Worship "Interruption"

This morning, she "interrupted" worship. How dare she!

Our worship team had just finished calling us to worship and I stood up to wax eloquently about the theme of the day. Currently, our worship is centering on the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5....love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control). Each Sunday our worship focuses on a particular fruit. Our songs mine the depths of the fruit. Our communion time explores how Jesus exhibited this fruit. And I get to preach about the fruit.

So....this morning, it was the fruit of KINDNESS. And she "interrupted worship. How dare she!

As I said, I stood up to share the theme of the day when I saw it....a raised hand. In the middle-back portion of our worship room, there was a waving hand in the air. I should have looked away, but I couldn't. I saw the hand and then I looked at her. When she caught my eye, she locked on. I couldn't escape. The hand waving meant she had something to say. This wheel-chair bound woman with a dog for an assistant wanted to share something and I could not stop her. I better not stop her.

So, with a gulp, I acknowledged the hand and her and said, "Speak." And speak she did. I can't remember her exact words, I was too touched, but it went something like this:

"This is the best church. I've been here for years and I have been touched over and over again by the kindness of this church. I could never leave this church. The people here are great. God is great!"

An amazing testimony! Her words were more eloquent than I could ever have designed. And her words were true. Our church has reached out in kindness to her time and time again. Just last Sunday, a group of people drove an hour north to help this woman clean out her father's home. He was being placed in an assisted living residence. It took them until the evening to finish the task.

She just had to speak. She just wanted to testify. She just wanted to joyfully share and she could not contain herself. The hand went up and her witness followed. This morning, she "interrupted" worship. How dare she!

I AM SO GLAD SHE DARED!!!!

And I am glad I got out of the way so that the Spirit could speak.

Telling The Truth

From Scot:

I've been doing some pretty good reading these days from a guy by the name of Walter Brueggemann. He really captured my imagination about the words of the bible. He says it something like this:

The words of the Bible tell the truth about God.
The words of the Bible tell the truth that has been so from before the beginning of time.
The words of the Bible tell the truth that drives the gospel.
Yes, the words of the Bible do tell the truth––about God, and therefore it tells the truth about humanity, and therefore it tells the truth about us!

What amazes me is that we have God’s “yes” even though we are tempted with things like greed, selfishness, self-centeredness, lust, idolatry and covetousness–– only to name a few things.

Amazing that God loves the world... and that he loves me. He has made me glad!


Here's a great song of prayer from Nicole Nordeman

Have I come to casually?
Because it seems to me,
There's something I've neglected.
How does one approach a Deity with informality;
And still protect the Sacred?

'Cause you came and chose to wear the skin of all of us.
And it's easy to forget You left a throne.
And the line gets blurry all the time.
Between daily and Divine.
And it's hard to know the difference.

Oh, let me not forget to tremble.
Oh, let me not forget to tremble.
Face down on the ground do I dare,
To take the liberty to stare at You.
Oh, let me NOT...
Oh, let me NOT forget to tremble.

What a shame to think that I'd appear;
even slightly cavalier;
In the matter of salvation.
Do I claim this gift You freely gave?
As if it were mine to take with such little hesitation?

'Cause You came and stood among the very least of us,
And it's easy to forget You left a throne.

Oh, let me not forget to tremble.
Oh, let me not forget to tremble.

Face down on the ground do I dare...
To take the liberty to stare at You.
Oh, let me NOT...
Oh, let me NOT forget to tremble.

The cradle and the grave could not contain Your Divinity.
Neither can I oversimplify this love.

Oh, let me not forget to tremble
Face down on the ground do I dare,
To take the liberty to stare at You.
Oh, let me ...
Oh, let me NOT forget to tremble.

What do you really want?

Hey Paul,

This morning I stumbled across a little article John York wrote a couple of years ago and it reminded of the conversation we had on the blog during our first week. If you remember we were dialoguing about the meaning of hospitality. In that post I mentioned that as Christ-surrendered people we have a willingness to open ourselves up to "know" (others) and to be "known" (by others). Of course this creates in many of us a vulnerability and risk that can keep us in hiding.

Below is John’s article:

“What do I really want?”

Fred Craddock tells the childhood story of playing hide and seek with his sister at his grandmother’s house. One day, he says, he found the perfect hiding place where he knew his sister would never find him. So he hid and waited for his sister to finish her counting to 100—she always cheated, he says—and then she came looking. All the time he was saying to himself, “She’ll never find me this time, she’ll never find me.....” A considerable amount time went by and suddenly it dawned on him: She’ll never find me! Young Fred had to decide, “What do I really want?”

For many of us, life itself can turn into a game of hide and seek in which, for various reasons, we hide the real me from the people around us, sometimes even the families with whom we live. Perhaps we are afraid of being hurt, or hurt again. Perhaps our self-understandings have become so beaten down that we think we are not worth the love or care of others. Perhaps we think everyone else is snobbish and rude. So we develop a front, a mask that other people see, but they never can get close to the real me. Then we tell ourselves, “They’ll never find me, they’ll never find me” until one day we cry out, “Please, somebody, find me!”

Adam and Eve tried to play hide and seek with God in the Garden, but I wonder what they really wanted? When you and I try to hide from God today, what do we really want? When we play hide and seek with each other, what do we really want? Young Fred finally stuck out a toe and made a little noise and his sister found him.

What do you really want?

Paul, when I think about family, I can’t help but think about being known. Maybe it’s me, but it’s quite comforting to be known (warts and all) and know that I’m still loved. I hope as Christ-surrendered people, we continue to see the value of knowing and letting ourselves be known.

So, what do you really want?

Scot,

I want to play ice hockey all the time, become a golf pro, eat whatever I want (Mexican and Italian)......OH, that's not what you asked was it?!

Good stuff. I guess when you strip it all away, that is a core question for all of us. I really want a family to love me for who I am (not for what I do). I really want a God who loves me in spite of myself and who is truly "for me and not against me." I really want to be with a church community who is known by their fruits (the Fruit of the Spirit--love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control). I really want to be used by God for his Kingdom purposes.

As I think about this question, there is a word that keeps coming to me. TRUST. To experience the things I really want, I have to be willing to trust others (God, family, church folk, neighbors etc). I have to be willing to entrust myself to them. I must be trust-worthy as well.

Here is a fascinating description of trust. This quote is in the context of trust between church leaders and their congregation, but I think the ideas also apply to other contexts (families, job, neighborhood relations, marriage, friendships).

Alan Roxburgh says, “Trust is difficult to describe, but without it no major transformation can ever occur. Trust is like the glue holding all the elements together that enable a community to move forward in difficult times. It is about the communication of a consistency of action and character. Trust emerges from the maturity and wisdom of one’s life. It is about predictability of values. You live out of a consistent set of values that do not zig and zag with the wind . . . . Such trust is built up in several ways over a period of time . . . . A context of discontinuous change requires risk, experimentation and travel into areas yet uncharted. Few people will go with you without a deep trust in you. Most will not trust unless they believe you can provide a context in which their basic necessities and needs will be provided along the way. Trust is the invisible bond between the leader and people that make the journey possible. It is a covenant binding people to one another.”

Trust is a gift that helps us all to give and receive what we really want.

Is Knowledge Really Inherently Good?

Scot,

Thanks for sharing that reading from 1 Cor. yesterday. Wow! What a challenge to walk by the Spirit and live with the mind of Christ! It's interesting to me that Paul would have to write these words to Christians. He seems to be saying that we Christians can get caught up in the world's mindset. We believe we are thinking and acting "Christianly" when actually we are more in the world's mindset that we really know. We can be trapped or caught in the prison of the world's thinking.

Speaking of knowing, that is another related way I see the world changing. Our world used to believe that "knowledge is inherently good." We were infatuation with knowledge and information and we thought all this research would inherently lead to a better life. Yet, did we really become better people?

Albert Einstein, one of the greatest thinkers of his day, felt this tension between knowledge and goodness. For instance, I was interested to discover that he was haunted by his role in developing the first atomic bomb. No sooner was the bomb manufactured than Einstein was sending messages to the President begging him not to use atomic weapons or ever unleashing their destructive power. I hear that, for the rest of his life, he regretted having anything to do with the development of the atomic bomb. In light of all of his knowledge, I find these quotes attributed to Einstein fascinating:

"Concern for man and his fate must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavors. Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations."

"Knowledge of what is does not open the door directly to what should be."

"Imagination is more important than knowledge."

"Love is a better teacher than duty."

"Most people say that is it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character."

I wonder, have we in Christian circles come to similar conclusions? Have we seen the disconnect between our fascination with knowledge and information and the call to live and produce transformed lives (people living in/with the mind of Christ)? Is Jesus' challenge to us to quit "straining out a gnat" (Matthew 23:24) really something we take seriously? Do we have the capability to cultivate holy imagination? Is love really our guide? Or, do we have an infatuation with knowledge which, unfortunately, has not made us Christian (people who think/love/look/act like Christ)?

I don't know fully about your situation, but I am grateful I am with a group of people who desire to be transformed. For instance, we are asking some questions about the structure and content of our Bible classes. We want our classes to help form people into being followers of Christ and not just use the classes to become more knowledgeable about the Bible. Also, our leadership meetings (i.e. my meeting with my church shepherds) are seeking be to more Spirit-led. We are trying to pray more and talk less. Even when we talk we try to ask. "What is the Spirit saying?" How does this look like Jesus?"

We are not perfect (we don't pretend to be, we don't pretend to have all knowledge) but we are on a journey towards the mind of Christ. And I'll take the journey over the destination any day.

From Scot:

Good thoughts Paul.

I recall Paul saying in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NIV)

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. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

It seems pretty clear that love is the weightier matter.

I also recall Paul saying in 1 Corinthians 8:1-3 (NIV) that there is something inherently wrong with knowledge (human wisdom/human deduction).

Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God.

As God’s children, may we not fall into the trap that many of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law (men of knowledge) fell prey to. As you mentioned Paul, we need to take serious Jesus’ teaching about “straining out a gnat” while at the same time swallowing the camels of our own wisdom. If you recall, Jesus gives pretty good warning to those who were teachers and leaders (people of knowledge).

Matthew 23:4
They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

Matthew 23:13
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.

Matthew 23:25-26
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

Matthew 23:28
In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

Like you Paul, I am also deeply thankful that I am yoked with a group of believers who desire to live transformed lives. Likewise, we need no convincing that we're imperfect–– we have already figured that out. I am convinced however, that regardless of our imperfections, we long to follow our brother, king and friend–– Jesus!

Hope you enjoyed the day!

Wisdom or Foolishness?

I appreciate the dialog that the past few days have generated on the blog. Thanks for jumping in on the discussion!

If people of faith are not careful, we'll let the whole notion of rationalism (Theologically speaking, this is "the reliance on reason as the basis for the establishment of religious truth") be what ultimately determines our faith. Rationalism in our society (BTW- a more secular level of rationalism is the “theory that reason is in itself a source of knowledge superior to and independent of sense perceptions”) is no doubt rampant. Unfortunately this is also true in the Christian world we live in. Of course, I (and I believe Paul to be) am a believer in truth (God's Truth and God's Word) and I am all for using reason as we critically think about God and life. The reason and truth of the bible is crucial to our faith in God and his Word. Faith and deeds and what we believe do matter to God. The “reason” or “rationalism” I've been speaking about is the philosophical ideology that relies on the human intellect for the basis of our faith.

Our faith is based on the powerful, untamed God that we serve. Many times God makes sense. However, other times (and in my case… it seems many times!) his movement in life and the world we live in is mysterious. I mean look at it: A burning bush that doesn't burn makes no sense to the modern mind of rationalism. The Passion of the Christ looks quite odd and a most illogical way of saving the world. The resurrection of the dead simply makes no sense. Yet, as a person of faith, I believe! I believe! I know that the burning bush did not burn up even though I know logically this doesn't make any sense. What I do know is-- that God is also a profoundly mysterious God!

Oh by the way, remember Jesus' call to turn the other cheek; lend to others without expecting any payment in return; love your enemies and pray for those who perscute you; forgive a brother or sister 7x70 and do not let any unwholesome word proceed from your mouth but only what is uplifting for the moment. Hmm...how these practices challenge the rationalism in most of us.


Remember what Paul said about the wisdom (rationalism?) of our age in 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:16 (MSG):

The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out. It's written,

I'll turn conventional wisdom on its head,

I'll expose so-called experts as crackpots.

Where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn't God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered dumb--preaching, of all things!-to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation.

While Jews clamor for miraculous demonstrations and Greeks go in for philosophical wisdom, we go right on proclaiming Christ, the Crucified. Jews treat this like an anti-miracle--and Greeks pass it off as absurd. But to us who are personally called by God himself--both Jews and Greeks--Christ is God's ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one. Human wisdom is so tinny, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can't begin to compete with God's "weakness."

Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don't see many of "the brightest and the best" among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these "nobodies" to expose the hollow pretensions of the "somebodies"? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have--right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start--comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That's why we have the saying, "If you're going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God."

You'll remember, friends, that when I first came to you to let you in on God's master stroke, I didn't try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did--Jesus crucified.

I was unsure of how to go about this, and felt totally inadequate--I was scared to death, if you want the truth of it-- and so nothing I said could have impressed you or anyone else. But the Message came through anyway. God's Spirit and God's power did it, which made it clear that your life of faith is a response to God's power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else.

We, of course, have plenty of wisdom to pass on to you once you get your feet on firm spiritual ground, but it's not popular wisdom, the fashionable wisdom of high-priced experts that will be out-of-date in a year or so. God's wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don't find it lying around on the surface. It's not the latest message, but more like the oldest--what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene. The experts of our day haven't a clue about what this eternal plan is. If they had, they wouldn't have killed the Master of the God-designed life on a cross. That's why we have this Scripture text:

No one's ever seen or heard anything like this,

Never so much as imagined anything quite like it--

What God has arranged for those who love him.

But you've seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you.

The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along. Who ever knows what you're thinking and planning except you yourself? The same with God--except that he not only knows what he's thinking, but he lets us in on it. God offers a full report on the gifts of life and salvation that he is giving us. We don't have to rely on the world's guesses and opinions. We didn't learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus, and we're passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way.

The unspiritual self, just as it is by nature, can't receive the gifts of God's Spirit. There's no capacity for them. They seem like so much silliness. Spirit can be known only by spirit--God's Spirit and our spirits in open communion. Spiritually alive, we have access to everything God's Spirit is doing, and can't be judged by unspiritual critics. Isaiah's question, "Is there anyone around who knows God's Spirit, anyone who knows what he is doing?" has been answered: Christ knows, and we have Christ's Spirit.


May the Spirit of Jesus be with you this day!

Her Faith...My Reasoning

Yesterday, she came to me just before Sunday morning worship was to start. Her smile told me she had something to share and she couldn't wait to blurt it out. "Hello!" I said. "You look like you have something you want to say."

"I want to be baptized!"

You could have knocked me over with a feather. What a wonderful statement. It is music to a preacher's ear. But it was unexpected. To be honest, I don't have a lot of people coming to me out of the blue to tell me this. I am usually the one who has to initiate a conversation of this sort.

Now, you need to know a little about this young woman and my contact with them. She had been coming to worship with her boyfriend for a while. I'd see them sitting on the back row during worship and we'd exchange polite greetings. I'd see them when she and her boyfriend would come to the building during the week to drop off some items for our food pantry. She occasionally helped her boyfriend's mother, the one who keeps our food pantry stocked, with this ministry. I'd see her at various fellowship gatherings of the congregation. But that was the extent of my contact with this young woman.

I hadn't even had one conversation with her to try to convince her to be baptized. I hadn't had a chance to talk about the steps she needed to take. You know those "Hear, Believe, Repent, etc" kind of steps. I hadn't even had a significant conversation to see if she was ready for this. I hadn't checked to see if she had counted the cost. I hadn't had the opportunity to ask if she knew all the reasons and justifications for baptism. I hadn't really talked to her about anything. All I knew was that I had a young woman standing in front of me with a genuine smile on her face (one that you were not going to wipe off her face) and she wanted to be baptized. No...She HAD to be baptized.

"OK, when you do want to be baptized? Today?"

"How about tomorrow morning?" She replied. She is a shy person who didn't want to be the center of attention.

"Well, fine. That's fine with me. What time is good for you?" I offered. "8:00 am?" She countered.

"Good, I'll see you then." I said. And then she and her boyfriend turned and made their way to their seats.

This morning, I awoke to a falling snow. I put the Nissan Pathfinder in 4-wheel drive and headed to the building. The beauty of the white, falling snow seemed to be a perfect compliment to what was about to take place.

Ed, one our church shepherds, arrived shortly after I got to the building. Mark (another shepherd) and his wife, Amy (our church office assistant), were to arrive in a few moments. A small community of faith would soon gather around the baptismal pool.

I finished filling the baptistery and waited for the young woman and her boyfriend. They came through the door and she still had that wide smile on her face. It really couldn't be wiped off.

We talked over the details, things like where enter the baptismal pool, what clothes to wear, how the baptism will take place, I then asked if she'd prefer to stand in the water or kneel before being submerged.

"I think I'd like to kneel." She replied.

I don't know why I asked that question. I've never had someone kneel before. It just came from my lips without thought.

I asked this young woman about what brought her to this decision and why she wanted to do this. "I want to be closer to God." She replied in a simple but confident manner. She also mentioned that her boyfriend had naturally shared his faith with her as they dated and also she'd been impacted by the way our church lived and acted. She loves the simplicity, the family-like feel, and the genuineness and authenticity she experiences when she is with us. She was particularly impacted by a comment someone made during a recent Sunday communion meditation about why Christ died for us. Oh yeah, she loves the singing too.

Our little community of faith gathered in a circle, held hands, and we prayed. She and I then walked down the steps, acclimated ourselves to our surroundings, and she knelt down next to me. I said a few words. She leaned backwards. I held her as the water surrounded her total being. In a few seconds she arose from the watery grave. She arose, she did not stand.

She stayed there, in the water, kneeling in the pool. The water dripping off her clothing. She was soaking it all in. You could hear her deep breathing. She did not want to rush this experience. We all felt the same thing. It was a holy moment.

Her boyfriend met her at the top of the stairs. His words to her were simple but eloquent. "I am so proud of you."

After she changed out of her baptismal clothes, we all met again in our community circle. Ed prayed a wonderful prayer. Hugs were exchanged. I asked this young woman how she felt about what just happened. "This is an amazing moment." She said this with that huge smile still on her face. "Keep that smile forever." I told her. And with that, we all departed, out into the snow, to begin our day.

As I sit here this evening, reflecting on today, this moment keeps coming back to me. It's amazing to me as well. It's amazing to me what happens when the Gospel is unleashed in a community of faith causing us to live and act in certain ways. It's amazing to me what the Gospel does in a person searching for and in faith. It's amazing to me when the Gospel is allowed to do it's own work and I don't get in its way. It's amazing what the Gospel produces. It's amazing.

I'm speechless from today's events. This reflection cannot adequately describe the holiness of the day. But, like this young woman, I too have a smile on my face. I think God was smiling today as well. No...I know He's smiling.

Let The Worshippers Arise

May these lyrics from the song, Let The Worshippers Arise (Phillips, Graig & Dean), help you to be a worshipper today and everyday. In worship, may we surrender to our King, open our lives to his Kingdom, and commit to being Kingdom people here on earth no matter what. Lord, let your kingdom live in me. Let it live in Your church. Let it live in Your world through us:

Father, I see that You are drawing
A line in the sand
And I want to be standing on Your side
Holding Your hand
So let your Kingdom come
Let it live in me
This is my prayer
This is my plea

Let the worshippers arise
Let the sons and the daughters sing
I'm surrending my all
I surrender to the King
Let the worshippers arise
Let the sons and the daughters sing
I'm surrending my all
I surrender to the King

Father I hear it growing louder
The song of Your redeemed
As the saints of every nation
Are awakening to sing
From our hearts
There comes an anthem
Oh hear the heavens ring
This is our song, a song to our King

Let the worshippers arise
Let the sons and the daughters sing
I'm surrending my all
I surrender to the King
Let the worshippers arise
Let the sons and the daughters sing
I'm surrending my all
I surrender to the King

Come Let Us Reason...Again

Good Day, Scot:

Sorry I missed posting yesterday, I was out of town for most of the day and last night my kids and I went to the Manchester Monarchs hockey game. The team lost but it was very entertaining nonetheless.

Hey, thanks for sharing the comments from those folks. Looking back over these quotes, I notice these thoughts cut across generations and gender. I also hear their frustration with the way they perceive church to be. Now I want to be fair to church (we are not THAT bad are we?). But, as we know, perception is in large part reality. Our culture doesn't see much use or need for church. Their spiritual longings are not being addressed in most churches in the United States.

I think these people look at our churches and they see the hypocrisy. Is that too harsh? Perhaps, at least, they see our inconsistency. We said we were people who walked by faith and not by sight. But we bought into the lie of rationalism. We elevated reason to god-like status. But what happened? Did it produce the results we hoped? I don't think so. We did not become a more spiritual people. We did not become more loving. We did not become more connected to our community. People looked at us and saw us as a divided and argumentative lot. People looked to us to make sense of life and we complicated things by our propositions, patterns, proofs, syllogisms, dispensations, apologies, facts, rules, steps, acts, and so forth. God got lost in our religion. The cross was weakened of its power because we wanted to use our knowledge. The Gospel wanted to speak, but we got in its way. And what's even worse, we stripped faith of its mysterious wonder.

I really resonate with what Donald Miller says: "I was talking to a homeless man at a laundry mat recently, and he said that when we reduce Christian Spirituality to math we defile the Holy....Many of our attempts to understand the Christian faith have only cheapened it....Here is what I've started thinking: All the wonder of God happens right above our arithmetic and formula. The more I climb outside my pat answers, the more invigorating the view, the more my heart enters into worship....(speaking about the religious people during Jesus' day) But what if they meant it, if they had faith that Jesus was coming and was real, then Jesus would ignite the kingdom life within them. I love that because for so long religion was my false gospel. But there was no magic in it, no wonder, no awe, no kingdom life burning in my chest."

And I love his final point. "At the end of the day, when I am lying in my bed and I know the chances of any of our theology being exactly right are a million to one, I need to know that God has things figured out, and that if my math is wrong we are still going to be okay. And wonder is that feeling we get when we let go of our silly answers, our mapped out rules that we want God to follow. I don't think there is any better worship than wonder."

Rationalism takes away the things our faith needs and craves: wonder, mystery and awe. Thankfully our world has shifted and is again open to these things. I wonder if our churches can again be open to these things as well? Because, if we can, it will make a huge difference in our attempts to be authentically spiritual. But, if we do open our lives to these things, we'll have to be willing to alter some of the daily practices of our faith.

Come Let Us Reason.....

Our world is definitely different. Things have changed. Some of the things that built our world in the past have shifted. One of those things is the perspective on how we think and what faith is. At one time, our world built itself upon the assumption that reason is somehow equal to or superior to faith. What do I mean by that? Simply this: we equated reason as faith.

"Reason" promised to answer all the important questions regarding the universe, truth, and meaning. And if you just reason enough, it would lead you to faith. Or, come let us reason and we'll rationally find complete faith. But what can happen, and what did happen in our world, is that God gets pushed to the edges of our world and faith becomes what you understand not necessarily what you believe. God gets relegated to superstition and reason then becomes God.

Thankfully, this part of our world has shifted. A lot of our culture no longer believes that reason holds all the answers to life's questions. There are other ways to "know" besides singularly through reason. One author said these ways are, "...story, metaphor, feeling, experience, intuition." Faith can develop through a variety of ways. But I wonder, have we (in the present church) seen this culture/world shift? Have we too been guilty at times of promoting reason as equal to or superior to faith?

Scot, what do you think? Have we Christians lived as people of reason (this is different from being "reasonable") to the detriment of being a people of faith?


From Scot:

Paul, good points about “Reason” and Rationalism.

Do you remember last year when you and I went to one of the monthly preachers meetings at the Manchester Church in Connecticut? We shared some information about how things really have changed in our world. In your post above you said that “Reason promised to answer all the important questions regarding the universe, truth, and meaning.” Below is part of the information you and I shared at that meeting in Connecticut. This list is only a sample of what many people think about religion and church and the answers we’ve given in the past. I believe this is an accurate view of what many people in our world believe. I guess reason and rationalism hasn’t fulfilled its promise to answer all our questions after all.

A view of Church from non-church goers:
1. “I can stay home and watch someone preach at me on T.V. . . . But I don't want to.”- Kathy (32), administrative nurse, married mother of one.
2. “The Church is too judgmental. . . and I don't have anything to wear (i.e., socially acceptable).” - Ken and Judy (40's), small business owners.
3. “I'm not religious.” - Amy (29), reads Buddhist writings, dabbles in Judaism and regularly visits physics.
4. “Life is just not as simple as the Church makes it out to be.” - Dave (33), Landscaper, former homosexual now married with children.
5. “Pastors don't live and work in the real world. Their world is the Church. How can they tell me how to live my life? They don't have to struggle with all I have to.” - John (27), elementary school teacher.
6. “I don't fit in. . . . These people are cultural misfits . . . I don't want to become like them” - Jennifer (29), Mother of two, raised in Southern California mega-church.
7. “I don't want to go to church. . . . [The leaders] really don't care about the people. It's all about building a big church with the young and the wealthy.” Ima (82), retired assistant to Pastors , women's speaker...
8. “It's easy for pastors to ask people to put time in at church. . . . They get paid to be there. I have to carve out time from my schedule.” - Ray (29), CDF Fire engineer, father of two.
9. “I believe in Jesus and want to be baptized. But I don't want to change my living situation.” - Roxanne (32), Married mother of two, living with another married man.
10. “I can't trust the leaders. It's like their paid to be nice. They don't know me. They don't want to know me.” - Brian (21), student, raised in church
11. “The church is just to d---- commercial . . . . They're always asking for money and trying to sell me stuff.” - Bob (62), semi- retired electrical engineer.
12. “I don't have to go to church to believe in God. . . I love God, but I hate the church” - Melissa (20), daughter of missionaries.
13. “I am spiritual, believe in God and pray daily though I don't go to church. Church is an angry place- even politically violent at times.” - Paul (52), entrepreneur and son of a mainline pastor.
14. “What's the point? Why should I go to church to sit in an auditorium of strangers to listen to a guy I don't know, tell me how to live a life that I don't even know if he's living?” - Scott (30), civil engineer with no church upbringing.

Culture, Culture, Culture

Scot,

Ok, here is something to chew on. Is the Gospel ever culture free? In other words, Jesus (the very definition of the Gospel) came to earth, lived, was crucified, and arose within a particular culture. God offered his own personal presence to a particular culture in the Old Testament as well. My question is not so much about the Gospel but about culture (though talking about a possibility or non-possibility of a culture-free Gospel would be fun).

A little analogy may help. At the office yesterday we were trying to connect with high speed internet access. Well, because of our location (we are in a wedge of Nashua with the town of Hollis on either side of us) we were having trouble with this connection. We signed up with Comcast cable (A Nashua domain) but when we attempted to access the internet, the modem tried to connect us to Charter cable (a Hollis domain). Somehow we have a mixed up connection. We need to get the proper connection going (matching the address with the appropriate cable company) so that the internet can do it's work.

I wonder if one of the struggles we have in church these days is this...we have failed to see that the Gospel is always intended to do its work in the culture of its day? I can have the good news about Jesus in my church but may not be speaking with our present-day culture. I have not matched up the Gospel with the current address and therefore the Gospel is hindered in doing its work. Worse yet, I may attempt to communicate the Gospel to a culture I think is there, but in actuality it may be a different one (I hook up my modem thinking I am connecting to Comcast when I am really connecting to Charter). I assume one culture, but it is actually another.

What do you think? Want to explore some thoughts about culture? No need to go too deep, just wanted see if you'd like to muse a little about the topic of culture...yesterday's culture as well as today and future culture and how our Gospel communicates and operates in our world. Are you game?


From Scot:

Yep! This is some good healthy stuff. Let's talk my friend!

Way to Go, Sister (in Law)!

My sister-in-law, Rebecca, just posted a wonderful reflection over on the Wineskins Blog. Check it out when you get an opportunity. It is a good meditative piece about the challenge to "be still and know that I am God." Here's a portion, read the rest on the Wineskins Blog:

Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Be Still??
by Rebecca

I spent the better part of Valentine’s Day with one of my dearest friends. We were in the oncology outpatient facility where she received, what we all hope, was her final chemotherapy treatment. There’s something about seeing a loved one - did I mention that she is only 37 years old? - hooked up to a machine administering toxic medication, that will bring you to your knees. As I watched the caring nurses bustling about, listened to the whispered conversations of other patients, and heard the whirring sound of the machines, I was struck by our complete human frailness. It was in that quiet cubicle, with the sounds of modern medicine all around me, that I felt the presence of my heavenly father.

You see, I’ve been thinking (A LOT) lately about Psalm 46:10 – you know the part where the Psalmist writes about being still. Why is that concept so hard for us? Are we afraid of what might happen in that stillness? Are we afraid that we might (gasp) actually “hear” our heavenly father? In my faith tradition, we don’t talk much about that concept. But why is it mentioned so often throughout scripture? If the savior of the universe needed to be alone in prayer (Matt. 26: 36 & 39), then why do we feel that we are too important to slow down – to be still?

I have a theory about that. In my professional life, I’m a college professor. I deal with theories and with college students regularly. This generation of students has difficulty with the concept of stillness. They walk around with MP3 players in one hand (and ear), a cell phone in the other, a laptop in their backpack, an X Box AND GameCube in their dorm rooms, and then we expect them to sit in a classroom and listen! I’m amused by this irony. Now don’t get me wrong – I’m hoping for an MP3 for my birthday, I’d be lost without my cell phone, and I’m writing this on my laptop. Just today, my two daughters informed me that they have saved enough of their allowance to “finally” (their word) buy a GameCube. So I’ve bought into this mentally as much as my students. My theory is that by constantly filling our time, often with wonderful, Godly activities, we fool ourselves into thinking that we are knowing God. Do you remember the second part of verse 10, “Be still, and know that I am God? It seems to me that we have convinced ourselves that by simply doing, we ARE knowing our heavenly father. Yet, and for me this is the kicker, the writer specifically says to first “be still” and then the knowing part comes. So is the stillness a prerequisite for knowing our God? I’m still working on that one....

Valentine's Day

Scot,

I'm sure you and I will get back to solving all the church and world problems tomorrow (ok, so I'm a little sarcastic there), but in honor of the special day that is today I thought I'd show my appreciation to some of those people who have made a difference in my life. I love these folks. In advance I will apologize to those I don't or forget to mention. This is no slight at all, you are loved.

George and Ruth Baker (my grandparents)--thanks for showing me what it means to leave your homeland (Texas) move to a new land (New Hampshire) for the sake of God's Kingdom. You let go of your biases and your comforts in order to help people to see Jesus. And you did this so unselfishly.

Decker and Ann Clark (my parents) --thanks for bringing me into this world and for showing me what it means to just love people no matter what. You've given yourself to the Leominster congregation for more than 40+ years. You have set the bar pretty high for my own ministry and life.

Peter and James Clark (my brothers) --What can I say! No better brothers do I have, and the golf is such a thrill! Now I just need to get you to start playing ice hockey. Oh...love the wives and kids too.

Leanne (my wife) --My one and only! Thanks for loving me in spite of myself and offering yourself over and over unselfishly to the family and to others. You amaze me with your energy and your enthusiasm. You have a deep well of love that knows no end. I look forward to growing old with you. And I know you'll get through college algebra this semester.

Devin and Drue (my sons) --I love you boys! I hope I can be a good father who shares our heavenly father's love with you. You have such a wonderful spirit and God is bringing out faith in you! It is great to share the love of sport and music with you.

My congregation in Nashua --What place of love! I see how you are loving God, loving our neighbors and loving each other and this gives me such joy! You have given me much grace and you and I share a journey towards/with Jesus that is a thrill. I never know what's coming next and I wouldn't have it any other way. I serve with some wonderful shepherds who are not afraid to ask good questions, to seek first God's kingdom, and be risk takers for the sake of the Gospel.

And there are so many others that I could express my love. Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't say, "I love you, my Lord!" You have called me into a romance beyond head knowledge. You challenge me to be like you and be willing to give love away without condition. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

OK...Enough mushy stuff. Tomorrow I promise to go back to waxing eloquently (or not) about church and culture, etc.

From Scot:

I enjoyed reading your post today, Paul.

I would like to encourage those who are reading this today to also post your thoughts about the people who are special to you.

Like you Paul, I could never mention everyone who has impacted my life. Therefore I'll only mention a few.

The lessons I've learned through my mom & dad (George & Theresa Poirier) are legion. Although my dad is no longer with us, he most certainly lives in my heart. I am thankful for the undying love my parents have shown me over the years. Their expressions of love, their sacrifice and their prayers have made all the difference for me. Thanks dad! Thanks, mom for being mom, and for showing me life in Christ! I love you both!

To my sweet sister Kim: your spirit is quiet and your love is great. I love you!

To my brother Michael: I love you!

To my cousin, Michele Bell who has really been more of a sister to me. I love your spirit, your undying love for your husband (Harold) and your lovely children, (Megan and Rebecca). I appreciate your love for God and your commitment to serve him. I love you!

Of course there's the love of my life-- Helen. What would I do without this strong (Polish) woman that the Lord has blessed me with. There has never been a time that I have ever felt unloved by you Helen. You make me feel like I'm the most important person to you. Wow, that's incredible Helen! Thanks for loving me even though you know everything about me. I love you and deeply appreciate you!

The apple of my eye is JP. Jessika has been a wonderful daughter and such a blessing from God. I remember finding a bookmarker-- you know, the ones that have a personal name on it with a definition of what that name means? Jessika's name means “God's grace.” What else can I say… Jessika, thank you for loving mom and me the way you do. It is an honor to be your daddy. Thank you for letting me share my faith with you. I am so proud of the person you are and I so much appreciate your love for Jesus and the example you are to me in loving others. I love you!

How could I not mention my church family in Chelmsford? I have been with this wonderful group of people for more than two years now. You have shown me again and again the love you have for both Helen and me (I'm sure this has a whole lot more to do with Helen, but I'll take it!) Thank you for your grace and acceptance and unconditional love. Thank you for sharing yourselves with me and for the privilege of allowing me to share myself with you. You have made this congregation a safe place for people of God to come and be the people of God. I love you!

Good Day

Good Saturday to you Paul.

I really appreciate the friendship Helen and I have. We woke up pretty early this morning (at least for a Saturday). We got up, showered and drove off by 7:30––both of us anticipating a good time together. We did one of our favorite things––we drove to Milford (a town near Merrimack) to one of our favorite breakfast spots (The Oval). As we expected we enjoyed good coffee, great panfries (the real one’s!) and good conversation. When the waitress brought coffee, Helen was quick to ask if they had “Sweet & Low (The pink packets- her preference) and “Splenda (the yellow packets- my preference). The waitress responded with a disappointing–– no. I would have been fine using the regular sugar or that “Equal” stuff (blue packet- no ones preference). But not Helen. She very nicely thanked the waitress, gently got up and went into our car (the one I typically drive) and came back with a dixie cup with several pink and yellow packets of fake sugar stuffed inside the cup (just a thought–– what would I do if I were colored blind? Man, life can be difficult sometimes). I just looked at her and smiled (actually I wondered where the dixie cup and packets came from, seeing how they were in the car I drive––oh well). We spoke about our daughter (Jessika), plans for a Fall vacation (25 year wedding anniversary), her work, my ministry and of course our banking situation. And for the most part, all is well.

I’m now doing some homework. The house is quite, and I noticed that Helen–– is sleeping again. What a great lady!

Enjoy your day!

From Paul:

You failed to mentioned what you did not do today! You didn't go to the prayer retreat. And you call yourself a spiritual Christian?! HA! Ok, I'll not go there because (here comes the confession), as you know, I was supposed to go with you and I called you last night to back out of going. When you said you were not able to go either, I felt good. If I am going to fail to pray and be spiritual today, it's good to have a partner in crime. There....confession is good for the soul.

I've had similar experiences this morning (except for the fact that I haven't left the house). It's been a nice family morning. I even made breakfast for the clan: pancakes with and without strawberries, bacon, toast, grits (Leanne's favorite) and fried eggs in bacon grease (my favorite).

It's been a good retreat for us (saying prayer at breakfast makes is "prayer retreat" doesn't it?). At times, saying "no" to the things which keep us busy (even church stuff) in order to allow time for the Holy Spirit to do its work in us can be one of the best spiritual practices in which we engage. And, a prayer retreat can also be one of those fulfilling spiritual practices. I am sure those who went today were very blessed. Intentional family time can be a spiritual blessing as well. I am discovering more and more that it's a matter of the heart and God-glorifying motivation that makes these times spiritual.

What a spiritual day you've had. Thanks for sharing. Enjoy the rest of it, my friend! I'm with Helen...I think I will take a nap later as well. Those fried eggs in bacon grease are making me tired (could it be my arteries are clogging?) HA!

From Scot:

Yes! Unexpected blessings are always good and always welcomed!

You know Paul, it's been years since I've had eggs in bacon fat... I always liked it though!

Enjoy your nap!

Above Charity and the Easy Button

From Paul:

Ok...don't make fun of me (I'm a sensitive guy, you know), but this morning I have been watching the TV show "Live With Regis and Kelly." Hey, it's my day-off and I worked hard shoveling snow this morning. This is the Valentine's Wedding program. It's the show where they choose a couple and give them the wedding of their dreams.

Anyway, the couple is from Peabody, MA. The handsome groom (once a hockey player, gotta love that) is bound by a wheelchair. The beautiful bride is a lovely and faithful partner who unselfishly helps him in his disability. This touched a lot of people. So, the producers of the show walked them outside after the wedding rehearsal and showed them a minivan. They opened the door and showed this couple a specially fitted van full of options to help the wheel-chair bound. It was the show's wedding gift to this couple....and the show is paying all the taxes and fees.

WOW! What charity! As you can guess, there was not a dry eye that day.

But as I watched what the producers did, a thought entered my head and I wanted to push it out. "Hey, this is what the show is supposed to do. This couple deserves it. They are not above receiving this gift." That's not the ugly thought, this is: they may not be above charity, but, am I?

Donald Miller says this about "grace":

"I love to give charity, but I don't want to be charity. This is why I have so much trouble with grace...I am too prideful to accept the grace of God. It isn't that I want to earn my own way to give something to God, it's that I want to earn my own way so I won't be charity. As I drove over the mountain that afternoon, realizing I was too proud to receive God's grace, I was humbled. Who am I to think I am above God's charity? And why would I forsake the riches of God's righteousness for the dung of my own ego?....In exchange for our humilty and willingness to accept the charity of God, we are given a kingdom. And a beggar's kingdom is better than a proud man's delusion."

This newly-married couple (they said their vows while I wrote this post) was not above charity, they recieved the gift so graciously. So, why do I think I am somehow above God's charity? I love grace, but it sure is a mystery to me. I guess that's why its called "grace."


From Scot:

Paul, It looks like we had a similar morning... no, no, not Regis and Kelly (I wouldn't watch that even on a sick day)! I'm talking about snow removal.

I appreciate your thoughts about how difficult it is for us to accept God's grace.

Here are my thoughts this morning"

Currently I’m taking a class at Harding Graduate school. One question I was recently asked was: “How do you persevere in ministry? (It’s a pretty good question) My answer? Significant relationships. This morning I’m thinking about how do Christians persevere? My answer is the same––significant relationships.

This morning I went outside with pick and shovel and with my [said with a deep voice] manly snow-blower, to chip away at the crunchy snow that accumulated over night. Here I was, outside in the wind and cold and my dominant thought was one of––warmth. I’m pretty thankful today for the significant relationships I have with other Christians. And you know, some of these relationships I’ve been thinking about this morning have been uplifting, enjoyable and down right fun! While others have been demanding, stressful and even challenging to say the least. In some cases these relationships have included the good aspects of relationship and the more difficult ones––all wrapped up in one little package.

There’s a commercial on TV that shows different scenarios of people in very difficult situations. As the main character of each scenario ponders what to do next, someone points out that they now have an “Easy Button.” All the person needs to do is press the “Easy Button” and all is–– easy!

Ah... yes, to have an “Easy Button. (Paul, I’d give your eye teeth to get that “Easy Button”)

As Christian people we often times find ourselves in difficult situations. Many times the difficulties we have are with other Christians. Wouldn’t it be nice to have an “Easy Button?” Well, for some Christians, the “Easy Button” is their bible.

This morning I’m thinking about what makes the significant relationships I have––significant. I promise you, at least in my situation that these relationships are not significant because either I or one of my friends pressed the “Easy Button” of the bible (that’s just to easy to do sometimes). These significant relationships are significant because I’m convinced that we are trying to put the face of Christ on how we relate with one another.

So, how do I persevere as a Christian?–– by having significant relationships with other Christians!

Hey Paul (I know I'm going to sound real sensitive and all) thanks for putting the face of Christ on our relationship!

Of course... I'm not saying this to INSINUATE that OUR relationship is built on the DEMANDING, STRESSFUL and even CHALLENGING aspects of some relationships. Oh no... our relationship is built on the UPLIFTING, ENJOYABLE and the down right FUN we have (boy, you almost had me here!). Especially when I get to beat you and someone who looks a lot like you on the B-Ball court!

I guess my motto for the day is–– no “Easy Buttons” allowed here!

God Bless your day, friend!

From Paul:

You are not above the charity of my friendship nor the charity I give you by allowing you to beat me in B-ball! HA! Appreciate and love you a lot, my friend. Thanks for encouraging me to live out the mystery of grace by commiting my life to the pursuit of significant relationships. This married couple today taught me that lesson as well.

Living For What We Believe

From Paul:

I have been meditating on Jesus' words in Matthew 7:24, "...Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is...." (See, told you I read the Bible) I like the Message Translation of these words: "These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build your life on."

Someone once said to me that what you believe is not what you say you believe; what you believe is what you do. I am learning that there may be something credible to this thought, especially in light of Jesus' words about putting his words (which I hope are my beliefs) into practice. And these beliefs about Jesus (his lifestyle and his teachings) cannot be just some kind of add-on to my life. They are my life! I must live for what I believe.

If I believe something about Jesus, I must act on it, or it isn't authentic belief. Oh, it may be belief of some sorts, but I am not sure it is good belief. It may be a false kind of belief. It may be a foolish belief (hence, the story of the wise and foolish builders in Matthew 7:24-27).

For instance, to say I believe something about Jesus and his grace means I have to live a grace-filled life. To say I believe something about Jesus and his compassion means I must live a compassionate life. To say I believe about Jesus and his perspectives on justice means I must live a life with Jesus' same heart for justice. Those are just a few beliefs, I'm sure there are many more. Can you think of any? My basic meditation was simply that just because I carry the name of Christ on my body (perhaps even on the sign on my church) doesn't neccesarily mean I am practicing Christian (yep, you read it correctly, this is not a typo).

My son brought this point home to me just yesterday. Drue (age 12) received an invite at school to attend an instructional night for ice hockey. Now, Drue is just learning the sport. But he believes he can play (and he can). But I knew that this activity was going to be way in front of his ability. Most of the kids who'd be there would have more talent, skill, and experience. In effect, this activity was sponsored by the two local high school's hockey coaches who were building prospects for their team a few years down the road. I was worried about Drue. I even tried to subtly talk him out of participating by using good fatherly "advice."

But he went anyway. And...yes, he found out that most of the kids were way ahead of him in talent, skill and and experience. Thank goodness a friend who is about the same ability participated with him. You need a friend like this at these times, don't you. But I am so proud of him!!! His belief about himself made him put his belief into practice. He actually had fun (which is why he went in the first place), though he said he never worked so hard on the ice before.

Funny, in many ways, he was more of an ice hockey player that day than I am Christian most days. He didn't perform just like the others. But performance is not the point. Practice is the point. And Drue encouraged me to practice my Jesus beliefs and not practice my false or foolish ones (you know, some of those beliefs like the ones that say I am the most important person in the world, or that I am a self-centered, ego-driven religionist who is actually insecure and fearful. I know those beliefs because I too often spend more time focusing on my physical needs or protecting my status or reputation than loving my God or my neighbor).

I wonder if God is as proud of me as I was of Drue last night? I think I know the answer to that one...

Oh well, back to reading my bible. It's amazing what I discover when I let Jesus speak and read my life. I may just have to read some more of this stuff.

Scot, hope you are feeling better today.


From Scot:

Hey Paul,

I’m feeling much better today. I even felt good enough to have some good Mexican food for lunch! Aaahhhh!

I really enjoyed your post today my friend. I’ve been meditating on the concept of what it means to live what you believe as well. What a challenge for us. Saying is very different than doing, isn’t it? One thing’s for sure, if we act on what we believe God wants us to do and be, we will undoubtedly be challenged. Satan will not sit by idly as we actively take God at His word.

Oh, and by the way, get used of getting more lessons from your kids. It’s one of God’s many ways of getting our attention!

More Holiness Stuff

From Scot:

On this idea of God’s holiness–– it does put us in a precarious position doesn’t it? After all, God is God and we’re not. Paul, I recall a song you shared with me from Philips, Craig and Dean. the lyrics go like this:

You are not a God created
By human hands.
You are not a God dependent
On any mortal man.
You are not a God in need of
Anything we could we give.
By your plan that’s just the way it is.

You are God alone!
From before time began
You were on Your throne
You were God alone

And right now,
In the good times and bad
You are on Your throne
You are God alone.

You’re the only God who’s power
None can contend.
You’re the only God who’s name and
Praise will never end.
You’re the only God who’s worthy
Of everything we can give.

You are God and that’s just the way it is!
Unchangeable,
Unshakable,
Unstoppable
That’s what you are!

You are God alone.

Sometimes it’s hard to let God be God alone. For some of us, the temptation is to form and shape God by our own human hands (minds)–– making Him a reflection of ourselves. For others it’s tempting to define God or to hold Him in one place through rules, regulations and teachings which are “rules taught by men” (the human mind). For it was Jesus who quoted Isaiah and said, “These people honor me with their lips, but there hearts are far from me.”

When I think about the holiness of God, I think about God being unchangeable, unshakable and unstoppable by any force–– human or spiritual!

When I think about God allowing us to see and find His holiness–– I’m speechless. Oh, I can see it, perhaps to some extent reach out and grab onto it, but to fully understand or contain it–– hmm.

My desire is to continue walking with Jesus, allowing his holiness to reign in and to change my life. And I plan on inviting those around me to join me on this adventurous journey as we together seek and live in the kingdom of God!

From Paul:

Yeah, I agree. To me, your last statement is exactly why we have to let God be God alone and then humbly allow Him to use us (his Body-his Church) as his instrument for his Kingdom building (note, we don't build the Kingdom, God does). And "how" we invite people is directly connected with letting God be God alone.

You shared a song with me, here is another book quote (I know, I know, you keep telling me to get my head out of a book). I came across this quote while reading Mike Cope's Blog and so I ordered the book. This comes from Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch's THE SHAPING OF THINGS TO COME:

"A useful illustration is to think of the difference between wells and fences. In some farming communities, the farmers might build fences around their properties to keep their livestock in and the livestock of neighboring farms out. This is a bounded set. But in rural communities where farms or ranches cover an enormous geographic area, fencing the property is out of the question. In our home of Australia, ranches (called stations) are so vast that fences are superfluous. Under these conditions a farmer has to sink a bore and create a well, a precious water supply in the Outback. It is assumed that livestock, though they will stray, will never roam too far from the well, lest they die. This is a centered set. As long as there is a supply of clean water, the livestock will remain close by.

"Churches that see themselves as a centered set recognize that the gospel is so precious, so refreshing that, like a well in the Australian Outback, lovers of Christ will not stray too far from it. It is then a truly Christ-centered model. Rather than seeing people as Christian or non-Christian, as in or out, we would see people by their degree of distance from the center, Christ. In this way, the missional-incarnational church sees people as Christian and not-yet-Christian. It acknowledges the contribution of not-yet-Christians to Christian community and values the contribution of all people. Jesus' faith community was clearly a centered set, with him at the center. . . . There was a rich intersection of relationships with some nearer the center and others further away, but all invited to join in the kingdom-building enterprise. If the modern church followed this biblical model, the church would be more concerned with relationships than with numbers."

It seems biblical and right to me that if we let God be God alone then we'll be more concerned about digging wells, drinking deeply from it, and inviting others to come enjoy the clean, living water. We'll be less concerned about building fences. I like this appproach. It lets God be in charge. It takes us off the throne. It lets God be unstoppable and encourages us to join him in his Kingdom building enterprise. We build fences because we think that we are somehow upholding God's holiness. It seems to me that a well connects us and others to God's holiness better than a fence.

I'll stop there. However, before I go, did I tell you about this good book I am reading? HA! Just kidding. But really, I am reading a good book. You ought to read it some time. It's called (drum roll please).....the Bible. Gotcha! Just teasing, my friend. Have a great day and I hope you are feeling better. (note that this last paragraph was typed with great saracasm except for my sincere hope that you get well). I do read the Bible you know. :-)

The Rescue and The Relationship: A Story

Scot...to add one more thing to today's conversation. Again, from Donald Miller and his book, Blue Like Jazz:

"A long time ago I went to a concert wtih my friend Rebecca....Between songs, he (a folksinger) told a story that helped me resolve some things about God.

The folksinger said his friend (a Navy SEAL) was performing a covert operation, freeing hostages from a building in some dark part of the world. His friend's team flew in by helicopter, made their way to the compound and stormed into the room where the hostages had been imprisoned for months. The room, the folksinger said, was filthy and dark. The hostages were curled up in a corner, terrified.

When the SEALs entered the room, they heard the gasps of the hostages. They stood at the door and called to the prisoners, telling them they were Americans. The SEALs asked the hostages to follow them, but the hostages wouldn't. They sat there on the floor and hid their eyes in fear. They were not of healthy mind and didn't believe their rescuers were really Americans.

The SEALs stood there, not knowing what to do. They couldn't possibly carry everybody out. One of the SEALs, the folksingers friend, got an idea. He put down his weapon, took off his helmet, and curled up tightly next to the other hostages, getting so close his body was touching some of theirs. He softened the look on his face and put his arm around them. He was trying to show them he was one of them. None of the prison guards would have done this.

He stayed there for a little while until some of the hostages started to look at him, finally meeting his eyes. The Navy SEAL whispered that they were all Americans and were there to rescue them. Will you follow us? he said. The hero stood to his feet and one of the hostages did the same, then another, untill all of them were willing to go. The story ends with all the hostages safe on an American aircraft carrier."

I like Miller's summary remark (in this comment I hear the difference between religion and relationship as well): "I never liked it when the preachers said we had to follow Jesus. Sometimes they would make Him sound angry. But I liked the story the folksinger told. I liked the idea of Jesus becoming man so that we would be able to trust Him and I like that He healed people and loved them and cared deeply about how people were feeling."

God's Holiness

From Scot:

I was struck this morning by this quote from Max Lucado- “And God Came Near”

“He came, not as a flash of light or as an unapproachable conqueror, but as one whose first cries were heard by a peasant girl and a sleepy carpenter. The hands that first held him were unmanicured, calloused, and dirty.
No silk. No ivory. No hype. No party. No hoopla.
Were it not for the shepherds, there would have been no reception. And were it not for a group of stargazers. there would have been no gifts.
Angels watched as Mary changed God’s diaper. The universe watched with wonder as The Almighty learned to walk. Children played in the street with him. And had the synagogue leader in Nazareth known who was listening to his sermons...
Jesus may have had pimples. He may have been tone-death. Perhaps a girl down the street had a crush on him or vice-versa. It could be that his knees were bony. One thing’s for sure; He was, while completely divine, completely human.”

It seems to me Paul that what we are really confessing is that the holiness of God can be found.

From Paul:

Hey, my friend! Thanks for sharing this with me. It tracks with where I have been meditating the past couple of days. This quote (this book for that matter) helped change my view of Christ. Reading this book back in the 1980's, caused me to go back and look at Jesus again. I had looked at Jesus through the rule and regulations of religion. I thought I was having fun. I thought spirituality was developing inside me. But perspectives like this one made me run back to my Bible to look at Jesus again.

He came to earth to practice and live in relationship with others. God's holiness can be touched. And it is touched through relationship not through religion (or the way we commonly view religion). Wouldn't you agree? Even the Old Testament points out that the simplistic activity of religion will not access God's holiness. God sought relationship with his people even back then.

I have started reading a rather interesting book: Blue Like Jazz, Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality. Donald Miller says this about religion:

"For me, however, there was a mental wall between religion and God. I could walk around inside religion and never on any sort of emotional level, understand that God was a person, an actual Being with thoughts and feelings and that sort of thing. To me, God was more of an idea. It was something like a slot machine, a set of spinning images that dolled out rewards based on behavior and, perhaps, chance....What I was doing was more in line with superstition than spirituality. But it worked. If something nice happened to me, I thought it was God, and if something nice didn't, I went back to the slot machine, knelt down in prayer, and pulled the lever a few more times. I like this God very much because you hardly had to talk to it and it never talked back. But the fun never lasts."

We can fall in love with the idea of God (religion) rather than God himself (relationship). Ouch! But God has alway wanted relationship with us. Why do I allow religion to get in the way of God and his holiness? Because I like things the way they are. If I allowed God into my life, and touched his holiness, then perhaps I'd have to change some things about my life and also alter my religious practices. I think it is fun to keep things the way they are, to keep God at a distance by simply practicing religion. But quess what? This isn't fun. And I'm not sure God is enjoying it either.

Super Bowl!!!

From Paul:

Final Score: Pats- 24 and the Eagles- 21. Wow! You almost got it right. Way to go, my friend.

It is a beautiful morning here in New England. The sun has brightly risen. The sky is blue with hardly a cloud in the sky...AND THE PATRIOTS ARE SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS!!!!!!

I don’t know what to do with myself; I don’t think New Englanders know what to do either. A consistently winning football team and a baseball World Series winner the past fall.....is this what it feels like to move from the wilderness wandering into the promised land??!! HA!

But isn't that what we all want: to leave our wanderings and live in the land flowing with milk and honey. Though I doubt that God cares much about Super Bowl Championships, I am glad that He desires to bring his children from slavery into freedom. And...I guess it's okay to say THANK YOU to the Patriots as well for the sweet honey we tasted last night.


From Scot:
Good morning Paul. Hey... I was pretty close on the score prediction for the Super Bowl!
...Way to go Pats!!

Achieving great things using our own strength is rewarding, isn’t it? I’m sure that the Patriots team (players, coaches, owners) are still in celebration of the great Super Bowl victory they experienced last night.

Like you Paul, I’m reflective this morning thinking about the idea of slavery and freedom as well.

I had the opportunity to share a message with my congregation yesterday about strength and weakness. I like having STRENGTH! and I loath my WEAKNESSES! Yet, many times God chooses the weak things in our lives to achieve great things for his kingdom.

Although I had an opportunity to share a message with my congregation yesterday, they shared a message with me as well. During the message the congregation had an opportunity to share how God has worked in their weakness to bring about His powerful blessings. It was encouraging and inspiring for me to hear from several of my brothers and sisters share with the rest of us how God’s strength in the midst of weakness brought them victory and freedom from their slavery! Hearts overflowed with emotion and joy as we recalled God’s strength in our lives.

You know Paul, what we really did yesterday was brag about the Lord! Ah,yes, I like strength... the Lord is our strength!

The Contemporary English Version of 1 Corinthians 1:27-31 says it well:

But God chose the foolish things of this world to put the wise to shame. He chose the weak things of this world to put the powerful to shame. What the world thinks is worthless, useless, and nothing at all is what God has used to destroy what the world considers important. God did all this to keep anyone from bragging to him. You are God's children. He sent Christ Jesus to save us and to make us wise, acceptable, and holy. So if you want to brag, do what the Scriptures say and brag about the Lord.

A Blessed Sunday

From Paul and Scot:

I (Paul) woke up this morning with this song in my head. May these lyrics provide you as much joy as they do for us. May our worship today be all about blessing the Name of our Lord. May it not be about us. Blessed Be Your Name.

Blessed be your name in a land that is plentiful
Where your streams of abundance flow,
Blessed be your name.

Blessed be your name when I’m found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be your name.

Every blessing you pour out I turn back to praise.
When the darkness closes in Lord,
still I will say,

Blessed be the name of the Lord,
Blessed be your Name.
Blessed be the name of the Lord,
Blessed be your glorious name.

New Wineskins Magazine and Blog

From Paul:

I want to tell you about two wonderful resources to aid you in your Christian journey. New Wineskins Magazine is an on-line resource. This on-line magazine shares some thought provoking articles and reflections on Christ, community, culture, and life. www.wineskins.org

Another resource, connected to this magazine, is the Wineskins web log (or Wineskins Blog). You can read daily entries in this on-line journal and also offer your own comments. I have been invited by the editor, Greg Taylor, to share some reflections on that site and I hope to do so every now and then. There are some wonderful Christian writers and thinkers from across the country who will be participating in this journaling experience. My sister-in-law, Rebecca Clark, will be one of those writers. wineskins.blogspot.com

I hope you have a great weekend! Don't forget to become lost in "wonder, love, and praise" on Sunday (to quote the old worship song).

Snow Day

Hey Scot, How about the snow that fell last night? Beautiful stuff! Not much fell at my house, about 3 inches, but it was heavy...a lot of moisture. Wow, it took a lot of energy and effort to clear it off the driveway. If I didn't practice my snow shoveling skills, it would have frozen tonight on the driveway and turned to crusty ice.

Uh Oh...I feel a metaphorical thought coming on (you know me, I tend to think in symbols and metaphors). Now, don't take this too far, and I haven't fleshed this out in detail, but....

I wonder if this beautiful Body that God gave us (and I am not talking about your body or mine...we're not gonna go there) needs to be worked with if it is going to exhibit its beauty? Or can the church, the Body of Christ, become crusty and heavy and even frozen if we don't engage in practices that keep the Body beautiful and useful for God and his mission? And I think certain practices are better than others. Some practices don't help the Body to carry out its calling. Some practices only cause us to become crusty, heavy, and frozen...of little use to God.

What might one of those unhealthy practices be? How about the practice of lecturing rather than listening. As you shared yesterday, if we are going to be vulnerable and risk "knowing and being known" then we must practice listening and not lecturing. Authentic hospitality IS listening not lecturing. And I think the Gospel gets shared more fully and responsibly with the stranger by listening than by lecturing anyway.

Ok, I'll stop. I have to go finish shoveling snow. Hey...speaking of hospitality, this is one practice that fits here. Why don't you come on over, stranger Scot, and I'll give you a shovel and you can practice hospitality with me? Oh...sorry, that's not the point is it?!

From Scot:
Hey Paul, you're on your own on the shoveling thing!

So good to see you putting your back into something. I used to shovel snow when I was a young man. Ah yes... but know that I'm old my wife is fearful that I'll hurt myself or something-- so, last year we bought a snow-blower. While you were shoveling that heavy white stuff this morning, I was feeling real manly snow-blowing the three or so inches of white stuff off my driveway. It can be good getting older!

I appreciate your metaphorical thoughts about the Body of Christ engaging in activities that help to keep the Body strong, vibrant, beautiful and useful for God's mission. It is always worthwhile to ask what practices we engage in that help the Body, and what practices that may cause the Body to "become crusty, heavy and frozen." Of course the hard thing is getting rid of the practices that cause the Body to become crusty, heavy and frozen!

Speaking about snow... this kind of wet snow is perfect for making snowmen!

Enjoy!

From Paul:
And perfect snow for snowball fights. Oh, sorry. Can Christians have fights with each other? :-) (Did I say that I have a sarcastic side to me!)

A Hospitality Story: Use The Silverware

Greg Taylor recounts a conversation he had with his painter. It struck me as a hospitality-type story:

We had a painter come and re-finish our kitchen cabinets last week with a varnish called "boat coat" that is used for sea-worthy vessels. There is a creek behind our house, but we don't expect it to rise that high and hope our kitchen is never sea-worthy.

The painter, Ron, told me this story:

He went to a multi-million dollar house to paint. A woman, crying, met him at the door. As they walked down the hall, she kept crying.

"What's the matter?" Ron said.

"Nothing," the woman said.

"Stop, now, something's obviously wrong; would you like to talk about it?"

"I don't even know you," the woman said.

"Well maybe talking to someone would help; can we sit down?"

They sat down in the living room and she told him the reason she was crying was because she was lonely, had no friends. He asked did she know any of her neighbors? Does she have a church she attends?

"Churches just want my money," she said.

"Why don't you find some place that doesn't want your money," Ron said. She looked surprised, as if she doubted such a place exists.

"Let me ask you something about your silverware," Ron said.

She stared at him in disbelief. "What does my silverware have to do with anything?"

"You need to start wearing it out."

"That's eighty thousand dollars worth of silverware!"

"Well you need to start using it. You live in a gated community . . . I've been in many of these houses and there's many people who feel alone. Get together with them. Maybe even start a Bible study and tea time."

Months later Ron saw the woman at his Baptist church. He's not only a painter but also sings in the choir. He saw her in the crowd and couldn't wait to rush down afterwards and talk to her. She was happier than ever, had started a small gathering of women in her community and was searching for that church that didn't care about her money.

Ron then said to me, "I'm in a lot of homes and you never know what a word or taking a brief moment with someone can do, and I learn from seeing families interact, too."

Essential, Intentional Church Practices

From Paul:
OK...To get us started with a few thoughts about essential, intentional church practices, I'll throw one out there and see what you think. Here it is: HOSPITALITY. I think that opening our lives to "the stranger" is an essential part of our church DNA. Hospitality is not, "let me get my house clean before you come over." Being hospitable is, "come in, sit down, let me move this pile of clothes out of the way. Now...How are you? I want to listen to you."

So, Scot, what would be one positive opportunity or benefit that results from being hospitable and also what would be one potential challenge or barrier we face in attempting to be a people of hospitality? How does this practice help us fight against compartmentalizing our life?

I'll share this: a resulting benefit is that community of joy, not isolated loneliness, is experienced and shared. Joy results when we are drawn out of ourselves, when we reach out beyond ourselves and offer ourselves to another person. A potential barrier would be our suspicion of strangers. We are taught almost from the beginning of life to shy away from people. Certainly discernment is needed when relating to people, but I think our "fear" of people inhibits our hospitality.

BTW, what is your prediction for the Super Bowl score?

From Scot:
Good question to ponder, Paul. Now, when I think about hospitality the first thought I usually have is inviting someone into my home. However, hospitality is really inviting someone (an acquaintance or a stranger) into one's own life and taking the time to enter into the life of someone else. Ooh... Now that's a little different! I don't mind having someone over the house for a little while... but to invite them into my life or to enter in some way into their lives?

The positive aspect of being hospitable, in the sense I've described above is our willingness to open ourselves up to "know" (others) and to be "known" (by others). Ironically enough, the reality of opening our lives up to "know" and to be "known" are also challenging because of the vulnerability and risk of opening ourselves enough to "know" and to be "known."

As Christ-surrendered people there is no place for compartmentalization. Christ-surrendered people are Christ-surrendered because they are deliberate about who they live for! This is true in all aspects of our life. We are Christ-surrendered in the church, in our homes and in our little private world as well.

ok... shifting now!

Go Pats!!!

Pats score= 26
Eagles score= 16

From Paul:
My New England suspicious nature won't allow me to predict a score. I feel like I will jinx the Patriots if I get too optimistic (must be the Red Sox fan coming out too!) The Pats will win--I think, I hope, I believe, I wish.....Arghh!

Day three

Paul, in thinking about what you said yesterday... I'm wondering how to deal with the stuff in my life that tends to get in the way of the important things. I know that if I’m not careful it’s easy to compartmentalize life. I have my “family” life, my “church” life and then I have my “private” life. Perhaps this is where I (we) have some difficulty with the many things that compete with the important things in living a Christ-surrendered life.

It makes sense to me that if I live in my “now,” having the proper perspective (having the end in clear view) I can get out of the mind-set of compartmentalizing my life and start living it more deliberately. In so doing it is possible that I can deal with setbacks and sufferings; my faults and others faults in a way that reflects this Christ-surrendered life.

I believe that I am loved by, redeemed by, and destined to walk with my Lord who has the knowledge of the end from the beginning. This not only says something about my confidence in the future but says a lot about how I should be using my time (life) now!

Scot, It may have something to do with our view of christianity too. I hear Jesus challenging me to "lose myself" for the sake of God's Kingdom. Perhaps if I see Christianity as simply one add-on to my life, then I get to keep my agenda, my plans, my priorites. I get to keep my life. And Christianity (which usually gets reduced to Sunday religion) then becomes simply one of many options for my life.

But, what if I come to see God and his life as the totality of my being (seek first the Kingdom and his righteousness, Jesus said)? That is the goal I strive for. Then the temptation to compartmentalize my life gets refocused. I hear the apostle Paul speaking loudly: "I have been crucified with Christ and now I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." I find myself by losing myself. Actually, I no longer worry about finding myself.

What a challenge, but what potential joy!

The Second Day....

From Paul:
Well...a second day for blogging. It's amazing to me how this blogging experience takes energy and intentionality if it is going to become a permanent part of my routine. The important things do take work, don't they. So many things, mostly good things too, fight their way for my interest and attention.

Hmmm. I wonder if my experience with church is similar? Perhaps we become distracted or focus on some things, even good things, while the other important things take a back seat. Could it be time for us to become intentional about those things that are essential and important to us?! What about those things God needs to be in us so that he can use us for his mission? What might those things be? Stay tuned.....I have some ideas. Perhaps you do too.

From Scot:
Yeah, intentionality... it really does make a difference in how or why I do what I do. I can relate to interruptions of the many “good things” that make it hard for the important things I’ve identified in my life. Now, I’d be comfortable leaving it right here... But, no! you have to bring the experience of church to the forefront. Thanks a lot Paul. I like to live in my denial... Oh well.