, not of the individual. Perhaps being judicial and being judgmental are two different things. One proceeds justice, while the other breeds injustice!

We are never called in our scriptures to stand in judgment over another person for something we perceive to be "sinful". No, indeed we have only one command: "to love others as [Christ] has loved [us]." (John 15:12). Or perhaps, since it is a comparison between two people/groups, the command to "love your neighbor as [you love] yourself." (Mt. 22:39).

We are commanded to love ALL regardless of how short we think/perceive they fall from OUR standards... from OUR "ideal". We are to leave to perfection...to THE DAVINE the task of "separating the wheat from the tares" (Matt. 13:24-29).

We may just be surprised to find how man people we considered to be the weeds/tares who are actually the healthy, life-giving grain. Conversely, we may be even more surprised to discover that all of this time we have spent in condemnation of others, indeed we were the ones that God considered to be the destructive weeds in the earth. Perhaps that what we should think of when we consider judgment; not the perceived flaws in others, but how we are fulfilling God's commands in our lives.

And what happens when we finally see God and God doesn't see things the same way we do? What happens when those that we deemed to be guilty, are held up as shining examples of God's work in this world (much like the centurion in Matt. 8), and those that we deemed worthy and good, are chastised by God? Will we then stand in judgment of God, for that seems to be the way we act now in our arrogance of "knowledge" about God and Judgment. Or perhaps this is what it truly means when the scriptures say, "As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God." (Romans 14:11).

Every person will bow in humility at how holy and righteous God is, and how far off we might have been in our judgment. We will then have to trust God's judgement, in whatever way it is manifest. There will be nothing we can do about it from our prone positions. We will finally be faced with having to accept God as is, not as we want or "know" God to be.

In conclusion, perhaps we're we too busy trying to BE God that we fell short of allowing God to work in and through us? Perhaps we fall short in allowing God to make us into whom God wants us to be, because we're too busy trying to play God instead. God wants to make us instruments of love in this world. It is in allowing God to transform us into the light of the world...the love of the world, that we find that we are too busy to judge. All of our time and energy has been taken up by being love.

A Step In The Right Direction

There is much talk about the "death of the Emergent Church". While it is true that there is a LOT of conversation about changes going on, I don't view this as the "death of a trend". The emergent conversation was more than just a new model. Indeed they are modeling the idea that the Church needs to be in a constant state of flux. The church has not emerged it is always emerGING!!

In light of that, here is a post from Jonathan Brink over @ EV talking about the "5 things the emergent church has done right". I agree that these are HUGE steps forward in the Christian faith and practice. We are always emerging, always dying to our old and being reborn anew. (thanks to our Bible study discussion group for helping me form that last statement!:)
___________

I wanted to identify five things the emerging church got right. And to be
fair, these are simply my observations, but I’m willing to take the risk that
these are bigger than me.

1. A Commitment To
Reality
The emerging church is committed to an honest conversation
about what is good and what is broken about the body. Both of these
conversations need and do take place. The church can no longer ignore the
reality that people are leaving the institutional
embodiment of what we
traditionally call church. People are leaving and not
coming back. Ignoring
the problems simply no longer works. We need new
expressions that include a
more holistic understanding of what it means to
follow Jesus into mission.

But this conversation needs, and has (at least in my circles), included
a glorious dialog of what is worth fighting for. I find this to be true in the
cohorts I’ve participated in, the conferences I’ve attended, and the
conversations with so many who lead and participate in the emerging church. I
found this to be the central theme of Rob Bell’s “Isn’t She Beautiful”
conference almost 20 months ago and as relevant today as then. This was a
conference of 2,000 pastors leading the way towards repentance.

In some
ways, the institutional church and the conversation about what isn’t
working
has been slowly brewing for decades, some would say for 1,700 years. But
the
emerging church has been working to take these issues and deal with them,
seeking not just the questions but also the answers.

2. A
Commitment To An Honest Theology
The emerging church is committed
to an honest
understanding of theology. Much of our theology is not just
communal but also
individual, meaning my interpretation is completely bent
according to my own
context. I see it in different shades of color than the
next person. To speak
this out loud, that I’m not quite on the same exact
page as the next person, has
been refreshing and liberating. And what is
true is that I’m simply being honest
about what has always been true.

This is why generative dialog has been so important for so many people.
Historically the ability to be honest has simply not been there. We need to be
official, have all the right answers and all our ducks in a row. Disagreeing
with the official opinion has been shameful, drawing a ridiculously stare from
the ruling class. “What do you mean you don’t think like us.” Well, we just
don’t.

Theology is simply a logical understanding or image of God, but
that image is deeply shaped by our the story we have experience, which is
different for everyone. And as we engage God’s story we’re always rubbing up
against our current perception of reality. And if we don’t have a place to be
honest about our own brokenness, about our questions, our angers, about our
frustrations and perceptions with God, then we
have no place to tear down
the obstacles that actually keep me from engaging
relationship with God.
Because isn’t God really bigger than our questions?
Hasn’t truth always
stood out head and shoulders above half-truth? Isn’t truth
most revealed in
the face of those questions. And if we can create a space
to deal with these
obstacles and remove them then that is Good News.

Will we get stuff
wrong? Absolutely. But we’re also under grace, working
out our salvation.
We’re no longer pretending we’ve got it right. But we do
think truth is to
be had. And it looks like Jesus.

3. A Commitment To Love
The emerging church is committed to the practice of love. It is
often
sad to me that people get upset when we talk so much about love. But
this is the
great commandment. Everything was boiled down to this one great
thing. It’s the
first fruit of the Spirit. It’s the magnificence of His
reflection in our lives.
It is what draws us to Jesus. In love we are made
whole.

And as we wrestle with this idea, the very concept of being love
to the world around us, we are discovering the brilliance of what Jesus did. In
attempting to be love,
we discover how much we can’t. We’re just bent a
different way. We’re prone
towards the immature self, a broken cistern
leaking water. And this attempt
actually brings out our brokenness. It puts
us at odds with the reality of our
separation from God. But it also invites
us into the arms of the Father, where
we can receive His Spirit.

This doesn’t mean that we’re not committed to truth. It means that in
love we find the truth. In love we are the perfect reflection of our God. In
love we are the fulfillment of our humanity. In love we also listen to how God
wants to be truth to the world around us. But in love we recognize that if we
never gain credibility to be heard, if our lives don’t first reveal that truth,
people will likely never listen.

4. A Commitment To The
Footsteps Of Jesus
The emerging church is committed to the
footsteps of Jesus. Many are calling this a missional incarnation of the Gospel.
It’s not just the speaking of the Gospel, but the embodiment of it. But what
this really means is that we’re taking up what Jesus said and did as a teacher
and trying to follow that. And as simple as this may sound, it has a surprising
way of putting us at odds with what we’re currently doing as a larger
body,
specifically in the United States. When we look at what Jesus did and we
compare it with what we do, it creates a strange dissonance that is
unfortunately unresolvable for so many people.

We’re left with the
strange question of what it would mean to leave the current model of church
without giving the impression that we’re abandoning the body. Our heart is with
Jesus but not the current structures that support the very complacency we’re
looking to leave behind. We’re looking for what is real, and reflects His
kingdom.

Some see this as leaving tradition. Others see this as
returning to the original ways. The emotions of this are deeply stressful,
giving some the feelings that resemble a refugee. But we’re just trying to
discover the very thing that history has revealed changed the world and make it
real for us. Does that make us dreamers, or idealists, or fools when we say
things are not as they were, nor as they could be? We’re just choosing to take
the risk to find out which one.

5. A Commitment To
Change
The emerging church is committed to the idea of change as a
constant. What is
interesting is that science supports this principle.
Nature changes
seasonally. Our bodies change every seven years at the
cellular level. Ideas and
ethics change with generations. We’re constantly
becoming or retreating, but
we’re always changing because we’re always
living into the next moment. New
information arises that changes how we
think and respond to the world.

What this means is that people will see
life differently as time progresses. The Internet has radically reshaped our
lives and our ability to be influenced by new information. Some of this has led
to a consumer mentality and desire for everything new. But some of this has led
to a recommitment to everything mentioned above, to what has always made the
church the reflection of God that draws people in.

In a lot of ways this
puts us at odds with traditions. But our desire isn’t to simply destroy or leave
these traditions behind. It means that we’re looking for an opportunity to
rediscover their value without the expectation that accompanies them. And many
within the emerging church are deeply committed to these ideas (no pun
intended). This was part of the smells and bells that led Dan Kimball to
integrate candles and incense into his worship services. But we’re not willing
to simply passively participate without meaning and intent. We’re not willing to
just show up and close our minds down.

______

Thoughts?

TRUE<

Several weeks ago, the church my wife and I have been going to recently, Crosspointe, wrapped up a series called "The Truth Is Not Enough". This series really caught a lot of what has drawn me into this church. It is a great place that encourages thinking for yourself, challenging the status-quo, allows/encourages doubts, frustrations, and welcomes real life into real faith! I know that there are other churches out there like this, but as you guessed this is the diamond in the rough so to speak. The exception over the norm.

Anyway, this series truly had me thinking. The last several posts and comments/discussions are kid-of a semi lead-up to this post. During the series I tried to publish my thoughts on this but each week gave inspired new thoughts and questions. Thus it has remained in draft limbo of late. It's just now that I feel I can at least hold my breath long enough to hit the "publish post" button. This is a mixture of Jonathan and Steve's thoughts as well as my own.

As you can see from a portion of the graphic from the series the subtitle was "TRUE<" This was inspired and great!!! As listed in my journal the series was: True <

Jesus
Faith
Grace
Hope
Love

The essence of the messages was this: Truth is less than _topic__! Yeah, that's it. What a person considers that he/she KNOWS or THINKS is the "truth" is not as important as Jesus, Faith, Grace, Hope, and Love. Let me break it down a little more.

There are a lot of bloggers/Christians/churches that want to argue. They all want to be RIGHT! There are even some blogs that's sole purpose is to call people names, "expose heresy", and just to be downright divisive and cruel. I won't link to those blogs as not to seem like making them the focal point of this post, but you don't have to search hard to find any of them. No, as stated above, I have run into these argumentative types all throughout my life. People that believe they KNOW/HOLD the Truth and that all other ideas/thoughts/beliefs are simply wrong or heretical. People have written books and by-laws on what a person HAS to believe in order to follow Jesus.

The problem is that doctrine can have the effect of making God so small. And although it is helpful to help us understand God, Jesus, Faith, Discipleship, etc.. better, in the end it should never become the main priority in one's faith. We can think we know concepts, doctrines, and creeds, but when it comes down to it there will always be disagreement. This usually leads to people becoming harsh towards those who's idea(s) of "Truth/truth" is different than their own. In addition, concepts and ideas are great, but honestly worth NOTHING when it doesn't translate into a way of living!

My last post, on people sincerely sharing why they aren't a Christian is a great example. It was an inspired question and forum to allow others to be heard. But what many people will do with that, what it seems the church is doing with that, is offering MORE KNOWLEDGE; ANSWERS to these real stories. Diminishing and "debunking" their REAL questions, doubts and issues through the means of apologetics, is offering knowledge when most of them are saying that knowledge, or TRUE, is not enough. I need REAL! But that seems to be the only way Christianity (for the most part) responds. Why is that?

Being a follower of Christ was never about holding knowledge, but a better way of living. In Christ's final words, he tells his disciples to "GO"....

There are many problems with thinking that you "know" the answers. It makes a person complacent in their pursuit of God. When we become complacent we forget that merely "true" is vastly different from REAL! And one thing that I have seen from a decade in ministry is that people are more interested in a faith that's REAL than the are in a faith who's approach is a piling on of abstract concepts! When being a Christian is all in our head, then it is far from real! When it's stuck in our head, it is not found in our hands, out tongues, our feet and our hearts! We need to get past conceptual/theoretical faith into a faith that is real and works in a real world!

What does that mean? Well, it means that we can argue about these concepts all day long, but if we go to bed at night and these concepts have not made a difference in the way we live out our lives... or if we have wasted a lot of time ARGUING (for the record I love discussion of concepts, and am fine with someone disagreeing with me (I actually encourage people to critically think about what I'm saying), but there is a huge line between discussion and arguing) and not living then it is not real. To be a Christian is to be REAL. Christ came to be real. He dealt with reality. He didn't escape from it, he didn't argue with it, he just lived the kingdom life within it!
TRUE less than JESUS

What about TRUE less than FAITH?
Faith is tough. what "having faith in God/Jesus" truly means in all of it's depth and breadth, is not as important as living in that faith... as best we understand it. We can't wait until we hold all the "answers" on that subject before we allow our faith to become real. In fact, I think one of the problems with most of the churches/Christians/bloggers who spend 99% of their time "fighting false prophets", "heretical knowledge" and "Defending the faith", is the sad understanding that we all can easily fall into; that it is easier to argue concepts than to try to live out our limited understanding of faith within reality. Steve called this "a form of escapism". Faith is part of that active command: GO...

But what's worse is not so much the disagreements...those are bound to happen. There are a lot of questions that any honest Christian has... a lot of questions Jesus left us with! But many of those who think they hold all the answers and knowledge, spend their time defending that knowledge. And everyone knows that any good defence is good offence. The problem is that many times these people (and I have been guilty of this), can let their offence become offensive! I am surprised at how little grace happens in these encounters. I would even go as far as to say that grace can be the difference between argument and conversation. But having the Truth is not enough. Grace needs to be offered, and grace comes only out of humility. I personally think humility can only come for many of us by acknowledging that we don't hold all the knowledge, and that God is far bigger than a collection of concepts!

TRUE is less than GRACE

I think out of all of these, the last two are the most important, because it is the ones that many people have the hardest trouble making real: Hope and Love. So little of our degrading arguments about who's right and who's not is void of hope and love! In the sacred scriptures for all Christians, The Bible, whether we agree or disagree about the knowledge of it being inerrant and infallible, the central message remains the same: Hope! It is a narrative of hope. Hope for the hopeless. But what's to hope for?... What hope is there in someone choosing to follow in the way of Christ when all they ever see are the hopeless arguments and the unloving comments? Knowledge of the "truth" is important, but it is far less important than hope. Hope is greater than True!

And what about love? 1 Corinthians 13 says, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal." I know that many of those who are longing for a spiritual fulfillment look at Christianity and churches and what they hear is similar in worth to white noise, static, a "resounding gong". The cacophony of our argument of what is "truth" and what isn't; what is wrong and what is right, turns people away. we have become the dwellers who's domestic disputes are so frequent, loud, and cruel that we drive out all our neighbors. We are the ones who call each other harsh names, only to turn around to say "For God so loved the world...".

We can KNOW that love exists, but very rarely do we let it leak over into becoming a true reality in our own lives. In 1 Cor 13, the greatest of "all these", including "knowledge" is love. Without love we as Christ's followers are nothing. In John 15, Christ has only one command... and that command is love! Christ goes on to say that true love requires sacrifice, one to "lay down their life"(v. 13), to give of your WHOLE self... to lay it down!
"Showing that Love is REAL (more than true), shows others that God/Christ's love is also REAL (more than simple knowledge)." (--Steve)

Arguing about God's love IS NOT REAL! Blogging about God's love is not real! Simply preaching about God's love IS NOT REAL! Love is active! Love has to be seen and felt. Love isn't content to sit and type or stand safely behind a podium and preach. Love has to be something more! Love has to be out there, DOING! Knowledge is fine, well, and good, but Jesus LIVED love. Love bleeds! Love hurts! Love is "GO"!!!!

Love is Greater than True!

TRUE is less that LOVE

The Truth Is Not Enough!
It wasn't enough for Christ, it shouldn't be enough from his followers!

Wordplay

This pic/ word-art is a result of a my friend and I playing around on the magnetic board in the Spiritual Care Dept. @ WakeMed. We were just goofing off and all of the sudden something profound appeared in front of us.

We talked about how it can mean different things for different people, but it actually has two meanings for me. One is from what I've discovered about myself during my CPE time, and another about what I've encountered while working with people at the hospital.

Mark Liked the word "Serenity" better than "Compassion" because that was what spoke to his life more.

What about you. Does this have any meaning to you? Any other word you would (re)place in this wordplay?

Also check out some Wordles I've made at the bottom of my column on the right.

On Freedom

I apologize if this is a topic that I've written on before, but it is a topic that I continually think about, wrestle with, and grow in terms of my understanding of this topic within myself. It is a topic that I've been thinking hard on for over a year: the idea of MY religious freedom. I thought this a good time to talk about this topic being that we have been celebrating our country's freedom this weekend.

Ever since over a year ago when I was kicked out of a church for doing what I felt called to do (love & befriend everyone regardless of their sexual orientation), I have been wrestling with my own understanding of what it means to be "Freed into bondage of Christ". The passage that most are familiar with in the Bible comes from 1 Cor. 7:21-22. Verse 22 says (in the NRSV) "For whoever was called in the Lord as a slave is a freed person belonging to the Lord, just as whoever was free when called is a slave of Christ."

To be fair to context, Paul (the author) is speaking to the church in Corinth about the life that the Lord has assigned, both to individuals and to the church/Church. In other words, he is talking about the life a person is to CALLED to live once he is freed into following God. I am freed, but freed FROM what and INTO what?

Well, I am freed FROM a life that is unproductive, that is against God and his calling. I am freed INTO a "better way of living (Rob Bell)"; a way that includes God/Christ and his influence/teachings in my life. I am freed into servant-hood of Christ. As Paul says I am "bought with a price, I'm not my own" (1 Cor. 6: 19-20), and my responsibility is to follow Christ wherever HE leads.

But the irony is that I have found myself in more bondage within churches that I have outside of them. I feel as if I am freed by Christ, yet bound by the Church!!! That statement brings tears to my eyes because of my love for the Church. Yet this in this key theme in the Bible (esp. in the epistles of the NT), I am free from living a life that is following my own destructive habits, into a living the life of calling. What I've realized in the past year is how counter-church this idea seems to be in today's reality. I know this isn't a standard in all churches, yet in my experience, there are A LOT (many/most) in which this is at least mostly true.

Churches, in my experience, have done a TERRIBLE job educating people about what it means to live a life of calling. I never have heard it taught in the many churches I have been a part of over the years, how one is to listen for God's individual calling in your life. Instead, churches TELL other people what they are called to do!! I know I'm not the only one who has experienced this, but I have met many a youth ministers that push their youth into becoming a youth minister themselves simply because they expressed that they "felt called into ministry". As if there are not other forms of ministry for youth to think about than that of becoming a youth minister (usually on the way to becoming a pastor--the ultimate goal?!). Yet God calls EVERYONE into bondage to him. This means he has a calling for everyone, and not everyone can (or should) be a paid minister. Sometimes I think the higher calling is to learn to be a "minister" whatever job you feel called to do because it is easier (sometimes) to be a Christian if your work environment is a church than it is if you were in a more "secular" job.

Yet, as a paid staff member, I felt that I was not able to pursue where my master was leading me because the churches wanted to define that calling/leading for me. There was little-to-no space for me to bring my own individual calling to the table. I think that, spiritually speaking, this is a crime. We are freed from the bondage of the templates of life that society, parents, schools, and media place on us...because we have a "higher calling". Yet at the same time, the Church wants to squeeze those that choose to follow Christ into their own ideological template. Rather than ENCOURAGING, EDUCATING, and SUPPORTING each person's individual calling.... instead of EMBRACING the individual calling that each minister can bring to the table, they force us into their template... their framework. If we don't fit, we are then neglected or forced out.

So what does it mean to be "freed into bondage in Christ"? Perhaps TODAY, it means being freed FROM the distortion that many churches teach about the "Christian life". Perhaps it means being freed INTO a place where it is ok to act outside of the church's legalism and pressure of conformity!! However, I do think it means following where it is that Christ/God is leading you. I think that there NEEDS to be both support and accountability. That's where the importance of a community of believers (i.e. what Church is supposed to be)...to accomplish both of these things. Yet there doesn't need to be a set of expectations...a template that one is forced to fit within in order for their calling to be "validated". Churches need to be doing a check-up and asking "what are we doing to encourage others to find and follow their own personal calling?". Asking, "are we trying to help people find God's will for their lives, or forcing them into OUR will for their lives?". I think these are important questions...ones that will open the doors for churches to become exactly what Paul was trying to teach the Churches in Corinth. Perhaps then we can be back on our way of figuring our what it means to be the Church of Christ.

"Let Others See Jesus In You" (Redux)

I've now finished 2 weeks working at the hospital as a chaplain, and have done a LOT of processing of what I've done and seen. It is interesting to do ministry from the point of view where you are not tethered to a specific representation of a church and its theology.

I know that sounds harsh, and I don't mean it as such, but it truly causes us to completely approach ministry in many different ways. My co-workers and I have discussed this. One has been in pastoral ministry for many years and we have agreed that this approach to pastoral care is very different from when we do pastoral care to our parishioners in the hospital.

Here, respect above all else seems to be the underlying approach. We can't go into a hospital room and begin trying to "convert" people. I know this has been many a temptation for people who have done CPE in the past. I acknowledge that if this is the focus of one's theology, this can be very frustrating to that person. However, walking into a room with this agenda (or really any agenda other than providing the best emotional/spiritual care that you can) will quickly frustrate the patient on who's behalf we are there.

So many things...so many approaches in the "Christianity" that I grew up in I began realizing long ago are upside down from the gospel. Even when Jesus said, "the last shall be first", I know of very few Christians in the last two centuries that heard this "good news" and hustled to the BACK of the line! No, we're still pushing, pulling, betraying, and jockeying for a better position on the socio-economic ladder. This is not just true in business, but in all aspects of the contemporary life in the US (and most of the world).

I chose the words of a familiar hymn in my Baptist upbringing, whose lyrics encourage us as Christians to: "Let others see Jesus in you, Let others see Jesus in you. Keep telling the story, be faithful and true; Let others see Jesus in you."

I was thinking about this the other day in my reflection, when a prayer from Mother Teresa "On Being The Church" was read during our morning devotion time. The prayer clicked automatically with EXACTLY what I was thinking.

Dearest Lord,

May I see you today and every day in the person of your sick, and whilst nursing them minister unto you. Though you hide yourself behind the unattractive disguise of the irritable, the exacting, the unreasonable, may I still recognize you and say: 'Jesus, my patient, how sweet it is to serve you.' Lord, give me this seeing faith, then my work will never be monotonous. I will ever find joy in humoring the fancies and gratifying the wishes of all poor sufferers. O beloved sick, how doubly dear you are to me, when you personify Christ and what a privilege is mine to be allowed to tend you.

There is a little more to the prayer, but this is that to which I keep returning. My thoughts had been on how much my experience and education in the field of Church ministry has been to think and teach the exact opposite. Yes, we are supposed to be a model of Christ, the light of the world. But how often do we teach...do we think in terms of searching for Christ in other people? Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

When was the last time that we looked for Christ in others? When have we looked at an irritable person, a person infirm, of differing theology, or even of differing religions and said, "hmmm... you know what? I see Christ in them!" To many Christians this is inconceivable! To actually be able to glimpse Christ or God in someone of a different faith, theology, or philosophy! No, we're too busy pushing our own agendas and protecting our own insecure beliefs that we dare not look too closely for "truth" in a person that differs from us. Yet Christ didn't place any parameters on who we should treat like Christ, and who Christ would revel himself through in the world. He didn't say, "only whe those Christians who are sick, that you took care of , only then will you be taking care of me." No, he said ANYONE that we meet, made in God's own image, when we are interacting with them, we are interacting with Christ. In some unexplainable, tough to comprehend way...they too are Christ.

So while we are busy teaching others to see Jesus in us... why not take the time and really challenge ourselves. Challenge ourselves to see Christ in the least likely people and places. In "the least of these". We may find ourselves and especially our understanding, of God, Christ, and the 'good news' being stretched and reshaped. Maybe then we will think about not trying to always be the first in line, and regain our perspective of where we truly are called to be in this world!

Things May Slow Down

I just wanted to give a quick update about my life. I am working as a Chaplain in the WakeMed CPE program in Raleigh, NC. I've been really looking forward to this experience for many reasons.

1) I want a positive ministry experience after the the negative ch. experiences I have had.
2) I want to be able to do ministry that is authentic, both in the sense that the people I am talking with can be real with me (Not HAVING to use fluffy/churchy language about faith, God, life, etc..., but the reality of each person's situation), and I can be authentic with them (not representing any church's theology, or even ness. my own theology, but working with people where they are!)! Coincidentally, I find it ironic that I've always tried to focus on relational ministry, which requires people to be authentic with me, and although I try to be authentic with them, it is not encouraged in the churches I've had most of my experience with, causing me to be almost/sometimes hypocritical. That's a revelation I've had lately!
3) Most importantly, to explore more about who I am as an individual, as God's Child, and as a minister; as well as exploring my calling. This is interesting since the question of my calling is what began this blog at its inception.

So blog posts may slow down a little this summer. I will try to keep you updated with thoughts and perhaps what's going on, although it is hard since there is a lot I've already experienced that I'm legally bound not to share. But thoughts centering around my own growth and theology, and life in general I hope to post every so often. So although this may slow down, I'm not out of it yet. Just stick with me, pray for me, and keep an eye out...you never know when I'll pop back up:)

thanks
love
justin

A Baptist Hope

First off, IDK if I've posted it before, and if I did it was before I started tagging my posts. If repeated, sorry!

I was reminded the other day of a document that I had been led to by some friends called "The Baptist Manifesto" (click to read...opens as pdf.). As most of you may know, I was raised and have remained Baptist (at least in my personal convictions, and speaking of Baptists in the historical sense) even though I have tried hard to publicly withdraw from certain Baptist circles. Baptists, as most things do, have evolved over the years and many sects of the Baptist denomination have moved away from the historical beliefs that on which the Baptists obtained their identity.

To most people, Baptist has come to mean conservative/fundamentalist in it's ideals (although there is a whole spectrum of beliefs in the Baptist world), judgemental, separatist, and non-tolerant! In undergrad, when I started to learn about the politics and beliefs of Baptists, I have to say I was ashamed to be a Baptist. Through education of Baptist/Church history, I began to cling to what originally made Baptists stand out from other movements throughout the reformation. However, as we move into postmodernity, I once again found that many Baptists (even the ones that I had not cut connections with) were not eager to reach out into postmodern theology/ideology and change. Most Baptists were too busy fighting over what they WEREN'T and not defining who they were or wanted to be.

I was befuddled, because as I studied and understood this changing worldview, I realized that Baptists who held the original/traditional Baptist beliefs could more easily adapt and evolve into postmodern ministry. It shouldn't be so hard. And then comes the "Baptist Manifesto" (actual title: "Re-envisioning Baptist Identity: A Manifesto for Baptist Communities in North America"). In this document, the contributors work towards BOTH being true to original Baptist heritage, as well as acknowledging and looking forward into a postmodern worldview.

At this point, I was proud once again to be a Baptist. I think there is still a ways to go, and one of those steps is a desegregation of denominationalism. I know that is a seeming contradiction to this post, but having a sense of identity goes a long way towards transitioning. I think as these types of Baptists began working with emerging Methodists, Presbyterians, etc..., then we will begin to see these lines of denominationalism blur and again become one body, a Catholic Church. This is a great start for Baptists! There's still a long ways to go!
___________________
Other articles on Baptist Manifesto:

Baptist Studies Figurehead: William B. Shurden's Response

APBNewsArticle
History of "Baptist Manifesto"

“Because The Bible Says So…”:Stupid Things Christians Say

Please Read This Post!!

The title of my post is the borrowing of the title of the post above!
Posted over at http://relevantchristian.wordpress.com/

I came upon this frustrated (note I didn't say frustrating) blog post, who eloquently states some of the same feelings I have about how Christians treat each other when they disagree on theology/issues and when they both claim to have a "biblical" view for their interpretations. It really irritates me that we (and I'll lump myself into this, because I've been guilty of it), that we can't even unite on the one thing that IS blatant in the message of Christ: to act out of love.

Everything in the Bible is interpretive. Even the "literal" interpretation is just that: a choice of interpretation. You don't have to agree with everything Joe states or quotes, that's not my intent. My prayer is that you can be touched by the SPIRIT of the desire that he has (and that I share) that we can recognize our differences and put them aside in the name of love. In the name of Christ.

let me know your thoughts!

Secret Of An Easy Yoke

I promised Chris a while back that I would respond with my thoughts on this song that he posted on his blog. Every time I've started to post it on his site, I'd listen to it again and something new would hit me, or I would be affected because of new situation in my life and the song would speak anew. I remember a drive to meet with another friend, and on that 45 min drive, I listened to it over and over again. It brought me to tears because I could picture specific people and places that the song is talking about it.

Originally by Pedro The Lion, my fav. version is Justin McRoberts.
This is by David Bazan who wrote the song (the only version on Youtube).
SECRET OF AN EASY YOKE


I could hear the church bells ringing
they pealed aloud your praise
the member's faces were smiling
with their hands outstretched to shake
it's true they did not move me
my heart was hard and tired
their perfect fire annoyed me
I could not find you anywhere

could someone please tell me the story
of sinners ransomed from the fall
i still have never seen you, and somedays
i don't love you at all

the devoted were wearing bracelets
to remind them why they came
some concrete motivation
when the abstract could not do the same
but if all that's left is duty, i'm falling on my sword
at least then, i would not serve an unseen distant lord

could someone please tell me the story
of sinners ransomed from the fall
i still have never seen you, and somedays
i don't love you at all

if this only a test
i hope that I'm passing, cuz I'm losing steam
but i still want to trust you

peace be still (x3)
_______________________

I want to start off by saying that I love God. I am PASSIONATE about God, and look for him EVERYWHERE! I've seen God in the beauty of nature, in the compassion and/or brokenness of another human being, in music, an author's words, on the Shroud of Turin, etc... (ok, I'm not so convinced of the last one, but it's still cool to see and I know that it has been a religions experience for many people, so I only half joke about it).

One place that I have more and more trouble finding God is the one place that I've been taught all of my life is the one place I am SUPPOSED to find him: @/in the Ch. To me, it's not that God's void, it's that he's pushed away by us. And here is where the song begins to touch a note with me.

Verse 1: See last post. The lack of genuine humanity in church really bothers me. There seems to be a true lack of concern for people, for their pain, for their needs. Church seems to be more about the rituals: getting done what is supposed to be done (worship service, programs, etc..) rather than adapting to actually meeting the need of those both within the Church and outside. It's sad that a person seeking something; seeking God can walk into a church and leave feeling like they haven't found Him at all in the one place they've always been told they could go to find Him. The line, "their perfect fire annoyed me" really hits home to me. Again, projecting perfection is more important than authenticity for most church-goers. And I really think that the Church has conditioned that way of thinking.

Verse 2: I've always had issues with the wearing Christian paraphernalia so that people would know that you're a Christian. It has always made me think, "so people can't just SEE that you're a Christian through the way you live? You have to wear a sandwich-board to announce it?" But this song brings out another reason people do this. They need a reminder...they need something concrete.... something that makes them feel like they're connected to God, because when it's completely abstract (as beliefs and God are), they feel unconnected. This is a lapse in our Education. We aren't allowing people to think critically in churches, and we aren't helping them to just be in the abstract presence of God. We feed into this non-innate skill (it has to be developed) and even after the children have become adults, we continue to teach them in glorified object lessons and concrete stories. When Jesus says, " _____ is LIKE _____", we teach that the same _______ IS _________. The Kingdom of Heaven is LIKE a treasure hidden in a field... It isn't exactly the same, but our human language can't capture all that it is. Same goes with God and faith.

I think that we sometimes leave people caught in between the questions. Our answers to the questions are things like, "just believe", or "all you need is God", or my personal fav., "don't worry, all things work for the glory of God". The answers belittle the real questions, emotions, doubts and pain that one is feeling. "Just believe" becomes about a Christian's DUTY. If that's all there is to being a Christian, then I too, "am falling on my sword". I HAVE to believe there's something more, something deeper...something with far more meaning and purpose in this world than a formula to keep my tail out of hell. Christ's presence was history-altering, at least my life as a Christian can be life-changing for others!

Chorus: I don't really resonate with the phrase, "somedays i don't love you at all". I have never questioned my love for God, but I know many people that have said this same statement to me about God. For someone who is searching, who has been hurt by other "Christians", who feels lost in "the house of the Lord"... this breaks my heart. I can easily see how a person gets to this point. I've even had a youth tell me something similar to this, and that youth admitted that the parents wouldn't allow his/her questions to be asked.... "just believe", they would say.

We've forgotten the Good News of the STORY! Not just the story of others, but OUR STORY, tangled up with GOD'S STORY. The power and healing that can come from that. The stories found in the Bible are stories of REAL people with REAL struggles trying to figure out God, faith, and discipleship. The same questions we have today are there, but are glossed over for the turn or burn tactics. They are ignored because it focuses on the humanity of the writers and heroes, and sometimes conflicts with our man-made theology of inerrancy and infallibility. The truth is that these people that are in the Bible, that wrote our scriptures were human just like us. They had struggles and questions. That's the good news. Christ was an inspiration, a salvation for them, and they would bond together in the midst of the questions. They would write letters to people they trusted like Paul, and he would admit his own humanity, struggles, and through that provide (not always answers) but comfort and companionship through the struggles.

This is a sad song, and an even more sad reality. Released in '98, I think that, to me, it is more relevant now than it was 9 years ago. Maybe not...but it sure is in my life. The title is ironic... Christ promised that his yoke is easy...yet there's still a yoke to carry. I feel like today when I visit a lot of churches, or talk to a lot of Christians, the yoke they carry is a shadow, an illusion of what we are called to carry.

"For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matt. 11:31

if this only a test
i hope that I'm passing, cuz
I'm losing steam but i still want to trust you

peace be still...

Treat Your Smiling Addiction

This video to reminds me of a conversation we had in our Discussion Group this week. The question of whether Christianity has put itself on a realistic pedestal where people don't feel as if they are allowed to be real. I mentioned that we hear this in invocational prayers at the beginning of worship services (of which I've said myself before thinking about it): "God, help us to leave whatever is on our hearts...whatever is weighing us down outside so we can focus only on you."

I don't think that this is realistic. People can't just LEAVE their problems, thoughts, emotions on the front steps. You can't just put those things down. Thus, we use our coping mechanism of putting on the fake smile and simply ignoring the problems as we enter the place where we pray to be confronted by God.

One of the phrases I picked up from another cynic in Div. school about church ministry is how ministers are expected to "put on their smiley faces and be go be seen" on Sunday mornings. That's because it is what is expected of you. Pastors aren't supposed to be down, but always have a smile on their face.

I've actually had a Sunday morning where I wasn't my usually cheery self, and when I got the courtesy, "how are you today, " I simply said, "well, I've been better... not my best week." I actually had that person look at me like I was an alien. They simply said, "Well, it'll get better." and walk off with a smile on their face to greet others. No question on why, or what happened... I caught them off guard with an authentic answer.

Now I'm not saying that ministers should be a point of joy in people's lives. I'm NOT saying that ministers shouldn't be the embodiment of HOPE in their demeanor. I'm just saying that perhaps sometimes, we have to let ourselves off the hook of expectations and also be the embodiment of questions, uncertainty... of the journey!

I am far from having a "Smiling Addiction" right now. Life has just become too complicated. Interestingly enough, the ONLY place where I've felt any pressure to ignore the tough times I am going through is when at a church. And not just one church, it seems all churches have that expectation. Even if you visit a church, you are more likely to be approached and welcomed if you "wear your smiley face" than if you look like you are a person in need of some lifting up. Where did we as Christians go wrong in this?

Is "happiness the end of common sense"? As the song says? Sometimes it would seem so...at least the Masquerade of Happiness!

so it goes...

Gap Between Theological Edu. And Ministry?

I read this blog post today by Jonathan L Walton over on the site: Religion Dispatches: Critical Anaylisis For The Common good. I found it interesting.

In the state of life that I'm in, I've been asking some of these same questions. There is a point where I feel that Div. School did not adequately prepare me for life in the ministry. I don't feel like they addressed enough real-life Ch. issues, what it's truly like to be a minister, or are efficiently addressing the changing world-view that the Ch. is having to deal with.

Now I loved Div. School! Please don't get me wrong. I also think that Campbell Div. School is more in touch with the non-academic side of religion than many other schools. However, there were many classes (like OT, NT, Theology, and my Christian Ed. Classes) that have been very informative and helpful along the way. But there is SOOO much that no class ever addressed. Are our institutions of higher education losing touch with every day ministry? Is there a gap between the classroom and the pew?

Not quite sure where I stand on this, but it was interesting to read this article after the personal thoughts I've had, and even some of the conversations I've had on this same topic.

Please know, I'm not trying to place blame, but as the question, "how can Theological Education be done moer effectivly so that people are prepared for real-life ministry?"

Give it a read and let me know your thoughts!!!

A Postmodern Prodigal

“The Prodigal Son” by Tamara Paetkau
DISCLAIMER:

I want to make sure that this is understood. What I am about to type is NOT an interpretation of the story In Luke 15: 11-32 that we traditionally refer to as the "Prodigal Son". (A better title that is in most modern-day Bibles is "The Lost Son" in order to show that story's connection to the the two previous parables usually entitled "The Lost Sheep", and "The Lost Coin").

What I am giong to do comes close to allagory, although that is not my intent. An allagorical view/interpretation ruined the meaning of this passage for centuries. But again, I am not attempting an interpretation. My goal is to try to help others hear how this story could be (and is) connecting and reflecting the reality for many people.

I have sat on this entry for some time, thinking about it, praying about it, and talking with others who have helped validate and encourage this parallel between the story in Luke 15, and the reality that many people are facing in their faith and lives. First, this story is a PARABLE! Parables were stories that had some deeper meaning. Often they were story-puzzles that took people from something they were familiar with (farming, fishing, laboring, plants, animals, etc...), with which they would IMMIDIETLY connect, to some sort of twist, lesson, or conundrum on which they were to ponder. They usually go something like this:

Familiar story item/job/character----->new cultural/universal teaching---> Personal absorption and application.


I draw heavily on the SPIRIT of a parable, and try to focus there. This post centers around two similar questions: Since the power and longevity of parables START with us connecting to them, how then are many people today connecting with this timeless parable? How are many Postmodern people finding THEIR story in the story of the Lost Son?


Let's examine the story from a POV that many have expressed to me:
_____________________________

There are 3 Characters to the story: The younger son, The older son, and The father.

The majority of the tale centers around the younger son who goes up to his rich father and asks for his inheritance. The story never really gives the answer as to WHY the son wants to leave. I think that's one purpose. It leaves the door open for our own experiences to answer that question. The biggest reason this is considered the most beloved parable of all time (within the Bible and out) is because we can connect with this story in some personal way. How many times have we heard this story and looked at the son and said, "that's me!"?

We don't know what happened to make the son ask for his inheritance before his father's death. We do know this was a HUGE insult in that culture for a son to make because it was basically saying to the father, "I don't care about you or having a relationship with you. All I want is what I would get if you were dead, because I feel my life would be better with you dead than it is now with you alive!" At its most simple understanding, we find here a broken relationship. What happened? Who knows? All we know is that he would rather be ANY place but at his home with his family right now.

This is where many people today connect much differently than in past eras. The house/home for many has become "the Church". Something has happened between the Church/church and the person. This could be any number of things: they may have experienced pain, neglect, frustration, and/or abandonment. More and more we see people leaving the Church saying, "I'm not fulfilling my life (from a spiritual POV, although They realize that everything about them IS spiritual) here, and I am at the point that I think that I would be better of if you did not exist in my life." I know, harsh words, but I've heard people say things very similar to me and also to the churches they have left. As for the parable, all we know with the son is that he feels like leaving is his only option. Whatever the reason, the son feels that he is in a hopeless situation.

For many people, they feel like the Church owes them something. The Church promised them great things on which the Church never delivered. This could be any number of things. But the feeling is that they've been giving their time and effort, yet are not treated with respect, marginalized, and their ideas and ideals fall on deaf institutional ears. They begin to feel like their current situation, no matter how hard they try to "fix" it, or make it better, never changes! So they feel like their only option is to leave. This is not necessarily RUNNING (although in some cases I'm sure that happens), but hopelessness. so they find themselves in the story as the younger son...not knowing where they are going, but knowing they can't stay where they are. So they depart.

Notice that what the younger son leaves: a) a (familiar) way of living, b) his WHOLE family (father and brothers...possibly representing God and our "church family"), and c) the physical location of the house itself. He leaves the institution itself! That fact isn't missed on many who are finding themselves in the parable in this way.

We know that the son searches, questions, doesn't find what he's looking for! And for many right now, that's where their story stops! They cannot relate to the rest of the story because this is where they are. In limbo. In Purgatory. In hell. In between. Lost, Looking, and Longing for the satiation of their holistic thirst that involves their spirituality.

But there is more to the story of the son: So he begins to return home humiliated, defeated, and willing to beg and plead to be taken back into the life that he once knew, even if it means being at a lower level than he was before. The idea of returning to that hopeless situation is too much for many people. The pain is too deep or too fresh. The wounds haven't healed and their therapy hasn't ended. However, for others, they realize it's better to return to some semblance of what they had/knew than to stay in the limbo they are in. Some return and find another church that meets their needs and helps them fulfill their life-calling. Others go back and sit in complacency in the same environment that they left before...the hopelessness is still there, but they feel they are out of options. Familiar misery is better than unfamiliar wandering!

Now, here's where the story takes a twist that many are connecting with, but far more that connected earlier aren't. As the son is returning home, the father, who is and has been waiting, gets up and comes out of the house and RUNS to meet his son on the path BEFORE he can reach the house. There are many who sees something in this that was never meant to be there (at least I don't think). They see the father (again, usually representing God) LEAVE the institution! We see him kiss his son, and reinstate him as the son he was. The son doesn't have to even say his humiliating speech he's been practicing, The father is just glad to see his lost son again! The connection that many are making is that The "house" (institutional Ch./Religion) and the father (God) are NOT THE SAME THING!

God is bigger than a ch., The Ch., or even Christianity. The son EXPECTS one reaction from the father, but the father stops him and says, "look, you've got it all wrong... you've always had it all wrong! You've missed something. You thought or was taught that THIS was reality, when in fact I am showing you a NEW reality of myself. It doesn't have to be the way it was, it never had to be that way. This is not about a religion, its about a relationship. See, you expected me to act in one way, but I am THE FATHER, I act beyond your expectations, understandings and teachings. Come live in ME, not in your religion or institution." The father presents a NEW picture of reality different from the tradition/former reality that the son perceived when he left.



As Henri J. M. Nouwen shows us in his book, Return of the Prodigal Son, The real lesson in the parable is not about the son at all, but in the end about the father. A father that shows unconditional love, and unexpected reactions that stem from that love. He says that, yes, "at times we are like the younger son, and at times we are like the older son. However, we are called to be like the father." Inspired by Rembrandt's painting (on left), Nouwen spent years contemplating the parable and its meaning in our lives.

At this point in the story, a new view of "the father" is revealed to "the son", and the father redefines the new life and community in which the son returns. This is evident in the confrontation with the second son...the elder and "faithful" one who stayed behind. He stayed true to the "house" and, in his mind, the father. I think that those who allegorize that in staying and practicing the familiar/traditional is the lesser of the two is wrong. At this point, before the father reaches the eldest son, he has done nothing wrong. For those who find purpose in the familiar house/reality/way of living...well, the father was there all along. As a matter of fact I think that's what the father is pointing out.

The second son allows his jealousy, insecurity, self-absorption, insecurities, or simply not understanding get the way of a great historical event! Instead of seeing the joy that has come with the younger brother's return, the elder bro. now sees his own brother as a threat, even though they both share the same father. It's become about protecting his own reality and way of living, and thus the elder bro. misses the point altogether! The younger brother has reunited with the father, and the father wants the two brothers (now with different views of the father/status-quo/reality) to act like what they are...family! But the brother refuses. And what the father says is brilliant.

(a paraphrase)
Look son, all I've had has been yours all along. What have you done with it? I've treated you both with love....yet you can't even come and celebrate this new thing that's happening over here! You can't celebrate your brother, and in turn, you can't celebrate me!! Simply because I'm not acting the way you WANT/EXPECT me to act. I have defied your understanding/concept of me...But I am the father, not you! I do as I please. Now you can sit here and pout and let your anger sizzle. Sit here and think up all of these reasons why your brother is "wrong" and you are in the right. Think of ways to attack your brother and disown him as family. As for me, the father, I'll be over there celebrating our family and our love. I really want you to be there... for me and for your brother! Your brother came back lost and broken, but I have helped to bring life into the lifeless, hope to the hopeless... all because I can defy your dogmatic expectations! Today is a new day! It's the beginning of a new era! You have in front of you a choice... 1) Please, come and celebrate.... join with us and celebrate a new and diverse family that shares the same father... or 2) stay and pout, build up walls that you can defend, build syntax weapons to attack, but me....I'll be over there celebrating! If you choose to stay here with your anger, bitterness, and stubbornness, then you will not find me here!

So, we entitle this story as "The Story Of The Lost Son". But in the end which son ended up "lost"? There is no reconciliation with the elder son in the story. He is left with the choice. I'm not saying that he has to change his ways of going about loving and living with the father... but he will have to change his mindset! And that's where the story leaves us.

I don't preclude to present application from that, that would turn this retelling into an interpretation. I'm only pointing out that 1) since parables work on a level where we personally connect with them, then 2) these are the different levels at which many people's stories are finding connection within the parable. The beauty of this story is that it has the power to transcend time and become our own story. But as Nouwen states, the story is about us becoming like the father. There are points where both sons are not acting like the father... the question is, where do we find ourselves. I see Christians (both Postmodern and Modern) attacked from both sides. Harmony has left Christianity, and many people are beginning to leave with it. Thank goodness that God is bigger than religion! But when we fight amongst ourselves, we help drive them away! And a life with Christ is a better way to live than with the pigs! A life with the father is a better life than one in the limbo where many people who keep leaving are. Shouldn't we ALL be rejoicing when a brother or sister returns to the father, even if they find a different "reality" of the father than we grew up with?

Please don't hit me with exegetical shots here, I want to hear real thoughts... Again, please don't read this as an attack or an interpretation using this passage... Simply a new way in which this timeless classic is connecting with other people...the same way that it may connect with an individual who is fighting drugs, alcoholism, family abandonment, ridicule, ___________ fill in the blank. This story connects with each of us on a very personal level... and that's the story that I'm trying to tell... a new connection!