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END AIG

i believe it is time for all people who have AIG policies to find another insurance company. If the fed will not shut them down, we the people should. i will be posting more later on the greed and dislike this company has for the usamerican people - the idea of giving $165 million in bonus' to execs that pushed the company into the toilet is just beyond my undersatnding.

if the fed won't, we should - i for one will not do business with them or any company that comes from the ashes.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090316/ap_on_bi_ge/aig_outrage

life is a gift from God

i received this little expression wisdom from a person i value a great deal - i hope you get as much out of it as i did:

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you."

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.

He asked her,'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?' The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him. Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'

This is how the human brain often works when our status changes. Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.

Life Is a Gift
Today before you say an unkind word - Think of someone who can't speak.
Before you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone who has nothing to eat.
Before you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion.
Today before you complain about life - Think of someone who went too early to heaven.
Before you complain about your children - Think of someone who desires children but they're barren.
Before you argue about your dirty house someone didn't clean or sweep - Think of the people who are living in the streets.
Before whining about the distance you drive Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.
And when you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.
But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another - Remember that
not one of us is without sin.
And when depressing thoughts seem to get you
down - Put a smile on your face and think: you're alive and still around.

it is amazing to me how the human heart acts in some situations. we reject how others treat us based on our faults yet we do the same thing. too many are unwilling to see the compassion, love, grace and care others give to us- for what ever reason - only to find that we reject the same things in others. an expression of love is not found in words, but in actions. to say you love someone is cheap, but acting on your love you open the world- and even the possibility of spending your life with someone who loves you.

open up and experience the world in feelings.

the "christian genome project"

what is the dna of the our faith? what defines us, moves us, embraces us, motivates us and keeps us? how can we as a collective share voices, ideas and expressions of our faith in a unique and dymanic way? how can we, as followers in the 21st centry, tell the story of our walk, and truly hear all voices? well, i am not sure i have all the answers - ok, i am sure i do not have all the answers :). but, i would like to introduce you to an idea i have been playing with called "the christian genome project" [CGP] - and we can use all the input we can get - because this is so not about me, it is all about us. here is how i see it -

CGP should be a place for story - where people share their stories, their views and no one corrects them or rejects them - a place where all voices can form the one voice we call "christianity" - we want it to be "liberal" and "conservative" - we want it to express all areas of faith and all faith traditions - no matter what - a place where you, not the "officials of the church" tell the story - it is a "collective of voices" designed to be a place where people can seek answers to questions - and we can dance this dance of faith united.

while the domain is set [www.TheChristianGenomeProjest.com] and a "splash" page will be set in a few days - we need voices - all voices - not matter your stance, tradition or point of view -

we need ideas of what you would like to see - how the CGP should be organized, what do you desire to hear and know - we know "seed stories" will be important, a place to share stories of churches forming and growing - we also know that worship ideas will be important, how does your church worship in an emerging culture - and what examples can you share - we need more ideas of what you think important. as we design this site to be a productive, useful site we need your input - so, share as you desire

what i would look like if all you knew was my spam folder

have you ever wondered what people would think about you if all they could see was your spam folder? think about that, if all we had was your spam folder what would we think about you?

ok, granted - i am bored. i am sitting in my fav cafe [la boca, in sacramento], watching soccer, while watching all the interactions of the people - and it got me thinking [right after i dumped over 1,500 emails from just one spam folder from one email account] what would people think of me if they simply read my spam folder? i mean, how would i come across? granted, i do not have much control of what comes via email into spam - but still, what would others think? if, 1,000 years from now, some futures indiana jones finds a copy of my spam folder, what would they write about me? here is what i think "future indy" would write about me:

"the subject sought to save hundreds of dollars on his car insurance, while seeking the best rates to finance and refinance his just purchased foreclosed home in the neighborhood of his dreams. He seemed to have done this while spending two free night in vegas, popping viagra and "natural male enhancement" pills he received via cheap canadian pharmacies, purchased with his free online credit card with a low introductory rate [while seeking to eliminate credit card debt]. It seems he spends his evening with special people he "hooked-up" with via the net, which he connected to using his free "powerful" laptop - all that between colon cleaning and weight loss. it is amazing that he found the time to receive his "cheap" online degrees in criminal justice, physiology and ministry, while striving to retire in three years."

if all people knew about you was what was in your span folder, what would you look like? what if people judged you via your spam folder? well, that seems unfair to ask, because in reality most of us do judge people by their "spam folder" - we judge people on what they look like, their past actions and the "spam" that fills their lives from others - we do it all the time - but, what if you knew what others thought of you - would that change your mind? being defined by our spam folders seems harsh, but so does judging people by what others have to say, or their past actions - hmmm, what does your spam folder say about you?

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.

spirit and truth

where is God's word in our life? for most, it is on the self behind the fake flowers we got a few years ago at a yard sale for 10 cents. but really, where is God's word in our life? if, as followers, we claim to be walking in the light of Christ - i ask again, where is God's word in our life? now, i have to be honest and say that this is kind of a "trick question" - because, in reality [for those who follow Christ] God's word can only be in one place - our hearts. let's be honest, that is the only place it can do any good. sitting behind cheap flowers is not a good place :)

so, i believe the best place for God's word to be is in our hearts, unfortunately too many of us have it stuck useless places, like in our heads. God's word bouncing around in our heads has little impact on others, and it has little impact on us. I believe we need to move it from our heads to our hearts; "flush it" if you will to get it down into our hearts - that means we need to live, practice and walk in the light of God's word - this my friends is the hard part :) but we have to remember that if we are truly following Christ, we are changed people - made new in Christ and seeking to live more "christlike" every day. for that to happen, i think we need to keep in mind three important realities.

first, forgiveness - this is one of the hardest. but we are called to forgive, so we should strive to forgive others who have harmed us - and as a new friend shared with me last night, while we forgive we also need to remember that there are consequences to all our actions. but forgiveness is a very important part of our walk in faith - it is a very important part of knowing God's word is in our hearts - because it is when we forgive we are most "christlike" in our actions towards others.

second, love - yup, we are to love - love the ugly, the homeless, the hurting, the messy and the broken - it is hard and messy but we are truly called to love others - so lets love. it is easy to love the cute and cuddly - but we are called to love everyone

third, help - this may seem silly, but we should help others and make sure they have enough in their lives. if we are blessed with much, we should help others in need - if we are blessed with little, we should also help others in need. there is a great tradition in the middle east that says, "when it is time to eat, go to the house on the right and if they do not have enough food invite them to your house and share a common meal." think what would happen if we did the same thing.

you see, i have been thinking about what it means to "worship in spirit and in truth" for a while, and i tend to think it is living a life the way Christ lived his life - forgiving, loving, helping and giving to others. when we do that, when we reach the reality that we can walk closer to God by putting His word in our hearts we become better followers, better people, better friends, better lovers, better wives, better husbands and mostly better people - we see the value of those we love and care for and we accept them for who they are - we open our hearts to God and God works in us to change.

as for me, i seek to walk closer to God and keep his word in my heart - how about you?

boundries

ever get friends requests on your myspace? i get some, about 50 or so a month. i accept some, and i reject many others. if, for what ever reason you have, you desire to be a friend on my myspace, keep in mind some very simple guidelines i use to determine who is and is not a friend - here goes:

1. you need to be someone i would send a birthday wish to. now, that may not seem like a big deal, but the reality for me is that i like sending out little messages every now and then - and i like sending birthday wishes. i will actually read your site, not all and not always, but i will and i may comment on what you wrote. so, if you are the kind of person who does not mind a little comment every now and then from me, cool - friendship can be formed :)

2. your pics need not be "booty shots" - now, i am not a prude, and i like the human body as much as the next guy - but please know i am a pastor - no mater what i do to make a living to plant a church, i am a pastor - and shots of your "butt in thong" to show off your tats really does not make me jump for joy - in fact, i hit the "ignore" key faster then you can think of -

3. pictures of your kids "flipping off" the camera with some cute little caption like, "he has a mind of his own" or "she is that kind of kid" - i am not impressed - not in the least - sure, i look like a rebel, and i may even write like a rebel but the reality of it all is that kids need to learn what it means to live in love and grace, and flipping off the camera is not love and grace. i do not flipp people off.

4. pets are cute, but if all your pictures are of your pet cats, i wonder if you have a life. i am not the kind of person who demands you have pictures of yourself, but to have no pictures of you interacting with other humans just gets me to think that you live like "cat people" and never get out of your home.

5. ask, just ask to be a friend and i will be happy to add you - well, depending on the other areas. i do not care where you are from, what your name is, how old you are, or your gender - i like to get to know people. if you live close by and want to get a cup of coffee, just message and ask - i would be happy to meet with anyone and just have conversation.

myspace is a great place, and it can be a wonderful tool to expand our friendships and our definition of what a friend is - but it can be a place where people hurt one another - so, be careful. develop friends, but mostly develop your walk with Christ.

torn bibles

recently, i have the pleasure to attend a "black church" - a church in the historical african american tradition - and i was amazed. i was not amazed by the music, which was great - nor was i amazed at the preaching, which was fantastic - what amazed me was that in each pew they had pew bibles - now, that may not seem like a big deal - after all, many churches supply pew bibles - i have been in luthern church, methodist churches and even baptist churches that had pew bible - the big difference, that i saw, was the pew bible in the african american church were worn, torn and dog-eared; they were used.

i am not suggesting that the pew bibles in other churches are not used, but i have never seen them used like that - i have been in "white churches" where the pew bible looks as new as the day it was purchased. i have been in churches where i pick up a bible and the spin "snaps" as i open it - and the gold edging is still stuck together.

i was impressed with how used those bibles were - and they were used - written in, pages marked, dog-eared and folded - it was exciting to see that in a church - this got me thinking, i need to get out more and visit more churches :)

in fact, i would challenge each and every reader to visit a church of a different tradition this sunday - your pastor should understand :)

the fallen

i am not impressed with political leaders or religious leaders who take a "hard line" stance for any topic - because they always fall from grace. it is the "speck and beem" thing Jesus told us about. spitzer is just the latest in a long line of "leaders" who have stood hard on what they saw as a moral issue, only to fall to that same moral issue. when i was a kid my grandfather taught me that, "those who scream the loudest against something, are usually what they are against." i have seen this many times, and more so over the past few years -

leaders who shout "anti-homosexual rhetoric" are caught with gay prostitutes, paying for some pretty kinky stuff. leaders who stand on a "anti-drug" campaign, only to find themselves in rehab working on "personal demons." leaders who shout for a "moral center" are found to be so far to the left, or right, that they lose all creditability. this seems to be the way of the world, shout against and fall into the sin you stand against. but when they do fall, they aways ask for the grace they refused to show others - i am reminded the the swaggart/bakker thing, where swaggart rode bakker about his "sexual immorality" only to stand before his own congregation a short time later asking for forgiveness and grace - yet he offered bakker none.

the hard part for me is not what they are against, or that they have fallen, but that they lived a lie for so long that it is hard to see value in anything they have ever shared - i mean, if they lied that big about who they were sleeping with [and paying big bucks for it] then how can i trust anything they promised? if they lied to the people closest to them, their family, how can i, a stranger, trust anything they have to say? i have lost all confidence in our political leaders, our religious leaders and anyone who claims a "moral right" for any reason - because they all have fallen way short -

now, we can "caulk this up" to them being "human" and they are, but actions must match words. if those we seek to be leaders are not sharing with us a reality we can see and express - who is there to trust to lead? leaders keep complaining that people are not supporting them, well it could be we are just waiting to see who falls next.

just some thoughts i have been having today as i read the spitzer stories - and how they relate to all the flash backs that seem to be going through my mind of past "leaders" great and small.

words that guide my faith journey

over the past few years i have been processing a great deal of life - some great, some good and some not so good - but life never the less. in that processing, i have been thinking a great deal about my faith journey and what God is doing to refine my faith walk. when i think of my faith journey some very important words come to mind, and help me in the process - let me share with you a few of the words that have great meaning to me:

forgiveness: i start with forgiveness because i believe it to be the most important thing that i as a follower must offer to others. to me, this is the most important part of my faith. i see forgiveness as so central to my journey that without it i feel i can easily walk off the path. for me, this is my forgiving those who have done me wrong, and knowing i am forgiven for the wrongs i have done others - believe it or not, in my heart, forgiveness starts and flows from God - i can not forgive on my own, i need to be in a constant relationship with Christ to truly express forgiveness to others - i need to trust in Christ to guide my heart to truly wanting to forgive those who have hurt me - while it is hard, i believe it is not impossible. i need to keep in mind that if i do not forgive others, i will never be forgiven my sins.

grace: this is me acting in kindness, finding a kind way of expressing thoughts that may see different then the ones held by others. it has not always been my strongest reality, but it is one i am trying hard to develop. you see, i can tell the truth in all cases and with grace i can make that truth meaningful, without hurting the feelings of others.

caring: i need to be ready to go that extra mile for others, even when i do not want to - and i have to admit that i have failed on this one big time. you see, sometimes [many times] i am unwilling to go that extra mile - i am unwilling to give of myself to the point where it is uncomfortable. interestingly, i have found that i am willing to help those i see as "being in need" but i am less likely to help those i see as "not needing" - i will give a homeless man some money, but am i willing to give to a man who has all? to be "caring" to me means we need to redefine what we see as "needs" and know that without Christ we are all in need.

love: believe it or not, love is not "high" on my list of words, not because it is not important, but because i believe we can not truly love until we forgive, care, and show grace to those around us - some would say that before we can do all that we need to love - but for me in my journey, i find loving someone as easy - i find caring for them, showing grace to them and forgiving them hard. for me, in my journey, i have found love to be over rated and fleeting.

acceptance: this may seem like grace, but i think it is deeper and harder. you see, we can show "grace" to a gay or lesbian, but can we accept them for who they are? we are quick to discount the "lifestyle" as "against a christian life style" but we have to ask - so are many other things we ignore. one pastor friend said, "God said he hated homosexuals" so we can not allow them into the church - ok, but the palmist tells us that God hates all who do wrong [plms 5:5]. so if we use what God hates as a bar from the church, we would have some pretty empty churches - oh, wait we do.

optimism: i just can not have a negative attitude when it comes to my faith - i have to see the good things in life. too much of our faith is based on what we are against, but it should be measured by what we are for. if we are for very little, we then need to rethink our faith and determine what it is we believe in.

journey: faith for me is not a destination, it is a journey - a walk, a rose i travel to find my way and experience how God works in my daily walk. if we view our faith as a destination, we stop our journey when we think we have arrived. if we say, "accept Jesus as your lord and savior and you will have eternal life" and "eternal life" is our destination, then simply by accepting Jesus we have arrived at our destination and the faith journey is over - so, for me, i need to rethink what it means to "accept Jesus as my lord and savior" not as a destination, but as a starting point where i work out my salvation in fear and trembling.

life: too many followers i know just do not like life - and man, we need to truly enjoy life. i seek to embrace it and live among God's people - i seek to express my life in words, art, song and deeds - i seek to eat at the table of life and feast on all that God has made - we need to stop acting like we were pickled upon baptism, and start acting like we truly have a new life in Christ.

unity: i seek to find the common ideas between us, and not seek out the differences. we have spent years looking for what divides us as a faith group and we need to stop and find our united center again.

fluid: things flow, and God sends waves of change into our lives. if i am unwilling to see the waves, i can not be doing what God asks of me - so i need to be fluid in my ideas, expressions and direction - totally and completely open to the powers of God.

were do we find common ground?

before i start, i want to explain that i believe Jesus is my Lord and Savior - while i have never had an issue with that, i have to say i am very uncomfortable thinking i need to say that before i go on - and why is that? because i am going to write about "common grounds" between christianity and islam - and i know, if i did not "qualify my words" some would take them out of context - and that is the scary part. there are some who would refuse to dialog, and i pray for them all.

recently i came upon a site called "a common word" where some 250 islamic leaders [originaly 139 signed and more were added] signed an open letter to the christian church seeking dialog between us and them - and that is very cool. they sought to open the dialog with what we hold in common - our belief in one God and our love for others. this excited me because i saw it as a way of being able to stand and talk - to come to the table with two core, common realities and start a dialog of peace - peace between the two major religious groups of the world - because if we are not at peace with each other, the world will never be at peace. but i wonder if it is really possible? not on the islamic end, but on the christain end.

as i read through the site i was impressed with the words of many of our "christian leaders" - but not overly impressed; there was subtance but very little "let's have a cup of coffee and talk" stuff happening. we can do more - how? easy. as local church leaders we can open dialog and friendships with local islamic leaders; we can go and have a cup of coffee - we can start this at a grass roots level, where our voices are not heard on a national stage, but in the hearts of local people, where it counts. while i am encouraged over the voices of the "leaders" i am reminded that for us, Jesus is the head of the church [the true leader] and we are representatives of Jesus on earth - so we, the local church people [pastors and all], should be taking the actions to speak to the hearts and minds of islamic followers in our communities - not to convert, but to have an open, honest and meaningful dialog on what we hold in common -

let's be honest, it is too easy to find the differences, and to be honest i think it is cheap to find them - what costs more, what drives our hearts, should be the desire to find a common ground - a common word - where we can stand and stop the killing in the name of religion - if not, if we are unwilling to take that step we will soon find the world at war, based on the misconceptions we hold about each other and that would be very sad.

changing the world

do we as followers have a faith that can change the world? i often wonder, because if i hear many evangelicals right, our faith is not enough to change us - never mind the world we live in. if, our faith is unable to cause in us a new life, what makes us think we can make a new world? what makes us think we can bring something to the world that will change the direction? if, our faith just "saves us" but does not "change us" what value is it? what value is a faith that does not change our walk, direction or journey?

i was wondering this today as i sit in my favorite coffee shop sucking on my chai latte - what value is a faith that does not change us at a core? if all we can say is "i am saved" but not changed, are we truly saved? it seems to me that we have a great deal more to think about when it comes to the words of Jesus and paul - that when we decide to follow Jesus we are changed, we become a new person - we no longer desire the things we did before - we become "children of God" and in that we seek to live a life of love and forgiveness. we search for ways to unite and not divide; we strive to know others and love them - because we are told we must. if, we are not changed and if we are not seeking out a path of love and forgiveness we can not claim to be followers on a journey of faith where Jesus is the lead.

that may sound harsh, but i am tired of hearing "followers" claiming to love others and yet not wanting to truly love them - people who claim forgiveness, but who do not forgive. i desire to be connected with people who truly desire to live a changed life and seek out the kingdom of God on earth - by loving others and truly forgiving those who have done us wrong - consider it a "christian sanity" where when we strive to be "sane" we know we are to follow the teachings of Christ, even the hard ones.

check out these passages [click here]

what part of love don't we understand?

i am amazed at how many people desire to "qualify" love in different ways. we stretch it, we mold it, we sell it - but we always seem to discount it when it comes to loving those who are different then us. we find reasons not to love, and that to me is amazing.

why do we discount love? why do we make excuses for not loving? why are we seeking something we are unwilling to give to others? what part of love are we having a hard time understanding? what does a community of faith look like if it is willing to place the love of others over the love of self? can we strive to reach a point in our journey where love is the center of our thoughts and actions? if, as Jesus tells us, we are known to be his followers if people can see our love for each other - how known are we? do people look at us and turn away? do people see in us, and in our actions, the love of Christ? can it be said of us, "they love each other greatly?" where do we see love in our lives? at what point do we give into love and allow love to control our walk? why is it we love in the easy times and not in the hard times? why is it so important that others love us, but less important that we love others?

what part of love don't we understand?

a stranger in a strange land

one of the greatest, if not the greatest, sifi book i have ever read in my entire life is called "stranger in a strange land," it is the best-selling 1961 novel by robert heinlein. of all the books i read in college, this book had the most profound influence on my life and future actions. if you have never read the book, i suggest you buy it and read it - it is amazing. why is it amazing? because it will make you think beyond the limited possibilities we see and it will make you think about what it means to be a follower in this world, where change is possible and sacrifice is required. you see, i read the book right before i became a christian. it effected my life so deeply that i found my understanding of who i was as followers of The Way based on the actions of the main character; you have to read it to understand what i mean.

in the second letter attributed to peter, peter writes, "friends, this world is not your home, so don't make yourselves cozy in it. don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. then they'll be won over to God's side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives.[2:11-12]" what peter is telling us is that we are "strangers in a strange land" and we need to act accordingly. how do we do that? i am certain there are many ways, and i am certain some will disagree with the ways i am suggesting - but i would like to share with you my views on how we act like "strangers in a strange land."

first, i believe we need to stand for what is of God - not "justice" - and seek social change. you see, i believe we are to be a "just" people, but we are not to seek "justice." true justice can only come from God, our human idea of what is and is not justice is, at best, weak and blind. there is little we can do to escape the idea that justice is "not even." think of it this way, you know the person living next door is here illegally, “justice” requires you call the police and they be deported. but in God's love we are never given justice, we are given grace. “justice” requires we “turn them in” – grace requires we help them live a better life. because if we are demanding others live by "justice" [a state thing] we must be willing to answer to the same “blind” justice; and justice is never “justice” when it effects us directly. in Christ we are given grace, salvation and a walk of faith that allows us to see the face of God on our journey - so, for me i do not seek "social justice" i seek "social grace"

i believe we also need to embrace the unclean of our day. that means we need to visit people in the hospital and love on those who are hurting, wondering, seeking, thinking, and outside the love of our community. we need to visit those in prisons, literal prisons, and seek to help them to walk in the light - we need to give water to those who thirst, and we need to feed those who hunger - we need to honestly and openly work on helping people meet their physical needs long before we meet their spiritual needs - Jesus did, he was always concerned about the person on earth before he was concerned about the person going to heaven.

i believe we need to honestly and openly confess our sins and strive to walk a solid path of light, without fear of those in our community pushing us to the side and tagging us with some certain letter. you see, too many time we tell people to be open and confess their sins, and the second they do we toss them aside like damaged goods never to speak with them again. over my life time i have met more people who have been so hurt by those in the church that they refuse to even think about “coming back.” we need to be different, we need to be willing to forgive, even before being asked to forgive. if we hold peoples sins against them, then Jesus teaches God will hold our sins against us. we must forgive, forget, love and minister to the people of this world and know that God is God.

i believe we need to be willing to exchange our lives, for the lives of others. this one is the hardest things we could ever be called to do. In “the word” people are told to “defend themselves” and “kill those who wish others harm” – but Jesus goes deeper, and so should we. Jesus was willing to die for others, to give his life even when he had the power to set himself free. it is hard to think in terms of giving your life for another - who among us is willing to die for a stranger? is that not the same question paul asked? you see, we may be willing to be "inconvenienced" for a short time for a friend, but who is willing to give their lives for a complete stranger?

i believe we need to walk in a counter-cultural direction and stand firm on the issues facing us as a people of faith - it is not that we are demanding that others follow our way, it is that we just will not follow their way. you see, as people of faith we are called to live a very different life then those who are not called to faith. our faith requires that we actually do something, take action and stand firm on who we are and how we act as followers of The Way.

emerging and methodists

it might be best to start out with a disclaimer, i attended a umc seminary called drew and pastored a few umc churches in my day. now, that being said i still think a great deal of my theology is based more on the wesleyan traditions and less on other traditions. wesleyan theology connects for me - it allows me to develop a flow on information in my walk of faith that keeps me centered on Christ. I like that, and i think i know why -

the "wesleyan quadrilateral"

scripture - the Holy Bible (Old and New Testaments)
tradition - the two millennia history of the Christian Church
reason - rational thinking and sensible interpretation
experience - a Christian's personal and communal journey in Christ

for me, those allow me to develop a solid emerging walk that calls me to action, prayer and vocation. it allows me to see a christ-centered community of faith seeking to be a missional reality to the world we live in. it speaks to me of a ative and living faith where i can express a narrative theology, with an honest expression of a generous orthodoxy. it allows me to find an authontic community where people, all people - even the broken - can find a home and reach the face of God. in that community i can see to be in conversation and dialog with all people, regardless of where they are in their faith journey. i have found it to be a place where the community can express themselves in creative and dynamic ways.

are they perfect? no, but i can say that they are accepting of others - and that is cooler then being perfect.

crash, burn and heal

i have been dealing with some very deep personal issues as of late. the kind of issues that change your life and make you take a deep look at some of the mistakes you have made along the way - and i have made some pretty big mistakes - but i am thankful God is there, and that i am able to learn from the lesson.

you see, i am a sinner - no, i am not saying this so people can say "look, even a pastor can sin" - because that seems trivial to the moment - no, i mean i am a sinner - i lie, i cheat, i steal. i am a self-centered egomaniac who seldom thinks of anyone but himself - i over inflate my importance and under inflate my responsibility. i have hurt people, i have lied to people - i am a sinner - pure and simple - i am the scum that forms on the scum in a stagnate pond. i have crashed, and i have burned, i have reached the bottom of the pit and i am climbing out - i have reached the lowest point of my life and i am thankful to God for that - because in this i have found a very important love relationship - and that is the love of God, through Jesus Christ.

you see, over the past few years i have been operating on "my skills"- "my quick thinking" and "my words" and i have ignored the words of God in my life - and all that simply added up to a pile of garbage in my life that has festered, and smelt the room up - a tower built on my words, my skills and my thinking is noting, a tower built on garbage - so it came crashing down - with me and others in the rubble, and for that i am sorry - i did not mean for anyone to get hurt in the fall - and for that i am deeply sorry - i cry when i think of the hurt.

you see, i have learned some very important lessons over this time - first, i need to trust 100% on God and get my sinning self out of the way. i need to trust 100% that God has a plan and i fit in to that plan - i need to stop making my own way, and start making a way for God. i need to be less me, and more Jesus - heck, i just need to be less me.

next, i need to get past hiding the hurts and the pains - life suck and sometimes we get bit. i feel like i have been attacked by a pack of pit bulls, but i also have to say that many of my wounds are self inflected. you see, i can not blame others for the pains i have in my life, that falls flat on me. it is because of my human nature, and i have the scars to prove it - i need to let God take the pains and move them to healings - as i have been doing. i need to open and be honest with myself and others about my feeling, no matter the fall out - i need to be ready to learn and move past where i am and allow others to tell me what they see wrong about me. i need to stand on Christ, and let Jesus add to my voice.

and with all that, i need to trust the counsel of those i trust and love. no matter what i think i want, i need to allow others to have a voice in my life - people i love, and who i know love me - they have the best in store for me, so i should trust their words. i need to learn to trust and let those around me see my faults and help me past them.

i have not been a very nice guy over the past few years - and i am sure i hurt many people - and for that i am so deeply sorry - I stand before God with an open heart, confessing all my wrongs and all my selfishness - and i know he forgives me - so to others i say i am truly sorry for being the jerk i was - i pray, and i know, that this life experience has forced me to take some deep looks into my heart - and what i have found is a man looking to reconnect in a deep way with Jesus Christ -

"selflast"

i will admit i am still in process over this idea, but it is one that struck me the other day. ever since i became a christian i have heard people say "we need to be selfless in our actions to others." i was talking with a great friend and he mentioned the same thing, "we need to be selfless" - when he said it i did not hear "selfless" i heard "selflast" - and i think i like that view of life.

to me, being "selflast" means i place all others before me - i am willing to give all i have to help others in need - now, that may not be the smart thing to do, but i think it is the Jesus thing to do.

as i mentioned at the start, this is in process - help me flush this out. give me your ideas, your voices count and i trust what you will share - comment, and let me know