The Core Blog

A Post-Modern Righteousness

2007-10-12T14:19:00.000-05:00

C.S. Lewis is always good for a painfully simple, yet completely overlooked insight.

If there's one thing that our culture likes to fight, it's the idea of commandments, righteousness, or thou-shalt-nots. Fortunately, I think post-modernity is starting to grow out of the idea that rules are stupid and useless, and there's no such thing as real truth. That proposition is just flat-out self-defeating (as many Christians have clumsily pointed out over the past ten years, either with some cliche question like "so there's absolutely no absolute truth?" or by stealing somebody's iPod and scolding them when they get mad.)

So by now I'd say that most people are okay with the idea that there are some good rules out there. But the thing is, they have to be reasonable. You have to be able to explain to them in very practical terms why such-and-such is forbidden, or mandatory, or whatever.

And in some ways this is an abandonment of the spirit of post-modernism. It is a concession. Not because post-modernism is essentially relativistic and mushy, but because such intense practicality, and such a mathematical approach to morality, is essentially modern, and did not really exist at all before the Enlightenment.

Some Christians would like to see post-modernism defeated, or extinct. Personally, I have a lot of hope for it. I think it has a certain latent power to re-align our cultural mindset to biblical constructs, and repair the damage done by the Modern Era. Not by itself, of course, but it is a good container for such a movement, in my humble opinion.

So what's a post-modern to do with all these rules that Christianity tries to impose on us? Do we retreat to modernity and filter out those which seem to have no practical, logical bearings? Or do we appeal to spirit, to love, to mystery, to antiquity? Take a look at this verse ...

"If you love me, you will obey what I command." -Jesus speaking in John 14:15

And this is where C.S. Lewis comes into it. In his science fiction book entitled Perelandra (which I blogged about a few weeks ago) the main character, an earthling, is talking to the female lead, who is like the plant Venus' version of Eve. She is being tempted by Satan, in the form of another earthling, to disobey God's only commandment to her. Much like in the story of Eve, this monolithic Venusian Don't does not make any real sense. There is a statutory consequence (death) but no logical consequence. And because of this, she begins to consider disobedience an option.

But the main character, in a stroke of true post-modern beauty, pleads with her to respect the commandment. He says (to paraphrase), "You have said that you love your God... and that to live in obedience to him is a joy. But what is love when it's easy? If he commanded you not to cut off your hand, you would gladly obey... but not necessarily out of love. You would obey because you clearly understand the consequences and pain that would result from disobedience. Therefore, genuine love does not occur. Perhaps God has given you this commandment as your only real opportunity to love Him. Because trust only comes into play when you don't understand things fully for yourself. And love is dormant until you make a choice that is unpleasant or illogical."

Some people do what they want because they want to do it. And I actually respect these people... at least they're honest. But so many who claim to follow Christ reveal their true motivations by shaping his words to fit their lives, and not the other way around.

Some have tried to throw off the shackles of modernity by rejecting rules entirely, and discovered the futility of such an approach. If you are one of those people, now preparing to click your shackles back in place, let me plead with you to reconsider... to make the wild, irrational move of putting actual trust in God, even when you don't see the reasons behind his requirements.

This, to me, is the heart of righteousness. Not to be show-offy or pious... but for your heart to be so broken with the love of God that you are completely at his disposal. Righteousness rings harsh to a lot of people, because the prefix "self-" has been unwittingly applied to so much of it. But I want to be the kind of righteous person that never causes the word "righteous" to arise in people's minds.

I just want people to think, "Man, he sure does love God. Apparently he really loves me, too." That's righteousness.

Girls Gone Wild Go Home!

2007-10-11T09:35:00.000-05:00

Yesterday when I showed up at the Front Porch there was a reporter lady and a camera man standing out in front, interviewing Matt, one of our volunteers. I naturally assumed it was about the FroPo. But no, it was about... "the boot".

With all due respect to our local crop of intrepid journalists, that is the nature of news in this town. Granted, last night there was a body found near Evangel's campus, and a car chase and firearms showdown that ended in a suicide, but yesterday afternoon, the press was there to talk about the boot... you know, the device they put on vehicles whose owners have failed to pay their parking tickets. It's that ironic device that says, "Hey... you're not supposed to park here. So now you can't move at all! Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Cough... spit!"

So I was standing around for a moment watching Matt's interview when another guy walked up and said, "Hey, are you guys reporting about Girls Gone Wild?" and he pointed down the street. I looked up and noticed that, parked across the street and about three doors down, was a big tour bus completely wrapped up in a "Girls Gone Wild" graphic. My first reaction was to be surprised that it wasn't more, well... graphic. Except for the other-worldly-platinum blonde hair, too much makeup and bad-girl smiles it was actually completely modest.

But that's where the pleasantries ended. The bus was parked in front of the "Boogie" night club, downtown Springfield's premier meat market. It made me want to slash their tires, if that wouldn't have actually kept them there longer. The reporter said that, no, she wasn't doing a story about Girls Gone Wild, she was doing a story about the boot. That, to me, was comparable to doing a story on a pot hole in the street while the house behind you burns to the ground.

My wife stepped up to the front door to join our conversation, and the reporter told us about her angry confrontation with the guy running the GGW show. She had told him off for getting barely legal women liquored up and exploiting them for the cameras in a way that will haunt them forever. He said that quite a few women had gotten good jobs out of it. When she ask what jobs, outside of the porn industry, he said that one woman became a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. Whoop-de-do. I guess that counts. I wonder what she'll do when they spit her out at age 31.

When I hear about the 60s and 70s, it makes me wonder where I would have fit into that scene. It's impossible to know for sure. I do know that I'm against smoking weed, casual sex, and going without a shower for weeks on end. That would probably set me apart from the hippie crowd. But I have to admit they discovered some things about women that our modern society is remiss to neglect.

Yes, I think they went too far with the whole feminazi thing. But something had to be done about the exploitation of women... the reduction of the feminine gender to a possession, a baby factory, and/or a sexual plaything. And they made actual progress. But it seems that, for some reason, there has been a sort of splashback. In one way, the movement continues unabated, in another way it has back-fired. We are simultaneously faced with the strongest female presidential hopeful in history, and the most pervasive sexual objectification ever of her gender.

The saddest thing to me is that, as our culture learned to be more respectful of women, it was not Christians leading the way. And as our culture has slid back down that hill into the gutter and beyond, that Christians still seem to be absent from the conversation. Yes, we preach against adultery and fornication and immodest attire and looking at porn. But are we really opposing evil, and more importantly, are we setting the example for society by treating older women as mothers and younger women as sisters? This is a commandment, for God's sake! When are we going to start paying attention?

Because you know what Mr. Bus Driver across the street would do, when he launches his routine at the Boogie, if his little sister walked in. The fact is, they're all his sisters. And they're your sisters, being reduced to packages of flesh.

Lord have mercy.

Spiritual Experience Survey (Take 2)

2007-10-08T10:28:00.000-05:00

Note: the first time this post published, the survey link didn't work. I think I've fixed it... so please try again. Thanks!

Now that I've signed up with iContact to manage The Core's weekly e-mails (with Yahoo! Mail I could only send 100 per hour, so I had to do it in 3 shifts) I've decided to also take advantage of their Survey service. So now you can chime in on...

The Core's Spiritual Experience

There's just fourteen questions on it, and after answering a few basic demographic questions, I want you to see what you'll be up against:

How would you best describe your spirituality?
What has your involvement been so far with The Core and The Front Porch?
Which of these church experiences are the most meaningful to you, when done well?
What sort of music best helps you connect to God?
How do you feel about Sermons?
How do you feel about Interactive Prayer?
What size(s) of group best help you grow spiritually?
When should the primary gathering of a church take place?
What is the minimum necessary provision for children in a church?

So go ahead... take the survey. I dare you.

I am also putting a link to it in the right column underneath "The Core Essentials". And if you know someone else who can contribute with their perspective, don't hesitate to send this to a friend.

Sometimes I Wish I Were a Smoker

2007-10-04T08:48:00.001-05:00

If cigarettes, cigars or pipes were a) free, b) pleasant-tasting, and c) completely harmless, I think I would be a smoker.

Naturally, these three things are ridiculously untrue. I've never smoked for even a moment (a friend tried to teach me how to puff a cigar one time, but I failed miserably) and I suppose I never will. It's never looked or smelled appealing to me, and I've outgrown any vulnerability to that sort of peer pressure.

But there is one allure that grabs me every so often. This morning I saw a guy standing out at the edge of a parking lot, enjoying the cool morning haze, making a little haze of his own. I tried to imagine him without a cigarette, just standing there, staring into space. Then I realized that people don't do that.

When I lived in an apartment building with balconies, I looked with a trace of envy at my neighbors, who could sit out on their lawn chairs late in the evening, just smoking. I didn't smoke, so I tried sitting out on my balcony with a book. Not enough light. I tried sitting out there with nothing, and I could tell that people walking by thought I was watching them. I tried bringing a soda with me... that worked a little better, but it was gone in 5 minutes, and then I was a spy again.

I could sit out with a buddy. Now I'm not so weird. But then we have to talk. We can't just sit there and BE. Because that's just two people leering at passersby. And if there's a nip in the air, or a few more bugs than we care for, it's too easy to just go inside.

My wife and I will sit out on our porch now and then, when the weather's good and we have a dessert to eat, or a beverage to drink. We generally don't just sit there... we talk. And that's nice. But I still say there's something about smoking a cigarette that helps people to understand the value of just BEING.

Do I want more people to smoke? Hell no. I would cast the accursed sticks into the nearest volcano if I could (now there's a smell.) What I really wish is that we, as a culture, would figure out how to just stop for a moment... stop talking, stop doing, stop worrying... to take a break from life and learn how to be.

Now that's smoooooth refreshment!

Front Porch on KSPR

2007-10-03T12:50:00.000-05:00

Here's a story that ran last Friday on Springfield's ABC News affiliate, KSPR 33. Not too bad for a short spot, I'd say. My only (minor) complaints are that we're called "Core" instead of "The Core" and I am listed as "Youth Pastor" instead of "Pastor" (I guess the subtitle people assumed the word "pastor" was a mistake, judging by my... a-youthful a-ppearance.) Also the fact that it took them a week and a half to get it up on the web. I'll try to get the video onto the "media" page of our website soon, too. Enjoy!

The Core is a Church. The Core is Not a Church.

2007-10-02T16:02:00.001-05:00

Why can't you understand that? It's so simple! The Core both is, and is not, a church. Got it?

Maybe this is a good time for me to apologize. Or maybe I just need to clear the slate, and promise to stop being so idealogically nebulous. To be honest, I've confused myself numerous times, so here it is, as clear as I can make it (and abandoning a few idealistic semantic nit-pickety points I've held to in the past.)

The Church (big "C") is the universal Body of Christ. It is comprised of all those who are found in Him. Although we're not required to all collaborate with each other necessarily, we are required to reject any attitude of divisiveness, and be known for our love for one another.

Local churches (little "c") may be considered "chapters" of the big "C" Church. Not only is it not feasible for the entire Church to get together on a regular basis, nothing approaching that arrangement would be at all desirable. The New Testament seems to show us that smallish, familial groups that can practice accountability, intimacy and community are ideal for spiritual growth. But there is certainly reason to believe that there are benefits to gatherings of every size, from 2 to 20,000 and beyond.

The Core, in the above sense, is a church. I've resisted this before, but I've decided to stop wasting my energy and go with it.

The Core is a church because...

-it contains the essential elements of a local body of Christ: ordained pastor, other leaders, spiritual gatherings, outreach, communion, baptism, worship, discipleship, etc.

-it is a group that one can commit to in a primary way, investing oneself into the body, and being invested into by others. Those involved in such a way should not feel the need to simultaneously hold membership in another church, although such an arrangement is not out of the question.

-it is recognized by the state of Missouri as a church, and a not-for-profit organization.

Where am I going with this?

We have long considered Re:Group to be The Core's primary gathering. Right now it's meeting at the Front Porch on Sundays at 7 pm. But I'm beginning to get the impression that people do not see The Core Fellowship (our full name) as a church, but rather as a para-church ministry that just has concerts, potlucks, art shows and Bible studies. If The Core Fellowship is going to thrive as the community that God intended, people need to see it as a church, in the widely accepted sense.

I've said for a long time that there is nothing magical about Sunday morning, or even Sunday period, that requires us to meet at that time for "church" (by the way, there are two wrong ways to use the word "church", in my opinion: in reference to a building, or to a service.) I firmly believe that it is just as valid for a church to have its primary get-togethers on Tuesday afternoon as on Sunday morning, if that's what works for people. (There has been increasing acceptance of the practice of a Saturday night service for overflowing churches, or a Thursday service for cowboy churches, etc.)

Nevertheless, people still see Sunday morning as "church time", and they see any religious organization that doesn't have a spiritual gathering on Sunday morning as a para-church ministry. It makes sense that a PCM would want to avoid Sunday morning activities, because those involved with them would need that time to attend their home church. Consequently, because The Core Fellowship doesn't do anything on Sunday morning, I think people have gotten the wrong idea.

We're still tossing the idea around, so I would like to get your opinion. Should we start having our gatherings on Sunday mornings at, say, 11ish? Would it work better for you? Would it help more people to see The Core as a church, and as something worthy of their commitment?

Go ahead... click that little "comment" link. You can stay anonymous if you want.

Perelandra and the Front Porch

2007-09-27T13:42:00.000-05:00

I am halfway through reading C.S. Lewis' book entitled "Perelandra", the second in his renowned science fiction trilogy. My copy of the book is pretty dang old--my dad read it when he was young--which is cool. But as a consequence, I have to hold it gingerly to keep half the pages from falling out, which is annoying.

I don't feel the need here to go into a synopsis of the book, but it takes place on Venus, and one of the characters is a type of Eve. She is one of only two humans native to the planet, and the other (her husband) is missing. Just as the Lady is a type of Eve, Venus is a type of Eden, and at the beginning of the story is in an unfallen state. The Lady knows nothing about evil, but in talking to the protagonist of the story, Professor Ransom (who has been sent from earth), she begins to learn some new things. The central message of the book is stated well in the following passage:

"What you have made me see," answered the Lady, "is as plain as the sky, but I never saw it before. Yet it has happened every day. One goes into the forest to pick food and already the thought of one fruit rather than another has grown up in one's mind. Then, it may be, one finds a different fruit and not the fruit one thought of. One joy was expected and another is given. But this I had never noticed before -- that at the very moment of the finding there is in the mind a kind of thrusting back, or setting aside. The picture of the fruit you have not found is still, for a moment, before you. And if you wished -- if it were possible to wish -- you could keep it there. You could send your soul after the good you had expected, instead of turning it to the good you had got. You could refuse the real good; you could make the real fruit taste insipid by thinking of the other."

It blows me away to think about how often this happens... millions of times a day. Do you sit in a relatively good job and spoil it by fantasizing about the job you really want? Maybe the job you have is actually better. Do you have a loving spouse, and wish you could have married your high school sweetheart instead? Are you so sure you would have been happier if you had?

I think a lot about how the Pharisees were guilty of this. Their approach to the concept of Messiah was to expect a conquering king, a Pharisee of Pharisees, someone who validates them, and rewards them for their sacrifice of righteousness.

As an aside, I often wonder how many of those who actually did follow Jesus were really any better. The disciples were validated by Jesus because he picked them and not others. The sick were validated because he healed them. The children because he honored them. The women and Gentiles because he included them. I can't believe I'm saying this, but... perhaps we have been a bit hard on the Pharisees. Not because they were good, but because they were no worse than the others around them (or us, for that matter.) Everyone in Jesus' company was simply following him, or not following him, based on what was, or wasn't, in it for them. It was not until he was crucified and resurrected, and really not until Pentecost, that his followers began to be identified by what they were giving, and not what they were getting.

We have to make the same choice. Jesus may be validating you... but he won't be for long, I promise you that. He will lift you up and set your feet on a rock. He will breathe his strength and peace into you and anoint your head with oil. But there will come a point where you have been rehabilitated enough to stop taking, and start giving. And that is the point where Jesus will seem to disappear.

Then you will have the choice of the Pharisee (or perhaps Peter at his moment of denial, if you will.) "Do I take Jesus as he is? Or do I keep waiting for somebody to validate me... to be the fruit that I expected to find?"

But the choice has a different twist for you then it did for them. You don't have Jesus literally standing right in front of you, calling you a viper, or a hypocrite. You have the opportunity to craft him into your likeness with your imagination, then with your words, and then with your lifestyle. You can convince people that Jesus is something else... a wish-granting pushover, or pot-smoking hippie, or a gun-toting Republican, to name a few.

You come to that point where he seems to disappear, and then you have to clear it all away--your needs, your blessings, your expectations--remove all the clutter from your vision and ask yourself the only question that has ever mattered...

"Do I trust God?"

And when you have answered it, look again at the fruit in your hand, and the fruit in your mind.

I am not the only one who ventured into the idea of the Front Porch, and The Core, with certain expectations. Many of you who are reading this have had your own. Some of you have taken actual steps to realize those visions. Some have done nothing. And a few have asked me to do it for them.

It's easy to dream when there is no tangible reality in front of you, defying you openly. But now the Front Porch is real... and it keeps tantalizing me with the promise of other-worldly delights. You know, revolutionary ministry, authentic community, dynamic relationships, transformed lives, and night after night of packed-out events. In a word... adventure. But it also taunts me with the threat of misdirection... that it might very well become something bad, or something old and tired... or perhaps nothing at all.

Don't push away from me on this... it's your battle, too. Ask yourself if you are more in the habit of finding a Jesus who will continue to validate you, or of pouring your heart out to serve the one who really exists.

I'm just trying day in and and day out to remember that it all belongs to him... that success is his responsibility, not mine.

Thank goodness.

Catharsis

2007-09-24T09:27:00.000-05:00

Following is an excerpt of an e-mail I wrote to a friend this morning. I've altered it a bit to protect the privacy of others.

As far as my life goes... sorry if I've been running a bit silent. The fact is that I have never been so overwhelmed in my life. And it doesn't help that I'm overwhelmed in many different (and often opposite) ways. I am overwhelmed with the responsibilities of running the FP. On the other hand, I am overwhelmed with the fact that it's actually happening, with the experience of meeting so many amazing people, and getting to build real connections with them. I am overwhelmed with being right in the middle of downtown, and with the knowledge that thousands of complete strangers have heard about us, and have been looking up the website, or reading the blog, or just wondering what we're all about. But on the other, other hand, I am at an absolute low-point when it comes to the actual body... the tight-knit community of God that's supposed to exist at the center of all of it. One leadership couple has retreated to the fringes, out of recognition of the fact that they had not been doing much to begin with, and just bought a new house and had their first baby. They're still helping, but not in a central way. Another leadership couple bowed out entirely due to the current instability of their lives, and the fact that The Core is not really the most ideal place for two young children (not bad, just not ideal, either.) We had 12 people at Re:Group 3 weeks ago, than slightly less than that for Merge (which is supposed to be the large gathering) and then 5 for Re:Group last night (Me, Mik (Christina was ill) a lady who belongs to another church, a youth pastor, and a random guy off the street who left early.)

I could write a book called "The Agony and the Ecstasy" if it hadn't already been done. I suppose this is just the world of church-planting for you. But if it wasn't for the ecstasy part I could just call it a failure and move on. And if it wasn't for the agony part I would be in heaven.

I know numbers aren't important, but once you open up a facility like this, there is a certain critical mass of people you have to maintain to justify the building and all the stuff you've got going on. I wouldn't blame people for not wanting to donate to keep a building open that only serves a handful of people. Heck, I wouldn't even ask them to. But the fact remains that we would not be doing this if we didn't know for certain that God told us to. Because he did.

Thanks for prodding me to share this. It's good catharsis.

And congratulations on discovering you're average. I went through my entire youth convinced I was special... with no small amount of help from my family. I remember thinking to myself several times how I was good at everything I tried. That attitude dies hard. Of course it would be absurd for me to pull a total reversal and decide that I'm inadequate at everything. But the hard fact is that I am gifted at a few things, and struggle in many other ways. It's even harder when it's in those "other ways" that God decides to use you, and you feel like the butt of a celestial joke.

Just don't be surprised when the discovery that you're average is really just a stop on the way to "below average". I'm not trying to put you down, I just want you to be prepared for it. And if it doesn't happen, cool. But if it does... I just don't want you to kill yourself.

The fact is that I sincerely believe in you. And your last e-mail increased my confidence that seminary is the right place for you now. Just make absotively posolutely certain that you don't relegate your spiritual life to doctrine and hermeneutics and textual analysis.

In other words, keep it real.

Peace in,
Ryan.

In the Land of Broken Words

2007-09-17T13:14:00.000-05:00

A few months ago, I wrote a song called "In the land of broken toys", reminiscent of the rejects portrayed in the claymation film "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer".

A land of broken toys is a very plausible fiction for anyone who knows more than a few children personally. Children break toys. It's a fact. Maybe it's because they get so excited whenever they have a new one that they can't control their energy. Maybe it's because they lack the necessary motor skills and sense of caution and consequence. Maybe it's just because they're, well... immature.

I believe that same immaturity lurks in the halls of the Big House of Evangelism, creating a Land of Broken Words. Because I know I'm not the only one who's noticed the velocity with which words are coined and discarded in an evangelical sub-culture obsessed with progress and results.

Perhaps some of these broken words are, in fact, better off broken. But others are perfectly suited to their purposes, and get broken because of carelessness... too much use, too loudly, with too little love.

I myself have been criticized for replacing "Christian" with "Christ-follower" among other things. Sometimes I make the swap with a hint of sadness... in the above case knowing that the former word implies the state of being "in Christ", unlike the latter. But I received the word already badly beaten, nearly beyond repair. Hopefully it will make a strong comeback one day, but I've always been more of an inventor than a mechanic.

And there is literally no end to the types of words that have fallen victim to this fate. But I'm going to focus here on the words that refer to people who have not surrendered their lives to Jesus, for the purpose of entering into an ongoing relationship to him. I'll be diggin up a pretty wide array, so here we go:

"HEATHEN"

Scripture Context: I Thessalonians 4:5 - a dirty sinner with animal instincts
Modern Connotation: pure insult - "Us vs. Them"
Status: Dead or Antiquated

"LOST"

Scripture Context: Luke 15:6 - Jesus seeking out his lost sheep (who are apparently clueless)
Modern Connotation: Parental concern that borders on pity - belittling & patronizing
Status: Musty but still Common

"UNSAVED"

Scripture Context: All throughout NT - Those not (yet) rescued from danger/damnation
Modern Connotation: Negative, "Haves vs. Have-Nots"
Status: Common

"PRE-CHRISTIAN"

Scripture Context: Possibly 2 Peter 3:9, though we have no reason to believe that every Non-Christian is a "Pre-Christian".
Modern Connotation: Snarky, Presumptuous
Status: Contemporary, but Limited

"UNCHURCHED"

Scripture Context: Not sure if there is any (further explanation below)
Modern Connotation: Unrefined, Unpropagandized (further explanation below)
Status: Common and Gaining

There are a lot more I could hit, but this last one, "unchurched" is what I want to focus on. And as I do, keep in mind that I am mostly speaking on behalf of a post-modern generation, and not attempting serious journalism, so my perspective will be limited, yet I think crucial as well.

Post-modern culture tends to view the Church, and Christianity much the way it views any other large institution. Chock-full of self-serving agendas and schemes to brainwash entire generations into unquestioning submission. In post-modern eyes, a large corporation has achieved its goal when every last individual is walking around as if in a trance reminiscent of Dustin Hoffman's character from Rain Man: "Gotta go to K-Mart. Gotta go to K-Mart."

It has also not escaped their notice they way Missions has been conducted over the last several centuries... where it is just as important to westernize a populace as to evangelize it. They (we?) are convinced, and perhaps with good reason, that the Church is out to destroy all cultures but its own... that a modern Missions Director takes more queues from Alexander the Great than from Paul the Apostle.

Thus, to become "churched" is to become forcibly assimilated, to lose touch with one's own willpower and surrender to the Borg, since resistance is, indeed, futile. It is to fall victim to pervasive propaganda and slick marketing... to sell out.

Many Christians already hold this view toward mega-churches. The larger the church, the more resources available for marketing, and the more people will be accused of selling out when they finally break down and join "Six Flags over Jesus". This is not to be critical... but we close our eyes to the prevailing attitudes. And those belonging to small or medium churches should understand that the way they feel about the Great Conglomeration Congregation out on the highway is the way many people feel about the Church as a whole.

And we have to be aware of that when we use words like "Unchurched". We can't be surprised when people see it as adversarial... like the trash talk on the court that soundly predicts the fate of one's opponent.

But it's not just the talk. I believe that in many cases the mentality is consistent with the connotation. Evangelism-minded Christians often believe that they are in possession of a culture that should be spread like hellenism to the entire known world. So if this what the world hears us saying, perhaps it is not disingenuous at all. Perhaps we truly are communicating accurately with such a word.

And that's even worse. It's no real trouble to deport another sorry ex-patriot to the Land of Broken Words. To turn an attitude around is another thing entirely.

So ask yourself: "Am I more concerned about a population that is unchurched, or one that is unloved?" Did Jesus call me to go about "churching" people, or loving them? Because when you love a person like Jesus does, you're going to tell them the truth, even if it's hard. You're just far less likely to communicate it with a fake million-dollar bill.

One more thing: in addition to being concerned about those who are unloved, we need to take note of the undiscipled. For if there are two Jesus mandates that cannot be disputed, they are: to love people, and to disciple them. And often, the quest for the undiscipled can be conducted within the walls of the church, because sadly, it's like shooting fish in a bucket to find those still subsisting on the milk of the Word, having never cut their teeth on its meat.

I will wrap this up by recognizing that I am still hung up on these negative words that many people have tried to get away from. The fact is that the terms "unloved" and "undiscipled", however big an improvement they may be, are still not fit for public consumption. Believe me... I have tried and tried to find words that are.

But there are so many great words from the past that have been discarded due merely to becoming misused or worn out. Is it time to take a trip to the junkyard for some salvage work? Maybe it is.

So who's got a crowbar?

Communion

2007-09-11T10:44:00.000-05:00

If I'm going to write a post about Communion (or the Lord's Supper) I have to start with a confession, and repentance. It has been my responsibility, as a pastor, to make sure that the people who worship with The Core have the regular experience of Communion... the bread and the cup. In The Core's two-year history, however, we have done it only once. At the very absolute minimum, it should be done once per year, at Passover, but I haven't even managed that much. For that I am very sorry, and I now have plans to fix this problem.

Starting on Sunday, September 23, Re:Group will begin taking Communion together, on the Fourth Sunday of each month (the first Sunday after Merge.) We will use grape juice instead of alcoholic wine because minors are likely to be involved from time-to-time, quite often without their parents (think college underclassmen) and because there may be those present struggling with alcoholism currently, or in their past. We will use unleavened matzah bread instead of anything else because leaven, or yeast, is a powerful symbol of sin in the Bible, and therefore the unleavened bread is a powerful symbol of the body of our sinless Savior.

Now I'm going to talk about one of the reasons I was reluctant to start serving Communion on a regular basis. It's not an excuse, just a reason. And that is the open/closed communion controversy. After some discussion, we have made a decision how to handle it.

Since it is not unlikely that there will be unbelievers present when we serve Communion, we have to be very careful that we do not include them in a way that is disrespectful to the commandment to "eat this bread and drink this cup"... "in a worthy manner". Let me make a few points before I share our conclusion.

1) In a small group setting, a non-believer would likely feel very awkward being told not to participate in something that every other person is doing. Feeling excluded and embarrassed, such a person is not likely to come back.

2) There is nothing magical (or even miraculous) about the juice, the bread, or the act of consuming it in a certain setting. We do not agree with the Catholic doctrine of trans-substantiation, which says that the juice (or wine) literally becomes the blood of Christ, and the bread literally becomes his body. Therefore, a person does not sin by taking Communion in ignorance, or in an unsaved state. It is rather the spiritual leader of the group who sins if he or she does not communicate clearly about it. If it is communicated clearly, then the leader cannot assume responsibility for whether or not each person understand, or complies.

3) The "unworthy manner" that Paul talks about in I Corinthians 11 refers to those who eat and drink without a) showing kindness and consideration to one another in that gathering, b) proclaiming the Lord's death, c) examining one's heart, and d) recognizing the body of the Lord. Letters (b) and (d) can only be done by believers, but (a) and (c) can be done by anyone.

4) Sin can only occur in the context of Communion in two situations: a) if the spiritual leader misleads non-believers into thinking that they are fully included in the Body of Christ by partaking, or that there is real spiritual benefit to the act itself, apart from belief and self-examination. Or, b) if a believer in Christ takes Communion in a way that is rude, selfish, thoughtless and dishonoring to God.

5) Jews practice the drinking of wine and the eating of unleavened bread every year at Passover. When a Jew learns the true significance of this act, and comes to believe in Jesus, her lifelong experience of the bread and the cup serve to enrich her understanding of Communion once she is a believer. Likewise, if an unbeliever eats and drinks with believers at Communion, all the while understanding that this is a time to examine one's heart, but the true meaning of the tradition comes when one's heart is surrendered to Christ, his inclusion can serve as a very positive experience in his journey toward salvation. What better moment to think about Christ, and examine one's attitude toward him than in a setting of loving acceptance and mutual introspection with sincere believers?

What we've concluded then is that the drinking of the cup and the eating of the bread can only be considered "Communion" when accomplished by someone who is a believer. If unbelievers were to join in the eating and drinking, it would simply be eating and drinking, and no harm is done, as long as they are not being led to believe something false by those who are serving.

So when the cup and bread are served, it will be made clear that this experience is designed specifically for believers for reasons stated above. If you are not a believer, you are free to pass on it. However, you are also free to take it, while knowing that it cannot really be understood or experienced as Communion without a heart that is surrendered to Christ. In the meantime, if you take it, please use this moment to examine your heart, and your attitude toward Christ, and see if you sense that he is calling you to himself. Ask him if you have been reluctant to accept something that you know in your heart is right. We hope that, either today or soon, you can find yourself transformed in the presence of Christ. But nevertheless, be aware that you will always be welcome among us, no matter what you believe.

Omniscient

2007-09-05T08:26:00.001-05:00

You say you're omniscient.

You say there's nothing that escapes your notice... nothing you cannot understand.

At one point maybe you decided there were a few things outside your experience, so you came down and did that, too. Now we're supposed to find complete comfort in the totality of your purview... that no matter what we find to complain about, you've got it whipped.

You say you've suffered far beyond the trials of any mortal human. I'll grant you that. Your capabilities are infinitely higher than mine... your pain is infinitely more painful, and your joy infinitely more joyful. How can I argue? Why should I compare myself to you at all?

Because you started it.

You made me in your image. You said that you could relate to all my temptations, because you've been there. You, sir, have invited the comparison, and now I feel like it's falling apart.

Because you don't know what it's like to screw up.

Sure, maybe you do, in some impossible realm that will forever escape the grasp of my consciousness... some alternate universe where something is beyond you. But how can that be anything but nonsense to me?

You say you are the "Friend of Sinners", but I imagine a homeless man being befriended by the president of a seminary, or a leper by Mother Teresa. I'm thankful for the kindness, but sometimes the gift feels like cold comfort. Yay... I have a pity friend.

Because ultimately, I am pitiful. Even in your most pitiful moment you were heroic, earth-shattering, compassionate, praiseworthy. Your most pitiful moment was, indeed, your most beautiful moment.

But when I am a loser... I am just a loser. When I make a fool of myself, I am just a fool.

So what do I want? To pull God down to me? To shrink his head? To yank my rescuer out of the boat so I can drown in good company?

If I wasn't pitiful when I started writing this, surely I am now.

Short Skirt/Long Jacket and the Proverbs 31 Woman

2007-08-29T15:31:00.000-05:00

Who better than a chronic sufferer of foot-in-mouth disease like myself to find two things that disgust women and put them together?

I refer to a song, and a scripture passage. The song is "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" by Cake, and I don't know any women who are really against it. (If it's not ringing a bell, think of the line, "I want a girl with a short skirt and a long..... long..... jacket.) Most people I know just think it's funny and clever. After all, it's surprisingly non-sexual, and non-shallow. The "short skirt" desire is probably the only shallow thing in there, and the only references to appearance at all are the mention of "fingernails that shine like justice" and "eyes that burn like cigarettes". The rest of it is all about attitude, intellect and, well... business acumen.

The writer of this song is expressing a desire for a woman who has it all together, and even exhibits a number of traditionally masculine traits. A case in point is the line "she's touring the facility, and picking up the slack." This is an intensely independent woman... the kind that doesn't really need a man, which is a point that makes me wonder if this song is perhaps much deeper than it sounds.

Is it a satire? Is the writer really saying that men don't want the killer woman? Is it trying to communicate the pressure that women are under to measure up to an impossible standard?

Either way, I'm almost positive that the writer was inspired by the second half of Proverbs 31... because that scripture passage seems to create a lot of the same feelings in women as the song. "This is what men expect??? Well, screw that... I'm not taking care of two toddlers and turning a profit on a vineyard in my spare time! And hell if he's gonna see me in a short skirt again."

Good point, ladies. If this song, and this scripture, are true representations of our standards, then we've got another thing coming.

I said in a recent blog post that there are some verses which are just plain none of your business. And I think the second half of Proverbs 31 is like that... not really written for men to read. It is something women should be inspired by, without thinking that men are standing around, supervising their growth. The only benefit it has for men was expressed pretty well, I think, by Mark Driscoll. He said that a lot of young men set out looking for the Proverbs 31 woman to marry. But they haven't done anything to deserve her. He believes that the P31 woman is a woman who has been invested in over a period of decades by her husband, and many others. In short, if you're looking for the perfect wife, go find the perfect husband, because he's already got her.

I like this perspective, because it challenges both men and women to strive to be their very best, and hopefully takes our attention off of each other's progress, or lack thereof.

But I just couldn't get over the similarities between the song and the scripture, so I wrote a parody of the song, using as many actual words from Proverbs 31 as possible. I'll paste it in here for you. If you want to read the original lyrics, and the scripture passage, they're pasted into the first two comments. So here it is. (By the way... I already have a wife like this, so if we get a chance to perform it, I'll have to get some young bachelor to be the singer.)

I want a wife of Noble Character
I want a wife like few can find
I want a wife with worth like rubies
Who can afford me, her husband, some peace of mind

I want a wife with the right motivations
Who is good, not bad, and has nothing she lacks
She’s pricing the market, she’s working with her hands
She’s choosing the wool, and picking out the flax.

I want a wife with a short past and a long…. resume

I want a wife who gets up early (gets up early!)
I want a wife who stays up late (stays up late!)
I want a wife who sets about her work vigorously
Who buys her own vineyards, and makes no mistakes

With fingernails that are grasping her distaff
And spindles, and ledgers, and alms for the poor
She is strong, generous, and dresses in red
She takes on the blizzards and has nothing dread

I want a wife with a long temper and a short…. short… memory.

I want a wife with a smooth set of bed sheets (smooth set of bedsheets!)
I want a wife with a sash outlet store (sash outlet store!)
At the city gate we will meet accidentally
We’ll start to talk when I offer her my chair

She wants a wardrobe with strength and dignity
She wants a repertoire of observant jokes
She’s speaking with wisdom and teaching her skills
And trading in idleness for a watchful eye

I want a wife with a short engagement and a long… long… honeymoon

Serendipity

2007-08-23T13:44:00.000-05:00

When you don't believe in luck, chance or coincidence you're typically left with a lot of churchy words to describe the unexpected neat stuff that happens in your life. And those words never really seem to capture it. "Blessing", "Divine Appointment", "A God Thing" etc. All a little clunky.

The fact is that I do believe in chance and coincidence (not so much in luck) but there is really no better word for this stuff than "Serendipity." That way you can ascribe your good fortune to whoever you want... you don't have to be presumptuous to be poetic.

I have encountered a few instances of serendipity this week. On Monday, I finally got to meet Ibiyinka Alao, a wonderful guy who had been friends with Phillip & Amy Scoggins for awhile, but had yet to bump into me. Ibiyinka is the art ambassador from Nigeria, and travels all over the world making presentations about his art and his faith. Just 5 months ago he got married to a former art student of Amy's, and they have settled down in Springfield.

Turns out Ibiyinka and his wife, Jessica, are looking for a church to call home. When he saw the Front Porch he was very intrigued. And when I asked him, he agreed to give his presentation at this Sunday evening's Merge gathering. That's serendipity of a divine order.

So that night I was able to make up a flyer for Merge to take with us to Drury for their Student Activities Fair on Tuesday. For this opportunity I have to give props to Matt & Andrea Battaglia, a recent addition to The Core family, who both work at Drury. Anyway, Christina and I set up our display for their Fair, and immediately tons of Drury students were asking us about The Core and the Front Porch. Welcome to the 60 Drury students who are new to The Core! We're looking forward to seeing you around. Serendipity again.

Finally, Mik told me yesterday about how he was putzing around the Front Porch, trying to finish up a few things, and this guy named Zach walked in asking about becoming a bartender. Apparently there's a sign on Ernie Biggs' door saying "Bartenders Wanted, please use next door". What they meant was to please use the back door. But due to the miscommunication, Zach walked into the FroPo looking for a job. Although Mik didn't have one to offer him, the two of them did sit down and talk for about an hour and a half. Then Zack offered to help him move all the appliances into the now-finished coffee bar. I don't know if he ended up getting an interview at Ernie's, but we definitely expect to see him around from now on.

Don't get me wrong... I'm not crediting Serendipity for these things. I'm just saying that it's one of the ways God does things. There's comfort, there's testing, there's commanding, there's Serendipity.

It's important to recognize this, because whenever you try to do something really big, it's like discouragement is always hovering over your head. Consequently, when God intervenes with Serendipity, you pretty much have to get a tattoo so you don't forget about it by the time you're drowning again.

You Can Never Become an Encourager Like Me

2007-08-22T13:34:00.001-05:00

I love irony.

Evangelism's Code of Conduct

2007-08-18T11:28:00.000-05:00

On Thursday, the Chicago Tribune featured an article about the World Council of Churches and the Vatican teaming up to establish a code of conduct for Evangelism.

Now I can't say that when the WCC and the Vatican link arms, that I'm necessarily gonna be right there with them. And it could be that the code they eventually establish (if they can agree at all) would be rubbish. But I have to applaud them at least for making this effort. I believe it's a worthy one.

It makes me want to write my own code of conduct... like a gentleman's agreement. Not enforcible, but public enough so that can even non-Christians can hold us accountable to it.

Although I think my motive for doing so would be different from the Vatican/WCC initiative. They seem mostly concerned about governments on the brink of passing anti-evangelism legislation. It is thought that an established code of conduct might persuade them that evangelism is not dangerous, and should not be banned. They may be right, or it may be that these goverments are not so much worried about evangelism being pushy or annoying... they're worried about it being effective. Then the only way to appease them would be to prove that the WCC and the Vatican only intend to engage in ineffective evangelism. I could see it, actually.

Maybe the reason that I don't have this motive is that the U.S. is not on the brink of such legislation. Some people would argue with me, and it may very well be the case in 10 or 20 years, but not just yet. So my motive is more about helping the community to understand that we are also displeased with the nature of much of the evangelism that goes on, and we are committed to curbing it, even as we strive to obey the command to spread the Gospel.

So I'm going to jot down some preliminary, off-the-top-of-my-head ideas for an Evangelistic Code of Conduct. Here goes...

DON'T...

interrupt people's lives purely for the sake of evangelism.
hand anyone a tract until you know they're interested in reading it (and maybe not even then.)
use tracts that look like money (ever!)
wear a sandwich board or hold a sign or use a bullhorn (or shout as if you wished you had one.)
use scripture with people who clearly don't care about it.
wear a big, fake smile and slap people on the back and say "awesome" all the time.
argue (ever!)
force people to hear your message in order receive something else that they want.
lose interest in a person once they've said they're not interested in the gospel
separate your "real life" from your "ministry life."

DO...

listen carefully and respectfully
be yourself, and talk like you talk.
be willing to admit that you don't know.
be willing to admit that Christianity is not easy.
apologize for the times that you, or Christians in general, have failed to exhibit the love of Christ.
meet people's needs with no strings attached.
invite people into your life.
consider living among the people you're ministering to (or minister to the people you're living among.)
pray earnestly for unbelievers, and for your ability to be Christ to them.
enjoy people's company, plain and simple.

OK... I know I'm missing a lot, so you'll have to add a comment to help me out. Go ahead... click that little "add a comment" link... I know you can do it.

Oikosthemen

2007-08-18T10:45:00.001-05:00

Last night I discovered that The Core website has been linked by a German-language emerging church blog called "oikosthemen" which means, as far as I can tell, in English, "OK". Makes sense. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that it takes Germans 11 letters to say what English-speakers can express in 2. :-)~

Anyway... thanks to oikosthemen for the props. I would link to their site, but I imagine most of the readers of this blog don't understand German anyway. Buy you're welcome to try. Or you can read it in broken English.

Birthlight

2007-08-15T07:42:00.001-05:00

We are all born once
into the pale glow
of fluorescent tubing
and flickering darkness
bathing the foreheads of
mad scientists
in lieu of OBGYNs.

Some are born a second time
into the sunlight
and everything is different.

Death of a Salesman

2007-08-14T08:48:00.001-05:00

"The only thing you got in this world is what you can sell."

I've been known to say it before, and more and more Christians are beginning to realize it. The concept of Evangelism has been deteriorating into pure salesmanship. The greatest news, the most perfect message humankind has ever heard, and it is relegated to little more than Girl Scout Cookies. And it doesn't even seem to be concerned about the here-and-now... only the afterlife. Do you know if you'll go to heaven when you die? Let's say a prayer and secure your place there right now, ok?

"After all the highways, and the trains, and the appointments, and the years, you end up worth more dead than alive."

Is a man or a woman merely a soul wrapped up in flesh? Are these bodies and brains simply tools to make sure the soul ends up in the right place? No... God created all of it to glorify him... to express, innovate, create, love, communicate, challenge, dance, rest, laugh. Can you 'love your neighbor' and only care about his or her soul?

"You can't eat the orange and throw the peel away--a man is not a piece of fruit!"

But the modern state of Evangelism is dangerously close to this kind of dichotomy. Ask them if they go to church anywhere. Tell them your testimony... they can't argue with that. Make sure they realize they're a sinner. Then ask them if there's any reason why they shouldn't pray for salvation right now. If that doesn't work, try just being their friend, and keep praying.

Is friendship a stratagem now? Is it the secret weapon in our evangelistic arsenal? To reduce relationship to a step in the three-step plan is to cheapen people... to deny their holistic value.

"I am not a dime a dozen! I am Willy Loman, and you are Biff Loman!"

If we don't come to our senses... if we don't change our course quickly, many of us are in danger of waking up and realizing that all the conversions under our belts have amounted to nothing.

"Nothing's planted. I don't have a thing in the ground."

Because we haven't loved. We have set our minds upon a task... a commission, but we have made the very mistake Paul warned us about in I Corinthians 13:

"If I speak in the tongues of men and 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."

Jesus commanded us to love everyone... and simply that. It is the highest form of human interaction, and the most complete way to be Christ-like. Everything we do, including (or especially) sharing the gospel, has to be governed by authentic love for people, not by strategies or sales pitches.

I am so passionate about this, I want everyone to have an opportunity to come together and help each other rid themselves of the proselytizing instinct... to let the salesman in each of us die a sudden death. I want us each to devote our lives to true relationship, to caring about people no matter what they believe, and ridding ourselves of the hidden agendas. The times we spend with people in this capacity will communicate the truth far better than any four spiritual laws.

"There's more of Willy in that front stoop than in all the sales he ever made."

In the fall, we're going to start getting together on a regular basis to work through the evangelistic misconceptions that have built up in each of us over time. We'll call these gatherings "Death of a Salesman", and we'll have them as often as necessary. If you have any interest in helping The Core build authentic community, or in providing hospitality at the Front Porch on a regular basis... I can't stress enough the importance of this gathering. Go ahead and e-mail me if you would like to take part.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind... and love your neighbor as yourself."

Follow Me, and I Will Make You Fishers of... Snakes?

2007-08-09T14:11:00.000-05:00

Turns out my brain is too scattered right now for a unified field theory of... anything, so here's a hodge podge consisting of unfinished past posts (time to clean up the "drafts" box,) and what happened last night.

Fishers of Snakes

Last night at the Front Porch my new buddy Richard the Sound Guy and I were trying like heck to get a 16-channel snake through a 50-foot long sub-floor PVC pipe that surfaces at one end on stage, and at the other end where our soundboard will be. For those even more uninitiated than myself, a snake is a long, thick cable that connects the soundboard to the stage, and ours has to be threaded through this pipe. Richard is quite a guy... very knowledgeable, but nevertheless he and I were having some trouble. We started by running a long aluminum wire through, but it kept getting stuck in the middle. So I had the idea to get out the Shop Vac and suck it through from the opposite end. So Richard put a ball of duct tape on the end of the wire and stuck it in his end of the pipe, and I pressed the hose down onto my end, and slowly but surely it started to move. Then... twhop! I snagged it. Unfortunately this story does not end quite so happily, because we ended up snapping the wire in our attempt to pull the snake through. Not to worry, though, Plan B looks promising, if a tad bit more expensive.

Pastor Po-Mo and the SpringMo Lib-Cons

I just liked this title. Couldn't think of how to write a post for it, though. Add a comment if you think you can figure out what it means.

Multi-Site Church and the Emerging Televangelists

I decided not to write a full-out post on this because most Springfieldians have never heard of a Multi-Site Church. It is, however, all the rage among large "emerging" churches such as Mars Hill in Seattle, Journey in St. Louis, or Life Church in Oklahoma City. It's like a church that has multiple services, except those services are often happening in different places at the same time, instead of in the same place at different times. It is common for there to be a "mother" site, and "daughter" sites, each featuring a different worship team and an entirely different group of people, but all featuring the same sermon by the same Senior Pastor, only he's on a screen at the daughter sites, and not in preaching in person.

It baffles me a little how the people who go to these types of churches are often the last in the world to watch a preacher on television, and yet that's essentially what they're doing at the daughter sites. Can you call a guy your "pastor" if you're never even in the same room with him?

I know I'm in no position to say what a pastor ought or ought not to be, but I'm going to do it anyway. If you're pastoring a church, and it grows, and decides to become a multi-site church, and has to spend tens of thousands of dollars on technology to make sure that YOU and your thoughts are the centerpiece of every worship experience, no matter how far away, then I think you've lost some of what it means to be a pastor. Hopefully, throughout all that you still manage to actually shepherd a few people, but haven't you just become a televangelist to the rest?

The Nooma Sessions

I'm terrible with serieses. I guess I'm just not the type. I did a post about the first Nooma video, "Rain" thinking I would blog about all of them. Except that 1/4 of the time I'm not even in on the discussion, since I'm watching the kids. Also the fact that I'm terrible with serieses.

Church Marketing

Months ago, I typed the title "marketing" into blogger, and saved it in order to remind me to write a post about marketing. But it turns out all I have is feelings about marketing, and no actual thoughts. My gut says it's sick... that marketing is just an extension of sales, and salesmanship has no place in the Kingdom of God. I know that church marketing and its goons have turned a lot of people off to the Church entirely, but I'm not sure where to draw the line. Should a church list their phone number in the yellow pages? Sure. Should they pay for a little extra space for added visibility? I don't know. Should they have a full-page color ad? Personally, I don't think so. But there's a lot of leeway in there. Obviously, I think websites are great. Billboards, not so much. But what is the essential difference? How do we know when we've gone too far in trying to get the word out? How do we know when we've developed a competitive nature, or a success syndrome? Anyone?

The Present

2007-08-04T21:40:00.000-05:00

-I’d like a stuffed animal for my daughter.
-OK.
-For her birthday.
-Sure.
-What have you got?
-I’ve got this rabbit.
-This rabbit?
-Sure.
-It looks fast.
-It’s a rapid rabbit.
-What’s with the foam on its mouth?
-It’s foam.
-Does it have rabies?
-Maybe.
-So it’s rabid.
-It’s a rabid rapid rabbit.
-Great. Wrap it.

League Leader in Total Conversions

2007-08-01T12:42:00.000-05:00

About three years ago I was pondering the idea of becoming an ordained pastor within a certain denomination. So they had me fill out this application, of sorts. Everything was going along fairly well until I hit the question that asked, "Over the past two years, how many people have you led to faith in Jesus Christ?"

Here's what I did:

I got mad, and threw it away. Not because my answer would have been zero, but because I am appalled by the mindset that would produce a question like that. So I forgot about the whole ordination thing for awhile.

Here's what I should have done (or rather, should have thought):

"Hm... how many people have I led to faith in Jesus Christ? Gosh, that's a little oversimplified. I mean, isn't it the Holy Spirit that leads people to Jesus? So I guess the real answer is:

0.

But the fact is, I did personally share the gospel and pray with 2 people for salvation, so I suppose my answer could be:

2.

But what about those people with whom I shared the gospel, who I found out later prayed for salvation with someone else? That counts, right? So now we're up to:

7.

Hm. It only asks about conversions, and doesn't have a blank for "assists". So I guess I should just include them in my answer. There's that one guy who had questions I couldn't answer, so I set him up to meet with my pastor, who led him in "the prayer".

8.

And those people I brought to church who went down for the altar call...

20.

And the two girls who were sitting around with a group of us Christians, who actually prayed with one of the ladies, but I answered several of their questions pretty well, I think.

22.

If we're talking about conversions and assists, maybe we can also count them like quarterback sacks, or innings pitched... in fractions. There was this guy that a friend and I led to the Lord simultaneously. And another one that was a three-man effort. So that's 1/2 plus 1/3... so now we're up to:

22 5/6.

That's pretty close to 23. Let's round up.

23.

As long as we're on the sports motif... you gotta give the coaches a little credit, right? Because I did teach that evangelism class for the youth group. Out of the 8 kids I taught, 3 of them were downright naturals. I heard they each earned an average of 5 conversions over the last two ~~seasons~~ years. So that's...

38.

Oh man... I almost forgot about that time I was an altar worker at a Billy Graham crusade.

249.

And I suppose there are plenty of times that someone observed me saying or doing something, that made it easy for the next guy to come along and lead them to faith. Those would be impossible to count... so I'll give myself the benefit of the doubt:

1,328.

OK... 1,328 it is. Hey, I'm a shoo-in for ordination!"

If you know me at all, I don't have to tell you that there's some fiction in there. But I think my point stands regardless... that God is definitely thankful that I'm on his team :-)~

The Agony and the Irony

2007-08-01T12:29:00.000-05:00

Quiz time:

Evil and Righteousness have a common root, which is the all-consuming desire for... what?

Add a comment to this post, and make your best guess. Let me know if you need a hint.

The Simpsons Movie and a Lesson Learned

2007-07-27T15:57:00.000-05:00

My wife and I were crazy enough to stay up till 2 am last night in order to be among the first viewers of the Simpsons Movie, so dadgum if I'm not going to get some blog mileage out of it.

First things first: The movie was GOOD. I myself am a dyed-in-the-wool Simpsons fan, and even my towering expectations weren't able to completely overwhelm this long-awaited project. And the fact that the Simpsons series has been getting consistently less funny over the past 5 years actually made the movie seem more hilarious. The plot was epic, the gags were a non-stop alchemy of satire, slapstick and silliness, and the overall look and feel of the movie was very satisfying.

Disappointments: The effort to include virtually every minor character in the movie resulted in no significant contributions from any of them. In fact, everything minor about the film was so minor as to be practically imperceptible. There were two subplots, one about Bart beginning to prefer the fathering of Ned Flanders to that of Homer, and another of Lisa finding the "perfect boy". Both of these subplots would have been lame, even for a regular episode, and the latter introduced a love interest so flat that the Irish musician/environmentalist who caught Lisa's eye might well have been made of cardboard.

Shocks: The creators of the Simpsons do take the liberties afforded them by the PG-13 rating, and lay out a manic scene of Bart skateboarding naked, on a dare. The action is jaw-dropping, as we witness a breakneck series of visual near-misses. I won't tell you everything about the scene, but I would recommend that highly impressionable viewers of all ages sit this one out. I must say, though, it is amazing how the well-timed on-screen appearance of three lines for two seconds can suck the air out of a movie theater.

The best shock, though, was one of the most brilliant sight gags I have ever seen in a movie, animated or otherwise. David Edelstein, movie reviewer for NPR and the Los Angeles Times, said it made him gasp, and that "You could write a whole sociology dissertation on that five-second gag."

It happened when an ominous shadow descends over Springfield, and the entire city is staring skyward in confusion and terror. We see a bird's-eye view of the church and the bar side-by-side (which is new) and people running out of the front door of each. As a group, they gape helplessly at their doom from above, and promptly switch buildings.

Something in me wants to write a blog post about this one gag, but honestly, I'm not sure what I would say. I will, however, digress enough from my movie review to say that this joke definitely rings true to me. Religious people often foolishly turn to alcohol for comfort, while alcoholics may simultaneously (and at times foolishly as well) seek a "higher power". If you want to suck all the charm and wit out of the gag, I suppose you could call it the "grass is always greener" syndrome. Pastors will proclaim that Jesus is the answer, while the bartender claims that Alcohol is the answer. But far too many who have taken the bait remain only mildly convinced... as evidenced by their desertion at the moment of greatest fear.

I guess I would be the wrong guy to write that dissertation. But if I were to take one thing away from this poignant moment, I suppose it would be to recognize that the things we cannot believe in a crisis, we do not believe at all. So here it is again, in memorable quote form:

"The things we cannot believe in a crisis, we do not believe at all." -Ryan Wiksell

The Front Porch - Getting Closer!

2007-07-27T15:09:00.000-05:00

Even though this picture was taken yesterday, it still doesn't capture everything... Some modest stage lighting, and pendant lighting above the future coffee bar, were added only hours ago. And the coffee bar is now finally in the works, and should be well on its way to completion by next weekend.

Make sure you stop by between 6 and 10 pm next Friday, August 3 to hang out at the pre-open Front Porch (310 South Avenue)... we'll have a lot more comfortable furniture in than you see here, plus musicians Annie Peters and Bailie, and local artist Deby Gilley displaying her linocut work.

See you there!

The Inclusive Jesus

2007-07-18T14:07:00.000-05:00

In the process of reading through the gospels once again, this morning I came across what I believe to be one of the most intriguing scenes in the entire Bible:

"On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, 'Is it not written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'' The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching." -Mark 11:15-18

Now this is a man's memory verse, and I've mentioned it several times before in that capacity. Although John is less descriptive of this controversial act than Matthew, Mark and Luke, he does mention that Jesus drove them out with a whip that he made himself. That tells us two very important things:

1) Jesus was not guilty of rage, or of losing his temper. He had thought things through far enough in advance to make a whip just for this occasion. And,

2) Jesus had some mad skills.

Those two ideas were not new to me as I read the passage this morning. But in an effort to draw more out of Jesus' teachings, I have taken the advice of Ray VanderLaan, and started paying close attention to the source of Jesus' quotes. VanderLaan teaches that, when Jesus quotes the Old Testament, his true message is often not so much in the actual words he says, as in the passage he is referring to. This is not to say that Jesus is being misleading or disingenuous--every word he says is true--but that there is deeper meaning available for those who familiarize themselves with the Bible of Jesus' day. And I believe this is the case with the temple-clearing scene.

When he rebukes the temple officials, Jesus quotes two Old Testament prophets in one sentence. "My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations" comes from Isaiah chapter 56. The second part, about the den of robbers, comes from Jeremiah chapter 7.

OK, that was easy enough. All you have to do is check the footnotes to find that out. But now how about reading those two chapters? What are they really about?

One very intriguing thing about the temple-clearing passage is the emphasis on Jesus' teaching. You'd think, at a moment like this, everybody would either be cheering or jeering because of Jesus' behavior, not his words. But even in the midst of such outlandish deeds, the focus is on what Jesus is saying. Mark does not suggest that he is shouting his memory verses at the top of his lungs as he throws tables over the wall, and busts open the pigeon cages. Rather it says he is teaching the people. Likewise, when the chief priests heard this, they wanted to kill him, not for causing a ruckus, but because the people were amazed at his teaching.

Now I don't think we can conclude that the priests and teachers wanted to kill Jesus out of jealousy. As if one instructor at a school wins the educator of the year award and the others set right out to build a gallows in the teachers' lounge. It is indeed possible that Jesus' popularity and competency as a rabbi aroused the green-eyed monster among his colleagues, but it is far more likely that they wanted to kill him for what he taught than how he taught.

So what was Jesus really teaching? That the temple officials were getting a little carried away with the merchandising? That things were being run too much like a business and not enough like the house of God? Perhaps that people were getting ripped off and short-changed?

These things could all be fairly drawn from the text, and I don't think they would be wrong. But look again before you set fire to your church bookstore or tip over the soda machine. Because I believe that Jesus' heart on the matter lies in the message of Isaiah 56 and Jeremiah 7.

The Isaiah passage makes a beautiful promise to Israel's outsiders; to those who fear that their lineage will exclude them from the kingdom of God. A special comfort goes out to the eunuchs, who have been so mutilated as to never be considered among the circumcised. God essentially is telling the world, "No matter who you are, where you're from, or what your past is like, if you bind yourself to me, and keep my commands, I will hear your prayers and accept your sacrifices." What an incredible message (especially in the Old Testament!)

Now it's important to recognize that the Temple in Jerusalem had four courts: The Court of the Gentiles, and going inward from there, the Court of Women, the Court of Men, and the Holy of Holies. It is obvious that God intended people from all nations to be welcome at the Temple (even if only in the outer court,) to worship there and offer their sacrifices. But by Jesus' day, the rulers of the Temple had allowed (caused?) the Court of the Gentiles to overflow with merchants and money changers. This made it impossible for non-Jews to worship there, and sent a very strong message that they were not welcome.

So Jesus barges in and declares that the Temple was meant to be a house of prayer for all nations, not for one nation only! Israel had a sacred duty to welcome people of every stripe to God's house, and they had failed.

Not only had they failed to provide hospitality to the nations, they had traded hospitality for iniquity. A place designed to radiate the grace of God was serving instead to highlight the greed of men. Thus the Jeremiah quote about the 'den of robbers'.

And this is where we really come to understand that Jesus is not merely venting about the misuse of a worship facility, but pronouncing doom on a nation who ignores God's commands. Because in Jeremiah chapter 7 we can see very clearly God's displeasure with those who would "oppress the alien," among others (verse 7.) God commands Jeremiah to stand at the gate of the temple, and announce that God is giving his people one last chance to reject false gods and serve him only, to treat people with love and grace and hospitality, and he will continue to accept their offerings and allow them to live in the Promised Land.

But if they do not--and Jesus was making it very clear that they had not--then God would no longer accept their sacrifices. In fact, God told them they might as well keep their sacrifices to themselves, because he was about to destroy the temple and scatter them from their homeland.

When Jesus referenced Jeremiah 7 (and when he said other things about the Temple, like "not one stone will be left on another") , he was making it very plain that Israel had had her chance, and she blew it. No wonder the chief priests and teachers of the law were fuming.

But right there, in the midst of a proclamation of doom, Jesus was making a promise of redemption. All the people were amazed at his teaching, because they were sick of being excluded. What a thought, that God would welcome everyone into his presence! What a thought, for you and I, that God is calling us to stop holding the "undesirables" at arm's length, and start truly showing them the love of Christ! Over and over we see it: Jesus talking with the Samaritan woman or the Roman general, Philip baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch, Peter seeing the vision of unclean foods, James inspiring us to honor the poor, or Paul dedicating his life's ministry to the Gentiles. What a grand theme of Jesus' life... to subvert the natural order, to exalt the humble and humiliate the self-exalted!

Despite the grand message, you might have concluded that Jesus didn't go far enough in his purging. Yes, he fought to give back the Court of the Gentiles, but what about all the separation? Why should the Gentiles be considered less than the Jews, and the women be denied privileges reserved for men?

During his life, you'd be right. Jesus did stop short. But when he was crucified, all that he'd been saying came to an explosive climax. Because at that moment, the curtain in the temple, designed by God to keep virtually all people separated from his presence, was ripped in two from top to bottom. Now, not only are Gentiles welcome among the Jews, but each and every person who trusts in Jesus is granted access to the heart of God!

Paul said it best in Galatians 3:28. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

Amen.