Missionaries

Nothing deep today just a few thoughts.

Yesterday I helped Jason, our missionary to Africa (and one of my close friends), pack his families things in preparation to ship them oversees. The whole time I was asking myself if I could do it. Could I pick up and move to the other side of the world? Twice I have moved my family to unknown places (unknown to us) to minister to others. Both moves required living apart from family, moving to a new state, making new friends, and starting from scratch. But oversees?

I guess that is why some people are so intimidated by missionaries. It’s hard to understand what drives them. It’s easy to look at them as super spiritual, other level Christians who have some direct connection to God. In fact missionaries are just people who put one foot in front of the other. It’s kind of funny when you think about it. 2/3 of God’s name is GO, yet most of us will not even cross the street or worse yet the office hallway to minister to others. It’s kind of like the guy begging for change at the stoplight. As long as you don’t make eye contact you don’t have to feel guilty right? For a group of people who worship a homeless man on Sunday we sure are comfortable in our homes the rest of the week.

In the long run missionaries make us feel good about ourselves. If someone else is doing it we don’t have to. As long as one person makes the decision ever so often we feel justified, like we are doing our part by sending some else. We use words like “specialist” and “training” and even “cultural awareness” but in the end for most it’s about comfort. Stepping out, wither it’s across the world or across the street, is hard to do. It’s painful, uncomfortable, uncontrollable, unpredictable, and wonderful. It is fear and comfort, love and hate, powerless and powerful all in one. It’s….surrender. Stepping out in faith is a surrender of your will and an adoption of Gods will. It is you laying down your fear and picking up God’s powerful plan of salvation all at once. Its pure poetry at it’s finest. And the kicker is, God values stepping out across the street as much as across the world. Changing the world just starts with changing your world.

May you step out. May you worship the God of great journeys. May your next step be your first step. May you be brave enough to make eye contact.

Salvation

This morning as I was studying for some upcoming lessons I ran across a quote I loved from theologian John Stott’s book “Understanding the Bible”

“…the word “salvation” has become for many a source of embarrassment, even an object of ridicule. We need to rescue it from the narrow concept to which we have often debased it. For “salvation” is a big and noble word…Salvation is freedom. Yes, and renewal too; ultimately the renewal of the whole cosmos.”

This challenged me today. Not because I do not believe him but because I begin to really think about how the word salvation has been squandered by many Christians. It would seem there have been many planned and unplanned things Christians have done to screw up the PR of the word salvation.

As a full time minister I have been to lots of seminars and heard lots of nationally known speakers talk about using more “seeker” friendly words in church services. What they asses is that many non-Christians are not familiar with the often used vocabulary of Christian circles. We use all kind of very important sounding words. Words that are common in circles of faith hold little or no understood value in other circles. If you have ever been around Christians long you know what I mean. Over centuries they have developed their own culture. They have their own bookstores, their own music, their own website, even their own clothing brands. Christians have inadvertently retreated into their own “safe” world.

For me I agree and disagree with people who propose we use more “seeker” friendly words. I agree that we need to come out our Christian ghetto (as many call it). I agree that we need to be sensitive to those who do not know our “lingo” but I also fear that in our zeal to be more understood we have watered down some very important biblical principles. The word salvation sounds very churchie, but is in fact one of the main themes of the bible. Salvation has a much deeper meaning than merely forgiveness from sin. Salvation is God’s plan to redeem the very culture that rejected Him. Salvation is the deliverance from sin (a life outside God) to holiness (a life in God).

So let’s be careful which words we choose to stop using and let’s remember that helping others understand our unique words and phrases does not mean we have to stop using those words. Let’s reclaim the word salvation from the pile of words we perceive as outdated and use it to transform all of Gods creation into a redeemed creation.

May you understand God is perusing you. May you feel His breath on your neck as he peruses you wherever you wonder. May you never deny His love for you. May you accept His salvation for you all the days of your life. May you never be afraid to talk about your salvation, even if you have to use “unpopular” words.

Disappointment

This morning I woke up disappointed about something that recently happened. It reminded me of something I wrote last year.

It seems to me that there are two kinds of disappointments in life. Gut wrenching, life shaping disappointment and wary disappointment. Gut wrenching disappointment is just what it sounds like. It is the disappointment that brings grief. This type of disappointment is the realization of lost dreams, lost hope, lost relationship or lost potential. It is this form of disappointment that causes some in humanity to turn against themselves. When someone loses hope their life is lost. I’m not talking about suicide, although many people who commit suicide have done so out of lost hope. Instead I am talking about life lived without hope, emotional suicide. This hope lost experience produces a dreary, lifeless march through time with out purpose.

The other type of disappointment is wary disappointment. This type of disappointment might stem from the same circumstances but is more of a postponement of dreams. It is unique in its structure because it retains some hope in its nucleus. It is not the crushing of a dream but a delay. This disappointment does not lead to emotional death but instead emotional advancement. It sounds contrary, but this type of disappointment builds strength as if the postponement of a dream actually makes the vision stronger and more viable. Some might call this false hope but I believe it is the beginning of greatness. I believe this postponement of a dream can be the tadpole of a bigger dream. It is not dead, only growing. When the time is right, this disappointment will become a great triumph in a life lived in hope. I realize how funny what I am saying is. I am actually saying that something that begins as a defeat, with real pain, real disappointment and real sorrow can end up contributing to the greatest victory yet.
While it is easy to think, “God is not present when I hurt” or “God does not answer my prayers” Sometimes God is actually doing a greater work in our disappointment then in our victories. Someone once said, “Simplicity on this side of understanding is useless, simplicity on the other side of understanding is priceless.” Simply put we cannot learn to savor victory without first tasting defeat. This defeat most often comes in disappointment. When we are defeated the natural reaction is to turn to God in anger. When we win the natural reaction is to turn to our abilities. Without some defeat we would not understand how to turn to God in all our victories. This learning process is “simplicity on the other side of understanding” and is the hardest spiritual discipline to learn. There is this writer in the bible called James who once wrote, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers whenever you face trails of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” I used to hate that verse because I thought is meant “life’s tough, get used to it”. Many well meaning Christians would have you believe that’s what the verse means. But now the verse means more to me than that. When I read that verse while disappointed I see something more. Instead of seeing an uncaring unsympathetic God I see an involved God who loves me enough to let disappointment form me. I see a God who wants to teach us to stop devouring life and its experience. I see how God wants us to savor life, to enjoy its taste, smell its sweetness, and see its flavor. In order to push away from the table of life full and satisfied we must also have pushed away disappointed and unsatisfied at times.

As crazy as it sounds, may you be disappointed soon. May God use a disappointment to shape you into her image. May you grow and stretch through some disappointment. May you become someone better because of some let down you experience. May you “consider it pure joy” when you can see and feel God shaping you through disappointment.

The way of the wolf

Last night after a late meeting I flopped on the bed and turned the TV on. I realize TV rots your brain, but sometimes after a long day you need something that you don’t have to think about. So I was relaxing watching Animal planet, and I saw an amazing documentary about wolves. Some guy (he was actually well known I just forgot his name) studied a wolf pack for many years. The documentary kept talking about all the new things they where discovering about wolves. The first “surprising” discovery is that wolves are supremely family oriented. Every action that the wolves are involved in revolved around family. One of the wolves, the alpha female had 3 wolf cubs. As soon as the cubs where born the whole wolf pack started howling, and literally dancing for joy. The whole pack celebrated the arrival of the new family members. When the cubs where old enough to come out of the den the entire pack dedicated themselves to raising the cubs. While the cubs mom was involved with them, every wolf in the pack took turns watching, teaching, and playing with the cubs. Every member of the pack disciplined them when they where out of line and every member of the pack played with them and taught them important skills like hunting. Every member of the pack had a role in raising the cubs.

This really got me thinking about our society. As a full time youth minister I don’t see communities coming together like that often. I do see teens abandoned by there parents. Maybe not physically, that would be illegal, but emotionally and especially spiritually. Every day I see teens who’s parents are so wrapped up in their own lives that they leave their teens to fend for themselves emotionally. I have called parents before to tell them about some problem with their teen and actually heard, “I don’t have time to deal with this. I have problems of my own”. In fact, I have spent the last two days trying to contact a parent whose teen has been coming to church high and I almost know for a fact the parent is avoiding me. If I cannot tell them about the problem then, for them, it does not exist.

I realize it’s becoming increasingly popular to talk about “how bad our society is” especially in “Christian” circles but where have we as a culture gone wrong when the most basic forms of Gods creation (animals) can out parent us? Personally I think its Christians fault… You heard me right, I don’t blame the “liberal media” or TV or “evil” rock n roll or even Bill Clinton. I blame Christians.

Jesus says in Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt looses its saltiness, how can it be made good again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled.”

Salt was used to preserve meat in ancient times. In fact a properly cured piece of meat could last up to a year. What I think Jesus is saying here is the meat (the world) will go bad without preservatives. It’s the salt’s responsibility to keep the meat from going bad. It’s what salt is for. So, if a piece of meat is left untreated and goes bad why should we be surprised? It’s the salts job to preserve the meat. If the meat (the world) has gone bad it the salts (Christians) fault for not doing their job.

So the next thing you might say is, “So you think its Christians job to save the world?” No. I think its Christians responsibility to point others to who can save the world…Jesus Christ the son of the creator God.

May your family be like the wolf. May America adopt the way of the wolf. May all of creation stop and rejoice when someone is born. May we value our role to our children (even those who are not ours). May we one day be salt again.

Warrior Poet

“Warrior poet” The word evokes lots of images. The first is that of a mighty warrior dripping in sweat and blood muscles taught, their hands white from gripping their weapon in battle so tight, rage in their eyes, nostrils flaring, feet shoulder length apart waiting for the next attack. The second is a much gentler image. It is that of a poet, a lover of life. A scholarly look upon their face as they gaze into a piece of paper pen in hand.

The two could not be more different. The warrior ready for battle, the poet softly contempletating the world from a different viewpoint. A warrior is someone who resists the will to flee a poet is someone who see’s the world through softer eyes. A warrior kills a poet saves.

King David of the Bible was a warrior poet. Some times he was all warrior and other times he was all poet. When he was most effective for God he was both. Check out Psalms 27:3 one of David’s psalms (a psalm is a song or poem) to God.

“Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will know no fear. Even if they attack me, I remain confident. The one thing I ask of the Lord-the thing I seek most-is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.”

Now that guy knew what he was fighting for, the original purpose driven life. As a Christian I sometimes forget to be a warrior poet. It’s too easy to just declare war on others; it’s much harder to see the poetry within them. Donald Miller in his book “Searching for God knows what” says when we declare war on something we are only left with two choices: lock it up or kill it. I’m tired of warrior Christians. I pray for more warrior poets. We need Christians willing to die in battle, but not a battle against people, a battle for people. Too many mainstream Christians are killing the very hostages they should be trying to save. But more on that later…. Are you a warrior or a warrior poet? May the everlasting God of all creation reveal to you today the answer to that question.

First time for everything

Ok, so I am trying this whole blog thing out. To be honest it seems really pretentious. It’s got a kind of, “listen to me I’ve got something important to say”. I hate pretentious people and pretentious religious people make me want to scream. So let’s start this experiment out right.

Here are reasons why I have nothing important to say.

1. I am no better than you; I just own a computer that I can type on.
My thoughts are no more important than yours. (I know this screams post-modernism to say this but I really don’t feel any more important than you. Just because I have e-mail and an internet connection does not mean I have something “BIG” to say.)

2. I am a horrible speller. I know this one seemingly does not relate to why I am no better than you, but hear me out. Our society values smart people. People who can type fast, spell well, and tie their own shoes without falling over somehow advance further in American society. I can’t spell, I type with 3 fingers, and don’t know 9x9 off the top of my head.

3. I got great grades in the 2nd grade (the 2nd time I took it). For an explanation of why I had to take the 2nd grade twice see #2 above.

4. I got a 4.0 in my “Beginners Greek" class in Bible College. Granted it was the 3rd time I took this intro course. (If I can’t spell in English what makes you think I can spell in Greek?)

5. My feet sometimes smell. I hate perfect looking people and people with body odor usually turn others away, so before you read any further you should know my feet sometime smell like a dead dog in a Jr high boy’s locker room.

There, that felt good. We can call it cyber therapy. Not only did I not have to lie on a couch, but it was free, and you learned something in the process. It’s a win/win.