Reaction, not Proaction

i am always amazed at how we as a people who proclaim to follow Christ are more reactionary to issues. we tend to have knee jerk reactions to issues and then we apologize for the mistakes we make and the insults we bounce about - sure, we say it is because we are "human" but i think it goes deeper then that - i think we just do not care. let's be honest, many people in the church care only for their little part of the kingdom and they could careless about any other part.

I think we speak a good game, but when it comes time for the link to launch, we back down and run in the other direction - until the dust settles and then we shout from the rafters all the "evil" we see - never once saying, "well, if we only acted in a proactive way things would be better." bit i think this goes hand in hand with the fact that we are known more for what we are against, then what we are for - because we have become reactionary people.

not to long ago i brought this point to the attention of a gathering of pastors - that we are known for what we are against; that we are seen as a very negative people. one of the ministers after the conversation cane up to me and said, "i think we are known for being very positive." i said, "really? how? can you give one example" he thought for a moment and said, "sure, we are for marriage between a man and a women, because God is against gay marriages and we need to stand against them." i smiled and said, "and you see that as being 'positive?' it would have worked better if you would have left out the end part."

we react to problems in the world - what we need to do is look at the world around us, think in terms of love, grace and forgiveness and see how we can reach the world in a positive way - how can we be proactive?

blended families

define what it means to be a blended family? think about that for a second and share what you think the definition of a blended family is. this has been something that has been on my mind for a while, and more so as of late. over the past few weeks a dear friend [denise] and i have been talking about this idea of a "blended family" and what it means. we have been in process over the term and how God views such families. think about this, what are the "requirements" placed on the family by the church for a family to be considered "blended" - but here is an even more important question - how does the church truly VIEW "blended families?" why do some churches see "blended families?" as "less then" families? you see, for me all families are blended - all families. all families blend together traditions, culture, family and friends; all families are are blended.

but let me share with you a little story of a man who decided to take the "plunge" and marry a women who had a child. he was not sure about it, because he knew that in "church circles" the family would be seen as "less then normal" [he knew that the traditional view of a "blended family" was not viewed as the "primary family" in the eyes of some church people] - but he did it anyway. he loved the women so deeply and knew he would be a good father figure and could teach the child how to be a good man, a "godly man." so he did so, he married her and raised the child as if he was his own. even after bring other children into the marriage this man loved his eldest son and never thought in terms of a "blended family."

this man was named joseph and his son was named Jesus - think about that. our savior, our Lord, our light and model for all we do as followers is the product of a blended family - he was raised by the love and care of a man who felt God had brought him and mary together - he gave his all to teach his son, yes i am certain joseph saw Jesus as "his son," and loved him with all his heart. when we see the family of our savior as a "blended" family we start seeing things with different eyes - we start to see how God is working in the lives of others. if we see blended families as "less then" what we are saying is that Jesus was raised in a "less then" family.

so, how does one define "blended families?" i think we need to lose that term in the church and focus on what it means to be a "godly family" - what does it mean to be a family where God is the center, and where God is the guide to marriage and the way we relate to each other. you see, "blended" does not matter if we are not willing to allow God to be the "blending agent" in the family. you see, i believe what matters the most is that God is the center of the marriage and everything we do is founded on knowing, loving, and seeking to please God first. when we worship as a family, pray as a family, study as a family, share life as a family and know that God is the absolute center of that, nothing else matters; because with God all things are possible.

can we see?

over the past few weeks my morning readings have been centering on the book of john. i have always been found of the gospel of john because it shares a vision of our walk in faith that should center on how we see Jesus in our lives - now, all the gospels do that, but john always spoke to me at a deeper level - and reading it in "the message" has been even more powerful.

this morning i was reading chapter 9, while attending a poverty summit in san fransisco and i was struck by the reality of the blind man - one of the things that struck me was that after he was healed, many doubted he was who he said he was - they accused him of "just looking like" the other man. this got me to thinking about how little we pay attention to those on the margins of our society. we see them, but we never truly look at them.

as i was walking along powell watching as people would pass by those who most never even gave a glance at, or a tip of the head, or even the slightest sign that they knew the person was alive - i was wondering how we were doing on this "war on poverty?" with most people not even looking at those sitting on the edges of society how can we say we are ready to fight a war? if all we do is walk past those in poverty, can we actually say we are doing everything we can? [now, before i get to deep into this, please do not misquote the scripture where Jesus says "the poor will aways be with you." i have had too many people use that to justify not giving to those in need, and that is a complete misuse of that scripture.] so, how do we fight the war on poverty?

i believe the first thing we need do is look at those in poverty in the eye and say, "we have missed looking at you and we are sorry" - then, and only after we see that they are humans, can we truly start fighting the fight - because then we see them as people worth fighting for.