Ending Poverty

For the poor will never cease {to be} in the land; therefore I command you, saying, 'You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land. Deuteronomy 15:11

On July 3 the world was treated to a bevy of musical artists coming together to ask the G8 nations - Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Russia, United Kingdom, United States – to forgive the billions of dollars owed by African nations and other poverty-stricken areas of the world. They want the G8 to declare a year of Jubilee The intent is that if the debt service burden were lifted from these nations, the inhabitants of those countries would experience an increased level of affluence.

All politics aside (I question whether the situation will change for the average African if the same corrupt governments are still in place) this was truly an amazing event. Sure, the whole world focusing on debt relief was cool, but where was the church of Jesus Christ on this issue? The only openly Christian band performing was Jars of Clay, though other bands doubtlessly have Christian members. Various Christian websites have links to the One campaign to end poverty, I still wonder what would happen if the Western church invested as much in education, compassionate ministry and economic development as it does in furniture, choir robes and buildings. What would Africa look like if the church poured its resources into helping these people instead of spending most of its budget on its internal issues?

Sadly, we may never know.

Everybody Hurts

When the day is long and the night, the night is yours alone,
When you're sure you've had enough of this life, well hang on
Don't let yourself go, 'cause everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes

Sometimes everything is wrong. Now it's time to sing along
When your day is night alone, (hold on, hold on)
If you feel like letting go, (hold on)
When you think you've had too much of this life, well hang on

'Cause everybody hurts. Take comfort in your friends
Everybody hurts. Don't throw your hand. Oh, no. Don't throw your hand
If you feel like you're alone, no, no, no, you are not alone

If you're on your own in this life, the days and nights are long,
When you think you've had too much of this life to hang on

Well, everybody hurts sometimes,
Everybody cries. And everybody hurts sometimes
And everybody hurts sometimes. So, hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on
Everybody hurts. You are not alone

The quintessential Post-Modern band REM touched a nerve in many lives when they released this song. The song speaks of the despair of someone who has lost hope and feels isolated. I've been there. Just recently in fact as we earnestly prayed for guidance about the situation at our church. Ultimately God told us it is time to move on, and now we are in the grieving process as we enter an new phase of our lives.

Grieving is such an individual process, no matter what Elizabeth Kubler-Ross says. We grieve for many things - dead friends and relatives, shattered dreams, broken marriages, moves that force us to leave people and places we love - and each person grieves at his or her own pace. Some do it publicly, others do it very privately. I tend to be one who works through grief in spurts of seemingly disconnected events. But the disconnected events are just the outward expression of the discussions that have been occuring in my head.

Pray for us please. Pray for the kids who are no longer attending the only church they have ever known. We don't leave on bad terms, but it is not the way we had hoped it would happen. And for that I am sorry. There is some unnecessary complication here, but that is probably just attributable to human reactions.

But it still hurts.

WOW!

The 9 days in Guatemala were an incredible display of the Holy Spirit intervening in the lives of people. While we were there showing the Jesus Film, nearly 1000 came to know Christ and we helped plant 2 churches. For more details on the trip, go to our pastor's blog.

The photo shows that even the dogs in Guatemala want to hear about Jesus. A new variant on "The Rocks crying out?"

Thanks for your prayers for our safety. Despite 2 earthquakes and a near miss from a hurricane, we had a great time and saw the hand of God move in a mighty way.

Now if only we could do that in the USA.

Pray for us

From May 14-22 I will be leading a Jesus Film Ministry Team trip to the Xela region of Guatemala. The Church of the Nazarene has partnered with the Jesus Film and pledged to show the Jesus film to 100 million people during this decade. So far, it has been shown to more than 33 million people and nearly 4 million have made a decision for Christ.

Pray for our team of 10. We will be in Quetzaltenango, Momostenango, San Juan, Antigua and Guatemala City during our trip. Pray for the people we will minister to. Pray that they will be open to the gospel message. Pray for our safety and that we will represent Christ well while we are there.

I'll try to post an update while we are there.

Here we go again

What is it with the national media that everytime an attractive white woman goes missing, it is a national news story. I understand the tragedy of those who have died - Laci Peterson, Lori Hacking - and many others that have slipped my mind. Add to that the recent Runaway Bride story from Georgia, and you have a media feeding frenzy. The national media is all a-twitter about her motives for running, her method, her fiance blah blah blah. Read Keith Olberman's inane nattering on this subject. For the life of me I cannot understand why this is national news.

The cynic in me wants to believe it is because they are attractive and white. Women of color go missing every day and it is often several days before their local news picks up the case. But it seems that every young, attractive white woman in the US who does not return from her errands suddenly is more important than the shenanigans in Washington, D.C., the war on terror (body count has dropped and so has media interest), the problems securing our borders etc.

The more forgiving me wants to believe that the media believes their scrutiny will aid in the investigation and ultimately help return these women alive, or sadly, dead in some cases.

This is an imperfect society and I am fully aware of that, But it does seem a bit odd to me that the only women who go missing and received national attention are white and under 40. The media that prides itself on fairness and progressivity needs to examine it's editorial decision making policy, in my humble opinion.

Eyes that see

WARNING - Seriously cheesy movie about to be discussed.

With that out of the way, I'd like to discuss a movie that I really like despite the high cheese factor and the presence of Kevin Costner. Field of Dreams is a movie that grows on me each time I watch it. Not because I didn't get to play catch with my dad (he was never interested in that) but on a more spiritual level.

There is a scene near the end of the movie where Annie's brother Mark is trying to get Ray to sell the farm and field to him and his investors. If Ray doesn't, they will foreclose on the mortgage. Mark cannot see the players on the field, he only sees an empty baseball diamond. Then Ray and Annie's daughter falls off the bleachers and begins choking. One of the players on the diamond has to decide whether to rescue the little girl (he's a doctor) and give up his ability to play baseball or keep playing. When he saves the girl Mark exclaims "where did all of these baseball players come from?"



It was as if the scales were lifted from his eyes and he was able to see. Just minutes before he had been haranguing Ray and Annie about their stupidity, and suddenly he could see what was right in front of him. When his eyes were opened, he was amazed at what he saw. Deuteronomy 29:4 talks about a time when Israel suffered from this affliction "Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear. "

There was a moment in my life when God lifted the scales from my eyes. I began to see not what was apparent, but what was going on behind the scenes. I began to see people's actions in light of their personality and history, not just for what they appeared to be. But most magnificently, God began to show me what could be, instead of what is. That is both a blessing and a curse. Because there are a lot of Marks in the world. They see only what is there, and they berate, chastise, harangue, curse, oppose and (insert term of your choice) anyone who differs from them.

I find this true in the modern church. Seeing things differently, asking "what if we tried this?," and generally having big dreams makes one an enemy of the status quo ante. People like this threaten the established order and must be stopped, at whatever the cost. It is as if traditions and the "way we have always done things" have become more important than reaching the lost. The form has superceded the function, and that is almost always a bad thing for any organization, especially the church. Read this post from The OOZE on how some churches have lost sight of their mission to become refuges from the culture rather than change agents for the culture.

My fervent prayer is for the leaders who don't see to try to open their eyes, rather than shooting the messenger. And when they come across members of their flock who are shooting the messenger, they lovingly work with them to change their behavior toward others who may have a different take on things. The game is before us, but we cannot play what we cannot see.

Collateral Damage

I attended a PRSA Detroit luncheon today Dick Martin, former head of PR for AT&T, gave me something to chew on that I had not thought about before. He was talking about the PR and other gaffes AT&T made since the 1984 breakup settlement with the Department of Justice. In Martin's opinion, one of the things that put the final nail in AT&T's coffin was the Worldcom fraud. Worldcom drove the price of long-distance down so far that it sucked the profitability out of the business. Then they hid it by making up numbers to satisfy Wall Street.

I never viewed AT&T as a victim of Worldcom's fraud until today. I always viewed the employees and shareholders as victims, but I had not thought of their competitors as victims before. But they were. They were competing on price against a company that was just making up numbers to keep the shareholders happy. And in the process, AT&T killed itself.

Think about the innocent victims that get wiped out in everyday life. In years past, many farmers were driven to bankruptcy by rising property taxes created by urban sprawl. When houses went up on the fields next door, it raised the value of the cornfield if it were sold. But if a farmer just wanted to grow crops, he didn't get more money for the crop just because the land was theoretically more valuable. But he did get taxed.

I believe evangelicals are guilty of a lot of collateral damage due to their over-emphasis on the vertical (me and God) relationship at the expense of the horizontal (me and the church) relationship. The attitude of "my sin is between me and God" ignores the damage that a believer's sin causes to others. When a church leader, lay or pastoral, has their sin become public, many people are damaged. Certainly their families are hurt. Their fellow laborers for Christ also suffer. Some lose faith, others encounter more opposition and resistance, and others cannot find the funding they need because of a lack of confidence in church leaders. The thought that my sinful actions could cause a child to reject Christ scares the pants off of me. And when I am tempted to do something that I know better than to do, keeping the thoughts of who might be affected in my minds helps me to remain obedient. It may not be the greatest motivation, but it does work.

800 year old prayers

Yesterday in church we sang a modernized version of "All Creatures of our God and King" composed by St. Francis of Assisi, a 13th Century christian who founded the Franciscan Order of priests. St. Francis is the Catholic patron saint of animals and the environment, and that is something I can see.




My wife and former pastor both affectionately call me a tree-hugger. The environment is a passion of mine. Not the kind of passion that causes me to attack others or impose governmental regulation to protect. Rather, I like to persuade people to change their behaviors to protect the environment, keeping in mind that the world was made for us to use, as stewards would take care of their Master's estate.

That being said, "All Creatures" has always spoken to me. I have a little bit of the gift of seeing God in His Creation. Rich Mullins really had the gift, and I love his music for that. Recently we found out that our beloved dog Hannibal is not long for this world. He is a wonderful 12 yr old Lab/Golden Retriever cross who is wonderful. I feel a little Franciscan in the way I love him and take care of him. We recently have undergone a role reversal where I am the one looking out for him and protecting him, instead of him doing that for my family. He is a little senile, has some arthritis and is rapidly losing weight from a liver problem. It is an honor to care for him this way after all of the joy, protection and companionship he has given me and my family. My girls have always known him to be there, and he watches over them constantly. This will be a hard goodbye, but one with a great deal of fond memories of him. I know dogs aren't people, but I would like to see him again in heaven without his infirmities. Just to play fetch again.

I'd appreciate your prayers. He is fine now, but the vet didn't even vaccinate him this year. As the disease progresses, it will get harder. Right now he just seems like a skinny, older version of himself.

Thanks.

Roy

What I am reading

In case you were wondering, I read a great deal. I have always enjoyed reading, and lately have rediscovered the joy and stimulation of thought-provoking books and websites. Below is a partial list of what I have read recently and am reading now.

My friend Kurt has started his own blog with his musings on life.

Leonard Sweet's Soul Tsunami is a brain-bender.

Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline is a wonderful treatise on the spiritual life. His insight into prayer has greatly helped me with a sometimes stagnant prayer life.

Henri Nouwen's Making all things New is a great call to holiness. And an easy read.

The OOZE is a great source of discussion and thought-provoking articles. Membership is free.

Ginkworld is another great site for post-modern musings.

Here are some thoughts on life from a Lutheran perspective.

I hope these help you on your journey.

The wonder of spring

I dislike spring. There, my secret is out. I truly dislike the up and down temperatures, the mud, the garbage that blew in over the winter months. I just despise spring. I realize I am a buzzkill for a lot of people, including my kids, when I go on a rant about spring.

My youngest daughter has been itching to get outside as soon as the snow melted. She got "Real Rollerblades" for the first time and cannot wait to learn how to use them. If the temp is above 50, she is out on the sidewalk, helmet and pads locked in place, practicing her stops, starts and turns. And she does it with a sense of wonder in her eyes that makes me sad for what I have lost.

Spring is a time of renewal. New leaves bud out, birds lay eggs, bunnies are born and the grass greens up again. But renewal is often messy. Fixing dead spots in the lawn requires removal of the dead debris, planting, watering and patience. A great deal of rain must fall to provide the proper growing conditions for many plants to bloom and put out new branches. That rain also brings mud and canceled plans. Spring is very unpredictable, and maybe that is what I dislike so much. I like change. But I like predictable change. And Spring is a reminder of how little I actually control and how Sovereign God really is.

Like my feeble attempts to control the effects of the weather in my little corner of the world, I cannot control God when he decides to change my world or the world around me. He works on a level I cannot understand and does things that I may never understand in this life. But I have to trust him, even when I cannot predict what he is going to do. And that is really hard.

Consider the words of God spoken to Job in chapter 39:
1 "Do you know the time the mountain ^{F432 R1079} goats give birth? Do you observe the calving of the deer? ^R1080 2 "Can you count the months they fulfill, Or do you know the time they give birth? 3 "They kneel down, they bring forth their young, They get rid of their labor pains. 4 "Their offspring become strong, they grow up in the open field; They leave and do not return to them. 5 "Who sent out the wild ^R1081 donkey free? And who loosed the bonds of the swift donkey, 6 To whom I gave the ^R1082 wilderness for a home And the salt land for his dwelling place? 7 "He scorns the tumult of the city, The shoutings of the driver he does not hear. 8 "He explores the mountains for his pasture And searches after every green thing. 9 "Will the wild ^R1083 ox consent to serve you, Or will he spend the night at your manger? 10 "Can you bind the wild ox in a furrow with ropes, ^F433 Or will he harrow the valleys after you? 11 "Will you trust him because his strength is great And leave your labor to him? 12 "Will you have faith in him that he will return your grain ^F434 And gather {it from} your threshing floor?



I don't undertand why God does things the way he does, but I do know that He is Sovereign and that He has our best interest at heart. I'll take a little mud now and then to know that he is driving the bus. And I'll keep trying to be content with being a passenger and stop trying to navigate.

BTW - Autumn is my favorite season. Cool nights, warm days, good fishing. Go out West in September and you will understand.

U2

I just finished watching U2's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and it brought out some conflicting emotions. I don't want to admit that I am old enough that the music of my youth is being enshrined. But their rendition of "I still haven't found" with Springsteen stirred my soul.

The longing that is so transparent in that song is one that I have found in my own life. I still haven't found what I am looking for. That may be because I don't know with great certainty what I am looking for, but I know I don't have it. To some, it is my way of saying that what I have isn't good enough. I prefer to look at it as a by-product of my idealism and seeking the things of God in their fullest.

I am haunted by the scene from "As Good as is Gets" where Jack Nicholson is in the waiting room of his psychiatrist and asks the people waiting there "What if this is all there is? What if this is as good as it gets?" I live on the hope that it can be better. That we can grow closer to God. That we can build authentic communities built on trust and respect. Because if this is as good as it gets, then it is not good enough.

Share your thoughts with me on this please. I'm going to go play "The Joshua Tree" with the lights off for a while.

A truly great book

If you haven't read "The Safest Place on Earth" by Larry Crabb, you should really consider it. It is an absolutely wonderful book about creating true spiritual community, not the superficial relationships that pass for community in most churches. Crabb confesses that he is no expert, but like me, he is an idealist fearful that this may be as good as it gets. What if true community cannot happen, and the strained superficial relationships we have are the best we can do?

I'm in the boat of desiring something I've never had, which is a true spiritual community. God is in the process of moving me out of the complacent place I am in now and going somewhere that is unknown to me. And this desire will be a large determinant of where I land. I desire a community where people trust each other, share openly and genuinely, and desire the best for each other.

If you have some insight into this process, please feel free to chime in. I'd love to hear from you.

Community

I've been reading Larry Crabb's book "The Safest Place on Earth" on the recommendation of Marcus on The OOZE message boards. It is a typically excellent Larry Crabb book, but this one really has me thinking.

He spends a lot of time talking about spiritual communities - communities where people are authentic and genuinely love each other - not the pseudo-counseling claptrap so typically found in American churches. Crabb's book, coupled with the paradigm-shifting "A New Kind of Christian" by Brian McLaren, have really started a thought process within me that is leading in a direction that I cannot predict where it will go.

The community Crabb and McLaren describe is almost utopian in its function. I long for a community where people are transparent, authentic and think the best of each other. I can't imagine what it is like to go to church and not have to be guarded in what I say because I may offend someone and have my statements thrown back in my face by someone they gossipped with.

But how do we build this community? Is this only possible in a Spirit-led church plant where you can clearly spell out the expectations at the outset? Can an existing community be led to this style of relationship? If anyone out there has any experience with this, please email me and describe it to me. I'd like to think my dream can become reality.

Coping with disaster

On Christmas Day, 2004, a massive earthquake hit the Indian Ocean and the ensuing tsunamis have killed at least 40,000 persons in India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Sumatra. Seeing the pictures of bodies littering beaches and massive open-air morgues is heartbreaking. Then to hear the head of the United Nations Humanitarian organization criticize the response from Western Countries as "stingy" just sickens me. Click here for story. One of the most corrupt organizations in the world, one that allowed Saddam Hussein to steal millions from the Oil-for-food program, now criticizes the countries giving to help alleviate the suffering in these devestated areas? What Chutzpah!

This isn't a political issue for me though. Disasters like this can easily overwhelm the senses and make it difficult for an individual to comprehend what is going on. Then to have the relief agencies chiding the donors, just reinforces the belief that there are those in power at the UN who are more interested in their own power and issues than they are in the work they are supposed to be performing.

The good news is that while the UN and donor states are calling each other names, private NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) are stepping in and leading the relief efforts. Here is a list of groups helping out with the damage in SE Asia. One group that has a special place in my heart, simply because I am aware of what they do and how they do it is Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, an arm of the Church of the Nazarene. They provide disaster relief as well as local economic development assistance in more than 140 world areas. Click on the link for the latest on their efforts with this disaster.

The world has clearly seen bigger disasters -the eruption of Krakatoa in the 1880's created a sound heard 2900 miles away and killed thousands with the tsunamis it created. The earth is a violent place, but above all we know that God is in control. On days like Christmas, 2004, it may not seem like He is in control. Or it may not seem like he cares very much about us when He lets things like this happen, but we know that he loved us enough to sacrifice his one and only Son so that we might be reconciled to Him and live with him forever. This may not seem like much, sacrificing one for many, but imagine the enormity of that sacrifice:

1) Jesus left the perfection of heaven for the stinking, rotten mess that is our planet.
2) Jesus gave up most of his power to be limited as a human being. He was limited to being in one place, and not knowing all as he did in heaven.
3. Jesus took upon himself sin he did not commit, all of the sin of the world, out of love for us.

Does this make understanding the tsunami any easier? Not really. But it does remind me that God does love us and is not cruel or indifferent. He has a lot invested in us and is hoping for a huge return on his investment.

Greetings

Welcome to my home for Posers in recovery. Posers are those who pretend to be something they are not. In Christianity, they have their lives together and all the answers, when they really are falling apart and don't know diddly/squat. I was one of them until God's miraculous grace grabbed me. For more on Posers, read Brennan Mannings epic "The Ragamuffin Gospel" where he describes how grace grabbed him and revolutionized his life.

My prayer is that the musings and odd things that strike me that I post here will help you as you search for an authentic faith. Not a faith where you feel like you have to put on a brave face to go to church, but one where you can come in and bleed all over people and they will still love you, just like God does. You don't have to be something for God to love you, and I hope that you find a place to worship where you can be real, show your warts, scars, fears and hangups, and you will still be loved.

God Bless you on your journey.