desperate?

working on a sermon for a few weeks from now – curious… where are you most desperate right now?

 

movement does not equal fruit

i was challenged today by a mentor with something very simple.  he shared the seven fundamental aspects of nature with me – characteristics that any living thing has – and then applied them to being spiritually alive.  certainly, the agricultural metaphor would be welcomed by Jesus, who always used them himself.  here they are:

movement.  respiration.  nutrition.  growth.  sensitivity.  excretion.  reproduction.

now, a lot to be said, but the essential is that in our spiritual lives, nutrition and respiration bring us life… which translates to growth.  along the way is movement with pushes us towards reproduction (read: fruit).  excretion is the process of spiritual pruning (see John 15).  now, here is the key for me, which was the challenge.

in our spiritual lives, the only way for movement to reproduce fruit, is for us to become sensitive to what the father is doing.  for most americans, movement is not an issue – not something we need to add to our lives – we have  a lot of activity.  for most of us, the issue is sensitivity to God’s Spirit and what the Father is doing.  That sensitivity is the difference between running the rat race (movement/activity without fruit) and reproducing real fruit. 

Remember Jesus: “i only do what i see the father doing”.

Fifty People One Question :: Brooklyn, NY

Follow the link to watch some great work: Fifty People One Question :: Brooklyn, NY.

if you have not run across this yet, it’s quite phenomenal.  thank you to my friend chris for forwarding it along to me.  (you can find chris at http://www.mercuryseries.com or follow his tweets @cpreksta).

if you could ask 50 people one question, what would it be?

brave thinkers

last night and this morning, i spent some time reading through the online version of the upcoming Atlantic Monthly special story on “Brave Thinkers”.  You can read it for yourself here and watch the editors talk about the story, including 4 exceprts (http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200911/brave-thinkers).  The idea is quite simple, in their own words: “we have identified a small group of men and women who have risked their careers, reputations, fortunes, and, in some cases, even lives to advance ideas that upend an established order.”  Here are some of the excerpts i noted from the “behind-the-scenes” discussion with the editors:

- atlantic began as an abolition magazine in 1857 and “staked out groung” at the beginning of what became a cultural revolution (end of slavery in America)

- to provoke people, you have to be willing to think deeply; you have to have intellectual and moral daring; you have to be doing something that drives society forward.

- you have to operate under the umbrella (my language) of humility (their language), while shaking up the thinking of established order.

The bits i read were fascinating to me, including the bio of John Fetterman, mayor of Braddock.  However, that one line by the editors about ”humility” really knocked me back a bit.  It is not something that is held up as an ideal often, and certainly not in the world of “creating change” and working against the “established order”.  Just this past week there was an article in the HBR (http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/haque/2009/07/today_in_capitalism_20_1.html) that dealt with working against the “established order” but had no sense of humility – it began with the words, “dear old people who run the world, my generation would like to break up with you”.  As true as some of the writer’s points may have been, they are drowned out by the sea of pride that surrounds them and sink to the bottom, with arrogance tied to their legs like a cement block.  Real, true, and lasting change, as the Atlantic Article editor’s wisely noted, comes only through humility.

I was reflecting on change this morning, and was directed towards the story of Saul & David.  David wanted to change the established order (read: evil ways of the king and his kingdom) and had even been anointed as the next King.  Yet, when given the opportunity to end Saul’s life, when the Lord seemingly delivered Saul directly into his hands in the darkness of a cave, David did not do it – in fact he humbled himself and honored the King.  “Now afterward David arose and went out of the cave and called after Saul, saying, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the ground and prostrated himself.” (1 Samuel 24)  David was a brave new thinker, and he had even been given the anointing and the foreknowledge of how he would be a driving force for societal change.  Yet, his humility allowed the Lord to do it in his time and through his ways. 

So, here’s the point.  I believe God desires to raise his people up to be brave new thinkers (and actors) – a community who, led by His Spirit, provoke societal change.  But it must be done in his ways, not in the prideful ways of this world.

thanks paul.

last week i had a day set apart with the Lord.  my wife and son were out of town and i had a real day off with literally no responsibilities.  so, i asked some folks to be in prayer for me, and i set the day aside as a day unto the Lord, to be refreshed and listen to whatever he might whisper to me.  i usually try every few months to have a day like this, and it just hasn’t happened for awhile.

now, i know that sounds super-spiritual, but if you know me well, i’m no st. francis… or any other saint for that matter.  in fact, there were parts of the day that would be tough for me to explain “why” it was a part of my “sabbath”.  (i spent a considerable amount of time at the art museum journaling; i slept in; i went for a long run; i saw a movie with some friends).  Eugene Peterson however, explains it very well, when he speaks of the parallel activities of a true Sabbath – “playing and praying”.  I like that.  some of those things i just listed probably sound a little more like the playing side, but to be honest, they have a little bit of both.  perhaps i’ll discuss why that’s true another day.

one thing i did do that was in the “praying” category, was when i sat in the sun on Flagstaff Hill in Oakland, and watched the sunset over Oakland and downtown, while reading my Bible and journaling.  the Lord led me to Paul’s letters to Timothy, almost as a way of speaking directly to me: “Doug, listen to my words to a young pastor through Paul… they apply deeply to you.” 

So i listened, and here’s what i wrote down to paraphrase:

- fight the good fight holding on to faith and maintaining a good conscience. 1 Tim 1:18-19

- don’t let people look down on you but instead help them look up to you, by setting the tone in your speech, living, conduct, love, faith, and pure way of doing life. 1 Tim 4:11-12

- be diligent in these thing and don’t hold anything back. 1 Tim. 4:15

- flee from the things that drag you into sin and away from your calling; run after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 1 Tim. 6:11-12

- allow the Spirit of Jesus to have his way with you, and to develop you.  2 Tim. 1:6, 14

- continue to flesh out and live by your convictions. 2 Tim. 3:14

- don’t be swayed by popular strategies and theories, and don’t play to the consumer mentality.  instead, preach the word, using it to disciple others, keep focused on what God calls you to do, endure all things, share the faith with all, and fulfill your calling. 2 Tim. 4:2-5

so, not sure if there’s something there for you, but that stuff has been churning my soul.

leading myself.

one of the axioms that’s been around for years is that one of the most important tasks of a leader is to lead him/her self.  this is incredibly important in all streams of leadership (read: outside and inside the church) but most important in areas of spiritual leadership (which can be both outside and inside the church, but is much deeper than your position in an organization or your physically defined influence of others).  in spiritual leadership, our model is of course Christ, which is at once encouraging (because he is actually leading through us) and discouraging (um – how about that for not hitting the bar every day).  certainly, the model of even Christ leading himself is found in the Scriptures:

- “he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place” (mt. 14:13)

- “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (lk. 5:16)

- “withdrew again to a mountain by himself” (jn. 6:15)

- “very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (mk. 1:35)

as many get into their routines after summer has ebbed away, a good leader is thinking about his priorities, and i have been reminded by the Spirit of Jesus over the last few weeks, that the priority is to lead myself before i lead others.  i know this is not profound, but it was true for Jesus, so i’m pretty sure it’s true for us.

so… yesterday, i submitted something to our church’s staff  - a soul question that the Spirit has been running over in my times of “withdrawal”.  the interesting thing, is that i’ve been lead back into some scriptures that were instrumental in my first few years in ministry, and somehow slipped out of my routine.   you do with it whatever you need to.

the question: am i leading this or is God leading this?

“now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-by to them and went on to Macedonia. But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.” (2 cor. 2:12-14)

if you are a spiritual leader, then no doubt you have felt times like Paul did when the Lord seemingly opened a door for you.  but that door was only meant to be walked through – it wasn’t the end of the leading.  no doubt Paul seems to have wanted to stay in Troas, but he ended up wrestling with that once he arrived there.  when we do not have peace of mind as leaders, we tend to being our process of rationalization and dig our heals in, “how can we fix this?”, we ask.  yet, we know from Acts 16 that Paul continued to seek the Lord (read: withdrew in prayer like Jesus did) and the Lord led him to Macedonia.  if Paul decided to stay in Troas and just “work harder”, he would have been sustaining it and it would have sapped his strength, not to mention he was missing God’s leading to Macedonia.  as Paul moved on, he was able to step into where God was truly leading him, and God sustained it – not Paul. 

so, the question i ask myself, is in the areas that i am leading (people, ministries, programs, etc.) – is God leading me (and sustaining ALL) or am i leading on my own (and trying to sustain myself, the relationships, the ministries, the programs, the experiences)?  i wish i had a clever set of tests, but i don’t think it’s even that difficult; we usually know, but just are not being honest with ourselves and before God. 

have an honest moment, and submit that question to the Lord.  you’ll be surprised how freeing it is!

 

the ongoing attempt to restore [financial] faith

I read a provocative and sarcastic op-ed this morning from the NYT that stuck with me throughout the day; perhaps it was the over-the-top, yet well-placed biblical allusions, OR perhaps it was the simplicity of a story that deals with something we all touch every day – cash.  You can read the whole article here, or you can grab the print version at your local starbucks on the west coast for free.   (http://bit.ly/16Z8Tz )

Here are a couple points that stand out to me.  What do you think about them and what other points stick out to you?

“We might say that in the seemingly godless world of global finance capitalism, money is the only thing in which we really must have faith. Money is the one, true God in which we all believe.”  It would seem here that he is make the argument that our global economic system is devoid of integrity, something that many have commented since the, er, tough times.  He is also making the point that because we all use it, we all believe in it (I assume he’s making the case in parallel that it’s just like how many approach God, as someone who is just there, without ever really thinking about it).

“With us, it is not so much that the money-changers have desecrated the temple, but that the only temples where we can worship are places where money changes hands in some perverse parody of a religious service. This is the strange mass that we celebrate in the cathedral-like malls that litter the land.”  That malls have become a place of worship for many is not even worth arguing about; there is a liturgy to the consumer at his finest hour, in his/her cathedral, with the priests of prada, mindlessly sinking further into debt (okay – that’s over the top, but i like it).

“In response to this crisis, the only political response (by Obama-Geithner-Summers over here and Brown-Merkel-Sarkozy over there) is the attempt to restore faith.”  I interviewed a number of people in Pittsburgh about the G-20 last week on camera for a docu, and not one person believed that their best response could make things better.  But even more important than the possibility of such restoration, is that economics, although within our touch daily, is temporal.  There has to come a point when those who are followers of Christ, cease to worry about the economic woes of our day. 

That’s all I’ve got on this, but I wanted to see what others thought.  Well, I also just wanted to recommend a joke about the Levites selling their jeans in the temple of our day at prices only the Pharisees could afford, but I couldn’t get it worked into my post… so, there it is.

ted.

i made a simple tweet last night: “politics & undeniable humanity aside (let that sink in), the stories of ted kennedy’s contribution 2 r country reveal an impressive legacy.”  this was met by a flurry of responses, some in agreement and some firmly opposed.  last night and this morning, i read a few stories on NPR, in the NYT/WSJ, and watched a few snippets of interviews… all about Ted Kennedy and the impact he made; for some of the people this impact was personal and for others it was related specifically to the work that he did as a senator.

the purpose of my thoughts below are not to eulagize a man whom i do not know and have not studied.  simply, i think there is a spiritual lesson here; one of those lessons that catches off guard because we would not seek out to learn spiritual lessons from the death of someone who is not known for his spiritual side (i mean that in no way to make a judgment – he just isn’t known as a christian leader, and certainly not so in the evangelical world).

nobody that i have yet read or seen has been negative.  nobody.  now, there are certainly some things to be negative about in Ted’s life, and these two things cause the most passionate response to his life; the first deals with what i called his “undeniable humanity” above, manifest mainly in the scandal involving the accident on cap cod years ago, and his bought with heavy drinking and the lifestyle that came with it.  the second comes from someone who is conservative politically, for whom Ted would seem to represent everything that they disagree with and so he has played the part of the being the figurehead of a liberal political agenda. 

to discuss the latter, (keeping in mind i have never pretended to be a politician or stay up to speed on all aspects of politics), numerous figureheads from BOTH political parties, have been recounting story after story of a man who stood up for his convictions, robustly and fervently, but with respect and civility.  even some of the people who opposed him as stalwarts of the right, considered him a great friend, confidant, colleagueand servant of our country.  how is that the people who knew him best, carry him in this regard, yet many who know him from afar, do not – and perhaps even worse many were passionately opposed to him as a person.  it is one thing to disagree politically or ideologically… it’s an entirely different thing to allow that to darken your view of another human being to the point that the mere mention of his name brings out a visceral reaction bordering on hatred.  certainly this is an area in which those of us who are followers of Jesus allow our politics and ideologies to get in the way of our necessary singular focus upon becoming more like Jesus.  when something wells up inside of us towards another human being it must be purged – Jesus was very clear about this with language that we cannot rationalize away (see Matthew 5-7).  (if you are interested, Os Guinness’ recent book “The Case for Civility” is a great read in this direction, that puts the onus upon each one of us to respond).

now, to the “undeniable humanity”, which certainly is possessed in the very public life of ted kennedy.  why is it that we forget that the pages of scripture are filled with men and women of God, who have moments where their undeniable humanity is laid bare for all to see?  most prominently is King David, and certainly in his royal there are modern parallels with the story of the closest thing America has to royalty.  if we truly understand the brokenness of humanity juxtaposed with the grace of God, each of which works powerfully in all people, perhaps we would be at the front of the line to extend grace to one whose public sins mirror our own private ones.  truly the character of the christian is called into question when the flow of grace dries up.  to pretend that i am not capable of the same actions in one man’s darkest moments, is to pretend i am not in need of a savior.  while it would seem as well that he turned a corner in the twilight of his life privately, ted’s life publicly had many public redemptive moments as well, not the least of which was serving tirelessly to care for those in our society who are pushed to the margins.

while i am unable to provide any commentary on the spiritual life of ted, due to both my ignorance and lack of research, the surface of his story provides a parable that challenges the civility of my ideologies and the graciousness of my character.  i hope you’ll receive it in the same way.

aliens.

no, not those ones.  i’m thinking about the scriptural idea of aliens.  there are certainly nuanced contextual differences through it’s use in both Old and New Testament, but in general, “alien” usually speaks of someone who doesn’t have a home.  sometimes it is literal and physical; sometimes it is more figurative, yet anchored in a spiritual reality. 

some of my “favorites:

‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the Lord your God.’ Lev. 23:22  // God actually commands his people to one of the simplest welfare programs in the history of the world; “don’t harvest everything – leave some for the poor and those wandering as strangers through your land.  allow me to bless them through the blessings i’ve given to you.”  not incidentally, this is one of but about 20 such regulations in the law, dealing with aliens, normally grouped with widows and orphans.  God’s community is clearly supposed to care for those who do not belong and have no home, whether orphan, widow or alien.

“Then Israel entered Egypt; Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.”Psalm 105:23  There have been times in the history of God’s people when God has moved or allowed the movement of His people to a foreign land.  In that place they are expected to still live under the covenant promises of God and still be devoted to him.  They are also expected to live out the mission of God (see Abraham) wherever he has carried them.  In these times, while there is a longing for home, there is to be a growing dependence upon God’s sovereignty and blessing.  We have seen and will continue to see these times in our lives, when feel as if we are aliens.  It may be as simple as our first entry onto the bus for kindergarten, into the cafeteria as a high school freshman, into our freshman hall for college, or into the office on our first day of our first job.  It may as complex as finding ourselves without family on a birthday or holiday, or the sinking feeling of people not knowing you as a person.  In these moments, regardless of circumstances, He is still our God, and we are still His people.

“You are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” Ephesians 2:19  Here, the word “household” is the Greek word “Oikos”, which was the ancient structure where numerous generations and people (children, parents, grandparents, servants, workers, slaves) were all under the umbrella of one household.  This was their source of economic provision, moral guidance and physical protection.  In the New Testament, this idea is developed spiritually as God’s Oikos, where all His people are together as members of His household, built upon the foundation of Christ.  Interestingly, the word “alien” here translates literally as “without Oikos”; someone who spiritually has no place where they belong finds their home in Christ’s community.

So, why do I write about this today?  Well, for one I’ve been studying a bit this week in prep for a sermon tomorrow where I’ll talk about some of these things.  But more importantly, I’ve been thinking this week about how incredibly difficult it can be to 1) have open eyes to recognize those who are aliens in our world, 2) have God’s eyes to recognize those who are not so obviously aliens in our world, and 3) figure out what to do about it. 

Do you struggle with the same things?  How do you recognize those who do not belong?  How do you invite them into community?

why “settling down”?

I entitled my blog, “settling down”, and while that typically conveys the latter stages of our thirties, where we “settle down” in a secure job, a safe home and reproduce, that is far from my intended meaning… well, maybe not that far… but it certainly is not contained in that iconic phrase most associated with the American Dream.  My intended meaning, and the source of the allusion, is from the book of Jeremiah, chapter 29.

While in exile in Babylon, God tells his people: “build homes and settle down… seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have called you”.  While there are other cities in America that would perhaps more acutely describe a modern day Babylon than Pittsburgh, neither do I live in the city of God, Jerusalem.  In fact, all of us live our lives suspended between these two cities… longing for our heavenly city, with our feet planted in our earthly city.  Pittsburgh, in my humble opinion, happens to be a little less like Babylon than other cities (although we do have a hanging garden coming soon: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09217/988545-437.stm).

What is most striking and challenging about God’s command to his people through the weeping prophet, is that they are living under an oppressive regime, much more like a modern day North Korea or Iran, than say, America.  Into this environment, God clearly tells his people to plant gardens, get married, have children, build a home, settle down… and in so doing learn to seek the peace and prosperity of that [wicked, godless, foreign] city. 

This command is our missionary God at his missional best, instigating his people to a quiet, Gospel riot of engaged, alternative living. 

…and if we are to live that way in Babylon, or North Korea or Iran, then certainly we are to live that way in America.

God has clearly, in the last year, told my wife and I to settle down here, and to seek the peace and prosperity of this city.  So, I am hoping to devote this space to that call… I was so deeply challenged in this idea this past weekend, as Saleem Ghabril spoke to our church community about his own story, and guess which passage he spoke from?  (http://www.northway.org/secondary/mediaArchive/mediaArchive.aspx)  His main point – it’s the peace and prosperity for all people! 

Let me end with one simple question to elicit a response: what do you think is keeping our city from peace and prosperity?

-d.

“Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper… For I know the planst I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” – Jer 29.