Wednesday, April 23, 2008

my window to heaven

I switched offices recently.
I wanted a better view.
In my old office as i sat at my desk and looked out the window, I had a sweeping view of the wall of the education wing of church. Now, it's a nice wall. But its a wall.

In my new office, I look out the window and see trees, the park, sky, and best of all: the grassy area where the pre-school kids play in the morning.

The other day, I'm sitting here watching the kids play and I notice this one little boy, maybe 3 years old, playing chase with his teacher. The teacher is barely jogging and the little boy is plodding along after her as fast as he can. No chance of catching her. But the look of pure, wholehearted joy on his face is just priceless.

And I thought: What if we chased God like that?

I mean, what if chasing after God was the funnest thing we'd ever done? Would it be OK, knowing we might not ever really catch him because his legs are longer. Could we learn to love playing chase with God, just because the chasing part is what's really the most fun?

I've known people who have been so weighted down by this feeling that God was not close. I've felt that myself. Many times. Who doesn't? I mean, try to honestly answer this question: Do you ENJOY God?

What if God really wants more than anything to just play chase? What if God is constantly inviting us to just come and play?

This image keeps running through my head of God running ahead (running really slowly), looking back over his shoulder saying, "Can't catch me..." And I want to chase him. I want to chase him to Aroma - I'm pretty sure he likes to slow down there. I want to chase him to the school where I keep catching glimpses of him there in Kobe's teacher. I want to chase him to the Catholic Worker House where I think he stops for lunch. I want to chase him to our small group where he hangs out every Sunday night.

I want to chase him out onto the grassy area outside my window. As I watched this morning, one little class of kids walked out into the yard. The kid at the front of the line walked into the yard and slowed down and looked up. He looked at the white flowers that are literally dripping off the trees. he looked up at the sky. He looked at the old leaves blowing around the yard.

It felt like he was watching God run ahead of him and he was ready to start chasing.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Shake, Rattle, and Roll

OK, I am CERTAIN that nobody on the search committee that hired me said ANYTHING about earthquakes here in lovely Illinois.

Snow...yes.
Miles of cornfields...yes
tractor parades....well, no, but it wasn't suprising.
Earthquakes....you've got to be kidding me.


Actually my first thought was this mental image of a farmer rolling out of bed and saying, "Betsy, I think the cows are stampeding."

Funny thing is that I lived in California for 11 years and last night's earthquake was the biggest one I've ever been in.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Bono rocks my face off


OK, disclaimer: I am NOT a big fan of celebrity endorsements. It drives me nuts when people who are famous (primarily because of their ability to act like someone they aren't) jump on political bandwagons or other causes. If you've seen any of Tom Cruise's rants about scientology the last few years, you know what I'm talking about.

But Bono (lead singer of U2) has been a remarkable exception. Bono has for years been advocating for the poor and for AIDS issues in Africa. His stance has been consistent, clear, and convicting for those willing to listen.

Here's what he had to say recently to an interviewer:

"Well, you know, I am not a very good advertisement for God. So, I generally don't wear that badge on my lapel. But it is certainly written on the inside. I am a believer. There are 2,103 verses of Scripture pertaining to the poor. Jesus Christ only speaks of judgement once. It is not all about the things that the church bangs on about. It is not about sexual immorality, and it is not about megalomania, or vanity. It is about the poor. 'I was naked you clothed me. I was a stranger and you let me in.' This is at the heart of the gospel. Why is it that we have seemed to have forgotten this? Why isn't the church leading this movement? I am here tonight because the church ought to be ready to do that."


Here's my challenge for you: Talk to someone who isn't a Christian (that shouldn't be hard, but I bet it will be really hard) and ask them what they think of how well the church has responded to poverty, hunger, and AIDS in Africa.

Come back and tell us what they say.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

I pledge allegiance...

So I sit in my office and look out at the park across the street. Right there on the corner of the park, right in the middle of my window view, is a flag pole with old Glory flapping in the wind.

Now, this is a post for another day, but let me be clear about something: I think there is a very real danger of losing sight of God's Mission when we wrap that Mission in the zeal of patriotism. Patriotism and Faithfulness are not necessarily the same thing, and sometimes they can be polar opposites.

BUT, that's not my point. Today as I look at the flag, I am remembering the words God spoke to Jeremiah: "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."

Pray for peace and prosperity. For your city.
Today, that just really strikes me as a cool idea. God actually wants our city to prosper. God wants our businesses to do well. God wants our streets to be free of pot-holes. Ok, so maybe I'm totally ripping this passage out of context.

Because the truth is that the prosperity is not really for the rich. It's for the exile. The Isrealites had been shoved out of their homes and marched to a foreign country where they are living with nothing...exiles. Prosperity is for them. God's promise is for them. Peace is for them.

I hope we do pray for the prosperity of our city. But I hope that pray grows out of our heart breaking for the ones who live in exile. Right here at home. Like the guy sitting out there with his suitcase, on the park bench, under the American flag.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

If cussing bugs you, don't read this...

Wow. Do you ever read something that just grabs you by the throat and yanks you into it? I mentioned the writings of Gordon Atkinson yesterday and thanks to Mark A for pointing me to one I'd missed. But this short essay describes Gordon's journey of faith and it is TRUTH like very few things you'll ever read. Let me say that again, this stuff is TRUTH.

But if you prefer your truth all shiny and clean, you probably won't want to click on the link below. As for me, this man speaks my language:

the preacher's story

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Subscribing and Sermons


Just in case you haven't noticed, you can subscribe to this blog and get an email whenever there is an update. Its kind of like flowers popping up in your toilet. I called my mom to tell her I now have 20 subscribers. I AM SOMEBODY!!!

Also, in case you are logging on to hear a recent sermon, Richard (who taught me how to type) is gone for 2 weeks on vacation to Europe and so new sermons won't get posted until he's back.

Church Marketing

Gordon Atkinson has some pretty witty thoughts on faith on his blog but someone showed me an article he wrote recently for CT (which is funny because CT is usually NOT witty).

Gordon wrote about Church Marketing. Which is also funny because I've been part of alot of conversations lately about coming up with a "logo". You know, a "pithy statement" that tells folks what we are really all about.

I'm sure you've seen them: "A church that cares"; "Where everyone is welcomed"; "God's here, are you?"

Gordon can be a bit of a cynic. The point of his article is to point out that these catch phrases really come down to one thing: Marketing. And he goes on to say that alot of what we actually do on Sunday mornings is really nothing more than marketing. Even our age old liturgies can end up being "ad copy to comfort and assure ourselves that we belong to the demographic column of people who identify with Christianity. Maybe when this life is over we will say to God:
"Lord, remember me now as I enter into your Kingdom, for I was a member in good standing of a church that said some very nice things about you."


I share Gordon's skepticism of marketing. It's one reason I've resisted a "hard launch" for our new campus. It's why I've never been too keen on billboards or bus signs or even mailings. I mean it's one thing to let folks know you are there as a church (which can be relevant when you meet in a school). But it's a wholly different thing to devolve into a church that is really just another consumable. As Gordon says: "Commercials and billboards can lie, we know, and so can church signs. At issue is not quality or truth, but the bottom line: how many people join our church this year and how much money they put in the offering plate."

Here's the thing: We're not selling anything. We're living something. And if folks outside our walls aren't seeing us live it, it's not because of the inadequacy of our marketing or our website or our bulletins or even our beautiful sign (which really is quite nice.)

Here's Gordon's take on it:
An over-marketed, cynical, and wary culture is deaf to hollow words. If the living Word of God takes root in our culture, it will be because He first took root in our lives and especially in our daily lives. The Church of Jesus Christ is not made up of those who cry out, "Lord, Lord," but of disciples filled with the Holy Spirit, standing ready to bring God's presence and love to a needy world.
The only liturgy that counts is your life—your life and your willingness to take up the high calling of Christ.


So if we must have a logo, how about this:

Our liturgy is our lives

Thursday, April 3, 2008

The best thing I've read in the past year

I happened across a new blog today - found it through my buddy KJ's blog. This blog is called Namesake and is written by a guy named Dale Pratt.

Anyway, Dale's 16 year old daughter Katie wrote this journal entry. It might be the best thing I've read in years that describes our mission (as Christians / as the Church).
You guys keep talking about how new things are happening and mentioning the youth without much hope. I want to explain to you, from the perspective of the youth, what God is doing.

I was homeschooled all of my life until last year. I wanted to go to public school for several reasons: I wanted a more structured schedule, I wanted to be with my friends, and I wanted to be in an art program. But the biggest reason which made me want to go to public school first was because I wanted to be in a situation where I was coming into contact, on a daily basis, with people who didn’t know anything about God.

God called us to be in the world but not of the world. I think that we as Christians try so hard to be not of the world that we forget to be in the world.

We get isolated into our own bubble and we block the world out. I needed to get out of my Christian bubble and be in the world.

Remember that movie that came out recently called The Golden Compass? Christians protested the movie because in the end of the trilogy, they are supposed to “kill God”.

By not going to that movie, they remained ignorant and they didn’t pop their Christian bubble. They weren’t of the world, but they weren’t in it either. I saw that movie twice because I didn’t want to be ignorant and prove the author of the books that inspired the movie correct.

A few days after that, a friend of mine at school was reading The Golden Compass books. I said that the movie was really good, and her response was, “aren’t you religious?” I didn’t know how to address the question because I believe that my faith is not a religion.

Christianity is a way of life that isn’t based on following the rules and doing good works. That’s religion: doing good things to get to heaven. That is not Christianity.

Because I saw that movie, I was able to speak to this girl about the difference between Christianity and religion. I explained a little about my faith. I didn’t “convert” her, but I planted a seed. All it took was escaping the Christian bubble and seeing a movie.

Just this last week one of my friends, who is a senior and is going to become a history teacher, wrote an article for the school newspaper entitled Jesus for President. It talked about what Jesus would do if he became president of the U.S., and if he would even want to be president.

Some atheists, who eat lunch with us occasionally, came up to us during lunch and started lightly mocking my friend’s article. We ended up having a good discussion.

My friends from church and I get together every Tuesday night and talk about God and hang out. We had to go to class that day after lunch, but we invited the atheists to come hang out with us and we said we would debate religion, evolution, and Christianity with them for hours.

One of them did show up that night. We explained some of our beliefs to him, and he explained some of his beliefs to us. We talked to him for over an hour, and after he left we laughed at how stupid we must have sounded to him.

We tried to explain the trinity and feeling God’s presence. It didn’t work out too well, but afterward, we knew we planted a seed. It didn’t matter if we changed him. We made him think. We explained our faith to him. We are okay with doing nothing else.

My lunch group is kind of the “Christian group” at school. Every day we eat lunch with this guy named Alex who is an atheist, as well. We talk openly about our faith with him, but we never try to convert him. We are just his friends. We just plant seeds.

Because I have put myself in the world on purpose, I have planted several seeds. I plan to change the world, and I believe that’s what God has called me to do with my life: change the world. But, I have to be in the world to do that. “I believe I just have to plant seeds to change the world.” (John Reuben quote)

My church in Greeley is changing the world. We have this thing called the PEACE project. Through the PEACE project, we are going above and beyond our tithes to build churches in Peru and Mexico. We are building orphanages and seminaries in Africa. We are giving clean water filters to people who are dying of diseases in Cambodia. And that’s just the start.

We are being in the world, so we can change it.

My youth group in that church is very proactive about changing the world. That’s what we do. We make it our purpose. Several of us are growing up to be pastors.

Carissa is going to move to California to live with the homeless and help them. I’m going to become a youth pastor, but before I do, I’m going to work with this guy named Shane Claiborne who believes in being in the world to be used by God.

Whenever I hear of his missions, it makes me want to cry because of what he is doing. His mission can’t guarantee food, clothes or shelter; only that God will provide. They just live to be used by God.

That’s what I’m gonna do. Me and God are gonna change the world and make it a better place. Me and God are gonna raise awareness about homelessness in the U.S. Me and God are gonna cure AIDS. Me and God are gonna build churches.

But I have to be IN the world to be used by God. So, I’m living in the world. I’m not of it - I’m an alien here - but I’m in it.

I just wanted to give you hope that the world is gonna change. The youth aren’t hopeless. They are just living in the world instead of being in the Christian bubble. God is working through the youth. We are just doing it differently than you did.

We are tackling the world at its level. We are changing the world, so don’t lose hope just because you don’t see the effects yet. We are taking our time planting seeds and cultivating them.

They will grow, but seeds take some time to become fruit; maybe even years. We are doing things slowly. Don’t give up on us because in a few years, you will see the effects of our actions today.

We are changing the world.


Amen, Katie. Folks, that's why we're here.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Words we wish we could ignore, part 1

Question: Jesus, what's the most important thing?
Answer: Love God with all you've got, and love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.

Do you ever stop and think about what that really means? That might just be the hardest instruction in the Bible: Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself. It doesn't say be WILLING to love your neighbor as yourself. It doesn't say love your neighbor as yourself as long as its convenient and comfortable. It says love your neighbor every bit as much as you love yourself.

My old friend Johnny May used to tell the story about the preacher who stood up one day to pray before the sermon and he said "God we don't love you. we love ourselves." Truth is, we're pretty good at loving ourselves. It comes naturally to us. It's what we do best.

Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.

Oh, but wait, it gets worse. It's also written that we ought to consider other people as MORE IMPORTANT than we consider ourselves. Yeah, it would actually be pretty convenient to be able to just ignore those words.

What are some implications of what it might mean to take Jesus seriously? (which hopefully we would all agree is a good idea).

Here's one to get us thinking.

1. I know what I want Sunday morning to look like, sound like, feel like. I know what I want. But it's not really about me is it? It's about my neighbor. The one I'm supposed to consider more important than myself. The one who ISN'T there on a normal Sunday morning. It's about that person, not me.

What else can you think of?

How does this affect the way we think about our MISSION? (or our VISION?)

Why did God create the church? For us? Or for our neighbor? What does that mean?

What would it look like if our church (by which I mean the people) threw themselves into living out the greatest commandment of Jesus?

Anybody want to try it?