Should every player get to play?

In my professional life as someone who evaluates and develops nonprofit organizations I sometimes find myself stuck in a tension between honouring the best intentions of every participant and the reasonable expectation for meaningful performance outcomes that truly benefit those in need. It reminds me of the way I've been torn as a sports coach with whether to give equal playing time to everyone or to favour those who give the team the best chance of winning.

An article I read today argues that within the church everyone should get to play in the way that they want. In part the author says:

The church remains the home of the no-cut audition. We don't get to choose the other members of our body. You have to want to get in, but once you are here, we will find a part for you to play.

I'm so grateful that there is a place for everyone in God's great production. I hope I can keep that in mind when I need to suggest to some that they may be playing the wrong part. Ideally my true motive will be to see each one find the role for which they have been unwittingly preparing all along. Some of us don't realise that we are meant to be in the chorus, not singing solos. (Those who have heard my voice will now be thinking that some of us should maybe hold the lyric sheet and stay quiet).

At Christmas of all times, I pray that I and each one I interact with will discover more fully the dreams we can pursue in the company of a God who withholds nothing in his wild passion to be with us.

So whatever part you are now playing, and whatever parts you find yourself playing in the future; Merry Christmas

Advent

My favourite missionaries posted the most wonderful, simple explanation of the anticipation of Christmas:

http://forestviewchurch.ca/blogs/eggert/?p=22

Read it.

The Idology of Ideology

(Title taken from a Bruce Cockburn lyric "Call it Democracy")

Over lunch this week I may have confused a younger friend by saying that I am personally supportive of the legalization of gay marriage and all the accompanying rights that go with it, at least until political and religious leaders get their heads together and realise that the government should provide legal civil unions for any two people who so desire and each spiritual community should enact it's own practise for sacred unions.

In the discussion she referred to the idea that she just can't see herself letting go of some of the basic tenets of conviction she has been raised with. I understand that. Still, I hope that she will learn to hold most convictions loosely and only the most crucial of them in closed hands.

Brian McLaren describes what I'm experiencing as "ideological homelessness" in an excellent and very timely article.

Here's a snippet:

What they have in common, I think, is that they are seeking to create a new space that isn't clearly defined as "left" or "right." This is a space of civil disagreement, engaging with the other, crossing boundaries. Just yesterday, I heard somebody define this space as being homeless ... ideologically homeless.

If Rick were the right-wing nut-job that some of his hefty-lefty critics are painting him to be, he wouldn't dare accept an invitation by a Democratic pro-choice pro-gay President. If the President-Elect were the left-wing nut job his tighty-righty critics paint him to be ... he wouldn't invite Prop-8-supporting Rick Warren to give the invocation. If Rick were the compromising apostate his tighty-righty critics claim him to be, he wouldn't outspokenly disagree with the President-Elect on gay marriage and criminalizing abortion. And so on ... you get the point.

Meanwhile, what the critics have in common is that they have a home. They know where they stand - left, far left, right, far right, etc. They know who's in and who's out, who's orthodox and who's not, whom they're cold toward and whom they're hot about.

Christian does not equal Conservative

I've heard from more than one direction in this highly political year that Evangelical Christians must vote for the conservative (Republican in the US, Conservative Party in Canada) political party.

I find this utterly offensive.

While I have had some excellent interaction with people I deeply respect who are Christian and affiliate themselves with the conservative side, far too many of my spiritual siblings are simply stupid in this. They have limited what they understand to be God's interest to a very short list of hot topics; particularly the inclusion of homosexual couples in the civil institute of marriage. At the same time they are so partisan that they willfully turn a blind eye to other matters (environment, poverty, corruption, immigration/refugees for example), and often to the glaring inconsistencies and improprieties of their preferred leaders.

There is neither integrity or spiritual high ground in this.

There is also no historical perspective. My current favourite theologian, John Stackhouse, wrote an article that all politically interested followers of Jesus would be wise to give careful consideration. You don't have to agree, but you would be missing out on an important understanding if you ignore it.

And in the interest of honesty let me say that I have voted Liberal, Conservative, and Green each at least once in recent elections and I believe my current Member of Parliament (a Conservative) is worthy of respect and a committed representative of our riding.

I Believe In Books

Came across this interesting article from leadership guy Mark Sanborn which got me thinking about books that have been timely influences in my life.

Here are a few:
Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey I took this from my oldest brother and it was the first fantasy series I ever read. The story of Menolly struggling to find acceptance in a culture that didn't understand tapped into my own adolescent search for identity.
Mere Christianity - CS Lewis Started my search to find ways to express faith that could be understood by people who hadn't been already immersed in the subculture.
No Compromise - Melody Green This biography of Christian music and ministry pioneer Keith Green still calls me to a more complete devotion to what I claim to believe, I first read it about twenty years ago.
20 Hot Potatoes Christians Are Afraid to Touch - Tony Campolo Challenged several of the stereotypical views I had accepted without criticism.
The Jesus I Never Knew and What's So Amazing About Grace - Philip Yancey Two books that started me on the road to understand and experience Jesus with appreciation of church traditions but not dependence on them.
Spiritual Leadership - Oswald Sanders Still the best leadership book on my shelf.
Oh The Places You'll Go - Dr. Seuss The most honest and inspiring adult book ever hidden as a children's book. Can't count the number of times I've read this book to groups or given it as a gift.
All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten - Robert Fulghum Profound wisdom throughout this book, not just the title essay. Probably one of the major influences on how I try to express myself even now.
A New Kind Of Christian - Brian McLaren Took all the things I was afraid to admit I was wondering and put them in narrative form.
Making The Best Of It - John Stackhouse The latest book to open up an understanding of faith that truly connects with the inherent messiness of my reality.
Holy Sweat - Tim Hansel The theme book of my internship year at Medeba. Expresses the adventure of following Jesus in ways that are easy to connect but hard to pursue. Sadly, out of print.
Return Of The Prodigal Son - Henri Nouwen Came at exactly the right time in my life and opened me to a new, more contemplative exploration of faith.
The Gospel In A Pluralist Society - Lesslie Newbigin Put words to my wonderings and turned me on to a whole circle of other writing based on his thought.

That's enought for now. Another time I could add "I Wish That I Had Duck Feet" "It's not about the bike", "The Hobbit", "God in the Alley", "Five Love Languages", and "Adrenaline and Stress"

Fame! I'm gonna live forever!

My boys have made their mainstream media debut: http://www.dundasstarnews.com/community/gallery/details/152426

The Most Offensive Word in the English Language

(It's not what you think).

Forgive the melodramatic title to this post, but I've got some frustration to vent.
I find it absolutely repulsive that so often we (and yes, I include myself here) use the word "just" in a dismissive sense with regard to people, tendencies, skills, and interests.

"I'm just a volunteer"
"That's just being emotional"
"I'm just learning to do it"
"You're just a student"
"I just try to help"
"My mom was just a housewife"
and the list goes on...

How arrogant and offensive to label the gifts and creations of God in such a way!
If I hear anyone speak of my children as "just" anything I'll be furious. They are not "just"; they are special, loved, unique, and sacred. The same is true of my developmentally delayed relatives, the neighbour with dementia, and the newcomer working a menial job to provide for their family. None of us is "just".

In fact, I'd love to take all those examples above, remove the word just, and replace it with an exclamation point at the end and an enthusiastic tone. We really need to learn to celebrate who we are, what we do, and those things that identify us as distinct from every other of the billions of humans who have wandered around on this sod.

I can only imagine God's reaction to our dismissal of ourselves, other people, or the things he has given us. Do you think he rages or weeps?

But then again, I'm just some guy with a blog...

If you don't (xxxxxxx); don't complain

It's not good enough to show up and vote once every few years and then feel you've done your part for the political process and our country. If the only time our representatives receive feedback is on election day they are ill-equipped to understand or respond to what we care about. Imagine if the only time your employer ever spoke to you was to either fire you or extend your contract annually.

We need to be the people who become known in the constituency offices, not because we're always complaining or critical; but because we offer a reasoned perspective that both affirms and argues respectfully as needed. If we don't do this the only voices to be heard will be the constant griping of the annoyed and the thoughtless praise of the loyalists. Politicians can't do their jobs well without our ongoing participation.

This doesn't mean we need to become associated with any political party. In a previous post I was critical of forming committed allegiances of this type, at least for those who call themselves Christians. In fact, I suspect that the most influential voices to a politician often are those who are undecided. After all those are the people they want to convince.

During the course of a campaign we are bombarded with political messaging, and still often we respond only by marking our "X". Between elections we are often completely silent. If we can't do better than that we don't deserve better government than we are getting.

On Obama

More than ever before in my life I am becoming politically conscious. I'm more attentive to the election campaigns both here in Canada and in the US. And I've taken the time to contact the leading candidate in my area about issues that matter to me, though I haven't yet decided how to vote (though my two year old has declared his allegiance...)


One of the best bloggers around posted this on how Niebuhr's philosophy has impacted Barack Obama. It's good.

(I have a daydream where someday I come up with something worth writing a book about and Al Hsu is my editor).

Call and Response

Last May, in a hotel room overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in Fort Lauderdale I was strongly impacted by a pre-release trailer for a movie called "Call and Response".


There is a growing awareness of the ugly reality of human trafficking in our time, particularly the sexual exploitation of children slaves.
Please see and circulate this trailer.

Amy Eden Wignall

Born September 9, 2008 at 12:54pm. 9lbs 3oz.
Everybody's doing great.

Little Bit of Culture

Read this article, a question and answer with Andy Crouch, author of Culture Making.

I want to be part of affecting the culture of my neighbourhood. Too often I'm too busy to do that. Too often our churches are too busy with self-sustaining activity to care about it, especially when most of the congregation live outside the community where the church meets.

For more on this idea see: http://catalystfoundation.blogspot.com/2008/09/picking-favourites.html

Christians and Politics

With campaigns charging forward in the US and about to officially launch here in Canada (though the ads are already underway) I find myself thinking more politically now than I can ever remember.
I have a really hard time with Christians who are strongly partisan politically. No party or leader fully represents the values and direction of Jesus or the Bible, though many from various perspectives try to lay claim. Followers of Jesus are called to one loyalty above all others, loyalty to Christ. That means we are expected to give our devotion to those priorities at all times.
I see too many people of Christian faith in both nations who are uncritically supportive of one or another candidate. We need to be intentional about presenting another view, one that may be unelectable, but is truly faithful.
Author Scot McKnight puts it this way:
“On politics I strive as much as possible to let my passions be for God and for the Church and for others (the Jesus Creed). I place no confidence in redemption by way of politics. The political hope ebbs and flows every 8 years now; I don’t get all riled up if a Republican or a Democrat wins; I don’t think it matters that much to what we are called to do on a daily basis.” —Scot McKnight (Jesus Creed)
(To read some reactions and thoughts on this quote go here).
I don't identify myself as an anabaptist or pacifist, but I do share their concerns about assigning loyalty or trust in any person or ideology other than Jesus.
I do believe we earn the right to speak prophetically to our leaders by engaging in the process of government regularly, not only by spouting off at election time.
I believe those who choose to speak for Christ from the inside of partisan communities take a significant risk and need to be both challenged and encouraged to retain their proper alignment and priorities.
And I believe that God is bigger than any party, election, or nation; and we would be wise to turn more of our attention to the real needs of the least and lost in our communities and around the world rather than becoming gripped by the drama of the electoral process.

Seeds of a Rant

I have a major rant coming about the way clergy use (exploit) the idea of "calling" and all the damage it does. This cartoon, stolen from Out of Ur, relates...

What size gospel are you?

Every church wants to express the truth and grace of Jesus as fully as possible. MOre and more we're running into "missional" churches and movements that are trying to point out the ways in which some of our ways of being Christian have reflected an incomplete understanding of the good news of Jesus. It's pretty fuzzy stuff mostly, which makes it easy to take slightly disguised shots at the well known Christian leader of choice for their limited gospel.
In the course of an ongoing series on their website about the "size" of the gospel; Christianity Today posted this article from a missional church pastor/theologian who opens up the question of what happens when we make the gospel so big that average people can't get their heads or hands around it.
From where I sit, this sounds like a part of what has happened in the more theologically liberal churches in my community. Starting with acknowledging something more, they ended up something so big it lost all meaning. I find myself struggling to maintain a grip on the safety rail of faith in the midst of the theological ride I've found myself on in the last year or so...

Open to Interpretation

I really enjoyed a poolside conversation yesterday with two younger guys who are thoughtful and deeply committed in their following Jesus. As is often the case lately, a lot of it was about how the truth and grace of Jesus can be expressed in ways that are meaningful to those who currently find no place in the church.

The image above is from this interesting post from Mark Petersen which raises a few thoughts:
-I like how he takes the challenge of the artist and sees the hope in it
-I can understand the controversy, and hope the local churches have embraced it and seen it as opportunity for dialogue and reflection
-I didn't know Mark jogs

Facebook for Jesus?

I have come to actually quite like facebook. I (like many other people) probably waste/spend more time on it than is really warranted, but it has allowed me to maintain and develop some good friendships.
At the same time it can be a little concerning in other ways.
As a former youth pastor and camp guy I see a lot of stuff on the profiles of some young people that I wish weren't there. Constant references to getting drunk, sex, drugs, and the like are discouraging. Sometimes I wonder if I should send a message asking about what's really going on with people who I still think could be involved in something much more meaningful and fulfilling. A couple times I have sent those messages and gotten no response, and wondered if I made a mistake...
Today I came across an article about the use of facebook as an evangelistic tool. I'm not sure what I think entirely. I agree with some of the points the author makes about it being a great way to connect with people who have become distant and I have also had experiences where I think those connections have led to some valuable spiritual interaction. There is an opportunity here to engage with people through another media that creates possibilities.
I guess my frustration is with the mindset that thinks we should be careful and selective about what we post so we can best interest people in getting to know Jesus. At one level that makes sense, but at another it suggests that our spirituality is somehow compartmentalised and we should omit those aspects of our lives that don't fit with it when we go public.
I'd much rather that our editorial efforts were made at the level of our real lives, rather than our cyber ones.
Making facebook so strategic and selective puts me in mind of people and organizations who approach evangelism as a program and tactic. We train in the right presentations and responses that will eradicate people's defences and allow us to convince them to accept our Jesus. I was deep in that subculture for many years and am glad to be outside of it now.
The Christian message is about so much more than a brief formulaic call to repentance. I would hope that my friends on facebook who identify themselves as Christians can be bold enough to be sincere in that forum, just as I hope for us all to be in every aspect of life. I suspect that will ultimately better reflect the variety and complexity of God's work among us as we try to respond faithfully to the ways Jesus is revealed.

Performance Anxiety

Another interesting post from Out of Ur, this time on how spiritual leaders struggle with the expectation to achieve success based on external, measurable criteria. I find myself torn.

On one hand I totally agree with this article: If Scripture shows that faithful and godly leaders can have shrinking ministries (Jesus in John 6), and sinful leaders can have successful ministries (Moses in Numbers 20), then why do we persist in measuring our success simply on the measurable outcomes of our work?
Brothers and sisters, you are more than the measurable outcomes of your work.
I spent several years working for a church in one of the most performance driven communities in Canada. At times I felt the sting of not standing up to the high expectations that always seemed beyond my reach (thankfully, those occasions were few and may ultimately have been more self-imposed than otherwise). I tried to speak out against what I found offensive in the perform or perish culture that I saw in the schools, sports, homes, and workplaces. Looking back I wish I'd done a better job of really understanding and articulating what is so damaging about that paradigm.

However; I also benefited from that culture. It often brought out the best in me. I became better as a leader and as a pastor because there were people around me who wanted to see me develop and didn't allow me to be lazy or hide behind any excuses.

In my role with the Catalyst Foundation I spend a lot of time essentially evaluating leaders and their organizations. I want to support those who are most effective at bringing about good in the lives of others. There was a time when I found discussion of numbers and clear outcomes to be contrary to my sense of ministry, but I don't anymore.

I agree that the measure of any person (the focus on pastors in the article reflects the primary audience of the writer, not a belief that pastors have a harder life than the rest of us I hope) should not be on what they are able to accomplish. We are more than our results. Ultimately we will not be judged based on our curriculum vitae, but on our faithful obedience to God as truly revealed to us.

I want to challenge those who read this article that we need to learn to distinguish between our core identity (i.e. adopted and beloved child of God), and our work (professional or otherwise). In our work we should seek to be productive, knowing that it is not all that we are.

If we don't learn to do that then whatever our work it will be "soul-killing" because no labour, no matter how sincere or serving, is the fulfilment of a human life. Confusing this leads us to either dependence on the opinions of others (which the article rightly critiques), or a rejection of all evaluation and an entirely individualistic standard of life which is so vulnerable to ego and laziness.

In summary, evaluate and improve what can be measured and ruthlessly remember that many things can't.

Olympic Spiritual

Watching the opening day of the Beijing games. I love the variety and constant supply of sports, but I generally dislike the opening and closing ceremonies. I'm good with the parade of nations, athlete's oath, and torch lighting; it's all the weird artsy stuff I can't connect with. My favourite moment is often that moment in the closing ceremonies when the athletes all mingle and celebrate in the infield of the Olympic stadium. Seeing all these people, the stress of competition relieved, coming together in something that looks a lot like joy is kinda exhilarating, even from my couch. It gives me a little longing for heaven.

Today I found this article from a favourite blogger, Al Hsu. He shares my idea, but adds a lot to it as a Taiwanese American.

Maybe it's a little cheesy to try to take a universally powerfully tradition and claim it as some kind of Christian metaphor. But I'm not saying it's Christian, just that it puts me in mind of something sacred to me.

Ferrets and Cults

Last week I had a long overdue chance to spend a full evening with my oldest brother. Over 4 hours at his favourite pub we did a lot of catching up on life and exploring what it is that makes each of us who we are.

One of the themes of our conversation was the way each of us has been strongly drawn to certain subcultures over the last couple decades. I've invested a lot of myself in Evangelical Christianity, Pastoral work, and "Extreme" sports; and found a lot of my identity through those communities. My brother has been deeply committed to; well, those are his to share or secret, but let's say that there is not a lot of natural affinity between our peer groups.

Despite the strong differences, we've each found ourselves having significant roles and circles of influence, and been involved in welcoming and initiating many newcomers to our respective circles. In many ways we have taken similar steps on very different paths, and as a result we can relate quite closely to one another's experiences.

It may be age and stage of life or something, but I find myself concerned by how isolated some of my subcultures are from those not included. I appreciate that the very nature of a subculture is in the difference from the common, but it's so easy to completely lose touch with the outside world.

In some cases that might be a good thing, but it easily leads to loss of perspective and extremism as we continually subdivide within our tribes to find ever more specific identities and communities. In the end we lose the ability to relate in any meaningful way between our subculture and the parts of our life lived among the masses. The scariest thing about that, at least for me, is how not frightening some of my spiritual siblings find it.

Aftermath

One of my favourite people in all the world to spend a long evening talking with is a self-professed skeptic. (Most of the time I share his temperament if not his paradigm). This post is not for him.

I read an article today that moved me surprisingly. It's about the infamous New Life church in Colorado (of the Ted Haggard scandal and last year's shootings) and how they are recovering from two tragedies. And, yes I do consider the Haggard matter to be tragic from several angles.

There are several ways I don't agree with the practices and teaching of New Life. It would be easy for me to poke holes in even this story and find fault with some of what it says. But I choose not to. Instead, I choose to believe that God is doing something meaningful among people who shared trauma.

Read right to the end of the article. The postscript demonstrates grace and courage beyond common human capacity. Well done folks. You've entered into the realm of the inexplicable. I hope you can hang out there for a while.

Logic and Emotion

There is a common struggle for spiritual people to deal with the tension between intellect and subjectivity. Particularly when trying to express our faith to people who might not share it, we don't know which aspect takes priority and how to use them honestly.

This article by Philip Yancey gives insight:

Lewis has taught me a style of approach that I try to follow in my own writings. To quote William James, "… in the metaphysical and religious sphere, articulate reasons are cogent for us only when our inarticulate feelings of reality have already been impressed in favor of the same conclusion." In other words, we rarely accept a logical argument unless it fits an intuitive sense of reality. The writer's challenge is to nurture that intuitive sense—as Lewis had done for me with his space trilogy before I encountered his apologetics. Lewis himself converted to Christianity only after sensing that it corresponded to his deepest longings, his Sehnsucht.

So convictions typically change when we find logical support for what our emotions/intuition have already begun to prefer.

I bet that's true in many areas of life.

All the losers win...

Years ago I often listened to a song by a band called DeGarmo and Key that included the lyric "Here's to all the losers, lose all guilt and sin. Here's to life in Jesus, all of the losers win". I'm not sure if I've experienced the loss of all guilt and sin except on a theological level; but I definitely relate to being a loser on many fronts. And paradoxically, it is in the experience of failure that I have gained the most.

For months now I've been fascinated by the story of Jacob, the brash and scheming young man who connived his way into and out of trouble time and time again. There was no situation he couldn't weasel his way through. Until he found himself terrified by the side of a creek, knowing he was about to face the brother who had every reason to kill him. In that time of desperation he suddenly found himself in the fight of his life, one he couldn't escape with all his wiles. Here read it for yourself:

Jacob Wrestles With God
22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak."
But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."
27 The man asked him, "What is your name?"
"Jacob," he answered.
28 Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome."
29 Jacob said, "Please tell me your name."
But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there.
30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared."
31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.

So, Jacob (which means Schemer) becomes Israel (which means one who struggles with God) and for the rest of his life he limps as a reminder that there are some things he can't escape.

Carolyn Arends wrote an excellent article about this recently. You should read it.

I'm not alone...

I've recently started reading the blog of marketing guy Seth Godin. Today he said something (at the end of a post about recognizing how truly privileged we are) that I needed to post:

The object isn’t to be perfect. The goal isn’t to hold back until you’ve created something beyond reproach. I believe the opposite is true. Our birthright is to fail and to fail often, but to fail in search of something bigger than we can imagine. To do anything else is to waste it all.

I love how he condemns both perfectionism and ambivalence. Spending several years neck deep in one of the most performance-driven communities in Canada gave me a strong distaste for the unquenchable lust for overachieving. At the same time I do have respect for high standards and commitment. Seth captures exactly what I think worth doing poorly is about. thanks

Where do we belong?

The favourite buzzwords in a lot of church circles these days are "emerging" and "missional". Those who identify with these terms describe it as an important movement in Christianity in the Western world through which the church moves away from being primarily institutional and returns to more sincere and open relationship with the community. Critics often see it as either just another form of target marketing or an abandonment of the Biblical basics that define what is truly Christian.

Both the advocates and the naysayers have valid points. There are loads of examples of a loss of focus happening and the church losing the distinct message of God's earnest love for all of Creation and his passion to reveal himself for our response. It is potentially dangerous to leave behind the predictable systems and structures of church for the uncertainties of trying to figure out how to live out the truth and grace of Jesus in the midst of our neighbourhoods, marketplaces, and relationships.

Next Monday I'll be taking part in something called a synchroblog on this idea of Christians being "missional". To see what comes up you can visit my work blog.

For now, click over to see what has happened as the staff and students of Inter-varsity Christian Fellowship at McMaster University have struggled and celebrated their journey in this area. I know well that there has been a lot of doubt and discouragement along the way. There has been a large decline in attendance in prominence; and some people have been hurt in the process. It has been messy. But even in my conversation today with staff leader Cole Bassarab I saw how glad they are to have taken the risks and ow they are more fully experiencing God as they go.

Like an airport?!?

My new role with the Catalyst Foundation means I'm doing a bit more travelling than I've done before. that means spending a little more time in airports, with the strange sociological realities they bring.

At church this morning our pastor referred to an analogy he heard from Dr. Reggie McNeal at a denominational conference this week. It went something like this:
The church is meant to be like an airport; not a destination to which we bring people so they can arrive, but a place we pass through en route to where we are meant to be, which is among the people in our communities who are most in need; the place where God is at work.

I didn't hear McNeal, but I find it an interesting and helpful image. Certainly the church loses perspective and often we see our Sunday services as the purpose and high point of life.

I long to be part of a Christian community in which our gatherings are truly about being energised and prepared for being the presence of Christ in every other aspect of life.

Virginity for the Unchurched

I was very intrigued by this article from Christianity Today about the growing advocacy for premarital abstinence among people who make no claim of religious motivation. It's interesting that they offer more concrete considerations than most youth pastors do for why sex before marriage is generally a bad idea. But more interesting is the following comments about the value of this movement.
God's direction for our lives is good, both for raw practical reasons, and because it reflects the right relationship we are meant to have with God and all of Creation. this article surfaces both.
For my part, I hope that unchurched people who choose to remain celibate outside of marriage find some comfort and support in this movement. Theirs is a lonely conviction.

Two things not to be discussed in proper company

Religion and Politics are crucial topics but are rarely addressed with sincerity and humility in the media. Today I blog-hopped my way to this very interesting piece on how Barack Obama's faith informs his political role. Obama says:
Well, look, obviously as a Christian I believe in the values that are laid out in Scripture. I reflect on them often. I reflect on the lessons of Scripture as I’m going through the day. I pray frequently. I wrestle with doubts and try to figure out whether I’m doing the right thing, am I operating in an honest and moral way that is true to my religious precepts? Sometimes I may falter. So I guess the point is, I approach my work or I guess my faith is part of everything that I do. And I don’t think there’s a clear separation between my faith and how I try to live my life. And I certainly think that part of my motivation in the work that I do is a belief in what I consider the core precept of Christianity in addition to Christ dying for your sins and that is treating your brothers and sisters as you would have them treat you. A sense of empathy and a belief in the golden rule. And that’s what I try to apply to my work and what I do every day.

Regardless of your view of his stance on issues (I tend to like his positions for the most part), this is the kind of sincerity I appreciate.

3 sides to every story

One of my favourite writers these days is The Suburban Christian, Al Hsu. His blog and book have been travelling companions for me. Today I read a piece from him that was truly enlightening.
Al posted reports on the same conversation from pastors on the traditional fundamentalist and emergent perspectives. It shows just how far we need to go to even be able to engage with one another effectively, let alone come to understanding and acceptance.
I find myself wishing I could interpret what I think both sides are saying for the benefit of the other. Not that I have the ability or credibility to accomplish that, though I do have some allegiances with both camps and their positions.
I'm really hoping there will be a pile of comments posted on Al's blog to further this discussion.

Better Than What I Want

Friends of mine keep revealing to me through their lives how very shallow my vision of Christian community really is. Today I read an article that made that all too clear.
When we planted our (now closed) church we had some honest discussions about what we wanted it to be like. We talked about having a strong sense of community, and what that actually meant. It was an easy discussion when we were all imagining our preferred co-congregants. We all wanted to find some best friends for ourselves and our children. We also wanted sincerely to be a place for otherwise outcast people to be welcomed. But what that would look like was much more complex.
We really enjoyed having one older man (call him Jim) attend our church. Jim was friendly and positive, although he had a hard time communicating and we didn't always know what he was trying to tell us. We liked having him at church and small group. I miss him since we closed down last summer.
A more challenging thought was what would we do if Karla Homolka, who had recently been released from prison, showed up one Sunday. I know a church that had to deal with a halfway house for sex offenders on their block and had to decide how to wrestle with their desire for safety for their community and their desire for hope for these hated felons.
Community isn't easy when it is most real.

Getting it right

I've recently started teaching the youth Sunday School class some weeks at the church we're attending. It's very interesting to hear these young people express their faith and try, on my part, to both affirm what they have understood so far and challenge them to broaden their perspectives.
In every expression of the Christian faith there is something lacking. The truth and grace of Jesus is so elaborate it can't be properly expressed in any one paradigm. That's probably why even Jesus could only explain it a variety of images, stories, and actions. It's big, complex, and wondrous.
I find myself tending towards criticism of the way other people express their faith far too often. I catch myself nitpicking and looking for the flaws instead of appreciating the admittedly incomplete portrayals of what God is really up to in all this mess.
Al Hsu from InterVarsity Press wrote an excellent article on this that I read today. It's well worth the few minutes to read and much longer to consider implications.
Al also wrote one of my favourite recent books; The Suburban Christian, and has an interesting blog. I'd gladly buy him dinner...

I used to be a pastor

This evening I was the guest speaker at 24/7 church in Burlington where my friend Kip Philp is the pastor. They've been meeting for a little over a year now in what until quite recently was a fairly notorious dance club. It was good to b with the people there. It's a much more diverse congragation than I expected based on the location.

I really enjoyed having the opportunity to speak. It's been several months since I've done a sermon; and I realised how much I miss it.

A few years ago I really loved guest speaking. It was a rush to go somewhere new and meet new people. I confess I also liked the almost guaranteed affirmation that came after the service from having heart level conversations and praying with people who didn't really know me. It seems like everyone loves the unfamiliar voice; and of course they would usually get the best message I'd done over the previous several months...

I don't get so pumped for guesting anymore. I'm still happy to do it to help out and I think I have some ability/gift in communicating that I like to exercise. But really, without the ongoing relationship with the congregation there's a big piece missing for me. I want to be involved in seeing what God does among a group of people over time. Being able to teach strategically with a sense of long term momentum is a lot more gratifying now.

I wonder if I'll ever have that opportunity again.

I hate to be another guy who "used to be a pastor". Theologically I believe every Christian is equally a part of what God is doing, but at an emotional level I had a strong association with being the acknowledged leader of a church. Maybe that was a problem. Maybe God knows I need to find my identity only in being His adopted child, and not in what I do in any particular role. I always said pastor wasn't about the business card or paycheque but just expressing my sincere care for people. I guess now we'll find out if that's true.

I would love to work as a pastor again. I feel that way more strongly tonight than I have in a while. I love what I'm doing now with Catalyst Foundation too, no desire to do something else right now.

I do wonder though...

The Little Vagabond

As I type this I'm listening to Geoff Ryan from the salvation Army speak about the real meaning of community. He's got the credibility to talk about it. He's the pastor at one of the most interesting churches in Canada, 614 Regent Park. He's someone I want to take to lunch sometime soon.

He opened his message with this poem from William Blake:
Dear mother, dear mother, the church is cold,
But the ale-house is healthy and pleasant and warm;
Besides I can tell where I am used well,
Such usage in Heaven will never do well.

But if at the church they would give us some ale,
And a pleasant fire our souls to regale,
We'd sing and we'd pray all the live-long day,
Nor ever once wish from the church to stray.

Then the parson might preach, and drink, and sing,
And we'd be as happy as birds in the spring;
And modest Dame Lurch, who is always at church,
Would not have bandy children, nor fasting, nor birch.

And God, like a father rejoicing to see
His children as pleasant and happy as he,
Would have no more quarrel with the Devil or the barrel,
But kiss him, and give him both drink and apparel.

Now, that's my kind of church!

Using the Bible

Christianity Today (which I don't always agree but often find interesting) has produced an interesting tool to help people assess the way we understand and interpret the Bible.
This is a far more important issue than some people realise because so much of what confuses and divides Christians comes down to this issue. How literally do we use the Bible and how much do we believe it is open to interpretation and opinion? Unfortunately, fewer and fewer of the church people I talk to are even willing to consider the positions of the Bible thoughtfully, let alone acknowledge the biasses that inform and affect us.
I'd love to be on a church staff or leadership team that took this quiz and used it as a tool for a significant discussion on the hows and whys of using the Bible. It might be challenging and even heated at times, but it would reveal a level of interaction that would have the potential to bring about something powerful and transformative to a church.
I find myself in tension on a lot off this. I want to hold to a conservative view that holds Scripture as important and relevant, but I resist some of the hardness and apparent insensitivity I see in most conservatives.
That being the case I'm not surprised that I scored a 62 and rate as a moderate.
I wonder if that will change over time?

Brilliant by Association?

Today I'm reminded again how many truly phenomenal people touch my life. It is humbling to share conversation or even just read their words and get a sense that these are people who are grasping something of reality that is still beyond me. Is it a goood thing or a bad one that this seems to happen to me quite often?

Mike and Sarah Eggert are friends who have left the safety and comfort of Oakville, Ontario for the uncertainties of Malawi, taking three sons including a baby with them when they went. They said (with a sincerity that makes cliches absolutely real) "We believe we're safer in Malawi obeying God than we could ever be in Oakville doing something other than what He's calling us to". I love and miss them, and I deeply admire them. Read this and you'll get a sense of why I admire them so much.

I also got to spend several hours this evening with a family who, in the three years I've known them, have taught me how deep and vast God's idea of community really is. Paul and Elizabeth Millar are thoughtful, fascinating, and a lot more like Jesus than I am. Every time we get oour families together I realise how much more frequently I need to do so. You can only get a vague glimpse of how outstanding they are in their simple normalcy from Paul's blog but it will get you started.

I could easily go on and tell you about several others, but there are too many and it's too hard to choose, and those are the ones who inspired me today.

Nobody Cares

Most church leaders realise that the majority of visitors to a church come through the personal invitation from a friend or family member. But we can't figure out why our regulars aren't bringing anyone with them week by week, month by month. A good article I came across this morning gives a reasonable explanation; http://www.davidfoster.tv/?p=657#

I've often said, even in this space I think, that we're all evangelists for something. David Foster raises the same ppoint from another persepctive. I admit that right now I'm one of those people attending a church that I'm not excited enough about to invite friends and neighbours. I've even discussed that with our pastor and staff. I really want it to be a church I can bring people to. There are just a few (maybe a few more than a few) things that are in the way so far. What I am excited about is that there are some people in our church who are happily inviting others and I really believe there is a desire to become more that kind of church.

The Overgrown Cross

Outside the church window this evening I could see through the rain a hydro pole illuminated among the trees by the street light. It looked like a cross overgrown with other trees, branches obscuring but not completely obliterating the familiar shape.

I feel the same: for myself, my church, and my community. The cross hasn't left us, but it's hard to see with so much surrounding it, hiding it, taking its stark form and making it uncertain.

It's actually more beautiful this way. More artistic and appealing; especially in this light. It's a much more organic image.

I suppose it could be a hopeful image. New life emerging from the raw reality of what it takes to make all things right and restore hope. But tonight it looks like something else to me. It looks like reality is being lost. I can't see what I know is most important. I wish I could away the obstructions and see clearly...

I Object

Recently I heard some friends complaining that church is just another business, run by the same principles and practices as any for profit company and with the same (lack of) regard for people. I generally don't agree with them for the most part, but they've had some experiences that have really hurt them and helped them reach that (tragic) understanding.
I don't agree, but I do understand. It is often true that important decisions in churches are made with a strong eye to the financial bottom line and the strategic plan. Of course, churches do need to be financially responsible and there's no reason to assume that God is any less present in the development of a strategic plan than He may be in a moment of passionate worship. Where I have an issue is when decisions are being made with a sense of objectivity.
It happens sometimes at tough meetings that someone will suggest that we need to look at something without our personal bias and be more reasonable. There are times when that is helpful, but it feeds a false and dangerous delusion that we can and should be objective in our spiritual leadership.
The postmodern scholars have shown us that there is really no such thing as raw objectivity. All of us have overt and subtle influences that prevent us from acting in a totally distanced and unbiassed way. And that is a part of what it is to be made in the image of God.
The Christian story is of a God who refuses to remain objective, ever.
God chooses to create, to have relationship with his creation, to temper his justice and anger, to forgive, to abandon his glory and enter our reality, to suffer the indignities and the atrocity of death, and to promise to return to rectify all that has gone wrong from the beginning. Nothing could be less objective.
Our appeals to objectivity are usually just a way of saying that we think our biasses are better than someone else's. We think we're being reasonable because we can see the other person's subjective priorities; but we ignore or miss our own.
I would love to see a church leadership take the time to be open about their preferences and prejudices and then have a real conversation about an issue with the understanding that the lack of objectivity is part of their calling. (I've seen a couple glimpses of it and I will always admire the people who had that much courage).
Please, never treat me objectively, I am not merely an object, God's church is not an object, theology is not an object, and we are not meant to treat people as anything that diminishes them as beloved recipients of God's truth and grace.

Who's in charge here?

Pastors and theologians sometimes get fired up talking about theories of Biblical authority. The short version of what they write books and books about could go something like this:
The conservative (or "traditional") argument is that the Bible is entirely true, reliable, and free from error. Taken literally, it is the only appropriate guide for life and faith. It's commands are absolute and need to be obeyed everywhere and at all times.
The liberal ("or postmodern") argument is that the Bible was written by human authors who may have made mistakes and certainly reflected the biases and misconceptions of their culture. It can't be taken as any kind of compulsory source of obligation, but only as a questionable historical record that may or may not have anything important to tell us today.
The thing is, even though those may be caricatures of the views; most people who aren't pastors or theologians really don't understand or care about the whole issue. It doesn't touch our lives in ways we notice as life goes by.
Some people bemoan the loss of the Bible being seen as the authority for life. Usually they are the same people who worry about the loss of other kinds of traditional authority based on credentials, titles, experience, or whatever objective standard they were once able to rely on. They critique the way people "these days" don't trust anyone except their friends.
An honest consideration would reveal that authority has always been based more on relationship than on any objective value. It is only the modernist claim to objectivity that presumes that there is one absolute interpretation of the Bible and that these printed pages can or should control behaviour for us.
Take a few minutes to see the more than a dozen times in John 4-9 where Jesus appeals to his relationship with God the Father as grounds for his work and ministry. It was the relationship, not anything else that made him worthy of respect. He then went out of his way to prove himself repeatedly to his friends and followers.
So its true that there is less and less trust of anyone who makes claims to objective truth or authority "these days". But what if that isn't really any different than it always has been? What if supposed objective authority was really based on trusting certain views and systems because they had worked for people we found reliable?
I may be a heretic but it seems to me that we've always based our confidence on relationships; so its a good thing that we can have a relationship with God to help sort out all these authority issues among all the different interpretations competing for our obedience.