thoughts

Thursday, May 29, 2003

Thoughts on Evangelism--

The standard punch line in an evangelistic sermon is: “if you walked out of here right now, got hit by a truck and died, do you know for sure you would go to heaven?” My thought: I wonder if that is the best doorway into the all-encompassing Story of “God’s Will for the Cosmos”?

Better questions might be: “If you knew for sure that you were going to live tonight, tomorrow and for a L-O-N-G time after, who would you follow? Around what would you organize all the various aspects of your life? Or, when I find someone really struggling with belief in a god, or a Christian having a hard time with actual obedience, I sometimes ask “if it were up to you, would you like there to be a god?” “If so, would you want god to be fully god? To totally express his god-likeness? To completely have his way? This line of questioning has a way of clarifying for people the real issues that, from time to time, get buried or muddy for all of us. Sometimes the best thing any of us can do, Christian or not, is to think through what it is we ACTUALLY, REALLY believe about God and where we are in regard to issues of “control”. Sit down and think about it some day…

These thoughts come to me this morning on the heels of reading another chapter of Isaiah. Some day, Isaiah says, God is really going to express himself, totally dominate the scene, express the influence, authority and control he has over everything…

“Head for the hills, hide in the caves from the terror of God, from his dazzling presence. People with a big head are headed for a fall, pretentious egos brought down a peg. It’s God alone at front-and-center on the Day we’re talking about, the DAY the God-of-the-Angel-Armies is matched against all big-talking rivals, against all swaggering big names…the swelled big heads will be punctured bladders, the pretentious egos brought down to earth, leaving God alone at front-and-center on the Day we are talking about…[the Day] he will assume his full stature on earth, towering and terrifying.”

These are heavy words that few of us “get” and fewer like to hear. Perhaps we can take a different run at them—apart from “screaming preacher” moralisms, to something like: this Story has an author, a beginning, a middle and an end. This Author will make sure his end happens.

Maybe Isaiah is asking The People of God “do you like this?” Or, “how does it make you feel?” Or, “whose side are you on: the big-shots who are oppressing you, or the God you are afraid will oppress you?” Or, “Can you take this big picture and work it into you daily lives so that God is dominant in your attitudes and actions as you seek to live in his story as his ambassadors?”

Something like that…just some thoughts…

posted by todd 8:53 AM

Wednesday, May 28, 2003

Just thoughts…mere thoughts…but thoughts none the less--

To me, historically, Isaiah is one of, if not the hardest to understand books in the Bible. But as I read Wright, Brueggemann, Willard and Peterson, etc., I realize how important it is to our Story. Desiring—no—dying to know our Story, and what it means to be the people of God, I thought I should dive in again. As a first, shallow-end step, I’ve begun to read Isaiah in The Message. Commentaries will have to wait…

I am not so much down on the church—and if I catch myself in such a state I severely rebuke myself—as I am “up” on figuring out what it means to be the people of God: from creation, to Israel, to the church, to the renewed cosmos. What is God’s ultimate intention in and through this Story? How do I align my life to it and help others (evangelism?) do the same? Upon understanding the Story, I want to know the nature of our role in it as Christians and churches. I don’t think I am alone in this pursuit. Hardly a day goes by without someone asking me “what is the church?”

Along this line there have come certain predictable sub-questions. First among them may be: “What should we do about meetings?” “Do we need to meet?” “Why: what should we be trying to accomplish through meetings?” “Who should lead meetings: i.e. what is the appropriate mix of human agency and the Spirit?”

This thinking about meetings can get a little scary reading Isaiah chapter one.

Why this frenzy of sacrifices? GOD’S asking. Don’t you think I’ve had my fill of burnt sacrifices…? When you come before me, who ever gave you the idea of acting like this, running here and there, doing this and that—all this sheer commotion in the place provided for worship?

Quit your worship charades. I can’t stand your trivial religious games: Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings—meetings, meetings, meetings—I can’t stand one more! Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them! You’ve worn me out! I’m sick of your religion, religion, religion, while you go right on sinning. When you put on your next prayer-performance, I’ll be looking the other way.

Ouch! I honestly don’t know exactly what to do with this. Like some others, I’m sure, I want to think something like: “Well THEY must have been REALLY bad!” Meaning, “this can’t really apply to us, could it?” Plus, I don’t want to say that it is bad to have a meeting.

Perhaps we just need to re-locate meetings on a map—or to switch metaphors--to locate them in a Story. A way forward could be found in the verses that follow:

Go home and wash up. Clean up your act. Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings so I don’t have to look at them any longer. Say no to wrong. Learn to do good. Work for justice. Help the down-and-out. Stand up for the homeless. Go to bat for the defenseless.

Thus: “How will this meeting help us “wash up”…help us in our spiritual transformation into Christ-likeness?” “How will it help ALL the members of our community of faith discover their passion, find their mission—the defenseless they see--and learn about their gifts?”

There is much more than can be said in one post…what do you see? What does the Spirit say to you?

posted by todd 11:49 AM

Thursday, May 15, 2003

“If you fill your calendar with important appointments, you’ll have no time for God; if you fill your spare time with essential reading, you will starve your soul; if you fill your mind with worry about budget and offerings, the pains in your shoulder and chest will betray you; if you try to conform to the expectations of those around you, you will forever be their slave. Work a modest day, then step back and rest—this will keep you close to God.” (Author unknown to me)

My current work place—Allelon, and my current boss—Mark Priddy, and my favorite “roommate”, Eric Keck, are the most encouraging and enabling people I have ever worked with to “work a modest day and go home to family and rest”. Yet, I still have a hard time truly resting. I go home to family and work…real rest rarely seems to be found. Be clear, I’m not blaming anyone: this, AGAIN! is a condition of my heart.

Willard and Foster have often told me that this is why the basic elements of the spiritual disciplines are solitude and silence: stop all work and shut up! When we cease from work it shows we entrust God with running the cosmos. When we embrace silence, we have only the possibility of hearing two voices: ours (what is going on inside us) and God’s—what is REALLY going on, what he thinks, etc.

Why in the world do I resist this? Why so inconsistent in practice? What am I afraid of…?

Father, help me to slow down: my earth-bound life will be over so fast. Help me to make the second part of my life the best in terms of your Kingdom. Teach me to feed, not starve my soul, to fill my mind with the knowledge of your rule and reign, to banish worry with faith in your totally competent love, to not fret, but to just work an honest, but modest day and then be able, in reliance on you, to rest.

May it be so,

Amen

posted by todd 4:23 PM

Wednesday, May 14, 2003

Choose evermore to have less than more. Seek ever the lower place and to be under all. Desire ever to pray that the will of God be all and wholly done. Thereby one enters the land of peace and quiet. (Unknown to me, but I think a Catholic saint; anyone know? Benedict?)

Lord, most of the time this kind of authentic spirituality seems like a big reach; I feel like a little boy reaching for his favorite snack in cupboard that is just too high up the wall. Help me to see and enter what you had in mind with a Christ-renewed, Spirit-energized humanity. Please take all the competing interests in my heart and mind and zip them together like the tiny bits of a zipper so that my life has obvious congruence with the rule and reign of your Kingdom.

Father, give me true faith, not just a positive outlook; give me genuine wisdom, not just “smarts” and courage and strength to follow that wisdom wherever it leads. Grant me free-flowing victory over my sinful appetites that run amok without your help, not just drudge-filled discipline.

Help me to find, in this life, for the sake of others, the land of peace and quiet—

Amen

posted by todd 9:01 AM

Tuesday, May 13, 2003

“Spiritual transformation into Christ-likeness requires a conscious, clear-headed and public commitment to living as a disciple of Jesus Christ: that is to a decision to give our lives to him as his constant students, learning from him how to live all aspects of our lives as he would live them. Evangelism should be understood as a call to receive the gift of such a life.” (Dallas Willard)

Lord, God help me to stay conscious—present to the actually moments of my life, in tune with the Spirit; help me to be clear-headed as a student of Jesus, to not back off, get comfortable or too tired in mid-age. Help me to live without compartmentalizing, to be intellectually and emotionally holistic, having all the components of my life open to you, your tutelage and care. Help to see such a life as a joyous adventure and not a burden. Help me when I get discouraged with myself and when I am tempted to not believe we can really make a difference with our service to the church so that the church can be your people making a difference in the world. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in my life and in the life of all I love. Amen

posted by todd 2:00 PM

Monday, May 12, 2003

I realized the other day that I’ve let my blog get pretty conceptual again, and not too personal. Sharing cherished beliefs is not void of my person, but none the less, I have been told that blogs are supposed to be a little like a diary. “Diary” doesn’t come easy to this boy.

I always have a few things I am “working on” for myself. I usually have an annual focus, with some spontaneity thrown in. I thought this week, rather than doing one large post about a key issue, I would say some things about the growth issues I am working on. They will come in the form of quotes from trusted guides.

“…in this life and in the world to come, those who follow Jesus will receive every thing they want, if what they want is to follow Jesus.” (Richard John Neuhaus)

Sometimes this sounds almost Buddhist to me (“all evil comes from desire”), but I know from simple observation of 47 years that Buddha wasn’t too far wrong on this one. I’ve seen “needs”, wants and desires destroy friendships, marriages, churches (think competing “agendas”) and working relationships, etc.

In the last couple of years I’ve discovered one of my best and most favorite leadership principles: I must want things “for” people, not “from” them. This has the possibility of making me a healthy and godly leader who brings out the best in others.

But how do I want things in any positive sense?

What if God/Jesus/Spirit wants me to want something—a la a biblical character that has heard the voice of God (this is where the Buddha comes up short)?

What if I “want” something “for” someone? Is everything then fair in “wanting” like in love and war?

No, even wanting things for others (including God) we can still ending up manipulating, nagging and controlling. Sometimes this is so because we are deceived, we really want the thing for ourselves (“my kid’s behavior, or my staff is making ME look bad…”, etc), but we baptize that desire in religious or psychological justifications.

A Willard-ism, which has helped me, comes to mind here: “Doing the things Jesus did IN THE MANNER IN WHICH HE DID THEM.” Jesus successfully wanted and achieved the things his Father wanted without ever manipulating or politically maneuvering a person against their will.

This was so because of his utter focus on the unseen world—his Father’s Kingdom. He knew he was always safe, and that he didn’t need to “win” anything. In doing and saying what his Father was doing, he was receiving everything he desired.

God help me to manage my wants and to do it in a way that liberates others while it accomplishes your will.

posted by todd 2:19 PM

Monday, May 05, 2003

I wrote the following thoughts for an Allelon meeting in January, but we didn't get around to using it. It captures several years of thinking in a handful of paragraphs. I hope it helps stimulate your thinking too.

Why is the approach to leadership we are suggesting better than other models (CEO/Senior Pastor, etc.)?

1. It happens from within the community, not above it or “set apart” (negatively understood) from it. Rather, it is consistent with the words of Jesus in Mathew 23 (see the Message). Thus, it includes every one. Everyone and anyone can feed, serve and be led by the Spirit; in short, all the basic stuff Peter and Paul and the others were commissioned to do (Cf. Gal. 3:26-29. Corporate structures by their vary nature exclude. They exclude or at best marginalize the young, the disadvantaged, the handicapped, women, retired people, the inexperienced, the less gifted, the less intelligent, etc.

2. It tries to take serious, in practice (and not just give doctrinal lip service to), the facts that: 1. The rule and reign of God our Father created the church (the people of the Kingdom); that 2. Jesus is the head of the church; and that 3. The Holy Spirit is Jesus’ Vicar (substitute or “continue-er”) on the earth today leading the church (Cf. John 13-17 and 1 Cor. 12-14). This does not set aside human, Spirit-led functionality, but defines it and sets its limits of power and authority. Working with people in their journey-of-being-led-by-the-Spirit is not a position of weakness; it is the strongest, most secure position. “When one chooses order and control over Spirit-freedom, you end up getting neither.” (Paraphrase of Benjamin Franklin.)

3. It tries to answer the question: “What does it mean to lead a group of people who are supposed to be following someone else—namely God the Holy Spirit”. It also suggests as a hypothetical answer: spiritual leadership, humanly speaking, serves and coordinates the divinely sponsored activities of the Holy Spirit among the gathered or scattered community of Christ.

4. It does not have the corporate culture of control and “pleasing those above you” that is implicit in hierarchical systems. No matter how good-hearted people are, layers of management and bureaucracy scream “CONTROL”! to those who are “underneath” and “below”. This may be appropriate in certain situations (Crisis? The military?), but it is not normative for the church. We are called to create environments where people can do without feeling threatened, restrained, or made to jump through unnecessary hoops in order to fulfill the dream God has put in their heart.

5. It is leader-full; a place where every member of the Body is a potential leader (situationally) as the Spirit enables them. It creates “places of realized potential” (Max DePree), giving people the opportunity to learn and grow. The role of leaders is to unleash “the leader” that is in every Christian. Other systems, claiming great leadership, with one man or a few people on “top” doing all the leading, are actually leader-less in comparison.

6. It puts the agenda of the Kingdom first, thereby automatically setting aside, or making secondary the agenda of “leaders” and “followers” alike. This will likely put most of us on a journey to confront (with the grace of God, the power of the Spirit, and the love of supportive community) our issues with fear, pride, promotion-of-self, lack of faith in the unseen world, control, power and authority.

7. It steers us away from the default position of the singular, white, male leader. (Singular leadership usually evolves into a hierarchy wherein the “leader” shares “his” power with others “down line”. NOTE: such an idea and such behavior are antithetical to point 4 above.) New models of leadership help us to not pour all the new, key ideas we are learning back into that old container, thereby releasing true, Spirit-led creativity.

8. It judges leaders not merely or primarily by the fulfillment of tasks, but by the quality of the community (the tone of the body) they form in the exercise of leadership and by the numbers and kinds of followers they obtain for Jesus, not for themselves.

posted by todd 4:06 PM