How Christians Should Deal with Sin...?

In Luke 7:36-50, a woman from the city (most likely a prostitute) comes to Jesus and, on her knees, washes his feet. She acknowledges her sinful lifestyle, and she is forgiven because of her loyalty to Christ. Christ takes her in, loves her, and tells people that he loves her even though she is a sinner because despite her sin she loves much. Then, Christ tells the woman she is forgiven of her sins. Then, after that, he commands her to "go in peace". What a mystery....

A Prayer for a New President and a New America by Shane Claiborne

God of Abraham, Miriam, Hannah, Rizpah, and David…
God of Elijah, Amos, Ruth, Isaiah, Deborah…
God of Mary, John the Baptizer, Peter, Paul, Philemon and Onesimus…
God of Anthony, Ambrose, Dirk Willems, Teresa of Avila, and Francis of
Assisi,
God of Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, William
Wilberforce, and Oscar Romero
and God of love, grace, and hope…

Thank you for creating a perfect world.
Forgive us for the mess we have made of it.
Thank you for creating Jubilee, gleaning, and Sabbath as patterns to
ensure that the poor are cared for, the earth rests, and inequality is
dismantled.
Forgive us for choosing the patterns of empire.
Thank you for using the weak things to shame the strong and the
foolish things to confound the wise.
Protect us from becoming too strong or too wise.
Protect us from ourselves.

Forgive us…
for the groaning of creation
for the millions who die of hunger and curable diseases
for warehousing people in prisons and using them for labor
for the scandal of billions wasted in war
for worrying about tomorrow and storing up more than this day our
daily bread
for an economy that mirrors the seven deadly sins
for our Caesars and our Herods
for the violence and greed in our own hearts
Save us from ourselves.

Deliver us…
from the arrogance of power
from the myth of redemptive violence
from the tyranny of greed
from the ugliness of racism
from false hope and counterfeit change
from the cancer of hatred
from the seduction of wealth
from the idolatry of nationalism
from the paralysis of cynicism
from the ghettoes of poverty
from the ghettoes of wealth
from the blood-stained pages of history
and from the legacy of slavery.
Deliver us oh God.

Give us the courage…
to bless the poor in a world that blesses the middle class.
to bless the meek in a world that admires aggression.
to bless the hungry in a world that feeds the already fed.
to bless the merciful in a world that shows no mercy on evildoers.
to bless the pure in heart in a world of clutter and noise.
to bless the peacemakers in a world that baptizes bombs.

Give us imagination…
that we might not conform to the patterns of this world.
that we might shatter indifference and interrupt injustice with grace
that we might choose the cross over the sword
that we might be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves
that we might consider the lillies and sparrows as they shame Wall
Street’s splendor
that we might choose the dream of God over the dreams of nations
that we might cling to the God that so loved the world, not just America
that we might allow our Jesus to change America rather than America to
change our Jesus.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.   Amen.

God is...?

There are a lot of things we attribute to the character and being of God. As an experiment, which is done out of curiosity and in an effort to learn, can everyone PLEASE just really quick post a ONE-WORD summation for who God is. What is the most essential thing? What is the best way to capture God's being with one word? If you had to tell someone who God is in one word, what would the word be? Thanks all. I'll post mine too.

All Will Be Redeemed.

"Let each of you look not to your own interests, but even to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in the form of a human, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death- even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil. 2:4-11, translation from the GNT)

The Form of Jesus is God. 

The Form of Jesus is Slave. 

The Form of Jesus is Human. 

Fully human and fully divine, right? 

Then, what does fully human mean? 

Fully slave? 

Interesting.

Peterson thinks of it this way:

"Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges o deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death- and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion. Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth- even those long ago dead and buried- will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father." (Phil. 2:4-11, according to Eugene Peterson's paraphrase The Message).

I love it.

Jesus emptied himself, humbled himself, and died in the worst way. And because of this, he lived in the best way. His name was given to him by God, above even the names Yahweh, Jehovah, Adonai, Allah, Buddha, Confucius, Calvin... And that name, what happens to that name, the name of Jesus Christ? Then what?

All will bow.

All will confess.

All will be redeemed. In Heaven, on Earth, under the Earth.

"If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind... Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world. It is by your holding fast to the word of life that I can boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. But even if I am being poured out as a libation over the sacrifice and the offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you- and in the same way you also must be glad and rejoice with me." (Philippians 2:1-2 & 2:12-18, NRSV)

The Problem of Richness #2

In the last post I talked about how Mark 10 discusses taking from oneself and giving to others as a sort of "pre-requisite" to following Jesus. It might be that the most definitive thing we can say about God is that he cares deeply for the oppressed. And, if we care about God, our response has to be to care for the oppressed. 

 "God is with the poor, and God is with us if we are with the poor." (Bono)

And while this quotation seems to capture the issue, it might also completely miss the point. The point being: God is with us if we become the poor, or if we find ways to reconcile the rich and the poor; to make them one in the same; to erase them. 

But, the duty is not our own. Today, being inspired by a discussion in class, will revolve around the Book of James...

First off, one of the most significant themes in James is the need to rely on God. There's a challenge we face as humans: we think we have power, and we think we know how to use it. We think we can nail things down, in fact its because of this that Himself was nailed down. 

But James has a different message. He urges us to be patient with God, as he will be the one who exercises the power. 

James 4:13-5:11

Those who pursue wealth should not be too confident in tomorrow. They assume that God will provide them safe travel, they assume that their life is long enough, they have goals that are inspired by their own will. They boast, then, in themselves.

Those who have no need to pursue wealth, the rich, allow their wealth to store up. Their food rots, their clothes are eaten with moth, and their gold rusts. Their richness is unused and wasted, and yet they oppress those who work their land. They have the means to be fair, and yet they keep what they do not need and those around them need so much. 

Those who have no hope of wealth, the poor, the peasant class, must be patient. God is like the seeds that they plant, that while nothing visible is happening, life is imminent. The Lord of the Army of Angels, the real commander-in-chief, is coming to slaughter the fat and the rich. 

Here's where it gets sad for us.

We're the fat and the rich that are doomed to be slaughtered. 

We were born into richness, we do not have to pursue it. We are the 1% of the world that has the chance of a college degree, we are the 1% of the world that own a computer. Our nation has 13% of the world's population and 60% of its resources. If we must differentiate the rich from the poor, we are without a doubt the rich. Doomed for slaughter.

We do not need hope, for we are perfectly happy with what we have and not really willing to do anything about it. We might not be able to escape our richness if we wanted to. 

We are not Israel, we are Babylon. We are not God's chosen people, we are God's unrelenting foe. We aim the Beast's flames instead of cutting off its head. 

It's only when we know this truth that we can begin to shape what it looks like to be a Christian... 

I am lamb, but destined to be a lamb-chop. You are what you eat.

The Problem of Richness #1

There's an SNL weekend update sketch that is done every couple weeks, in which an actor plays a "political comedian" who takes news paper headings and just sort of rambles on about them without ever really saying anything, "You know, the thing is... It's just not every day you see a.... I really don't believe that there's any relation between this and.... I just wish the world could learn to accept or deal with this... You know, it's not so much a problem as a conflict of interests...etc."

The speechlessness of the comedian is funny because he really doesn't say anything of value, but he does seem sort of overwhelmed by the headlines in his not saying anything... He's not quite sure how to approach it.

In Mark 10 a man comes to Jesus and asks what he must do for eternal life. Jesus first asks the man what it means to be good, and the man sort of equates himself with God by saying that he himself is good because he has kept the commandments. Jesus says that despite his adherence to the first law of Moses, he is lacking one thing...

The "one thing" is this: 

"go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."

The "one thing" is this:

"Sell and give and follow me"

The "one thing" is this:

"Sell and give" AND "follow me"

The "one thing" is that he needs to follow Jesus, but Jesus shows him, and us, that the following of Jesus is dependent or is evident by the "sell and give." Not belief, but faith as evidenced by philanthropic, humble, selfless, uncomfortable works.

The man, being rich, walked away from Jesus.

The man, being rich, could not follow Jesus.

And when we, being rich, read this passage we focus on the dependent clause of following and we explain it by belief. 

We give ourselves a dishonest answer.

Instead of ending our richness and promoting the well-being of others, we justify our richness:

"You know thing thing is... I just.... I need my car to get to church... I need the third guitar in case the second one breaks so I can keep worshipping God.... I can follow Jesus and be rich... I'm not that rich... I don't LOVE money..." (this has been my own thinking in the past).

What we are really saying is, "You know the thing is... I just... No..."

It is not possible to serve two masters.

It is unrealistic for a rich person to expect to enter the Kingdom of God.

I admit I am rich, and I don't know how to solve that problem, but am working to simplify my life so that I may give more willingly. For those who have nothing can also give everything, but those who have everything, are unable to give.

More to come.

To Never Mature

To escape from the world

You fill your cup

Not with your grace

But to disfigure your face

To be free from your pride

You pull up your shirt

Not with your faith

But to ask for rape

To be accepted by peers

You tear down your hair

Not with your dignity

But to embrace you jocularity

To never mature

You fill, pull and tear

Disfigured, raped, and laughing

You lose your faith

Health

School started a week ago and I'm already stressed out of my mind. Here's who I am:

I'm a shift supervisor at starbucks scheduled to work 25 hours a week, against my will.

I'm a full time biblical studies & theology double major, which includes 18 units and consequently 150-200 pages of reading EACH NIGHT.

I'm a discipleship group leader.

I'm in a discipleship group.

I'm a SALT team member.

I'm "employed" at my church, kind of, sort of, maybe.

I'm hoping to continue the LOVED & LOVING movement.

I'm a friend, a boyfriend, and a son.

All of these things bring me joy, but together they make my life hell. I feel like my plate isn't full, I've just chosen to have more than one plate. I feel like I worry about how much work I have more than I actually do it. I don't know how to remedy the problem.

I absolutely need to cut things from my life, but I'm unwilling to give any of it up despite my discomfort.

Advice?

Starbucks Journal #1

A mother and her three children. Kevin is sick, he's the youngest. His mom bought him an orange juice & gave him a straw, but he drunk his juice straight from the bottle. His older brother and sister get hot chocolates and madeline cookies, Katie ate 5 and Kevin used his as a sponge to clean up orange juice he had spilled. He still ate that cookie. Their mom left to get the stroller, she was taking them to the pharmacy to pick up Kevin's medicine. Katie said "Oh no, she's got the stroller."

Maybe it's just that so few years and so little life experience has allowed them to appreciate the world and each other, but the love you can see between these children, their unity, isn't something you see often. 

An old couple. The man reads  the paper and drinks a tall cup of coffee with his chocolate donut. The woman writes a letter to her relatives while she drinks her tall nonfat extra-hot latte through a straw. When they speak to one another you can see their love for one another. When they look at one another you can see their togetherness, their mutual care, their peace. There's little evidence that would suggest individuality, they are one & they are happy reading & writing & drinking coffee together.

Maybe it's just that so many years and so much life experience has brought them to a point of appreciation for the world and for each other, but the love you can see between these people, their unity, isn't something you see often.

A man and his pre-teen son. The man buys a sandwich at 10 A.M. to go with his coffee and the son get a piece of  coffee cake and a chocolaty frappuccino. They only stay for a minute, they have to be off. They're disconnected. Do they love each other? Do they have time?

Maybe it's just that life is too busy to stop for 5 minutes at Starbucks. But the love I can't see between these people, their disconnection, is something you see far too often.

Love & unity in the beginning and in the end. 

We get lost in the middle. 

Prayer

I was just talking to Brian Lenney at church after he opened the service in prayer.

Brian said something like "I hate praying in front of people like that."

To put words in his mouth, the reason is, I think, that it makes him feel like the prayer is scripted. He is talking to his Father in heaven, but also somehow to the Elders, the Congregation, Fuller professors, Pastors. On top of that, there are certain people & things he is urged to pray for, whether or not he knows the people or the situations. Prayer becomes scripted, prayer becomes a production which Brian & everyone else are required to take part in. Prayer in this context is a drama production more than it is prayer.

Brian said something like "I hate praying in front of people like that."

We started talking more about that issue.... In Bonhoeffer's Cost of Discipleship, he talks about the fact that Jesus identifies prayer as dialogue with the Father. Bonhoeffer states that this example of prayer, as well as many others, indicate that prayer should be a discussion between a child and a child's father. 

My small group has brought up the idea of "child-like" faith the last couple weeks. We see value in this kind of faith, this kind of discipleship, this kind of Christianity. The hope is that pre-stipulations are lost and innocence is embraced. In a situation where prayer seems prescribed rather than natural discussion, we have to remember that we are like a 5 year-old child talking to our daddy; we have to remember that we are lowly & he is beyond comprehension, magnificent, and perhaps above all these things, listening intently to his child whom he loves and with whom he is well pleased. We have to remember to pray to God with the uncontainable joy that we must have when we begin to think about his loving embrace. I don't know how well I can't put that feeling into words.

Maybe then we can bring back some innocence. Maybe then we can pray. 

By Whose Authority?

I haven't looked into the issue much "biblically" speaking, but I think I finally put my finger on what it is about certain realms of Christian behavior that ales me, and I want to know what you guys think about it.

I understand caring for one-another in such a way as to exhort one-another for the better. That is, I understand why we tell each other when we're doing things that are sinful/"dishonoring to God."

But...

Here's what gets me... Why or how does someone have the authority to say that something other people do is "dishonoring to God." Doesn't that put God in a box? Doesn't that challenge God's authority, his right to think and do whatever he wants? If I said that stealing candy from the liquor store dishonors God, though I believe it does, is that right? Do I have the authority to speak on God's behalf in such a way? Do I have the authority to tell people what GOD is feeling?

I feel like constantly talking about what dishonors God or even about what honors him is just a way to strip God of his opinion, making ourselves gods instead. For me to claim that something is dishonoring God is just idolatry, unless God has explicitly told me that he's dishonored by it & that I should let people know.

God on Earth

When does Jesus speak about the eternality of heaven being an event yet to come?

John the Baptist, who constantly alluded to Christ's coming stated that "the kingdom of heaven has come near" (Matt. 3:2).

Then, after John was arrested, Jesus also started to proclaim that "the kingdom of heaven has come near" (Matt. 4:17).

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks about people who possess some kind of ownership over heaven (the poor in spirit, those persecuted for righteousness, etc.). 

Jesus talks about a reward in heaven. 

In the midst of this talk, the Gospel writers constantly refer to heaven as a place where God the Father is. Like a location.

What about a state of being?

The Father is "in heaven," the poor in spirit have "heaven," those persecuted for their righteousness have "heaven."

Hopefully the quotations around "heaven" are not misleading. I'm not trying to suggest that we redefine what heaven is, but rather WHERE it is, WHY it is, WHEN it is. Heaven is a place where one can be with God. Does that define the "where"? The "why"? The "when"?

Heaven is somewhere a devoted follower of Christ must go if they perish on Earth. Jesus clearly states that death for a Christian is the start of something new. It's not just about baptism, but also baptism by true, physical death. Those who perish for God will be with God. That's heaven. And, it might not be a "place."

Imagine a shining world of clouds, gold streets, outstanding precious stones. That's art, not heaven. Heaven could literally be that, or it's something else so incredible that the closest thing we can thing of is precious metals and stones. Earthly beauty is our understanding of the PLACE of heaven, but its so much bigger than we can imagine. 

So when we talk about salvation, and link it with an eventual ascension to heaven, do we mean it? Or do we believe that Christianity, Jesus, The Way, The Truth, The Life allows us to be in community with God; do we believe that being a follower of Christ means we're already citizens of heaven? Here? Now?

Does being a follower of Christ we become an ambassador, one who ranks highest in God's plan, one who is intended to represent Heaven, one who brings Heaven to Earth by Christ's example, one that inspires community with God and with each other?

Jesus starts by saying things like John said, "the kingdom of of heaven has come near" but by the end of his life, after he's taught his disciples and left a legacy, he tells them that the kingdom of heaven does not come with careful observation (which suggests to me that perhaps the kingdom of heaven come from obedience); he tells them that the kingdom of heaven is among them (Luke 17).

Are we looking towards heaven when it should be right beneath our noses?

Thanks for reading, tear me apart.

Question!

What do you do when you've honestly devoted your entire life to serving God, which includes serving people who just don't get it and who seem unwilling to try?

I'd really like some feedback on this one.

We

And the problem is this  

We were bought with a kiss  

But the cheek still turned  

Even when it wasn't hit   

And I don't know  

What to do with a love like that  

And I don't know  

How to be a love like that   

When all the love in the world  

Is right here among us  

And hatred too 

And so we must choose  

What our hands will do   

Where there is pain  

Let there be grace  

Where there is suffering  

Bring serenity 

 For those afraid  

Help them be brave  

Where there is misery  

Bring expectancy  

And surely we can change  

Surely we can change  

Something   

And the problem it seems  

Is with you and me  

Not the Love Who came  

To repair everything   

Where there is pain  

Let us bring grace  

Where there is suffering  

Bring serenity  

For those afraid  

Let us be brave  

Where there is misery  

Let us bring them relief  

And surely we can change  

Oh, surely we can change  

Something   

Oh, the world's about to change  

The whole world's about to change

Do You Not Yet Understand?

I feel like to some degree I've come to a life conclusion, and I'm not sure how much a like it.

There's a scriptural problem, a life problem, a salvific problem. So many times in Jesus' ministry he says things like, "Many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able," or, "Let anyone with ears to hear listen," or "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few..."

There's a Gospel message, there's Good News, there's miracle after miracle, parable after parable, truth after truth; and yet this news is problematic, it's hard, it's "a rough rule."

It breaks my heart again and again because this truth, that the laborers are few, is one of the greatest & saddest truths of all. 

As I've referenced in earlier blog(s)(i.e., "A Struggle of Christ"), this problem is clearly emphasized by the frustration of Christ himself. In Mark 8:18 Jesus says, "Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear? And do you not remember... Do you not yet understand?"

How can such a bountiful harvest exist in such a desolate land? How can laborers run to California in search of yellow metal, when they could stay where they are and harvest wheat for the bread of life; pull water from the well of Christ's Love? Why do we trade our eternal joy for garbage like Italian leather & German exhaust pipes?

I'm afraid for myself, for my siblings, for my parents, and for the extended biological family we call "humanity." It's not a problem to make light of, but it seems like it's become the the biggest & least funny joke in the history of humanity. 

Again, in Romans 3:21-27, Paul resonates on the same point. He says that we have all "sinned & fall short of the Glory of God." There's a few things that strike me about this phrase. 

First, I think it's important that we remember that THIS is not the Gospel message. It's not great that we all suck a lot, in fact, it sucks a lot! Perhaps this is the introduction to the Gospel message, the Preface, "Since we all suck... GOSPEL MESSAGE." 

Second, the greek word we translate as "fall short" actually implies some kind of deficiency. What Paul is saying, then, is that humanity at large has a righteousness deficiency. What's unique about a deficiency? It's beyond our control; it's a constant, inherited, and unavoidable nature. 

Third, the verb for "fall short" is not conjugated here in the past or future tense. It's a present & a continuing, active, verbal clause. That is, the problem isn't that I have fallen short or that I will fall short; the problem is I am falling short. Again, and again, and again, and again. 

And yet, because of God's intervention, our filth & dirt somehow becomes BEAUTIFUL. 

Paul tells the Romans that they have a righteousness deficiency, and yet instills in them hope.

Paul tells the Corinthians that they do so many things wrong, but that because of the death & resurrection of Christ they have something worth being excited about; they have something to proclaim to their death.

We are incapable & helpless. We cannot fulfill every, or any, need that we have to make ourselves "better." We can't do it. It's a brokenness that's hard to come to terms with, but it's beautiful that He's come to terms with it on our behalf. Every need, every failure, every broken piece of yourself was laying on his chest as he laid face up towards the heavens & yet he's able to lift your burdens up among so many others. He's able to stand up and walk, defeating death with a willingness to carry our burdens to the depths of Hell and back up to the glory of Heaven; beyond death & further than what we know as life. 

I know it's hard to believe, hard to come to terms with, and that it sometimes doesn't seem like any consolation, but it really is unfathomably incredible & undeservingly beautiful. That we can need so much & know that He's been there too, right where you are.

And yet, after his living message, Jesus is forced to ask again and again a rather bleak question,

 "Do you not yet understand?" 

How many times do we have to be told that we need to surrender ourselves to the will of God?

 

How many times do we have to be told that we can't do it if we're involved?

How many times do we have to be told that it's practically impossible for the rich to enter the kingdom of God?

How many times do we have to be told that criticizing ourselves translates to criticizing God's own creation that was knowingly doomed by itself so that God might restore it's beauty?

How many times do we have to be told that it's not right to disgrace Christ's good & perfect gift by continuing in a path of destruction?

How many times must we be asked, "Do you not yet understand?"

Update

I wanted to take a few minutes & talk about the progression of the "Loved & Loving" project & the Campaign for Brokenness. If you haven't heard about these yet, there are some blogs that sort of chronicle what they are & what we've done already.

Real quickly  I want to give you the goals for the next few months:

1) Keep meeting & growing the L&L project for the spring semester.

2) Develop a website for the Campaign for Brokenness as well as logos/graphics for L&L by next fall.

3) Work on developing a peer mentorship program for APU.

Loved & Loving:

Right now there are 20 members of the launch team. We're trying to stay low-key & under the radar at APU so that our wristbands don't become too watered down & so that this project can naturally run a course of its own, rather than a course we prescribe it. Right now there are, I'd estimate, 600 wristbands floating around APU, we also sent/will send 95 wristbands to the Lost Boys of Sudan within care packages from APU. In the last couple weeks I've begun to adopt a sort of duplication model for the deployment of the project, this is the first point I want to highlight.

What seems to have happened naturally is that, as the project spreads, new people ask about the project. Consequentially, I've been sitting down with some of these people and getting them involved (i.e., I give someone a wristband, they ask me about it, I talk to them about it, I give them 20 wristbands, then someone they give a wristband too asks about it, etc, etc, etc.). Maybe a "discipleship" model is a more appropriate name for this model, which brings me to the next point.

I've had many encouraging conversations over the last few weeks with a lot of very passionate & able people who want to be involved with the project or who are already involved with the project. I can also say, easily, that I've made new friends & strengthened existing relationships this way. I really think it's powerful just to sit down & have conversations with one another, build relationships, and talk about what we're struggling with. I've been thinking a lot about these conversations because they are the real purpose behind the Campaign for Brokenness.

Campaign for Brokenness: Peer Mentorship?

The big idea behind the Campaign for Brokenness, as I've outlined already, is to acknowledge our brokenness & to be open about it, to talk about it with each other. That's why the first & primary concern of mine is to develop some kind of peer mentorship program at APU, and possibly to bring this program to other academic institutions if proven useful.

I hope to work with APU (specifically, the office of campus pastors) over the summer to develop this program. I'm not sure yet what it will look like, I only know there is a need for SOMETHING like this...

That's about all I've got so far. Again, our goals are to create a website & develop the beginnings of a peer mentorship program by Fall 2008. Thanks!

Inclusive Romance

Inclusive Romance is an idea I've been thinking about for quite some time. The seed was planted a few years ago, I think, when I heard a story about pie. 

There was a couple at church who, as part of the prayer team, were aware of not only all "church office" related issues, but specific congregation-related issues. That is, they knew almost everything that was going on with the congregation. Much of it broke their hearts, and they decided to do something small to mend the brokenness that was ever-present in the congregation. 

Naturally, they gave people pies. 

They would bake pies & leave them on people's doorsteps anonymously. Nobody really knew who did it, but it became a somewhat well-known & common occurrence.

So, what if we all did things like that for each-other on a regular basis? 

When you date or marry someone, romance ensues. The individuals in the relationship, being full of compassion for each-other,  naturally give each other things. Flowers. Chocolate. Love notes, a candlelight dinner. Even better, compassion leads to creative passion. Flowers delivered to you at work, chocolate on your doorstep (or a pie), Love notes under your windshield wipers in the morning, a candle light dinner on a hillside overlooking the San Gabriel Valley. This is the natural result of loving someone, longing to experience an intense unity with another person. Romance is what instigates joy and love in response to joy in love. 

So what does "Inclusive Romance" mean?

Inclusive Romance is a pie-idea. It's about being romantic with your peers. Imagine finding an anonymous box of chocolates at your doorstep in the morning... or breakfast on fancy dishes. Imagine an anonymous love note on your car after class signed "Your Friend" or "Your Sister." 

I think it's an idea worth toying with. I think its something worth encouraging. Let's be loving to our brothers, sisters, friends, parents, trolley drivers, and teachers. Let's be mutually appreciative & inclusively romantic.

Too Much of Me

It struck me hard enough to write a sizable paragraph on the back of my chapel card expressing my frustration. The song said things like "I am yours Jesus, and you are mine" but for some reason these particular words were ringing in my ears: "Me, my, I, Jesus, me my I." 

Maybe the phrase "be in the world, but not of the world," isn't strictly 'biblical,' but I think it needs to be applied towards the concept of "individualism". Our culture, not only American culture but also the current world order, is generally & exceptionally individualistic. Life is about ME. Writing worship songs about MY Jesus, strictly discussing my PERSONAL relationship with Jesus Christ, accepting Christ with a simple prayer said in solitude... Is that wrong? Is that 'of the world,' given the unavoidable nature of our culture? How, as Christians, are we to respond to the individualistic nature of our post-millennial & post-modern culture?

I think the answer is to publicly deconstruct the rampancy of individualism, and, as my contribution to this conversation, I want to present a few examples that point out the overemphasis of individualistic religious faith.

Jesus' physical ministry had several reoccurring components which particularly reference the importance of togetherness, community, fellowship, or simply "non-individualism." On the other hand, Jesus also references the importance of one-on-one interaction with God. So, what's meant to be strictly individual, and what's meant for community?

Generally speaking I think it's fair to form the following categories that support each of these distinct aspects of Jesus' ministry & Christianity at large:

Faith=Individual

Relationship=Communal

Let me explain myself...

Faith, in my context particularly, references belief. Faith is the acceptance of a specific claim. For our purposes, the claim is that Jesus Christ is of the same substance as the God the creator & of God the sustainer. Further, faith in Christ is also the acceptance of Christ as the God of Salvation. Essentially, the Christian faith is the acceptance that Jesus Christ is two things: 

1) Jesus represents the exclusive soteriological rite. 

2) Jesus is of the same substance as the Father & as the Holy Spirit. (3=1)

By this definition of faith (that faith represents the ownership of belief), faith is individualistic. Why? Simply because belief is something that is internal. Where only one is present, only one can be involved. To represent the individualistic nature of faith, Christianity has accepted the sacrament of Baptism. Baptism, one of only two universally accepted sacraments (sorry if that wreaks of strict Lutheranism, but it's true), is a public announcement of a Christian commitment, and is a physical & spiritual entrance into God's kingdom on Earth. And, though this commitment is decided individually, baptism itself involves much more than the individual & their relationship with God. You still need a pastor or priest, and some kind of witnessing body present. You still, even in the midst of an individual faith, NEED community. 

Next, relationship. Relationship is the heart of Christianity. Relationship with God, yes, but almost equally important is our relationships with each other. When asked what the most important commandment was, Jesus responded by telling people to Love God & to Love each other. The Gospel writer John says, "Everyone who Loves has been borne of God & knows God." He also writes that Christ's disciples will "be known" by their Love for each other. In regards to the sacraments, it is here we must also take into account the second sacrament. When Jesus ate with his disciples towards the end of his ministry, he says something to the effect of, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." I think when we do communion we change the words around. Usually it seams like someone tells everyone individually "this is christs body, broken for you" when the reality is, Jesus used the plural. A better way to say it is "this is Christ's body, broken for us." Communion is also an entrance into the kingdom of God, its an act of citizenship, a public announcement & commitment to Christ. We do it to remember that Christ gave his life for us & that eating together & that being together is what God has in mind. That is communion. That is Christianity. 

See, we live in a world that's all about "Me, my, I" & our world has birthed a Christianity which is all about "Me, my, I, Jesus, me, my, I." Faith is mine. Jesus is mine. God is mine. That's not the answer. Faith is ours. We belong to Christ. We belong to God. Faith gives US  to HIM. Faith creates me, I don't create my faith. All glory is God's & God's glory is revealed in community not in seclusion. 

Like Jesus, I believe we are also called to time alone with God. But that time should by no means overshadow our time in Christian community. 

Let's be a family again, let's be Christians again. Just an idea...

A Struggle Of Christ

I recently found some encouragement that I wanted to share.

You can find this in John 6 (Im using NRSV)

 23 There came other small boats from Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks.  24 When the multitude therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the small boats, and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  25 And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?”  26 Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves, and were filled.  27 “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man shall give to you, for on Him the Father, even God, has set His seal.”  28 They said therefore to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”  29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”  30 They said therefore to Him, “What then do You do for a sign, that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform?  31 “Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’”  32 Jesus therefore said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven.  33 “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.”  34 They said therefore to Him, “Lord, evermore give us this bread.”  35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  36 “But I said to you, that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe.  37 “All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.  38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  39 “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.  40 “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him, may have eternal life; and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” 

See... from what I can tell, the people didn't care much about the miracle. They were hungry for bread. They wanted to eat food. Jesus knows what they are saying and he keeps repeating this stressed phrase which means something like "truly, truly" or "I TELL YOU THE TRUTH" or maybe even more contemporary "THIS IS FOR REAL!" He tells them that bread won't satisfy their hunger, that they shouldn't believe only because they have seen or because they want bread. See... Jesus was misunderstood. They didn't get it. He called them to one thing & he satisfied their hunger because he Loved them and all they did was badger him for more. They weren't thankful, they didn't get what the miracle really meant... 

Wouldn't it be frustrating?

To put forth a MIRACLE and still not really be listened to?

It's encouraging to me to realize this fact: No ministry is perfect. Why? Because some people's hearts will just be too hard to get it. Because no matter what a good minister you are, you will never have a perfect laity. Ministry isn't a one sided conversation. So if I'm discouraged I can know that even JESUS was misunderstood, in fact he's probably more misunderstood than I could comprehend.

Election 2008

 I'd like to address, as a segway mostly, a "fiery" conversation I found myself in the midst of earlier today. I do not intend to vote in the upcoming Presidential election. The election, our countries leadership, is indeed extremely important. However, is my involvement, given the circumstances which I will discuss shortly, also "extremely important"? I'm a person who stands on solid rock of belief, faith, hope, and Love. I stand up for what I believe, I seek to defend what I believe. I believe, then, that our leadership is important, and I do not seek to encourage political apathy. I believe, then, that my vote is powerful, and that, however small, it DOES make a difference. Look at the chads, right? My vote does make a difference, and so, that is precisely why I intend to exercise my right to NOT vote in the upcoming election. Many candidates are good, but none of them are "good enough." If I vote, I WILL vote for someone who's leadership I do NOT respect or endorse, so why would I endorse him/her? So that covers the "voting" in the title up there.

Let's dialogue about, though. If you think I matter, you'll try to convince me to vote and you may even "convert me."

Going Green

I had conversation a few months ago with a family member. She was frustrated that APU, and other Christian communities have become so concerned about "going green," and felt that it was a distraction from, I suppose, what Christians "should" be spending their time doing. I think this is an inconsiderate approach, and an ultra-conservative viewpoint that needs to be exposed. I believe that Going Green is actually an essential responsibility of Christians, and I want to say exactly why.

I'd like to begin with a confession. I'm no "tree-hugger" or "eco-hero" and much of my life is not eco-friendly by any means. I also work for Starbucks, a corporation which, I can say firsthand, generates an immense amount of garbage and "wastes" an immense amount of resources. That being said, I'd like to make some general points in this debate.

First off, let's be honest. The Christian community, at large, has until recently almost entirely ignored the environmental crisis which the world, and particularly America, is in today. As a result, the environmental movement has become increasingly non-religious, and perhaps even "pagan." This is a serious problem. Since non-religious people are the ones that have seemed to care most about the environmental issues we face, I think the Church at large has now been classified as dispassionate and insensitive. The answer then, is not to continue walking a path of insensitivity, but to acknowledge our mistake and jump on board with the physical restoration of this world, which I believe is a God-given responsibility (citation: the whole Pentateuch?). 

The reason the environment, the world, God's wondrous and indescribable creation is important is because God granted humanity rulership over the physical state of this earth. Just like any other issue, we have been allowed to destroy the physical world with our inherent sin-natures. Just as we have been allowed to destroy the world in many ways, we are allowed to "fix it" or at least slow down natural processes that result from mass industrialization and the  over-commuting culture of America. I don't think being "eco-friendly" needs to be "difficult." In fact the only point I want to make with regard to our response is a very simple and easily applied statement: Why not?

Why not carry some things in your backpack instead of in a plastic bag?

Why not buy a Toyota Prius (sp?) instead of a Suburban?

Why not re-use bags you accumulate from shopping?

Why not recycle cans?

Why not sort recyclable materials?

Why not throw your trash in a "garbage receptacle" instead of on the ground? 

Why not carpool instead of "meeting people there"?

It's not hard to LISTEN to environmentalists, heed scientific warnings about the environment, and just take opportunities to do the MORAL thing when it comes to the once-beautiful, now-not-so-much, world in which we live. We don't have to become activists, but we can do the simple things and at least ENCOURAGE and SUPPORT the activists. 

We have an opportunity, that is, the Christian church at large, to combat not only environmental issues, but also to combat a frustration against the church. 

Why not take advantage of that opportunity?

LOVE

And so it begins. 

On tuesday I met with about 10 students at APU. On wednesday I met with about 7 other students at APU. We opened by saying the prayer of Saint Francis Assissi together, as one:

"Lord, make us instruments of your peace

Where there is hatred, let us sow Love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may mot so much seek

To be consoled as to console;

To be understood as to understand;

To be Loved as to Love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen."

And so, those are our objectives; to sow Love, pardon, faith, hope, light, joy and to also allow ourselves to be embraced by these things, so that we may combat the evil which exists in their void. 

One of the primary ideas I wanted to share was that Christians constantly refer to God as Love (God=Love), but I think there's a lot more to it. I think if God is Love, Love must ultimately lead to God, that is, if God DOES exist, Love is what will expose His presence in our lives (1 John 3:11, 4:7; John 13:34; I Corinthians 13:13). Basically, we use the rules of simple algebra (& reason) and we flip the equation, making it: Love=God. My hope in this project is to convey that point, to convey God & the Gospel, just by simple extending hands of Love toward my peers and colleagues. 

At our meetings, me and some exceptionally caring people tried tackling the challenge of this movement. That is, HOW?  We decided a couple things. 

First off, we want the whole thing to be somewhat underground, completely free, and very dependent on word of mouth. We want to remain unique, special, and moving this way. We stay underground so that our wristbands are somewhat unexpected and those who are hoping to gift the wristbands are somewhat secret. The idea of grace is VERY important when we discuss Love, that's why it HAS to be free. It has to be a free, unearned, token of appreciation, which brings us to our next point.

Our second stipulation is that we make efforts to give each band a special meaning and an associated story. We want each and every band to remind someone of something they did, something someone did for them, someone that appreciates them, etc. You're not a trick-or-treater and this isn't halloween. 

Given these ideas, there is also a question of WHO. Do we target any particular group of people?

I want that to remain somewhat open. I want us to be free to target whoever we feel honestly needs to be touched and moved by this endeavor. It's your own perogative, just try not to water down the token of Love which I believe the wristbands can be, however silly that may sound. 

Finally, we must remember that this is not REALLY about the wristbands. It's about Loving each other. It's about keeping our head up on the sidewalk so we can smile and say hello to passersbies. It's about walking with those who walk by themselves, eating with those at empty tables, and remaining open to be Loved and embraced by others.

That's about as simple as the summary is going to get. I hope to see this project become successful at APU, that is, I hope to see this project increase the friendliness and openness and Love found at APU. We should stand out, as a private Christian school. 

We should be different, more Loving, and we should provide that atmosphere that no one else can provide. 

We should want to encourage Love at APU, not for the sake of "obeying" rules or religious stipulations, but because we believe in the restoration power of Love.