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April 30th, 2008

I watched a vile and evil site yesterday. I was at the auto shop getting a few supplies and getting the car tuned and it is right next to a store the sells video games. Apparently yesterday was the much anticipated release date for Grand Theft Auto 4… or something like that. I do not much care. I own a PS2, it was given to me. It makes a fine DVD Player.

As I waited for my car to be finished I must have seen 40 or more men, I use the term men lightly, go into the store, shell out 60 bucks and walk out with the new game. You could not tell me that we are in an economic down turn if my frame of reference was only the line I saw going into the store.

I detest video games anymore. Not because they are violent, a well formed mind can handle the violence, but because they not only are a form of entertainment anymore, they are a total escape from reality. Gone are the days of my generation where Pong was the only video game on the market, and the Nintendo that was the big gray box that we all wanted and thought was outrageously priced at $99.99. The Nintendo of my day was a little bit of fun, it was 2 dimensional graphics and it was all we had. The video game of today is so much different. It is:

1) A time thief. I mean it. The few times I play some video games with my son I loose 2 hours before I even look at a clock… 2 hours! Time is a precious asset and we only get so much of it. Wasting it is not cool.

2) It leads to a warped sense of virtue. The games that are hot today are the ones that let you play as a gangster, a mob boss, or some other unscrupulous person. (maybe they will invent a video game where you can be the head of a video came consortium…I mean racket!) Spending so much time in this world, especially in the mind of a male, leads to a false ego and feeling of power. In reality, you are wasting away in front of a television doing nothing… all day. It also glorifies vice, greed, and an I get what I take mentality. This will only lead to violence, in real life.

3) It robs young women of young men. I mean it. I know more single females who have an awesome head on their shoulders, are beautiful, well grounded and should by all means have the young men chasing them and practically knocking each other out to get a chance to take one of them out. It is sickening to see them get frustrated at the men who do come around being complete morons, way to old for them, or just so immature that a 5 year old has more social graces then them. This has lead to a phenomenon sociologists are watching where women are now playing these games. I really do not think it is because they want to blow things up, consume empty calories all day long and do basically nothing. It is because they are longing for the companionship of a man. I know I just irked a few feminists, but in the end, a girl needs a guy, and the guy definitely needs the girl. Not just biologically, but sociologically as well. Most of us will be married at some point in life, some later in life.

4) Ignorance of life and the world around us. My job at Compassion International is about 1/3 mundane stuff and about 2/3 education and advocacy. So many people, and most of these people are Christians mind you, are ignorant of the call God has put in the Bible to serve the least of these, to feed the widow and the orphan and so on… it is detestable and shame on us. Young men need to be awakened to this stuff, and not to the latest greatest game being mass produced for their “pleasure.” Believe me, it is pleasing Satan so much more.

Christan men, put down the Play Station paddle and pick up a book. A great book to read is called the Bible. Quit parroting back scriptures you learned as a spiritual babe, or that you get at youth group and start eating the meat that God has given you. Believe me, it is much greater and more satisfying then you could ever imagine. A man who knows his Bible is a danger to all things the enemy has. When you read the Bible you sharpen your mind, your spirit, and you become very attractive to the ladies out there. Don’t be a wimp…just do it.

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Hebrews 4:12

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April 30th, 2008

As the world hurries by this week and we all prepare for the National Day of Prayer and other events, one day will undoubtedly slip the mind of those of us who bear the image of Christ, Ascension day. Tomorrow marks the day Christ finally ascended to reign fully and forever seated next to God.

Romans 8:34 tells us “…Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Christ knew the pain and suffering of being a man, and He knows how to interceed for us. He stands before the Father and serves as the intercessor for us who are so flawed.Remember tomorrow to give thanks that God Ascended to his throne, but it was all made possible because He decided to descend and walk among us.

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April 22nd, 2008

“God has not made some beautiful things…. Beauty is the creator of the universe.”

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April 20th, 2008

One of the things that has bothered me a lot lately is the amount of requirements a church is putting on it’s lead pastor. I have been keeping an eye on the job market and it is pretty atrocious when it comes to what a church is requiring of it’s pastors. I truly have no problem believing why so many pastors are at the burn out point and then they pop and they are gone. Or, they develop a sinful habit as a release that ends up getting them fired.

I have a fully accredited Bachelors degree in Theology. I can keep up with the “big boys” fairly easily and I am perfectly capable of using the tools I learned in school to face a subject, think through it, weigh both sides of it and teach on it accordingly. I am not afraid to admit that parts of the Bible still scare me a bit. I do not know all the answers, and any church looking for a pastor who knows all the answers and says so just got themselves a liar for a preacher. The Bible should administer a degree of shock and awe to the believer any time they open it. If it is not, then stop reading the same stuff over again, or for heavens sake read the Old Testament for once!

I am not against pastors with high degrees, and I believe I will be aiming at a MDiv in the next few years here, but the point is not the degree, the point is what about the churches looking for someone who is broken, humbled, teachable, someone who admits they do not have it all figured out? Someone willing to listen to voices of others who have walked in their shoes before them and use the collective wisdom given to them and not rely on the title behind the name all the time? This is one of many reasons the church as a whole is in trouble.

Now, in my last post I said “At some point the western church lost it’s ability to communicate it’s faith clearly and succinctly into the next generation. The firmness of the Christian worldview and why it is the worldview that makes the most sense just stopped getting communicated.” I believe we still need educated people in the pulpit, but adding the additional layers of Executive and CEO, H.R. head, Lead Deacon, and not to mention the face they are expected to put on the church in the community on every last committee and communal project in the area is just trouble. Having a bachelors, or a certificate of training for a Bible College should really be enough. If the person applying is a person of character, integrity, and upholds the truths of the Bible, it should be good.

Below are some typical lines I pulled directly for web sites with pastoral vacancies.  

Has demonstrated leadership skills in a growing and/or large church setting

What about the person who has leadership in the private sector? If you are running your church like the private sector, all you need is a good CEO with some Bible knowledge.

Has a MDiv (higher degree preferred) or equivalent degree from an accredited Seminary

 Do you know how much a MDiv costs in a conventional environment? You must have a 4 year degree. That alone could mean 75,000 in debt. Then you add a 3 or  4 year MDiv program which of course is more expensive. You are looking at 100,000 or better. A Pastor could be 175,000 in the hole before they even see their first pulpit. Is that good stewardship? Is having to raise a starting salary for a pastor by 20 to 30,000 a year just so they can live and pay their bills good stewardship? Not to mention a “good pastor” is not single. In other words you need to be married. Yep, more debt, a baby on the way, the whole bit. Can you say HOLD ON!

Has had at least ten years ministry experience

WHAT? That means a person who would fit the bill would be at least 35 years old. Not to mention that those 10 years likely were unpaid, or at the best a bi-vocational position. Paying back 175,000 in school, working in ministry as a volunteer or part time and trying to keep their head above water? Jeez, this paradigm is messed up.

 
Has had and desires multi-cultural ministry experience

I am a multi cultural person. I love different cultures, I love going to Hispanic Churches and eating like crazy, African American churches and dancing like a wild man. I love that they come together into the church as a whole. However, what about a poor kid from rural Texas who grew up and did his ministry in a company town where everyone was white? Does that mean that he is going to crash a multi cultural ministry into the rocks? NO!

Has a stable, supportive, and active family life

I have an amazing family, and I have a wonderful son. I have a supportive family. But what if my family had broken and I learned, and I was able to empathize with the divorced member of my church, the child of a single parent home, etcetera? What if I am divorced, she left me for another man and the divorce had more to do with her then me? Yes, divorce is a two way street, but one of the two in the pairing stepped out into the street first. If the pastor goes through the right steps to wholeness again should he not have a greater ability to minister in the church because he has walked down that road before and can find his way through it? A church that fires it’s minister because of a divorce is really telling their parish something, get a divorce, face our judgment. Do not judge lest ye be judged does not apply in the church!

Churches do not want pastors anymore, they want mega pastor CEO’s that will grow the church, and therefore grow the coffers of the church which in turn means more hands in the pockets of the church. I believe it is good to have a decent budget, give to missions, support local projects in the community. Of course that is what the church in part is. But more money does not mean more impact. That is the worldly paradigm that the church has been chewing on for way to long.

I read in one of Eugene Petersons books that he has the rule that he will not take a church that is over 300 members. I agree a lot with that. 300 is a good group of people, a strong income base, and small enough that you can know everyone, or at least know the disposition of a person and be able to know who knows them. The pastor does not have layers of yes men to protect him and he must be engaged enough in the process of life that the church sees and knows his fruits. You do not need a MDiv to bear good fruits.

Today’s church needs to have a few things at the head of it’s list of things to look for. My list would say:

1) Humility

2) Transparency

3) Able to teach, AND be taught.

4) Seeker of wisdom and able to apply the Biblical worldview in the culture of today.

Maybe this is just my paradigm and I am ranting, but what do you all think?

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April 19th, 2008

At the request of the ever so lovely Christianne over at Lilies have dreams blog I am going to continue to elaborate on my take of the emergent movement. I am spitballing a bit and if you want a truly scholarly understanding and one that delves more into the philosophical presuppositions of emergent’s I would head over to Tony Jones and Doug Pagitt. As a matter of fact Doug just returned from the Seeds of Compassion event with the Dalai Lama. I believe this is one of the reasons emergent’s are very much onto something, and also why it causes apoplectic responses from the main line Evangelical central. The Al Mohler, James Dobson and Jerry Falwell crowd. We understand that the cause of peace, the cause of justice, and the cause of freedom are not soley Christian ideals and causes. We understand the conditioning of our thinking as a “Christian nation” and that where we have failed, others have succeeded. Some have not only succeeded, they have thrived.

 I have been reading a book called The Middle Way by Lou Marinoff and I can not recommend reading this book more highly. It is rather lengthy and a bit of a snore in a few spots, but overall it is one of the best and clearest thinking books on what I think is a strength in the Emergent Movement. Lou Marinoff is a Buddhist Jew. I know, those do not mix fully. Even I do not understand it fully, but he has an incredible lens that he looks at life through and it truly is astounding. So astounding, yet simply complex.  I will not go into a ton of detail, but by critiquing the world views of the halls of power in different places and situations through the lens of Aristotle, Buddha and Confucius he has shown that there is so much wisdom in seeking the middle path. The path that is not polarized all the way to one end of the spectrum or the other, but the middle. The book is about equipping you to think through a process and look beyond the presuppositions that the talking heads on CNN are cramming at you, your church is throwing at you, or especially that hostile teacher in College is giving you. I will warn you that one chapter he makes a pretty harsh critique on post modernism and depending on what you fully believe about Emergent’s, we are a product of post modernism. His critique is pretty one sided and while it points to some concerns, he does not fully give it credit. For a nice counter weight take a moment and read this New York Times Article by Stanley Fish.

Proverbs 14:6 says “The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.”  I believe that almost since Christianity has begun, but especially since the Cartesian church has been the philosophical norm for “doing church” we have become the mocker. We claim and say we are seeking wisdom and truth, and we are certainly finding some. God is still in the midst of the church, the church is His bride and nothing is going to change that. But instead of expending so much effort to define ourselves and set ourselves apart from the Buddhist, the Catholic, the Hindu, why not come into their midst?

At some point the western church lost it’s ability to communicate it’s faith clearly and succinctly into the next generation. The firmness of the Christian worldview and why it is the worldview that makes the most sense just stopped getting communicated. The Cartesian church eventually saw this, got scared, and instead of rising to the challenge to teach, invigorate and motivate it’s adherents, it became the cowardly lion. It began to kowtow to the evolutionary forces of curling up in a fetal position, developing a hardened outer shell and weathering the storm. I am sorry, but snails do that. The church is a complex multi cellular system and it works together for the glory of God, not for protecting it’s own. If anything the Bible tells us to get out there, go into the midst of the belly of the beast and proclaim His name!

The second part of the verse quoted above is “knowledge comes easily to the discerning.”  The Emergent Church is working very hard to be discerning in all things. The Emergent Church is very tolerant of a diversity of ideas and theology (theopraxis) because we believe there is value and wisdom in almost all forms of worship directed towards God. Wether or not it is God Capital “G” or god lower case “g”, there is value in the act of worship and in the pursuit of wisdom. We can not afford to continue to push ourselves into a little theological box and let that little box define us. Globalization, the Internet, easier world travel, all lead up to the fact that we must “emerge” from the cocoon that is our limited worldview and get waist deep in the waters of others. The thirst and drive for knowledge in my generation and those coming up behind me is as strong as it has ever been. When the answers are just one click away on Google, what are we doing to show that CHRIST is the answer?

Two of the biggest concerns for emergent’s everywhere is 1) homogenization of other ways of belief to the point that Christianity no longer teaches the Bible and the one and true infallible word of God. In the end, it is. But we need to be able to see other belief systems and speak clearly for the gospel as true and correct and as infallible. 2) Emergent Church just becoming another way of doing church. We compromise to the point that we are nothing more then just another theological world view espoused by some, despised by others. We MUST focus on the essentials of what makes being an emergent unique and still walk the line of teaching the right way in a new way.

I will wrap up here with a quick story. In 2005 I had the wonderful opportunity to serve in India for a few weeks. It was life changing and paradigm shifting for me. I never thought of going to Bible college before I went. I now have a Theology Degree from a Bible College and am considering a Masters. I also never thought that taking a 20,000 a year pay cut to work in a ministry could be rewarding, yet here I am doing it and for the most part loving it. Back to the story though. One day myself and a group of others wandered into a Hindu temple and spoke with the Priest. We happened to wander into the one temple in all of Southern India that had the “pope” of the Hindu religion as the priest. It was cool. We sat on a dirt floor, drank Mango tea and listened as he expounded on the Upanishads and other things. He had us pegged as Christians at the door and made it clear that he wanted no part of it. We honored his request, and in return were honored to hear him teach us what Hindu’s believe and why (in a 30 minute nutshell). In that conversation, I felt the move and stirring of the Holy Spirit. I know, in a Hindu temple? Yes, in the temple. Not in the typical fashion, but it was there. He spoke a few very wonderful things into my heart that day, and they have stuck. They are so deep that words only betray the thoughts I had. But, in a brief thought to wrap this up it had to do with the Holy Spirit telling me that He is on the side of those seeking truth. He is there to guide and direct those seeking that truth. I believe that as a church we neglect the role of the Holy Spirit in directing our paths way to much. If we let Him speak, and we but listen contemplatively and with the intention of obedience, God is in that midst.

-Shalom

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April 17th, 2008

I identify myself as a member of the Emergent Church. For those of you who are still reading and have not instantly sent me hate mail and sharpened your pitchfork and come looking for me I want to explain why, and then delve into something I have been thinking through. Here goes my reasoning.

1) Deconstruction. It is O.K, and even encouraged in Emergent Circles to ask why something is, challenge it, try something different and then come back to the idea of the others did not stick. And if someone else does it differently the Theology does not get in the way. Breaking things down to the common denominator and rebuilding it one block at a time is O.K.

2) Integration of different ways of worship and traditions that serve to bring a person closer to Jesus in their walk. Emergent Baptists using prayer beads, Presbyterian Emergents celebrating Lent and so on. Less emphasis on the theology, more emphasis on what brings the person to the feet of Jesus.

3) Pursuit of wisdom, wherever it might be. We know the Bible is the ultimate and infallible word of God, but that some people out there outside the church have come pretty close to greatness in their chosen field of endeavor and we need to listen to those voices once in awhile.

There are MANY more reasons I am an emergent, but this is enough for now.

I want to talk about number 1 today and how it applies to how a post modern emergent should view work. I have been smack dab in the middle of this crazy mess at work and I realized something…I love to deconstruct, I love to deconstruct anything really. I love to think through something, and then I like to ask “but what if? and question the authority of the person or persons involved in the authority in the first place. I love to deconstruct people and authority so much that I almost get an orgasmic thrill out of doing it. I know, it is crazy. Maybe it is a sure sign of mental illness. Time will tell I guess.

When I deconstruct a person, especially a person in authority I get very paranoid very easily. I question motives, I ask “what if” and I begin to envision worst case scenarios about what that person really means. For example, I work in a place where the timing of your breaks controls the amounts of people available to keep the calls flowing. If I leave early, or stay late it causes the system to get out of sync. No one has cared all that much, until now. I, as well as everyone else, get eyed like hawks now on when we leave and get back, almost to the second. I instantly start doing the “well next it is going to be” treatment and I start to question the motives of the people in charge. This is wrong. As a Christian we need a healthier view of work. I believe that I am not the only emergent out there who does this. Being an Emergent means being a contrarian in a lot of ways. It means questioning the authority of the church in ways, but in humility. Same applies at work, but humility is a definite component if you are going to survive in the cubicle jungle.

Romans 13:1 says “Let everyone be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God” (NIV emphasis mine) This passage is often used to emphasize the authority of the government and that is good, but we are missing a nugget here. When it says there is no authority except from God he does not say no governmental authority, He says NO AUTHORITY PERIOD. That means all authority in our life, our parents, our boss, our courts, our church and so on is all given by God. It does not matter if the boss is a Christ follower, that authority is given to him or her by God. …established by God means just that. It does not mean some authority, or only the believers authority, it means ALL authority. That is cool and exiting on one level, scary and painful on another.

When we get this concept I think there are going to be a lot more Christians out there making an impact. I know I sure am having to learn it, again, and again, and again. On one hand I have authority (in the church), and on the other hand I am under authority (work). Balancing the two is tenuous and stressful. Being humble under authority though is the key to being a man who handles authority given to him well.

The popular bumper sticker adage that says “QUESTION AUTHORITY” is a common high school age view of the world. And questioning authority has its time and its place, but it should be much rarer, and done much differently then the world does it. Just because God grants the authority does not mean that the person is automatically making the right decision. I can think of oh…a thousand misuses of authority I have seen or read about or been a part of. Many times saying question authority means I really want to be a pain in the ass and I have chosen to be a pain in the ass to you today.

I can talk about this forever and how it applies in the mind of an emergent. If this post gets some attention and interest I might continue on. Meanwhile, go to work tomorrow and look that boss square in the eye, love em’ or hate em’ and tell them good morning, and mean it. Then, quit being a pain the the ass, and begin doing that which God has put on your plate to the best of your ability and then let God sort out the details, he has the control.

-Shalom

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April 16th, 2008

“Unfortunately, in seeing ourselves as we truly are, not all that we see is beautiful and attractive. This is undoubtedly part of the reason we flee silence. We do not want to be confronted with our hypocrisy, our phoniness. We see how false and fragile is the false self we project. We have to go through this painful experience to come to our true self.

It is a harrowing journey, a death to self—the false self—and no one wants to die. But it is the only path to life, to freedom, to peace, to true love. And it begins with silence. We cannot give ourselves in love if we do not know and possess ourselves. This is the great value of silence. It is the pathway to all we truly want.”

M. Basil Pennington

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April 10th, 2008

In 2005 I spent several weeks in India working among the poor and the lower caste children and families that live there. It was a wonderfully heart wrenching experience. There is nothing like coming back home mentally wrecked and painfully aware that the problems we think we have in life here, are nothing in comparison to those who I had the honor of serving in India.

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April 5th, 2008

I have had a bit of a trying week. Two days out of work with pneumonia after blowing a whole weekend sick and spending most of the week prior at week sick. Yup, I was a sick dude. I have had a few occasions to share my heart and mind about what has been going on at work, I have obliged some, but I know that one moment can truly define my entire work existence. This is true of any situation.

When Amy and I got married we were walking to our car to whisk away to the chalet for the evening (our first one as a married couple) we were met by 3 very drunk, very stupid men. One of them asked if he could kiss the bride, and before I knew it he laid one on her. He got a better kiss from her then I did at the altar, of course not by her choice. When that happened I had to make a very quick choice, knock the ever loving hell out of the guy, take the other two shrimps on and likely go to jail for my wedding night, or I could whisk her away and get the hell out of there. Luckily, I choose number 2. Had I not, that night would still define our marriage to this day. That was a defining event. Believe me I wanted to do #1. Had Amy not stopped me I probably would have.

When in the Ukraine in 2003 I had my first experience in a Yugo Taxi cab. Cramming me, (I am broad shouldered and wide bellied) and 3 other missionaries into a cab the size of a Ford Fiesta is interesting to say the least. One cab we went to catch reeked of vodka (as does much of the nation unfortunately) and I would not get into this cab and my mission leader was torked at me. We must stay together so one does not go, we all do not go. As he pulled away with his rider and we were waiting for a new one, he pulled in front of a military truck. Neither of them lived to know what happened. That was a defining moment in my life.

I could go on and on, but all this is to say that actions have consequences, sometimes serious ones, sometimes ones we do not see right away. I wanted to shoot of my opinion so very bad, I wanted to rock the boat because that is what I do. I have a preachers heart and I am not afraid of rocking the boat when the situation calls for it. Discretion is knowing when to rock the boat, and when to hold on for the ride.

Now, the situations I gave above are a little extreme, but it illustrates the point I am trying to make. Yes, ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES. If we learned that as little ones, as we all do, why can we not remember that as adults? Sure, mom is not waiting to take away my Oreo cookies for doing the wrong thing, but someone much greater, much more important than mom (I love you mom) is watching. Of course I mean God.

The word consequence only appears 8 times in the whole bible, all in the old testament, and all in relation to sin. Spouting off has consequences, and probably could be considered a sin.

Where am I going with this post, I do not know exactly. Sometimes it is good to speak up, follow your gut and make it happen. Be adamant. The bible is full of people who listened to God only and were adamant and mistreated and even killed for what they did. At some point you have to draw the proverbial line in the sand and say ENOUGH! Other times, most times, it serves to sit down, bite your tongue, cut it out if you must, and not go there.

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April 3rd, 2008

The High Calling Blogs is doing a good job reminding everyone that work, no matter what the work is, has value. We have a meme going on. Here are the rules:
1. Write about the Strangest Job I Ever Had and tell what I learned from it.

2. Link to other “Lessons from Odd Jobs” posts.

3. Tag my post “Lessons from Odd Jobs”.

4. Tag other bloggers, in or out of the HC network.

5. Link back to the Lessons from Odd Jobs page and and email this month’s host at “Marcus AT highcallingblogs DOT com”.

Here it Goes

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