A friend of mine has a great post on his new blog. Please read and enjoy. It's amazing how we go thru these rants and raves as followers of Jesus. We're right - you're wrong. You're so wrong we're going to lock you away. No wait, that's not enough... we'll kill you. As Tim says, "Labeling someone a heretic, a witch or a pagan and burning, boiling, flaying, drawing, quartering or drowning them (not enough room to list all the fun we've had with heretics, witches and pagans) is a sport developed by the church..."
But Tim's point (and the genesis of his post) is this is not a phenomenon of ancient church history. The attitude and what it turns into still happens today. Whether it's the gay marriage issue or abortion, Christian can appear to hate as much as we love. Those issues are incredibly important to deal with but the way in which we deal with them says as much about what it means to follow Jesus as does speaking out.
I'd like to be known as a person of love much more than a person that is right. I hope I am gracious and merciful more than I am known for what I say. I guess I hope I can be a little like Jesus...
29 March, 2006
And on the seventh day...
Since my last post my family and I spent a wonderful week on spring break in Mexico. Near a little town called Puerto Penasco at the top of the Gulf of California. It was an amazing, relaxing week. My kids had the opportunity to see the ocean for the first time. No TV. Simply play in the sand all day. Look for shells. I got the chance to go sea kayaking every day for several hours. What a great time!
It really reminded me of the importance of rest. Except for holiday times, we hadn’t had a vacation together in over 2 years (since the summer of 2003). Oh, we had plenty of good reasons why not. Our youngest was born during the summer of 2004. My job is extremely busy during the summer (9 months worth of work essentially “happen” during the 3 months of the summer) and our local schools started right during that time in 2005. Those are valid excuses – not reasons. We need breaks. Time away. Time to recharge. Time to get off the hamster wheel as a family and just be. Incredibly valuable time. I needed that time. I now know my family needs that time too.
I guess God knew what He was doing instituting the Sabbath. A time of rest. Amen.
It really reminded me of the importance of rest. Except for holiday times, we hadn’t had a vacation together in over 2 years (since the summer of 2003). Oh, we had plenty of good reasons why not. Our youngest was born during the summer of 2004. My job is extremely busy during the summer (9 months worth of work essentially “happen” during the 3 months of the summer) and our local schools started right during that time in 2005. Those are valid excuses – not reasons. We need breaks. Time away. Time to recharge. Time to get off the hamster wheel as a family and just be. Incredibly valuable time. I needed that time. I now know my family needs that time too.
I guess God knew what He was doing instituting the Sabbath. A time of rest. Amen.
26 February, 2006
Further thoughts on "being"
In my post “To be or not to be…” I talked about being a student/follower of Jesus without being a Christian (or at least our common Western/European understanding of Christian). There is train of thought right now in emergent/next generation/postmodern Christian thought that takes that idea even a step further.
The idea that is batted about by those who think and write postmodern Christian thought is: a person can become a follower of Jesus and yet remain true to their culture. The meaning is that a person could chose to become a student of Jesus and still remain culturally Buddhist or Muslim or Navajo. It can be confusing and extremely challenging to allow yourself to travel to those kinds of thoughts. We’re trained to think that becoming a Christian, a follower of Jesus, means giving up all our “past” life to become a new creation, even giving up part of their culture. Virtually all of our culture, however, has been influenced or out right created in a Christian context. So it’s difficult for us to imagine giving up all of our culture and yet we ask others to? If a person becomes a follower of Jesus and still hangs Buddhist prayer flags, is that o.k.? What if someone chooses to become a student of Jesus, yet still teaches that idea in the context of the Great Spirit? More challenging… what if a new follower of Jesus from Syria, still honors Mohammed by quoting selected sections of his writing to draw people back to God? As I said these are difficult thoughts but I believe acceptable to God.
It’s very arrogant of us as Western Christians to think that “true” Christianity is our version. Our style. Our form of public worship. Our structure of organization. Our tradition. And yet that is exactly what much of our missionary heritage is. Those of us from a European heritage have the horror of the “missionaries” to the new world. The message was essentially “choose our form of religion (Christianity (often Catholic or Lutheran or Anglican) and our King, or else”. From the depths of South America to the wilderness of Canada, we subjected native peoples to virtually the same amount of horror as stories of redemption. We (Americans) in turn became to missionaries to the much of the rest of the world in the 19th and 20th centuries. But what we often brought was an American version of Christianity and tried to implement it wherever we were (and we wonder why many of these endeavors failed?).
We do not have the corner on the market of what it means to follow Jesus. People all over the world geographically and historically have been following Jesus for about 2,000 years in many different cultures and many different contexts. Believe it or not it’s not always looked like this. The oldest rituals we have a Christians today (be it Catholic or Orthodox) are not the same as they were even 500 years ago. At different times Christianity has been contemplative, apostolic, private, flamboyant, quiet, exciting. All good and perfectly applicable in their context. Even our most cutting edge ideas today will one day be replaced by newer ideas.
So why can’t a Christian in India or Thailand come to understand the saving grace of God through Jesus and yet remain culturally relevant as a Buddhist. Please understand, I don’t believe you can follow Buddha and find the truth that will lead to eternity with God. I believe that Jesus is the way to salvation, the only true way. But I don’t want someone to be turned away from pursuing Jesus because they think that he is an American or European idea. Jesus is beyond and above all of that. He is God. And as God he can transform any culture just like he can ours.
So I say again. I want all people (of the whole world) to become student followers of Jesus. Even if that means (maybe especially if) they never claim the name “Christian”.
The idea that is batted about by those who think and write postmodern Christian thought is: a person can become a follower of Jesus and yet remain true to their culture. The meaning is that a person could chose to become a student of Jesus and still remain culturally Buddhist or Muslim or Navajo. It can be confusing and extremely challenging to allow yourself to travel to those kinds of thoughts. We’re trained to think that becoming a Christian, a follower of Jesus, means giving up all our “past” life to become a new creation, even giving up part of their culture. Virtually all of our culture, however, has been influenced or out right created in a Christian context. So it’s difficult for us to imagine giving up all of our culture and yet we ask others to? If a person becomes a follower of Jesus and still hangs Buddhist prayer flags, is that o.k.? What if someone chooses to become a student of Jesus, yet still teaches that idea in the context of the Great Spirit? More challenging… what if a new follower of Jesus from Syria, still honors Mohammed by quoting selected sections of his writing to draw people back to God? As I said these are difficult thoughts but I believe acceptable to God.
It’s very arrogant of us as Western Christians to think that “true” Christianity is our version. Our style. Our form of public worship. Our structure of organization. Our tradition. And yet that is exactly what much of our missionary heritage is. Those of us from a European heritage have the horror of the “missionaries” to the new world. The message was essentially “choose our form of religion (Christianity (often Catholic or Lutheran or Anglican) and our King, or else”. From the depths of South America to the wilderness of Canada, we subjected native peoples to virtually the same amount of horror as stories of redemption. We (Americans) in turn became to missionaries to the much of the rest of the world in the 19th and 20th centuries. But what we often brought was an American version of Christianity and tried to implement it wherever we were (and we wonder why many of these endeavors failed?).
We do not have the corner on the market of what it means to follow Jesus. People all over the world geographically and historically have been following Jesus for about 2,000 years in many different cultures and many different contexts. Believe it or not it’s not always looked like this. The oldest rituals we have a Christians today (be it Catholic or Orthodox) are not the same as they were even 500 years ago. At different times Christianity has been contemplative, apostolic, private, flamboyant, quiet, exciting. All good and perfectly applicable in their context. Even our most cutting edge ideas today will one day be replaced by newer ideas.
So why can’t a Christian in India or Thailand come to understand the saving grace of God through Jesus and yet remain culturally relevant as a Buddhist. Please understand, I don’t believe you can follow Buddha and find the truth that will lead to eternity with God. I believe that Jesus is the way to salvation, the only true way. But I don’t want someone to be turned away from pursuing Jesus because they think that he is an American or European idea. Jesus is beyond and above all of that. He is God. And as God he can transform any culture just like he can ours.
So I say again. I want all people (of the whole world) to become student followers of Jesus. Even if that means (maybe especially if) they never claim the name “Christian”.
23 February, 2006
Are you an Evangelist?
As part of my business life I read a blog by Guy Kawasaki. I love his writing and his thoughts. I also have a suspicion that he's a follower of Jesus (very encouraging that someone as successful as him also has his priorities in order). You can read all about him on your own (I've linked his blog to mine) but in one of his past work lives he was the major "Evangelist" for Apple computers. "Preaching" or selling the idea of businesses using the Mac.
He just started blogging late last year. Late to the party, like me. Early on he wrote this blog http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/01/the_art_of_evan.html about the art of being an evangelist.
I love point #7. It must be easy for people to take a first step. To sell them something. To sell them an idea. To let them start following Jesus. So many times we as Christians have made the first step hard. Join our church. Walk down the aisle to the alter. Be sure to follow these rules. None of those are easy. The first step should be easy. Start Following! However you can. Whatever way that makes sense to you. The easy first step to being a follower of Jesus is to start.
I find it fascinating how the very same ideas that followers of Jesus can use to tell/share with others about who Jesus is can also be used to sell another idea. I think it's because they are universal principals. People want to belong. They want to feel like they are "in". That they are in the "know". That's how we sell them things. That's how we "sell" the idea of Jesus. Folks want to belong, to be known, to be in. Jesus provides the ultimate answers to those desires. The final answer to belonging. I hope I'm a good evangelist. I've got a great idea to sell.
He just started blogging late last year. Late to the party, like me. Early on he wrote this blog http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/01/the_art_of_evan.html about the art of being an evangelist.
I love point #7. It must be easy for people to take a first step. To sell them something. To sell them an idea. To let them start following Jesus. So many times we as Christians have made the first step hard. Join our church. Walk down the aisle to the alter. Be sure to follow these rules. None of those are easy. The first step should be easy. Start Following! However you can. Whatever way that makes sense to you. The easy first step to being a follower of Jesus is to start.
I find it fascinating how the very same ideas that followers of Jesus can use to tell/share with others about who Jesus is can also be used to sell another idea. I think it's because they are universal principals. People want to belong. They want to feel like they are "in". That they are in the "know". That's how we sell them things. That's how we "sell" the idea of Jesus. Folks want to belong, to be known, to be in. Jesus provides the ultimate answers to those desires. The final answer to belonging. I hope I'm a good evangelist. I've got a great idea to sell.
22 February, 2006
A boy named Su...
My best friend died on December 10, 2005. I don’t know how else to start this post. It’s just what it is. Song Su Shin died of lung cancer after fighting for a year and a half. He left behind his beautiful wife Cheryl and two boys, Ryan and Isaac. I’m still not sure what to do with this.
I’ve known Song since the first grade. We grew up together. Found this idea of following Jesus about the same time. Graduated high school the same year. Got married within 4 years of each other. Had our children just months apart. We served in youth ministry together for 6 years. He took over leadership of that when I left to work in Colorado. I find it very difficult to describe how close Song and I were. Neither one of us had a biological brother. We were each other’s brother. We also shared this desire to follow Jesus. To make that real and a living part of our lives. We wanted to make studying Jesus make sense. Not just for the students we worked with but for ourselves.
There are a few things I still struggle with. Some are pretty deep but this one is pretty surface. I didn’t get back in time to say good-bye to Song. I got the call about 5:45 a.m. that Saturday. I got on the first plane I could. I got there by 2 p.m. but Song had left about 11:15 a.m. It still bugs me. We talked all the time, weekly usually. But this time we hadn’t talked in about 10 days. Just got busy. We did have time to share over the year and a half. Time to tell each other “I love you”. But we never said good-bye. We never admitted to each other that the end was either near or here. I wished for that. I would have liked to say good-bye to my friend.
The other things that I struggle with are deeper. I’m really having a hard time understanding why. Why Song? Why now? Why wasn’t Song healed? Why did he have to die? I want to blame God to be honest, even though I know that doesn’t make sense. Even though I’ve taught so many others it doesn’t make sense. But why Song, God? I hurt. I miss him. I want him back. I want to pick up the phone again and call him, I can’t. I want to be able to complain to him, laugh, tease, pray… but nothing. He’s gone. I want to know what it’s like to meet Jesus. I want to know what it feels like to be complete. There are so many things I want...
Or do I believe what I’ve been selling (so to speak)? Do I believe? And the only answer I can come to is, Yes! A resounding, Yes! I have nothing else to hold on to. God makes the most sense. I believe that as a student of Jesus, Song is with Him. I believe that because Song followed Jesus, accepted what he offered – he’s with Jesus. I believe. I believe.
I still miss my friend. Sometimes I’m just pissed he got through all this before me. He knows the ending.
To paraphrase The Choir…
Now I feel the gravel under my feet
I suppose you’re walking down golden streets
Everybody always forgave you, a child of mystery
And I remember you were merciful to me
Hey Song, we remember you, yea, we laugh when we think of you Song.
Hey Song, we remember you, yea, we cry when we think of you Song.
Hey Song, we remember you , yea we love you, anyway
Give Jesus a kiss for us.
Hey Song, Flap your wings, flap your wings.
I’ve known Song since the first grade. We grew up together. Found this idea of following Jesus about the same time. Graduated high school the same year. Got married within 4 years of each other. Had our children just months apart. We served in youth ministry together for 6 years. He took over leadership of that when I left to work in Colorado. I find it very difficult to describe how close Song and I were. Neither one of us had a biological brother. We were each other’s brother. We also shared this desire to follow Jesus. To make that real and a living part of our lives. We wanted to make studying Jesus make sense. Not just for the students we worked with but for ourselves.
There are a few things I still struggle with. Some are pretty deep but this one is pretty surface. I didn’t get back in time to say good-bye to Song. I got the call about 5:45 a.m. that Saturday. I got on the first plane I could. I got there by 2 p.m. but Song had left about 11:15 a.m. It still bugs me. We talked all the time, weekly usually. But this time we hadn’t talked in about 10 days. Just got busy. We did have time to share over the year and a half. Time to tell each other “I love you”. But we never said good-bye. We never admitted to each other that the end was either near or here. I wished for that. I would have liked to say good-bye to my friend.
The other things that I struggle with are deeper. I’m really having a hard time understanding why. Why Song? Why now? Why wasn’t Song healed? Why did he have to die? I want to blame God to be honest, even though I know that doesn’t make sense. Even though I’ve taught so many others it doesn’t make sense. But why Song, God? I hurt. I miss him. I want him back. I want to pick up the phone again and call him, I can’t. I want to be able to complain to him, laugh, tease, pray… but nothing. He’s gone. I want to know what it’s like to meet Jesus. I want to know what it feels like to be complete. There are so many things I want...
Or do I believe what I’ve been selling (so to speak)? Do I believe? And the only answer I can come to is, Yes! A resounding, Yes! I have nothing else to hold on to. God makes the most sense. I believe that as a student of Jesus, Song is with Him. I believe that because Song followed Jesus, accepted what he offered – he’s with Jesus. I believe. I believe.
I still miss my friend. Sometimes I’m just pissed he got through all this before me. He knows the ending.
To paraphrase The Choir…
Now I feel the gravel under my feet
I suppose you’re walking down golden streets
Everybody always forgave you, a child of mystery
And I remember you were merciful to me
Hey Song, we remember you, yea, we laugh when we think of you Song.
Hey Song, we remember you, yea, we cry when we think of you Song.
Hey Song, we remember you , yea we love you, anyway
Give Jesus a kiss for us.
Hey Song, Flap your wings, flap your wings.
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