A Big Decision Ahead

On Palm Sunday evening our congregation will gather together to make an important decision about our church's future. Following several months of preparation and consultation provided by some of our denomination's leadership, we've been invited to consider a set of recommendations for our ministry. This "prescription set" is designed to position us as strongly as possible to make new disciples for Jesus the Christ. We've spent more than a month praying about this, discussing it, thinking about it, and trying to discern if this is God's direction for our church. We covet your prayers on April 5.

I'm trying to look at these recommendations not just as a pastor of our church, but as an individual Jesus follower. My heart and soul is in fulfilling the Great Commission. (Matthew 28:19.) Something happened in 1979 that changed my life and ministry forever. I now live to do whatever God calls me to do so that others can have a real, transforming relationship with Jesus. So, though some of the specifics of our recommendations are daunting, I felt a real sense of hope in the overall direction - doing big and bold things in our church so that we can be a stronger force for reaching people who are far from God.

While many of the specifics of our disciple-making recommendations are exciting, I can't say I'm comfortable with all of them. Still, I hope and pray the proposal as a whole is approved and enacted by our church, for one primary reason. What if this is in fact God speaking to us? God has a habit of inviting people to do things that don't make sense on the surface or in the immediate moment. (Ask Noah, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, David, Mary, Paul, or any number of others.) Sometimes it's about faith and trust, regardless of whether we understand something fully right now or whether it feels comfortable to us. I'm less concerned about the challenges of moving ahead with the prescription set than I am concerned with possibly missing something through which God may be inviting us radically to step out in faith and trust.

That's just me, as a person, not as a pastor. I embrace God's call to love and respect those with differing views. Regardless of what happens on April 5, God is still God, Jesus is still Lord, and the Holy Spirit is still at work, strengthening Jesus-followers, and challenging us to fulfill the primary mission of the Body of Christ.

I'll see you around the next bend in the river.

Peace At Any Price

Keeping the peace at all costs...

Nobody likes conflict. Well, I think some people do enjoy a good scrap. However, within friendships, families, marriages, groups, and organizations peacefulness is a desired state. Everyone feels better when there's a sense that everyone is getting along.

I'm sure Jesus of Nazareth was no different. Jesus-followers believe that Jesus was and is fully human. As one of our species, he surely enjoyed the times of harmony and contentment, and was discomforted by times of turmoil. Therefore, can you imaging how it would have been for Jesus when he was within days of heading into the city of Jerusalem for the annual Jewish Passover feast? Knowing what was ahead, I wonder if he thought it might be best just not to make the trip, and to stay beneath the radar in the holiday crowds. He had to know that his presence, his mission, and his very identity were all destined to create disturbance. Crowds with varying levels of loyalty would gather round him, eliciting anxiety and jealousy amongst many in religious positions of power. Leadership in Jerusalem would fear for the reaction of Roman authorities if this itinerant Galilean create too much buzz among the mobs. Zealots might be agitated to the point of action, thinking that this Jesus could be the fuse that would ignite and incendiary uprising against the Roman occupiers. Religious experts would inflame righteous indignation to a white-hot fury over this pretentious Nazarene. Reaction to Jesus would not be neutral. Jesus knew it. He knew he would not bring peace, but a sword.

Sometimes peace is necessary and needed, and it reflects the shalom of God. Sometimes peace is nothing more than the veneer covering up injustice, unrighteousness, moral apathy, spiritual indifference, and an abundance of other dynamics that keep us far from the heart of God. We need to pray for God's vision, for humility, and for discerning hearts, that we might know the difference. I'll see you around the next bend in the river.

Psyche or Zoe?

The following statement is attributed to Jesus of Nazareth, as he came near the moment of his own demise: Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (John 12:25.) First, the phrasing in the original Greek which English Bibles have as "hate" does not mean self-hatred or self-deprecation. It was a way to describe loving something and prioritizing something much less than something else.

The key here is that Jesus is setting a choice before himself, his initial group of followers, and all who would follow him afterward. Two different Greek words are used which are both translated "life" in most English Bibles. The first word is psyche. This means life as defined in human terms, based on human experience, identity, achievement and desires. Psyche describes life in which we determine what will make us happy and content, and what it will mean to truly live. It is self-focused. The last word translated "life", attached to the adjective "eternal" is zoe. Zoe is something markedly different. This is life in abundant trust of God, on God's terms. It is the life vitality that is a relationship with the living God. This is life that assumes God loves us more than we love ourselves, and that God can provide life fulfillment and purpose beyond anything any human being can dream. It relies on God even when the path ahead is uncertain, and when reliance on psyche life is most tempting.

Here are some questions to consider and possibly to discuss:

Why do we cling so desperately to psyche-life?

Jesus would express his own turmoil in making this choice. His choice for zoe-life would lead him to the cross. What does it mean for us to die to psyche-life?

Who do you know who has died to self and become alive in Christ? What does that person's life look like?

What keeps you or any of us from throwing ourselves headlong into zoe-life? What would it take to make that step?

I'll see you around the next bend in the river.

Stand

Over the weekend I was talking with my dad about a dilemma that's been frustrating me. He asked me, "Have you done all you can do?" I said, "Yes, I really have." He then reminded me that the matter is in God's hands now, and I just need to stand where I've been called to stand.

I remembered some things about this man who will turn 80 this June. He is a principled individual. My father is a retired businessman who worked for the same company all his adult life, from the time he left the Air Force after the Korean conflict. My dad was very successful in his work, but he passed up a number of opportunities at his company that could have brought him status and material advancement. He did so because he chose to operate by certain principles, and he refused to compromise those principles. He stood by his values, even when it was to his personal advantage to do so, when his superiors pressured him to do so, and when people thought less of him for not doing so. He has always been a man who tries to stand for what is right, regardless of how the world evaluates him for doing so.

I am reminded of Paul writing to the Jesus followers in Egypt about spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6:13 reads, "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." (New International Version, italics mine.) Not every dilemma is a result of spiritual warfare. Frequently, though, when we've done all we can do, we just have to know what's right in God's sight, and stand...regardless.

I pray you have the Holy Spirit's strength to stand. I'll see you around the next bend in the river.

The Last Four Minutes

I'm in the last couple of days of some great bonding time with our three month old granddaughter. Every grandparent should have the chance to do this once in a while. I mentioned in the last post that my schedule as a babysitter has forced me to shift my normal exercise routine. Instead of running in the wee hours of the morning, I have to work out in the afternoon.

I really am better when running in the morning. I seem to be more lethargic, and running is somewhat harder late in the day. Still, I was doing fairly well as I came to the end of about five miles. I finished up at the high school sports complex here in Marshall, Missouri. I ran past the tennis courts, the baseball field, and the soccer field - where our son was coaching the women's team through their practice. Heading into the football stadium, I thought it might be a good challenge to run the last six minutes or so up and down the steps of the stadium. Then a serious stitch in my side made me think better of it. I hadn't had one of those in a long time - probably since the last time I ran in the afternoon! It hurt bad enough that, with about four minutes to go in the run, I seriously thought about just quitting. The last four minutes of that run were really sluggish and ugly, but I managed to get it done. It felt better to ache and plod than to give up.

In many things God equips us and calls us to do, the last stretch of those efforts in ministry and discipleship can be the hardest, just like the last stretch of a distance run. That might be when we're most prone to cash in the chips, and for good reason. These are the times when we are most fatigued, most discouraged, most misunderstood, most confused, or whatever the stitch in our side may be. It may feel as they we're finishing ugly. It's not about us - it's about Him. We need to finish.

If you are in the last four minutes of a run in following Jesus, and your side hurts bad, my prayer is especially with you this day. I'll see you around the next bend in the river. Keep paddling.

Running is Running

I'm spending the week babysitting our youngest granddaughter, who is three months old. Her parents are public school teachers, and won't have a sitter available until the fall semester. Family members are taking turns enjoying the blessing of Aubrey for a week at a time. This is my week!

Aubrey's day starts early, so I'm on duty as soon as she rises. This changes my daily routine pretty much. I usually run between five and six miles early in the morning. When I'm here with our son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, and when I'm doing child care, I can't run until late in the afternoon. I'm not used to that. Early morning running is significantly different than afternoon running. Traffic isn't as heavy in the wee hours. It's cooler, with less glare from the sun. In the afternoon I have to deal with more barking and protective dogs, as well as more human and vehicle traffic. There's a higher risk in the afternoon when wearing earphones, so I don't. Afternoon running is just out of my comfortable running routine.

In spite of the differences between morning and afternoon running, the benefits are the same. Cardiovascular strengthening, muscle toning, endorphins, etc. - they're all there. It just requires adapting to a different environment. Running is running. Running environments vary and change. Similarly, the good news of a crucified and risen, living and available Savior stays the same. The environments in which that good news is delivered are varied. Thus, the means through which Jesus is offered will vary. The Gospel is the Gospel. The delivery systems depend on the time and environment.

It's important to know the difference. I'll see you around the next bend in the river.

Is This What Jesus Had In Mind?

Everyone should read the comment "Swimmin' Upstream" wrote in response to my last post. It expresses where far too many people are within established Christian congregations and organized religious expressions. This may be where some Jesus-followers and people living far from God have some common territory. Perhaps they share a mutual discouragement with organized religion as an institution.

There has been much buzz this week around a headline article that appeared in USA Today on Monday, March 9. Under the headline, "Almost all denominations losing ground, survey finds," Cathy Lynn Grossman noted that the percentage of people in the United States who call themselves some type of Christian has dropped 11% in 18 years. In addition, the researched revealed that the number of Americans who claim no religion at all has risen from 8% in 1990 to 15% currently. A lot of hand-wringing and teeth-gnashing seems to be taking place over all this, especially in mainline denominations.

It's interesting that other sources keep telling us that openness to things spiritual is relatively high now, particularly among younger generations. It might be the case that people are at least willing to consider the possibility of a connection with Something or Someone beyond them, if they're not in fact hungry for such. However, they have little to no confidence in organized, institutional expressions of faith. This may not be fair, and, in fact, it may be downright offensive to many church people. But it is what it is...

We who are church folks need to ask at least two tough questions of ourselves. First, we should introspectively ask, "Why would people want to become like us?" In addition, we should ask a painful but necessary question, suggested by Rob Bell. Looking at how we do church - where we put our time, focus, energy, and resources - and ask, "Is this really what Jesus had in mind?"

Those are two tough questions to ask...maybe too tough. I'll see you around the next bend in the river.

Ramblings on "The Grand Inquisitor"

At the advice of a good friend I recently read a chapter from Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamozov. In this section, the author introduces a fantasy character known as "The Grand Inquisitor." In this made-up scenario, the Inquisitor, representing the organized Church of the day, encounters the returning Jesus, whom he imprisons as a heretic. With what we find to be not necessarily dark motivations, the Inquisitor tries to convince Jesus that the organized Church is doing just fine without Him, and it will just create turmoil for Him to actually show up again.

Apparently this chapter has great appeal to current critics who would claim that organized Christianity has drifted many leagues away from the living presence of Jesus. Even the raunchy Comedy Central TV's "South Park" apparently has an episode in which Jesus shows up and the church throws him out, essentially saying, "We're doing just fine without you."

This is not just the perspective of some of the unreached. Throughout history there have been times when organized churches, denominations, and judicatories have been so far off the mark of obedience to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19) that some people have just felt the need to move to the periphery or depart altogether, if only for their own discipleship survival...the monastics of the middle ages, Martin Luther, the Wesleys, etc.

A study released in the last couple of days reports that Americans say they are less religious than ever. I suspect that means they identify with organized religion less than ever; it may not say anything about their openness to things spiritual.

If you are a Jesus follower, how is this for you? Do you ache for bonding with the Lord and obedience to the Master so much that you sometimes feel it would be better to escape the quagmire that can be organized religion in order to find them? Think about that...I'll see you around the next bend in the river.

Slumdog Millionaire

My wife and I just saw Slumdog Millionaire. It received the best picture of the year Oscar at the Academy Awards. Slumdog deserved it; it's an excellent film. It's multi-dimensional. In large part, it's a love story. Slumdog is set against the backdrop of India's emerging role as a player in global economics and techno-culture. In addition, it's about humanity's incessant determination to divide people into classes and to remind the "lower" classes that they are deemed inferior.

Why do we do that? Yeah, yeah...I know all the historical and sociological theories that explain why that happens. I know the economic forces that conspire to create the need for massive unskilled and economically dependent population groups. I've even seen how people conjure up complex theologies that justify those who are privileged and powerful and vilify those who are disenfranchised. Beyond all that crap, at the very heart and soul of us as a species, seriously - why do we do that? Why do we have to have those who are "valuable" and those who are expendable? Why do we inevitably fall into that, no matter where we are historically or geographically? Even our grand experiment of democracy on this continent couldn't avoid slave quarters, ghettos, Jim Crow laws, etc.

Not that most folks listen to us, but evangelicals would say that's further evidence of what is known as Original Sin. Separated from God by our own design, we organize ourselves into a construct that is anything but Godly. Faith in Jesus Christ is a revolutionary thing. That's probably why genuine, life-changing, non-domesticated Jesus-following has caused so much trouble throughout history. The Gospel dares to claim that God sees all human beings on an equal plane. We are fallen, but deeply loved, and declared completely worthy of salvation and transformation, regardless of our humanly determined status. For example, the Church of England of the 1700's regarded the growing class of industrial workers as ignorant, immoral, generally inebriated, and unworthy of the Church's attention. John and Charles Wesley saw them as sons and daughters of God, worthy of God's love and salvation. That got them kicked out of most Anglican churches, but it got a lot of people into the living Body of Christ.

The Gospel isn't just a private, ticket-to-heaven thing. It's political. Anyway, see Slumdog Millionaire. It's worth it. I'll see you around the next bend in the river.

What Gain is Worth the Pain?

Anyone who is or ever has been an athlete is likely at some point to hear this cliche from a coach; "No pain, no gain." Being something of a practical person, I would change that into a question. "What gain is worth pain?" When you think about it, avoidance of pain keeps a lot of things from happening. Diets die because of the discomfort that comes with changing eating habits. Healthy bodies don't happen because of the pain that comes with moving from a sedentary lifestyle to an aggressively physically active lifestyle. Dreams don't come about because of the hard work necessary to actualize them. Churches won't move out of ingrown stagnancy, because the changes necessary to move outside of comfort zones appear too painful. We naturally avoid pain. Accepting pain because of a yet to be actualized gain some not come naturally or easily.

That makes this time of the year all the more impacting for those in relationship with Jesus. Traditionally, the 40 day period of time leading up to Easter is known as "Lent." Among other things, the season of Lent invites us to realize the resolute commitment with which Jesus made his way to Jerusalem, knowing that the pain of death awaited him there. What gain could possibility be worth abandonment, the bone-and-metal-studded Roman whip, and the agonizing, ripping execution by crucifixion?

For Jesus, the answer the that question was and is disarmingly clear.

You are the gain, worth that pain.

You think about that. I'll see you around the next bend in the river.