Tête-à-tête (A private conversation)

My family is a motley crew of misfits and non-conformist, for instance I do not conform to some of the social norms within the black community, I am not a Democrat (nor Republican), I married a white woman, but I am not the only one who is outside of the “norms” within my family and I so appreciate them all. Every holiday my family gathered together to do what we do each holiday…… eat! We eat and eat and eat, all while drinking, talking and arguing. We tend to separate between men and women, which I never noticed until my wife entered the picture. I absolutely love that do this and miss those who can’t make the gathering just as they probably do when my wife and I are gone. This last time that we got together was a little different than others, well there were many factors such as my uncle (who passed on) not being there and my sister’s new boyfriend (I think, to be honest I don’t know what he is), so many dynamics add to tensions that are in each family. Somehow my Dad and I became separated from the rest of the pack and we were in my sister’s living room, and it was actually refreshing. I have craved dialogue with someone close to me that does not end with them being offended by my different opinion. To be completely honest I do not agree with most of the positions social, political, or spiritual positions of people within my family but that is okay, to an extent. Dad and I somehow discussed each of those categories and more and I realized something, I love him so much and we have so much in common. Sometimes I forget how similar I am to my mom and dad, but I come from them, I am an amalgamation of them both. I know that when I look at them I tend to focus on their faults and shortfalls but there is so much more to them and I embody both sides of them. My father is a critical thinker who is not easily fooled, he has had so many life experiences that I will never be able to comprehend but he tried to teach me how to not make some of the mistakes that he made and how not to repeat them. The other thing that I inherited from them both was a very hard head; this had caused me to experience some pain that, like my parents, is indescribable to them and sometimes others. This was and is so painful, to not be able to communicate my ideas and wants in life but I do not think that they would fully understand. I struggle to be estranged from those I love so much, because I do not always have the same goals and aspirations. We do share many things in common but the more I submit myself to Christ, the more alienated I feel. Sunday was a little different though, for the first time in years my father and I had a conversation that was so filling and refreshing, even though we were not in complete agreement it was beautiful to be able to ask questions and answer questions about what is going down in our contexts. My father spoke frankly about our presidential candidates and our “economical crisis” in the nation, we joked about life and yet another doomed boyfriend entering the family, we just were. It felt so good to sit at the “feet” of my dad and learn again. When I was younger I drank in every word that my dad spoke, whether right or wrong, to learn and be more like him. My father was my god, infallible, perfect, and just. I have sense learned that I was wrong on most accounts but I yearn for a father that fulfills my deepest self. I have been struggling with this concept lately (see Family Pt. 1, 2, 3) but I realized something, dad is not and never wanted to be a replacement for God the Father. Our Heavenly Father yearns to be our provider and sustainer. He is the one that supplements my life and augments my heart, He directs my growth and embraces me, as is. The reason I bring this all up is to say that my father no matter how much he has messed up wants the best for his children; he did not necessarily want us to look at him as god, but an authoritative figure. Yet God the Father does want us to focus on him as Abba, he begs us to curl up in Him arms, He beckons us to come and listen to His word that is life, that is refreshing, that is sustaining. My interaction with my dad was just a 20 minute taste of what God our Father has yearned for us to taste of Him and His goodness. You are summoned to a Tête-à-tête with Him, sup, drink, listen………………………….

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
Psalm 34:8

Ask Anything Update

I am so sorry for missing my post on Thursday but this weekend was crazy! I wanted to update you on the ASK ANYTHING series that is coming up. Well after a very slow start we are now getting the ball rolling! We now have 18 comments and 20+ questions on that post. W00t! As I stated before I would love to get 25 (or more) comments that we can place into a poll to let everyone vote on. The top 5 (or so more if they are really popular) I will teach on. I want to teach on things relevant to you and effect you within your context. Invite your friends and family to join in on the discussion by placing the question as a comment. Remeber we only have a couple places left so get those questions in ASAP!!

We are also starting a new series on Tuesaday night (4/1) called “SHIFT_“. I think that you will love the application and i hope to see you there!

Liberia - Part 3

[Okay this looks to be the last one again I hope that you will forgive me for posting another one of these letters but I wanted to share something that I recieved via email from a former Westsider named Sheri Warren. She has left Westside to serve as an international HIV/AIDs director with Samaritan’s Purse, an international non-profit Christian organization that provides aid to the world’s poor, sick, and suffering. She recently left Liberia and sent multiple e-mails describing the reality of life in Liberia. I know that each of these have been long but please take time to read it and please lef the spirit touch your heart. The world that most of us consider reality is not the world in which most people live. While you may never visit a 3rd world country, I invite you to step into life outside the U.S. by reading Sheri’s last e-mail from Liberia. I want to say thank you to Sheri for letting me post these last three emails, they have been life-changing.]

I’ve arrived in Monrovia, Liberia. This is my last full day in Liberia, tomorrow after church I begin the journey home. A few of the staff in this region spent their Saturday taking me to visit beneficiaries of the orphan care program. I asked them if they’d be taking the day off if I wasn’t in town trying to see everything in a short amount of time. They told me they would be working on Saturday anyway, this isn’t just a job for them but a ministry. These two men escaped Liberia during the war and took refuge in Ghana and the Ivory Coast. They have only returned in the last couple of years, for one of them it has been a matter of months. They have decided to invest their lives in rebuilding their country, they want to see Liberia rise from the ashes. Many of our staff fall in to this category - they had taken refuge in other countries in Africa and are returning with a passion for making a difference in their homeland. That is so important to the work we do, that kind of passion is what changes the world.

It takes a lot of time to drive from place to place for these visits so we only made it to a few homes. The cities we visited all border Monrovia. They were also Congo settlements. Meaning, the freed slaves built homes in these areas. I learned the Congo people worked during the week in Monrovia and owned plantations in the Congo settlements where they would visit on the weekend. Today, post war, it is a mixture of Congo people and indigenous families. I was told there is a lot of intermarriage going on in these areas. We also went to Congotown where the freed slaves had set up businesses they ran during the week. Our purpose was to visit a few beneficiaries of the OVC program. All of the beneficiaries of this program are affected by HIV. Some have lost parents (one or both), for some it has been passed to them through birth, some have been forced out of their communities when it is discovered they are infected due to stigma. At one home, the kids are living on their own. Their father just passed in the last couple of weeks from AIDS. All four kids are HIV+ and taking ARV’s (treatment) in order to stay healthy. Our staff are helping them obtain the necessary medicines, ensuring they stay in school, and looking for a home to keep the kids since they are now alone. These kids are so vulnerable to the world without an adult to protect them. While we were visiting a neighbor was making dinner for them. At another home, the family had just relocated. In the community they were in before neighbors had found out she was HIV+ and they forced her and the kids out. Their current residence is tiny and the roof is basically plastic pieces. She said at least 15 times in our short visit, “Thank you, thank you, thank you for what you are doing.” At another stop the mother gave me a big embrace and kisses. Our last stop of the day was in the area between the airport and the staff house where I’m staying. I’ve mentioned the bleakness of this area before. It was my first exposure to Liberia and it nearly brought me to tears. I came full cirlce at my last home visit in this country. There are two women living in one home with their 5 children. Our staff asked them about their safety. I thought this was an unusual question, they hadn’t asked that at any other stop. When we got back in the land cruiser I inquired about that line of questioning. They told me these ladies, who are HIV+, had recently been raped. They were both raped in one evening by eight men, that isn’t a typo - that’s right, eight men. They were also robbed. The staff were able to put some stuff together for them, clothes and things. It was all so matter-of-fact. Tomorrow evening I begin the long journey home. It will take me at least that long, and certainly some time afterward, to process all I’ve seen in the last few days.

On this trip I often thought of the most powerful line in the movie “Hotel Rwanda.” The country was experiencing genocide and one man pleaded with the foreign reporters to stay and tell the story so the world would get involved and come to their rescue. The reporters response was basically - they will see it, they’ll say, “that’s awful,” then they will pick up their fork and continue eating their dinner. I don’t want to be someone who hears about the suffering of others, watches it from afar and then goes on with life as if nothing happened. Now that I’ve seen it, I can’t forget it and I am compelled to do something. When we conceptualized this project we thought we had thought of most everything children would need - we cover the need for clean water, housing, medical care, nutrition, income generation and education. Our target number of children was 1,800. This program has only been running 6 months and we have quickly realized that the needs exceed our resources. Our plan will only make a small dent in the enormous needs. I can’t possibly meet all the needs of these communities, but I can do something. While I was here I worked with our fundraising department to submit a proposal to a private foundation for additional monies. It is our hope to provide an education for 30% more children than originally intended. That will cost approximately $80,000. We don’t have that money in our budget, everything we have is allocated to other needs around the world. I’m going to do my best to give more children in Liberia the education they need and an opportunity at a brighter future. That isn’t where it will end, but it is where I can start. I hope you will also do what you can to make this world a better place. I don’t expect that everyone will travel to the developing world like I do. I don’t expect everyone to give to my causes. What I’m asking is that you be a little kinder to the people you encounter, that you look around you and see how you can make this world a better place. All of us have the power to change the world - our world.

I leave on my next trip the Monday after Easter. Next stop: Eastern Europe - another first.

[ASK ANYTHING IS ON FIRE!!! I would love for you to take some time and ask me anyhting for the upcoming sermon series in the Westsdie College Ministry. Just click on this and leave a comment!]

Liberia - Part 2

[I hope that you will forgive me for posting another one of these letters but I wanted to share something that I recieved via email from a former Westsider named Sheri Warren. She has left Westside to serve as an international HIV/AIDs director with Samaritan’s Purse, an international non-profit Christian organization that provides aid to the world’s poor, sick, and suffering. Recently Sheri landed in Liberia and sent an e-mail describing the reality of life in Liberia. I know that it is long but please take time to read it and marinate on what she is saying. The world that most of us consider reality is not the world in which most people live. While you may never visit a 3rd world country, I invite you to step into life outside the U.S. by reading Sheri’s most recent e-mail, see below. I also would love for you to add a coment to the "Ask Anything" Blog for our upcoming series. I want your questions!!!]

Status report from Liberia: Another dead body washed up on the beach. They covered it with a trash bag and are hoping word of mouth will locate the family. People come and look at it to see if it is someone they know. It might be their brother, their husband, their son, uncle, father, or friend. In other news, one of the staff broke his leg while riding a motor bike. He was trying to get out of the way of a UN motorcade that was driving too fast and crashed in the bush. There isn’t medical care here, so we had to put he and his wife in a land cruiser to drive the 9 hours to the nearest hospital over bumpy, dirt roads. This morning we heard that he arrived safely and had received some pain relief. They have no family in the area of the medical facility so the wife is scrambling to find food (the responsibility of the family, not the hospital) and a place to stay. Yesterday we visited some more orphans in their foster homes. One home is headed by an 18 year old girl. There were at least 4 children she is taking care of and she just recently delivered a baby girl. The head of the Community Based Volunteer Team was showing us around the village. He introduced us to Musu, the 18 year old girl. His words, “No one knows how she got pregnant.” Well, somebody knows, I’m sure of that, it’s just that nobody is talking about it. As if the conditions of her life weren’t hard enough - her home is one of the ruins left from the war, it was a house at one time, now it is just remenants of a structure. They had added a roof to keep the rain out and some mattresses to sleep on. A couple weeks ago they had a house fire, the result of a fire started by a neighbor kid who was trying to clear brush for gardening. This family lost what little they had - clothes, their roof, mattresses. Now they are using cardboard and plastic to protect them the sun and rain. I also think I’ve identified the origin of bush meat. Yesterday, I met a little boy who was carrying a tray of dead monkey’s on his head. Our staff in the livestock and livelihood projects have introduced the first chickens and goats to this area since the war. Literally, every living thing was wiped out. I took a picture of the boy and his bush meat. I’ve already had one friend in Kansas who said they think they will pass on viewing that particular photo.

It all seems so bleak, doesn’t it? Then this morning something amazing happened. Each day we start with a staff devotions. There are about 30+ staff at this site running various projects. I’m only involved with three, there are a total of 35 projects out of this country office. Staff devotions was led by a local pastor and staff member. The text was 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. It reads:

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

The group spent the morning thanking God for their blessings. They thanked God for the family they found in their fellow staff members. They thanked God that they weren’t hurt when they wrecked on their motor bike. They thanked God that their family was protected when their neighbors were robbed. It was honest, genuine gratitude to God for their blessings. It was powerful. I sat there in awe. The fabric of this society has been torn apart due to death, violence and displacement. Despite their troubles, this group of people had found hope. Hope in the everlasting God. In this place, they were joyful and giving thanks. Amazing! Absolutely, positively amazing.

This morning I was writing to a friend. I told her that after this trip I will never be the same. That is true. I thought I’d seen it all. I’ve been traveling to the developing world for 18 years. Not that the circumstances of people’s lives get easier to see, but it had become strangely familiar. The struggles in Liberia are like nothing I’ve ever seen. The needs are great and overwhelming - that is shared by many places on earth. Add to that the effects of a long-standing war and what is left is hopelessness, oppression and anger. Can we really make a difference? We have and we are. When we arrived here 4 years ago, people were living in refugee camps, today they are living in homes. Children were being used as soldiers, today they are unarmed and going to school. There was nothing to eat, now there is some rice, increasing livestock and growing farms. There is a long way to go, but there has been progress. I won’t soon forget these people, nor this experience. I have learned from them that joy and thankfulness are attitudes we choose, rather than a product of our circumstances. I challenge you to count your blessings, I’m sure they are many if you really consider all you have been given.

Liberia

[You probably concluded when you saw this post that I wrote it but I wanted to share something that i recieved via email from a former Westsider named Sheri Warren. She has left Westside to serve as an international HIV/AIDs director with Samaritan's Purse, an international non-profit Christian organization that provides aid to the world's poor, sick, and suffering. Recently Sheri landed in Liberia and sent an e-mail describing the reality of life in Liberia. Her e-mail reminded me of the superficial world in which most of us in the U.S. live. Given our current conversations on Tuesday nights I wanted to provided you with something to chew on. I know that it is long but please take time to read it and marinate on what she is saying. The world that most of us consider reality is not the world in which most people live. While you may never visit a 3rd world country, I invite you to step into life outside the U.S. by reading Sheri's most recent e-mail, see below.]

I’ve arrived in Liberia. This is my first time in West Africa. There is no way for me to explain this experience - words fail me. Pictures won’t do it justice. It is heartbreaking. The drive form the airport to the Country Directors home nearly put me to tears. This country is still ravaged by the 15 year civil war. Though it ended 5 years ago the effects are everywhere - absolutely everywhere. There are still remnants of burnt cars, looted and burnt structures, bullet holes in building facades, destroyed roads, and poverty, abject poverty, all around. The United States has some culpability in the origins the Liberia civil war. When we freed slaves we dumped those who wanted to return to Africa in Liberia. They are known here as “the Congo people.” Well, they came here and took over. They held positions of power and dominated those who had been here. Eventually the indigenous people had an uprising to take back their power from the Congo people. Once the violence started it ran rampant and even ingnited a tribal war here. It lasted until the UN stepped in. There are still UN peacekeeping troops everywhere. In the area I am in, the Pakistan army is keeping the peace. We arrived by helicopter under heavy guard from the Pakistan army. They have posts everywhere and we passed a couple of bases. Our pilots were from Russia. I couldn’t help but wonder what will happen when the UN pulls out, will war return? It’s certainly a possibility. English is widely spoken, the local language is Liberian English which is very difficult to understand. The U.S. Dollar is widely used currency and the flag looks much like the American flag, but with one star instead of 50.

President Bush was here just days before me. His picture is on billboards all over the place next to Ellen, Liberia’s president, the first woman president in Africa. Though he distributed aid to many of the countries he visited on his recent Africa tour, Liberia was not one of them to receive additional funds. Why? The U.S. government has a set of criteria before distributing this type of aid. Liberia’s corruption is so rampant they didn’t meet the standard. The U.S. is, however, paying to pave the roads and provide additional infrastructure. Trust me, that is a gift that is greatly needed and the resources are not readily available internally.

Liberia is rich with minerals, diamonds, rubber trees, and vast forests. It has an amazing natural beauty. When I reached the Country Directors (CD) home I sat on his front porch and looked at the Atlantic Ocean, watched the waves crash in to the sandy beach and admired the beauty. In a feeble effort to illustrate the conditions people live in here, let me share with you our dinner conversation. Dinner was hosted at the Country Director’s home by he and his wife. It was my first home cooked meal in weeks and a welcome interruption to hotel food. It included their two children age 5 adopted from Haiti, the Deputy Country Director, and an HR representative from UNICEF. As if it was just commonplace someone mentioned, “They still haven’t moved that body off the beach. It’s been two days. It’s starting to smell.” Yes, they are talking about a human body that washed up on the beach a few days before. I learned that this happens occasionally. Maybe somebody drowned trying to swim in the surf, but usually it is “foul play.” They told a story about an old guy that was found on the beach across the street from their house a couple years ago who had a bullet hole in his head. The police came and buried him on the beach. The CD and his wife said they always think of that man when they walk the beach - again, like it was no big deal, walking by the dead guy on the beach was like passing a McDonald’s. Also discussed at dinner, over the weekend the deputy director and CD’s wife (two women) planned to travel to a rural area of Liberia to deliver Christmas shoebox gifts and look at the possibility of doing water/sanitation projects. This area is under served, despite the presence of all types of NGO’s (non-governmental organizations) and various arms of the UN. I think you’ll understand why…they practice ritualistic killings, human sacrifices to ancestors. These killings aren’t prosecuted, rather they are revered. I didn’t know there was a place on earth where they still sacrifice humans. I now know otherwise. As if these conditions weren’t difficult enough - electricity is inconsistent, it is unbearably hot and humid, bucket baths are the standard, food is, well…challenging. For example, for lunch we ate rice with sauce (a Liberia staple). The sauce was made of potato greens, chili peppers, palm oil, and bush meat. What is bush meat? No one really knows. Lisa tells me it is various parts of animal bodies of whatever animal is available. I spooned myself some greens, but skipped the mystery meat. Zayzay, a native Liberian, had two helpings. It was even unpleasant to watch him eat it, spitting bones and the sound of crunching. I think I’m on the African diet this week - eating just enough to stay healthy.

I spoke to Kenyon [Sheri's husband] this afternoon and had difficulty explaining the condition of this country. He [Kenyon] asked why I wasn’t in a hotel, I told him there isn’t one to be found. There isn’t. There are no restaurants, grocery stores, or other such ammenities. It just simply isn’t available. As we drove through various townships today, I mostly noticed the surprising number of burnt out structures riddled with bullet holes - reminders of a not to distant past.

Ask Anything

Okay guys like we talked about on Tuesday I want to do a series similar to one I have witness at another church (Mars Hill Seatle). I want to challenge to you to think and then ask me anything about Christianity that you would like yeah I said it ANYTHING. In the book of 1 Corinthians Paul’s letter was in large part a series of answers to various questions he received from the church. So this idea of asking questions and having then answered is not a new one to me or anyone else. Throughout the letter, Paul frequently quotes directly from the letter he received from the Corinthians. Paul’s example got me to consider what it would be like to do something similar. After we get a good mix (say the first 25 or so) then I will place them on the blog for you to vote for and the top 5 (more if they are really popular) I will teach on. I want to teach on things relevant to you and effect you within your context. Invite your friends and family to join in on the discussion by placing the question as a comment, emailing me, or Facebook me. Please keep the language clean and Ask Anything!!!!!

What are you?!?!?

I know I know this si a horrible subject to talk about but I am currious. I’ve been wondering about political labels lately, such as “conservative”, “liberal”, or the seemingly non-committal middle of the road, aka “moderate”. In my personal cultural context, these are loaded terms, especially the first two. I guess the reason I am bothered is the upcoming campaign this year and the candidates that are currently representing each side. I am personally not a fan of the 2 party systems but this is the culture in which we live. I have noticed, especially through the news, that those who use the above labels to describe their political persuasion often do so with a badge of pride, and conversely use the opposite labels derogatorily. I’m curious what you think about a few things related to this topic:

• What, if any, political label do you use to describe yourself? I’m not thinking so much ‘Libertarian’, ‘Democrat’, or ‘Republican’, as I am ‘conservative’, ‘liberal’, etc.

• If you use one of these labels to describe yourself, what do you mean by it?

• When others use these terms, what do you think they mean by them?

• Do these same labels translate into your cultural context?

• Do you feel free to express your political views? Why or Why not?

Thank you in advance for your input!

One (not so) Sneaky Elephant!

I think it is about time to take on the “elephant in the Church”. The elephant in the Church (also elephant in the living room, elephant in the corner, elephant on the dinner table, elephant in the kitchen, etc.) is an English idiom for an obvious truth that is being ignored. It is based on the fact that an elephant in a small room would be impossible to overlook…it is called PORN. There are some scary statistics out there, especially when it comes to those who are believers in Christ. I guess deep down inside all we want is to know that everything is going to be all right. We ask ourselves the question…is there something wrong with me because I am struggling with pornography? If you are not asking that question you should examine your motives. With this issue comes a lot of shame and guilt. It’s a dirty little secret that you can’t let out and in the meantime you feel like pond scum. For men we have three main facts:
1. We all love to look at nude women (yes, I just said this on t church site).
2. We have all looked at nude women.
3. We all know where we can find pictures of nude women.
The question is what are you going to do about the facts? We can simply accept the facts and give into our flesh, or we can live a life of integrity and avoid the pitfalls and traps of Internet pornography. This is every man’s battle. Porn is a lie. Porn tries to tell you what sex should feel like, sound like, and look like. Porn is simply fantasy designed to do one thing- keep you inclusive to yourself. Porn will destroy the relationships around you, as you pull away because of your dirty little secret. As you consume porn, it becomes your life, and you will eventually lose your choice to the addiction. Stop now! Do it for yourself. Do it for your eventual wife. Do it for the kids you will have one day. Do it because it’s the right thing to do.

Facts and Stats
- Porn revenue is larger than all combined revenues of all professional football, baseball, and basketball franchises.
- US porn revenue exceeds the combined revenues of ABC, CBS, & NBC (6.2 billion).
- Child pornography generates $3 billion annually.
- Average age of first Internet exposure to pornography = 11 yrs old
- Largest Consumer of Internet Pornography = 12 – 17
- Christians who say porn is a major problem in the home = 47%
- US adults who regularly visit internet porn sites = 40 million
- 70% of women keep their cyber activities secret.
- 9.4 million women access adult website’s each month.

So here are some Next Steps
1. Come Clean (Prov 28:13; James 5:16)
The first thing to do is get the monkey off your back. Get face-to-face with God, let Him know you are ready for change and tell another human being.
2. Work out your faith (James 1:4)
You will have to work this thing out. It might mean you join a local group like Life Ministries or another anonymous group. Nationally there are a number of 12-step programs devoted to sex and pornography addictions and countless other Christian programs.
3. Get Accountable (Galatians 6)
You must keep your behavior in check with a close friend or accountability partner.

Resouces:
xxxchurch.com (#1 Christian Porn Site, consisting of porn addiction help and a variety of other sexual addiction aids and tools)
x3watch (Internet Accountability, Mac or PC)
Pure Online (Online, Confidential, Streaming Video Workshops for couples, men, women and teens, Mac or PC)
Safe Eyes (Internet Filtering Tool for Parents, Mac or PC)
Every Man’s Battle (Winning the War on Sexual Temptation One Victory at a Time)

Family - Part 3

**If you are wondering where the Title “Family Part 3″ comes from, click on the post to check out the other two post Family - Part 1 and Family - Part 2**

So this idea of Family is really sitting in my head and I am wondering when I will get it all out, but for now I will just keep hitting it. Family, as we defined the tern the last couple of times, is a term used to denote a domestic group of people, or a number of domestic groups linked through descent (demonstrated or stipulated) from a common ancestor, marriage or adoption. There is an underlying implication of this definition and that is growth, for a family to survive it must grow. Recently, my wife and I recently found out that she is pregnant, YEAH!!!! This adds a completely different approach to this topic. I am overwhelmed and scared yet so excited at what God has given us the opportunity to do. It reminds me of when I came to Christ, helpless and hopeless, waiting for someone to help me understand something about the things of God. I learned in stages, grew in leaps and bounds, and made so many mistakes along the way (as I still do). I also have come to the point that I get to lead others through the process as they experience what I did. Each of our contexts is completely different but similar for our experience in Christ and growth with him in our lives. The feeling of inadequacy shouldn’t leave but be contained by the knowledge of a God who stands with us as we deal with the pains of teething, childhood scars, adolescent awkwardness( especially the acne), and then adulthood. 1 Peter 2 1 – 3 talks about the Word of God being like food, the passage says “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.” I went over to a friend’s house the other night to have dinner and just relax. It was nice just to sit back, talk and play games. They have a little boy who is about one year old and he is cute but he is completely dependant on his parents. It seems that the Bible implies that we should do the opposite of what we did as children and now adults. As we grow our parents teach us to become more and more independent of them so that we are able to leave home (hopefully) and create your own family. But God asks as we grow in knowledge and faith, that we become more and more interdependent of Him. This is not easy to swallow but worth the effort.
Grow in interdependence….. huh what a call from Him!

Statements of Intent Pt. 2

I am so sorry that I haven’t written in a while but I have been truly contemplating what I should say as we start a New Year and series within the College Ministry. I decided that I would actually go back and finish a thought that was started back in November. It was called “Statement of Intent Part 1: Here is a part of it you can also click here to read that rest.
Over my lifetime I have heard or even made many statements of intent, but recently I heard that Jesus made a statement that started and drove His intent. A pastor friend of mine (Mark Van Steenwyk) is writing a book called “The Jesus Manifesto”. “The Jesus Manifesto” refers to Luke 4:18-19, Jesus, after getting tested in the wilderness, gives his first sermon in his hometown. He opens the scroll of Isaiah and read what is to be His manifesto………
Luke 4:18 - 19 has all the earmarks of a political manifesto. To the 1st century Jew, it evoked images of Messiah, of Jubilee, of reversal of the oppression that they were under. The passage sets a trajectory for the rest of Luke, as well as the book of Acts, and I believe that the Jesus Manifesto should be our manifesto as well. I believe that the Kingdom of God is real, not an abstraction, that Jesus is our king, not our figurehead, and if we are to follow him as our king, we must embrace the way of life that he sets out for us in the gospels. This is a radical ideal and could lead towards an even more radical way of life. Imagine your life being lead just like those in the first century, giving everything to anyone who needed, bringing hope to those who had none. This is what gained us our name, Christian, to be like Christ.
For those who read this blog I would like to present ideas that are meant to frustrate and disrupt quaint notions of Jesus and the even quainter notions of the religion he founded. You see, I am convinced that what passes for Christianity in our culture has very little resemblance to the radical and indeed political (not Democrat/ Republican) movement Jesus started on the fringes of the Empire roughly two thousand years ago. Most of the ways in which we’ve been taught to think about our faith get in the way of following Jesus. I don’t just want to disrupt and subvert our preconceived notions of Christ I want to proclaim something much deeper…hope. Hope that we can still achieve what we are called to do, to bring hope to those that have none, to embody hope that is attainable here and now. You can only challenge things for so long before you need to help create the alternative, ultimately, this is what this blog is all about, I want to captivate you with a kingdom vision and explore what it would look like to make that a tangible reality. Let me know what you think!